Ch. 10

A couple of hours had passed. While Erik hovered over Hermione, without a wink of sleep. Before Midnight came crawling into the tent.

"Erik," his old friend whispered softly.

"I'm awake," he replied softly.

Midnight then crawled into the other bed and laid down. 'So, what happened?' Knowing that Cobra would hear him.

"Tower of Heaven, came back to bite me in the ass." He finally moved to one side of Hermione. But still had an arm around her.

'What?!'

"1135, was all I know about."

Midnight sat up in his bed. Facing him, cross-legged. 'Would be taking you to my dreamscape to help with our talking?'

"Not tonight," hissed Erik softly. "I need to keep her safe."

"Who is she?" Midnight whispered out loud.

"My mate."

Causing Midnight to fall back on his bed. He growled softly. "Great, I have to keep her safe. While I watch your tan ass have all the fun."

Erik hissed, "Now, now. I may ask you to enhance my nightmarish self before I strike."

Midnight shook his head. "Erik, does she know…?"

"Yeah, she knows about my past. Our past." He looked to Midnight. "Even about Heartfilia being stuck in the clock."

"And she didn't judge?"

"Nope," Erik could hear her dream. As her subconscious was following along. Even if she won't remember in the morning. "Just an underlying hope that I wouldn't have to kill again."

Midnight nodded, "Agreed to that." The two then fell asleep, since morning was in five hours.

When morning came. Erik pulled himself away, when he felt that Hermione was close to waking up. He turned to the other man in the tent. Where he saw a full awake Midnight.

"Shit, man. What did I do to cause your ugly wrath?"

Midnight pushed himself up to fully glare at him. "Since when did you start growling in your sleep?"

"I don't growl in my sleep."

"YOU DID," many voices of those he knew, spoke around him. Even Hermione hissed at him, as she pushed herself into a sitting position. "If you do it again. I'll kick you out of the tent," she glared at him.

Midnight chuckled at him. Causing Hermione to look over his shoulder to look at him. "Hi," Hermione grumbled unhappily. "I'm Hermione."

"Macbeth, named after William Shakespeare?"

Hermione smiled, "Yep. I imagine that you were too?"

Macbeth smiled, "After the crazed warrior… You must be from Winter's Tail, the Fairy Queen?"

She closed her eyes and groaned. "Now I'm part of Fairy Tail. What a self-proclaimed prophecy I find myself in?"

Erik grumbled, pulling Hermione onto his lap. Bringing her closer to him. "She's mine, Macbeth."

Macbeth rolled his eyes at him. "If your majesty has a way to tame this dragon? Then I will stand beside you in any war." Then he climbed out of his bed, stepping outside the tent. Only to call back in, "Coffee is ready!"

Hermione huffed, "I need more than a cup after last night." She pushed him out of the way, only to slip out of the tent, as well.

He jumped to his feet and jogged after her. Only to sit at her feet again.

Lucy smiled at Hermione. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

"Don't remember if I did." Before downing a half a cup of coffee. Then pour more into the cup. Then she started to eat a breakfast sandwich in front of her.

Lucy glanced down at Erik, who had a deeper skoal than usual. "What's wrong with you?"

"He's just mad, because his girl and I were able to talk easily." Macbeth smiled sweetly. "Then proclaimed that she was his."

Lucy huffed, "So, normal Dragon Slayer stuff?" Before drinking her own coffee.

"Yep." Making the 'p' popping sound.

"I've noticed a new shade of dark red lipstick, Midnight. What is that called?"

"Dark crimson heart," he replied.

It was then that Hermione noticed Macbeth better. His black and white hair, a few scattered braids. Then his sharp looking red eyes, pale white powder looking skin. Then his Gothic makeup. Along with a mixed black and white heavy metal vibe of clothes.

'I must have been exhausted, if I hadn't noticed his Gothic style.'

Gajeel chuckled from where he sat. "Snake Breath is having attention issues with his mate?"

Hermione glared at the metal man. "What about you? Why aren't you grumpy about how Lucy is surrounded by other men?"

Gajeel shrugged, "I have known Bunny Girl to know that she'll be loyal to her man. Unlike him," he pointed to Erik. "He has only met you for a little over a week. Not enough to build a loyal trust, at least not blindly."

Hermione knew that he spoke the truth. She had known her friends for over a month. But didn't become close until they fought a troll together. Then again, it was when they became friends.

Cobra turned to her and hissed. "It took a mindless creature for your friends to even want to be with you? What shithead friends do you have?"

Hermione giggled, she couldn't help it. Since, she couldn't really argue with him. Not when Ronald Weasley flipped the bill, in his assessment of the kind of friends she had. 'I don't even know why I thought I liked him.'

After breakfast, Dr. Davis told Hermione the run down for what to look for. Before Erik and Macbeth followed her into the temple of the Celestial King. Making her feel like Harry and Ron were with her.

When the three followed the inner stairs down. After moving the table-looking stone slab. Hermione took pictures and wrote the translations from the walls as they walked by.

"Anything interesting," asked Macbeth, with a slight tone of interest.

"Just the usual stuff. The first Celestial Mages. Who built the temple. Then when magic breached away from each other."

"When did that happen," Erik asked with a grumble.

Hermione Granger glanced at her notebook. Turning page, after page. Only to look at him with a worried look. "I don't know. But something during the time called, the First Eternity Clock, was made."

The two males froze from where they stood. Looking at each other, as their faces became pale. "What about the clock," asked Macbeth.

Hermione had taken a deep breath. "When the children of the first Celestial Mages, war against each other, and their parents. They built the first Eternity Clock, with the hope that they would be given new power, with a new life, in a hundred years from their own. Only to find that the clock must be powered by sacrificed Celestial Magic, a powerful Celestial Mage, and their personal sacrificial gifts. Once fully given, then the clock would come alive to give birth to a new world order…"

"Was it ever used in that way?"

Hermione Granger looked at her notes. Then she looked around the walls. "We need to go further down."

As they walked deeper into the temple. They found themselves at the lowest and middle chamber. Where Hermione scanned the walls. She wrote everything on the notebook. While Erik took photos.

"Well?"

Hermione couldn't hold back her tears. "We gotta get out of here." She took the camera from Erik. Only to run out of the room, as fast as she could.

"What in Hades is going on," growled Midnight. Glaring at Cobra. "Do you know what's going on?"

Cobra glared at him. "And you call me insensitive! What the Hell was that? Demanding to know about the clock, when it didn't work for us!"

Midnight shook his head. "I don't know," he let out a deep breath. "I guess I wanted to know if it would have worked."

Cobra glared at his friend, before leading the two out of the temple. Once at the research tent, they noticed Hermione hiding in a corner. Her head bent over her knees. Her hands covering her head. Crying her eyes out.

It was then that Cobra knew that it wasn't good.