On October 15th, a week after the mind control incident, the three day long Harvest Festival was finally here. For the past few days, Karissa and Gray had been time together hanging out since they weren't going on jobs for a while with the Harvest Festival and the Fantasia Parade to prepare for. It was always fun spending time with him.
Karissa adjusted her hood on her head. Today she was wearing a black and white jacket with below elbow length sleeves on top of a cobalt t-shirt with a white Heart Kreuz symbol. She was wearing black fitted pants and blue high cut sneakers.
Next to her was Gray who wore a dark blue jacket with a a white fur collar and some light colored jeans. The two of them were walking together to the guild after running into each other on the way.
"Are we still going around with the others?" Karissa wondered curiously as she walked next to him. A few days ago, Team Natsu decided to hang out together after the Fantasia parade and eat together celebrate the festival.
Gray grinned. "If things go as planned, then yeah."
"Ooh!" Karissa suddenly gasped and looked at him with excitement. "I wonder if they're still going to be giving out oden?! I like those!"
"Pretty sure they're still going to since a lot of people like it."
"Thing I hate is that they keep moving around every year! Like god, choose one place to settle down forever!"
"Well, it's first come first serve. You can't just take whatever place you want." Gray reminded her with a shrug.
She eyed him with an arched brow. "You don't get annoyed when your favorite barbecue stand just switches places every year?"
He instantly frowned when she said that since it made a certain memory resurface. "I do. I get annoyed every time when that damn lava brain tool gets there before me and practically inhales all the food!" Gray spat in annoyance which only made Karissa chuckle in amusement.
Last year, when Gray, Karissa and Van found the barbecue stand, Natsu was holding a bunch of sticks with Happy and was cackling about how he beat Gray to the food. That only served to piss off the ice mage for his lack of consideration and they ended up brawling in the streets. When Erza overheard the commotion, Karissa and Van stood on the sidelines munching on some takoyaki while Erza was beating them to a pulp for ruining the mood. It was pretty funny.
"Fine, I'll help you look for the damn stand so you can get some before Natsu." she pursed her lips at the thought of food. "Because I wanna eat some too."
Gray blinked in surprise with when he remembered something, he turned to her. "I heard there's also some new stands that weren't there last year, you wanna check it out? It's somewhere on Crescent Moon street... I think?"
With a small smile, she nodded. "Sure."
They were already looking forward to the night after the Fantasia parade.
"Gray-sama!"
The two ice mages stopped walking and looked back to find a smiley Juvia running towards them. Gray raised his hand to greet her back and then another voice called both their names. When Karissa turned, she found Lucy walking up to them with a wave.
Karissa waved back. "Hey, Lucy."
By now, Karissa completely warmed up to Lucy and was more talkative with her like when she was with Cana and Gray. They easily became good friends with each other.
Juvia stopped in her tracks and gave the two girls an intense look while they weren't looking. "Love rivals..." she mumbled.
Lucy sweat dropped when she heard this and chose to not respond and ignore it. She just smiled and pointed at the street that would lead straight to the guild with her thumb. "Let's walk together."
Midway on their way to the guildhall, they found numerous stands being set up. The four of them were impressed with the number of people gathered around. The Harvest Festival was going to have a lot of food around town and some activities for people to participate in.
"Oh, Gray and Karissa are together. What a surprise." a familiar voice sarcastically spoke behind them.
Gray and Karissa perked up when they realized who it was.
"Warren!" Gray greeted with a grin. "It's been a while!"
Warren smiled and adjusted his bag on his shoulder. "I made it back for the Harvest Festival, somehow."
"Warren, you really take on too many jobs." Karissa sighed and shrugged off her hood so she could fully reveal herself. She was a little surprised that Warren recognized her from behind. "Could have at least stayed to help with the prep."
"Sorry about that." Warren smiled apologetically.
Juvia was quick to greet Warren. "I'm the new recruit, Juvia."
Warren just smiled amicably at her. "Oh, I've heard about you."
Karissa discreetly glanced at Juvia who was smiling back at him. Her opinion on the water mage was slowly but gradually improving with the days had passed. She was slowly feeling at ease with her around. The same went for Gajeel who had been showing up at the guild to only take a form from the request board.
Once introductions were out of the way, Juvia and Lucy expressed how amazing it was to see so many people gathered in Magnolia. The main reason why people usually came to Magnolia was to witness the Fantasia Parade. It was different every year since they chose different themes for different floats. This year's Fantasia parade was going to have the Sinclost siblings take up a theme of nobility while making them wear some Victorian outfits. Of course, being someone who isn't quite comfortable with wearing dresses or skirts, Karissa had a hard time accepting until she realized Victorian outfits practically hide skin. The last thing she wanted in her life was to show off more skin than what she was comfortable with.
"I can't wait to see the Fantasia!" Lucy exclaimed in excitement.
Karissa raised a brow and put a hand in her pocket. "Weren't you listening to the meetings? You're participating in it."
"Participating… oh, that reminds me," Lucy suddenly gasped in shock. "The Miss Fairy Tail Contest is starting! My rent!" the blonde mage quickly bolted towards the guild in a spazzy panic.
Karissa laughed a little at Lucy's panicked state but then flinched when she saw Juvia radiating such weird aura near her. What the hell is up with her?
"Juvia cannot allow herself to lose to Lucy-san."
Karissa arched a brow. Does she need money for rent too? I know the dorms aren't exactly cheap.
"You're going to participate too?" Gray sweat dropped.
With that, Juvia also ran to the guild after Lucy, leaving the three other mages behind.
"Are you not going to head over there too, Karissa?" Warren asked teasingly despite already knowing the answer.
Karissa was on good terms with Warren since he was good friends with Max. He would drop by every now and then to give his input when she and Max struggled to decide on something. At first, she was uneasy around him since he came out of nowhere to see Max, but she eventually became less timid around him much like with Max.
"Hell no." Karissa responded fast while the three walked together to the guild. "Unlike me, my sister will be participating because she has more confidence to stand up there with how pretty she looks."
"Come on, don't put yourself down like that." Warren sighed and patted her shoulder. "You're pretty too." He patted her head.
Karissa felt embarrassed by the compliment so she didn't say anything, she just fidgeted with the zipper of her jacket.
"And you're forgetting that they also look at talent in this type of thing. You got creativity as a talent so why don't you go give it a try with ice magic?" Gray suggested with a shrug. She just stared at him wordlessly and he tilted his head a little as he arched a brow and stared back at her when she didn't respond.
"But then again," Warren put a hand under his chin. "I suppose if you're too nervous to do anything then you'd have trouble showing appeal…"
"Welp," Karissa clapped her hands together with a grin. "You guys found the answer without me saying anything." She laughed at them. "Anyway, my sister can easily snag the prize money. After all, once she sets her eyes on something, she'll do her best to win. She wins, Van and I win too."
"That sounds about right." Gray agreed as he thought back to all the times Pandora was motivated by money. It was no surprise that it came from the financial struggle from the past.
Karissa glanced at him and then snorted in amusement. Somehow, he managed to strip his clothes off without anyone realizing it.
"Hey Gray?"
"What?" He looked her and saw her smiling innocently with her eyes closed.
Then she opened her eyes and flashed him a playful smirk. She reached behind him and trailed her finger up his naked spine with frost on the tip of her finger, causing him to shudder and then freak out when he realized his clothes were gone.
"Damn it!"
Karissa could only laugh at his reaction.
The guildhall was packed full of people. Gray and Karissa were having a hard time getting through compared to Warren who somehow managed to slither his way through the crowd to who knows where. Karissa was following Gray closely until someone walked into her.
"Oh, whoops. My bad." The girl apologized when she saw Karissa stumble.
"It's okay." Karissa simply said, not bothered by it in the slightest. When she looked around in search for Gray, she suddenly felt a hand around her wrist, surprising her. She followed the arm and noticed that it was Gray who grabbed her from around someone. With a mild tug, she staggered towards him.
Karissa stood in front of him with a slight pout. "I thought some weirdo grabbed me." She poked him in the chest.
"You nearly got lost in a crowd of people, that's new." Gray snorted and then turned to string her along with him. "I found Elfman, Happy and Natsu at a table. It has free seats."
Karissa smiled to herself when he brought her with him. It was pleasant because his hand felt warm.
When they were seated, it was finally starting and Max was up on stage as the host of the contest. He was very animated since he was all dressed up and stuff for the occasion.
"Welcome all citizens of Magnolia and to our guests from nearby towns! Ah, and I hear some guests from the land of the dead have come to see the show too! Please return to your graves after the show, okay?"
Karissa chortled and crossed her legs and arms as she leaned back in her seat.
"Now, the moment you've all been waiting for! The competition to see which nymph is the prettiest fairy in all of Fairy Tail! Let the Miss Fairy Tail Contest begin!"
Cana was up first. She showed up in her usual outfit before using her cards to circle around her and change herself into a swimsuit.
Juvia was second. She also appeared in a swimsuit after changing her body into water.
Mirajane was third. She completely flopped by simply transforming her head into Happy and Gajeel. That was her appeal.
Fourth was Erza who requipped into a goth Lolita outfit. Followed after her was Levy and Bisca who also displayed their appeal by using their magic.
"Entry number 5! The beautiful S-Class light mage who descends from the Sinclost bloodline! Pandora Sinclost!" Max leaped away from the center stage where Pandora strode confidently to the center stage with her hair swishing behind her
Upon seeing her, the two younger Sinclost siblings straightened up and watched their older sibling with their full attention.
She held a hand and pressed her lips on her knuckles before emitting a bright light that engulfed the entire room. The last thing everyone saw was a graceful smile on her lips.
"Whoa!" Gray shut his eyes closed while holding a hand up to his face.
"My eyes!" Happy complained.
"Why is it so bright?!" Natsu whined.
"What is she doing?!" Elfman groaned.
As soon as everyone opened their eyes, they were met with a bewitching sight. The guild hall was enveloped in soft light which had golden droplets of light falling around them.
With her shoulders exposed, Pandora wore an entirely magenta simple outfit that consisted of a lavender choker around her neck with a bow, a magenta dress that varied in shades from light to dark with a ruffle-like fabric around her shoulders, down the front and at the end of the sleeves, that reached her elbows and dark red shoes.
She looked beautiful that had a touch of nobility to it.
A noble beauty that can only be admired from afar.
Pandora Sinclost hummed a light tune as she danced around in golden light, completely silencing the crowd in awe.
It was somehow enchanting.
"Wow…" Karissa blinked.
"Damn… I can't look away." Gray admitted.
"Sooo pretty." Happy drawled while Natsu stared dumbly.
"I'm so proud of her. She's so beautiful dancing in golden light!" Van proclaimed with a soft clapping.
Elfman gave Van an odd look. "Why do you sound like her father?"
Behind the curtains, Lucy looked completely astounded by the sight.
"Damn! My rent money!" she whined sadly while she gripped the curtain. Even she had to admit, the sight of Pandora bathing in a soft golden afternoon seemed like a high hurdle to beat. But she quickly snapped out of it and steeled herself once she was called onto the stage.
"I'll be doing a Cheer Dance with my Celestial Spirits." The blonde mage announced.
However, before she could do anything a female voice echoed in the guild hall when it announced the following contestant. The guild hall was filled with confused chatter when they saw a woman with light brown hair stepping onto the stage and approaching the center where Lucy stood.
Karissa narrowed her eyes, "Evergreen?"
And I suddenly have a bad feeling…
"You want fairies, that's me. You want beauty, that's me. Actually, every part of this show is me!" The light brown haired woman pulled out a fan and held it up below her face as she winked at the crowd. "The contest is over, and the winner has been decided! It's me! Yes, I call this sham of a contest to a close!"
"Why is she back?!" Elfman wondered, confused.
Lucy, annoyed, snapped at the woman who interrupted her entry. "Don't interfere with my entry! The roof over my head is riding on this!" she hissed at her.
The moment Evergreen smirked and reached for her glasses, Karissa and Gray were alarmed and concerned for Lucy's safety.
Karissa slammed her hands on the table and stood up. "Lucy!" she shouted to try and get her attention. It didn't work.
"Don't make eye contact with her!" Gray warned her quickly.
"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Evergreen looked at Lucy after she removed her glasses and her eyes flashed once they made contact with the blonde mage's brown ones. Instantly, Lucy was turned into stone on stage. Shocked gasps reverbed everywhere.
Sensing the danger, Max was quick to warn the people visiting to evacuate the guild for their own safety. Of course, the crowd wasted no time in doing so after what they just witnessed. That just left the Fairy Tail members inside the building to deal with the problem.
Karissa and her table stood up and moved closer to the stage with Makarov standing closer to the front.
"What are you doing, Evergreen?!" Makarov shouted. "You're ruining the festival!"
The woman with Stone Eyes smiled and stepped closer to the curtain. "Festivals come with entertainment, right?" she spoke with a playful tone before touching the curtain with her closed fan, setting it aflame to reveal all the competing girls petrified in stone backstage.
"Nee-chan!"
"Even Erza?!"
"What the fuck…" Karissa growled at the sight of her sister.
Van stared at the scene before slightly lowering his head to cover half of his face with his palm. "Not again…" he muttered to himself so that no one could hear him.
Makarov angrily demanded that Evergreen return the girls back to normal only for a bolt of lightning to strike down onto the stage, jolting the statues from the impact. It made Van tenser. When the smoke cleared, Laxus and the full members of the Raijin Tribe stood with him. The master's grandson had a big smirk on his face which obviously hinted that it was his plan to turn the girls into stone.
"Laxus?!"
"Now, let's play, Gramps!"
"Enough of this foolishness!" Makarov spoke with anger. "We've still got preparations to do for Fantasia! Now turn everybody back to normal!" he gestured to the girls.
Laxus only tipped his head with unconcerned look. "Fantasia's at night. I wonder how many will remain alive to be in it?"
He closed his eyes and smirked. Everyone's eyes widened in horror when lightning started crackling above the stage; it was right above Lucy. Even when Makarov demanded he stopped; his lightning still struck. Thankfully, it only touched the ground next to her. Still, it left everyone in a state of shock and fear for their comrade.
Laxus put an arm around Lucy. "These women are now hostages." He declared before adding a warning. "You break the rules, we break a hostage. You heard it right? Entertainment!"
Fed up with Laxus' bullshit, Van tried to run to the stage to reach his sister but Laxus teleported next to Pandora and did the same thing he did to Lucy: he put an arm around her. Except that this time, he started caressing the older sister's stone face with lightning sparks around his fingers.
The Sinclost siblings stiffened.
"What did I just say?" Laxus scoffed and wore a sadistic smile on his face. "You think I'm playing around? If you want, I'll start with your sister as an example."
"You son of bitch—" Van was pulled back by Gray and Elfman who tried to calm him down. Tried. He wasn't going to simmer down any time soon.
Karissa knew Laxus had such a cocky attitude and was quite mean to those he deemed weaker than him. But she never thought she'd see him take hostages in his own guild. This predicament alone made her compare him to his teenage self who wouldn't dare do such a thing. It made her clench fists tightly.
Everyone understood how serious Laxus was about his little game. It made the guildhall fall in silence which gave Freed the opportunity to speak and reveal the purpose of Laxus' game: it was to see which mages in Fairy Tail are the most powerful.
"The rules are simple. The last one standing is the winner."
"It's the Battle of Fairy Tail!" Laxus dubbed the game.
Natsu, who had been quiet for a while now, was all fired up. He tried to get a head start by charging after Laxus but was easily knocked out by Laxus' lightning attack that knocked him out. After electrocuting him, more rules were given to the Fairy Tail members.
"If you wish for these girlies to be put back to normal, you must defeat us!" Evergreen informed them while Bickslow danced around the petrified girls with his little floating dolls. "There's four of us and near a hundred of you guys! Hahaha! The odds are stacked against us! Hahaha!"
"There is three-hour time limit. If you don't take us all down before that, these girls will all turn to sand."
Van just laughed darkly at Evergreen's threat and gave her a scary glare. "I'll smash your face in until you're utter unrecognizable. Then I'll rip those damn eyes out so you can never cast that stupid spell again."
"Van, no!" Makarov scolded him. He understood that it was his anger talking but he should never say those kinds of words towards their guildmates even if he has every right to be angry.
"Van, calm down!" Karissa grabbed his shoulder firmly while Elfman and Gray still kept a good grip on him. She didn't want her brother angering any one of them which would cause an even greater danger to their sister and friends.
Evergreen frowned, displeased. "Hmph, what a savage."
"The battle field is the entirety of Magnolia." Laxus continued. "When you find us, the battle begins."
"Laxus…" Makarov started trembling with anger before he changed into his titan form and roared at his grandson. "Don't try to toy with me!"
"Now, now! I said to cool down! It's entertainment for the festival, see?" Laxus lifted his hand and created a bright crackling light which blinded everyone, similar to Pandora's, before vanishing from the guild with his bodyguards, and then he declared the game to a start.
"H… He disappeared!"
"So, we have to play tag in Magnolia?!"
"Damn it!" Elfman was the first to react as he started bolting off towards the exit. "We have to save my sister and the others!" He led the charge and the majority of the members began filing out of the guildhall, leaving only a few people behind.
Karissa cursed under her breath. The Harvest Festival was supposed to be a time to relax and have fun. She didn't want to go through another peril with someone's life on the line. Just as she was about to get going, her brother appeared in front of her and put his hands and her shoulders.
"Karissa. You stay here. Don't move."
"What?" Karissa gaped at him.
"If Evergreen finds you, you might just be turned into stone. I don't want that happening to you."
"So what, you just want to shelter me away from the fight?!"
"You think you can take on Laxus? You can't even look at that guy in the eye!" Van's tone raised considerably, causing her to flinch. Her gaze skittered away from his.
"Gramps!"
Van and Karissa looked at the entrance when they heard Gray yell. They found Master Makarov pressing himself against what seemed like an invisible wall. The two siblings dropped their conversation and went to go check out what the problem was.
"What's going on?"
"An invisible wall?"
Karissa stuck her foot outside and Gray stuck his arm past the entrance to prove that there was nothing blocking their way. Makarov glanced at them in confusion and then pushed harder against the 'wall' blocking his path. Eventually, Gray just got impatient and decided to grab their master by the end and try to tug him towards him. Indeed, there was really some type of wall blocking Master Makarov's path.
Van noticed a bunch of purple characters appearing above their heads. He narrowed his dark orbs at writing. "Look up."
Gray and Karissa looked up after the first dropped the little old man.
Master Makarov scowled. "Freed's Jutsu Shiki."
"Jutsu Shiki?" Karissa repeated, unfamiliar with the type of magic.
"It's a type of barrier." Makarov replied. "Anyone who steps in its boundary is bound by the rules. If you don't obey them, you can't get out. My guess is that his Jutsu Shiki made of Rogue Letters are placed all the way around the guild. Establishment Magic."
"What's written?" Gray stared at the writing from outside.
"It says those older than 80 or stone statues cannot pass through."
"What is this kind of magic?!" Gray growled in annoyance, his fists clenched. "It's like whoever sets the rules first wins!"
"Jutsu Shiki take a long time to draw. And it isn't very useful in sudden battles, but there is no power better when it comes to laying traps!"
Van ran a hand in his hair as he got more agitated. "So, there are potential traps in Magnolia I guess!"
Karissa groaned and then expelled an irritated sigh. She looked at her guild master with a frown. "And you can't break through the runes because the rules are absolute."
"Unfortunately, that's correct." Master Makarov nodded his head in frustration.
Gray clicked his tongue as he narrowed his eyes at the purple runes. "They never intended to allow you to participate in the first place, huh? They thought this through. If that's the case," Gray started running off towards the town. "Then we're just going to have to do it ourselves! He's your grandson, but I can't show any mercy! I'm taking out Laxus myself!"
Van clenched his fists and looked back at the master. "I'll be going too. I'll find Evergreen and force her to undo the spell. That should stop this game." He said as he ran off after Gray to join in on the battle.
Karissa remained rooted next to Master Makarov who looked at her curiously. "You're not going?"
The black haired girl lowered her gaze. "I'd rather not fight my own members over this stupid game. I'm still a little uneasy after the shit Gray and I have been through. And I don't even know if I could fight and win against Laxus."
I also don't know what's waiting for me out there if Freed placed traps around Magnolia… I'd be running straight into their hands.
The little old man's face softened at her words. Then he nodded in understanding. "Alright, Karissa. I won't force you to go. But if things turn for the worse, I would like you to help out please."
"I will."
…
…
…
Van slammed his hand on the ground and then pulled it away, causing the ground to shake and rip apart. It left a crater when he took the earth and created spikes of rocks.
"Get back here, wench!" Van launched the earth spikes towards Evergreen who only laughed in the air as she flew away, dodging the spikes almost effortlessly.
After Elfman turned into stone during his fight against Evergreen, Van happened to pass by the area. The moment he had spotted her, he was on a full rampage to take her down. So many people in town had to make way for the angry man who couldn't seem to care less about the damage he was causing.
Fairy Tail members were notorious for their destruction anyway.
Evergreen had to resort to fighting instead of using her Stone Eyes because the middle child of the Sinclost family wasn't even looking at her face to fight. It was impressive.
For a while now, Van had been chasing after. Van's magic allowed him to freely manipulate the earth around him to his liking. He usually overhauled the earth around him to throw off his opponents before taking his chance to attack. Evergreen had taken note of that and chose to fight aerially.
"The hearts of angered men are so easily predictable!"
Evergreen gave him a full assault of her Fairy Machine Gun which he dodged with ease with how nimble and quick he was on his feet. He leaped over a box that stood in his way and then grabbed a metal cover of a garbage can lying nearby. He flung the piece of metal at the woman who stopped her attack to dodge. In that moment, Van used his earth magic to propel him upwards by making a pillar of earth rise beneath his feet.
He flew himself right where Evergreen had moved.
She gasped when Van grabbed the fabric of her clothes right in between her breasts.
"Hey! Where do you think you're—" her sentence was cut off when he landed on another pillar and just threw her down onto the roof of some random house. If he had put any more strength than he intended, he might have broken the roof or something.
The light brown haired woman winced when she collided against the roof.
Van landed on the roof with an earth spike lance as his weapon. His face was dark and his dark brown eyes stared at her with the intent to do serious harm. "You better turn my sister and the other girls back to normal before I destroy you."
Evergreen smirked as she stood back up. "Shouldn't you be concerned about yourself instead of others?"
The boy's eyes widened when he saw glitter-like sand falling around him. Before he could move a muscle, the glitter around him exploded.
Laxus' bodyguard smirked triumphantly. The result was the same as Elfman. They never notice the Fairy Bomb floating around them until it's too late.
When the smoke cleared, Evergreen's eyes widened when Van still stood on his feet albeit in a hunched position. He was bleeding but that didn't stop him from grinning maniacally. Van's messy black hair hid one of his eyes. His earth lance was broken on the roof.
"That tickles. You wanna try that shit again and see what happens?" Van raised his hands and overhauled the pillar behind him to create a sharp sword. "I'm not going down I beat you and force you to undo that damn spell of yours."
"Stubborn aren't you? Quite sturdy compared to the others I've faced so far. However, can you still fight even after I shatter Pandora remotely? After all, she's the one you're fighting for!"
At first her words didn't quite register in his brain and he was about to keep coming after her. But when her words finally sank in, he just stopped and his hands loosened around the sword made of earth.
…
…
…
Everything fell apart.
Pandora had isolated herself in her room.
Karissa was always crying.
Meanwhile, he could only stand in the middle in the same grief.
No one was strong enough to carry on and help them move forward.
But someone had to do it. Someone had to set aside what they felt for the purpose of keeping things together. In order to quell the despair that was weighing heavily on their shoulders, someone had to come back and give comfort.
A mirage.
All for their sake.
…
…
…
If I lose that… what happens then?
What happens to me?
Van completely froze and stared blankly at the ground. He hadn't said a word in response to Evergreen's threat to turn his older sister to dust because he was too lost in his thoughts and memories of the past to try and think. His rage had simmered down.
Evergreen laughed and flew towards him while lifting her glasses. "You fell for it!"
Van's head shot up in a panic.
…
…
…
"Evergreen vs Van. Winner: Evergreen. Van: Petrified."
Karissa's eyes widened when Master Makarov announced the update on the battle. "What?!"
Happy stared at the statutes report worriedly. "Van lost? No way!"
The remaining Sinclost stared silently at the status report.
Both her siblings had turned into been turned to stone.
Karissa squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her face as she groaned silently. She was getting increasingly irritated now.
Their lives were now at the mercy of Evergreen's magic. That alone was enough incentive to make Karissa stand up from where she sat. All this time, she had been waiting inside with Natsu, Happy and Master Makarov, just listening to the status reports. She was hoping that at least someone would take down Evergreen to free the girls. That way, Laxus wouldn't be able to do as he pleased. It wasn't supposed to be hard! It was literally four people against a whole guild!
However, the number of participants were dwindling down rapidly.
Karissa couldn't sit down and do nothing anymore. If she wanted something done, she had to do it herself.
You know what? Screw being obedient.
"Gray's fighting Bickslow! I wanna join in!" Natsu complained.
"Reedus is fighting Freed, too!" Happy exclaimed.
"Only 41 members left…!" Makarov said.
Karissa threw on her hood and bolted past Natsu, Happy and Makarov who yelped in surprise when she ran off towards the town.
"Ehh?! Karissa!" Happy shouted in surprise. "What happened to staying behind?!"
"I wanna go out there too!" Natsu roared.
"Ain't nobody got time for that! I'm sick of this dumb game!"
Makarov watched her leaving form silently. Karissa was one of the strong mages in the guild so he naturally had faith in her abilities. He was counting on her to somehow turn the tide of this ridiculous game.
…
…
…
While running in the streets of Magnolia, Karissa passed by a lot of members who were laying on the ground unconscious. From what she had gathered from the status reports, the members were fighting each other. There was no point in fighting each other since everyone had the same goal. They could have thrown Laxus' stupid 'last man standing is the winner' rule out the window with ease.
So why did they fight each other?
Something was forcing them to fight.
Karissa scanned the area around her and didn't let the way the Fairy Tail members were scattered. The was a reasonable enough distance between the places where unconscious bodies laid. The area where the members lied covered a wide ground.. almost like it was giving them room to fight.
"Van was right. There are runes scattered around Magnolia."
But she wasn't running into any of them.
Because most of traps were set off already. It practically lets me roam free wherever I want.
Karissa chuckled humorlessly. "I guess it's a good thing I stayed behind for an hour or so."
Something closed in on the wind barrier Karissa surrounded herself in and when she glanced behind her she saw hundreds of little glowing bullets raining down towards her. With ease, she leaped away and stared up at the sky where she found Evergreen smirking at her.
"Well, well, Karissa, where were you hiding all this time?" she spoke with a light playful tone. "Don't think you can keep hiding now that you've exposed yourself!" she shot more of her Fairy Machine Gun bullets at her which Karissa dodged fast thanks to her wind magic.
"Ice Make: Twin Blades." Karissa created two ice swords that she held backwards and her shoes scratched the pavement when she slid to a stop. They were sturdy enough to withstand those magic bullets. The black haired girl let out a cry as she flew up to Evergreen's position.
Let's go.
A projection of Laxus smirked at Makarov.
"Your members… Well, I guess you call them your children. I bet you can't stand watching your children destroy each other, can you? Natsu, Erza and Pandora can't join in… There's no one left who could defeat my Raijin Tribe, is there? Gonna give in?"
"We still have Gray and Karissa out there!" Happy reminded the arrogant mage. "They're pretty much on par with Natsu, and they won't be defeated by any of your Raijin Tribe!"
"Gray? Karissa?" Laxus laughed and shook his head in amusement. "I wouldn't put much faith in those brats! They won't stand a chance!"
"Don't underestimate them, Laxus!" Makarov warned him. "They won't go down so easily!"
…
…
…
Karissa zoomed in the streets after Evergreen while evading her attacks and guarding against them.
The black haired girl huffed in annoyance. She's good at getting away.
"You and your brother are quite troublesome. Don't you know it's quite rude to not look at someone in the eye?" Evergreen sprinkled some of her Fairy Bomb glitter. Karissa stopped herself before she got too close and propelled herself upwards to avoid the blast. Her hood flew off her head and her long black hair flew freely.
"I've spent many years not making eye contact with people so it doesn't matter if I do it to you, Medusa." Karissa replied flatly before landing behind Evergreen and swing her sword towards her. It was close. The light brown haired woman dodged by a hair and flew up only to be followed by Karissa.
The black haired girl wondered if Evergreen knew anything about other guild members in Fairy Tail. Unlikely. Much like Karissa when she was in her mid-teens, Evergreen was quite the anti-social person until she joined the Raijin Tribe. She remembered seeing her all alone just minding her own business with no interest in anything else.
So of course, she wouldn't know that Karissa was good at aerial combat.
They continued an aerial fight until Evergreen decided to fly farther away from her, prompting Karissa to follow while throwing ice attacks her way. Evergreen broke through the doors of a building and started flying inside while firing off her Fairy Machine Gun once more behind her.
The ice mage groaned while using her wind magic to chase after her inside. That Fairy Machine Gun attack wasn't good to face in such a cramped space. Evergreen knew she was going to have a harder time dodging if they were inside a building.
She dropped the ice swords and threw her hands together for another molding spell. "Ice Make: Shield!" an ice shield formed and attached itself on her arm.
Laxus' bodyguard just laughed at her attempt to block. "I have an unlimited amount! Can you really avoid getting hit by all of them? That ice of yours won't be able to last!"
She's getting on my nerves.
Her wind increased, pushing her forward as she continued guarding until she appeared in front of Evergreen, startling her from the instant distance reduction. Harshly, Karissa pushed her arm forward and slammed the ice into her face, making her groan and stop her attack. She was really caught off guard by how reckless Karissa chose to be when she charged while Evergreen was using her Fairy Machine Gun.
"How dare you—!" Evergreen swung her fan in direction when Karissa pulled away. The younger girl side stepped and slammed her hands together to create an ice halberd which she swung towards Evergreen who dodged by rolling away. She took a couple of more swings but was only able to graze her arm.
At least she stopped flying off like a damn fly.
The black haired girl harshly swung the ice halberd towards Evergreen's side only for her to leap away.
"You missed." The woman wearing glasses teased.
Karissa's eyes narrowed at her.
Move!
The two ice swords she abandoned came flying towards them like magnets. They made a beeline towards Evergreen who was shocked to see them racing to her. One sword grazed her thigh while the other was stopped when Evergreen released a bit of powder in a panic and exploded it. The ice sword shattered.
Evergreen released an onslaught of her Fairy bullets to create some distance just as the other girl was about to strike her. Karissa winced when some bullets grazed her before she used her wind to protect herself.
Evergreen's laugh echoed in the long hallway they were in as she flew away from Karissa.
Should I just use a Singular Raid? Argh, but that'll just take so much time. She'll escape…
"Get your dumbass back over here." Karissa growled and surged after her with wind magic. Evergreen released the double amount of her bullets while Karissa simply just zig-zagged rapidly to dodge them all while putting her hands together for an ice spell.
"Ice Make: Thousand Spears!" so many spears of ice manifested around her and then launched like a maelstrom at Evergreen. Pieces of ice were shaved off by her Fairy bullets but they still maintained their form as they shot towards her. It made the older mage panic.
Then she found her opening. Evergreen had temporarily stopped her Fairy Machine Gun to use her other attack to break her ice.
When the explosion went off, Karissa's eyes narrowed in focus as a burst of wind brought her straight to Evergreen. Her leg was raised up and she firmly shoved her foot into her solar plexus, knocking the wind out of her. Just as Evergreen gasped for air, Karissa pressed harder as her wind pushed them towards the floor. Evergreen fell back against the marble floor of the building and Karissa's foot remained planted on her. It definitely hurt.
Karissa caught her balance when she landed.
She created an ice sword and pointed the tip at her face.
The wind had settled down.
"Turn everyone back to normal." Karissa simply said, still not looking at her face. She chose to look at her exposed shoulder. She didn't see what kind of expression her opponent had on her face.
The sound of Evergreen laughing bounced on the walls around them. "Aren't you being slightly naïve? My Stone Eyes have one other magic power. The power of remote control!"
Karissa narrowed her eyes.
"Get your foot of me and grovel at my feet or else I'll turn everyone into sand!"
Evergreen smiled victoriously as Karissa froze just like her older brother.
Their family is so tight-knit. There's no way they'll risk the life of their family…
Karissa's shoulders dropped and she turned her head away from Evergreen.
"You know… I just went through something really bad recently, and it made me realize that I really want the people I care about to live a long life. My sister… I want her to live long because she's not just a sibling. She's my mother and father because she raised me when my parents couldn't. I'm grateful to her and I love her so much. So, if you're going to take my parent away from me," Karissa stared at Evergreen dead in the eye with wide, almost crazy, eyes. She forgot about her Stone Eyes. "I'm sure the Magic Council would understand if I gave you the worst possible death in exchange for the eight lives you'll snuff out."
Evergreen tried again and again. But nothing. She couldn't cast her Stone Eyes. She had no idea why. Something was stopping her from using magic.
But she had a feeling it had to do with Karissa's eyes that were now flashing light purple in pools of black. Did she have her own kind of Eye Magic?
Whatever it was, Evergreen could feel intent to kill in the air.
She could almost see the shadows around them gathering together to close in around them threateningly.
"Anything to quell the despair I'll feel towards the death of Pandora and my friends." Karissa spoke with no hesitation and hidden promise, a dark smile almost creeping on her face.
She didn't recognize this Karissa.
No. She didn't even know her that well to begin with. She wasn't sure what the younger girl was capable of.
And she was terrified.
"Okay, okay! I'll free them!" Evergreen squeaked in fear.
"Do it now." Karissa pressed her foot deeply into her body.
Evergreen winced and nodded rapidly. "I did! I already freed them!"
Karissa blinked her dark brown eyes and she eased her foot on Evergreen's body. She didn't know if she should believe Evergreen since there was no proof. She scratched her cheek with her finger awkwardly and slightly tipped her head before closing her eyes to think.
Should I take her word for it?
Hmm...
Maybe I should just bring her back to the guild. Just in case.
"Alright, um..." She said awkwardly while removing her foot.
Evergreen then squealed when Karissa raised her arm and swung it. She thought the girl was aiming at her which made her throw her arms up to her face in defense while squeezing her eyes shut. The blow never came. Instead, she heard a wall crumbling apart. Evergreen slowly opened her eyes to see what happened.
"E...Eh?"
Karissa used her wind magic to blast a whole in the wall to their left.
The younger girl gave Evergreen a confused look for looking so scared. Wordlessly, Karissa shrugged and grabbed Evergreen's arm before flying off to the guild at full speed.
After Gray fell against Bickslow, Makarov, Happy, Natsu and Gajeel just ended up staring status report that displayed the only on going fight in Magnolia. Karissa was the only person remaining that could freely pass through the runes that Freed had set around the guildhall.
Makarov knew the girl was strong, but was she strong enough to take down all the Raijin Tribe and Laxus?
"The fight is going on longer than Gray's." Happy pointed out with hope. "So, that's good… I think?"
But all of a sudden, all the hostages were returned to normal. The girls were wondering what happened to them which caught everyone's attention. Natsu and Happy were happy to see Lucy back to normal.
Master Makarov and Gajeel looked up at the status report.
Karissa vs Evergreen
Winner: Karissa
Proudly, Makarov fisted his hand with a grin. "Well done, Karissa! You freed all the hostages! I knew I could count on you! What'll you do now, Laxus?"
All of a sudden, Karissa skidded to a stop in front of the Dragon Slayer and the old man after landing on the ground. Her sudden appearance made the two yell out in surprise.
"I heard my name." she resisted the urge to smirk at their reactions as she kept a passive face. It was amusing to see them surprised. When she straightened up and put her hood back on, the iron dragon slayer looked a little surprised.
"Whoa… what happened to her?" Gajeel looked at the floor with bewilderment. Karissa blinked and tipped her head in confusion at his vague question until she remembered what she was holding. She turned her head to look down at Evergreen whose hair was all messed up and she looked in a daze from the high speed transportation.
"Oops." Karissa shrugged and started dragging her inside the guild. "I brought her here just in case she lied about freeing the girls. With Master Makarov here, I don't think she'll try anything."
"It's good that you're being cautious but please stop dragging Evergreen across the floor." Master Makarov sweat dropped and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"DAMN IT!"
The sound of Laxus' fist colliding against a pillar in Kardia Cathedral echoed with his angry voice.
"How could Ever lose against Karissa?! Huh?! When the hell did you get so weak, Ever?! This is Karissa we're freaking talking about!"
Laxus remembered the way Karissa would remain silent in his presence. She kept her eyes on the ground whenever he passed her by. She faded in the background and blended with the weaklings of Fairy Tail.
She didn't stand out at all.
The girl even passed out during the Phantom battle! How pathetic was that?!
Freed's footsteps echoed in the cathedral as he approached Laxus. "Karissa was not an opponent to underestimate." The long green haired man stated. "She's strong."
Laxus gritted his teeth as he remembered his grandfather warning him not to underestimate her. He was right. Okay. So maybe he shouldn't have judged her strength based on how she acted.
Freed frowned. "Dealing with her should have been a job for me."
"Why have you returned, Freed?"
"Because the game is over. Karissa forced Evergreen to release our hostages so there is no more reason for the Master to play."
Laxus glared at Freed and released a wave of lightning that flew past the Jutsu Shiki user. Reflexively, Freed flinched and covered his face when it tore the flooring next to him.
"Laxus…"
"It isn't over. If you aren't going to follow my lead, then leave! My Fairy Tail doesn't need you!"
Freed stared at Laxus silently before expelling a sigh. "Then," he spoke. "What do you plan to do?"
The lightning mage shut his eyes to think. It didn't take him long to figure out what to do since he had secretly planned for a backup plan without telling his bodyguards. It would take a minute or two to install them, but it would work nonetheless.
I was looking back on chapter 13 and 14 and did some little edits since I wasn't satisfied after reading it again. It's just some Gray and Karissa moments. I might edit some other chapters again if I feel like it was missing a little something.