Here's the next chapter, hope you'll enjoy it :)
NinjaFang1331 - Thanks so much, I'm glad you liked Night's encounter with Aries.
djinn - Thank you. Aries is one of my favourite characters and she has been treated horribly in the past. So, I thought I'll get Night to help her find her as well. Hope you'll enjoy the Tower of Heaven arc.
wellingtonlucas282 - No problem, I'm glad you enjoyed it and thank you, you're too kind.
Neo Infinity - No problem, thank you for reading. Aries is one of my favourite characters as well and I believe you are right, the strength of the Spirit depends on the user. I defiantly write the Night, Lucy and Levy chapter in the future. Thinking about it, I have mentioned Levy in a while so maybe it's best to write it right after the Tower of Heaven arc and, as you said, before Wendy is introduced. Thanks again.
Blaze1992 - Haha, I do have good plans for this arc, but I'm going to split it up into segments so I don't rush it. Thank you for reading.
ikusatsunagi -No problem, glad you liked it. Aries is a great character and I'm definitely going to involve her more in the future
MDM11 - Thanks so much. Unfortunately, Mira, Levy and Lisanna won't be part of this arc. This is because I feel like having too many characters will be confusing to write and I would have to change major parts of original story and I'm not confident enough in my skills as writer. I will, however, consider your other suggestions because I am looking for ways to involve Night Terror in the Oracion Seis arc and forming another team would be quite interesting. Thanks again and I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.
Lelouch of Zero - Aries is one my favourite characters as well. You're right, it was kind of brief, but I assure you that it will more interesting when she and Night meet again during the Oracion Seis arc. You definitely raise a good point that we haven't seen Night Terror's capabilities in a while so I hope to do some fight scenes in this chapter and the next few. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Skull Flame - Yeah, I think it's because they had been around for so long that they would have made contact at some point. I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.
human dragon - No problem, I'm glad that you enjoyed it.
Hakuorofan7 - I'm sure it will. I just need to find a way for Night to be involved without overshadowing Erza's and Natsu's battle. Thanks for reading.
Guest - Thanks so much. The Phobos and the Celestial Spirits have a mutual respect for each other due to their customs. Lucy was amazing in the original story, so I tried to do her justice in my story. I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter and the next arc.
thaqiftalip - Thanks so much. As for your question, I really love mythology and legends and I also like Fairy Tail, so I decided to, simply, put them together. This story is an excuse for me to express my imagination and create my own mark on the Fairy Tail universe, because Earthland is a new and exciting world that could have things added to it. I admit it was a bit of a gamble and I wasn't expecting much from it, but I'm astounded to say that it's currently my most popular story. It's a welcome surprised. I'm sure it would have fit better in another manga or anime, but I'm satisfied with how is now. Thanks so much for the interest.
Guest - Thanks so much, I'll be sure to check it out.
Varium - Thank you, you are too kind and I hope you will continue reading and reviewing. I like to think Night Terror refuses to admit that he still has a mischievous side to him, but maybe he will do some things that contradict what he insists. I hope you'll enjoy the chapter. Thanks again.
danielsnow - Haha, I did suppose I have to change some things. However, Natsu and Grey play important roles in the next arc so I couldn't replace them. Thanks for reading.
Chapter 21: Ghosts Of The Past
Faceless One's Mansion
One Week Ago
In her darkened room, the Faceless One watched her lab equipment with a critical eye, seeing the solvent she had just created drip from a tube and onto the lacrima in the beaker. The solvent made the lacrima begin to hiss and produce a significant amount of smoke. Suddenly, the lacrima turned a dull grey and finally broke apart into tiny pieces. She hummed in interest, stopped the timer and noted down the results before stopping the flow of the solvent.
"Could be better," she muttered to herself.
A knock on the door caught her attention, causing her to sigh tiredly and told them to come in. The Nobody stepped in and marched across the hall robotically before stopping just before her throne and bowed its head submissively.
"Master. I have a message and a report," it informed.
"Start with the message and get it out of the way," Faceless One drawled as she continued to take down notes.
"Of course," the Nobody said, "Master Hades has requested a device that can suppress the effects of Fear Magic-"
SMASH!
The Nobody stopped and took a step back at the sound of the Faceless One smashing a beaker in her hand. She turned around and growled fiercely as a large amount of Fear Magic radiate off her.
"Why would he want anything of the sort," she commanded furiously as she stomped over to it.
"It's for Master Jallel," the Nobody urgently informed, "He informed Master Hades that his team needs for an operation involving the Night Terror."
Faceless One glared down at her subordinate before she tutted in annoyance, "If anything of the sort did exist, why would I give it to that clueless moron," she grumbled as she turned away from him, "If they are stupid enough to fight a Phobos then being enthralled by fear is to be expected."
"I believe it involves the Tower, master."
She glared at him, "I couldn't care less about his plan."
"Of course," Nobody said before taking a slip of paper out of its pocket, "Master Hades has also provided you with this."
Her glared turned down to the paper in his hand before she beckoned him to approach. He did so and held out the paper and she took it between her thumb and index finger and began to read it. After a few seconds, she sighed and made the paper turn to dust with her magic.
"Fine," she said, "If he insists. Send out another message to say that I'll prepare something and it should be ready in a few days. But tell him also to not expect it to be perfect, Fear Magic is far superior then any technology anyone can make. What of the report?"
The Nobody hesitated slightly before it responded, "A platoon in the East are having trouble with recruitment, Master. They have lost twenty-two Nobodys already."
"An entire platoon...couldn't capture a few daonna scum?" she questioned in a dangerous tone.
"No, Master. Intelligence say that they are facing a strong guild. Shall I send more troops."
"No," she instantly denied, "If we send more troops when a guild is present then it will alert the council. Order them to fall back until the guild leaves, then we'll strike again."
"We, Master? You will make a personal visit?"
"You have your orders Nobody," she firmly told him, causing him to bow his head once more and march out of the hall. She looked over her experiment before her and began to make room on her lab table, "Something that suppress Fear Magic...I suppose it is a challenge."
Akane Beach
A Few Days Later
The bright, hot sun beat down on the sandy beaches of the Akane Resort. People were enjoying the tropical scenery by lounging under parasols, playing games or simply swimming in the blue crystal waters. The joyful sight was the first thing the Fairy Tail guild first saw as turned up, their faces filled with amazement. Five of the seven guild members had already gotten changed. Erza and Lucy were wearing bikinis, while Natsu, Grey and Happy were wearing swimming trunks. The only two who hadn't changed were Flare, because she didn't have a swimming costume, and Night Terror, because he doesn't intend to change into anything.
Wow! This place looks great!" Lucy exclaimed excitedly.
Natsu cackled and stepped into the cool water, "All right!" he cried before shooting Grey a competitive grin, "Let's have a swimming race! First one to that floating thing wins!"
Grey rolled his eyes, "It's called a buoy and why would I want to have swimming race? What are you eight years old?"
"Ha! What are you a scaredy cat?!"
"Yeah Grey!" Happy chirped, "Are you a scaredy me!?"
"The hell I am!" Grey shouted as ran into the water with Natsu.
Lucy and Erza smiled in amusement as they watched the two boys and cat begin their race, "They really are like kids," Lucy uttered.
"Try growing up with them," Erza said before looking down at Flare, "Since you don't have one of your own, would you like to burrow one of my swimsuits, Flare?"
The red haired girl raised an eyebrow at that before observing Erza's bikini. Once she saw how big her bikini top was, she looked away miserably, "I'm fine. I'll just buy one for my own."
"Oh, are you sure?" Erza asked obliviously.
"Yeah," she muttered bitterly, "None of them would fit me."
Lucy gave her a sympathetic look before glancing over at Night Terror, "Night, are you going to buy yourself a swimming costume."
The Phobos, who was already sitting on a blanket under a parasol, looked up from the book he was reading, "Regrettably, I will not be partaking."
"Aw Night, you not going to spend the whole day reading, we came here to have fun," Lucy said as she placed her hands on her hips.
Night Terror tried not to stare at her in her costume and coughed uncomfortably, "I do not fare well under the sun. Besides, I cannot take off my robe in public."
"But I've seen you without your robe."
"That was not by choice, Miss Lucy. It was damaged during the battle with Phantom Lord."
Flare walked up to him, "Please Night. Aren't you really hot wearing it?"
"On the contrary," Night Terror replied as he looked down at his book, "my robe changes temperature depending on the environment. In hotter climates, it's as cool as ice while in colder climates it is toasty warm. I am very much comfortable."
"Huh, you're right," Lucy sighed.
"It's so cool under here," Flare added.
Night Terror looked up from his book and frowned irritably when he saw the two poking their heads under the ends of his robe without him noticing. He hummed in annoyance, grabbed them with shadowy tendrils, pick them up and drop them off onto the sand.
"Get out from under there," he demanded.
Lucy and Flare got to their feet, their faces filled with determination as they stared down at the Phobos.
"Fine, I guess we just have to make you join us," Flare said.
Lucy nodded and smiled wickedly, "Oh yeah, we can take him down."
Five Minutes Later
"Come on! Move!" Lucy uttered through gritted teeth as she pushed Night Terror's back.
"You're spoiling our holiday," Flare muttered as she pulled at his arm.
They have been trying to forcefully move the Phobos of his blanket for a while now with little success. They barely moved him an inch. If Night Terror was bothered then he didn't show it. Instead, he held up his book in his free right hand and casually read.
Erza, who was sitting on her own towel, looked back at them with an amused smile before her eyes landed on Night Terror. Images of her past flashed through her mind: being captured, toiling in that forsaken place, the pain she had to endure. She turned away and stared out at the sea, taking a few deep breaths.
'It wasn't his fault,' she thought to herself, 'I can't blame him or the other Phobos for what happened to me. But...' she glared down at the sand and clenched her fist tightly, 'I can't help it. Why do I still feel enraged when I see him? He's a fellow guild member and I shouldn't be angry at him.'
Night Terror looked up from his book when he sensed fear radiating off from Erza. He stared at the back of her head and frowned in concern. However, before he could do anything, Lucy sighed, gave up pushing him, and stared down at him with an annoyed look.
"Fine, stay here. But can you at least help Flare shop for a swimsuit?" she requested, "The store's nearby."
Night Terror hummed, nodded and got onto his feet, "I suppose we can do that."
Flare gave Lucy an odd look as to why she wanted him to help her shop. However, as soon as Lucy mouthed the words 'convince him' secretly behind his back, she realised what she was planning.
"Right, let's go!" Flare cheered as she started to drag Night Terror to the store.
The Phobos casted one last concerned look at Erza, before he followed after her.
Seaside Kiosk
In a wooden kiosk, Night Terror hummed and tapped the chin of his helmet with his claw as he inspected the assortment of swimming equipment on a shelf which was, admittedly, quite an odd sight. The rest of the customers didn't seem to notice, however, and were more concerned in getting as far away as possible from him. That's when Flare rounded the corner and smiled brightly.
"Night, I found one that I liked," she called out, holding a two-piece red swimsuit by her hair.
He observed the costume and frowned disapprovingly, "Are you sure? Perhaps you would like something like..." he looked around and picked up a costume, "...like this."
Flare looked at his suggestion and made a disgusted expression. The costume he picked out was a red wetsuit that was obviously designed for younger children. Flare turned to the Phobos with a deadpanned look.
"Lame," she simply said.
"The costume or me?"
"Both."
"Oh," he uttered, feeling a little hurt by the comment. He put the swimsuit back, "My apologies, I don't really know what sort is appropriate for a person of your age. That is why I am recommending something more conservative."
"Lucy and Erza get to wear a two-piece," she complained before giving him a glare, "Is it because my body is not mature as theirs."
Night Terror coughed uncomfortably, "That is really...not my place to comment, Miss Flare."
"What about Grey. He's walking on the beach naked," she pointed out.
"What?" he questioned, turning his head towards the beach. He groaned in annoyance once he saw Grey, who had discarded his swimming trunks, covered Flare's eyes and roared out of the kiosk, "MR GREY! WE ARE OUT IN PUBLIC! RETRIEVE YOU COSTUME AT ONCE OR I WILL STAPLE IT ONTO YOU FOR GOOD!"
"Oh crap!" Grey shouted in shock as he ran off down into the sea to find his swimming trunks.
Night Terror grumbled and removed his claw off Flare, "My apologies, you can wear anything you like. Do not let me spoil your day."
Flare looked up at the sheepish Night Terror who had chosen to look back at the swimming equipment. She hated it when he treated her like a child and not as his student or another member of Fairy Tail. However, she couldn't blame him entirely. After all, he has little experience dealing with normal people, let alone pre-teens like her and she did admit that it was nice that somebody was looking out for her. She looked down at the costume held up by her hair, sighed and put it back.
"Fine, I'll get a one-piece," Flare said, catching his attention.
Night Terror nodded in appreciation, "Thank you, Miss Flare."
"But you also have to get a costume yourself," she proposed with a smirk.
...
...
...
"Can I keep my helmet on?"
"You can."
"Then we have an agreement," he said with a nod of his head, "Perhaps you can recommend something for me."
She looked around for a few moments before using her hair to retrieve a pair of very small swimming briefs and showed it to him.
"On seconds thoughts, I will shop for myself," he immediately said, causing her to giggled in amusement.
A few minutes later, Flare had chosen her costume, paid for it, and got changed into it before heading to where the others are while Night Terror still searched for his own costume. She didn't make it far from the kiosk when she heard somebody gently call out to her.
"Excuse me."
Flare looked around and saw a woman with blue hair, large eyes and was wearing a purple bikini and a ring on her middle finger as she stood beside a palm tree.
She raised an eyebrow at the strange woman, "Can I help you?"
"Sorry, but Juvia would like to know your relation to the Phobos," she asked curiously.
"Who is Juvia?"
"Juvia is Juvia," she responded, pointing to herself.
'Oh, she's speaking in third person. Weird,' Flare thought before she answered, "Night Terror's my teacher and fellow guild member."
The woman hummed in interested, "I see. My apologies. The way you two act, Juvia thought you were his daughter. He acts very paternal with you."
Flare frowned in annoyance and began to stomp away, "Well, he isn't and he shouldn't be treating me like that," she grumbled.
Juvia blinked in confusion as she saw the young girl storm off, "Was it something Juvia said?" she uttered softly before she continued to observe the Phobos, making sure to keep out of his sight.
Meanwhile, Night Terror observed the rows of swimming costumes that the kiosk had to offer for what felt like the umpteenth time. After a few seconds, he shook his head and made his way to the counter where the shop owner, a portly man in his fifties with tanned skin and slicked blond hair, stood. The owner jolted at the sight of the Night Terror suddenly in front of him and gulped nervously as he stared up at his skull mask.
"May I help you?"
"Indeed. I am looking for a costume, but I am afraid that none of your available products are unsuitable. Do you by any chance have a full body costume like the ones you would see in an old movie, perhaps?"
The owner shook his head, "Sorry, we don't...or anybody in the past decade has sold anything like that," he said, before he wore a thoughtful expression, "However, I do having something similar. One moment please," he went into the back room and after a few minutes, he came back carrying a box. The contents must have been extremely heavy, because the man seemed to struggle with it until he put it down on the counter, "Phew!" he uttered, "I bought this in an auction a few years back. Word of advise, never go to an auction drunk because you end up buying rubbish like this," he said, opening the box to reveal the contents, "I'll sell it to you for half what I paid."
Night Terror look inside and smiled behind his mask, "That is exactly what I am looking for."
The Beach
Happy was the first to see Flare and scampered away from the sea to meet her halfway, "Hey, Flare. I like your costume."
"Thanks," she muttered grumpily as she continued to march towards where Lucy, Natsu and Grey were.
The blue cat raised a curious eyebrow, "Everything alright?"
She sighed, "Yeah, it's nothing really," she told him.
Lucy turned around and gave Flare a wave as she and Happy got closer, "Aw Flare, you look so cute. We were going to rent a speed boat, but somebody is being a chicken about it," she said, sending a teasing glare at Natsu.
"I'm not being a chicken! Those things are death traps!" Natsu loudly complained, "In fact all transport are death traps!"
"Of course, you think that way," Grey grumbled as he rolled his eyes, "Is Night Terror coming?"
Flare nodded, "Yeah, he should be on his way."
"Did you manage to convince him to wear a swimsuit?" Lucy asked.
"You're too eager. You're beginning to sound like a pervert, blondie"
Lucy face grew red at her comment, "It's Lucy and I'm only eager because I don't want him to miss out on the activit..."
She trailed off as she spotted something behind Flare. Her eyes grew wide and she screamed in horror. The others turned around and cried as well, leaping back from the terrifying figure standing next to them. It stood over six foot and wore an old fashion diving suit with grey rubber body suit, heavy metal boots and thick black rubber gloves. A copper helmet was over the figure's head, with glass windows in the front (where its face should be) the sides and one on the top. The helmet was weighed down rectangular corselet which was situated over its chest. The whole attire looked like it was forgotten at the bottom of the sea for years. The colour of the suit had long-faded away, there were barnacles covering the corselet and the windows of the helmet were stained an eerie green. Fair to say, that it was quite a terrifying sight.
"What the hell are you!" Grey shouted.
"It's a ghost of an old sailor!" Happy screamed hysterically.
"AH! NATSU PUNCH OR SOMETHING!" Lucy cried.
"HOW DO I PUNCH A GHOST!"
"Friends, please relax," the diving suit calmly told them, "It is only me."
...
...
...
...
"Night Terror...is that you in there?" Flare asked hesitantly.
"Indeed," he confirmed, his voice echoing slightly in his helmet, "This is my swimming costume. What do you think of it?"
Lucy was the first one to calm down from her fright and angrily pointed at him "It's a diving suit not a costume! And a really creepy one! Where did you get it!?"
"From the same kiosk, Miss Flare bought her costume."
"Don't say it so casually," the red haired girl crossly told him, "And I thought I told you to buy a real swimming costume. You look even more scarier then usual"
Night Terror raised a gloved hand because he wasn't able to nod his head, "I am capable of swimming in this costume and therefore it makes it a swimming costume. Besides, it is perfect for me. I am protected from the sun, I can finally enjoy the joys of the seaside without undressing and I am capable of diving to 600 feet below the sea level."
"When will that last one ever be useful!"
"Not only that, but observe," suddenly Night Terror's grinning skull mask appeared at the front window, making a 'clunk' noise as the metal hit the class. This, of course, made everyone except for Flare scream again, "It is large enough to fit my helmet underneath. Is is not brilliant?"
Natsu shivered as Happy clung to his shoulder in terror, "But you look so creepy."
The blue cat nodded in agreement, "Yeah, you look like a monster that five meddling kids and a dumb dog would try to investigate."
"Is that a reference to something?"
Grey hummed as tapped the side of the helmet, "This looks pretty heavy. Wouldn't it be exhausting wearing all the time."
"Oh no, I am quite fine. I am using my shadows to help me move," he answered as a tendril of darkness poked out from his glove and waved at him, "I can move just as swiftly as I do in my robe. Now that I have a new look I suppose, from now on, you can call me the Sea Terror," he joked as he stated to walk to the water, "Now let us start the festivities of the seaside."
Flare and Lucy watched him leave with deadpanned expressions, "This wasn't what I had in mind."
"Well, at least he's joining in," Lucy said with a shrug.
Erza's Room, Akana Beach Resort
Erza laid on a deckchair on her room's balcony, resting her eyes after a long day. After the, newly dubbed, Sea Terror joined in, the Fairy Tail members swam in the sea, rode on a speedboat and played games like volleyball. They were all surprised that Sea Terror was able to move so fast in his new suit, never mind playing volleyball. Now, as the afternoon turned into the evening, they headed back to the resort and decided to rest before heading to the casino. Erza hummed in delight as she soaked up the sun, slowly drifting off to sleep.
That's when images of her past flashed through her mind.
The unbearable heat, the vicious crack of the whip, the endless torture. She could see, hear, feel it all as if she was there.
Back in that hellish pit.
She saw hundreds of men, women and children pulling heavy materials up ramps.
She saw the tower, climbing higher and higher until it scrapped the heavens.
She saw the masked slave drivers, shouting and beating any poor soul who was working too slowly.
And there she was in the middle of it all. Just a defenceless girl with tears stinging in her tired eyes. Not a single glimmer of hope on her face; she had long forgotten what it even was like to dream of anything. There was no salvation for her. No freedom. No rescue. No future. Just the weight of the harsh labour weighing on her back and the tower growing taller over her; mocking her for the rest of her life. The memories swirled around her, growing louder and louder and faster and faster until it became nothing but a blur of pain that she was trapped in forever.
And then it stopped.
Everything was silent and calm once more.
Then, from out of the silence, came a comforting whisper.
"Do not worry, young one. You will dream again."
Erza woke up with a start, gasping for air and looking wildly around. She steady her breathing and wiped the beads of sweat off her forehead when she realised that she was safe sitting on deckchair. She shakily got to her feet and entered her luxurious room, heading straight for her luggage. After rummaging through them for a moment, she finally pulled out what she was looking for from a small velvet pouch. Opening the pouch, she reached in and pulled a necklace by its chain and placed it in her open palm. The pendant was a pointed amber-coloured crystal about the size of the palm of her hand. It was attached to the chain by a metal fastening as she couldn't bare to drill a hole through the beautiful gem. She stared down at the pendent, feeling its weight and coolness relieve the stress from within her, making her forget those horrible memories into nothingness.
She sighed sadly, 'I may feel comfortable in my armour, but I can't sleep without this,' she thought to herself, 'It's silly. Depending so much on this stupid crystal for all these years. But if it wasn't for it, I'll probably be still plagued by nightmares.'
She heard a knock on her bedroom door and instinctively clasped her fingers around the crystal. She requiped into her armour and headed to the door, opening it up to see Night Terror, back in his rope, looking down at her.
"Sorry for the disturbance, Miss Erza."
"Not at all. Can I help you?" Erza asked with a strained smile.
Night Terror hummed, "Well, forgive me for prying, but I sensed a sudden wave of fear emitting from your room. Are you well?"
She flinched slightly at that, but tried her best to maintain her cool composure, "I'm fine. I just dozed off and had a small nightmare, that's all. You don't have to worry."
The Phobos frowned in concern, "Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that. Is there something I can do?"
"I'm fine, honestly," Erza insisted as she gripped the crystal tightly in her hand, "It was just a nightmare."
He noticed her left hand move slightly and looked down to see she was holding something. However, once Erza noticed, she nonchalantly put that hand behind her back, concealing it from his view. Night Terror frowned slightly at that, but decided to not push further.
"Very well," he reluctantly agreed, "Will you be going to the casino or would you prefer to stay in for the night?"
She nodded, "Although I can't say I ever enjoyed gambling; it will be a shame to miss out."
She took a few steps back and, in a flash of light, requipped into a beautiful rose-patterned backless dress. Her hair was tied up and she wore long sleeved gloves which stopped beneath her guild mark on her left shoulder. Night Terror couldn't help but be captivated by her stunning appearance for a few seconds. Eventually he coughed and looked away with a small blush.
"You look wonderful, Miss Erza."
Erza gave him a graceful smile as a thank you.
"Night!" they turned down the hallway to see Lucy, now in a casual shirt and trousers, come running up to them with a bag in her hand. She slowed down when she got near and her eyes lit up when she saw Erza in her new dress, "Wow Erza! You look beautiful. But you really didn't have to dress up. The casino doesn't have a dress code or anything."
"It's a special occasion so I thought I should look my best. Besides, I don't usually have an excuse to wear something like this," Erza told her.
"Great, then let's go," Lucy chirped before she turned to Night Terror and handed him the bag, "Here, this is for you to wear to the casino."
"I thought you said there was no dress code?"
"There isn't, but you still might look...out of place in your usual robe. Not only that, but I don't trust you to shop for yourself after what happened this morning. This will help you blend in more and hopefully won't scare any of the other guests."
He hummed and took the bag from her before opening it up and looking inside, "That is very generous of you, but you really should not have."
"Well, you can always give me the money later," Lucy told him with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"Oh no, I mean you really should not have. I will not be attending."
Lucy looked up at him in disappointment, "Night, not again."
"I agree," Erza said with a nod of her head, "Everybody is going so you should to."
"Not everybody," Night Terror pointed out, "Miss Flare is underaged and since all the other attractions are closed for the evening, she has nothing to do but stay in her room. I thought I would keep her company for the evening."
"Oh right," Lucy uttered in realisation, "That sucks."
"Miss Flare was not too pleased with it either. However, I have found some board games that are, in a way, similar to gambling."
Lucy giggled, "Well, it's nice of you to stay with her. Keep the clothes, just in case," she turned to Erza with an excited smile, "Ready Erza,"
"Ready," she confirmed, locking her room door behind her.
They began to walk down the hallway towards the casino while Night Terror walked in the opposite direction to Flare's room. Neither Lucy nor the Phobos noticed the new necklace Erza was now wearing, the crystal pendent glittering prettily under the light.
Flare's Room
Night Terror hummed to himself as he set up the chess board on the coffee table. Once he was done, he nodded in satisfactory before looking over at his student, "Miss Flare, shall we begin our...err."
He trailed off when he turned around and saw Flare sitting cross-legged away from him on her bed. A furious aura surrounded her as the tips of her hair whipped in agitation. Flare merely glared back at him, with a look that only grumpy pre-teens could muster, before looking away again. Night Terror frowned in concern at the sight.
"Err...Miss Flare?"
"You don't have to stay with me if you don't want to," she muttered bitterly, "I'm fine staying in my room."
Actually, Flare was really thankful he was keeping her company; if he had left her alone while the others were having fun she would have been even more miserable. However, she was still acting passive aggressive because...well, just because she can, honestly.
"But I do want to stay," he insisted, "We can order room service and...and play chess...and...well, that is more or less everything you can do in a hotel room other then sleeping. Besides gambling is...overrated. Wasting your money, how sinful."
"I wasn't going to play any of the games," she grumbled.
"I know you wouldn't."
She looked over her shoulder at him, "Can't you...scare the manager into letting me come in?"
Night Terror was in the middle of pouring them both a drink into two glasses when he stopped suddenly. He straightened himself up and gave Flare an warning glare for even suggesting something like that. She flinched in fear and turned away with a guilty expression.
"Sorry," she told him honestly, "I didn't mean it."
He sighed and gracefully sat on her bed, "Miss Flare, I know it is annoying, but there are some things you just can not do at your age. If they allowed a minor into the casino, they will get in trouble with the law. You just have to be a little more patient and then you will be able to do the things you can. Do you understand?"
Flare shrugged, "Yeah, sure," she muttered bitterly
He frowned slightly at her behaviour, but decided not to comment, "Let us not waste this evening, Miss Flare," he said using his shadowy tendrils to pull up two chairs to the coffee table, "Allow me to teach you to play chess."
Flare sighed and begrudgingly got of the bed and dragged herself to one of the chairs, "Fine, but I'm not going to bed early tonight."
"I'm sure you will," Night Terror casually said with a nod of his head.
"I'm serious," she said with a grin.
"I'm sure you are."
"No seriously. It'll be like one or two in the morning before I even think of sleeping. You know what, I'm not even a little bit tired now so I might even stay up the whole night!" she declared proudly.
One Hour Later
As the clock struck ten o'clock, Night Terror laid a sleeping Flare on her bed and covered her with her duvet. It was honourably try on her part, the Phobos had to admit, and she did try everything to stay awake. However, she lost the fight when she almost fell out of her chair, making the Phobos catch her before she hit the carpeted floor.
He flicked off the light switch and swiftly and silently left her room, shutting the door as quietly as possible behind him. He hummed thoughtfully, wondering what he should do now. He finally made the bag Lucy had given him emerge from the shadows and looked into it again.
"Miss Lucy did buy this for me. It will be a shame if I wasted it,' he thought before he headed to his hotel room, 'Perhaps I should partake in this gambling just this once.'
Casino
Night Terror stepped into the large bright room and looked out over the eclectic collection of gambling games the resort had to offer, from the tabletop games that dominate the majority of the room to the rows of slot machines that inhabited the far wall. He hummed in interest before observing himself in the ornate mirror hanging on the wall next to him. He had to admit that he liked what Lucy had picked out for him. He wore a black silk suit, a white shirt and a black tie with a matching neck scarf. He still wore his skull helmet, but instead of his hood he wore a wide brimmed fedora and pair of black long leather gloves. It was simple and it was clear that Lucy had to guess his sizes, but it was effective and was able to cover every part of him to remain anonymous.
'Hmm, I suppose Evening Terror would be a good new name,' he thought, 'Or Fancy Terror? Suit Terror? I will think of something better.'
After straightening his tie, he turned away and walked into the busy casino, looking around for his guild mates. However, he stopped right next to a table where a disgruntled man was playing blackjack against the, rather smug-looking, dealer. At that moment the man threw down his cars and walked away from his table, muttering something about the annoying dealer under his breath.
The dealer looked up at Night Terror at smiled broadly at him, 'Hey, skull head. You want to try your luck?"
Night Terror raised an eyebrow before proceeding to sit down at the table, "It has been a while since I played Fichead-aon, but I am sure it will come back to me."
"I'm sure it would," the dealer said with a grin, "I'm sure it would."
(A.N: Fichead-aon is Gaelic for Twenty-one which is an alternative name for Blackjack.)
Meanwhile, Natsu and Happy were at a roulette table. The pink haired teen was leaning over and trying to blow the ball around the wheel, trying to get it to the number he betted on. When he failed through he slammed his fist on the table, earning a tired grain from the dealer.
"Sir, you're not allowed to do that," he sighed.
"It went into number 17!" Natsu shouted angrily, "I saw it! It went into number 17, but something made it come out again! What sort of place is this!"
"Aye!" Happy crossly agreed.
"Nothing is 'making' it come out, sir," the dealer sighed again, "They don't pay me enough to rig games."
Over by the slot machines, Grey couldn't help but laugh at Natsu's misfortune, "Ha! Look at that hopeless loser!"
"The boy is out at his depth," a unfamiliar voice drawled, catching Grey's, Natsu's and Happy's attention, "Only real dandies play adult games like this."
Looking over, they saw an unusual looking man sitting on stool nearby. He looked to be in his early twenties with pale skin, black hair and a stubble beard. He wore a dark blue suit and tie, a scarf, a fedora, a ring on his middle finger and a pair of sunglasses which concealed his eyes. However, the most unusual thing about him was the fact that his body seemed to be composed out of geometrical shapes, resembling rectangular blocks. His arms and legs were cuboids, his head was a cube and his face looked flat with only his rigid nose and chin sticking out.
"He's a square!" Happy cried in shock.
"Squares and rectangles!" Natsu shouted as well.
Grey raised an eyebrow at him, "Can we help you?"
The man grinned and bit down on the cigar he was smoking, "Help me? Why don't I help you boys by giving you some advise," he said. taking a drag of his cigar and blowing in the air, "There are only two paths a man can travel...live on in a dandy fashion..." suddenly he reached into his jacket, pulled out a revolver and pointed it at Grey, much to their surprise, "...or roll over and die."
Over at another table, Erza had turned over a winning hand at poker, much to the amazement of the crowd and Lucy who was next to her.
"You're incredible, Erza!" Lucy gasped in wonder.
The red haired mage smiled gently and casually slid the tokens she had just won over to her, "Luck is with me tonight, I guess."
Lucy nodded in agreement, but something shiny caught her eyes. She looked down and noticed that Erza was wearing a necklace she had never seen before. She frowned curiously at it, "Err...Erza where did you get that necklace."
Without looking at her, Erza immediately tucked the necklace under her dress, "It's just an old thing I happened to find, that's all."
Lucy was quite surprised by her hasty explanation, but decided that she shouldn't question further.
As the spectators were distracted, the dealer at the table felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see another person, dressed in the casino's uniform, standing behind him. The dealer raised an eyebrow when the man didn't look up at him, his spiky blond hair, kept his face hidden from view.
"New dealer," he simply said.
"Huh? Wait a minute..."
But before he could say anymore, the blond man gripped his shoulder and moved him away from his station. He swiftly took his place and with his head still looking down, he took out a deck of cards from his pocket. Erza and Lucy looked up at the new dealer with slight interest as he began to shuffle the deck like a professional gambler.
"I'm afraid there is no dealer who can change my luck now," Erza told him.
The blond dealer chuckled, "Is that so, then shall we play a special game? And we won't be betting for a few coins."
He began to deal the cards, making the, slid across the green velvet table until they stopped before her. Erza looked down at them, but frowned when she saw that they weren't the usual cards. They had letters on them. The first one, on her left was a 'D', followed by 'E, 'A', 'T' and then finally 'H'. Once the cards were finally in front of, her eyes widened when she saw that it spelled out a word.
'DEATH'
She snapped her head up at the dealer and gasped as she recognised the man before her. He looked to be in late teens with tanned skin, dark green eyes and a vicious smile on his face. He wore an earring in his left ear, a ring on his middle finger and he had a small tattoo on his chin.
"What do you say," the man said, as he glared up at her and Lucy, "Big sis, Erza."
"Sho?" was the only thing she uttered.
Night Terror smiled from under his mask as he laid down a ten of spades and an ace of diamond on the table, causing the dealer to groan.
"I believe I won."
"Yes sir," the dealer muttered.
"Again."
"Indeed."
"What are the chances that I get the exact same cards for the tenth time in a row,"
"The probability is very...very slim, sir. Stupidly impossible."
"But not impossible as the evidence shows."
"Apparently not."
"This, of course, shows this games is not rigged in the slightest. What sportsmanship the establishment projects."
The dealer gritted his teeth in agitation, "Well, if I did rig it, then none of them worked...no matter how many times I would tried. Which again is impossible."
"Well, I have always been good at this game."
"Sir, please leave before I get fired...or the house goes bankrupt...or, more possible, both," the dealer grumbled bitterly.
Night Terror nodded and added his winnings to his already giant mountain of tokens before enveloping all of it into a shadow, "I shall be giving half of my winnings to my student and the other half to my friend. Miss Lucy is always having trouble paying her rent."
"They sure are lucky," the dealer sighed before he left his station, "I need to take a break."
Night Terror stood up from his seat and was about to continue searching for his friends when he heard a small cough behind him. Turning around, he was surprised to see a familiar person.
"Miss Juvia?"
The blue haired woman, who was now wearing an elegant blue dress and necklace which pendent bore a resemblance to Fairy Tail's guild mark, smiled shyly up at him, "Good evening, Night Terror. Can Juvia have a word with you?"
The Phobos led her to a secluded bar nearby where he ordered them both a drink. Juvia had a small glass of rosé while Night Terror had a soda since they didn't have any tea. Once they had settled, he turned to Juvia who had been quiet ever since they sat down.
"It has been a while," he started, "How are you?"
"Not too bad. Juvia feels much better ever since Juvia left Phantom Lord," she answered honestly, "However, Juvia still feels guilty."
"That is understandable," Night Terror sighed, "We all have made...mistakes in our past. They never truly leave you, no matter how hard you try. But what is noble is acknowledging it and trying to make amends. I, for one, do not blame you, Miss Juvia."
"That is kind of you. But Juvia has been finding it hard to find a way to make amends," she told him, looking down at her glass, "Juvia abandoned Phantom Lord. They weren't great people, but Juvia still abandoned them in their time of need."
"Have you made contact with them?"
"Some. The majority of the guild had either been arrested or disappeared, probably to avoid being arrested as well."
He nodded in understanding, "I am sorry to hear that Miss Juvia and I can see why you would feel guilty. However, I believe you would have been worsened off if you did not leave. It may take some time, but soon you will see that you made the right choice and now you are on a better path," he smiled at her from under his mask, "What you do now is what is important and I am happy to assist you in anyway."
She looked up at him and smiled gently, "Thank you. Juvia really appreciates it."
"So what have you been doing since we last met?"
"Well, since the guild was dissolved, Juvia has been searching for a new place. Where Juvia can be accepted, have friends and grow and learn to be a better mage," she gestured to her necklace, "Juvia thought it would be best to join your guild. It sounded wonderful. But Juvia needed to be sure. Juvia didn't want to be tricked into joining a terrible guild again."
"I see" Night Terror hummed, "you have been cautious in approaching us. Quite rational of you."
"That's why Juvia decided to follower you everywhere in order to determine what sort of a guild Fairy Tail is like."
...
...
...
...
"...I see," he uttered in bewilderment, "You have been...stalking me?"
She cocked her head to the side as if what she said was not a big deal, "Staking is a harsh word, but yes, Juvia has been stalking you," she admitted simply, causing him to sweat drop, "Would you like to see my results."
He put a hand out in front of him, "That will not be necessa-"
And before he knew it, Juvia dropped a large dossier file on the bar, making a heavy thud sound that echoed through the casino
'She managed to pick up this much information in only a few weeks!?' he thought in shock.
She opened up the folder to reveal a portfolio of notes and photos of him taken from afar, "Juvia started on one day after Phantom Lord was dissolved where you left Magnolia and travelled to a house outside the ruins of Elend. Then you travelled to the harbour where Juvia lost you for a few days, but then you returned wearing a new mask. You returned to the Fairy Tail guildhall, before visiting the Heartfilia Estate. You then performed several productions of Frederick and Yanderica to which Juvia attended every single one. Then yo-"
"Miss Juvia, I have to stop you right there," Night Terror said, "What was the purpose of this...this?"
She cleared her throat, "Well, Juvia wanted to observe the actions of a member of Fairy Tail before asking to join."
"Would it not be easier to ask one of us?" he questioned.
She looked down at the bar nervously, "Juvia thought that some members would be resentful at Juvia. After all, Juvia was the enemy."
Night Terror reached out and patted her shoulder, "Our guild is not one for grudges, Miss Juvia. You are more then welcome to join if you would like to. I will support you, if you decide to join."
"Y-you will?" Juvia stammered in surprise.
"Of course. I know what it is like to feel alone and thankfully I had somebody who helped me. And I am sure the rest of the guild will also welcome you with open arms. So, would you like to join?"
Juvia eyes shined in hope as a small smile spread across her face. The feeling of being wanted by others filled her with absolutely joy and she wanted nothing more then to accept it.
However...she couldn't.
She had the exact same feeling when she joined Phantom Lord and that was a massive mistake. People got hurt because of her involvement. She knew that Fairy Tail was different and her results all point that this was the best option. But doubt filled her mind.
What happens if she messes up again?
What happens if they don't accept her after all?
What happens if she is casted out, treated like a freak and she'll be left in the pouring rain again.
The smile soon left her face as she stared down at her glass once again. Night Terror frowned in concern as her mood seemed to take a turn.
"Juvia...will think about it," she softly said, "Please give Juvia some time."
The Phobos stared at her for a few seconds before he nodded in agreement, "Of course, please do take your time, Miss Juvia. You should not rush things if you are still unsure. Just know that I will not retract my offer," he smiled softly when he saw her simply nod. He looked down at the file once again and observed the photos she took, "Why are all the photos of me taking so far away?"
Juvia's head perked up at the question, "We were told about the Phobos by Jose Porla. According to him, you can sense a person's fear from a long distance so Juvia had to keep her distance or stay in large crowds to cover my own fear."
Night Terror hummed in understanding before his eyes fell on one particular photo. It looked like it was taken this morning when he was shopping at the kiosk, but the photo was different dorm the others.
"This one is taken quite close up and there no crowds. How did I not sense your fear then?" he looked towards her and that's when he realised something, "In fact, I cannot sense your fear now. How are you doing it?"
"With this," Juvia said, holding out her left hand and showing him the ring on her middle finger, "It apparently blocks Fear magic from effecting the wearer. Were you unaware of such a thing?"
Night Terror took a closer look. It was a simple silver ring with some simple engravings on it. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary about it.
"Nothing like this should exist," he said, "Can I take a closer look."
Juvia took off the ring and as soon as it left her finger, he immediately sensed her fear slamming into him. He was slightly overwhelmed for a few seconds, but he managed to take the ring and look at the interior side of it. His eyes widened when he saw hundreds of very, very small inscriptions covering the inside of the ring. He knew instantly that it was Timorin, but an ancient form of it that no Phobos has used in thousands of years.
'Ancient Timorin? Damn, I cannot read it. The ring looks fairly new, so it cannot be an artefact so what is it doing here?,' he though before it dawned on him, a feeling of dread filling him to his core, 'Unless, somebody were to study ancient Timorin and I only know one person it could be,' his head snapped towards Juvia, surprising her, "Who gave you this ring?"
"Juvia doesn't know. They noticed Juvia was investigating this morning and gave it to Juvia, so Juvia can get closer," she explained honestly, "They told Juvia it was a prototype to test if it works."
"What would work?"
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a large hand grabbed the back of his helmet and slammed his face into the bar. The attack was powerful enough to break the bar, sending wooden debris flying all over the place and knocking Juvia off her seat. Night Terror grumbled and growled as pushed himself up out of collapsed bar and glare up at his attacker. Standing over him was a tall, muscular man with fair skin and dark eyes. His head was covered by a white cloth that was tied at the side and he was shirtless except for his left arm covered by a sleeve and a cloth that went over his left shoulder and tucked into a sash wrapped around his waist. His lower jar was covered by a a metal ornament that resembled skeletal teeth and he wore an eyepatch over his left eye. He glare down at the Phobos in angry and hate while Night Terror responded with his own menacing look.
"It would seem that the test was a success" the man said, raising his hand to show that he was wearing the exact same ring Juvia was wearing, "Now we have a chance to defeat every single last Phobos."
BANG!
A gun shot boomed from the other side of the casino which was followed up by a few screams from the other patrons. However, Night Terror had no time to deal with whatever that was and raised himself back up to his feet to confront the muscular man. He tried to use emit his Fear magic at him, but he didn't seem to effected in anyway. Although, the ring did began to glow blue for a few seconds before dimming once again.
"A ring that blocks Fear magic?" he muttered, "That is impossible."
The man raised an eyebrow, "Does it frighten you, Phobos?"
"Hardly, it just means I have to put more effort into my fighting."
Before he could do anything, Juvia stepped in front of and faced off against the man with a furious scowl, "You tricked Juvia!" she snarled as part of her body began to turn into water, "Juvia will be your opponent!"
"Miss Juvia," Night Terror warned.
Suddenly, the man's eyebrow twitched before he raised two fingers to the side of his head, "You've found her?...Yeah, I've found him... It's 509... Move on to the phase two of the plan," he said before lowering his fingers.
'He is using telepathy. That must mean there are others,' Night Terror thought as he got ready to battle.
The man raised two fingers to his head again and conjured up a purple seal before him and suddenly everything went dark. It was almost as if all the light in the entire casino left, plunging everything in total darkness. Juvia's eyes widened in surprise as she tried to look around for anything.
BANG!
A second gun shot rang out through the dark, making Juvia even more confused.
"Huh? What's going on?"
Suddenly, she felt an arm push her back just in time to hear the sound of a swipe flew past her face and she was forced back into Night Terror who held her protectively.
"Miss Juvia, allow me to fight. I can see perfectly well," he whispered to her as he got in front of her and glared at the man, "Night Terrors are not blinded by the darkness. Either there is another purpose or you have planned poorly."
"I suppose you will have to fight me and find out, Phobos," the man calmly said, glaring back at him.
A Few Seconds Earlier
A shot rang out through casino, causing some of the guests to scream and run away in terror. Lucy looked away from the man Erza had called Sho to where the noise came from, startled by it.
"Was that a gun!?" she cried out.
Suddenly, the entire casino was plunged into darkness, causing the guests to shout in surprise.
BANG!
Another gun shot fired, causing more people to shout in panic. After a few seconds, the lights came back on and Lucy blinked by the sudden bright light. Once she recovered, she gasped when she noticed that Erza was gone. In fact, all the guests that were crowding around them had disappeared and all that remained was a dozen of playing cards fluttering to the floor. Lucy took a closer look at the cards and gasped in shock when she saw that were not ordinary cards. Every single once had a guest on it. They moved about, banging on the sides, shouting to be released, but they were all trapped.
"Over here," a voice said and Lucy spun around in her seat to see Sho, holding up one card with Erza trapped inside it.
"W-what did you do!?" Lucy exclaimed.
"Card magic," Sho simply replied, "Don't worry, they're not in pain. I only trapped them in a pocket dimension is all," he said before holding the card Erza was in up to his face, "You're not the only one who leaned magic, big sis."
"Magic?" Erza uttered from within her prison.
"Meow!"
Lucy felt some sort of orange rope wrap around her waist and neck, causing her to cry out in pain. Another rope came out of nowhere and bound her wrists together and forced her hands over her head. She cried out again as the rope began to tighten as she struggled against her.
From in her card, Erza turned her eyes to her and called out her name in worry. However, her eyes widened when she recognised Lucy's captor who was casually at on the betting table, holding her arm by the rope wrapped around her wrist. She was a young woman with brown hair styled to look like pointy cat ears. Her other features looked feline as well like her eyes, nose and mouth as well as having four red whisker-like tattoos on her face. She wore a yellow jacket with white stripes and black trimmings over a pink dress with a white bow tie on it and light-pinkish ruffles on the lower portion. She also wore a choker with a bell on it, white leggings and a ring on her middle finger.
"Meow!" the woman cheerfully said, "Super strong, right?"
"Millianna?" Erza called out, "You can use magic too?"
The woman, now named Millianna, tilted her head, "Long time, no see, Erza."
The red-haired woman pounded her fist against her card prison, "What's the meaning of this!? Let her go! She's my friend!"
The smile dropped from Millianna's face, "Meow! Friend?"
Sho chuckled darkly, "Weren't we your friends, Big Sis?" before he snarled at imprisoned Erza, "Or did you forget about that after you betrayed us?" he questioned as a feeling of dread filled Erza to her core.
Meanwhile, Night Terror and the man faced off against each other in the darkness, neither showing a hint of backing down. To end it quickly, Night Terror controlled the darkness surrounding them to wrap up the man, but to his surprise, he avoided it. He did it again, but the man just jumped out of the way in time. Every single attempt he made to ensnare him, he would move away from the darkness he was influencing.
'This is impossible. This is my domain, how is he avoiding it?'
As if he read his mind, the man looked at him with a stern look, "I specialise in Darkness magic. I have been practising for years and learned all of your tactics. You use your Fear magic primarily, but you also bind your enemies with your shadows..." the man placed his fingers to his head again and instantly light returned to the casino, "...If there are no shadows to use then you are down to close combat," he got into a fighting stance, "To which I have prepared as well."
Night Terror growled and from the shadows in the sleeves of his suit jacket, he produced his silver claw gauntlets which went over both of his hands. He leapt at him and slashed his right claw at him, but the man jumped out of the way and the Phobos slammed his claw down on a gaming table, smashing it into pieces. Night Terror wasn't deterred as he attacked again, sending his left claw at him. The man blocked it with his arm and send a punch at his skull head. Night Terror ducked and swung his right claw at his head, causing him to stagger away as impacted him.
Night Terror stood a few feet from him in a fighting stance, "We have never met. What injustice have I made against you."
"Ignorance is not an excuse, Phobos," he replied as he picked up a betting table and hurled at him.
Night Terror swiped at the table with his right slicing it in two. However, the man picked up another table and then another. The Phobos sliced the second table with his left claw and then caught the third with two shadowy tendrils. It had been a distraction, as the man punched through the table while it was in Night Terror's line of sight and attempted to hit him again. The Phobos ducked to his left and caught his wrist with his right claw as he sailed on by. He grabbed the back of his head and used his momentum against him and threw him across the room.
The man slid on the carpeted ground and came to eventual stop. Seeing an opportunity, Night Terror propelled himself across the room, his claw ready to come down on his torso. However, the man rolled away just in time as Night Terror struck his claw into the floor and accidently getting lodged into it. The man got to his feet and aimed a punch at his head once again, but Night Terror used his other hand to catch his punch.
Night Terror gritted his teeth at the impact, whoever he was he was very strong.
"May I please have your name, at least?"
"Simon," he growled back.
"Well, Mr Simon, I do not know who you are, but you are causing an unnecessary disturbance. If you tell what that you want from me then maybe we can talk, rather then fight."
"Who said that you were the main objective?" Simon questioned cryptically.
Night Terror raised a curious eyebrow before he realised something, "You said 509 earlier. What is the meaning of it?"
Simon gave a small chuckle, "I think you what it means, Phobos," he said before he looked up at the ceiling.
Night Terror looked up as well. They were in the basement at the moment so upstairs was the hotel where...
Suddenly, he realised what it meant. The answer shook him to his core, '509,' he thought in dread, 'Room 509. That is where Miss Flare is staying."
Flare's Room
A Few Minutes Earlier
The red haired girl woke up suddenly and groggily looked around her room. She didn't know what caused her wake up as she was usually a heavy sleeper, but her instincts screamed at her to wake up this instant. However, there was no danger or anything that can harm her at all.
"Probably a nightmare," she muttered tiredly to herself, "Huh? Night's not here. Did he got to sleep as well?" she lifted the covers off her, put her feet on the ground and headed to the door, "He probably went to the casino...Without me," she groaned, "I'm so going to give him the cold shoulder tomorr-"
She stopped suddenly when she saw the handle to her room begin to rattle as if somebody was trying to open the door. She briefly wondered if it was Night Terror returning for some reason, but then he heard a voice that was definitely not him.
"Almost there," the person on the other side muttered before the lock on the door clicked, "There we go."
Flare had no time to close the door before the intruder opened it and ran and slid under her bed. As soon as she was hidden, the door swung open and a man stepped into her room. The only thing she could see was his feet which seemed to be made out of two cubes for some reason. He got closer and closer to her bed, but stopped suddenly.
"Damn, the little gal scampered," he muttered in annoyance, "Did the Phobos know our plan all along?"
'Phobos?' Flare thought.
"Or maybe she's still in here," the man called out, "Come on, little gal. Don't worry about it. I ain't gonna hurt ya or nothing."
She saw him move away from the bed and head to the opposite side of the room. She looked towards the door and saw that there was a clear path for the exit. She could escape and find Night Terror and he'll...
'He'll treat me like a child,' Flare thought bitterly, 'In fact, it might even be worse now that somebody has broken into my room,' she peeked out from under the bed and looked at the man who seemed to be made out of 3-D shapes, 'I can take him. That way he'll see that I'm more then capable of looking after myself,' she decided.
She slowly and quietly got out from under her bed and moved her hair around preparing it for her attack. Once the man's back was towards her, she jumped up and sent her hair at him, instantly wrapping him up and causing him to shout in confusion and pain. She squeezed her hair tightly around him, making sure that there was no way he could escape or use his magic.
"Looks like I've got you," Flare said, moving the man so he's looking at her, "But don't worry about it, creep. I ain't gonna hurt ya or nothing."
Click!
A noise behind her caused her to freeze in shock. Slowly, she looked around and gaped in horror as she saw an arm made out of cubes and cuboids floating in mid-air. The source of the noise came from the revolver the floating hand was holding, aimed directly at her head and ready to fire.
"Little gal," the man chuckled, "That was a very, very stupid thing you just did."
I'm really, really sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I've been super busy. I promise that I have not abandoned this story.
Anyway, now that's out of the way, I hope you have enjoyed the new chapter. You can see that I have changed some stuff around. Finding a way for Simon and Night Terror to fight was so hard, but I think I managed to do it. Hopefully.
Yes, I know that a ring stopping Fear magic seems ridiculous (well, I mean as far as a fictional story goes) but if anybody would know how then it would Muireall. Of course, it does have a weakness which will be established in future chapters. Also, I promise the fight scene would be better in the next chapter. I would have continued but I think it's already long enough as it is.
Thank you all for reading and being so patient. Hopefully, I'll update much faster in the future.
See you next time :)
Omake
Victor Soul's Office
Victor trembled in fear as he kneeled before Ur, Cana and Levy. Two of the women glared down at him in fury while Levy was behind them with a sheepish smile on her face.
"Another chapter and I don't get to do anything, huh," Ur snarled, "What's the point of bringing me back to life if you're not going to mention me again?"
Victor gulped, "I know but-"
"And I haven't played a significant role since the guild war arc," Cana added, "And even then it was kind of brief."
"I know that you are upset, but I'm really trying to involve you guys more," Victor said.
Levy hummed and stepped in front of them, "Guys, let's be nice to him, alright? It's sometimes difficult to write new chapters when you also juggling several other stories at the same time."
Victor's head perked up, "Did I mention, I have another story that's already published that has three chapters already."
"You're your own worst enemy, Victor," Levy told him.
"Yeah, I know," he sighed.
Levy giggled and crouched down to his height, "Just promise us that you'll give us a chance after the Tower of Heaven Arc, okay? But take your time. We know you're quite busy."
Victor smiled and nodded, "Definitely, I promise," he said honestly before he leaned back when a contract was shoved in his face.
"Sorry," Levy apologised, holding up the contract with a rather threatening smile, "We're going to need that in writing. Just in case."
Victor gulped and immediately signed it.