A.N. (10/25/22) - Huh, somehow made it on time so that this is a weekly release. Enjoy!
Chapter 3: Evening Everhart
-Part 1-
The thing about magic was that there are a dozen different ways a wizard could travel faster. Spatial magic such as teleportation were obvious examples, but there are other popular options that most wizards tend to favor.
"Thank you for allowing me to tag along." Wendy smiled as Carla clung to her back while the two flew. "It's a shame that Happy wasn't interested in joining us, but I'm excited to see what the new home of the Exceed looks like."
Currently, the five of them consisting of Vale, Erza, Wendy, Carly, and Pantherlily were soaring through the skies together. Vale was using his own magic to fly on his own while the other two humans were paired with an Exceed to travel. Erza had politely thanked Pantherlily when he offered to carry her, and she complied with his request to switch to a lighter outfit so that she didn't weigh them down while they flew.
"It has been seven years since they first appeared," Vale said. "They had time to introduce themselves to the rest of the world. I never visited their village myself, but I heard rumors about them when I first came to Fiore. In fact, they were the main reason I decided to join Fairy Tail."
"Really?"
"Fairy Tail was the only known group to have experience with inter-universal travel before," Vale explained. "I used to read about the reports on Edolas and the Anima phenomenon, and that caught my interest. Although, I didn't follow up on the topic much after I joined the guild."
It wasn't a secret that Vale was a reincarnated person in the guild, but most seemed to pay little attention to that small fact about him. Truthfully, it was that ease of acceptance that made him decide to join Fairy Tail in the first place. He doubted that any other guild would so easily learn that their newest member was someone from another world and be indifferent to the fact.
"Most of the members involved with Edolas were involved with the Tenrou incident," Erza said. "The others in the guild wouldn't know much more about the topic. It would have been better to question a few Exceeds instead if you wanted to know more."
"Maybe. But I guess I have that chance now."
"We should be close," Pantherlily interrupted. "It's just a little bit north from here, and we'll arrive in a few minutes."
"That's good."
Vale stared at the land below them as they passed by. Surprisingly, the trip here didn't take long given that the village was within traveling distance from Magnolia. Honestly, he should have taken the chance to visit sometime during the past five years if it was this close. Not that he would have known where to go though, since it wasn't like the village was located on a map or anything.
"There it is," Pantherlily said.
He pointed at a small grassy area down below them, and Vale's eyes widened as he saw the village below. It was a clearing surrounded by thick trees, filled with buildings built out of wood and stone, and it looked to be occupied by small creatures that all looked like Carla and Pantherlily. Their group landed a small distance away before slowly approaching the area.
"Are we allowed to enter?" Erza asked.
"Yes," Pantherlily replied. "Come, others will be arriving shortly."
They entered through the small opening in the center of the trees and stopped once they reached their destination. The other Exceeds were gathering around the entrance of their village, and they stared at their visitors with curious eyes. Vale looked back at them with a smile before nodding at the animals to signal that they were friends.
"Welcome to the village of the Exceeds," a voice said.
Vale looked forward and saw a tall white Exceed standing in front of the group. Next to him, Pantherlily fell to his knees as he saw her.
"Queen Shagotte," he said as he bowed his head.
"It's nice to see you again, Lily." She turned to the group and smiled when she saw Wendy and Carla. "As well as the two of you. Rumors of your return have even reached our ears."
Wendy smiled while Carla crossed her arms. Erza stood behind them and seemed content with being ignored, although Vale noticed a few Exceeds giving her wary looks. He also saw a few of them giving him strange looks as well, although Vale wasn't sure as to the reason.
The queen noticed this and gave a small bow.
"I must apologize for the lack of hospitality," she said. "Most of us are still getting used to what Earthland has to offer and don't know how to approach the situation. Edolas still leaves a mark on us, and some of this world's counterparts have left an impression."
"It's fine," Erza said. "We're here to see Everhart. Is he around?"
"Yes," the queen replied. "He has been expecting you. Please follow me."
She led them inside while the other Exceeds dispersed as they went. They walked through the village until they found a small building near the edge. It was a two-story building that was small by comparison to the other buildings but was still above average in size. The queen led them inside where he saw a familiar face.
He expected to meet an Exceed but was surprised to find a young boy slightly older than him sitting at the table. Other than his clothes and the two cat ears on top of his head, Edo-Vale looked almost exactly like he did.
"Lily?"
"Vale?" Even Pantherlily looked surprised. "Why do you look like that...?"
"Huh?" He blinked. Confused, he glanced down before a look of understanding crossed his face. "Transformation magic. Being human has a lot of benefits that help attune my magic to that of Earthland."
His body glowed momentarily before a small cat emerged from the light trotting over to them.
"So, I see a few familiar faces." His eyes momentarily landed on Erza before he glanced over to Carla. "I don't see Happy though. Is he outside?"
"The cat wanted to remain with his human partner," Carla said. "Wendy was interested in visiting this place, and I decided to chaperone her."
"It's nice to see you again." Wendy bowed. "We didn't get much of a chance to talk last time."
"True." Finally, his eyes turned to Vale. "And I assume that you are the Earthland version of me? I must say, it's a surprise to meet you. Even though we're the same person, it's still polite to exchange introductions." He raised an arm. "Vale Everhart, at your service."
"Vale Endoyle." Vale tentatively raised a hand, and Edo-Vale grasped it with his paw to shake. "Erza recommended that I ask you for help."
"Oh?" He tilted his head. "And what kind of help would you need?"
"I need a new weapon," Vale said. "I was hoping you could make me one."
He looked thoughtful for a moment before he nodded.
"I think I can do that," he said. "But it will take some time. In the meantime, why don't you tell me about yourself? I'm curious to know how different the two of us are." He turned to the queen. "Mother, do you mind if you entertain the others while we discuss things? I believe that this conversation would necessitate some privacy."
"Of course."
"Mother?" Vale blinked as the others left. "You're related to the queen?"
"Yes." Edo-Vale gestured for him to follow, and the two moved deeper into the house. "Is that not the case for you here?"
"My mother is a woman named Irene Belserion, and I'm pretty sure she's not a counterpart to Shagotte. I mean, she used to be royalty. But that was a couple of hundred years ago."
He paused. "I assumed that your mother was human."
"Dragonization gone wrong."
He shook his head at the response. "I suppose Earthland has a lot more differences compared to my old world than I thought." Edo-Vale sighed. "Nevertheless, I believe it would be best to discuss other matters. Truthfully, I singled you out so that your friends would not overhear what we are about to discuss."
"Why?"
"Sit down." The two arrived in front of a wooden table and sat across from one another. "To start, I had a vision that you would arrive today. This vision came to me about seven years ago, when the Exceeds from Edolas arrived here on Earthland."
"A vision?"
"I possess the power of foresight," Edo-Vale revealed. "It is an ability I inherited from my mother. This same ability of mine was what allowed me to request Fairy Tail for help when they arrived at Edolas. Coming to Earthland, I managed to hone this power of mine so that I could peer further into the future to avoid any dangers that would target those I care about."
Vale hid his surprise. So far, it seemed that they were less similar than he thought. Edo-Vale didn't hint that he was also a reincarnated individual, and Vale didn't want to reveal that part about himself if he could help it. But maybe Edo-Vale's ability to see the future was supposed to parallel his own foreknowledge.
"Should I be concerned that you saw a vision about me then?"
"No." He shook his head. "You were not the danger I was warned about. Rather, I saw several possibilities of threats that would endanger this land. While my visions were vague and fragmented, I was able to determine that the best way to address those problems would be to request your help."
"Me?"
"I am not a combatant," Edo-Vale continued. "While I possess the means to protect myself from danger, I do not have the power to deal with all of the threats that I have envisioned. In fact, you are not even the first person I have proposed an alliance with on this matter. Ideally, I would have requested Fairy Tail to work with me, but then the Tenrou incident happened."
"You didn't predict that?"
"Events that cause distortions in time and space are difficult to predict. From what I was able to deduce, the spell used by Mavis Vermillion was able to distort time in a way that was able to protect all of the members of Fairy Tail that were on Tenrou Island. Unfortunately, that same spell was what made my foresight unable to properly predict the outcome of that incident."
Vale nodded as he began to understand what Edo-Vale was telling him. The exact details as to how the spell Fairy Sphere worked weren't something he was privileged to. Only when he connected his magic with Zera's was he able to barely glimpse into its current state, but that was by abusing her connection with Mavis.
"I see." He paused. "But why me? Why not ask the members of Fairy Tail?"
"As I said before, you are better suited than they are." He paused. "While Fairy Tail is powerful, you possess more abilities than those revolving around only combat. Not to mention that the rest will be busy dealing with other matters."
"Busy?"
"That leads to the first threat I want help dealing with." Edo-Vale leaned forward with his elbows on the table. "In a few months, the Grand Magic Games will begin. Up until that point, my foresight works fine. But as the days near that period, my visions become unable to focus on anything past that date. It's to the point that attempting to see beyond that causes my magic to go out of control and injure myself."
He realized something. "Let me guess, your foresight isn't working because that event is a distortion in time."
"Yes." Edo-Vale gave him a curious look. "From the look on your face, you seem to have an idea as to what I'm talking about."
Eclipse.
"It's just a hunch," Vale lied. "But I've heard rumors that the Royal Family is involved in some kind of dark magic. If you want me to deal with this issue, they'll probably be the first ones I investigate."
"Then do you agree to work together?"
"Sure," Vale answered. "What about you? What will your role in this alliance be?"
"We can go over that later." He got up from his seat. "But before that, I believe that you came here with a request for a new weapon. Due to my vision, I planned on gifting you a unique magic item in exchange for your aid. But unfortunately, something unfortunate happened during the past few days that I need help with."
Moving to a nearby pile of papers, Edo-Vale grabbed one of them and displayed it on the table for Vale to see. "As you may know, I am somewhat valued in the Exceed community for my skills as a talented Enchanter. Because of that, I was tasked with creating and implementing the defenses around our village."
A schematic of a robotic figure was on the paper with the words Dorma Telum at the top.
"I based the design on a royal weapon of Edolas named the Dorma Anim," he explained. "The automaton was made to protect the Exceed since our people are not strong enough to defend ourselves. But while implanting a lacrima core into the armor, it was somehow possessed by an undetected spirit lingering in the core. Because of that, it managed to escape and rampage across the village until it escaped into the nearby forest."
"So you want me to find and stop it?"
"Yes." Edo-Vale gazed at him. "But not just that. This is my mistake, and I was the one to create this model. Though I might not be strong enough to defeat it, I understand its capabilities and weaknesses better than anyone. Thus, I wish to participate in its subjugation."
"How strong is the Dorma Telum?"
"Due to a lack of resources, it's not as strong as the Dorma Anim. Compared to the average wizard here on Earthland, it is still a powerful foe. But I'm mainly asking for help in dealing with the spirit possessing it."
"Erm…" Vale began to sweat. "I don't exactly have a good method of fighting spiritual entities."
"That's where I come in. Follow me."
Walking to the edge of the room, he pushed a door open to reveal a small closet. The interior was empty save for a small wrapped object laying in the center which Edo-Vale picked up.
"Here, this should help."
Vale unwrapped it and felt something stirring inside of him once he caught sight of what it was. His magic began to hum in excitement as it began to feel the aura of the object in his hands.
"It's called the Magic Whip: Three Powers. While it might not live up to my late master's quality, it shares several of the abilities as the Ten Commandments formerly used by Erza Knightwalker."
He tested it out and found that he could manipulate the whip almost as easily when he casts a control enchantment. Glancing back at Edo-Vale, the Exceed smirked as he saw his reaction.
"I suggest spending a few hours practicing with it first. Once you're ready, we'll deal with our target."
-Part 2-
"Here we have the central plaza where most of our citizens gather…"
Carla ignored the urge to scowl as the queen led them around the village. The older Exceed was busy answering most of Wendy's questions as they discussed the changes that have been made during the past seven years. The village bustled with activity as the residents scurried around. Since it was built for a species of bipedal cats, Erza and Wendy stood out as they towered above the others.
Only Wendy seemed happy with being here, an emotion that both Carla and Erza didn't seem to share. The red-haired armored woman maintained a neutral expression even as several of the nearby Exceed flinched upon seeing her.
"They're afraid," Carla whispered. "Does that not bother you?"
"My appearance probably reminds them of Knightwalker," Erza replied. "Since it seems to be unintentional on their part, I do not fault them for their reaction."
The memory of Erza Knightwalker made Carla's already bad mood even worse. Capturing Wendy and forcing her to endure torture as she was drained of every drop of magic power. Not to mention that she was allied with the Edolas humans trying to kill her and her guildmates.
Next to them, Pantherlily gave out a heavy sigh. "Some of them remember what their last moments on Edolas were like. Being hunted down and turned into lacrima by the army with Knightwalker leading the assault. I suppose it is only the presence of the queen that is keeping them at bay."
She didn't know what to say to that. Seeing her mother again brought up mixed feelings in her. Sure, it took her a while to figure it out. But after putting the clues together, it was more than obvious as to their relation to one another. By that logic though, that also meant that the Edolas version of Vale was her brother.
Truthfully, that was the main reason Carla decided to travel with the Earthland Vale. From prior experience, she knew that most Edolas versions contrasted one another in some way. The differences between Erza Scarlet and Erza Knightwalker or Jellal and Mystogan were obvious. But while interacting with the Earthland version of Vale, thus far she has yet to notice anything too different from his counterpart.
Well, besides the apparent species difference.
Thinking about that reminded her that she still needed to have a proper conversation with him. She wanted to know more about the events on Edolas, especially their relationship as siblings. As much as it pained her, Carla knew that eventually, she would have to confront those feelings and emotions. If not, then she knew that Wendy would try to force her into taking action.
And if that happened, then there would be no escaping it.
"So, how long do you plan on staying?" Shargotte asked.
"We're not really sure," Carla answered.
The queen glanced at their group. Erza remained silent, Wendy seemed to not know what to say while Pantherlily shrugged in response.
"If you don't mind me asking," the older Exceed continued. "Why did you decide to visit us?"
"I was hoping you could answer that question," Carla answered.
Shargotte gave them an amused look. "What makes you think that I can?"
Carla hesitated. How was she supposed to describe her decision in a way the queen would understand? Was it the case that Shargotte had never experienced a situation like this herself? At the very least, she couldn't recall ever having someone who was close to her or anyone else from the Exceed side approach her in such a manner.
"It's complicated," Carla finally answered.
Shargotte sighed as she shook her head. "I see." She looked over at the rest of them. "In any case, it appears that I have nothing to offer you. However, I would like to invite you all to dinner at the very least. If you plan on staying here overnight, I can offer further accommodations if needed."
"Thank you for the invitation," Wendy replied.
After thinking about it for a moment, Carla nodded. "Thank you."
The queen smiled. "Very well. I'll have someone escort you to the guest house and get you settled in."
"Queen Shagotte!" A voice interrupted them as another Exceed flew in their direction. "We received reports of another sighting. The Dorma Telum is attacking again!"
Her eyes widened. "Where?!"
"Near the forest cliffs. But we're already sending out patrols to deal with it."
"Tell them to fall back," Shargotte ordered. "None of our guards have the capability of facing it in combat. Don't risk any of your lives trying to control it."
"Do you need assistance?" Erza asked. "Our group is composed of competent fighters. If you need help dealing with whatever is attacking you, we can provide support."
Seeing the look of hesitation on Shargotte's face, Carla knew that she was tempted by Erza's offer. The queen knew that they were more than capable of assisting with the subjugation effort, and in truth, Carla could tell that Shargotte was feeling overwhelmed by this new threat.
With an air of determination, Carla stepped forward and spoke up. "We're willing to help in any way we can," she said firmly. "Please, let us stand beside you and defend your people."
Shargotte paused for a moment as she considered their offer. Finally, she nodded and gave them a grateful smile. "Thank you," she said gratefully. "With your help, we can defeat this threat once and for all."
"I'll get Vale," Pantherlily said. "Both of them. The two of them should be able to help with whatever this is."
"Go. We'll keep it busy while you're gone," Wendy said as she and Carla nodded.
Erza simply followed after them, her expression determined.
They hadn't been expecting to get pulled into another conflict so soon, but Carla knew that they couldn't back down now. They had made a promise to help, and she intended to see it through.
-Part 3-
Vale landed and his feet pounded down the dirt path toward the direction where the battle was. Pantherlily had arrived to inform them that the rest of their group had already engaged the enemy, and both Vales rushed to support the others. Edo-Vale had to be carried by Pantherlily, who transformed into his battle mode since he apparently had no means of flight himself.
In the distance, Vale could make out the figure of the mechanical enemy rampaging around as it created a path of devastation. The Dorma Telum was exceedingly tall, towering above the forest as the surrounding trees came up to only its waist. Flying around its head were Erza, Wendy, and Carla. So far, their attacks seemed to keep it busy. But from the state of its body, it was clear that nothing significant had been damaged.
Addressing his counterpart, Vale spoke. "They should be fine, right?"
"Yes," he said. "Knightwalker and Scarlet are known equals in power, and I know that the Dorma Telum isn't powerful enough to defeat Scarlet without sufficient preparations. Even if your Erza hasn't defeated it yet, it would not be enough to overpower her."
Something flew past them as they all witnessed Erza crashing to the ground, cracks forming all over the armor she wore as blood trickled down the side of her mouth. All three of them froze as they took in the scene, watching as Erza struggled to get up to rejoin the battle.
"You sure about that?"
"Ah." Edo-Vale seemed shocked. "T-That doesn't make sense. Nothing about its construction should have hinted at this kind of power."
"Well, that might be true. But what about the lacrima you mentioned using to activate it? Didn't you say that it was the reason behind its rampaging in the first place?"
He hesitated. "Maybe."
"I shall join the battle," Pantherlily said as he set Edo-Vale down. "I'll coordinate with the others to distract it while the two of you find a way to take it down."
"Here, this should help." Vale lifted his arm. "Enchant Type - Boost All Attributes."
"Thank you."
After saying that, he flew off to support the other combatants. Letting out a loud cry, he swung an enlarged sword against a metallic figure that blocked the attack with its arm. Shrugging it off, he shot a beam of energy toward the sky to where Wendy and Carla were. The two flew aside to dodge the attack, and Erza used this opportunity to strike its back.
"So what now?" Vale turned his eyes away from the battle. "You wanted to come here, please tell me you have a plan."
"Its power source is the ambient ethernano in the air that it absorbs through its skin," Edo-Vale said. "While it is capable of absorbing energy directly from the earth, that leaves it unable to act while it is in battle. Thus, if the surrounding energy levels get low, it will decide to flee to other places where it will allow it to continue operating."
"How does that help us?"
"There's only so many places it can go to recharge, and the nearest place is a ravine where its movements will be limited. I know a method of quickly absorbing the surrounding magic to fuel a powerful spell. If you can keep it in place long enough for me to use it against the Dorma Telum, it should activate its seeker protocols and direct it elsewhere."
"Got it, I'll inform the others."
Edo-Vale raised his arms and began chanting as energy started to swirl around him. Vale left him alone and ran forward to confront the mechanical enemy.
"Everyone, we need to stop it from moving!"
"Easier said than done," Erza said through gritted teeth. "I don't know what this thing is made of, but I'm going to have to use some of my more powerful weapons if I want to damage it."
"Ideally, we just want to turn it off so that their Vale can fix whatever is messing with it so that it will act as their protector instead. Edo-Vale is preparing a spell to make it flee to a destination he has in mind. But we need to make sure that he's able to target it."
"It's fast and durable," Pantherlily yelled from above. A metallic clang echoed as he used his sword to block an attack. "But it has trouble splitting its focus between multiple opponents."
"And it can't deal with flying opponents easily," Wendy added. "Most of its actions are either long-ranged attacks or jumping high to try and swat us."
"Got it," Vale concluded. "Circle it and alternate between attacks so that it will have trouble prioritizing who is the bigger threat. We don't have to worry about damaging it, only stunning it or keeping its focus on whoever is attacking."
Everyone answered in acknowledgment as they acted together. The pace of the battle picked up as everyone began to pummel the opponent while it continued to futilely focus on who to attack first. It was to the point where it kept twirling in place as all of them flew around it in circles, almost making it trip from turning too much.
Suddenly, the Dorma Telum stopped moving and looked around before its gaze landed on Wendy, who was nearest to the mechanical being. Its mouth opened as a large blast of energy struck her directly in the chest.
"Wendy!" Carla called out, but it was too late. It darted toward her with lightning speed and was about to finish her off. Erza was closest to her and managed to intercept the attack right before it could, but the Dorma Telum had been moving too fast. It collided with her at full force, causing them both to crash into a nearby tree.
"Rraaaagghhh!" Pantherlily roared as he struck the opponent's side, sending it flying and allowing Erza to recover. Wendy was already by her side with a healing spell ready, the two setting off into the air once more.
"Enchant Type - Infuse Velocity Element."
Turning around, The Dorma Telum was met with the sight of a flying tree as it crashed into its head. Exploding into countless fragments, the force behind the projectile pushed it back several steps even as Vale sent three more trees flying in its direction.
Stumbling, it shook off the blow as it tried to claw at the nearby Pantherlily. Smirking, the Exceed moved his sword away and grabbed its arms before throwing the enemy in an arc through the air. Slamming into the ground, Pantherlily jumped away for the others to attack.
"It's time," Vale yelled. "Do it now!"
"Sky Dragon's Roar!"
"Heaven's Wheel - Circle Sword!"
"Enchant Type - Reduce All Movements."
The ground shook as the Dorma Telum was assaulted with multiple spells. Nearby, Vale felt an aura of magical energy explode as Edo-Vale suddenly appeared floating in the air next to them in his human form. His body glowed while the rings on his hands hummed with power. Opening his eyes, he finished his spell.
"Enchant Rings: Release Output." His hands moved together. "Ancient Forbidden Magic: Varuna!"
A tidal wave conjured itself out of nowhere as it struck the Dorma Telum directly. The large volume of water washed away trees and boulders alike as it pushed everything in the area away without distinction. It was a flood that destroyed everything in its path, and only because the rest of them were in the air did they remain unaffected.
"Holy shit." Vale's eyes were wide with disbelief. "Not a combatant my ass! Where the hell did that come from?"
"It's not exactly something I can use whenever I want." Edo-Vale showed the cracked rings on his hand. "I'm afraid that's all I have in me for the moment. The Dorma Telum's seeker protocols should be activating right now."
True to his word, he spotted the soaked figure of the mechanical being limping away as it tried to flee. But with how much damage it sustained, Vale highly doubted that it would make it to its destination before the rest of them took care of it.
"It should be fine to deal with it now, right?"
Edo-Vale narrowed his eyes. "Yes… I believe so. Maybe I went a bit overboard with that last move."
"Got it. I'll go remove the lacrima then."
Picking up the pace, he quickly reached the figure of the mech and found a panel located at the center of its torso. Grabbing onto the edge and ripping it open, he caught sight of the glowing red crystal acting as the core.
"This should take care of it." Vale reached for the lacrima. "Guess this means that it's over."
He froze.
Right as his hand touched it, his entire body locked into place as he felt something begin to enter his body. It was a familiar sensation, only the feeling was far from what he previously experienced. Too late, he tried to remove his hand from the lacrima but found that his fingers were unable to move.
"Oh?" A voice echoed in his head. "An Etherious? Very well, you shall do nicely as a host."
Faintly, Vale recalled the words of his counterpart explaining that it was due to a lingering spirit that caused the Dorma Telum to rampage in the first place. If he had paid attention to that detail, maybe he would have realized why it would be a bad idea to make contact with the object it was inhabiting.
"Hmm, curious. Your resistance is pitiful, almost as if you're naturally susceptible to possession. Did something cause your body to be like this, or is it an unfortunate innate condition?"
Vale tried to resist. Get out of my head!
This was so much worse than what he prepared for. The only other species that he knew about who could possess people like this were Vulcans. But for something like this, there was no way that whatever was invading him was a regular monster.
"Not only that, I can't sense any devil particles inside your body. And yet, there's no hiding the demonic nature within you." He felt the foreign presence going through his mind. "What's this? There seems to be a lock on some of your memories. Now, what would a child like you want to hide so badly?"
~ I've got no strings ~ To hold me down ~To make me fret ~Or make me frown ~
"Rhyme mnemonics?" A flicker of amusement came from the intruder. "A method to strengthen your mental barriers? Unfortunately, that will not be enough. Your pitiful attempts at defending your mind are not strong enough to stop me."
~ I had strings ~ But now I'm free ~There are no stri— ~
Something in his mind ripped, and he staggered as pain assaulted his senses. The foreign presence started going through his memories while his mind was bare.
"Now, let's see what we have." He hummed. "This is interesting… you appear young but the age of your soul seems different. Plus…" A pause. "Fairy Tail… Hiro Mashima… what is this?" An even longer pause. "Manga… these memories? I don't understand."
Someone landed nearby, and Vale tried to warn them to get away.
"Everything okay?" He heard Erza walking toward him. "Is something wrong?"
"Either way, you are mine!"
Instincts were the only reason she could have acted in time as Erza brought up her sword to defend herself from the unexpected attack.
"Vale?" Erza sounded confused. "Wha—no, that's not it. To whom am I speaking?!"
His mind was active, but his body was no longer under his control. Without prompt, Vale's mouth moved in response to her question.
"I am Sitri," he said. But it wasn't his voice that came out of his lips. It was deep and hollow, something inhuman. "The spirit that remains of what is left of my heart processed into a lacrima. Unlike this puppet, I am a true demon. And I must say, this boy's mind is a treasure trove of information."
A cruel smile slowly appeared on his face.
"A child of Zeref." Erza froze at his words. "The potential of this body is beyond anything I could have asked for."
That was the only warning before a black aura exploded from his body.
-Part 4-
It was an interesting sensation. The feeling of possession was something that Vale wasn't used to. He was still aware of his actions, but there was a sense of distance to them due to whatever Sitri did to him to remain in control.
"Vale, snap out of it!"
Even though he was currently fighting Erza, it stirred no feelings within him. In fact, he was more interested in how he was faring while in control of the demon. Either Erza was trying her best to hold back in order to not harm him, or he was doing a lot better than he thought.
"High Enchant Type - Magnify Attribute Four [Attack]"
Oh, that made sense. Without him to maintain the seals, Sitri was using his body while barely caring about the output of magic power his body was producing. If this were a couple of years ago, that would have led to minor consequences. But he had grown enough that this small amount of stress wouldn't bother him anymore.
Erza was backing away, but the others moved in her place. Pantherlily endured the brunt of the first blow while Wendy attacked his back with her magic. For some reason though, Edo-Vale had disappeared from the battlefield. Since he had probably gone through his supply of magic items, it was unlikely that he would contribute to the current fight without backup.
Hmm, but things weren't looking so good. Even holding back, Erza was one of the strongest wizards in her guild. With Wendy backing her up and Pantherlily switching in to let her recover, it was going to be impossible to take her out and escape. The smart thing to do was to take out the healer and the buffer first, that was the standard rule for engaging any adventuring party.
Well, Sitri seemed to think the same thing. Or rather, it seemed that he was piggybacking off of his own thoughts. Because right as he thought that, he shot straight toward the direction Wendy was in with the intent of taking her out first. Oops, that was his bad. Although, maybe it was just his imagination, was Sitri trying to influence his thoughts to align with the demon? Maybe it had something to do with that demonic nature he mentioned earlier. Vale could feel something inside of him stirring in response to Sitri's actions, but he wasn't sure exactly what.
Oh! An idea just came to him. Since Erza mainly relied on Requip magic to change weapons and armor, it was best to simply seal the surrounding space with Enchant magic so that she couldn't anymore.
"Enchant Type - Reduce Spatial Modifier."
Huh, that's new. While it was a bit worrying that Sitri could use his magic well enough to make entirely new spells on the spot, that was still a new application of his magic that he hadn't pursued before. As expected, Erza had a stunned look on her face as her magic failed her, and Sitri used that opportunity to land a blow on her while she was distracted.
"It's no use, I can't do anything!"
Wendy was doing something to him. Was she trying to use her healing magic to remove Sitri's presence from him? Too bad, but she was still inexperienced with the usage of her magic. If she relied on Enchantment magic instead, maybe she would have made better progress.
"High Enchant Type - Magnify Attribute Five [Speed]"
That was weird. Why did he modify the spell like that? There should be no reason for him to do so unless something was wrong with the original.
Wait, a black haze was now trailing after him. Strange, his enchantments don't usually do that. What was… did he just add a conceptual effect to the spell? But exactly what did he add to it, he had no idea.
"This is amazing," Sitri's voice echoed in his head. "The knowledge that was provided to you by your maker, and you squandered your gifts by locking them away. How have you not made use of this before?"
Was he talking about his mother? Since when has she done anything like that?
"You haven't realized? The magic flowing through your body carries her memory. Hundreds of years of experience all at the tips of your fingers, and you have never once thought to access it?"
How exactly was he supposed to do that?
"Bah!" Sitri sounded annoyed. "A puppet truly cannot see beyond what they are shown. Better to leave it to me to bring your gifts to their full potential."
He should feel like arguing that, but Vale couldn't bring it in himself to bother.
"As I said, a puppet to the very end."
"This has gone on long enough," Sitri said using his mouth. "Without my natural power, I can only make use of this boy's strength. I feel as though it is fate that my reappearance is met by members of Fairy Tail."
"Sitri," Erza muttered. "I remember now… you were a demon that was slain by Mirajane. It must have been a couple of years ago when that happened."
"Almost a decade, actually." He sneered. "She managed to consume the majority of my soul but was unable to utilize my power at the time. I hid a small fragment of myself inside my heart until I regained enough energy to finally recover. The automaton that the cat made helped accelerate my healing by absorbing the surrounding energy, but I am still nothing more than a lingering spirit."
"So what?" Erza stared at him. "You want to regain your true body? Mirajane consumed most of it with her Satan Soul, so there's nothing left for you to recover."
"No, that is no longer possible. I know that my time in this world is nearing an end." He held up an arm and observed his newest body. "But this boy's knowledge, there is so much I can do before my time is up. And I believe that I can make use of that knowledge for my own gains."
"What are you talking about?"
"Rosemary Village." She froze. "Destroyed by worshippers of Zeref and the inhabitants taken to construct the Tower of Heaven. And yet, the funny thing is that Zeref saw that project as a failure. All that tragedy was for nothing in the grand scheme of things."
"How do you know about that?"
"Because he does." Sitri tapped the side of Vale's head. "Thus, I do as well. He knows a lot about you, Erza Scarlet. Your pained past, your suffering, and especially your origin. He believes that it is all his fault that he couldn't prevent it from passing."
No! Vale's thoughts began to stir once more as he realized what Sitri was about to say. Please, not yet. I'm not prepared for her to know the truth!
"My origin?"
"That's right." A wide grin. "Your origin… the truth is that you are…"
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis!
He paused.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
"Huh?"
Nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan.
"W-What is this?"
Pokémon: Season 1 Episode 38 - Electric Soldier Porygon (Seizure Procedure)
"Arg!" Sitri cried out and clutched his eyes in pain. "What are all these red and blue flashing lights!? This is supposed to be a kid's show!"
NSFW images of bottom masochist Zeref being topped by dommy Acnologia.
"WHY DO YOU EVEN HAVE MEMORIES OF THAT!?"
Erza didn't stay still as she saw this opportunity. Raising her weapon, she charged forward and struck at Sitri while he was distracted. The demon controlling the boy could only stagger out of the way as he avoided the worst of the blow.
"S-Still," he started. "The boy might have distracted me for a moment, but he can't regain control that easily."
"No," Erza smirked. "But he helped take your attention away while I took this."
"What?"
Brilliant light exploded as she swept her arm outward, letting the Three Powers extend to its full length. "It took me a while to realize what this was," Erza said. "But Everhart explained it to me before he left. This is a weaker version of the Ten Commandments, right? And as such, it is a powerful holy weapon in its own right. A perfect counter to combating demons."
Sitri's eyes widened before he glanced down at where the weapon was supposed to be on his waist.
"I wondered why you weren't using it earlier," Erza continued. "But the fact is that you can't. Even when you're just a spirit, your essence is that of a demon. Simply touching this would harm you, but you wanted to keep it so that nobody else would be able to use it."
"So what?" Sitri sneered. "You think that just because you have that now that you can defeat me? Can you even bring out its full power without knowing how to use it?"
"But I do." She raised her arm. "Because I once faced Nightwalker using a weapon similar to this one. Since we're both Erza, it stands to reason that I can use this as well."
"AAAAGHH!"
Erza shot forward before lashing out. "Explosion!"
A burst of explosions erupted around the area where the whip swung. Sitri was sent flying as he got caught in the blast, his body crashing against the ground a second later.
"Now!"
Wendy came charging out of nowhere as she opened her mouth. "Sky Dragon's Roar!"
The spiral of wind was angled so that it sent him up into the sky, where Pantherlily was waiting with his sword held in a batting position. "Hyaaahhh!" He slammed the flat of the blade into Vale, sending him flying once more. "Erza, catch up to him quick!"
"Silfarion!"
Her body was a streak as she sent the whip flying everywhere until a net of metal suddenly captured Sitri in mid-air.
"Rune Save!"
Sitri's body started flickering as the magic sealing effects began to take hold of him. Vale suddenly felt clarity in his mind as whatever magic was keeping him under control disappeared, and he began to lash out.
"No, this can't be it!"
Get out of my body already!
He crashed to the ground, the whip falling off his body while he did so. But it was already enough. For a moment, it was as if someone had superimposed two different images on top of one another. One was the image of Vale, clutching at his head in pain as he struggled to regain control. Another was someone else, with pale skin, cruel, angular features, and pointed ears.
"High Enchant Type," Vale yelled. "Separation Enchantment!"
Both of them screamed as they felt themselves splitting apart.
I changed some of the format around for some of Vale's spells, but it should be pretty unnoticeable unless you care about consistency between this and the prequel. The name of Vale's new weapon is supposed to reference the Magic Sword: Ten Commandments using its manga-translated name of Ten Powers. As you might be able to guess, the Three Powers is able to mimic several of the forms used by its counterparts. Ancient Forbidden Magic: Varuna is also another Rave Master reference.
So yeah, this chapter went into the family troubles of not only Vale but Edo-Vale as well. Carla and Erza are both sisters to their respective Vales, and none of them have yet to acknowledge their familial relationship as of yet.
Sitri isn't a character in the story, but one of Mirajane's forms invokes his name, so presumably, he existed at some point in time. Since it was stated that lacrima can be made by processing the parts of a slain magical foe, I decided to make it so that the soul of a demon would possess Vale.