(Authors notes!)
Hey sorry this chapter is a little shorter than normal but I wanted to make it part of my last chapter but I didn't want to delay it any longer also I didn't want it to drag on, but nevertheless I hope you enjoy this half chapter.
As always Read, Rate and Review :)
Chapter 18.5
"GAAAAAAHHHHHAAAHAHH!" Mason roared in pain once more. 'Damn it! This is pissing me off! I HATE THIS!' Mason struggled once more and the tree he was pinned to began to shake. "I Hate this!"
" What the?" Percival's eyes widened as Mason continued shaking the tree as streams of magic power began pouring into him from around the forest. "Crap! No more playing around, this one's going into your heart!" Percival pulled out another knife and began driving it forward. "So long kid! Enjoy the afterlife!"
"I HATE THIS!" Mason screamed before his body exploded in a flash of purple light that knocked Percival onto his back.
"Ugh, what the hell was that?" Percival groaned as he rubbed his head with his hand, before he looked up and his eyes widened in shock. WHOOSH! CRASH! The tree Mason had been chained to, soared through the air before crashing down a few meters behind Percival. "Wh-What the hell are you!" Percival asked as a dark shadow was cast over his face before it was illuminated by a faint purple glow.
BROOOSHH! A massive purple energy dome exploded in the forest that could be scene above the trees and for miles around before it disappeared leaving nothing but a crater with a shocked Percival lying at the bottom covered in bruises, scratches and burn marks. "M-M-M-Monster….."
(Later, with Cobra)
'I followed Jellal to a cave deep in the forest and I think he's found it. Nirvana, but it seems he's lost his memory. Titania is here too so I need to be careful to make sure they don't realize I'm here.' Cobra thought as he watched an altercation between Erza and Jellal unfold in front of massive pillar of white light when his ears began to twitch at the sound of leaves crunching from outside the cave. 'Someone's coming. I can't have Titania receive reinforcements from the wizard saint, the Dragon Slayers or the Ice Mages who took down Racer, I need to stop whoever it is.'
Cobra exited the cave to face the intruder. "Hey, I can hear you! Might as well come out in face me!" Erik called out into the shadowy forest, as two red light peered back at him.
RUSTLE! RUSTLE! Mason pushed through the bush and into the small clearing, but he looked different. Dark grey scales covered his hands and forearms but began thinning as they traveled up his arms, his face too more specifically his cheeks from his chin to his eyes were covered in dark grey scales. "Outta my way Erik, he's in there… I can feel him.." Mason's eyes narrowed as he spoke in a vicious tone.
"Dude what's up with your skin, you really need to moisturize." Cobra joked. "If you're after Jellal then just wait till Brain gets here, wants he gets what he wants you and Jellal can kill each other for all I care."
"I WON'T wait!" Mason growled. "Last chance Erik, get out of the way or I'll stomp you into dust."
"Wow, listen to that temper. You don't normally come across as the type of guy to make violent threats, but that sounded genuine. You must really hate that guy." Erik smirked. " Unfortunately I can't let you get past me and I don't plan on being dust. Cubellios!" Cobra called out and the massive magenta viper bursted from the tree line, its fangs pointed at Mason.
Mason simply looked over and glared at the pouncing snake and making it hesitate before Mason vanished from sight. "VANISHING FIST!" Mason appeared to the side of Cubellios and drove his fist into the snakes jaw knocking it into the forest, before disappearing again.
"NO CUBELLIOS!" Cobra cried out as his beloved pet went flying deep into the forest before Mason appeared directly in front of him "What the hell! I couldn't even hear him move!"
"PHANTOM DRAGON VANISHING FIST!" Mason drove his fist deep into Cobra's stomach before the blows impact knocked Cobra into the large rock behind him.
"AAHHH!" Cobra cried out in pain as he fell off the rock, landing on his knees. "What the hell happened to you? You were nowhere near this strong before!"
"You're a Dragon Slayer too right? So you outta know what this power is. It's proof that my anger is justified, my fury has gifted me the power to destroy Jellal and all my enemies!" Mason declared with gusto. "This is the pinnacle of Dragon Slayer Magic, the legendary Dragon Force!" A small energy ball appeared in Mason's palm. "Now for your final warning! Get outta my way!" Mason opened his hand and let fly a barrage of energy blasts that pelted Cobra.
"AAAHH!" Cobra cried out as he tried to shield himself with his arm but there were too many energy pellets to block. "Grrr! I've never heard of a Dragon Force, but I don't care how legendary your power is supposed to be! You won't get in our way!" Cobra placed his fingers in front of his mouth and inhaled. "POISON DRAGON ROAR!" A mouthful of venomous magic flew from cobra's mouth at Mason.
Mason vanished once more before Cobra's attack could land. He appeared again to Erik's left with a raised hand. "Then when you get to hell, tell'em I'm not done yet" Mason growled as his palm began to glow. "PHANTOM DRAGON SHOT!" The energy ball formed in Mason's hand but before he could fire it point blank he quickly moved his hand out of the way letting his attack go harmlessly into the sky. "What the hell am I doing?" Mason asked himself as his dark grey scales disappeared from his skin. "I'm not so dedicated to my own revenge that I would take another life just to get it, am I?"
"Hah! You Idiot, now that you don't have you're magic scales you don't stand a HUH!" Mason interrupted Cobra with a knee to the stomach.
"Alright, now that I've calmed down a bit time to have a…. Chat with my old friend." Mason said as he entered the mouth of the cave. "Woah, the negative energy in here makes the forest feel like a church. It's like evil is seeping through the walls." Mason demonstrated by placing his hand on the stoney wall and causing purple magic sparks to go off around his hand. "Crazy…"
"JELLAL!" A familiar voice echoed through the cave.
"Erza?" Mason immediately recognized his friends voice and took off through the cave, following her voice. "Woah…." He entered a large open room and at the center was a massive pillar of white light that was decorated by a complex magic rune, but he couldn't find his comrade. "Erza, where are you?!"
"Mason?" Erza called back, but Mason still couldn't locate her. "We're down here!" Erza cried out and Mason finally saw her hand holding onto the ledge of a cliff so he ran up and grabbed it.
"Gotcha." Mason pulled Erza up onto stable ground then, even if begrudgingly so, he helped Jellal to his feet as well.
"Thank you." Jellal said as he collected himself.
"Shut up!" SMACK! Mason slapped Jellal across the cave floor. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you! After all you've done! After all I let you do!" Mason walked over and grabbed Jellal by the shirt and lifted him into the air. "After all the crap you've pulled, all the lives you've ruined!"
"Mason stop! He's lost his memory!" Erza called out. "He doesn't know about the tower."
"Really?" Mason looked into Jellal's eyes and saw the fear and vulnerability that was absent in the old Jellal. "Do you know who I am?"
"No…" Jellal muttered. "All I remember is the name Erza, everything else is blank.." Mason could tell he wasn't lying.
"Damn it!" Mason tossed the blue haired boy to the ground. "This whole thing is pissing me off." Mason mumbled to himself before turning back to Jellal. "Ignorance of your crimes doesn't excuse them, but it's not my place to be your judge. Trust me that will come in time, but we have more pressing matters at hand." Mason turned his attention to the white light. "Nirvana…. How do we stop it?"
"You don't!" Brain called out from behind Mason and the others, he followed by a revived Cobra marched forwards. "Even a destruction charm like this is nothing." Brain waved his arm and the rune disintegrated. "Now did I hear correctly that Jellal lost his memory?" Brain didn't receive an answer but he pieced things together himself. "Well then I have no use for him anymore." Brain pointed his staff at the blue haired boy and fired a blast of green magic.
"Get down!" Mason called out as he pushed Jellal out of the way and took the attack himself. BAM! "WAAHH!" The blast knocked Mason into the air and sent him flying into the pillar of light.
"MASON!" Erza cried out as her friend disappeared into the waves of magic.
(With Mason)
"Uhhhh…" Mason rubbed his head as he regained consciousness, he opened his eyes to find himself sitting in a completely white boy. "Wow…. Am I dead." Mason stood up and pinched his elbow. "Ow, I don't think being dead works that way." Mason looked around the white as a humanoid shadow appear behind him.
"Are you serious?..." A familiar voice called out in a disappointed tone shocking Mason, causing him to jump and turn around.
"No way…" His eyes went wide. "Simon?" A pale blue Simon came into view, he wasn't wearing his helmet so you could clearly make out the disdain in his face.
"After all he's done, all the countless lives he ruined! Not only do you take a bullet for that monster, but you've left him out there in the world with Erza!" Simon roared. "I knew you liked bad jokes and had trouble taking things seriously but I always had faith that when push came to shove you could do what was right, looks like that faith was misplaced."
"Wait a second, are you Simon? Actually asking me to kill a man? Cause that sure as hell doesn't sound like Simon." Mason argued back.
"Well excuse me if being murdered has changed my tune!" Simon cried back with a wave of his fist. "I didn't want to die in that tower! I wanted to see the world, start a family! I loved Erza! But because of that Demon you pulled from the edge of a cliff I will never get to see her again!... But I'm not the only one who's disappointed in you." Simon took a step back and hundreds of faded blue people appeared in his stead. Men and women alike ranging from children to the elderly.
"Who are these people?" Mason said as the ghosts started to circle him.
"These are just a few of the souls lost to Jellal's fury!" Simon's voice echoed throughout the void. "Be it heroes who rose to oppose him, sacrifices to his tower, or just victims of his blood lust! You were never the brightest, but this arithmetic should be simple even for the likes of you. What are hundreds of innocent souls compared to a single rotten one? Do you still think that scum deserves to live another second on this earth!"
The souls began to swirl around Mason, at speeds fast enough to whip up a whirlwind. "It's not my place to take his life, he should face justice! Besides he's lost his memory, he'd ignorant to his crimes!" Mason cried as he looked around for Simon's ghost.
"Justice? What justice?!" Simon's voice continued. "You'll have him sit in a prison cell until he chooses to escape, meanwhile his victims continue to sit in their graves unavenged for eternity! What about our justice! Even if it's true that he doesn't remember the atrocities he's committed! His amnesia doesn't bring me any closer to seeing Erza again! You've always been soft on him! You and Erza! Blind to the monster right in front of you, always hopeful that the leopard changes his spots! He was my friend back all those years ago too! But unlike you and Erza I stayed in the tower and watched every ounce of humanity slip away from him! I saw him become what he is, the person you refuse to believe exists!" Simon appeared again less than an inch from Mason's face. "If you hadn't hesitated in the tower! If you had done what was right then, I would still be alive! The Etherion would never have been fired! The council would still exist! All of that is because you failed to act! Rather than believing a psychopath can redeem himself, you should think of your own redemption!"
Mason paused a moment, he was speechless. He thought about how he hesitated in the tower of heaven and what had transpired because of it and tears began to well up in his eyes. "Oh god…" Mason dropped to his knees. "What can I do?… How do I make things right?..."
"There's only one thing you can do, you must destroy him. Destroy Jellal!' Simon said with a boom in his voice.
"Destroy Jella! Destroy Jellal!" The swirling crowd of ghosts chanted as Simon joined the spiral. "Destroy Jellal! Destroy Jellal! Destroy Jellal!" The swarm converged to form massive one ball of white that began funneling itself into a Mason's mouth.
Mason's body erupted with a powerful white aura, as the skin of his hands transformed once more into dark grey scales that continued up his arms and the sides of his face, but this transformation was different from before as bones erupted from his back like skeletal bat wings but each one about seven feet in length from the tip to the base. "AAHHH!" Mason roared as his transformation finished before everything went white.
(Later)
Mason sat up and he was out of the white void, and was sitting on the ground in what appeared to be the middle of a ruined city. "Where am I?" Mason asked as he pushed himself off the ground, but when he stood up fully his face went green. "We're moving?" Mason fished into his pocket where he pulled out Ichiya's parfum jar and took a whiff of the soothing smells. "That's better."
Mason looked down at his scaly hands, before lifting one up and clenching his fist. Mason created a ball of magic energy but rather than it being purple it was white with black sparks. "This power…" Mason muttered before his pupils shrank and a darkness came over them. He pointed his hand at one of the ruined houses and with a single blast of the white magic he obliterated the entire building. "With this power, I should have no trouble completing my mission. I'll use this magic to destroy Jellal and anyone who gets in my way!"
(End)
