Quiet, it was too quiet. That was Laxus' first impression as he clawed his way back to consciousness, aware that every part of his body hurt. As he drew in a ragged breath, he felt the fire start in his throat, and with it came the memory of claws on his throat, tightening, choking him. They weren't there now, which meant… Freed. Pushing through the pain, he bolted upright with a groan and came up short at the devastation that met his eyes, as he looked around. He was in a deep gouge that had been cut into the earth itself, and beyond him lay the ruined remains of the island, creature, whatever the hell they had been on, the rocky legs crumbled from the collision with the ground, leaving Laxus unable to see beyond the immediate devastation. More importantly, he couldn't see the others, and there was a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach when he realised that Freed could have slipped through their fingers.

What the hell happened? And where the hell is Freed? He thought lifting a hand to his head which was throbbing in time with each painful breath, grimacing when his fingers came away with blood. He remembered the radiant light, and something slamming into the ground and then falling, but nothing afterwards, although that probably had something to with his headache. Although looking around at the destruction, he wasn't sure that it was a bad thing that he didn't remember the landing.

"What the hell happened?" A loud voice demanded, echoing his thoughts and exacerbating his pounding head, and he tilted his head to see Evergreen extracting herself from a pile of rubble, rumpled and filthy, one lens of her glasses cracked beyond recognition.

"Ever," he called, wincing slightly but pushing through as he staggered to his feet. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, where is…?"

The Demon burst out of the rubble behind her, Evergreen crying out as shadowy claws raked her shoulder as she was a second too slow to dodge out of the way, and then Freed was on her, his face twisted in a snarl as the darkness around him deepened. Laxus was moving, lightning gathering around his hands, but it wasn't going to be enough. He was too far, and the Demon wasn't playing around. Evergreen whirled, narrowly avoiding a second swipe, her hands moving frantically as the gold glittered in the air between them. "I'm sorry, Freed," she whispered, so softly that Laxus almost missed it and then explosions ripped through the air between them as she sprang back. Stumbling as her foot caught on a rock and landing on her bum, eyes locked on where the dust and smoke were beginning to clear, to reveal the Demon nearly untouched and grinning. Eyes alight as it met her gaze and lunged once more.

"Ever!" Laxus roared.

Green light slammed into the Demon, knocking it off balance mid-leap, Bickslow's dolls hollering shrill war cries as they collided with the Demon over and over, pushing him back and away from Evergreen. Laxus spared a glance for the Skeith Mage who had appeared on top of the rubble above them, before focusing on Ever who was seizing the chance to scramble to her feet and put a little more distance between herself and the Demon just as demonic script wrapped itself around three of the dolls, flaring brightly. When the light had cleared, there was nothing but ash left, and Laxus heard Bickslow's pained noise at the loss. So the Demon, dark eyes flicking up to Bickslow, as its grin grew and Laxus stepped forward, unleashing his lightning in all its force on Freed and murmuring his own apology as he did so.

Runes shimmered to life, deflecting the worst of the lightning and Laxus felt a thrill of alarm as the Demon brushed aside the rest of the attack as though it was nothing. It barely looked at him, still focused on Bickslow and as its muscles tensed, preparing to attack he stepped forward.

"FREED!" Dark eyes met his, and the Demon smirked, before lunging towards Bickslow. Laxus was prepared, having moved a split second faster, using his magic to propel him forward, and he collided with the Demon mid-air and ignoring the claws that found purchase in his skin, he wrapped his arms around him. It was nothing like holding Freed who despite his protests to the contrary when they were around others, liked being held close, and would always melt into Laxus' grip when he held him like this. Not today. Today it was like trying to hold onto a wildcat, one that hissed and snarled and clawed, even as darkness wrapped itself around both, cutting him off from the other two and the rest of the world.

They hit the ground hard, and Laxus had to swallow back the urge to vomit as his head swam from the impact, refusing to loosen his grip even as they rolled across the ground. He was bleeding profusely by now, as the Demon realising that he wasn't going to let go without a fight turned it's attention to inflicting as much damage as possible. "You're not going to get him back," it growled in his ear during a brief lull in the tussling, both of them breathing heavily by that point, and Laxus could hear the triumph and amusement in its voice, and his own temper boiled over. Freed, hold on, he thought as he let lightning crackle around his entire body, dozens upon dozens of tiny bolts lashing against the Demon.

This time he was rewarded by a pained noise from the Demon, and he bared his teeth at it. "Yes, I am." I just don't know how long for, he thought but didn't say, but knew that he didn't need to because the brief flicker of frustration that had greeted his words twisted into a smirk as they rolled to a halt still caught in the middle of Laxus' storm, the Demon on top of him. So close, that he could see every detail of Freed's face illuminated by his magic, so familiar and yet so changed, and he ached to reach out and touch him, to comfort Freed, to promise him again and again that they would get him back until it became a reality. But it wasn't Freed who was looking back at him, but the Demon, its amusement giving away to the rage of earlier and then it was leaning in, and Laxus felt the claws biting more deeply into his arms now.

"Not, if he kills you first…" Laxus stiffened at the distinction, knowing that it was more than a taunt, that Freed would see it that way. But he had no time to argue or to even attempt to find the words to tell Freed that no matter what happened it wasn't his fault because the storm had changed and too late he realised that he was no longer in control as the world around him turned red. Strings of the corrupted runes running through the centre of the lightning as it now changed course and lashed against him, a vivid, unnatural crimson and Laxus wasn't aware of letting go of Freed, as he jolted and twisted under the force of the corrupted storm. His back arching off the ground, as something deep inside his body resonated with the magic, pulling and tugging until it felt as though he would come apart inside and out.

Freed, please…

Let me go…

It had taken everything Freed had and hadn't known he had left, to force those words out past the Demon's control. His terror at the feel of Laxus' throat convulsing beneath his grip, at feeling his partner's struggles beginning to fade, giving him a desperate strength to push through the cage walls. It had hurt, more than he had ever thought possible, the Demon and his own body fighting against him at that moment, and if he'd had any doubt about the Demon's claims about his body, they were gone now, because the moment he had touched it, everything had recoiled. For a moment, all he could feel and smell were death and decay. But he'd managed to speak, to plead with Laxus one last time.

It hadn't been enough.

His control hadn't even lasted a second, and the Demon had been incandescent with rage at his defiance, and the retaliation as they'd fallen had pushed Freed to the very edge, and he was slipping. Barely aware of anything, as they'd landed on the ground, Tartaros' base collapsing around then, and unable to do anything but watch as the Demon stalked the others, quickly locating them amongst the rubble. Not even the spark of terror that had shot through him when they'd found Laxus, sprawled unconscious in the crater left by the crash had been enough to rouse him. Part of him wondered if that was what had saved the Dragon-slayer, because the Demon for all that it wanted to be free of any anchor Freed might have to his life, to his humanity, wanted an audience. There was no pleasure to be derived while Laxus was unconscious and Freed…

…Freed was fading.

The world was coming to him in a dizzying flickering display of shapes of colours, muted and distorted, as though he was a million miles away. Perhaps he was, he wasn't sure anymore. He could still feel his body moving, and the Demon's mingled glee and fury as it attacked Laxus and the others, his cheeks damp with tears that he didn't even have the energy to let fall anymore as he heard Evergreen cry out in pain…or was that fear... he wasn't sure, because one moment she was there, and the next he was looking up at Bickslow, and his heart twisted in his chest as he saw the pain in his friend's face. What happened? What did I do? Even as his fear and guilt spiked, the world remained as out of focus as ever, and he must have lost track again, or maybe he had already been lagging, because the next thing he was aware of was darkness pressing in on them from all sides and Laxus' arms wrapped around them.

Laxus…

He would have recognised the Dragon-slayer's touch anywhere. And even as lightning lashed against him, sending pain radiating through his body, the Demon directing it to him with malicious delight, he could tell that Laxus was still fighting for him. He was holding onto him, not letting him escape…not letting him go after the others…but not letting him go.

Laxus, please…

They were so close, and yet he couldn't hear the Dragon-slayer, couldn't make out the expression on his face, the emotions in his eyes – and he had always loved Laxus' eyes because they betrayed far more of what his partner was thinking and feeling than the other man would ever say in words. Laxus… All he had was the arms around him, the grip bordering on bruising, even though he knew that his own – or rather the Demon's- was worse, could feel skin break beneath his claws. But Laxus'…Laxus' still held a lingering gentleness, and Freed wanted to scream then because he knew that some part of the Dragon-slayer still believed that there was a way back from this, that he could still save him.

Laxus, you can't…

He needed to stop this because the Demon was angry again, its rage focused on Laxus and Freed realised that he could feel the storm around them shifting, changing, morphing into something dark and dangerous and corrupted. No. He might as well have been stood out under a natural storm, pleading with Laxus to hear his voice over the distance when the Dragon-slayer had been exiled for all the response he got. Now he could feel Laxus writhing beneath him, his grip disappearing and then Laxus' grip disappeared, and he heard him crying out as he arched beneath him.

Laxus!

Freed was drained, defeated, there was no way he could force out a single word this time, let alone hope to seize control even for a second.

But there was one thing he could do…

Willing everything he had left, the pathetic remnants of what he had been, his hope that Laxus and the others would come for him, his fear, his love for the man beneath him, he brought the work into painful clarity for a second. Laxus' face was twisted with pain, but there was still a determined set to his jaw and Freed could feel the Dragon-slayer starting to gather his magic again, pushing back against the storm. Still fighting for him, and Freed drank in the sight of him, wishing that Laxus could know that he was there, that for a second at least he was aware and looking back at him.

That he could say goodbye properly, and not a whisper in the prison of his own mind.

I'm sorry Laxus, this is the only thing I have left…

… you don't have to fight for me anymore…

…I love you.

And Freed let himself fall over the edge; into the oblivion that the Demon had been pushing him towards from the very beginning.