What's up, everyone! This is GKC here bringing you the next chapter of "Spirits of Fairies".
We have reached 10,000 views for this story! A great achievement for me.
And to the reviewers who said that Achilles is invulnerable to anything, I already explained it. There's a reason his invulnerability seemed nerfed and I have spoken!
Now for the disclaimer: I do not own, except my OCs, Fairy Tail or the Fate series. All rights belong to their respective owners.
Now let's get this party started… BEGIN!
Chapter 5: Tower of Heaven Part 2: Infiltration and Conflict
It was nighttime. Close to the coast of the Caelum Kingdom, south of Fiore, a small ship with a single mast was sailing across the mildly rough ocean waves. Inside the cargo bay, which was littered with wooden crates and barrels, Erza Scarlet groaned lightly as she regained consciousness.
When she opened her eyes, she realized her hands were tied up behind a thick, wooden pillar via an orange rope. Erza blinked in confusion until it all came back to her. She briefly scanned the cargo bay until she spotted Sho walking toward her.
"This place…where are we?" Erza asked.
"Inside the hull of a ship at sea," Sho answered.
"A ship?" Erza echoed.
"That's right." Sho replied. "And our course is set for the Tower of Heaven."
Erza stared at Sho for a moment before she lowered her head in dejection. "I see." She murmured. "I should've known. Would you please untie me? I won't cause any trouble."
Sho frowned. "I'm afraid I can't. You've proven yourself untrustworthy."
Erza attempted to use her magic, but discovered that she couldn't. Sho picked up on this and explained, "That won't help. Millianna's bindings can cancel magic so you're struggling in vain. You'll find that you have no luck in breaking free of them. Your efforts will just tire you out."
She lowered her head, and declared gloomily, "Fine. I won't resist. But please Sho…will you allow me to re-quip into my armor?" She paused as her body began to quiver in fear. "The tower…I'm afraid of going back there. I just want to have it on…so I'll feel safe."
The card mage smiled lightly. "But the outfit you have on right now is lovely."
A short moment of silence ensued before Sho got on his knees and wrapped Erza in an embrace, resting his chin on her left shoulder. Erza ceased her trembling and looked at him in bewilderment.
"Honestly…I didn't want it to happen like this." Sho admitted sadly.
Erza lowered her head in understanding. "It's okay." She whispered.
Sho hugged Erza tighter as tears streamed from his eyes. "I missed you so much…it hurts me." He confessed, holding back a sob. "Tell me…why…why'd you do it?"
He pulled away and looked at Erza straight in the eye with a livid expression. "WHY'D YOU BETRAY JELLAL?!" He yelled.
Erza's eyes widened, slightly startled by Sho's sudden outburst. After a moment, she sighed and closed her eyes, reminiscing on old memories.
'Jellal…' She thought.
"Sho," The blonde card mage looked back to see Charlotte standing near the entrance of the cell. "Simon wants you on-deck."
Sho frowned before sighing, "Fine, I'll head up. Just don't do anything to Erza."
"I've already dealt with her friend. Even if she tries to escape, I'll stop her instantly." Charlotte coldly remarked.
'Dealt with…?' Erza felt a pit form in her stomach when she heard that. "Hey, what do you mean by that! Who did you hurt?!" She demanded.
"The one with the glasses. Tried to put up a fight but he didn't amount to much." Charlotte stated.
"What have you done to Chris!?"
The blue-haired woman stared at the furious look in the redheaded girl's eyes before saying three simple words that shattered her anger and replaced it with horror.
"I killed him."
(1st POV)
Everything hurts…
That's what ran through my mind as I slowly regained consciousness.
I felt soft sheets covering me and some kind of cloth wrapped around my body. The pain in my ribs isn't as intense as before but there was still a lingering throb that made me flinch.
"Where…am I?" My throat felt dry. Need water.
My vision is a blur. Guess my glasses are off. Hope they aren't broken. That pair is the only one still connected to my world.
"Chris…?" I heard a familiar voice whimper beside me.
Even though my vision is pretty crap at the moment, I can still make out some objects and individuals as long as they're within a certain range. I could make the blonde hair, the brown eyes that were red and puffy from crying, and the expression of…disbelief?
"Hey, Lucy…" I croaked, the dryness of my throat pretty evident by my speech and lack of hydration. "Don't suppose…you're my nurse?"
That didn't seem to be the right thing to say because now she sported fresh tears and before I knew it, I was suddenly wrapped up in a firm yet tender hug.
"L-Lucy?" I said in surprise. I didn't know why she was crying. I'm fine. I mean, sure, I got my ass kicked but who hasn't in Fairy Tail?
"I was…so scared…" She sobbed.
A raised brow, "Why? I couldn't have been hurt that bad-"
"There was so much blood!"
…
…
"Lucy…what state was I in when you found me?" I asked, almost dreading the answer.
"We…" She sniffled, releasing me from the hug as she wiped away her tears. "We found you in a crater. It was…it was practically a miniature pool…a pool of blood…"
The imagery it painted…it terrified me. That much blood loss should've killed me. So how…
…how am I still alive?
"We brought you back inside then Juvia used her Water Magic to clean you up." Lucy explained.
"Juvia?" I repeated in faux confusion before smiling. "Oh, the hot blue-haired chick from the beach!"
"Wait, you already met her!?" The Celestial Wizard exclaimed.
I nodded, "Yeah, she was stalking Gray from the hot springs and all the way here." The explanation was the best I could do, especially since Lucy might get the wrong idea between the two of us. Juvia is hot and everything but she's already got eyes for our resident stripper boy.
Lucy sighed, "Anyways, after you were cleaned, we found…" She hesitated to speak.
"What? What did you find?" My inquiry came.
"You…" She loudly gulped, looking incredibly uncomfortable. "...you had a massive scar on your chest."
"Okay, and? I don't see why that is-" I began, mildly confused before she interrupted me.
"The scar the doctors examined was big enough that your vital organs should've been completely destroyed." Lucy finished.
…
…
…
Oh.
"You understand, right?"
A nod was all I could give her.
"Do you remember…what happened?" She asked me.
"I remember…fighting my foe…they broke my weapon…carved into me like a turkey…" I thought back to my brief battle with Charlotte. Her words from before echoing in my mind like an everlasting taunt. "...then all I felt was pain and…nothing."
"Well, it's a good thing that Natsu found you. He was trying to sniff out the guys that kidnapped Erza and when he smelt blood, he immediately ran towards the source. He found you, barely clinging to life." Lucy said with a sad frown. "We almost lost two friends last night."
She's right. I could've died and I didn't know what scared me more. The thought of dying…or leaving those I cared about behind. Still, I couldn't let this get to me. I needed to press on, no matter what. "You say Erza was kidnapped. You guys got a plan?" I asked.
"We're going to take a rowboat and have Natsu follow the scent trail to wherever their hideout is." Lucy answered.
Right, that definitely ends badly. I mean, did they seriously forget about Natsu's motion sickness? How did they even convince him to get on a damn boat?
Still, I know what I must do…
"Alright, when do we leave?" I asked, removing the sheets covering me to reveal my bandage-wrapped torso.
"What!? Chris, are you crazy?! You're injured!" Lucy retorted, placing her hands on my shoulders to get me to rest in the bed. "You're staying here!"
"No, I'm not. I'm going with you to save Erza." I insisted.
"But-"
"No buts, Lucy. Whatever they plan to do to Erza, it's not going to end well." I grunted. "Besides, I have a score to settle with my enemy."
"Why?"
"Because…it turns out that I'm not the only one that can turn into Servants."
"What?" Lucy gasped in surprise.
"Yeah," My hand went to my chest, wincing when I felt my ribs protest from the pressure. "A woman. She used the same type of magic as me."
"So, you're going there for revenge?"
"No," I shook my head. "I'm going there for answers. And I'm going to get them. No matter what."
Lucy stared at me for what seemed like forever then sighed, "If you're coming along, you'll need new clothes."
"What happened to mine?" I asked.
"Your blood stained them pretty deep and they were torn up pretty badly. No weaver in the world could fix that mess." She explained.
Well…that sucks. I don't really have a lot of clothes from my world. Fiore has some decent replacements but I was actually getting attached to my outfit.
"Don't worry, just leave it to me." Lucy said, before grabbing one of her keys. "Open, Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!"
*DING DONG!*
Appearing in a flash of light was a cute pink-haired maid with sullen blue eyes. The Celestial Spirit, Virgo.
"Damn, she's cute." I said aloud like an idiot. I know we've met and fought together before but I can't help but be awed by how cute Virgo is.
"Virgo, please sew new clothes for Chris." Lucy requested.
Virgo bowed, "At once, Princess." Then she took out a measuring tape and gave me…a disconcerting look. "Please hold still, Lord Chris."
"Uh…okay? Be gentle." I told her while feeling my spine shiver for some reason. Then without warning, she immediately went Speedy Gonzalez all over me. I was panicking as I couldn't track her movements and was literally being manhandled.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa easy! Hold up! Slow down! What are you- No! No! Bad touch! Bad touch!" I cried out.
"Virgo, don't be that thorough!" Lucy exclaimed with a heavy blush on her cheeks.
"I need proper measurements, Princess." Virgo said in the simplest tone I could think of.
"That's not the point!" I stammered. "Don't just- will you stop touching me there?!"
A few hours later, morning had arrived. We all piled in a moderate-sized boat floating in the middle of the ocean. Apparently, Natsu's sense of smell was telling him that the scent of Blockhead, otherwise known as Wally, was out at sea.
I looked down at my new outfit. I gotta say, Virgo's got skill with weaving. I wore a new dark red shirt with a high-collared dark gray coat, white trousers with a leather belt, black fingerless gloves, and black boots. She even made me a scarf that's royal blue in color. For added touch, she added a red Fairy Tail mark stitching on the back of my coat. Overall, I quite like this outfit. Unfortunately, my glasses were broken but I managed to pack a spare I bought in Magnolia. Not exactly my style but I'll adjust to them.
"I'm worried about those people that were stuck in the cards." Lucy said sorrowfully while she held Ratha, who slept on her lap. "You think they're okay?"
"We let the military know about them before we left so I'm sure they're fine, Lucy." I assured her.
"I hope so." The blonde girl replied.
"Hey, wait a minute, where the heck are we?!" Gray demanded.
"I don't know." Juvia said. "We've been following Salamander's lead."
Lucy turned to her pyromaniac friend. "Natsu, are you sure we're going in the right direction?"
Natsu couldn't comply since he was busy leaning over the stern of the boat, puking his brains out. Lucy simply sweat dropped at the scene.
"So, are we just gonna forget that one of us gets motion sickness from vehicles?" I pointed out.
"No kidding." Lucy agreed.
"Man!" Gray exclaimed angrily. "Pull it together!"
"How dare you disappoint my love with your childish actions!" Juvia added.
"Shaddap, I don't feel good, okay?" Natsu groaned, holding his stomach while his cheeks bulged and his face was pale blue.
Gray looked away and slightly huffed. "Geez…I can't believe how easily they were able to knock us out and kidnap Erza and Happy. We're pathetic."
"That's enough, Gray." I told the Ice-Make Wizard. "There was no way we could've known this would happen. Which is why now that we know who our enemies are, we can plan out our attack."
"Also, in our defense, they must've been powerful wizards to defeat someone as strong as Erza." Juvia asserted.
"What?" Gray turned to Juvia, cocking an eyebrow in ire. "They didn't beat her. Quit talking about her like you know her."
Juvia flinched and whimpered, saddened that she had angered her love. "I'm sorry!"
"Calm down." Lucy said sternly.
"Seriously, man," I added with a frown. "You don't need to bite her head off. Besides, we still have a shot of saving Erza and Happy."
"It makes me wonder…if we know her any better than Juvia does." Lucy pondered somberly.
I placed a hand on her shoulder, causing the blonde to look at me. "Don't worry, Lucy. Once we find her, Erza will explain everything to us. After all, we're her friends. We just gotta trust in her."
"I hope so…"
All of a sudden, Natsu stood up from the edge of the boat. He looked around, sniffing at the sea air. "I just got a bad feeling all of a sudden."
Suddenly, dark clouds blanketed the skies overhead and the flock of birds that had been flying above instantly died and plummeted to the ocean.
"The birds," Lucy said fearfully. Ratha awoke and began to shiver in fear, burying his little face into his adoptive mother's form to hide.
"What's happening to them?" Gray wondered.
My eyes narrowed, "We're getting close."
"Wait a minute," Gray eyed a piece of wreckage more closely and lightly gasped. "That's wreckage from a Fiore naval ship!"
"Okay, I'm officially creeped out now." Lucy announced.
"Water Dome." Juvia said, as she casted a spell over us. "This will protect us from whatever or whoever might try to notice us."
"Good work, Juvia." Gray praised the Water Mage. Juvia squealed with joy at her beloved Gray's praise.
We focused ahead. And I felt a bit of dread well up in the pit of my stomach. It was a small, rocky island with an awe-inspiring structure built in the center of it. It was a massive, dark-colored tower that had a twisted body and irregularly jutting sides, giving it a rather chaotic appearance.
The main body of the tower was comprised of intertwining lengths of large, metal tubes which shot straight up into the sky. The giant pipes were held together through a series of smaller tubes linked to the main sections as well as many different sized and shaped golden decorations. Around the main form of the structure was a twisted staircase that wound around the tower and led straight to a giant green sphere encased in crystal at the top.
"It's…the Tower of Heaven." Lucy realized.
"Nothing heavenly about that eyesore." I spat, glaring at the structure.
"You got that right." Natsu concurred. "That place looks creepy." Gray, Juvia, and Lucy nodded their heads in agreement.
"UGH…" Natsu collapsed to his hands and knees, his face turning a sickly green. "I can't take it." He moaned.
"Just hang on, Natsu. We'll be there soon." I assured the Dragon Slayer.
"That's it!" Gray shouted. "Next time we go somewhere we're knocking him out first."
Spotting a wooden dock off the rocky shore of the island, we made our way towards it. Ten minutes later, we docked and tied our boat off.
Here we go…once we go in…there's no turning back…
"Let's go get our friends back, guys!" I told my group, bringing up the Grail Glove for preparation for a battle.
(3rd POV)
At their Headquarters in the town of Era, the Magic Council had just earlier received information about the Tower of Heaven and the man in charge of it. A man named Jellal, who consequently happened to be Siegrain's twin brother. The nine council members were in a heated debate over what course of action should be taken against Jellal and the tower. However, they had been unable to come to an agreement.
"We must do something to stop Jellal!" Michello stated.
"We should gather information!" Leiji inputted.
"Dispatch the military!" Belno suggested.
Suddenly, Siegrain interrupted the other Councilors' bickering; his expression was now grave as a few trickles of sweat raced down his face.
"You ignorant fools!" Siegrain exclaimed.
Leiji turned to the blue haired Councilor in surprise and anger. "Siegrain!"
"How dare you..." Belno added.
Siegrain folded his arms over his chest. "Only fools would send in the military and risk the lives of hundreds of innocent soldiers. I'm telling you, it's far too dangerous!" He rebuked.
Org narrowed his left eye. "What do you propose we do?"
Siegrain lowered his head and closed his eyes. "This is a precarious situation..." He continued. "If we want to stop him, we'll have to completely destroy the Tower of Heaven... and there's only one way to do that..." The blue haired council member paused and opened his eyes for dramatic effect. "…Etherion."
Siegrain's proposal completely shocked the other eight Councilors, and they had every right to be. After all, what he was suggesting was insane. Etherion could cause destruction on a monumental scale.
"Are you insane?!" Org shouted.
"That's Cross-Dimensional Destruction magic!" Michello said crossly.
"We can't!" Belno disputed.
"Do you know how much devastation it would cause?!" Leiji shouted. "That weapon has the power to obliterate an entire nation!"
"Etherion is an absolute last resort! It is more dangerous than the R-System itself!" Belno mentioned.
"Just hear me out." Siegrain reasoned. "The Satellite Square can pinpoint a target anywhere in the region. If we focus it directly on the tower, we can cause less collateral damage, and destroy the structure."
Ultear raised her hand and declared, "I vote to fire."
Org turned to Ultear incredulously. "Not you too, have you gone mad?!"
"Three more in favor will give us the majority." Siegrain noted. "But we can't let deliberations delay us, time is of the essence! I urge you to vote with me. We cannot allow Jellal to activate the Tower of Heaven!"
Org turned to Siegrain. "But along with destroying the tower, an Etherion blast would no doubt kill your brother." He asserted.
Siegrain lowered his head. "...I realize that..." He replied grimly. "However...it's a sacrifice that must be made."
The giant green sphere structure at the top of the Tower of Heaven was known as the throne room. Inside, intricately designed pillars had been placed around the circumference of the circular-shaped room and many golden symbols were carved on the walls.
Sticking out from the center of the room was a large crystal lacrima with many shards jutting out from it. On the far side of the room, inside a small alcove, was a throne with a red eye-shaped symbol marked in a circle decorated on the wall behind it.
The room was rather dark and carried an eerie feel to it. Sitting on the throne was a man wearing a white collared shirt with a black trim, an onyx coat with a golden symbol emblazoned on the left side, and dark pants tucked inside laced boots. His hair was blue and on the right side of his face was a red tattoo; however, most of his facial features were shrouded in darkness via his coat's hood.
This was Jellal Fernandes, a demented wizard who was the ruler of the Tower of Heaven. Nothing went on inside the tower without him knowing about it.
Standing in front of Jellal was a mildly muscular man with extremely long black hair that reached far below his feet. He had two bangs that framed his face, both of which reached below his waist. He wore a white sleeved shirt with dark red trim, armbands, loose white pants, and shoes.
This was Vidaldus Taka, an attendant and intermediary for Jellal.
Vidaldus had just informed his master that Erza Scarlet had escaped her cell and knocked out Sho in the process. She was currently making her way up the tower, searching for Jellal.
In response, Jellal laughed maniacally; much to Vidaldus's confusion.
"Master Jellal...?" Vidaldus said.
Jellal ceased his laughing, though an ominous smile remained on his face. "Little Erza's grown into an amazing woman. I must say, I'm impressed." He confessed. "I can't wait to see how this all plays out. Will I prevail, or will it be her? We'll have a game that interweaves past and future. Life and death..."
(1st POV)
Tch, just my luck. The moment we get on the island, we encountered a bunch of nasty looking "guard dogs". They had small wings extending from their front two legs, large snouts full of sharp teeth, and spiked metal collars on their necks. That wasn't even counting the guards patrolling the tower either.
"They sure have a ton of lookouts." Gray noted dryly.
"Let's take 'em." Natsu suggested eagerly.
"Bad idea, Natsu," I reprimanded the pyromaniac. "We charge in there, we'll risk Erza and Happy getting hurt. We need to handle this carefully."
"Man. This is gonna be tricky." Gray commented.
I pulled out a particular card which depicted a skeleton-like person, dressed in black tattered clothing, their head wrapped by black cloth while holding two daggers. "Not when you're an Assassin."
"What will that do?" Lucy asked.
"Assassin Servants have a thing called Presence Concealment. It can hide my presence as if I never existed in the first place until the last moment." I explained.
"Think it might help us?" Gray pondered.
"Unfortunately, it only works for me. But, if I'm right, Juvia should be here right about-"
Suddenly, Juvia's head and chest popped out of the calm, ocean water on our right. "I found an underwater passageway into the tower." The rain woman informed me.
"Nice timing." I said with a grin then looked at my friends. "Alright, you guys head down that passageway. I'll sneak in and try to find Erza and Happy."
"I don't like this." Natsu frowned.
"Think of it as being a ninja, Natsu." I assured him. "After all, by sneaking in, you can cause as much damage as you want on the inside."
"Dang it, now I wanna be a ninja!" Natsu complained.
"Not with your attitude." I deadpanned.
"So how deep is it, Juvia?" Gray asked.
Juvia climbed out of the water and onto the rocky path. "It's a little far, but I'm confident we can swim there in ten minutes."
Natsu folded his arms over his chest in a confident manner. "We can hold our breath for that long, right?"
Gray shrugged. "Probably."
"That's not humanly possible you two dopes!" Lucy exclaimed angrily.
Juvia held out her hand and summoned a sphere of water. "In that case, I suggest you wear these. It's a water shell containing oxygen. This way you can breathe while underwater."
"Wow. You're awesome." Natsu praised the water mage. "But…who are you again?"
Juvia gasped and paled so badly in dismay that her whole body turned white for a second.
"Don't mind him. He's rather slow in the head." I assured her.
"I am not!" Natsu countered furiously. "I'll have you know that I can run real fast."
"He didn't mean that kind of slow, flame-brain." Gray deadpanned, annoyed.
"What'd you say!?" Flames ignited over Natsu's body due to his anger.
"Shut up!" I whispered harshly. "You'll alert the guards!"
Juvia placed water shells on Gray, Natsu, Ratha, and Lucy's heads.
"I'll see you guys inside." I told them.
"Be careful, alright?" Lucy told me, concern clearly evident in her eyes. Ratha growled softly, similarly concerned about me as I was his adoptive father.
"Hey, this is me you're talking to. I'm not a raging maniac like Gray or Natsu." I said with an amused grin. "I know how to be subtle." I then took the card and slotted it in the gauntlet. "Verto!"
INSTALL: ASSASSIN
A brief flash of crimson light then the memories came in.
Memories of a war from a Far Eastern land.
A clan of shinobi.
And the head ninja in charge of them all.
(3rd POV)
"Geez, why'd I have to get stuck watching this stupid post. It was George's turn anyway." A guard complained, staring out at the open ocean without a care in the world. "That bastard owes me a beer after this."
"Too bad you won't get to drink it." A voice whispered to his ear.
"Huh, who said-" The guard suddenly gurgles when a hand suddenly hits the back of his neck. Before the guard passed out, he was met with blood red hair and a single crimson eye that stared back at him.
The guard dropped unconscious, allowing his assailant to hide the body in a dark area away from prying eyes. Stepping out, they are revealed to be a young man with messy blood red hair that had the bangs covering his eyes, light skin, a thin yet muscular frame, and an intricate tattoo on his left bicep. He wore a grey sleeveless jonin top with red lines, grey hakama pants of the same color with red lines, crimson tasseled armor, a black obi belt, dark bandages wrapped around his hands and wrists like fingerless gloves, crimson armored shin guards, and open toed ninja shoes.
"Well, so far so good. I guess picking a ninja for my Assassin was a good call." Assassin commented as he looked at his palm. He looked up at the tower. "Right about now, Natsu and the others are making a ruckus inside, fighting some of the guards. Gives me plenty of time to sneak in."
His form flickered for a bit before he vanished into thin air as if he were never there in the first place.
Meanwhile, in the tower's throne room, Jellal and Vidaldus had been watching the smack-down that Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Juvia had delivered to the tower's guards via a magic circle. The former watched with intrigue whilst the latter looked on in slight disbelief. There was even a bit of amusement when Jellal caught little Ratha chewing on an unconscious guard's foot like a dog with a chew toy.
Vidaldus turned to Jellal, and inquired, "Master, why are you letting them into the tower?"
"As I said before, this is all one big game." Jellal responded smoothly. "They were lucky enough to clear the first stage, but they still have a ways to go. I'm just trying to make things interesting."
"But shouldn't we concentrate on the ceremony?" Vidaldus questioned. "It's only a matter of time before the Magic Council catches on to our plans."
"Now Vidaldus, how many times do I have to tell you not to worry about them." Jellal grinned darkly. "The Magic Council…only wishes they had the power to stop me."
"And that young man that uses the same magic as your subordinate?" Vidaldus questioned.
Jellal swiped his hand, the magic circle changing its view of Assassin, who was climbing the tower while taking out any lone guards that got in his way. "Even if he were to change forms, I already know how to counter them. He is no threat to me, especially since my own piece can utterly destroy him again."
(1st POV)
Huh, it's surprisingly easy breaking into this tower. I almost feel disappointed.
Now, if I remember correctly, I should be coming up on the dining room soon and-
*SLASH, SLASH*
I heard cries of pain coming from in front of me. Guess that must be Erza and-
"OUTTA MY WAY!"
*BONK!*
…
…
Ow…
Natsu, that idiot. He ran right into me. I'm gonna kick his ass for that!
For now, I'll do it later. In the meantime, we found Erza and that's only about half the mission done. So, with a struggle, I regained my balance and appeared behind the redhead. "Hey, Erza-"
*POW!*
"OW! Goddammit! What is with you guys always hitting me in the face?!" I exclaimed, holding my aching cheek after Erza decided to punch me.
"Huh? Who are-" Erza tried to say only for Lucy to come in and hug me.
"Chris, you're okay!" She cheered.
"Tell that to my cheek." I grumbled while patting Lucy's back, noting the new blue-green dress she wore. "Nice outfit by the way."
"Thanks," Lucy said while a faint dusting of pink appeared on her cheeks.
"You see Natsu?" Gray asked me.
"Yeah, the idiot ran right into me then kept going on. The jerk." I frowned, vowing to knock the Salamander out after everything was over.
"Well, let's go get him." Gray said, about to leave.
Without warning, Erza held out her sword to stop them, making Gray, Lucy, and Juvia jump back in fear. I, on the other hand, merely rolled my eyes.
"NO!" Erza said forcefully. "You don't have to worry about Happy. Millianna's a cat lover, she'd never do anything to hurt him." Erza then turned her back on the quartet. "I promise I'll bring them both back to the Guild with me, but you four need to leave immediately."
"Don't be ridiculous, let us help you!" Lucy argued.
"I don't want your help." Erza retorted strongly. "This is my problem; it doesn't involve you."
Gray took a step forward. "How can you say that?" He asked. "You saw Natsu. I'd say we're plenty involved."
I narrowed my eyes at Erza, who kept her back to us. So, I decided to give her a little push. "You know what this tower does, don't you? And you also know who the guy in charge is."
Erza didn't reply and remained silent.
Geez, this girl is stubborn. "Look, Erza, it's not my place to tell you if you want to explain your past. Lucy already filled me in that the people that attacked you were old friends of yours. But you need to realize that we're also your friends. No matter what, we'll always have your back just like you got ours." Man, I should get an Emmy for that speech.
Gray and Lucy both smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, he's right." Gray agreed.
Erza hunched over a bit, clutching her swords even tighter. "Leave!" She demanded again.
"C'mon!" Lucy whined.
"You're freaking me out 'cause this isn't like you at all." Gray noted; his voice filled with concern. "What happened to the woman who'd tell us to 'shut up and come along' whether we wanted to or not? We wanna stay and help you out. Master taught us that even the strongest warriors need a little backup every once in a while."
Erza turned around. Her lower lip was quivering and tears were streaming out of her left eye. Gray, Lucy, and Juvia gasped in shock. Erza Scarlet, the strongest woman in Fairy Tail, was crying?
But for me, I could only stare at the left eye that produces tears. The right eye had none. Even if it was a show, I'm here right now in reality and the implications of what Erza went through as a child…horrified me to the core.
"I'm sorry." Erza wiped her tears away and looked to the floor, crossing her arms over her chest. "But you can't help me now. The odds are stacked against me. Win or lose this battle, I'm staring death in the face."
The others were taken aback by this statement but I understood the meaning behind her words.
"What do you mean by that, Erza?" Gray asked, concerned.
Erza kept her eyes closed and clutched her right wrist guard. "There's no point in fighting what's inevitable. I can't." She paused as she looked at the four with a sad smile. "But what I can do is share my story with you…while I'm still here."
…I hate that. I hate having to hear Erza talk as if life were meaningless now and she had no choice but to…die.
"This building is the Tower of Heaven." Erza explained. "It's also called the R-System. Over a decade ago, a cult dedicated to Black Magic began its construction. Its purpose was to cast a forbidden spell that brings the dead back to life. The spell required multiple human sacrifices. So the cult abducted citizens of the surrounding areas and forced them to build the tower as their slaves."
Erza paused for a moment. "The only reason I know this is because I was one of those people."
I heard gasps of shock and horror while a seething anger filled my being. I never liked slavery even back in my world since half of my family line had suffered under such circumstances. Even America was trying to hide such a dark past from future generations.
"Anyone who dared to resist the cult or tried to escape the tower would mysteriously disappear. We never had any peace of mind. We lived in constant fear. But we bonded and made friends despite that…even though we knew we wouldn't be together long. One of my friends in the tower was a boy named…Jellal."
Erza went on to explain how her friends had attempted to escape, but were caught by the cult. As punishment, Erza was taken to be tortured and she had lost her right eye in the process, which had been replaced by an artificial one later on.
However, Jellal had come along to save her and told her that they would have to fight to get out. When Jellal and Erza were captured again, Erza was thrown back into a cell with her friends while Jellal was taken to be tortured in Erza's place.
While in her cell, something inside Erza had snapped. She had grabbed a weapon and amazingly knocked out the guards with extreme force, shocking her friends and cellmates. Erza stated that the cult would never let them go and that they would have to fight for their freedom. Immediately, the other prisoners had rallied around her.
Erza paused from her explanation. I knew this next part would trouble her greatly.
"So we took a stand for our freedom." Erza continued. "We hoped to save our dear friend Jellal. He was like the leader of our group back then. He had a strong sense of justice that I truly admired." She paused and glanced back at the group with narrowed eyes. "However…something happened to him. It's almost as if he became an entirely different person. There's only one way I can describe Jellal's new persona…pure, unadulterated evil."
Erza continued her story of how she and the other prisoners of the Tower of Heaven had risen against the cult. Things had seemed hopeful until magic soldiers appeared and began to take them down. Erza would have been killed if not for Grandpa Rob, an old wizard who happened to be from Fairy Tail and a role model for Erza, who took a magic blast for her.
Just before Rob passed on, he told her that true freedom lied in her heart. In her darkest moment, just after Rob had died, Erza had awakened her magic power and telekinetically used the weapons and tools scattered across the construction site to attack the cultists; much to everyone's shock.
From that moment on, everyone's determination and resolve had been restored, and they all continued to fight on. In the end, they had won. The Black Magic cult had been defeated.
But despite their victory against their oppressors, the Jellal they had all known had been lost. Erza described to them how drastically Jellal had changed. He had truly become evil.
Despite her best efforts to convince him to leave, Jellal stated that he and the others would stay behind to complete the tower so that they may resurrect Zeref. Jellal then gave Erza an ultimatum: he would let her go free, but if she ever told anyone about the Tower of Heaven, he would destroy the tower and all her friends.
After that, Erza had woken up on a beach shore alone. Though she was free from the tower, she had lost so much in the process.
When Erza was finished, she sniffled while tears raced out of her left eye. Even after hearing the story, I couldn't help but feel angered by Jellal's actions even if he did lose his mind because of the Tower. The others remained speechless. They couldn't believe something so horrible had happened to Erza.
"I have to fight Jellal." Erza declared weakly. "I have no choice. I have to do it."
Even after my transformation vanished into motes of light, I approached Erza and, with gentle care, wiped away the tears that spilled down her left cheek, surprising her. Her eyes gazed into mine in bewilderment.
I offered an assuring smile, "You're not alone, Erza. We're here for you. We will help you put this dark chapter of your history to a close."
"Chris…" She mumbled my name in what I believed to be awe. She looked down and spotted Ratha, who was nudging her leg with his head, almost in reassurance. "Ratha..." The little Rathalos released a purring croon, which almost got a giggle out of the redhead.
A moment of silence passed before Gray spoke up. "I don't know. Maybe it's just me, but for some reason the name Zeref does sound familiar."
"I'm sure." Erza replied. "He was a legendary Black Wizard."
"Wait a minute," said Lucy, "I remember someone saying that the monster that came out of the Lullaby flute was one of Zeref's demons."
"I never mentioned it, but I suspect that Deliora was one of the demons from the Book of Zeref as well." Erza replied.
I folded my arms, "Zeref sounds like a real piece of work to be making or controlling demons. What does Jellal get out of resurrecting this guy?"
Erza turned back to me. "I don't understand his motives either; however, my old friend Sho mentioned something to me about Zeref getting them to heaven and when that happens the world will be reborn and they will become its rulers."
"Well, we can't really have that happening." I shrugged.
Lucy touched her chin in thought. "Erza, something still confuses me about these people who claimed to be old friends of yours. Why are they accusing you of betrayal? Don't they realize that Jellal is the bad guy here?"
"There's no doubt that Jellal's been feeding them all sorts of lies since he banished Erza from the tower." I deduced.
"Exactly," Erza concurred. The requip mage then lowered her head in shame. "But that doesn't change the fact that I abandoned them long ago. In the end, I guess you could say that I did betray them."
"Because he threatened to kill them if you ever came back, you couldn't have saved them!" Lucy argued.
"None of that matters anymore." Erza countered. She was silent for another short moment. "If I can defeat Jellal, then this will all be over. Leave it to me, okay?"
That's something I can't let happen. Even if you refuse to believe it, you still care about Jellal, Erza. That will only hamper your judgment.
"Still, something is bugging me." I remarked, getting their attention. "The woman with the same power as me: Charlotte. It doesn't explain why she's a part of this."
"Maybe she's a mercenary. Power such as that would entice anyone." Juvia suggested.
"But it doesn't make sense as to why she has that kind of power." Lucy frowned. "Chris told us that only he had such power."
"I definitely didn't lie about that." I remarked. "But the only way I'll get answers is if I hear it straight from her own tongue."
Suddenly, before anyone could comment, Sho walked into the room while wearing an agitated frown. "Sister, that's not true. Why? Why are you lying to them?"
"Sho?" Erza said.
"You think by making yourself the martyr you're going to get sympathy from your friends? Tell them the truth!" Sho shouted angrily. "That's not how it happened and you know it! You blew up the boats we were going to use to escape, and then you left on your own. We would've wound up at the bottom of the sea if it hadn't been for Jellal. He saved us! He warned us not to trust wizards like you, the ones who hadn't learned to use their magic properly. He said that you had become drunk with magical power and that you didn't want anything to do with your past or the people you left behind!" Sho finished.
"Shut your mouth." I growled at the card mage, who looked at me in surprise. "Sho, did you ever think…that Jellal might be lying?"
"If you truly knew Erza you'd know that she'd never do something so horrible." Lucy added. Ratha snarled at the blonde youth, glaring at him with all the ferocity his kind are known for.
"You only think you know her." Sho disputed, tears beginning to fall from his eyes. "You weren't there back then. You don't know anything about us!"
He then turned his gaze on Erza. "After you left, Jellal's words were my only salvation. And that's why…I spent all these years working to finish the tower for him. I did it for his sake! Now you're trying to tell me it was all a lie?!" Sho paused as more tears raced down his face. "You really expect me to believe that's the truth and that Jellal's been lying to us this whole time?!"
"That's right." A male voice spoke out.
All of a sudden, a black haze materialized in front of the group as Simon appeared out from the darkness.
Gray clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes in fury at the large man, who had attacked him back at the casino. "Why you…" Gray took a step toward him, but was stopped by Juvia's outstretched arm.
"Wait, he doesn't pose a threat, my dear." Juvia stated calmly. "He never meant you any harm. At the resort, he knew he was attacking your ice decoy."
Gray arched a brow, confused. "But how?"
"Since it was he who cast the darkness spell, it had no effect on him." Juvia answered. "I came along in the hopes of discovering why he spared you."
"I'd expect no less from a former member of Phantom's Element 4." Simon responded.
"I don't understand." Sho voiced, gaining the group's attention once more.
"I had to fool you and the others into thinking I had killed him, but I had hoped our attack would lure them here." Simon clarified.
Sho clenched his teeth and looked away while closing his eyes. "So you were lying to me too? How could you do that to me?"
Simon stepped forward and laid a comforting hand on Sho's right shoulder. "I'm sorry." He said sincerely. "Jellal had you under his spell and I couldn't convince you otherwise. So I played along until the time was right."
"So…you knew all along?" Erza realized.
Simon turned around and looked at Erza softly. "I've always believed in you, Erza, and there's nothing that can change that."
Erza gazed up at her old childhood friend and smiled warmly. Simon then took her right hand and held it gently. "I mean those words from the bottom of my heart."
"Simon," Was all Erza could say as she embraced him tightly.
I couldn't help the smile forming as I watched the tender scene. It felt nice to see old friends reunite in far better terms than what happened before.
"I never knew." Sho had fallen to his knees with his eyes clenched closed and his teeth gritted together. "I can't believe I blindly followed him all these years. I doubted you." He then opened his eyes, more tears pouring out of them. "Cause you left me all alone. You have no idea how much that hurt!"
Sho hunched over and slammed his clenched fist on the floor, and finally broke down into a sobbing fit. "I don't know what to do! I don't know which one of you to believe in anymore!" He cried.
The team looked on with melancholic expressions at the crying wizard. They couldn't imagine how rough it was for Sho after Erza had been expelled from the tower all those years ago.
Erza stepped toward him and kneeled in front of him. "I know this must be hard, taking all this in at once. But Sho…there's something that you need to know. Though it's been many years, I have never once forgotten about any of you." Erza declared.
Sho ceased his crying at his 'sister's' words. Erza pulled Sho to her and hugged him gently. "I'm sorry I couldn't stand up to him, but I was so weak back then. Please forgive me."
"Now you're stronger and ready to face him." Simon stated. "Isn't that right?"
Erza simply nodded in response.
Simon turned to look at me and the others. "I've waited all these years for this moment. A group of powerful wizards would gather here."
"So, what do you have planned?" I asked.
"We're going to take down Jellal." Simon responded strongly. "We can do it if we work together."
Yep, definitely sounds like something from Fairy Tail.
"Before that, Simon." I interjected. "Tell me what you know about Charlotte."
"Charlotte? Oh, yes," Simon rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I…suppose you are still angry about her nearly…killing you."
"That, and I need to know how she came to work with you guys." I added.
Simon closed his lone eye, "It must've been six months since we first met. She seemed lost, confused. When we found her, she had this nifty magic that intrigued Jellal. He wanted her as a subordinate and…she accepted."
"So she'll likely feel like she owes Jellal for giving her a purpose then." I theorized before feeling a nudge on my leg. Looking down, I caught the sight of Ratha staring up at me. When I looked into his eyes, it was like he was conveying a message to me. One that only I could understand. And I read that message perfectly clear.
"In the meantime," Simon started. "We must keep Salamander and Wally from clashing."
"Leave that to me. I can track him down faster on my own." I told the taller man.
"What do you mean?" He inquired.
I smirked then pulled out a Class Card. "Oh, let's just say, I have a particular form that's got a nose for danger."
(3rd POV)
Back at Era…
The Magic Council was still debating on whether or not to fire the Etherion Cannon. Most of them were still unsure as to if there were any other alternatives to the problem at hand.
"The time for action is now!" Siegrain proclaimed. "We must use the Satellite Square to fire an Etherion blast directly at the tower!"
"The R-System is forbidden magic that we cannot allow to become part of our recorded history; therefore it has to be destroyed." Ultear added. "Why can't you see that?"
"Etherion would obliterate everything in its path, including any innocent civilians within the tower!" Org argued.
"Not to mention your own brother's life is at stake!" Michello disputed. "If you fire the Etherion, he's sure to die! Would you be able to live with that guilt?"
"If it's for the greater good..." Siegrain claimed.
"Although lives of innocent civilians will be lost, we must stop him." Leiji lowered his head. "It's a sacrifice that must be made now..."
Org turned to Leiji incredulously. "How could you say that?! Can you imagine how we'd be vilified if we attack Caelum without warning? We'd go down in history as mass murderers!"
Belno closed her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. "I will sacrifice my reputation in order to save countless lives..."
Org looked at Belno in disbelief. "You can't be serious!"
"Think of how the R-System will affect future generations." Leiji asserted. "How can we teach our children the value of life if the dead can be resurrected?"
"We have to put an end to this." Belno raised her hand. "I would like to vote in favor of an Etherion attack."
"...We need one more..." Siegrain murmured.
In the Tower of Heaven's throne room, Jellal sat at his throne, grinning forebodingly.
"Just a single vote..." Jellal rested his chin on his right hand. "That's all it will take, and then... it's game over..."
The evil, blue haired mage chuckled ominously as his mysterious plan began to unfold.
Meanwhile, in another section of the tower, Natsu was running down a long corridor with a full head of steam. When the pyromaniac spotted an open door on his right, he came to a halt and took a peek inside. Needless to say, he was a bit dumbfounded by what he saw.
The entire room was cat-based. The furniture, the wallpaper, the tiled floor, stuffed animals, and various items were all feline-themed.
"Geez, what's with this place?" Natsu wondered. "There are cats everywhere!"
Natsu walked in and looked around the room. His eyes widened as a bright smile grew on his face when he spotted one object in particular. Lying on a white dresser was a giant, rounded cat helmet. It was primarily mint green with three maroon markings on its face and a pink heart in the center of the forehead.
"Ooh! I like that giant kitty head!" Natsu shouted exuberantly.
He went over to it and picked it up. "Oh, it's some kind of mask!" In his excitement, Natsu placed the green cat helmet on his head.
Natsu began to take a few fighting poses. "Alright, let's go Happy!" He took on another stance. "Aye, sir! Ha-ha…ah, I'd make a good cat."
Natsu chuckled as he tried to pull the mask off; however, he discovered that it wouldn't come off. The fire wizard put more strength into his arms to remove the helmet, but was met with negative results.
"NNNOOOO!" Natsu yelled.
Realizing he couldn't get it off, Natsu slumped his shoulders in defeat. "Man. It's stuck on my giant noggin. What am I gonna do?" He asked no one. After a short moment, the Dragon Slayer perked back up, his positive attitude returning. "Oh well. It looks cool, so who cares?"
Meanwhile, standing by the door, a man whose body seemed to be comprised of blocks leaned against the door frame. He wore a royal blue suit and black, oval-shaped glasses. His right arm was transformed into a gray rifle with a black scope on top.
Wally tipped his hat and smiled roguishly while holding up his Polygon Rifle. "Well, ain't that dandy?" He remarked.
In a completely isolated chamber, a lone figure awaited their opponent, surrounded by walls of glowing blue crystal.
Charlotte opened her eyes, glaring into the distance while a familiar silver gauntlet on her left arm began to glow faintly.
"He is here. My opponent…my enemy…" She whispered.
A/N: And there's a good stopping point for this chapter.
The march of the Tower of Heaven begins now! How shall our heroes deal with not only Jellal's minions but also Charlotte?
In the meantime, this story is making good progress. Not only in views but also in followers.
Now, just to inform you guys, I will be making periodic checks on every OC submission list of Servants. If there are any with the same Servant in the same Class, I'll tell you and you will have to change it. Other than that, look forward to the next chapter.
Review and comment on this story. Love it, hate it, but just know that you've read it.
Peace out, everyone!