A rather bright light kissed Jellal's face causing the man to stir in his sleep. He blinked repeatedly and noticed that Erza was not on his chest.
He got up and saw steam coming out of the bathroom and Erza opened the door with an illegally tight towel wrapped around her body, still wet from the shower.
"As much as I love an onsen, a shower is not too shabby either", she smiled and instantly requipped into a normal set of clothes before starting to dry her hair.
"Oh, you don't have extra clothes, do you?", she asked and instantly changed to a rather familiar black shirt that was far too loose for her, and a dull white pair of pants that barely seemed to hang on to her waist. Erza removed the clothes and placed them on the bed. A soft smile graced his lips and he stared at Erza's partially naked form and the latter tried to cover herself in vain.
"That explains my diminishing wardrobe", he chuckled and grabbed the clothes. If she truly did hate him for the past couple of years, why did she hold on to those clothes? Why would she still choose to have something to remember him by?
Jellal walked into the shower casting his thoughts away and Erza's eyes traced his retreating form.
With a soft smile on her face, Erza made her way to the same dining room and saw the old woman merrily humming a tone while cooking some food.
"Look who's here. Thank your lucky stars no-one else was around. And here I thought kids these days couldn't compare to us. Didn't you two make me eat my own words!", she teased Erza with a soft cackle and the scarlet haired mage instantly looked away with a blush that almost set the colour of her hair to shame.
"Here for lunch, eh? It won't take too long. Plus, the two of you haven't eaten for an entire day!", she smiled and Erza leaned forward as she laid her chin on her folded arms and stared at the woman before frowning at her last sentence.
"What do you mean by an entire day?", Erza asked and the old woman stifled a giggle as she pointed towards a tear off calendar and Erza's eyes shot up as the calendar showed the next day.
"But..but..."
"Oh, my husband and I don't hold a candle to you, little one", the woman sighed and started off on a few stories about her 'trips' with her husband before Erza cleared her throat softly.
"C...Can you do it again?", she squeaked out and the woman gasped.
"Are you sure, young lady?", she asked and Erza nodded her head partially with determination and partially in embarrassment.
"Here I was thinking I'd be getting chewed out at", she giggled and accepted the Requip mage's request.
"Looks like you are going outside. I will make sure to delay the effects", she promised and Erza nervously rubbed her thighs together.
"Day before yesterday night's experiment taught me the importance of using sound magic in all rooms", the old woman sighed and Erza bowed her head mumbling an apology.
"It's fine, it's fine! If someone else had been here, things might not have been so good. You have brought something important to this old lady's mind, so let this old lady treat you to lunch", she offered and Erza knew it was better to silently accept it.
"Do you think it is fine to go outside with your shape like that?", she asked Erza, pointing towards her limping feet and the younger woman shrugged her shoulders.
"It's a bare minimum quest, and I am doing it free of charge. I just...want to spend more time with him", she explained and whispered the last part.
"Even the best swordswoman can't fight while limping, young lady", she chuckled and Erza joined in, not bothering to counter her statement.
"Sorry for the wait, and...is it really the next day?", Jellal asked as he made his way to the table. His hair was let free and it cascaded down his to shoulders like a river flowing down from the top of a mountain. His shirt had become quite tight and he had the top button left open, while his collar was left upturned. His sleeves were rolled up to an inch from his elbows, showing his strong forearms and it was more than obvious that he was making it extremely difficult for Erza not to pounce on him like a piece of meat.
"Don't you look dashing, young man", the woman whispered and continued to banter, forcing Erza into a blush fest.
Eventually, she let go of the two of them and the woman sent Erza an OK gesture with a wink signaling that the deed had been done.
Before they left the room, Jellal turned back to look at the woman for a second before deciding against it and left.
"Did you forget something, Jellal?", Erza asked her better half and the man shook his head as he left the room with a doubtful expression on his handsome face.
"Where are we going, by the way?", he asked Erza who pointed towards a massive lane of destruction that seemed to be the result of heavy damage dealing magic.
"Was I...", he started and rubbed the nape of his neck while pondering and Erza nodded her head.
"I didn't think you would notice it. You were awfully tired, weren't you? You slept like a baby after all", she replied and whispered the last part.
"What do we have to do?", Jellal asked, indirectly asking her to change the topic and Erza understood his wish.
"Your battle toppled a few monoliths. So I just want to pick them back up. They are decent lacrima sources and a nearby town benefits from them, so it would be best if we remove the surrounding rubble. Nothing else", she explained and Jellal frowned. But without question, he followed her.
The monoliths were supposed to be placed at the centre and at close proximity, but the sheer force of their battle threw them in all other directions. Jellal clicked his tongue in annoyance as he moved close to one.
He placed his hand on one of them and a wave of energy shot into him, and Jellal realised that they would have to be placed at the centre simultaneously for the effect to take place. Otherwise, the energy would counter its neighbours' energy and hit back, bringing them back to square one.
Before he could inform Erza the same, he saw the woman carrying the heavy lacrima source on her back and plodding her way towards the centre.
Jellal lunged forward to grab it from her back and Erza fell down onto her knees due to the sudden shift in balance.
"What's wrong?", she asked and Jellal brought her to speed.
"Well, at least it can be considered as today's weight training routine", she smirked and curled her arms showing off her feminine yet lithe muscles.
"And what do we have here?", a new voice asked and the duo turned towards the source.
It was a woman, but she did not seem to be human. She was bipedal, but her light green skin, an entirely different aura and her split, snake-like tongue said otherwise. Her aura and demeanour openly stated her animosity towards Erza, and it did not take the seasoned warriors more than a fraction of a second to realise that there was no scope for peace with the creature in front of them.
Based on an initial estimation, she did not seem to be at least half as strong as either of them and Erza stepped forward, requipping into her Robe of Yuen clothing, and extended her Bisento close to the woman's neck causing her to cackle.
"It's true that I can't hold a candle to the two of you, but...let me remind you...", she started and snapped her fingers. Creatures started to grow from the grass and the woman laughed softly behind her hand.
Erza gritted her teeth on seeing that condescending look on her face and it was a pure woman's instinct - but she knew that the woman had an eye on Jellal.
"No matter how strong you are, even the strongest have to fall towards numbers, don't they? And I can go on for weeks, and even months if I am strong enough", she chuckled and pointed a bony finger towards Jellal.
"However, I'm willing to strike a deal. I will leave this place forever and I will let you re-establish the monoliths IF...", she dragged and smirked evilly at Erza.
"I get to bear an heir of that man". Why was everyone almost hellbent on splitting the two of them or asking one of them to bear a child?
A millisecond had not passed since the last word had been uttered by the woman's tongue, but before she knew it, Erza was in front of her, with her fist drawn back and by the time she could put two and two together, the fist made right contact with her cheek, sending her a few feet back.
Jellal stared in awe as his wife moved at such speed that almost rivalled his. She grit her teeth, and the sheer strength of her aura told Jellal that she was no longer holding back.
Jellal stepped forward but Erza raised her arm in front of his chest and turned towards him with a powerful look on her face.
"Yesterday...I learnt that I have been in your way for so long...even if my intentions were not so. Even if I did not hurt you directly, my actions ostracized you. Right now, our roles are reversed. This is a matter of my pride as a woman, Jellal. Just...let me...", she began but Jellal stepped back in an instant and leaned on a tree while folding his arms across his chest.
"Even if you were to scream for help, I will not raise a finger. If you lose, you lose. I won't trample on your pride", he stated and Erza smiled momentarily before clenching her fists and diverting her attention towards the woman.
The woman had her tongue out, an openly lewd expression on her face and her right hand was buried inside her pants.
"Oh, my goodness! Just...Just stay like that, Jellal! You can just be my doll. I will do everything, so...so just leave this traitor and come to me. Oh, I can't wait to put a collar on your neck and make you my personal slave", she moaned. Erza lunged forward and shoved her katana into the woman's chest.
For some reason, she was still alive and did not acknowledge Erza's presence. Her blood grew a dark shade of pink and before Erza could move, she splashed some blood onto her skin which burned, and Erza shot a couple of steps back.
The woman clenched the sword in her chest causing it to shatter and the fluid from her body began to devour it, and in a span of a few seconds, there were no remnants of her sword barring the handle.
Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Erza charged forward again, pulling out another sword and the woman splashed some more fluid towards Erza who gracefully dodged them while not missing a single beat.
She switched to a powerful sledgehammer and swung the massive weapon around and slammed it against the woman's right arm and she was instantly flung towards a nearby wall which had a significant impact.
Her arm was bent at a weird angle and a sign of rage occupied the woman's face. She snapped her fingers and Erza saw that she was about to heal herself. She charged forward and pulled out a small dagger from her thigh and severed the woman's neck from her body.
Her body instantly liquified and evaporated like a pool of volatile liquid before she appeared behind Erza and clapped her hands.
"I presumed that you would underestimate me. Perhaps, I was the one who underestimated you", she sighed and charged at Erza with her raw fists.
Erza lunged with her dagger, but the woman punched Erza's inner wrist causing her to drop the dagger and a massive fist fight ensued. Jellal focused hard and began to see their fists, and he could not find who was leading and who was suffering more damage. The next second, Erza kneed her stomach causing the woman to spit out some blood and she snapped her fingers, releasing some monsters which Erza dealt with, without bothering to remove her eyes from her primary opponent. Finding no proper alternative, she released another monster and put out a pincer attack from each side. Erza sidestepped the attack, forcing the woman and her creation to hit each other and slammed her knee onto the woman's cheek.
The woman caught Erza's neck and moved her lips to her right ear.
"Do you want to hear a sweet secret?", she asked and Erza elbowed her waist repeatedly. The woman continued to spit out blood, but flashed Erza a big smile.
"I was the one who released the fake Jellal three years back. That look on his face, that disappointed look! Oh, how perfect it was! It was the perfect look for my personal dog, and I knew I had to make that man my dog the moment I saw him in a magazine. What I wouldn't give to see him lick my boot and beg for mercy? His life...oh his life! It was so funny to see him build it up from scratch, and all it took was one tip for it all to come crashing down. It was amazing to see it fall down just like dominoes. But doesn't it prove something? Nobody will ever trust him. Even if the same thing happens a year later, you would leave him, everyone would do the same and he would turn into a shell. I will give you a chance. Walk away, and I will spare your family. You have my word", she whispered into her ear and drove a knife into a shocked Erza's shoulder. Erza's hands dropped on the spot.
Her legs turned into jelly. Erza dropped to her knees and her vision began to grow fuzzy. Through the corner of her eye, she saw Jellal's fingers press onto his biceps, almost sinking into his skin. She could feel every bit of his willpower holding him back, and all Erza could feel was rage.
The other woman frowned and stepped back while releasing a few goblins. She had the upper hand in the battle. Even if Erza was extremely strong, she had sunk a dagger into her shoulder, and a swordswoman without her dominant hand is as good as a downed, wingless dragon. Still, she could not strike down the anxiety creeping up the nape of her neck. Was it fear? Or was she just excited? She did not know.
Erza walked forward as slowly as she could, and with her raw fist, she slammed the head of the first goblin onto the floor and kneed the jawline of the nearest goblin, without taking her eyes off the woman.
At that moment, she realised that it was just fear. Erza rushed forward in an instant and grabbed her by the neck. She leaned forward and brought her lips closer to her ear.
"Where do you think you are going?", she whispered and the woman froze on the spot. She knew that Erza was powerful. Her growth was exponential and it was no secret that she was surely one of the strongest mages from Fiore, but the woman held some confidence in herself.
All of that confidence seemed to vanish instantly and she mewled in fear. Her plan had completely backfired. She expected Erza to lose control of her anger, but the woman in front of her was long past that stage. 'Anger' did not satisfy the expression on her face. Her perfect calmness seemed to juxtapose itself on her true burning rage and the woman scurried back, trying to stall for time. Erza's sheer aura was simply choking her and she feared that her ribcage might cut through her own heart based on how fast and hard it was beating.
"Do you think you have the liberty to leave?", Erza whispered as she drove the same dagger into the woman's abdomen and pressed her knee onto its handle, further sinking it in.
Before the woman could comprehend the pain, Erza already had a sledgehammer in her hand. Taking a step back, she swung and the woman gently ducked, and this only worsened, as the hammer made direct contact with her jaw and she was sent back with a heavily disclocated jaw.
Erza was rapidly spending her magical powers Requipping in and out of armours as she attacked the woman with each of her armour's designated weapons. The other woman's regenerative powers were exquisite, but came at the cost of severe pain, and the sadistic side of Erza was enjoying, hearing her screams as she patiently waited as she healed herself before breaking her body into pieces again and again and again, before repeating the devlish process. One minute became two, two became four and it soon developed into hours of pure onslaught. Jellal patiently waited, staring at Erza's face, waiting for her to satisfy her rage.
At the end, what was left was a ragdoll of the woman who was continuing to heal slowly and painfully as each and every layer of skin reformed, muscles were attaching, bones joining and Erza twirled her sword again, aiming to start another series of onslaught before Jellal caught her wrist.
He turned towards the woman and softly muttered a spell. The woman's eyes started to bulge out of her sockets and she screamed her heart out for a split second before jet black coloured patterns coated her skin and all was left was dust.
"WHY? WHY DID YOU KILL HER? SHE...SHE DIDN'T DESERVE THAT MERCY, JELLAL!", Erza snapped and caught his collar with her left hand as Jellal muttered another spell, as he mildly healed the wounds on her right arm.
"SHE WAS..."
"I know", he interrupted her with a sigh.
"I heard her whisper it into your ear"
"Then why?", she whined softly as she buried her face into his chest again and she could feel him smile.
"Because I don't want to see you kill another person. Let me bear that burden", he replied and Erza frowned as he kissed her inner wrist.
"Do you remember the promise I made when we got married?", she asked in response and Jellal grimaced.
"I promised to share your guilt and your pain. I have no wish to stop right now", she told him confidently and hugged him.
Jellal's hands began to shake and Erza leaned back to see him. To her surprise, his face was flushed. His hands were shaking and he undid the top two buttons of his shirt.
"W... What's happening to me? Is it the weather, or did she have some poisonous aura.", he whispered as he ran his hand over his hair and Erza put two and two together.
The very next moment, the same effect kicked in and Erza dropped down on the ground.
Since the woman had died, the binds on the pillars started to fade away and they started to grow in strength. For a split second, a bright light shone and the lacrima in each pillar attracted themselves and Erza saw that they were smack in the middle.
"J...Jellal!", she squeaked out and suddenly, three more copies of him had come out, shielding her from the impact. The pillars set themselves similar to a cone, but most importantly, Erza was in heaven.
Four pairs of hands were on her body, roaming over her breasts, squeezing her thighs, slipping inside her robe and rubbing the sides of her waist.
Jellal shot up instantly erased his projections before mumbling an apology and got up.
To his surprise however, Erza caught his collar again and wore a well known expression on her face.
"What do you mean by 'sorry'? You started it, didn't you? Take responsibility", she breathed into his lips.
"I want all four of you, and you better make me forget about sleep tonight", she continued and ran her tongue over his neck.
"Don't disappoint me, my dear"
To Be Continued...