A short note, for easier visualization of what I have in mind for this chapter, I would recommend you look up the images of 'Dragon Age Inquisition: Corypheus' Dragon' if you don't know what it looks like already. It's not exactly what I have in mind but it is conveniently similar. Without further ado, enjoy Chapter 90 :)

Oh, and be prepared for a bit of lore on the world in this story ;)

Chapter 90:

Once, years ago, he made a promise. Their parents were having another spat and in the end their mothers turned on them. He had hidden her under the bed in their room and let their mother take her anger on him. They were both still children, he might've been seven or eight at the time but he knew that the most important thing was to protect his little sister. And he promised her that night that he will always be there for her.

"I'll always protect you"

And here he was, pulling out her mutilated body from the debris. He failed her. His hands shook, blood not yet dry sticking to his fingers and he felt sick. There was nothing pretty in death. Half of her head was smashed in from the rock that most likely killed her, brown hair matted against her skull by her blood mixed with dust.

"Hey, Arthur!"

She trusted a crumpled piece of paper into his hands and he looked at the drawing with a grin on his face, "I drew the two of us! It's for your birthday! Happy birthday, big brother!"

He brushed the hair out of her face with his fingers that shook so badly he nearly pressed them into the hole in her head. How had this happened? How did he fail her so miserably? He was dimly aware that Happy was crying beside him, the small feline had wrapped his hands around him in an effort to comfort him even as he looked away, unable to look at Annie's crushed figure.

Arthur didn't blame him, part of him had shut down when he had seen her hand sticking from the rubble. Pale and covered in dust and so, so… dead.

"Arthur! Look! Look! I can do magic!"

He tried closing her brown eyes that stared at him accusingly but as soon as he pulled her eyelids down, they opened again. He bit his lower lip, trying again and again. Why won't her eyes close?! Can't she at least have that? Can't he at least have that?! He was certain she was staring straight at him through those unseeing eyes. It's all your fault, her eyes seemed to say. He didn't drag her down into the shadows. He didn't save her.

Happy suddenly tugged his arm and Arthur flinched, tearing his eyes away from Annie's. The cat shook his head, "Natsu once said that when someone dies you can't close their eyes like they do in books. The muscles stiffen and eyelids are muscles and…", the cat trailed off, sniffing and rubbing his nose in the back of his hand.

Arthur nodded, remembering rather abruptly that he had sat there when Natsu talked about it. 'Rigor mortis'

He looked back down at Annie, trying to imagine her face in a serene sleep.

"I'll always protect you because you're my little sister. What kind of a big bro would I be if I didn't protect my little sister?"

"What kind of a big brother…" Arthur murmured, his voice breaking. He pulled her body up, ignoring or maybe not even aware how stiff and heavy it seemed and he wrapped his hands around it, hugging what little warmth it had left.

Natsu's voice in his head made him stiffen. He had to tell him. He pulled back slightly, horrified, and quickly laid her down on the ground, completely lost on what to do. He felt sick even as he spoke, voice shaking so much he wasn't even sure he had said anything coherent.

He looked at Annie again before turning his eyes to his lap. He was covered in his sister's blood. He turned around quickly as bile rose to his throat, retching onto the ground behind him.

"Alegria"

Natsu barely even registered the word, mind still replaying Arthur's words. How did this happen? He should've seen this coming. His hand sneaked into his pocket without him even realizing and his fingers wrapped around the scarlet small orb Acnologia had given him.

He truly felt like crushing it in that instant. To bring the rage of the Dragon kind on Tartaros. To strike them from the face of the Earth. But it was not yet time and it took considerable conscious effort to pull his hand away. The ground beneath them was shaking, Natsu suddenly realized and the hallway they were in twisted dangerously, suddenly pulling Jellal and Erza in one direction and Natsu in the other.

He might not be able to bring the rage of the entire Dragon Island on the demons but he will show them just how formidable even one dragon can be. He reached into himself, concentrating even as the walls around them turned to flesh. Jellal and Erza held onto the wall, fighting between the pull behind them and the increasing number of wine-red lines that latched onto them like leeches.

The sounds suddenly faded around him and his form shifted. He was surprised by the lack of pain, by the lack of sound of tearing skin and breaking bones. He shifted, the walls pressing into his sides and he craned his neck, his head emerging from the cloud of magic around him inches from Erza and Jellal's wide-eyed forms. He slammed his tail into the side, tearing right through the flesh-covered walls around them and a moment later he slammed his side into it, bursting through the outer wall with a growl. His jaw snapped at the two mages who promptly screamed as a row of sharp teeth closed around them and pulled them along with a portion of the wine-red flesh off of the wall before the moving walls swallowed them whole.

Natsu backed out of the hallway through the hole he made, spreading his wings and pushing himself back before he took flight. The Cube looked decidedly more alive, he decided as he eyed the giant gaping mouth that suddenly opened, three rows of blunt teeth in a black hole large enough to swallow him whole.

There was a disturbing lack of fighting his ears were picking up. Actually… it was eerily silent. He landed on the island just as something sharp stabbed him in the roof of his mouth and he promptly spat Jellal and Erza out of his mouth. The two shrieked, wet from the wine-red flesh and his own saliva as they made the twenty-foot drop to the surface of the cubic demon.

"I save you sorry asses and you stab me," he accused, glaring at the scarlet-haired mage who grimaced, managing to look apologetic as the red-tinged sword in her hands promptly disappeared.

"I was trying to cut off the red stuff," she reasoned, before she glanced away, muttering "And besides, I was not even sure if you actually planned on letting us out or swallowing us"

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Why in Ausul would I eat you?"

"Well… you do look different...," Jellal pointed out, gesturing to the dragon prince who blinked before craning his neck around, looking over his body and spreading his wings to their full length to get a better look at himself. When Annie saw his dragon form for the first time the girl was stuck between terror and awestruck. A piece of him felt like it had withered and died at the thought of the girl. He pushed any thought of it brutally away. He had to focus on his surroundings.

He did look different. It was still that eerily similar form to Acnologia but the edges were far sharper, the snout less rounded and his spine protruded in sharp spikes down the length of his back, ending at the tip of his tail that ended flat, the edges glinting like a blade. He looked almost like a…

"Like a walking, flying corpse," Erza summarized as if reading his thoughts and Natsu snarled in response. He looked at the two who still had a hard time tearing their eyes away from the dragon. He might look halfway between a skeleton and Acnologia but he was happy to note that only made him look that much more dangerous. His lips pulled back over his teeth, red eyes the only trace of color left on his body as all the markings his previous form had were turned gray.

"You two try not to get killed," Natsu commanded sharply, "I will bring down this demon"

Before the two could respond Natsu leaped into the air, wings snapping and he left them in silence, roaring a challenge that was without a doubt heard by everyone on the cubic demon and in Magnolia below.

The whole island was shaking so hard it was impossible to stand straight. Acnologia lifted off of the grass, wide-eyed. What in nine hells was going on?! He looked to his side where Himmel looked just as bewildered. A pulse of magic rippled across the island.

"What in the name of the Three is going on?!" Adalstienn's towering form suddenly dropped beside them, looking at the High King. Acnologia glanced at him, eyes narrowed as his confusion quickly turned to anger, "Do I look like I have any idea?"

"Someone lifted the seal," Igneel growled, the stubborn fire dragon still standing firmly on the ground even as it continued to shake.

"The seal?! What seal?" Himmel demanded just as another pulse of magic rippled across the island. Igneel grimaced, finally pulling himself into the air. Of all the dragons left Igneel was probably the oldest, Acnologia remembered. He was one of the first dragons after the Original Three. If anyone knew it would be him.

"This island was not always in the air," Igneel spoke, seemingly starting on a topic completely unrelated, staring at the shaking ground with a look that Acnologia was rather surprised to realize was dread. "It was in the ocean and it was used in the First War as the sealing place"

First War would be the war between dragons, demons, and gods. The war which split reality into three dimensions. Anything sealed from that time was bound to be insanely dangerous or powerful. Or, most likely, both. Acnologia looked back down at the island as Igneel continued his grim explanation. "Ankhseram made a weapon. A terrible weapon in order to destroy the dragons and the Heaven Gods, to seal them away. But the weapon was used against him, against the nine Demon Lords. It was used to seal everyone away from each other and by the time the bridges between the Worlds were made an eon passed and the Contract was made and the Supreme signed it rather than risk another war. After all, with Ankhseram's weapon in the hands of Dragons and Gods who would fight against them together they had little choice," Igneel paused, glancing around at the stunned faces of the dragons around him. "After the Supreme Demons retreated into their Plane and the Heaven Gods left into theirs, the Blade of Ankhseram was left in the care of the dragons because it was deemed that dragons were the most trustworthy. A dragon will never break his word, after all. And the Mortal Plane is in the middle, between Heaven and the Underworld which made it an ideal place to hold the Blade since from here it can be used if and when the barriers between the worlds weaken. The Blade was sealed after this to avoid theft using the three living souls as the keys to the seal and the island was made the center of the dragon kind and lifted into the air to ensure its safety"

There was a moment of stretched silence, all eyes fixed on the Fire dragon king.

"How do you know this? And why did you never even mention it before?" Acnologia demanded and Igneel frowned, "It was centuries ago that I even thought about this! The seal on the blade hasn't been broken since it was placed and that happened eons before I was born!"

"Then how do you know about all this? And If three dragons were used to seal the place how come I've never heard of it. And the fact the seal broke now – are you telling me that three dragons we have no knowledge of just suddenly died?"

"My grandmother was one of the three original holders. Belserion and Havoc were the other two," he looked at Acnologia who stilled, "When the Dragon War happened most of the information on the Blade of Ankhseram was either lost or deliberately destroyed because no one knew which dragons were to be trusted with the information. And when the keyholders started dying the duty was passed on to humans allied with the dragons"

Igneel paused, a thoughtful look on his face for a brief moment as he eyed Acnologia, "Had you not lost your mind you would've likely been a keyholder right now"

Another magic pulse stopped any question from being voiced as it all but knocked the dragons right out of the sky. Acnologia looked around, the sky was filled with dragons of all shapes and sized and he was fairly certain that no one was still even standing on the island. The sky looked as if someone had kicked a hornet's nest.

"So, this means the seal is broken," Himmel finally spoke, "Who broke it? And why?"

That was a very good question, Acnologia decided. He was fairly certain he had the answer, fortunately. Or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it. "Tartaros is likely behind this. And I think it is rather obvious why"

A beam of light suddenly shot right through the tallest tower of the Palace of Dovah and the next magical pulse originated from the top, destroying the tower in the process. The dragons watched in silence as the beam disappeared, the light trickling away and a golden orb floated in the middle of it, glowing like a second sun as it floated above the remains of the tower.

If its presence wasn't so sinister it would've been quite beautiful.

"That's the Blade? It's very… round" Adalstienn spoke, his voice dubious and Igneel shrugged, "I've never seen it"

Acnologia sighed, taking a deep breath before he slowly started flying towards it, Igneel close behind him. "We should be more careful," Himmel muttered even as he moved to the back of the group and Adalstienn nudged him with his broad shoulder, "We are careful, that's why the strongest dragons on the island are approaching the thing and not just anyone"

"Isn't Kindra stronger than you?" Himmel asked but a look from Acnologia stopped any further conversation.

The orb was blinding, the light it was giving far too strong for any of them to look straight into it but there was no heat coming off of it. Thinking about it now, Acnologia was eerily reminded of the White Moon that hung above the top of the Castle Hell.

Arthur almost jumped out of his own skin when he heard the first roar. His eyes snapped to the sky where he could see the cubic shape of the Tartaros' island. Only now did he realize it looked a lot different but what truly drew his gaze was the obvious shape of a dragon circling it.

"Dad…," he whispered. He suddenly scrubbed at his eyes, trying to clear them of tears and he stood up, gently laying down Annie's body as best as he could. He will have all the time in the world to cry later. What was left of his family needed him. "I'll make sure they are all safe, Annie," he promised the corpse of his little sister. He swallowed around the lump in his throat, "I… I might not be as strong as our parents but I will do all I can to help"

Dear lord, they never even said goodbye. The last time he heard her he was the one dying.

He swallowed again, "I'll make you proud, little sis"

He turned to the blue cat, green eyes ablaze as sadness was slowly turned to anger. "Let's go, Happy"

"Aye, aye sir!"

He looked at the body one last time. "I didn't manage to protect you, Annie. But I'll make sure we avenge you!"

The cubic demon barely seemed to be aware of the dragon circling it. The roar that had left its gigantic maw left his ears ringing and he wouldn't be surprised if they had been bleeding. But he didn't care. He molded his magic carefully, trying to pinpoint the faint magical signatures he could feel and find the best place to pierce to demon island. He will make sure that it is dead in one hit, he had no patience for games and cautiousness any longer. But to do that he will have to make sure his magic will harm only demons and even if some of the members of Fairy Tail get caught in the blast it must not harm them.

They suffered enough and if he had any say in the matter, he will bring down Tartaros on his own.

He swallowed, Annie's bright smile flashing in his mind's eye so clearly, he almost fell out of the sky. First, they took Mira and Ultear. Then they killed Annie. He was only glad that Arthur had stayed on the guild grounds for that at least seemed like a safe enough location.

He opened his jaws as wide as he could, blood-red glow lighting up the back of his throat. How he loathed this guild. He truly couldn't think of anyone he hated more. And he was in Hell for a good five months.

Gathering this much magic inside of oneself was generally considered dangerous. Had he been a regular mage it would have killed him. A dragon slayer wouldn't dare to do it either. But a dragon? Dragons were made for this. A dragon's roar was their most signature spell and for a good reason.

He could feel his throat bulge, muscles straining. How many times had he held back? How many times did his common sense stop him from venting his anger? He couldn't count that but he pushed every frustrating thought he could and channeled it into the spell.

The sphere in his orb suddenly condensed and he snapped his mouth shut, the red light shooting from the back of his throat to the front of his mouth. And then he released it.

It was easily as large as he was and it cut through the middle of the demon, piercing its protective shell like it was nothing, traveling through the middle of it and exiting on the other side in only a few seconds, not even slowing down before it crashed into the ground below.

For just a second the world stayed silent before the giant sphere of red light rose from the ground and through the surface of the giant flying demon went a rift. A mushroom cloud rose from the ground as the explosion died down as quickly as it appeared and Plutogrim split in two, falling to the ground before the wind with a strength of a hurricane that the explosion created slammed into the dragon.

The dragon prince watched the destruction with red, hateful eyes, the wind not even making his position in the sky twitch.

Mard Geer looked at the terminal in front of him with a smile. Despite the fact that the main control room was destroyed and they were effectively locked into their current course they were still getting closer to their goal. Dragon Island was getting closer and closer by the moment. He could already taste it. The victory was within their grasp. His fingers caressed the book in his other hand as he looked at it almost lovingly. The Blade of Ankhseram was said to be able to cut through any seal. Master END will be free finally and then he will cut down the barrier and let the darkness cover the world and it will be just as it always should've been.

A mage from Fairy Tail escaped Alegria but it was of no importance. His underlings were already hunting them down, whoever they were. It was only a matter of time.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a roar that shook the walls around him. He sat straight in his seat, eyes wide. That was not Plutogrim.

That was a dragon.

What was a dragon doing here?! They were nowhere near close enough to the Floating Island for there to be dragons just flying about. What are the chances that they just stumbled on a dragon?

Kyôka's words suddenly echoed in his head and he scowled. Of all the mages to escape Alegria it had to be him. But then again… it perfectly explained how he escaped.

The ground shook around him with another roar and Mard Geer smiled grimly. Plutogrim responded to the dragon's call. But he was not confident that even Plutogrim could stand against the might of the son of Acnologia. If the dragon truly was the son of that beast.

Mard Geer quickly left his room, moving to the top of Plutogrim swiftly. He will take care of this dragon before he becomes a problem. He brought two fingers to his head, not even slowing down his stride.

"The one who escaped the Alegria is none other than Natsu Souleater. A name I am certain all of you recognize by now. He is outside of Plutogrim and I want everyone up there. We will show this beast who Tartaros is. We will return to Zeref's side!"

The remaining members of the Nine Gates responded in kind, calling out to Zeref as they rushed to the top. He will cut off the head of this Natsu Souleater and mount it above the gates of his castle. Even dragons should know to fear demons.

He wasn't even outside of the first hallway when Plutogrim gave a terrible shudder, strong enough to knock him off of his feet and the cubic demon gave a wail of a dying beast that echoed through the hallways. Mard Geer sat on the ground, entirely stupefied for a whole second before he felt the ground beneath him disappear and Plutogrim plummeted to the ground, the great demon dead.

Erza and Jellal were quite certain they would die.

"Has he gone completely crazy?!" Erza screamed, holding onto the blue-haired mage as she tried to keep them both in the air using her Black Wing Armor. "There are guild members on that thing!"

Jellal stayed silent, entirely too shocked to respond. He shielded his eyes against the wind and the dust with his arms, feeling completely useless in their current situation. Part of him wondered if staying inside the dragon's mouth had been safer all things considered. They slowly made their way down as the wind grew weaker.

"Natsu knows what he's doing," he heard himself say, not even quite sure if he himself believed that anymore. A thought struck him and he looked up at Erza. "When he filled that room with his magic it didn't hurt us. You remember what he said? 'I control the Chaos'. Surely even if some of the guild members were in the middle of that blast, they are unharmed"

Erza seemed to consider, silent while Jellal's feet touched to the ground. She looked at him dubiously a moment later, "While that might be the case this thing still crash-landed"

That… was a fair point. They looked around, trying to spot Natsu's flying form above the few remaining walls that stuck around them. The dragon was some distance off, almost on the whole other side of the dead island. What he was doing there neither of the two had any idea. For all, they knew that might've been where Mira and Ultear were but with everything that happened neither Jellal nor Erza had any idea where their initial location had been.

"We should try to find Warren," Erza decided, "That would be the best way to make sure everyone is okay"

They didn't manage to take two steps before a shadow appeared behind them.

"Finally!"

Erza and Jellal whirled on their feet, turning to face the source of the voice. Minerva, looking decidedly different, stood on one of the protruding pillars, looking like a child that had spotted the last candy in the house. A deranged, psychotic child.

"Minerva?!" Erza was having trouble believing her eyes. There got to be some limit to how many things can happen in one day to one person, certainly. "I am Neo Minerva!" she crowned, spreading her hands to show her new form. "I will finally bring you down, Titania! And then I will kill that little boy for what he did in the Sun Village!"

"Little boy?" Jellal muttered before the realization came to him, "You mean Arthur?"

Erza scowled, "You will not touch a single hair on his head"

To prove her point she moved towards Minerva, her blade moving down in an arc – only to stop and an inch from Jellal's startled face. The blue-haired mage didn't wait, bouncing away using Meteor and both Fairy Tail mages turned to look at Minerva's grinning form, standing perfectly at ease where Jellal had been moments earlier.

"Territory magic, Erza. Or have you forgotten?" Minerva spoke and not a second later her hand sprang up. Balls of swirling colors appeared around the two mages who quickly moved out of the way as they started exploding. "I haven't forgotten anything Minerva," Erza spat back, Heaven's Wheel Armor flashing into existence around her body. Swords appeared in flashes of light before she was even fully wrapped in the armor, the sharp blades flying towards Minerva who jumped back, dodging quickly only to be forced to turn around as Jellal appeared behind her with Meteor, his leg raised to strike.

She jerked back, her form replaced by Erza's. Minerva regained her lost balance quickly, expecting Jellal's kick to connect with Erza only to see both of them almost upon her in the second it took for her to regain her balance.

"You truly are arrogant if you thought you could defeat either of us, let alone both of us at once" Jellal informed her as his fist connected before she could deflect it and Minerva cursed, flying back. Erza moved closer, dressed in the red pants and bandages wrapped around her chest as she rose her leg. Minerva leaned to the side the second she regained her footing, Erza's bare feet missing her head by barely an inch and she trusted her hand forward with a snarl. "Territory Explosion!"

The scarlet-haired mage hissed as the explosion caught her side before she could move away and Minerva gave a nasty grin. "I have been reborn stronger than either of you! Not even Souleater can stand up to me!"

Jellal appeared behind her as soon as she had said that, his knee connecting with her spin and she arched forward with a gasp. She twisted in her spot, hands glowing, "Territory Nihility"

Jellal deflected the first fist, ducking under the second before he feinted to the side and ducked only to sprang to his feet inside her guard and driving his elbow into her stomach. Minerva growled, holding her injured side just as Erza moved to drive a sword through her. She twisted the energy around them, she and Erza once again switching places, Erza's sword clasped firmly in her fingers.

Jellal gasped, pushing the scarlet-haired mage out of the way of the blade that went right through his shoulder. He cried out, clutching at the bleeding shoulder as Erza stared wide-eyed at the fellow Fairy Tail mage. "Jellal!"

The man didn't respond, too focused on dodging Minerva's spheres. His body wrapped in golden light and he pushed himself away in Meteor, circling around Minerva only to once again almost land a hit on Erza. They both growled in frustration even as Erza gripped the hilt of the sword still embedded in his shoulder. "It's going to start bleeding even more heavily," she spoke quickly and they both were forced to jump away as another blast of Minerva's magic appeared between them. Minerva laughed, one hand on her hip. "Do you believe me now? I will crush you!"

Jellal moved closer to Erza, nodding quickly. "Do it. I can't fight like this"

Erza gripped the hilt again and the sword disappeared in a flash of light, a gush of blood spraying from the hole, and Jellal grimaced. "Let's get this over with," Jellal growled and Erza nodded in agreement, eyes narrowed at the still grinning demon.

"To fall this low, Minerva," Erza spat, "Even before what you did was despicable but it had been for Sabertooth. Now… for what? Power?"

Minerva scowled at her, "Of course it's for the power!"

"You left everything you held important behind just for this!" Erza demanded, moving closer and slashing at the demoness angrily. Minerva scoffed, her own hands moving as she cast spell after spell at the advancing mage. "And I would do it all again! You have no idea what power Tartaros offers!"

"No power is worth losing your humanity!"

Minerva's scowl deepened as she dodged another attack. Something wasn't right. Her eyes widened as she looked around, trying to spot the blue-haired mage that suddenly seemed to disappear.

He made his presence known as he dropped from the sky right on top of her, grabbing her shoulders and driving her into the hard ground. She screeched at him, hands moving to replace herself with Erza – only to realize she couldn't move.

She looked down at her hands, her eyes the only thing that seemed to be able to move and she was startled to see red snake-shaped tattoos tracing her arms.

"What did you do?!" she screeched at the blue man who stumbled off of her, clutching his shoulder with an expression of obvious contempt. "Bind snake"

"Just because I can't move doesn't mean this is over!"

Erza moved closer, looking down on her with a sword clutched in her hands. "Oh, it is over"

She turned the grip of the blade in her hands, slamming the pommel with all her considerable strength into the demon's temple. Her head bounced once off of the hard ground and the screeching and profanities she was throwing at them fell silent. She likely cracked her skull, Erza realized as she watched the unconscious demoness.

She looked back up at Jellal who had ripped off his sleeve and was wrapping it around the bleeding arm. She glanced at Minerva with a scowl. She should be grateful the cracked skull was the worst she had done to her. She moved to Jellal, taking the already soaked sleeve from him.

"Let me do it," she said softly, a smile on her lips, and the blue-haired mage returned it, sitting down on one of the rocks with a huff. "I'm sorry," she told him after a moment of silence as she finished, making sure it was not too tight or too loose. Jellal raised an eyebrow at her, his expression somewhere between amusement and exasperation. "It's not your fault"

"I know," Erza said with a huff, "But still, it was my sword"

Jellal shrugged and then winced as the movement aggravated his shoulder. "It wasn't your arm. Let's go, we still need to find the others. First Warren and then Wendy"

Erza nodded in agreement falling in step with him, easily enough. "Should we just leave Minerva like that?"

Jellal paused, looking back at the demoness. "She can't break the binding spell so she should be safe to leave here… But you're right. It might be best to take her with us"

He moved back towards her, moving to hoist her up and over his uninjured shoulder. Erza looked at him unapprovingly, opening her mouth to demand she carry her but Jellal stopped her before she could voice it, "It's nothing serious and besides, if we're attacked you are right now a better option for a quick response then I am"

Erza closed her mouth. It was sound reasoning. "Fine," she agreed, "But if it becomes too much, I'm carrying both of you"

Jellal gave a short laugh, nodding, "Deal"

Wendy pulled herself out of the red goo with a gasp, eyes wide. She stumbled the first few steps, blinking rapidly so that her eyes could adjust to the dark outside. She looked around, unsure what happened. They were not in the sky anymore and the Cube seemed to be in pieces.

"What happened?"

She turned around, relief flooding her as she saw her white companion. "Carla!"

"Wendy," the cat smiled at the sight of her, pulling herself fully out of the flesh-like substance. "Are you alright?"

The girl nodded quickly, "I am but… I don't remember what happened. The last thing I remember is this red stuff surrounding us"

Carla nodded, biting her lower lip. "We're not in the air anymore," she spoke, her head shooting up as she finally noticed their wrecked surroundings.

"We have to find someone who has answers," Wendy decided and Carla nodded, spreading her wings and lifting the girl into the air without a word. They were in the air for barely half a minute when their eyes landed on the four-armed, blue-skinned demon that was easily twice as tall as Wendy. Carla dropped out of the air quickly, eyes wide and heart beating. Wendy silently touched the ground, considerably paler. It must be one of the Nine Gates. The demon looked far too distinctive for it to be a regular foot soldier.

Wendy looked at Carla who was searching her face questioningly. They would be better off trying to circle the demon before he notices them and regroup with the others. She did not feel comfortable taking on the demon on her own. She swallowed, opening her mouth to whisper that to Carla. They likely were far enough that they didn't even need to whisper but Wendy wasn't even sure if she could speak louder.

"Carla," she started and then paused, brows knitting together. There was… something. Scraping. No tapping. Like knuckles tapping the rock. Carla obviously didn't hear it because she was staring at the young dragon slayer questioningly. "I hear something"

Her heart was beating like crazy. How close were they to that huge demon? She was fairly certain no one encountered him yet. No one mentioned a practical giant in Tartaros midst.

The tapping was coming closer.

"We have to get out of here," Wendy said quickly and harshly. And then the tapping stopped. Right on the other side of the wall.

"Now!"

She told the wide-eyed cat who sprang towards her, wings spread as she snatched the girl right as a blue-skinned hand burst through the wall like it was nothing. The cat screamed in surprise and Wendy tensed in her grip. Had they not moved when they did the demon would've put that huge hand right through Wendy.

He looked at them with small eyes that glinted sadistically in the poor light of the almost completely dark sky. "Human," he said, grinning sharply and showing far too many too sharp teeth.

Carla stood rotted to her spot, fear suddenly paralyzing her.

"HUMAN!"

The demon pushed completely through the wall, shooting at them as if they were not a dozen feet in the air. Wendy's eyes widened, as she twisted in Carla's grip. The white cat snapped out of her terror-induced daze barely in time to move to the side, the demon's finger tracing over Wendy's leg and the girl yelped as his clawed fingers easily ripped the skin off of her leg.

Carla moved to fly away but the demon had other plans, jumping over the walls and towards them with the speed that should be impossible for someone so large. "You're not getting anywhere, human!"

He spread his arms, energy suddenly flying towards them and Wendy gasped, twisting sharply in Carla's grip so that the cat was forced to let her go even as she flew up and the attack passed between them.

Wendy hit the ground and rolled, panting from shock as she twisted around the broken walls, trying to spot the demon who soon enough showed himself, laughing as he appeared above her, both pair of hands clasped together and ready to pummel her into the ground. She rolled out of the way, moving to her knees and hands to push herself to her feet only for the demon to catch her in the stomach with two of his six tentacles.

"WENDY!"

Carla shot down after the flying girl who managed to twist herself in the air, skidding along the ground but landing mostly on her feet. "I'm fine," the sky dragon slayer said weakly doing an entirely unsatisfying job of assuring the cat.

"What's this?"

The demon was already there, small eyes wide with sadistic glee. "An appetizer"

Wendy's eyes widened in horror. He planned on eating them?!

He moved to grab the cat only to be pushed back as Wendy threw herself at him with a cry. "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!"

She managed to score a hit and the demon's head snapped back but he didn't so much as stumble and he recovered far too quickly for Wendy's liking.

"Fucking human brat," the demon hissed at her, grabbing her hand out of the air as she tried to move away and he swung her away, throwing her into another wall that promptly crumbled on top of her and he moved towards her, laughing uproariously.

"Get away from her!" Carla screeched, moving towards the demon quickly, latching onto his head and clawing as much as she could manage, trying to gauge his eyes out. The demon promptly snatched her tail out of the air with one hand, grabbing her neck with the other. Wendy had already pulled herself out of the rubble, eyes widening as she watched Carla struggle in the grip of the monster.

"Carla!" Wendy cried desperately, hands snapping towards the demon. "Sky Dragon's Wave Wind"

The demon didn't let go of the cat but he did take her away from his mouth as he was forced to jump away in order to avoid the sharp blade of the wind that rushed at him.

"Let her go!" Wendy demanded, jumping towards the demon who laughed at her, "Like a human could ever make demands of me! I am Ezel! One of the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros! What could you possibly do to demand anything of me, little human?"

Wendy scowled, eyes worriedly darting to Carla who was still struggling in the strong grip. At this rate, she will suffocate if the demon tightened his hold on her for even a little. "Let her go!" she said again, desperately as she moved towards Ezel wind swirling around her arms and legs.

Ezel laughed at her again, "Make me"

They jumped around each other, one blow following another as Wendy tried to free her small fried out of the tight hold. The cat was clawing at the fingers holding her but even as she cut the digit to the bone the demon only laughed. "What's stopping me from breaking her neck right now?" Ezel challenged, managing to catch Wendy in the stomach with two fists when the girl stumbled over his comment. Wendy cried out, flying away and rolling over the ground, the debris tearing her skin and clothes. She quickly regained her footing, tears of frustration springing to her eyes. She couldn't cast most of her stronger spells as long as Carla was in his hands. She couldn't risk hitting her. But the longer it took to free her the greater the chance that the demon would do good on his word and snap her neck. The only thing that probably even stopped him was amusement.

A shape suddenly dropped from the sky with such a vengeful cry that even Ezel flinched.

Two shadowy blades dug deep into Ezel's back as the figure landed right on top of him and Ezel cried out, Carla flying from his grip only for Happy to appear and catch her before she could hit the ground.

The blades were left in Ezel's back and the figure brought one hand into the air, the other holding onto the hilt. "Shadow-make: Sword!"

Wendy watched as Arthur moved another blade made of shadows towards Ezel's head and the demon gave a furious cry, trying to shake him off. Inches before the blade pierced his eye, Ezel managed to grab hold of Arthur's shirt, tearing him of his back with a furious shout. "Fucking ants!"

Arthur snarled in return, his red-rimmed eyes bright in the darkness around them and he sank into the shadows as Ezel moved to jump on him. Wendy quickly regained her footing, shooting a worried glance towards Happy and Carla, relaxing only slightly when both cats gave a nod.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

Ezel whipped around, hands slashing through the empty air as the roar rushed at him. "Onimaru!"

Her roar met with his own spell, the wind suddenly exploding around them and lifting the dust, obscuring Wendy's view of anyone in the battle.

"Are you alright?"

Arthur's voice right beside her made her jump and she looked up at the taller teen who stood hunched a foot away. He looked awful, Wendy decided. "I should be asking you that," she responded instead and the blond teen only shrugged in response. "I'll feel a lot better when this day is finally over"

Wendy nodded in agreement, the two looking vigilantly around themselves for any sign of their opponent. Ezel once again appeared above them, growling now instead of laughing. Arthur pushed the dragon slayer out of the way and they both landed a few feet away from Ezel who landed heavily, the ground cracking beneath him.

"Shadow-make: Lance!"

Arthur trusted his arm forward, both him and Wendy still lying on the ground and the shadowy weapons shot at Ezel who dropped to the ground, still somehow moving towards them at the same speed.

Wendy scrambled to her feet, "Sky Dragon's Roar!"

"Juzumaru!"

Arthur quickly responded with a hissed, "Shit!"

The cross-shaped attack cut right through the roar and he grabbed Wendy's hand, dragging her into the shadows before pushing them both out behind the demon.

"Shadow-make: Tiger!"

Wendy couldn't help but yelp in shock as a red-eyed tiger as tall as Ezel suddenly sprung from the shadows, rushing towards Ezel with a roar. She had completely forgotten that Arthur could make animals.

The demon was properly distracted by the giant cat and Arthur once again advanced towards him, speeding through the shadows before reappearing out of it, two shadowy blades already in his hands as he slashed at the demon with vengeance. He ducked under the wild swing and jumped over a tentacle, half melting into the shadows to dodge and attack with such speed Wendy had trouble keeping up.

But it gave Wendy the perfect opening even as Ezel spat furiously at the shadowy mage who moved too fast for his fists to connect. "Enchantment: Ile Vernier! Ile Arms! Ile Armor!"

Arthur grinned devilishly as both he and Wendy suddenly found themselves in a magic circle and he twisted his hand again, slashing into Ezel's side with the speed the demon could not match thanks to the enchantment.

"Thanks, Wendy," Arthur muttered, dropping into the shadow again and reappearing behind Ezel, driving the blade in his grip into his biceps. Ezel howled, still struggling to keep the tiger at bay while dodging Arthur's insistent stabs and he grabbed the tiger by the neck, slamming them both into the ground with enough force that the tiger disappeared with a howl.

Wendy moved quickly.

"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Shattering Light: Sky Drill!"

The spell struck the occupied demon, sending him flying through several rows of the crumbled walls. Wendy panted, feeling her reserves slowly but surely emptying and the enchantments on her and Arthur disappeared. The said teen appeared beside her again, both staring at the hole where Ezel had disappeared through.

"Is it over?" Happy wondered, the blue cat, standing some distance off behind the two mages doing his best to protect Carla who was sitting on the ground.

"Fucking. Puny. Human!"

"What do we need to do to keep that guy down?!" Arthur cursed.

"You've done it now!" Ezel growled, emerging from the hole in the wall, his body glowing. "What now?" Arthur muttered, harshly and Wendy glanced at him worriedly as he stumbled in the spot. He was in no state to fight. It was a wonder how much he had done already.

Grief is a powerful motivator.

She briefly closed her eyes, looking away as tears sprang to the corner of her eyes. The wind suddenly picked up around them and she whipped her head around to look as Ezel's form once again became visible but now looking vastly different. He flexed his arms, now turned to black swords, before he glared at them through a black helmet that now adorned his head. If that even was a helmet. "My Etherious form," he informed them before once again crossing his blade arms, "Slash Attack Mode"

Wendy swallowed. She might not be sure what exactly did this mean but it was without a doubt bad news for them. Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit!

"Can you still fight?" she glanced at Arthur who looked down at her, sweat dripping down his brow but he gave her a nod. Wendy bit the inside of her cheek and with that, they both advanced at the demon.

He was even faster than before, Wendy quickly realized as she barely avoided being impaled on one of the sharp appendages. The demon didn't waste any time, turning around even before Wendy landed from her dodge and moving at the shadow mage who had been in the process of stabbing him in the back again. Arthur quickly moved back, "Shadow-make: Shield!"

A Black dome-like shape rose from the ground in a swirl of shadows that turned as solid as steel. Only for Ezel to break right through it with one pair of arms, the other slashing at the remaining Smith sibling.

Wendy's eyes widened as she moved towards them, already gathering magic for the spell but all she could do was watch as Arthur moved to the side, quick enough to avoid being cut in half but not quick enough to avoid the swords completely.

The black blades slashed into his arm, cutting it clean off just above the elbow and Arthur screeched, moving further back desperately but by now Wendy had moved enough to cast her own spell. "Sky Dragon's Roar!"

The attack hit the demon but he only had to pause in his movement, crunching down as he waited out the attack as if it was nothing more than a strong wind.

Arthur appeared out of the shadows behind her, gasping for breath and looking horribly pale as he sunk to his knees, clutching at the bleeding stump. "Shit! Fuck!" he cursed, pushing himself to his feet unsteadily. "I can't shadow walk anymore, I don't have enough magic left," he told her through gritted teeth which perfectly explained why he haven't escaped that way the horrible blow.

"You stay down," Wendy commanded, turning to Ezel who scowled at the two. "I'll… finish this"

"Enchantment: -"

"Oh, no you don't!" Ezel growled, rushing at her and Wendy scrambled out of the way, barely slowing down in her casting, "Ile Vernier! Ile Arms! Ile Armor!"

If she gets out of this alive, she will sleep for a year.

She dodged another attack, barely moving out of the way in time, "Deus Corona!"

She felt her defense rise again. She only hoped that by the end of this all she will have enough magic to actually use the mode that needed all this preparation. She trained for months to be able to cast even a single spell using it. She sure as hell hoped that she won't hit the bottom of her reserves before she strengthened her body enough to withstand the pressure. "Deus Eques!"

She felt her hope surge as she realized she had enough magic left. Barely, but enough.

She better make this count. Ezel was already upon her again, and she was forced to cast a spell. She needed to slow him down just for a moment longer. "Sky Dragon's Roar!"

Ezel growled at her, "Mikazuki!"

He slashed his hands about and her eyes widened at the destruction his attack wrought. The world around her exploded in slashes and cuts and she moved away, barely avoiding sharing Arthur's fate and losing a limb or worse losing her head. She looked around frantically as the attack died down, relief flooding her as she saw Carla and Happy who was carrying a barely conscious Arthur above them.

This was as good a time as any, she decided, focusing all her remaining magic into the next move.

"Chaos Sky Dragon mode!"

The magic around her exploded in a swirling white wind and tendrils of black chaos magic. Even Ezel paused at the sudden spike in her magic power and Wendy used his momentary stupefaction to its fullest.

"Chaos Sky Dragon's ROAR!"

The demon didn't have time to dodge the attack that was as large as he was and the roar tore into him furiously, sending him flying back with a cry. He slammed into the wall, several dozen feet away from Wendy who released the hold on the 'mode', collapsing to her knees.

She gasped for breath, forcing her swaying vision to focus on the Etherious. The Etherious who was still moving.

She felt like crying. Ezel rose to his feet shakily, bleeding and obviously quite injured. But he could move. Wendy couldn't boast even that much.

He took a step towards her, small white eyes flashing furiously. "A… runt… like you… to almost… defeat me," he moved slowly, dragging half of his body behind him. Wendy shuddered, dropping further to the ground even as she tried to do something. He stopped suddenly when he was almost upon her, a look of confusion and disbelief on his face as he looked down to his chest, a black, shadowy blade protruding from it.

Black blood welled in his mouth and he coughed, spraying the blood onto Wendy's shocked face and a moment later blood squirted through the hole in his chest as the blade was twisted sharply and the demon collapsed, his head inches away from Wendy's knees.

Arthur stood behind the demon, the sword in the demon abandoned in favor of holding his still bleeding stump and he collapsed to the ground. His knees hit the ground with enough strength that his teeth slammed uncomfortably hard together. He glanced at Wendy, pain muddling his bright eyes and Wendy realized he was once again crying. She felt like crying as well. From relief. From sorrow.

But Ezel was dead.

There was at least that.

Arthur lied down on the ground a moment later, as careful as he could be to avoid lying into the growing pool of black blood.

"When… did you learn… to do that?" he spoke, voice hoarse.

Wendy blinked slowly, her thoughts coming to her through the fog.

"Grand Magic Games…," she responded, her voice barely audible but she couldn't bring herself to speak louder. They should get help, the logical part of her brain told her. Arthur would bleed to death if they didn't do something soon. "But I wasn't… able to use it until… a few weeks ago"

She had practiced for months, never able to get it down right, and make it usable in a fight. It was not long after they returned from Hell that she managed to do it for the first time. Quite fortunate that she got a grip on that before Tartaros attacked.

"Good… that…" Arthur's voice was growing weaker and Wendy jerked herself out of the half-sleep she had fallen into only to realize the mage had fallen unconscious – which was bad – but they were both up in the air, carried by their flying friends so at least they were moving towards help.

She didn't remember what happened after that as darkness took her too.

End of chapter 90.

I am extremely grateful to everyone who takes their time to help me make this story better, who sits down and writes what would work better and what would they like to see. That take their time even to write a few words to show me that the hours of work I put into each chapter were not wasted. Big 'Thank you' from the bottom of my heart.

Please review and thanks for reading :)

Pretty please.