Ben followed the guards, he kept the red head ahem erza close to him, they were climbing the stares.
"what do you think they will have us do?" erza asked.
"don't know but looking at them nothing good for us" ben replied eying the guards.
They led them to an cave "get to work".
Ben looked around and saw that they were in an mine, he could see some glowing blue crystals around him.
"hey get to work" ben heard rob say "trust me you don't want them to notice you".
Ben nodded and took erza with him.
"well that answers your question" ben said.
They picked up axes and started to dig ben stayed near erza, just like that a week went by.
They had made some friends during this time Jellal, sho, simon, wally, buchanan, millianna. They were really good kids and since ben was oldest by age he decided to look after them he was after all a hero.
Ben looked at erza and sat near her, these days she was really sad.
"hey" ben asked "you ok".
"no" she looked at ben "we will never get out of here and will live here forever".
"nah" ben said "one day I'll get us out of here".
"you how?" she asked.
"well don't tell anyone but from where I come from I used to be a hero, a super hero" ben whispered in her ear.
She looked at ben with wide eyes "really?".
"shhh" ben put a finger on her mouth.
"yep and one day I'll get us all out of here" ben said "so cheer up, there are about a thousand thing to be sad about if you worry about them all then you'll never be happy so just relax everything will be Alright".
Since that day erza did cheer up like a lot he jelal and rob cheered her up and like sun she smiled in that dark place honestly it was a nice change in that cold and damp place.
Ben remembered how she tried to ride a broom saying that she will be a wizard and how she laughed at robs stories but soon that all will change for better or worse ben didn't know.
One-day ben was coming back from his shift when he saw everyone surround erza ben walked to them curious.
"Erza scarlet what do you think?" sho said.
"its nice" ben heard erza say.
"yo" ben said "what ya talking about?".
"bro" sho said "we gave erza a last name Erza Scarlet! What do you think?".
Ben looked at them and at erza who was smiling.
"wait, you didn't have a last name?" ben said.
Erza nodded "well you should've told me before" ben said quietly "I could've given you mine".
"really?" she asked a bit surprised.
"what?".
"we can here you man" jellal said "this place is pretty much empty if you don't wand be heard then you should've whispered".
"oh" ben blinked "right, I'll keep it in mind".
"it's a nice name" ben said a bit embarrassed "what does it mean?".
"it means red" jellal said deadpan "how dumb you can get?".
"hey, take that back" ben said.
"piftt" ben looked at erza who was covering her mouth.
"what? Erza not you too" ben said.
"sorry" she said "I just wanted to laugh for some reason".
Ben's eye twitched.
"yeah right".
"guess what guys" ben said "I managed to sneak some food past the guards".
"what" everyone exclaimed!
"shhhh" ben said "not so loud".
"come on" ben said as he showed a few breads to them.
"bro you rock" sho told ben.
Ben smugly rubbed his nose "I know".
Just like that they spent their time in that dark place.
Rob looked at them with a smile.
But their good days didn't last long because one-night ben was awakened by.
"man it's really hard here" he looked at the omnitrix which was not working.
"dam it" ben said and got up, but that's when he noticed something he saw all the kids talking to each other.
"what are you talking about?" ben asked.
"shhh" jellal said "we are making a escape plan".
"AN-an escape plan?" ben said looking around.
"yes, we found a tunnel which leads us outside but they closed it up".
"ok so what now?".
"but they didn't know that we dug another one" sho said.
Ben nodded and started to listen to their plan ben was the type to take actions first and plan later which got him beat up practically every day so ben let them plan.
Soon they started to dig the tunnel and when it was finished they decided to escape, ben didn't saw ROB so he decided to look for him, to tell him about their escape plan.
A few days' later ben told ROB about that why he didn't tell him well ben knew what he would say its too dangerous.
'what am I thinking of course its dangerous, but I wanna get out, I wanna see charmcaster, hope' ben looked at the celling when he heard.
"you brats wanted to escape!" ben whipped his head at the voice when he heard the word 'escape'.
'crap they discovered the tunnel which we dug' ben ran and saw that his friends were surrounded.
He ran and got in the middle of them.
"what do you want now?" ben said the first thing that came to his mind.
They all looked at ben.
"you brat, you wanted to escape" a wizard said and kicked ben who crossed his arms ben flew and hit the wall.
""" BENN!"""
'people of this world are too strong' ben said 'only if I had my powers, then no one had to get hurt'.
"now, now" ben heard a clam but threatening voice he looked up and saw that it was one of the people who hated ben and what was worse that he enjoyed to make ben suffer.
"today I am in a good mood and since I am forgiving person I'll only take one, there is no need for everyone to get hurt, now tell me who was the one who planned all this and I'll let you all go".
Ben looked at them and saw that they were shaking with fear.
'now I see you get a kick out of making them despair but no more tomorrow I'll take you all down I don't need powers to be a hero'.
Ben got up but his feet were shaking not from fear but from pain he got hurt more that he had anticipated.
"I did all this, I planned this, why got a problem potato" ben taunted him 'there I am your favourite, you can't pass up an offer to tourer me now can you?'.
He looked at ben and smirked.
Ben smiled a little, just for a millisecond.
"you red head, it was you wasn't it" he said pointing at erza.
"what!" ben yelled "it was me".
He looked at ben with a smirk, and git closer "you see kid I got bored with you, no matter what I do you don't cry and keep calling me names, so I thought what would make you despair, then it clicked you were really close to the redhead so I guess that I'll hurt her cause if I do then you'll feel thousand times the pain I inflict upon her".
Ben looked at him frozen.
"now that's a face which I won't ever get tired of" he smirked "I wonder what face you'll make when I make her scream".
He grabbed ben's head and pushed him away.
Ben saw the guards grab erza.
"no don't you dare" ben yelled and punched the nearest guard.
"this kid" a guard said "get him under control".
"you evil fatso" ben yelled "it was me, take me, you want to see me cry I'll cry, you want me to despair I'll despair. I promise, just please let her go!".
"Music to my ears" the fastso said as he walked out.
Soon ben was with the others, the cell.
Ben didn't move or made a sound for three days.
"they took her" simon said.
Ben didn't hear them all ben heard was 'it's your fault, they took her cause of you'.
ben looked up, rage filled face all he saw was the fatso.
'you'll pay'.
"look" ben heard a guard say 'it's the hero".
At night, Ben got up and walked to the guard and kicked his neck.
"baam".
'it should've been me' were ringing in his head like he heard a thousand voices yelling.
'it should've been me'.
Ben picked up the sword and sneaked up behind another one and hit his head with the flat of the sword.
Ben punched kicked, got punched and kicked but ben didn't felt anything at all, the only thing in his mind was get to erza.
Ben sneaked up on them and
And soon he was there ben saw her tied to a pillar seeing that ben ran and stopped.
"ERZA!" ben yelled and untied her.
"it'll be all right" ben said.
Then ben got a look at her and what he saw shouldn't be seen by people of his age.
"ERZAA!" ben yelled "what have they done you are just a kid" she was riddled with scars and what was worst was that she was missing a eye.
"why!" ben yelled "I couldn't do anything'.
"ben?" he saw her open her eyes.
"its alright now, ill get you out of here" ben said.
"but the guards" she said weakly.
"its fine we will fight them; I'll fight them" ben said "remember what I said I was a hero back home".
She nodded.
"so I'll get us out of here, I'll be a hero again" ben told her and himself.
"we will fight out of here".
"ben!, erza!" ben heard a voice and saw jellal.
Ben's mind was blank he was bleeding all over too exhausted to talk when he got hit at his back.
The same fatty then walked up to the guard and saw that they were beating jellal.
"what's with him?".
"he killed three of our men, sir".
"oh good three less people to pay".
"now I am in bad mood" he looked at ben and at jellal.
"chain them up, I wanna here some screams".
"why two, I thought you like to torture one at a time".
"well this one doesn't scream" he pointed at ben "but he will scream for someone else".
he looked at jellal and smirked "oh we are going to have so much fun together".
At the cell they saw erza collapse at the bars.
Three days later.
With ben.
"why don't you scream?" the fatty yelled.
"why, so we can all become like you fat" ben was not able to think straight "if you feel conscious about your fat then why don't you go to your mommy and daddy,bet they will make you feel right at home".
Ben got a whip in return.
"though seeing someone with your anger issues its probably not a good idea, do you know that stress can make you fat".
"ahh" ben yelled as he got hit by a burning red hot rod.
'I can't even make proper quips"' ben thought.
"I know what to do with you" he said.
"I'll be back" he said and left to jellal.
Ben woke up to the sound of an explosion and a scream.
"wait, that voice" ben opened his eyes.
"AHHHH" ben's eyes snapped open.
That was Erza's voice.
And it didn't stopped.
"you basterd, you fatty" ben said weakly "I and jellas weren't enough for your sadistic tendencies".
"you BASTERD" ben yelled and started to pull the chains with all his might.
Ben could feel the warm blood flowing, his skin ripping off but that didn't matter, he for the first time on his life wanted to beat someone worse than vilgax.
"AHHHHHHH" Ben yelled and ripped his arm away from the chains.
Ben looked at them and saw that they were red he could even see the bone of his thumb but it was nothing compared to the anger he was feeling, besides he was tortured in more painful way, so it was nothing.
Ben ran to the sound, luckily it was close so he got there in a few seconds.
But what he saw was not what he had expected the fatty was on the ground and jellal was holding erza by the throat.
"Jellal!" ben ran to him and punched him "what do you think you are thinking".
Ben punched him.
"ben" he said "I should've known you will be here".
"what's going on?" ben asked him "why were you trying to kill erza".
"come on bro" he said "I was just doing what I needed to".
"and what was that" ben said.
"didn't you said that you were a hero in your home?".
"so" ben said holding erza up "what has that got to do with all this?".
"everything" he said "you know I always looked up to you, always doing the right thing no matter what happened to you, no matter what was thrown at you".
"get to the point" ben said.
"and getting beaten up for your friends" he ignored he looked at erza "family".
"get to the point!" ben was looking patience.
"well you see looking at you I thought why aren't there are people like you? free, not afraid to do anything, not afraid to do the right thing".
"then it clocked we were never free to begin with" he spread his arms and looked at the horizon "as long as we are ruled by our fears and desired there is no freedom".
"all these fleeting thoughts laughs Is not real but an illusion created by out minds".
"true freedom is what we need" he said.
"and we got it right here" he said "Zeref will bring it".
Ben looked at him.
"join me ben with you by my side no one can stop us it doesn't matter if you don't have magic yet I will teach you then, all these months, almost one year you looked after me, now its my turn join me and I will show you true freedom".
"ok" ben said "but who's zeref?".
"seriously?" he asked him.
"seriously" ben nodded "but it doesn't matter, I can see clearly that you've gone crazy" ben had seen that craziness in kevin but it was worst with jellal.
"besides you've hurt erza and that's a reason enough for me to not join you" ben looked at him.
Jellal closed his eyes "I should've expected that you didn't had the courage to join me".
He pointed at the fatty and then an golden light shot from his finger and pierced the fatty, killing him.
Ben looked at jellal with all the seriousness.
"so that's how its going to be" ben said.
"it's a pity ben" jellal said "I didn't want to kill you but you are dangerous to be kept alive".
"you aren't the first one who wanted to kill me and won't be the last" ben said and raised his bloody fists.
"erza get out of here" ben said.
"no" she pushed herself away from ben "I can't leave you here, he'll kill you".
"no he won't, now go".
"you don't have magic".
"neither do you".
"I do now" she said and raised her sword.
"wait really?" ben looked at her.
"so you should go, I can't lose you too, you are all that I have left" she said and got in front of ben.
Ben looked at her with surprise 'since when did she got so cool'.
"since now" she smiriked "you said that out loud".
Ben smiled "thanks you don't know how much that means for me, how much you mean to me" and karate chopped her neck.
"and that's why I must get you away".
"and why'd you think I'll let her live now that she is defenceless" jellal said,
"because I won't let you".
"and how do you plan on doing that?" he spread his arms "I have magic and you don't on top of fighting me you will have to protect her and yourself, from where I stand I've already won".
Ben smirked and pushed erza from the cliff.
Jellal looked at ben with surprise "killing her by yourself? what's your angle?".
"I didn't kill her she is safe this cliff we are standing on, right below it is where they dump their garbage and there is enough to cushion her fall" ben said "and then plenty of water for her to escape, as did others".
"oh I have plans for the others" he said and looked at ben in the eye" but you"
"but you will die here" he pointed at ben.
"no I won't" and ran at him.
Jellal fired an golden beam which he dodged.
'I can't dodge the magic beam but if I keep an eye on his body movements then I can anticipate where he is going to aim and then didge it' ben smirked as he dodged another one of his magic bullets 'I guess that fighting ll those villains paid off'.
"you don't move" he said while he did get the magic he was still new to this and since he and ben were staved for days and beaten up they were exhausted.
'soon he will run out of magic' ben thought 'that's when I'll strike'.
He got in close and punched his jaw 'but that's not my style'.
"you how are you doing this" jellal said as he pointed his finger at ben's head.
Ben saw it glowing and an inch apart from his face but it wasn't charged up yet so ben grabbed jellal's arm and pointed it at the 'sky'.
Ben then head-butted jellal 'thank god that I took part in that boxing match' ben thought back when he destroyed gwen's computer and entered an boxing match to get the money to buy a new one.
"this one is for erza!" ben yelled and punched his jaw again.
"ahhh" he yelled.
"and this".
"this one".
"and this too".
"this one is for betraying us all".
"and this is for me".
"this one is for…someone".
Ben kicked his chin now jellas's face was red and bleeding.
"got you" he said and pointed at ben.
"BAMM" ben got hit on the chest and was blasted away.
"cough" jellal coughed up blood.
"I should've killed the movement I saw you" he said as he walked to ben.
"now it ends" he pointed his arm at ben's head who was kneeled over.
"good by" he said "bro-".
"AHHHH" he yelled and kneeled over.
Ben had just punched his crotch.
Ben coughed up some blood and got up "you've never been in a fight have you, usually there is not that much talking".
Ben wiped the blood off his mouth "oh yeah and street rules".
'hope, its all hope's influence' ben told himself.
"ahh" jellal tried to get up but ben punched his fane knocking some teeth out.
"this one is for trying to do what they did to us" ben said.
Jellal lay on the ground 'I offered erza her freedom because I was running out if magic power, I didn't had enough power to fight her after all those days but I didn't expect a magic less person to be this hard to take down'.
'no, its not just a magic less person, its ben, that's who I lost to, -I was fighting a magic less person so it'll be easy-but no I was fighting ben Tennyson, I should've expected this'.
"so will you kill me now" he looked at ben 'get closer'.
"I guess I had it coming after betraying you" he said 'get closer so I can blast your head to bits'.
"yes you did" ben then walked to him.
Jellal smirked 'your soft heart will be the end of you'.
"is tha-".
Ben then kicked his face knocking him out.
"seen that trick over a dozen times" ben said "I could see your fingers glowing under your stomach".
Ben then walked away he saw many dead bodies "all this, if I only had my powers".
Ben keeled and ran his fingers through the mud that now was red.
"why?" ben whispered.
"WHYYYYYYYY" ben yelled looking at the heavens.
Ben started to cry silently looking at the carnage.
"at least they all are free" ben saw the boat sailing he smiled at that.
"BOOOMMM!" his smile faded and was replaced with shock all the boats thet were sailing exploded.
"JELLAL!" ben yelled.
"no more" ben thought and got up.
He walked "where is it".
He got to a room and started to look around.
"where is it".
Be started to look around the entire tower.
"where".
"there is it!" ben said "hurry before they come back".
Ben dragged a few carts and started to pull them to the center.
"these are the lower levels" ben said and then uncovered the carts.
They were filled with explosives or explosive lacrma or something ben didn't care.
"no more, no one will be captured or anything, no more slaves will be made out of innocents, no more death on this tower".
Ben lit up a match "no more people will suffer to build this tower".
Ben then dropped it.
"BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!" a large explosion happened.
At an unknown island erza just woke up when she heard a large boom.
She looked behind and saw the tower go up in flames.
She stretched her hand.
"BENNNN!" she yelled.
Then she remembered.
"thanks you don't know how much that means for me, how much you mean to me".
"and that's why I must get you away".