August 18th X791, Fairy Tail's home.
Two hours have passed ever since Wendy and Levy returned from Magnolia. It was starting to get really late, last minutes of the day ticking away on the clock.
Gray sat down by the kitchen table and reached out for Mira's unfinished bottle of booze, gulping it down like water without giving a damn about the burning sensation in his throat. He took his lips off the bottle and sighed loudly, wiping his mouth with his burned right hand, his magic already trying to cool it down.
It's been an hour since his ears have gotten used to Natsu's yelling, his throat already torn and voice beyond broken. The procedure turned out to be something taken straight out of a horror movie, as the Dragon Slayer was rendered in a consistent state of agony that gave him strength he most likely never had, even when in full health.
Everyone who took a part in holding him down has been hit to some extent, some more than others. Gray's hand was kicked away by a flaming foot, Lucy was clawed across her left forearm, Mira got kicked in the nose, and Erza took quite possibly more blows than all of them combined, her lip cut and bleeding.
Still, despite all that, none of them showed any signs of annoyance, or hostility toward the Dragon Slayer, though Mira did wish him good health with a devilish smirk, just so she could smack him back. Despite their injuries, their resolve to get him better remained strong.
Ultear continued to slowly work her magic, focused. Due to Natsu's already critical state, the procedure was taking longer than supposed to.
"Despite everything that happened in the past two hours, everything is going great." said the time mage. "We're already past the halfway point. You're doing a great job, Wendy!"
Wendy, who was consistently healing Natsu's broken body nodded weakly. She was sweating and panting heavily, fatigue catching up to her. She already slipped once or twice, which nearly cost them the entire procedure. Her magic was running on fumes and she knew it.
Gray swung the bottle one more time and put it aside, getting back up to replace Juvia, who took his place.
"Alright, switch." he told her and shooed her away with his head.
The rain woman nodded hesitantly and stepped aside, but not without expressing how worried she was.
"Perhaps it'd be better to hold him down with magic?" she suggested. "Someone could get really hurt..."
"That's out of the question." shot her down Ultear. "As he is right now even the weakest of spells could be lethal. If Gray were to freeze him to the couch, he'd most likely freeze to death. Right now he's slipping between the boundaries that separate mages from non-mages. Magic is lethal to non-magical humans."
"You heard her." grumbled Gray and pressed Natsu's right leg down as hard as he could. "No way around this."
"I'm sorry to ask, but could you change with me, Juvia?" asked Lucy from opposite end of the couch. "I'd like to at least take a drink."
"Yes, of course."
Lucy smiled in gratitude and let the rain woman take her place by Natsu's left shoulder. She sighed tiredly and crossed the kitchen to grab some water.
Before she could lift the glass to her lips she was interrupted by loud knocking. Cautious, she put it down and put her hand on her keys.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"Open up. It's me." replied an annoyed voice from the other side.
Recognizing the voice to be Gajeel's and sighing in relief, Lucy unlocked the door and let him in, Elfman and the Exceeds following them in suit.
"Y'know, it's kinda hard for me to get lost." said the annoyed Dragon Slayer. "Sending these two after me was pointless." he said and pointed at Elfman with his thumb. "And who the hell is yelling..."
Only now did he notice what was going on, four people holding screaming Natsu down while a stranger stood over him like some sort of a priestess on a funeral.
"The hell?" he frowned.
"I'll explain later. Did you find her?" asked Lucy with hope.
Both men shook their heads, which made Lucy's heart drop.
"We've found her house, but it looked...bad." said Elfman truthfully. "We didn't find any signs or smells of violence, but the place looked like a bomb went off. Books everywhere, furniture broken...Looked like someone went through it some time ago. No sign of the old lady, either."
Gajeel walked across the room and grabbed Lucy's water, gulping it down in a second. He sighed in relief and put the glass down. "No sign of her in the area, either. We covered a 10km radius – nothing."
Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose. Even if it wasn't for Natsu she could still help Master, whose condition, although stable, was not the best.
"Mind explainin' what the hell is going on in here?" asked Gajeel. "Why is he yelling like that and who are these people?"
Lisanna narrowed her eyes and looked at her brother. "You didn't tell him?"
Elfman raised his hands apologetically. "I didn't want to spread panic! Besides, he was already done when we found him! And we hurried back, too!"
The girl sighed and addressed the Dragon Slayer. "Me and Levy will fill you in. Come to the other room, it's...more quiet in there."
Gajeel sighed and followed the girls upstairs but not before giving Jellal a suspicious eye.
"What a pain in the ass..."
First minutes of August 19th, Raven Tail'S HQ
A tall, well built man opened the door to the guild with way more noise than it was necessary, his excited chuckle echoing across the almost empty hall.
He was of slightly darker than usual carnation, with white, spiky hair that was not too long in length, his gray eyes reflecting the light of the torches he passed by.
"Hey, have you guys heard it?! Well, have you?!" he roared on top of his lungs while crossing down the hall.
Four figures were present in the not so quiet anymore guildhall, three of them by the bar and one in the corner by themselves.
A young girl with shoulder-length dirty blonde hair covered her ears and grimaced in annoyance.
"Do you ever stop yelling, Albert?" she groaned. "And for the love of everything that's holy on this world, take this disgusting thing off before I use my magic on it." she added, pointing at the vest on his torso. It was red in color, with a white big skull painted on the back, with two smaller ones on each shoulder. It was unbuttoned and had no sleeves.
The giant's smile was knocked off his face, giving in to an insulted frown. "I'll take it off when you cut your hair the proper way, Ellia. Do you use a ruler when you do it?"
Ellia scoffed and turned away, putting her fingers through her bangs that were cut in a line just above her golden eyes. "As if someone like you could understand what stylish means."
"Why you-"
"Now, now, let's not fight amongst each other." laughed a young man with slightly sharpened teeth and black hair that gently reached past his shoulders, messy and combed. "What is it that you wanted to tell us about, Albert?"
The giant beamed again, his chiseled jaw gleaming in the gentle light and sat down next to his friend, who passed him a bottle of beer. He opened it with his teeth and gulped half of the bottle down in one go, before putting it down on the counter, making lots of noise once again.
"Fairy Tail, they've returned!" he announced.
Ellia arched an eyebrow from the other side of the counter. "Did you just find out? Do you ever listen to Master?" she scoffed and took a sip from her glass of whiskey. "They've been back for at least a day now."
Albert's expression dropped again. "Oh, so you all knew already?"
"You were on a job, were you not, Albert?" asked him the sharp-teethed man. "Hard for you to know about something so recent when out of town, right?"
Albert looked at him and raised his bottle. "That I did, Svenar. Wiped the floor with those mountain bandits!"
Svenar laughed and gently hit his bottle against the giant's. "What, did you have no compassion for fellow outlaws? No nostalgia?"
Albert snorted in amusement. "Such amateurs had no right to call themselves bandits in the first place! So many mistakes! I'm surprised they operated in that area for as long as they did!"
Ellia sighed tiredly and pulled out a coin from the pocket of her suit. It had a very bizarre design, her sleeves being definitely oversized in comparison to the rest of her attire. "You should have joined them, you know? Showed them how to properly terrorize farmers and gang up on people on the roads to take their last money."
Albert put down his bottle and looked at the girl. "Have I done anything to upset you, Ellia?" he asked, genuinely hurt by her constant remarks.
The girl shrugged. "Not really, I'm just tired. Part of the reason my mood is so shitty. Sorry if I hurt your feelings." she said and bent the coin in half with ease, playing with it. "More importantly, now that all of us are here, what should we do? About Fairy Tail, that is."
Another woman who was sitting right next to Ellia put down her tea cup. She had long dark-blue hair that reached the middle of her back, her long bangs neatly tugged behind her left ear. She was wearing a white uniform that heavily resembled that worn by the Council, except hers consisted of a creamy jacket that perfectly captured her figure, creamy pants and knee-tall brown leather boots. Her waist was dosed with a black belt, a longsword placed by her left hip.
"I don't think there is anything for us to do, Ellia." she said and adjusted her glasses. "We haven't received any orders yet. As things are right now, they are in a lost position."
Ellia tossed the coin in the air and caught it, before spinning on her chair to her right to face the woman. "Come on, Emilia. Don't you want to get back at them for what they've done? We all do, you know."
"My grudge is aimed at one person only, not the entire guild. I do not care about them." said calmly Emilia.
"To be fair, most of us got a thing for just one of them." pointed out Svenar. "But I wouldn't mind seeing the whole guild burn. I say we pay them a visit after we finish tomorrow's job."
Albert grinned. "Now that's an idea I can get behind! I've been itching for a challenge!"
"Morons agree with me." said Ellia with a smirk. "Hey, you! What do you say?" she called out to the fifth figure sitting in the corner of the hall. Having received no answer, the girl sighed. "Why do we even keep this kid around..."
Emilia raised her cup once again. "You're free to go, but do not think I will cover for you."
The blonde put her arm over the older girl and leaned on her. "Come on...You know you want to come. Your brow frowns when you're lying, you know?" she giggled and pointed at her forehead. "Besides..." she moved her hand to slide it across Emilia's face. "Don't you want to pay her back? Or at least ask why?"
Emilia slapped Ellia's hand, which made the girl pout. She put her cup down and looked ahead of herself, the scar on her right cheek glowing in the fire.
"Of course I do."
An hour later
Wendy's breath was heavy, sweat dripping down from her chin. She was running on fumes and there was nothing she could do to prevent it. Carla suggested she ate air, but even that had its limits.
Natsu's procedure has still to be completed and it filled the girl with complete dread. She was literally the only reason he was still alive and she was just about to give out.
"I...I can't do this." she admitted in a broken voice. "My magic...it's almost gone."
Ultear gasped and bit her lip. They still weren't done. She could speed up the process, but the risk was too high. If she sped up just a touch too much…
Erza's face paled. As nervous and terrified she was, she knew it was by no means Wendy's fault. She's been continuously pumping her magic out for almost three hours, it was a miracle she was still conscious.
"Is there anything you can do?" Lucy asked Ultear. "Anything we could do to make her last until the end?"
"I'm afraid I do not know the answer." said sadly Ultear.
"What about tincan?" asked Gray. "Laxus gave Natsu his magic that one time and it brought him back into the fight. It could work!"
"I'm pretty sure the only reason it worked for them was because they already did it once in the past." stated Mira. "And from what I've heard it happened through consumption. I doubt Wendy could eat iron."
"Not to mention, that even though their magic is basically the same, a rejection is still possible." added Meredy. "It could end in a catastrophy."
Wendy's eyes grew misty, a grunt of frustration escaping her mouth. She grit her teeth in effort to not lose focus, her magic already blinking on and off, only a few steps away from running out.
"What am I supposed to do..." she asked herself quietly, panic kicking in. "Natsu..."
All of a sudden she felt something warm touch her back. Something strong, and yet gentle. She turned around only to see Erza's smiling face, her hands on Wendy's back. Before she could express her confusion, Wendy felt magic slowly returning to her body, courtesy of Erza, who was now pumping her own magic into the girl.
"Huh?" muttered the girl, greatly shock at seeing her healing aura grow thrice in size in an instance.
"Looks like we're compatible." sighed the redhead in relief and grimaced a second later. "Though I do have to say, I'm really impressed, Wendy...being able to endure this horrible feeling...It's even worse than magic cars."
Ultear was just about to scold the knight but simply sighed and shook her head. "I can't believe you people...If you weren't compatible with one another, you could have killed her, you know." she told Erza. "There's a lot I have to say to you right now, but for now just focus on the task ahead. If my calculations are correct we should be closing in to the end. Be mindful, however – your magic will be sucked dry before you know it."
Erza nodded and straightened her posture, getting comfortable behind Wendy. She narrowed her eyes and focused, her magic going through Wendy like electricity through a wire.
She wouldn't dare to admit it to anyone, but a part of her felt as if she herself was the one healing Natsu right now. Well, technically it was her magic that ran through Wendy's body right now so that statement wouldn't be too stretched, but...it felt special. To her.
A couple minutes later the results could be seen and heard, much to everyone's relief. Natsu was no longer throwing himself around, nor was he screaming, now limiting himself to groans and grimaces.
Mira let go of his leg and wiped her forehead, sighing tiredly. "That felt much longer than it took."
Gray stretched his arms over his head and moaned in relief. "Tell me about it...For a second I really did consider freezing him to the couch. Good thing Juvia suggested it before I made any moves...It'd have been awkward." he laughed nervously and walked into the kitchen with Mira, Lucy trailing behind them.
"It's a good thing you have her." pointed out the blonde. "This isn't the first time she saved your skin, one way or another. You could at least stop treating her like air, or worse!"
"Damn right. That girl is being wasted on you." added Mirajane.
"Give me a break..."
Erza smirked under her nose, now sitting on a chair just behind Wendy. Just fifteen minutes ago they were all on the edge, and now that things have finally looked promising, they were bantering with one another and cracking jokes. It may not have been a long time, but she'd missed this. This warm atmosphere. This sensation of being home.
She gently wiped her mouth into the sleeve of her t-shirt, her sweat leaving a wet mark. Although it's been only fifteen minutes, she was already feeling fatigued. Ultear wasn't lying – letting someone else use her magic was one hell of a challenge.
With each passing minute her respect for Wendy grew more and more, disbelief creeping somewhere in there, too. True, it must have been a different sensation for her, since her magic was different, however the amount of focus and concentration that went into the process of healing another person was beyond anything she ever had to experience. Even bringing out her strongest, toughest armors did not require such dedication as this.
And yet, she didn't hate this feeling at all. Not one bit.
Every single drop of sweat, every grimace of her face – they were all proof of how much it meant to her to heal this man. To see him stand on his own feet again, free of any pain. To talk to her, to smile at her…
It was the same for Wendy, too. Although they haven't known each other for long, she felt a weird brotherly connection with the older Slayer, one that was a bit different from the one she shared with Gray and others. Perhaps it was the bonds they shared as children of dragons, or because he showed her that it was not hard to be brave. She herself didn't know, however, the time they spent together was an experience of its own, something she couldn't forget, even if she wanted to.
It wasn't just their magic that was being pumped into his still limp body. It was their feelings as well, and perhaps that may have had better effect on him than magic itself.
After yet another hour Ultear's face finally relaxed, as she cracked a small and tired smile.
"It's over!" she announced happily to everyone in the room. "It was a success!"
Gray and Lucy quickly ran up to the couch. Natsu's face has finally resembled that of a human being, as he slept peacefully for the first time in what felt like eternity. They sighed in relief and highfived each other, grinning like idiots.
Lucy beamed and turned to Erza and Wendy. "Hey, isn't that great?! Er-"
She quickly raised her hands to shut her mouth. Both girls were already sleeping, exhausted, but glad. Erza was leaning on Wendy's small figure, a weak smile on her face. Wendy basically passed out in her chair, her head pressed against Erza's, as both girls snored gently from fatigue.
Smiling at the sight, Lucy put her finger on her lips and quietly signalised everyone to leave the room, pointing at the stairs with her other hand. As Crime Sorciere and everyone else left the room, Mira looked at the sighed and snorted in amusement.
"You're still drooling in your sleep, eh?" she muttered quietly to Erza and shook her head. She grabbed a blanket and gently threw it over Erza and Wendy, before leaving the room as well, closing the door behind her.
They all made their way to the second floor, where Lucy turned to Ultear and the others.
"Thank you. You have no idea how much your help means to us." she said and shook the woman's hand.
Ultear smiled and put her other hand on Lucy's. "There is no need to be so formal. It was nothing. I'm glad I could help."
Lucy nodded and addressed Meredy and Jella. "Why don't you stay the night? You must be tired and it's rather late by now."
Jellal quickly raised his hands. "No, thank you. We have to move-"
"Gladly." said Meredy, making sure her voice was louder than his.
Jellal looked at her, not amused. "Meredy..."
"It's just one night." shrugged the girl. "No one knows we're here and who knows, maybe Ul will be needed again." she continued, making sure to blink at Fairy Tail to let them know she was just messing around, much to their relief.
"Truth to be told, I could use some rest." wondered Ultear out loud.
Seeing that he was outnumbered, Jellal sighed and nodded. "Very well.. We'll stay the night."
Lucy beamed and clapped her hands. "Great!
"I'll be sleeping outside." announced Gajeel with a yawn. "Can't stand the crowd."
"Make sure not to wake them up." said Levy.
"I know." he threw shortly and opened the window, jumping out a second later, Pantherlily flying after him.
"I guess that makes two free beds, then." Lucy counted on her fingers. "Where to put one of you..."
Jellal raised his hands. "Do not bother yourself. I will also be outside. I'm not that sleepy and we're used to keeping watch over night. It's my turn today."
The blonde frowned gently. "Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Ultear shook her head gently. "No use trying to convince him. he's as stubborn as a mule."
"I prefer dedicated, thank you."
With that said, Jellal wished them all good night and gently walked down the stairs. He threw a short glance at the sleeping trio, before smiling gently and walking out of the house, quietly closing the door behind himself.
With that cleared out, everyone else left for their beds, going to sleep without much talking.
The night went by smoothly, as well as quietly. Ultear and Meredy took Levy and Gajeel's room, with the bluenette going to Lucy's, now that Erza's bed was temporarily empty.
The redhead herself was still sleeping downstairs, her upper half now pressing against Natsu's legs. In the night Wendy woke up in need of toilet and gently slipped out of Erza's iron hug, gently putting her down on the sleeping Dragon Slayer instead. Since she did not come back into the living room after taking care of her business, Erza stayed that way for the remainder of the night.
Her face grimaced gently, her body twitching, consciousness returning to her mind. She slowly opened her eyes, still tired, both physically and mentally, from previous night's adventures.
She turned her neck straight, an unpleasant stiff sensation awakening her nerves upon doing so. With a groan, Erza lifted herself up and stretched, relaxing all the tension she'd build up from sleeping in this uncomfortable position.
She sighed in relief and looked at Natsu, who was still sleeping. His face was relaxed, not bothered by any pain or discomfort whatsoever. He looked tired but that was to be expected. Almost dying does that to a person.
Erza got up from her chair and stretched one more time, before gently crossing the kitchen to get some water. She filled the glass up to the half-point and gulped it in one go, the cold sensation pleasantly coating her throat and windpipe, almost as if filling her with life.
Feeling much better already she put the glass down and returned to the couch, Natsu still sleeping, not woken up by her shenanigans. She plopped back onto her chair and gently put her hand on his forehead. He was warm. Glad that he no longer felt like a corpse, Erza smiled and took her hand back, now simply watching him sleep in silence.
Although it wasn't that long in real time, it felt like days. She knew that he was not okay from the very moment he broke his limits once again, she could see him worsen with each passing hour. She knew it'd happen sooner or later and when it did...she was still not ready.
Confused would be the perfect word to describe her ever since they woke up on the island. Unsure of what to do next, how to approach things. Now that she recalled the past few days, she felt shame, anger that was aimed at her and her only.
A part of her couldn't blame her. She never experienced this sort of a situation, panic was self-explanatory. She knew this had to be addressed at one point, at some other time...But time was not a luxury she could spare.
Watching him throw himself around like that, screaming in agony, hurting himself just so the pain would stop...There was a time she wasn't sure who was in more pain – her, or him. She knew it was selfish and ridiculous, a part of the reason behind her current self-loathing.
However, no matter how much she hated herself for it, there was one thing Erza could not deny. That this brutal event helped her finally come to terms with her own mind.
The thought of losing him filled every fiber of her being with genuine horror and despair. She couldn't understand what caused this to happen herself. Was it the shared childhood tragedy? Or maybe their shared mental scars they tried to justify with personification? As accurate as they both were, they were not the answer. If she were to choose, it'd be the time they had spent together.
It may not have been long, true, but for the first time in years she could finally feel vulnerable around someone, both emotionally and strength-wise. Being one step behind someone was not only a humbling experience, but also a perfect opportunity to polish her skills even more, granting her the strength she had always wanted.
However, no matter how grateful she was for that, Erza treasured the emotional part of their relationship much more than the physical one. Even when they only knew each other as enemies he somehow managed to become her endline, her goal in finding courage to face the monster that was her past. She struggled with trust for years and yet he somehow managed to bypass almost every block she had and get deeper into her soul than anyone ever could.
Erza smiled warmly at the sleeping Dragon Slayer. She could feel it building up for some time now, and truth to be told, it scared her. She'd catch herself trying to kill it before it could lay eggs, only to succeed for just a day or two, before finding herself in the same hole again.
She never was good at lying to herself, a part of why she kept failing so frequently. However, no matter how many times she lost, it still remained as her personal secret, one she never thought of sharing with anyone. Until he said it for her.
Confusion could not begin to describe how she felt when she heard him say it, the moment seemingly the last they would ever share together. At the time, as well as for a while after that, it filled her with fear. But no more.
Erza smiled and gently put her hand on Natsu's, her smaller hand trying to cover his in its entirety. As horrible as it would sound out loud, she had one reason to be glad this horrible incident from yesterday happened. It helped her clear her mind and come true with her feelings, for the first time in years.
With no fear, or doubts in her mind, Erza gently squeezed his hand, almost as if trying to subconsciously wake him up, and as she recalled the words he said to her on Tenrou Island, she let her mind speak for itself, the control over her body already gone.
"I love you too." she said truthfully, a ghost of a blush taking over her cheeks. She knew he couldn't hear it, but that was fine. She always did things better after some practice.
To her immediate horror, Natsu smiled. The red escaped from her skin, now giving in to pure white. Erza held her breath, awaiting some sort of a followup, but none came. He continued to sleep, not aware of what was going on around him.
Erza breathed out in relief and smiled at him again. Perhaps it was a sign of his mind being at peace after those long few days.
After a few more minutes, the knight let go of his hand and stood up, willing to get some fresh air. She threw one more look at him, before stepping out of the house.
In the meantime, the door to the second floor opened gently, with Lucy and Gray peeking out, making sure the coast was clear. Seeing that she was gone, they opened the door and grinned at one another, before bumping their closed fists.
"About damn time." snickered Gray.
"It sure was. "sighed Lucy. "That was so sweet! I never knew Erza could be like that!" she squeaked, before giving Gray a confused look. "Why are you so happy about it, though? I never took you for the romantic type."
"If they get together, then he will be able to control her, meaning she will finally get off my back whenever we're out on jobs." smirked Gray and walked into the kitchen to get some water.
Lucy's face dropped. "You do realise our team will still be named Team Erza, right?"
"And guess who will have control over that Erza."
"You are so adorably naive..."
The two continued to bicker in the kitchen, both drinking their water, before being interrupted by another voice.
"Could you...pipe it down, please?"
Gray choked on his water, his head snapping to the couch alongside Lucy's. There was Natsu, awake and irritated, his hand massaging his burning eyes.
"O-oh, hey!" choked out Lucy. "Did we wake you up?"
Natsu stopped massaging his eyes and looked away, embarrassed. "No, I was...I was awake before."
Gray snorted into his hand, which earned him a slapped from Lucy. He looked at her and motioned his head tat their teammate, which Lucy took as a oh well, might as well roll with it sign.
The pair walked around the couch, with Gray plopping down on Erza's chair. "So, how you feeling?"
"Like shit." groaned Natsu. "At least I no longer feel like my insides are melting."
"You know, with how much you were yelling, I wouldn't be surprised if that really was the case." laughed nervously Gray. "Took us some effort to keep you down...You burned me, Lucy, and Mira."
"Oh, sorry."
"Stop it Gray." Lucy slapped the back of his head. "You know he didn't mean it. I don't hold it against you, okay?" she added with a reassuring smile.
"Yeah, thanks."
Gray massaged his head and took a good look at Natsu's face, squinting a little while doing so.
"Hey, Lucy, come check this out." he said.
The blonde blinked and walked around the couch. "What?"
Gray pointed at Natsu's face with his finger. "You see that?" he asked.
It took her a second, but Lucy's eyes widened gently in realisation. "Oh, yes, yes I do!"
"What the hell are you doing?" grumbled annoyed Natsu.
Gray and Lucy grinned at one another and looked at him with smug faces. "I think it may have been all of that Wendy's healing, but that scar on your face looks better than it used to, at least a little." pointed out Lucy.
"Good thing for Erza, I guess." added Gray with a snicker. "After all, from now on you gotta start paying attention to what you look like."
Natsu felt heat rise up to his face. He sharply looked away and mumbled something to himself, his teammates laughing at his embarrassment.
"I'm gonna kick your ass once I'm out of bed." he grumbled.
"Well, good thing we still have a few days to prepare for it, then." laughed Gray.
Erza, who was just outside the door, heard laughter coming from inside. She didn't happen to catch what was the reason of said laughter, but she didn't really care. Just hearing something so positive brought a smile to her face. For a second she felt like she could be forgiven for forgetting just how lost they were at the moment.
She took a deep breath, morning, fresh air filling up her lungs, leaving a pleasant chip inside her chest. She loved the smell of the forest, ever since she was a girl.
She walked up front the house, stretching her legs a little. The corner of her eye caught movement and upon looking in said direction her eyes met Jellal's, who was sitting up against the side wall of the house.
After a short, awkward moment of silence, Jellal broke it. "Good morning." he said, standing up from his spot.
Erza nodded, not replying in kind. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice coming out rougher than she meant it.
"There wasn't enough beds for us all." he said truthfully. "So I decided to watch the area for the night. It's a system we use with Ultear and Meredy, so I'm used to it."
"I see."
Silence fell once again. Erza knew, that he no longer was the man, who used to haunt her in her dreams at night, but she still couldn't warm up to him. Still, it could be called an improvement – she no longer felt like killing him on the spot.
"I think we should talk." said the man. "Put an end to this."
Erza blinked. "What do you mean by 'this'?"
"The way things are between us at the moment." he said and walked up to the knight.
Erza took a step back. "I don't think there is anything to talk about. The damage is already done."
Jella stopped trying to approach her. "And that's precisely what I want to talk about."
"By now you should already realise I will never forget what you've done."
"And I don't want you to."
Erza's eyes widened a little. "Excuse me? What do you mean by that?"
Jellal sighed through his nose and looked at his feet. "I am well aware who I was and what I did. I'll never be able to forget that, pretend it never happened. And I don't want to. I want this stain to stay on me until the day I die."
Erza frowned. "What for?"
He looked her in the eyes. "So that I never stray off my path ever again. So that I can try and take people off the road that led me to that point. I want people to know who I was and hate me for it, for that is what I deserve. This is my punishment. Now, it's time for me to write a new chapter for myself, one that will leave an impression of equal strength as the previous one. One not clouded by darkness."
Erza scoffed. "You want to become a martyr? You want redemption?"
"No deed will ever bring me redemption for what I did." Jellal shook his head. "I have considered suicide for a long time, even after being broken out by Ultear. However, I have realised, that my death would not change anything. Even if I died, all I would accomplish with this deed would be a sigh of relief of those I've hurt, followed by thanks to the Gods spoken under their noses. So, even if I can't change how they feel about me, I can still make a difference for someone else, this time without causing them pain. I know I deserve everything I get, and even more. That being said, I do not intend on stopping my attempts at making this world a better place. As ironic as it sounds."
The redhead scowled. She turned toward him and walked up closer, much to his surprise. "What is it you want from me? What's the point in telling me this?" she asked sharply.
Although intimidated, Jellal stood his ground and did not break eye contact. He clenched his fists and spoke his mind out in a sharp, confident fashion.
"I want you to watch me and see, that my words are true. That I am no longer bound by chains of darkness and instead want to chase said darkness away. The very same that destroyed me, you, Salamander, and many other people, who shared the same fate as we did as children."
Erza looked all over his face. She didn't spot anything that could trigger her suspicion. He looked like a man, whose mind was long set on something. Which looked like to be the case.
She breathed out through her nose. "Even if you manage to earn my forgiveness, which I find very hard to believe, I will never be able to forget what you've done. Not just to me that time at the Tower, but to others as well. Simon, Millianna, Sho...All the people you've seen come and go as a Commandment. And not just me – their families will never look at you with kind eyes."
Jellal nodded. "I am well aware. However, as true as that may be, I still want them to watch me, and make of it whatever they want to do."
Erza sighed and nodded. "Very well. I will watch your development from now on."
Jellal smiled. "Thank you. That's all I wanted." he said, the sun finally starting to peek from behind the trees, bathing them in its warmth.
A few hours later everyone was already on their feet, now gathered in the living room. Natsu went back to sleep after his brief moment of consciousness, his body now naturally recovering from its injuries.
"If my calculations are correct, he should be up and running in around 2 to 3 days." said Ultear. "But I do suggest he doesn't overdo it again. I doubt his bodies has any more spares."
Erza smiled and bowed gently. "Thank you, for everything. I will be forever grateful to you."
Ultear raised her hands, flushed. "Please, don't be so formal. I'm not used to being thanked like that."
"Well, about damn time, then." said Gray with a smirk. Ultear smiled at him in return.
"I do have one more favor to ask for, however." said slowly Erza. "Second Origin...do you think you could awaken it for all of us as well?"
Ultear blinked, surprised. "Yes, I could. Since none of you are in a dangerous condition, my presence would not be necessary after properly setting my magic...But why?"
"Although to us it's been only a few days, the reality is much more brutal. We have lost seven years of time, time during which everyone and everything else have gone forward. I think I speak for all of us when I say we'd like to quickly catch up. We need to." explained the redhead.
Ultear's face dropped a little. "Raven Tail, huh?" she hummed "Okay, then. If that's what you want, then let's begin. We really should be on our way soon." she said and took her cloak off again.
"Thank you." nodded Erza and turned to her guild. "Who is with me?"
Mirajane, Gray, and Lucy all raised their hands in an instance. Right after them was Wendy, Gajeel, and Elfman, with Juvia awkwardly joining in as last.
"I-I think I'll pass." sweatdropped Lisanna. "I doubt it'd do me anything good anyway..."
"Me too." added Levy eagerly.
Cana shrugged. "You might as well use it on me, too. Some more magic wouldn't hurt. I was thinking about training more anyway."
Ultear nodded. "Very well. Everyone, come forth. Let's begin, there's no time to waste."
August 21st, Fairy Tail's home.
Lucy opened the door to her room, her whole body sore and aching. With an annoyed and painful groan she climbed down the stairs, her throat as dry as the desert.
It's been almost 2 days since they had their Second Origin awakened and some still lacked the strength to do any sort of productive work. Levy and Lisanna were unfortunate enough to have to take care of 8 people, all of them either screaming or grunting from pain on the floor for a couple hours.
Lucy sighed again and entered the kitchen. Erza was already sitting there with Mirajane, both of them drinking some morning tea. Lucy's eyebrow arched at their carefree faces, jealous of their inhuman bodies.
"Oh. Good morning, Lucy." said Erza with a smile. "Would you like some tea?"
"Yeah, I'll grab some water in the meantime, too." said the blonde and took a glass out from the cabinet. "I knew it way before, but you both are monsters. I can barely move, and here you are, cheerful and all healthy."
Erza laughed gently while pouring Lucy's cup of tea. "I'm glad I look that way, but I am also still shaken up. I wouldn't say I'm at my best, especially in my legs."
Mira nodded. "Same, but for me it's arms. I feel like I've been benchpressing something for half a day."
She knew it was quite bitter of her, but hearing their struggles made Lucy feel better. She sat down with her water and drank it in one go, life filling her body once again.
"Gotta say, I don't feel that much different." pointed out Mira.
"Our bodies must be still adjusting to the changes." said Erza from behind her cup. "The first few days should be dedicated to rest, according to Ultear. Changes should come after that."
"Huh. Alright."
Lucy looked at Natsu, who was still bound to the couch. He hasn't woken up in two days, ever since they talked.
"I wonder how long he's gonna be out for." she wondered. "Laxus and the others are taking long, too. I hope nothing happened."
"If it was the Council they'd already be here." said Mirajane. "He's probably taking care of some business, might be on his way back already."
"Well, making up for seven lost years surely cannot be done in a matter of a day or two." said Erza. "They are definitely doing fine. The one I'm worried about is Master. He's still to wake up."
Mira and Lucy frowned sadly. Although they've tried everything in their power, Makarov's leg could not be spared. A cane or a wheelchair were bound to become a part of his daily attire. According to Ultear, who took a quick glance at him before leaving, his body must have shut down from all the consecutive injuries he sustained on Tenrou. Whether he'd wake up was up to him.
"There's also this matter of Raven Tail that must be addressed." added the redhead "The way Levy told me about it...It sounded as if Ivan had planned every step, one by one. It pains me to admit this, but he has us beat in every aspect possible. As we are right now, we cannot oppose him."
Mira spat to the side. "I still think we should pay them a visit and knock that stupid mustache off his ugly mug. I'd gladly be the one to do it."
Erza looked at her, annoyed. "You know very well that's exactly what he wants us to do. We cannot solve every problem with plain violence."
"I don't see any other option, though."
"Speaking of Raven Tail..." Lucy began awkwardly. She threw a concerned glance at Erza, clearly hesitant to continue. "That girl Levy mentioned...The one they stripped down..."
Erza's face dropped in an instant, shame and disgust taking over her face. She looked at the table, unable to look her in the eyes. "That's...Something I had forgotten about, as horrible as that sounds. A part of me is glad I did, even though I shouldn't have..."
Mira sighed through her nose. "You might as well tell her. No way around this now."
Erza looked at the Demon. The girl nodded reassuringly, her eyes softening. Erza took a deep breath and turned to Lucy.
"You see, it happened-"
"Damn, I'm starving." Gray entered the kitchen, Gajeel, Elfman, Wendy, and Juvia behind him. They all looked horrible, the girls much worse than the boys.
"Did you guys make anything to eat?" asked Elfman hopefully.
Mira sent them all a piercing glare, one that made them all halt, fear running down their bodies from the top of their heads to their toes.
"W-what? What did we do?" asked scared Gray.
Erza sighed tiredly and shook her head. "I'll tell you some other time." she whispered to Lucy and stood up from her chair. "Nothing. I think it's a great idea to eat, I'm hungry myself. Let's see what we've got left."
"Hold on with that."
Everyone turned their heads towards the windows, Gajeel looking out with a scowl. Wendy walked up to him, also careful. "Three...no, four of them?" she asked him.
"Five." he replied. "Don't know any of them."
Erza walked up to the Dragon Slayers. Five figures walked out of the forest, their figures still covered by the shadows. Without turning around, she motioned her hand at everyone to follow her.
"Stay here." said Gray to Juvia. "You can barely walk."
"Okay. Be careful."
"I will."
Erza opened the door, Lucy, Gray, Elfman, Mirajane, Gajeel, and Wendy walking out after her. She squinted a little, her eyes adjusting to the still unnatural morning light.
Soon the figures cleared out, revealing a rather bizarre bunch of individuals. Four of them were walking up front, two men and two women, with the fifth one who appeared to be a very young man walking just behind them, his hands in his pockets.
"State your business." demanded Erza.
The group stopped walking. A short woman with dirty blonde hair shook her head, her eyes focused on Erza. She was playing with a small strip of a material, possibly cut out from a piece of clothing.
"I already hate her, Emilia." she said. "So bossy..."
A tall man with spiky white hair, red vest and skintight brown pants looked at her. "Come now, Ellia, we haven't even properly met!"
"And I already want to gouge her eyes out."
The other woman ignored her friends and walked up front, stopping just a few feet away from Erza. She had long, dark-blue hair, glasses, a white uniform and a sword strapped to her waist. She also had a scar that ran up from her jawline up to the middle of her right cheek, which greatly disturbed Erza. She stared her down from feet to the head, analyzing her. "Erza Scarlet, I presume?"
The knight nodded. "That is correct. Who's asking?"
The woman waited with answering for a moment. "Emilia, of Raven Tail."
At the mention of said name, Fairy Tail tensed up, ready for battle if it came to it. Erza's eyes narrowed, her guard up already. "What can we help you with?"
A man with messy black hair and sharp teeth walked out of the line, laughing. "Come now, no need to be so uptight! We simply came to say hello! And, well, measure you all up." he walked up to Mirajane and extended his hand. "We've heard a lot about you."
Mirajane scowled and knocked his hand away, much to his amusement. "Keep your hands to yourself."
The man whistled, his expression growing slightly sinister. "Careful now, Demon Mirajane, looks like you've been kissed by fire once already. You might get a second one."
Mira clenched her crippled hand and took a step forward, only to be stopped by Gray, who grabbed her left shoulder.
"Don't let him provoke you." he hissed and successfully pulled her back.
"Svenar, get back in line." ordered Emilia. The man chuckled and obeyed the order.
"Unless you have any form of business with us, I must ask you to leave." said Erza. "We do not want any trouble, we have already talked with the Mayor."
"We're not here because of the Mayor." said softly Emilia. "As my associate said, we are here by our own will."
"What for?"
"I can't speak for the others, but I have a certain question to you, Titania. One I have waited a long time to ask."
The tension between both guild was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Seeing how the situation may have been going in the wrong direction, Lucy gulped and tried to disarm the bomb.
"Why don't we just come inside and talk things through?" she proposed "We really have no ill will towards you, so-"
Her proposition was cut off by a scared gasp, as something flown by her right cheek, cutting it open, courtesy of Ellia, who threw her material at the blonde.
"Who said you were permitted to speak, bimbo?" she asked, her voice ice cold. "Shut the hell up and….What do you think you're doing?"
Ellia was now completely covered in ice, from feet to the neck, courtesy of Gray, who stood next to Erza, his hands joined.
"That's a question you should be answering right now." he replied in a tone that matched hers.
In a matter of a second both parties put up their fighting poses, ready to strike if needed. Lucy, who was holding her cut cheek, tried to talk reason into Gray.
"Stop it, Gray, I'm fine." she pleaded.
Mira shook her head, a smirk on her face. Truth to be told, she was waiting for something like this to happen. "Now, who's the one being provoked?"
"Talking shit is one thing, but no one gets to treat one of us this way and get away with it." he replied.
Albert laughed out loud and walked up to frozen Ellia. He put his elbow on top of her head, using it as an arm rest. "Son, I advise you to release her right about now. She's quite a vicious young lady, you know."
"Sure, when she apologizes, I will."
Ellia breathed through her nose and in an instance broke out of the ice, shattering it into thousands of small shards, much to Gray's shock. His ice no longer resembled ice, now it was more like glass shattered into ash.
"See? I told you." said Albert. "By the way, I've got a question to you al...Is Laxus nearby, by any chance? I have some business with him."
"You missed him by a few days." replied Elfman.
Albert sucked his teeth in. "Now that's an issue..."
"I won't repeat myself any more." said sternly Erza. "Leave us. We want nothing to do with you."
Svenar laughed out loud and walked up to the redhead. "See, that might be an issue...Because when I said we came to measure you up, I meant it as 'we came to see just how low you've fallen, so that we could destroy you with no witnesses to see it'."
A split second, that's how long it took for his head to be blown backwards by Mirajane's kick, now in her Satan Soul form. Svenar slid back on his feet, blood dripping from his cut lip.
Albert clenched his fist and swung it at the Demon, only to be stopped by her brother, who blocked the punch with his arms crossed on his chest.
"Oh?" hummed Albert. "You've got some nice muscles there, buddy. Care to dance?"
Elfman growled and knocked the punch away, now openly brawling with his look-alike.
Erza tried to calm the situation down, but was forced to block Emilia's sword coming down at her. She grit her teeth, her muscles crying out in pain – they were nowhere near to be in the condition to fight, their Second Origin procedure still holding them down.
Both women stared at each other in silence, before breaking contact and starting an exchange with their weapons, Erza's body now glowing from changing into an armor.
Ellia smirked and adjusted the scarf on her neck. "Does that leave me the bimbo and Mr. Iceberg? Perfect."
Gray bent his knees and punched his palm. "I'm getting sick of you, lady." he growled.
Elfman threw a punch at Albert, his arm in Beast Soul form. The giant smiled and caught the blow without too much trouble. Elfman's eyes widened at the man's power, which did not suit his rather lean build.
"No, brother, that's not how you do it." he smirked "A punch has to be thrown...like this!"
Before he could do Elfman's face in with his fist, however, he was nailed by Gajeel's iron club. Albert's head was blown back, his grip loosening, which allowed Elfman to pull his fist out.
"Ah, now that was a hard punch." sighed joyfully Albert and massaged his jaw, not a single scratch on his face. "But not hard enough."
He raised his right hand for his opponents to see. A second later his skin was ripped apart, blood splattering to the sides under heavy pressure, much to Gajeel and Elfman's shock.
"The hell?" frowned the Dragon Slayer.
Albert grinned. Something started to come out of the wounds on his hand, something creamy in color. It didn't take long for Gajeel to realise what he was looking at.
The bones in Albert's hand started to come out of his hand, expanding and reshaping themselves into a glove, that was now covering his right fist. Albert clenched it and stepped in, surprising both his opponents with his fist.
"This is what a hard punch feels like!" he roared and swung at Gajeel, who has already put on his iron scales. Albert's punch landed on Gajeel's left arm, which soon began to crack under the force of the punch. Gajeel grunted from pain and felt his arm being done in, before being launched backwards, his scales falling off his already sore arm.
"He broke through Gajeel's scales like they are nothing!" gasped Elfman in shock.
"You sure you got time to look away?"
Elfman's eyes became rid of consciousness, as Albert planted his still hardened fist deep into his stomach, knocking him out in an instance.
Mirajane, who was currently battling Svenar, watched her brother fall before the giant, her blood boiling.
"Elfman!" she called out to him and tried to rush to his side, only to be caught on the ankle by Svenar.
The man grinned and soon Mira found herself hissing from pain, the place he touched her in now burned. She knocked her leg out of his grip and regained balance, confused about his magic.
"I told you, didn't I? You'll be kissed by fire a second time." he told her, before being kicked in the face. Or rather that's what it looked like to Mirajane for a second.
Her leg went right through the left side of his head, flames spilling to the sides. Svenar grinned and put his hand on Mira's chest, before blasting her away with flames. The Demon cried out in pain and rolled on the group to put the fire out, fear starting to kick in.
"You might be a Demon, you know..." hummed Svenar and reshaped his head back. "But you ain't got shit on a Phoenix." he said with a sinister grin and dashed at the woman.
Erza blocked yet another blow from Emilia, clad in her Heart Kreuz armor. Majority of her armors was either damaged or destroyed, leaving her arsenal heavily limited.
Emilia sighed gently. "Is this all you can offer?"
Erza's eyes narrowed. "What?"
Emilia snapped her eyes open and pushed Erza back. The knight staggered, which gave Emilia a chance to prepare another attack. She readied her blade by her right hip and dashed forward, a move Erza found to be naive. She braced herself, only to be left with only a split of a second to avoid having her head cut off – without any sort of a warning Emilia changed her strike.
The woman hummed and repositioned herself, however Erza was faster. She had the upper hand in both position and speed, her blade already coming down on Emilia. It never made it, though, for the woman blocked it with the shaft of a spear, much to Erza's shock.
A spear?! Where did it come from? Does she use Requip, like me? But this speed...It's impossible!
Emiliar pushed Erza back and quickly turned the spear around, striking the knight in the leg, before backfisting her with her left hand. Erza took a step back but did not falter, thinking of a new way to attack.
She gripped her blade as hard as she could and threw it at the woman, immediately Requipping another one and changing her position. Emilia knocked it away, only to be met with yet another blade making its way toward her, however this time, Erza was nowhere to be found.
I see. She threw the blade at an angle that, when close enough, entirely covered her figure, letting her get out of my sight. Clever, even if naive.
Emilia knocked the blade down and remained in her spot, not bothering with putting up her guard. She simply looked up, not impressed in the slightest.
Erza, who was directly above her, widened her eyes in mild shock, but carried her attack out anyway. She growled and swung her blade down, only for Emilia to take a single step to the side, so casually she looked like she was avoiding a puddle.
Erza grit her teeth and tried to follow, but the woman was already gone, much to her shock.
"I could hear your clanking armor all the way through your pathetic plan." she heard a voice tell her, before something hard struck her back, causing her to gasp in pain. Erza was blown away by Emilia, now wielding a giant hammer. The redhead rolled on the ground but regained her composure rather quickly. She grimaced from pain and spat some blood to the side.
"Another weapon...So you really use Requip." deduced Erza.
"No, I don't." denied Emilia. "Although my weapon does. My magic is called Eleven. It's nothing special, really. All it does is enhancing my senses many times fold, boosting my reaction speed, precision, muscle control, hearing, and so on."
Erza frowned. "Sounds just like Dragon Slayers."
"I'd appreciate if you didn't compare me to those primitives." said softly Emilia and looked to the side.
Erza followed her suit, only to see Gajeel being heavily outmatched by Albert, who continued to pound him, now both of his fists clad in his bones. Erza clenched her teeth and dashed towards the man, gripping her blade as hard as she could.
Before he could react in time, Erza cut Albert's chest open, from his abdomen up to his right shoulder. The man gasped in pain and staggered backwards, leaving Gajeel alone.
"You okay?" she asked the man.
"Yeah. My body's not moving as I'd want it to." growled Gajeel.
"I think that's the case for all of us."
Albert slid his fingers over his cut and examined the blood on his fingers, cracking out in laughter a moment later. "Well, would you look at that, you actually managed to cut me!"
Erza scowled. She could spot Emilia walking up to her from the distance, her weapon changing once again. She may have given Gajeel a moment to breathe, but their situation was still grim.
Lucy, who was lucky enough to not be targeted by anyone just yet took a step to the side, now standing before Wendy. She watched the situation in dread. There was no way they could achieve anything here in their weakened state.
"Wendy." She whispered "Listen to me very carefully."
In the meantime, Albert stopped laughing and addressed Erza. "Titania, would you like to see something special?" he asked her, before grinning widely.
Much to Erza and Gajeel's shock his wound has begun to close and heal itself, blood going back to its original place and the cut sealing itself, no scar left behind.
"My magic is Bone Manipulation. I can use any bone in my body and mold it however I want by increasing its size. I do have to damage myself to do that, however, so that's where my second magic comes into play – Regeneration. I can recover from basically any injury, even lethal ones."
"You've gotta be shitting me." growled Gajeel and regrew his cracked scales.
On the other side of the field Gray clutched his cut shoulder.
"This chick...She keeps putting materials out of her pockets, so how the hell are they so sharp?!" he growled to himself.
Ellia chuckled. "You really are slow, aren't you?" she taunted him.
Gray groaned and punched his palm, a giant block of ice flying toward the woman a second later. Ellia smirked and raised her right hand high in the air, her oversized sleeve flopping in the wind, before quickly putting it down, as if she was cutting the air. The block of ice split in two, cut in a perfect line.
"Damn it!" cursed the Maker.
Lucy's eyes widened a little, her eyes spotting something bizarre about the girl's clothing. She quickly said two more sentences to Wendy, before letting her run into the house. She opened her key holster and pulled out Loke's key, ready to fight.
"Gray, I think I've cracked her magic out." she told him.
"Oh, did you now?" asked Ellia and dashed forward. Gray quickly punched his palm and created a wall before them. Lucy kept her eyes on their enemy and her next action proved her theory.
Ellia bent her knees and jumped high in the air, or so it looked like. In reality, the ground beneath her feet has suddenly bent under her feet and launched her in the air like a trampoline, before bouncing up and down a few times and returning to its original state.
Ellia jumped over Gray's wall and threw a few more cloths at the pair, which were blocked by Gray. He then motioned his hand and molded a fist out of his shield, which caught the girl by surprise. The fist punched her and made her fly away, right into the nearby tree.
Ellia clicked her tongue and turned in the air, her feet landing on the tree. Much to Gray's shock, the tree bent over like rubber and launched the girl straight at him, who cut his right breast open with her right sleeve.
"Gray!" cried out Lucy.
Gray grunted from pain and dropped to his knees, blood flowing down his torso. Lucy bit her lip in worry but took her eyes off Gray and looked at Ellia. "As I thought. I don't know how it works, but she can change the properties of objects, like turning tree or ground into rubber and her clothes into metal."
Ellia whistled, impressed. "Gotta say, I didn't think blondie would be the one to figure this out. Maybe you're not as dumb as I thought."
Lucy scowled. She was just about done with this rude kid.
Erza cried out in pain and found herself rolling on the ground once again, losing yet another exchange with Emilia. This caught Ellia's attention.
"Oh, I know. I've always wanted to throw down with Titania." she said and ran after the redhead.
"Albert!" she called to her teammate.
Albert punched Gajeel one more time, this time rendering him unconscious, and looked at the girl. He quickly understood what she meant and gave her a thumbs up.
Ellia grinned and ran up to Erza, who was now back on her feet. She ducked underneath her sword slash and slapped the left side of her armor, before jumping away.
Confused, Erza heard someone run behind her. This someone turned out to be Albert, who charged at the knight, his right fist retracted. Erza blocked his punch with her sword, her shoulders crying out from the pressure. The giant knocked her guard away and retracted his fist once again, going for Erza's left side. The redhead grit her teeth, knowing full well she had no way around being hit, all her trust put in her armor.
What followed later was pure agony. Her vision has suddenly grown blurry, her ribs cracking dangerously, blood coming out of her mouth, as Albert's fist planted itself into her side like into butter, her armor bending unnaturally from Ellia's magic, who turned the metal into a very soft material.
Erza cried out in pain and was blown away, her sword falling out of her hand and planting itself into the ground.
"Erza!" Lucy cried out after her teammate.
"Shut up."
Ellia struck Lucy with a neck chop so powerful it cut the blonde's consciousness out for a moment. She dropped to the ground like a ragdoll, keys falling out of her hand.
On the other side, Mirajane was kicked into a tree, her body breaking it in half. Her body was smoking and burned in several places, now out of Satan Soul.
Svenar's figure glowed, as he turned his form off with a tired sigh.
"Gotta say, I'm impressed with how you control your Take Over. Mine is a bitch to get right." he praised the woman, who could only give him a hateful glare.
Erza grunted from pain on the ground. Her ribs were definitely broken. She heard someone walk up to her and upon looking up she saw Emilia, who raised her weapon, now a sword, high above her head.
Before she could swing it, however, Erza Requipped a new blade and thrust it at the woman from the ground, much to everyone's shock. Emilia, however, managed to dodge the strike, the blade catching just her uniform and shirt underneath, ripping it open.
Erza's face changed from a scowl to pure dread in a matter of a second. The sword fell out of her hand, disbelief written on her face.
"Y-you..." she choked out, her eyes focused on Emilia's now exposed torso.
From her left hip up, across her entire abdomen and right breast, up to her right cheek ran a big, straight scar made by a blade. A wound that haunted Erza in her dreams for years to come, one she was by God's luck able to forget about.
"It's you..." gasped the redhead.
Emilia's eyes narrowed, a long sight escaping her nose. Without much of a warning she raised her right leg and stomped Erza's lower back, making the girl cry out in pain.
"I'm glad you at least managed to remember the scar. I was starting to fear you'd forgotten me completely." said Emilia, her voice still calm despite the situation.
Erza's hands clenched on the ground, dirt gathering in her fists. "Is...is this why you're here?"
"Yes." said shortly the woman. "But first, I have only one question to ask you." she kneeled before Erza and looked her deep in the eyes. "Why?"
Erza's eyes narrowed.
"Who cares why?" scoffed Ellia, her foot holding Lucy pinned to the ground. "Let's just finish them off, save the trouble. Not like she'll give you any reasonable answers. None of them ever do."
"I'm with Ellia." said Svenar. He walked up to the women and turned to Emilia. "What do you say, Emilia?" he asked. "No one can see us...wanna finish this?"
Lucy's eyes snapped wide open. "W-wait for a moment! Do you really think you will-"
Before she could finish she was kicked across her face by Ellia. The blonde cried out in pain.
"You really are a moron…Who said you could speak?" she asked.
Emilia continued to stare Erza down, the knight's glare just as piercing as hers. Just when she was about to speak up, she was interrupted by a very loud noise.
The front wall of the house was destroyed along with the door, as Natsu crashed out of the building, still just in his pants. His eyes were immediately locked onto Raven Tail, his face expressing silent fury.
Raven Tail looked at him in pure shock, not much greater than that of Fairy Tail. Lucy, on the other hand, smirked devilishly with her bloody lips, which wasn't unnoticed by Emilia.
As soon as the Dragon Slayer's foot touched the ground he dashed across the field, Albert being his first target, his left hand picking up Erza's blade that was stuck in the ground.
Having awakened from the initial shock, the giant roared awkwardly to prepare himself for battle and took a wide swing with his right hand, his bones already piercing through his skin. Before he could form them into anything, however, Natsu growled and swung the blade as hard as he could, cutting the arm off in a clean slice.
"Wha-" choked out Ellia, shocked just as every other member of her guild, fear starting to get to her head. With not much of a warning...He went straight for the kill!
Albert cried out in pain, but his suffering has yet to end. Natsu quickly put the blade in his right hand and began to relentlessly hack at Raven Tail's member, cutting him all over his body. With each cut Albert was forced to take a step back, the onslaught leaving him at Natsu's mercy.
After dealing enough damage Natsu grit his teeth, planted his pivot hard on the ground and thrust the blade directly into Albert's throat, piercing right through. The man coughed up a lot of blood, some of it falling onto Natsu's face and right shoulder. He then gripped the blade and pulled it out at once, Erza's sword falling out of his hand. Albert gargled on his blood and grabbed his throat with his remaining hand, while Natsu sucked in as much air as his lungs could store, before releasing it all at once.
FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!
Albert was swallowed by a purging torrent of flames that turned everything on its path into ash, his skin immediately blackening, his clothes and hair disintegrating.
Raven Tail watched their guildmate being burned to crisp in pure horror, fear taking control over their bodies. Fairy Tail was no different – they watched Natsu slaughter their enemy like a pig, clearly unsettled by what was happening.
"Albert!" bellowed Svenar in fury and started to run toward Natsu. "You bastard...how dare you!"
Natsu and Albert both vanished in the smoke, as the giant fell to the ground in a loud thud. Svenar didn't care, however: he was going to pummel this pinkheaded prick until he could no longer walk.
Before he could take any sort of action, however, he was met with a sword flying directly at his face, courtesy of Natsu, who threw it from within the smoke. The man dodged at the last moment, the blade cutting the air right next to his left ear.
Without giving him even a chance to recover, Natsu appeared behind Svenar, already reading up an attack. Before the man could turn his body into flames he was smashed into stomach with a flaming fist that knocked out all the air he had in his lungs, a painful wheeze escaping his mouth. Natsu followed it with a powerful hit to Svenar's temple, which almost rendered the man unconscious.
The Take Over mage smashed into the ground like a bag of potatoes, out of commission. Using her friend's misfortune as a chance, Ellia hardened her scarf and thrust at Natsu, who had no time to dodge. He raised his left forearm and let the cloth stab into it, as he positioned his torso out of the way of the blade, which made its way through his flesh.
Natsu grit his teeth in pain but did not hesitate. He quickly put his right hand under his left elbow, leaving Ellia with only a split second to react. Natsu blasted her away with his flames, which effectively pushed her back and pulled the scarf out of his forearm.
Just before impact the woman hardened her clothes, which greatly nullified the damage. She slid on the balls of her feet and stared into the smoke, already thinking of a new plan of attack. Before she could do that, however, Natsu ran right out of the smoke and blasted her away with his flames once again, this time with both arms and with no protection to cover her.
Ellia cried out in pain and rolled on the ground, landing quite close to Albert's smoking, but already regenerating body.
"This guy...He's still alive?!" gasped Gray from the side, not willing to get mixed up in this mess of a situation.
Emilia watched her guildmates being thrashed in pure confusion and mild fear. How is this possible? she thought According to our sources Salamander should be unable to move, let alone fight! And the way he fights...It's almost as if he knew all about our abilities! It's no coincidence he targeted Albert first and turned him into minced meat...
Her eyes shifted at the house he came out from and with just one glance everything started to put itself together in her mind.
From behind the broken down wall she could spot Wendy's small face, tired, but proud of herself.
I see...It was this girl!
Just when she put everything together, she became Natsu's next target. The Dragon Slayer dashed right at her, however Emilia was not intimidated. Your bluff...I see right through it!
She quickly turned her weapon into a pistol and fired away. Natsu successfully dodged the shot and retracted his right arm to strike, however Emilia knew better. By observing his muscles she already knew it was a feint, which turned out to be just that. Natsu struck with a very fast, but compact left jab, which Emilia ducked right under. She gripped her pistol and swung it, but before she could even fully change her weapon into a warhammer like she was planning on, the Dragon Slayer jumped back, avoiding his ribs being done in.
Emilia started to change her weapon yet again and in the meantime Natsu once again closed the distance between them. Emilia tried to swing her newly summoned sword at the Dragon Slayer, but he caught a solid grip on her wrist, rendering her arm by her left hip. He then tried to hit her with a very fast right hook, which was effortlessly caught by the woman. The pair stared at one another, before Natsu broke contact with Emilia and jumped back, avoiding having his foot impaled by Emilia, who turned the sword over in her hand and changed it into a spear.
Erza watched their battle in awe, still on the ground to avoid being hit by any stray attacks. So this is what a battle between two people with sharpened senses looks like...
Emilia clicked her tongue, clearly irritated. She had never met someone with senses as sharp as hers. This fight was just a very complicated game of chess – whoever made the first mistake would soon find themselves under the feet of the other.
She changed her weapon into a pistol once again, however Natsu has already stepped in and was too close to be hit by any shots – he would have gotten her first before she could even aim. Instead of her initial plan, the woman went for a dagger and dodged Natsu's left straight, stabbing him in the shoulder with her blade.
Natsu hissed in pain but fought through it. He bent his arm downwards and locked his elbow with Emilia's, securing her in place. He then clenched his right fist and struck the woman hard in the ribs, cracking two of them with the force of his punch.
Emilia grunted from pain, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She locked her furious eyes with Natsu's, which struck the Dragon Slayer with a dose of fear.
He quickly released her arm and pulled the blade out of his shoulder, which turned into a giant longsword that would have cut through his body like butter.
In the meantime, Svenar started to come to his senses and looked at the house. Putting two to two together, he growled in anger and stood up. "That brat...It was that brat! I will slaughter you, you bitch!"
Emilia watched her guildmate dash at the small girl, her attention quickly shifting from Natsu to him. "Svenar, don't!" she called after him. "Leave her-"
Before she could finish her sentence, Natsu turned away from her and kicked the ground as hard as he could. In a matter of a second he cut through the field and caught up with running Svenar, his speed shocking Emilia to the core.
Svenar had only a split second to realise what was about to happen to him, as the corner of his eye caught Natsu retracting his fist back, before smashing it into Svenar's face, messing up his nose and cutting his lip open.
Her magic being of great help in understanding what just happened, Emilia felt cold sweat running down her chin. She saw it only for a moment but it was definitely there...Wasn't fire his only magic?!
Natsu flexed his arm as hard as he could and launched Svenar into the air, making him crash into Ellia and Albert, who were both already trying to get up on their feet. Emilia changed her weapon into a rifle with the intent of shooting Natsu from the distance, but he once again vanished. Her ears could easily hear the faint sound of his footsteps behind her and as she turned around he grabbed her rifle and pushed it aside, before smashing his fist into her abdomen, making the woman buckle over.
Emilia fell to her knees, spit and blood running down her chin from the previous strike and before she could even recollect herself, Natsu stomped her lower back as hard as he could, grinding her into the ground like a nail. A terrifying bellow of agony escaped the woman's mouth, blood flying high in the air from her mouth.
Natsu took his foot off Emilia's back and put it under her torso, before kicking her into her guildmates. Albert, whose disfigured body was already on its feet, caught the girl into his regenerating arms.
FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!
Natsu released yet another torrent of flames that was intended to swallow the entirety of Raven Tail, only to be dispelled by the fifth member of Raven Tail, one who stood out the whole battle up until now.
He was rather scrawny, with bad posture. He wore dark-blue pants, a black, unzipped and baggy hoodie thrown over a white t-shirt with some sort of a writing on it. He had long, shoulder-length red hair and blue eyes, both stuck to a face that expressed pure boredom and annoyance. He looked like someone tired of simply being alive.
He shook the hand he canceled Natsu's Roar with and sighed tiredly. His guildmates looked at him from the ground, irritated.
"Finally decided to join, eh, Leord?" hissed sarcastically Ellia.
"Shut your mouth." he told her, his voice not leaving much room for negotiations. "You are a moron if you expected me to join in on your selfish acts of insubordination."
"I'm gonna pay this bastard back..." growled Svenar. "Right now!"
"No, you're not." shot him down Leord. "This is your punishment for attacking a guild that contains at least one SS-rate based on information you couldn't even get any proof for."
He took a look at Natsu with his tired eyes, who scowled at the redhead in return. "You got your asses kicked, because you let him intimidate you. While you were playing around with the others, they sent their healer to patch him up quicker with all the information they gathered from you lot boasting about your magic. That's why he attacked Albert first." he decuded and pointed at the giant with his finger "To slaughter him because of his Regeneration and thus make you think he was going to do the same thing to all of you. Reputation mixed with intimidation, that's why you lost to him."
Natsu's eyes narrowed. The guy was smart and he had to give it to him. He must have been rather strong, too – it's been a while since someone simply stopped one of his attacks.
"If only you used your brains and thought for a second, you would have realised that Salamander is still slightly weaker than each and every single one of you." continued Leord. "You simply let him get to your head."
Svenar spit some blood aside and stood up. "I'm glad to hear it." he said and readied himself for battle.
"Stop it." said Emilia and dusted her clothes off. She looked at Fairy Tail with narrowed eyes. "Leord is right, we've made a mistake. Time to retreat."
Ellia's jaw dropped. "You heard him, we can still kick their asses! You really want to run away?"
"We've done enough for today." said sternly Emilia. "Originally I came here only to confront Titania, nothing more. It is my mistake for letting you lot drag me into this. I order retreat back to the guild." she said and turned around, walking away.
Although unhappy, her teammates scoffed and obeyed, following her back into the forest. They threw Fairy Tail a couple more dirty looks and soon vanished behind the trees, Albert's body still smoking.
Leord and Natsu continued to stare at one another, neither moving an inch.
"I know this might sound out of place by now, but sorry for my guild mates." said the redhead.
"You might wanna join them soon." replied Natsu.
Leord sighed. "Yeah, I probably do. Sorry again." he said and turned around. "What a pain in the ass..." he moaned to himself, before vanishing in the wilds.
Fairy Tail started to get a hold of themselves, frustrated and humiliated. They knew they were held back by their still weakened bodies, but the gap was still big. Mirajane knocked Elfman's hand away and walked away, ashamed of herself.
Erza got back on her feet and looked at Natsu's back, who was still staring at the forest with a scowl. She frowned sadly, the sensation of happiness she felt for the past few days long gone now. His figure beamed in the morning sun, its rays bathing him. Although they suffered a terrible loss, things didn't look as grim as they used to, now that he was back in the game. Still…
Their trouble has yet to truly end.
End of Chapter 34. To be continued in Chapter 35: Grand Magic Games.