Hi everyone. Thank you again for your patience. We are nearing the climax to the Devil Hand arc of Fairy Tail as we see not only Wendy and Erza take on Leviatha, but also Elfman's struggle against Beelzebub to rescue Mira. So without further delay, let us continue.
Sins Born of Sorrow
"Beast Arm Iron Bull!" Elfman's right arm transformed into a large metallic fist, which he threw at Beelzebub's Wendigo form, but the large and terrifying creature, caught the fist in its bone hand with little effort before lifting Elfman and tossing him to the other side of the room.
Elfman barley had time to recover as he rolled out of the way from the chomp of the Wendigo's large mouth as its head broke through the wall, before Beelzebub pulled his face out with a large mound of rocks and rubble in his mouth before he bit down and chew. Despite the overwhelming size and arms that were literally nothing but bone, the Wendigo take over was both fast and strong. Elfman was having a hard time.
Mira struggled hard to escape her bindings; so much so that the rope around her wrists was starting to chafe a bit into her skin. It hurt, but she didn't care. She had to escape and help her brother.
"Just what the hell kind of Take Over is that?!" Elfman questioned as he leaped into the air to avoid another chomp from the Wendigo. "I ain't seen anything like it! How can something so big and skinny move so fast and be so strong!" As he was in the air, Elfman swung his Iron-Bull arm to shatter the top of one of the large pillars in the chamber before it toppled down onto the Wendigo, but Beelzebub caught it with little effort before shoving it away.
"I told you before, my Take Over isn't like yours or your sisters'." Beelzebub said. "The sin I represent is Gluttony, and my Wendio Soul fits that description almost perfectly."
He lunged at Elfman once more who jumped back to avoid another chomp as Beelzebub continued.
"The Wendigo is an ancient creature that consumes everything in its path without hesitation. Therefore, I cannot stop until it is satisfied. But that's the irony." The Wendigo was able to grab Elfman with both its hands as he attempted to jump back before pinning him to the wall. "The Wendigo is never satisfied!"
Mira continued to look in fear and helplessness as Beelzebub's Wendigo form had her younger brother pinned, but she could also make out some anger and frustration in his voice. As if he hated to act like this.
The Wendio was about to chomp down on Elfman, but his whole body began to glow and grow in size. Up to the point that the Wendigo was forced to let go and back away.
"Take Over: Beast Soul!" Elfman had achieved his full-body take over before rushing and punching Beelzebub across his face, knocking the Wendigo back. Elfman followed through with many more punches across Beelzebub's body, staggering the more feared Take Over transformation back a bit before Elfman rammed his shoulder to slammed Beelzebub into the wall, shaking the chamber. Before he could get up, Elfman grabbed the Wendigo by the shoulders to try and drive him deeper into the wall.
"Listen kid." Elfman said. "If you're a real man, you'll stop all this! I'm gonna give you one chance to back off! Help me get my sister out of here, and we'll both walk away from this!"
"I don't have a choice." Beelzebub said with a scowl on his face.
"There's always a choice! You don't have to do what Vergil and Arkham tell you!" Elfman told him as he kept pressing on him.
"That's not what I meant." Beelzebub grabbed Elfman's arms and used his own strength to push himself up. "I don't do what they tell me, I do what the Wendigo commands! I told you that I was cursed!"
Before Elfman could even think of a response, he felt a strong, cold, sensation on his wrists where the Wendigo was grabbing him. In just a few seconds, the cold was so great it felt like his wrists were burning, Elfman screamed in pain at the sensation. Mira looked in horror as she saw this. Not only did the Wendigo appear to be as strong as Elfman's Beast Soul, but just touching him was painful?
"Wha… what the hell…?!" Elfman stuttered as a steam-like vapor rose from the Wendigo's grip over his wrists, his arms were already beginning to turn blue from lack of body heat.
"The Wendigo consumes all, not just flesh." Beelzebub explained. "It dwells in the most cold of places, because it consumes all the heat and life in the air. And even now, just by touching you, it consumes your own body heat and sucks it up. It's so cold that it burns!"
Elfman continued to yell in pain as he tried to free himself from this icy grip, but the Wendigo wouldn't budge.
"Of course, this is the least of your worries. I'm sorry, but I can't contain my hunger anymore." The Wendio bit down on Elfman's shoulder, causing him to scream in absolute agony as the monster sunk its teeth into Elfman's flesh.
"ELFMMM!" Mira screamed through her gag as she struggled hard to escape her bindings. She pulled on her wrists as hard as she could, she could already feel some blood coming down from the tension, but she had to get out and help her brother right now!
"Get off of me!" Elfman head-butted Beelzebub, causing him to let go. His Beast-Soul form stumbled back a bit as most of his arms were blue, while his wrists appeared to be a dark purple, his hands having lost all feeling as it felt like his nerves were completely frozen. He couldn't even use them to cover the wound on his shoulder that had a great amount of blood pouring out of it. But his reprieve only lasted a few seconds before Beelzebub tackled into him and held him to the ground where he bit down on Elfman's side, causing him to scream once more.
"I'm sorry… I'll try not to eat your sister to." Beelzebub said with a hint of sorrow in his voice. "But you are my next meal… I'll try to make it quick."
Mira pulled on her wrists so hard, finally the rope snapped and she was able to pull her hands free. No time to untie herself, Mire quickly used one hand to pry off her anti-magic collar from her neck, and her other to pull off her gag.
"Take Over: Satan Soul!"
A bright flash of purple took Beelzebub's attention away from Elfman, the next thing he felt as a powerful force slamming into his body that sent him hurtling towards the other side of the large chamber, all the way toward the entrance that Elfman entered.
Elfman's Take-Over had worn off as he turned back to normal. His arms were still numb as the nerves in his wrists were still frozen over, as well as the bleeding bite marks on his shoulder and sides. Mira, in her Satan Soul Take Over form, landed beside her injured brother.
"Elfman, are you alright?!" She asked urgently as she helped her brother sit back against the wall.
"No… not really…" He said as she tore off his shirt and tore it up to use as make-shift bandages to tie off his bleeding wounds so he wouldn't loose any more blood. "Listen sis, that Take Over… I hadn't seen anything like it…. I think he might be stronger than you!"
Mira turned her head to see the recovering Wendigo form of Beelzebub already up on it's feet.
"Stay here." Mira told him. "I'll handle it from now on."
Elfman looked up in minor surprise at his elder sister. She was always like this, always protecting him and Lisanna, ever since they lost their parents. A part of him admired her for that, but a part of him was also kicking himself for not helping her. He was supposed to save her from this hellhole, but she is now helping him. He chuckled a bit.
"I really am useless." He thought to himself with a sad smile.
"Darkness Stream!" Mira sent a beam of pure dark magic, which actually scored a direct hit on Beelzebub. However, the attack didn't exploded, but rather, it was being inhaled! The Wendigo had opened its mouth and it looked as if it was sucking up all the attack power that was just thrown at it.
This compeltley stunned both Mira and Elfman as they were reminded of a close friend of theirs in Fairy Tail
"Just like how Natsu eats fire!" The stunned Mira recalled.
"I said it before, the Wendigo consumes all, even pure magic power. I told you my Sin was Gluttony, I can't stop no matter what!" There was definitely some anger in his voice, something Mira and Elfman both noticed, but it felt like it was more to himself rather than with them. "Mirajane Strauss, the She-Devil of Fairy Tail. If you are able to kill me, then I hope you do. Otherwise, neither you nor your brother are leaving here alive!"
The Wendigo opened its mouth and gave a loud and bone-chilling roar before it surged at blinding speeds towards Mira who responded in kind. They both pulled back their fists and slammed them against one another, creating a small shockwave that shook the chamber.
Elfman watched but he recalled what Beelzebub had said both now and before the fight started. How he said his 'childhood died' and his Take Over was 'cursed'. And just now, it sounded like he actually wanted Mira to kill him.
"Does… does this kid…. Want to die?"
Tranquil Souls Room – Upper Temen-ni-gru
Wendy looked at the girl she knew as Sheeree who could only glare at the young Dragon Slayer.
"You just gonna stand there and gawk like an idiot?" Leviatha spat as she stood up from the coffin she was sitting on. However, before she could advance, Erza stood in front of Wendy, glaring at the spiteful girl.
"Erza." Wendy said in surprise.
"The famous Erza Scarlet, or do you call yourself Titania?" Leviatha spat in disgust. "What do you want?"
"To keep you from hurting my friend." Erza stated. However, that 'friend' comment caused Leviatha to grit her teeth.
"She's your friend? Well, that gives me enough reason to hurt you to." Leviatha said as Lady try wretch herself free from the chains holding her down.
"And just what are you so spiteful over?" Caral questioned as she hovered in the air. "You may have been harsh before, but I never thought you'd stoop so low as to attack someone else out of spite just because their friends with Wendy!"
"Oh shut up Carla, you're not my mom!" Leviatha exclaimed. "I could never stand your high strung attitude. I think it's time I finally shut you up for good."
"Sheeree please, why are you doing this?!" Wendy questioned. "We don't have to fight! Just please talk to me! We can work this out!"
"I have nothing to say to you! Where I am now is entirely your fault!" Leviatha shouted. "And I told you, that's not my name anymore! I've Leviatha, one of the strongest of the Seven Sins!"
"Interesting choice of naming, wouldn't you say?" Erza began. "The name Leviatha stems from the Leviathan, which represents the Sin of Envy. Can I assume you represent the same thing as well? Is this really all about some form of jealousy you may have towards Wendy?"
"It's none of your business." Leviatha glared. "I'll give you one chance, Titania. Take your friend right over there and go." She pointed to the bound Lady who glared at the younger girl, as she really wanted to give her a spanking. "My business is with Wendy."
"Well if that's the case, then I am not leaving." Erza stated as she drew a sword in her hand. "Wendy, I'm sorry. Whatever history you have with this girl is no longer relevant, as of now, she's taken action against Fairy Tail, and I'll do what I must to bring her down!"
"But Erza…" Wendy tried to stop her.
"Wendy, she's right." Carla told her. "Come now, let us free Lady. Erza can handle this."
"Oh no you don't!" Leviatha's body began to glow as she shot towards Wendy at incredible speeds, but Erza was quick to intercept her as she brought her blade to meet an identical sword. The flash disappeared and Erza looked in surprise at Leviatha's new appearance.
"Requip! Heaven's Wheel!" Leviatha had now adorned her own iteration of Erza's Heaven's Wheel armor, only hers was smaller for Leviatha's own size, and rather than it being silver, it appeared to be a form of emerald green.
"So it's true." Erza glared as she locked swords with Leviatha. "You can copy our magic."
"That's right! And I'm gonna use it to put the mighty Titania in her place!" Leviatha broke off as she took to the air, with a pair of Exceed wings extending from her back, curtsey of using her own Magical Drain to copy Carla's Aera magic.
Using the speed from the Exceed wings, Leviatha shot down towards Erza who moved out of the way as she requiped into one of her other armors. "Requip! Black Wing Armor!"
Erza shot in the air where the two swung their respective swords at each other and flew from one end of the chamber's ceiling to the other, slashing past each other in intense speed.
As they fought; Wendy and Carla quickly ran towards the bound Lady. Carla used her claws to try and pick the chains while Wendy tore the web from Lady's mouth.
"Lady, are you alright?" Wendy asked as Carla undid the last of her chains.
"No, I'm not." She said with anger evident in her voice. "Not till I have Arkham's head on my wall! Even if we have to go through that brat to do it!"
Wendy's expression was one of deep concern as she looked up to see Erza and Leviatha clash in mid-air, locking their blades together.
"That really a friend of yours?" Lady asked Wendy.
"I… I don't really know…" Wendy wasn't sure how to respond.
"She may have been spiteful in Cait Shelter, but I didn't think she'd be so hateful that she'd resort to something like this." Carla said.
"What exactly happened between you two?" Lady asked Wendy, who couldn't even figure out a response. Up until a few days ago, she thought Sheeree was like everyone else in Cait Shelter, just another illusion. Was that the reason she was like this?
Erza and Leviatha slashed past each other once more before Leviatha pulled back and prepared an attack. "Circle Sword!"
Copying Erza's attack, she created a circle of swords around her and spun it so fast it was like a massive buzz saw, which she launched at Erza who already had a response planned.
"Flight Armor!" She quickly adorned her fastest armor, though it forsook her ability to fly, made her significantly faster as she ran along the wall, just as the attack hit the wall and missed Erza, knocking several pieces of debris down onto the ground. Using her intense speed, Erza ran to the other side of the chamber in less than a second along the ceiling and leapt at Leviatha who crossed her blades to block the attack before flying down towards the ground.
Erza ran to the top of the ceiling and jumped to propel herself downward towards Leviatha, but she was actually ready.
"Requip! Purgatory Armor!" Leviatha had donned a dark green version of one of Erza's strongest armors and used the blade to block Erza's attack. But this allowed Erza to go on the offensive and run around Leviatha, striking at her, but Leviatha was able to block all her sword strikes with the large blade.
"You may copy our magic…" Erza began as she struck at Leviatha's defense. "But all the good that'll do you if you don't know how to properly use it!"
Leviatha fell to her knees as Erza stood and pointed one of her swords at her. "We've had our magic for years! You've only acquired it for just a few seconds, not near enough time to master it!"
"I don't have to master it!" Leviatha stated as she changed form again. "Flame Empress Armor!" She changed into a dark green and smaller version of Erza's normally red Flame Empress armor as she charged her sword with fire and swung a flaming arc towards Erza who jumped into the air to avoid it, but Leviatha met her in the air, still adorning Carla's wings and landed a kick on Erza's side to send her crashing into the wall.
Wendy could only look in wide-eyed surprise at this. "I never thought Sheeree was so strong! She's… actually going on par with Erza?!"
"I don't think so." Lady said, getting Wendy's attention.
"You noticed it as well?" Carla asked Lady as she nodded.
"Noticed what?" Wendy asked.
"Remember one of the first things Modeus taught you?" Carla reminded Wendy. "To observe your surroundings. Well I've noticed Erza is actually slower than how she normally is."
That revelation took Wendy by surprise as Lady spoke. "Yeah, but it's not fatigue. Erza's slow because she's going easy on her!"
Wendy kept her eyes on the fight as she did notice it. Erza's strikes were a lot stronger and faster than this. "Erza…are you… really going easy on Sheeree?"
Erza quickly reequipped into her own Lightning Empress armor as she blocked a flaming sword-strike from Leviatha, still in her own copied Flame Empress armor as they locked weapons and a surge of fire and lightning erupted in-between them.
"I don't have to master your magic, Scarlet!" Leviatha spoke in defiance. "Because yours isn't the only one I'm using!"
The Exceed wings on her back began to glow as she shot past Erza at a speed that took the veteran warrior by surprise, and she cut Erza's side with the flaming sword, causing Erza to yell in pain.
"I got all your armors for the power I need, and Carla's wings for the speed that I need! Max Speed Attack!" Using the speed normally suited for an Exceed, Leviatha shot at a blinding speed and struck Erza all around her with the fire-sword. The strikes were so quick and severe that Erza was unable to block them all. After maybe the tenth or eleventh strike, Leviatha flew directly in the air as she held her fire-sword up and prepared another attack.
"Sky Dragon Roar!" But it wasn't Wendy's copied breath-attack she was using, she combined it with the immense power from the fire-sword she was using to create a strong and powerful vortex of fire and wind, scoring a hit on Erza with a powerful and explosive result.
"ERZA!" Wendy, Carla, and Lady all exclaimed at the same time.
Leviatha landed on the ground as the dust cleared to reveal Erza, her armor was all but shattered; she was covered in bruises and scratches and was even on her knees. Erza struggled as she tried to get up, but saw a sword pointed close to her neck. She looked up to Leviatha who glared hate-filled eyes.
"Remember, you did this to yourself when you and your stupid guild took in that spoiled brat Wendy!"
Before Leviatha could even make a move, she suddenly found herself in a bear-hug grip by Lady who pinned her arms to her side and kept her head pinned as well.
"Kid, you really need to cool off before I spank you." Lady told her as she tried to hold Leviatha as best as she could. She was angry with herself for not having any of her weapons on her, but it was expected as the Seven Sins stripped her of her guns when she was captured.
"I'm not your kid, and you should worry about yourself!" Leviatha said as a green magic circle appeared above them and a hail of swords shot down towards Lady who back-flipped out of the way to avoid them as they impaled the ground, but right when she stopped, Leviatha had already shot towards her with Carla's wings and landed both feet into Lady's abdomen, knocking the wind out of her as she was sent rolling across the ground.
She didn't have a chance to get up as Leviatha had pinned her foot onto Lady's throat. "Oh look at you, Arkham's little girl." Leivatha mocked as she put some pressure on her foot to try and choke Lady. "I don't know what's so special about you. You got no magic or demon powers, you're just a nothing! A nobody! And in this world, its only the powerful who survive!" She raised her flaming-sword and was ready to strike Lady down.
"No! Sheeree! Stop it!" Wendy shouted as tears began to stream down from her eyes.
"It's their fault for taking you in! And you're fault for being too weak to help them!" Leviatha shouted as she was ready to bring her weapon down on Lady.
Wendy's tearful expression gave way into one of fierce resolve as she clenched her fists. "What am I doing? Dante wouldn't stand by and let this happen! Neither can I!" She actually broke into a sprint as she ran towards Leviatha
"Wendy! What are you doing?!" Carla questioned
The recovering Erza looked in surprise to see Wendy running past her, towards Leviatha, who turned around and also look in surprise.
"Is she serious? She thinks she can take me?!" Leviatha remembered her time in Cait Shelter as she flashed back towards a toddler Wendy who always laughed and cried at the smallest of things, never once fighting. "She's no fighter, she's a weakling! She's no Dragon Slayer! Just a bug who got everything, when I had nothing!"
Leviatha stepped off Lady and readied her sword to swing at Wendy. "Kid, get out of the way!" Lady warned in between coughs.
"Get back Wendy!" Carla shouted to her.
"Don't do it!" Erza also tried to warn her, but it was too late, Wendy was already right in front of Leviatha.
"THIS IS WHERE YOU GET WHAT YOU DESERVE, WENDY!" Leviatha shouted as she lifted her large and flaming sword, but before she could even bring it down, Wendy caught Leviatha's arm with both her hands. The move surprised Leviatha, as well as Erza, Carla, and Lady.
"What…?!" Leviatha couldn't believe it.
Wendy used this moment as she turned her body around, still keeping a firm grip on Leviatha's arm. She spread her legs out and begun to actually pull Leviatha over her shoulder.
"No! Impossible! She's no fighter! She can't do this!" Leviatha thought in surprise as Wendy gave a yell and heaved Leviatha over her shoulder and slammed her on the ground.
Erza and Lady didn't expect this sort of action from Wendy, and Carla especially didn't. "Modeus taught her that technique but… I didn't think she'd actually try to use it… and on Sheeree no less!"
Leviatha pulled herself up as she looked at Wendy with an expression mixed with surprise and anger.
"Sheeree…" Wendy began. "I don't know what happened to make you so jealous and hateful. But I won't let you hurt my friends! You want to fight someone, you fight me!" She took a combat stance. "But I'm not the same helpless little crybaby from Cait Shelter, anymore! Do you hear me?! I've changed! I'm Wendy Marvel, daughter of the Sky Dragon Grandeeney, and I'm a Fairy Tail wizard!"
Carla, Erza, and Lady couldn't contain their surprise at Wendy's declaration and firm resolve. Leviatha on the other hand, looked like she was about to throw a massive temper tantrum.
"Wendy… you stupid little…" Leviatha stood up. "Look at you, acting all brave… you're no Dragon Slayer! You're just a little bug! A spoiled brat who got everything and more than you deserved! THAT'S WHY I HATE YOU!"
Altar of Evil
Mira roared as she exchanged punches with Beelzebub. The clash between Satan Soul and Wendigo Soul was enough to rock the whole chamber as they both punched with enough force to create shockwaves and enough speed that it looked like their attacks were just a big blur. It was so intense, that the recovering Elfman had to find shelter behind a massive demonic statue just to keep from being blown away.
Mira threw both her fists forward, but Beelzebub caught them both with his bony hands. The second his hands closed around her fists, she could already feel the intense cold. But she wouldn't give him the slightest opening.
"Evil Spark!"
She charged both her hands with lightning to shock Beelzebub and knock him off. This left him vulnerable as she coated her fists with dark magic and laid punches all across his body till she brought her fists together for another attack.
"Evil Explosion!"
This created an a dark purple explosion that actually blasted Beelzebub back towards the wall where it completely collapsed on top of him. Mira took a moment to gather her breath, but this was premature as the Wendigo shot out from the rubble and bit down onto Mira's side like an alligator. She screamed in pain as blood came out from the bite.
"MIRA!" Elfman yelled as he tried to stand up, but the pain he was in kept him down.
However, the eldest of the Strauss siblings wouldn't have it. She grabbed onto the Wendigo's jaw and used her own strength to pry it open, allowing her to escape. But Beelzebub shot his Wendigo body at her as she used her hands to try and keep his jaw forced open and from closing. He grabbed her body with both his hands, his right hand clasping on the bleeding bite wound she just received and pinned her to the statue that she was tied up on recently.
Mira struggled with all her might to keep the mouth from closing, all the while, the Wendigo's cold grip was already doing a number on her, and she can even feel the intense pain as the cold seeped into her open wound. Despite the intense pain however, she kept pressing herself forward. However, when she glared into the Wendigo's open mouth, she looked in surprise to see something inside.
Deep in the darkness of the Wendigo's body, she could make out the face of Beelzebub, his human face. And it looked like… he was crying. She could just barley make out the small twinkle of tears coming down from his eyes. Despite the tears however, his face looked cold and lifeless, as if he were shedding tears automatically.
However, this accidentally caused her to loosen her grip, letting the Wendigo shake his jaw loose as he bit down onto her shoulder, causing her to scream in pain once more.
"It's a shame." Beelzebub spoke in a somber tone. "I'd hoped you'd be the one to kill me."
However, he felt a strong force gripping around his body as he looked behind in surprise to see Elfman having forced himself to transform into his Beast Soul Take Over again. Despite being seriously injured, he was able to grab and lift the Wendigo up quite a bit.
"Elfman… what are you…?!" Mira questioned
"Sis finish it! Do it now! I can't hold him much longer!" Elfman exclaimed as he held the Wendigo as it let go of Mira and grabbed Elfman's arms, where he could already feel the cold burn as it burnt his arms even further.
Seeing this as an opportunity, Mira readied the most powerful attack she could muster as she created a condensed sphere of dark magic and shoved it directly into the chest of the Wendigo…
"Soul Extinction!"
A massive dark purple energy blast tore through the entire chamber as it completely collapsed; leaving only the cave that the lower portion of Temen-ni-gru was built into. It was silent for a few seconds before rubble slowly began to move. Mira, still adorning her Satan Soul form, was able to move the rubble aside from herself, and push some more to see Elfman, having changed back to normal, exhausted and greatly injured. Not only did he suffer from the Wendigo's cold burn, but he took a bit of the Soul Extinction attack as well.
"Elfman…" Mira uttered as she transformed back to normal and engulfed her brother in a huge hug, something he was grateful to return despite his injures.
"Sis… I'm sorry… I couldn't protect you." Elfman said, as tears were ready to fall down his eyes. "I should have…"
"It's okay… you're here now. That's all that matters." Mira consoled.
The precious moment was interrupted however by the sound of rubble moving as they turned to see some rubble being shoved aside, the injured body of the young boy named Beelzebub stumbled out. He looked worse for wear as blood streamed down the right side of his face; his robe was torn to reveal cuts and scrapes all over his body, even some scars that were not from this fight. Upon seeing the condition he was in, Mira had a sense of regret; she did that to a boy who was only 13 years old. Yet oddly though, he was laughing.
"Damn…" Beelzebub said in between some weak chuckles. "I knew you strong but… you really something Miss Mirajane…" He chuckled a bit more before it sounded like he was also crying at the same time. "Too bad it didn't kill me… I'd really hoped it would…."
That took both Mira and Elfman by surprised. He'd hoped it would kill him? Did he want to die?! Why on Earth would this kid want to die…?
"Be… Beelzebub…" Mira began. "No… that's not your name… is it?"
He shook his head. "No… it's Adrian." He looked in remorse with a sad smile. "But… I don't deserve to call myself that… the name my mother gave me…"
"Adrian…" Mira continued. "Why? You didn't want to do this… did you?" He shook his head. "So why? Why help Vergil and Arkham? Why join a Dark Guild?"
"That's the question, isn't it?" He asked as he shifted his body to sit down. "Truth is, I'd hoped Vergil would kill me, once he got the power he kept talking about, at least that's what Akrham said."
"But why?! Why do you want to die?!" Mira cried. "You're so young… you… you have a whole life ahead of you, don't you?!"
"No… I don't…"
"You said your Take Over was a curse." Elfman recalled. "What did you mean by that?"
The boy named Adrian sighed as he leaned back and began to tell his story.
"The Wendigo is an ancient creature, we're not sure if it's a special type of demon or what, but it lived in the highest mountains. Most people thought it was just a myth, but my family knew otherwise. I lived with both my parents, and my younger sister, at the base of those mountains. We were told about the Wendigo, but like everyone else we just thought it was a child's bedtime story. One night however, about two years ago, we learned that it was real. The Wendigo came to our village, and it began to eat everything and everyone in sight: crops, livestock, wild animals, even the people…"
Mira and Elfman were listening very closely as Adrian continued.
"But…. When it was about to come for my family… I threw a rock at it's head. It chased me and I ran… I guess I was trying to lure it away. I could still hear my mother crying my name, telling me to come back. I ran as fast as I could through that cold forest… through the deep snow… that monster right at my heels. Eventually, it had me cornered by a cliffside. And I thought… this is where I'm going to die… but I wish I did die right there." Mira and Elfman looked in surprise at that last statement as he continued.
"Right then, something happened. A rockslide, I guess… it completely crushed and buried the Wendigo. I thought it was a miracle, I thought it was gone, and I could live. But… fate had other plans. Something happened… I don't know what but… a cold fog came out from where that monster was buried and shot into my mouth and eyes. Then… I blacked out."
Adrian's face became cold and sorrowful.
"When I came to, I was back in my village… only to find it was completely destroyed. Even more so than when I left it. I… wanted to look for my family… but when I looked around… I saw I was in my house… or what was left of it…. And the torn clothes of my parents… my little sister… all at my feet with blood…. Their blood…. On my hands and mouth… I looked in my reflection in a puddle of blood and… I saw me… I saw… the Wendigo as me!"
It didn't take much for the Strauss siblings to put two-and-two together, much to their horror. Elfman's mouth was agape with his pupils shaking, while Mira covered her mouth with both her hands in pure terror.
"I ate my family! I killed my own family!" He shouted in anger. "My mother… my father… my own little sister… I don't even remember doing it! Or what they thought as their own son and brother killed them! Did they even know it was me?! Or did they think the Wendigo killed me and came back to finish the job?! I wanted nothing more than to jump off a cliff, but before I did…. He came to me."
Adrian still heard Arkham's voice in his head when they first met.
"This is not the end, but rather the beginning of something both terrifying and beautiful. What you possess cannot be destroyed by any mortal beings, but I know of an individual who can slay such a monster. I shall take you to him if you truly seek to end your own existence. However, in exchange, you must embrace the everlasting hunger of the Wendigo that exists in you. Embrace your inner sin… your inner Gluttony… and I shall grant you your wish."
"Arkham… told me about Vergil and how strong he was." Adrian continued his face being that of hatred, the hate he held for himself. "Sparda's son… if anyone could put me out of my misery, it would be him. Vergil promised me he would, if I'd help him gain the power he needs… all I wanted…. Was for it to end! That's why I'm here! But I don't want to be! It's so unfair! I don't want to hurt people, but to make this go away, to make this monster inside me go away, I have to do something that'll hurt countless other people! I've eaten so many people I can't even eat anything else anymore without…. Thinking about all that….! Why?! Why can't I just die?! WHY CAN'T I JUST DIE!?"
The next thing he knew, Mira had leapt at him and pulled him into a warm and comforting embrace, much to his surprise.
"Adrian…. You poor…. Poor boy. I'm so sorry."
"Why… why are you…" Adrian couldn't understand. "You would… say this…. To a monster…. A monster like me?"
"You're not a monster." Mira said as she began to openly cry. "You're just a poor tortured soul looking to find peace. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you before, I wish I was."
Adrian's eyes were watering when he was also embraced by Elfman, who looked like he was crying himself. "I know how you feel Adrian… two years ago… I lost control of my Take Over… I almost killed Lisanna, my little sister… I actually thought I did kill her. And it's haunted me ever since. So believe me, I get you. I really do."
"You don't have to be with these people Adrian." Mira told him as they continued to embrace him. "We can help you. Let us help you."
Adrian let it all loose as he buried his face into Mira's shoulder as she and Elfman comforted him as best as he could. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry! I'm sorry! Forgive me!" He cried his eyes out as they continued to hold him.
This lasted for several minutes as the young boy let out all the emotions he kept buried inside him for all this time. Is own anger, his frustration, his sadness. Finally, he was able to let go as they looked at him.
"Come with us to Fairy Tail Adrian." Mira told him. "We can talk to the Master, he's one of the Ten Wizard Saints. If anyone can find a solution, he can."
Adrian smiled as he wiped away the tears. "Thank you… but I can't…"
Neither Mira nor Elfman could believe he just said. "What?" The shocked Mira questioned.
"I'm sorry but… I can't control it." Adrian said as his smile faded. "Even now, I can still feel the Wendigo clawing inside me…. Wanting to get out. It wants to devour both of you right now. And if I come back with you I… I don't want to risk it! You're both wonderful people… and if Fairy Tail is anything like you… I don't want to hurt any more people like you. Like my family."
"Adrian… We… we can find something! We can find an answer!" Mira tried.
"I tried to find one! I looked everywhere but I couldn't…" Adrian tried. "But even if we did… all the people I killed… I… I can't forgive myself for any of it… The Wendigo can't be contained… It won't stop till it consumes all I…" His eyes widened. "It… consumes…. All."
Both Strauss siblings looked in confusion. "What are you talking about?" Elfman asked.
Adrian stood up. "I know what to do. I can't believe I didn't think about it sooner."
"Think about what? Adrian what…?" Mira didn't understand.
"Stay back." Adrian walked a bit away as he let his transformation take hold. He held his body as it was engulfed in a cold whirlwind and a flash before the Wendigo form appeared once again.
Mira looked in terror as the injured Elfman tried to stand protectively in front of Mira. "Adrian what are you doing?!" Elfman questioned.
"It's okay!" He said to them. "Just stay back!" Much to both their surprise, Adrian actually reached his hands deep into his chest. He struggled as it looked like he was fighting his literal inner demon. After a few seconds he roared as he ripped out what appeared to be a sphere of pulsing black energy.
"I WILL NOT DIE A MONSTER!" He yelled as he opened his massive jaw and bit on the sphere, causing it to shatter like glass and explode in spectacular fashion.
*BOOM!*
Mirajane and Elfman covered their eyes before the flash subsided. They slowly looked to see the Wendigo had vanished completely and Adrian's human body had lain on the rubble. The two quickly ran to him.
"Adrian!" Mira exclaimed as they helped him up.
"Come on, kid say something!" Elfman tried to wake him up as they heard him cough.
He slowly opened his eyes to look at his hands briefly before smiling. "It's gone… I'm… I'm not hungry anymore… I can't feel the Wendigo… it's… it's gone!"
"You… you got rid of it?!" Elfman questioned before a wide grin formed on his face and he gave a boming laugh. "Yeah! Now that's what it means to be a real man! You kicked that monster right out of you!"
However, Mira wasn't laughing. How could he have gotten rid of his cursed Take Over? Normally, it would be impossible to remove a normal Take Over transformation completely, let alone a cursed one. So… what did he do?
"Adrian… what exactly did you do…?"
"The Wendigo… It literally eats anything. It even consumes the heat in the air, which is why your bodies got so cold when it touched you." Adrian explained. "So… I had it… eat itself."
Both their eyes widened in surprise. "It…ate itself?" Elfman questioned.
"Well more specifically… it ate its own soul… the source of its power and its… everlasting hunger." Adrian replied.
Mira's eyes however widened in fear as now she understood what he meant. "Adrian…. You… why would…."
He looked at her, right into her eyes as he shook his head. "Miss Mirajane… there was no other way…."
"No other… what are you talking about?" Elfman asked in confusion.
"Elfman…" Mira looked towards him with a grim expression. "All Take Over users, have their transformations bound to their souls. Your Beast Souls are bond to your soul, my Satan Soul to mine, and Lisanna's Animal and Dragon Souls are bound to hers. Though his form was cursed, the Wendigo was still a Take Over… and its soul was bound to his… So when he said the Wendigo consumed its own soul…."
Elfman's eyes widened in shock before it clicked. "He… consumed his own soul to!"
"Yes." Adrian said as he stood up and his body began to glow a faint gold color. He looked at his hands. "I can already feel it happening…" It was true, Adrian was dying.
"Adrian… why…? We could have found a way, we could have…" The teary eyed Mira looked towards him as he slowly began to float up, but despite her tears, Adrian smiled as he brushed his hand against her cheek.
"It's okay… It's gone now… You didn't fail me, you saved me." He slowly began to float up, but Mira gently held his hand. "You saved me, both of you." Tears of joy fell down the boy's face as his glowing body slowly began to fade away into magic particles. "Thank you… thank you so much."
Tears freely flowed down Mira's cheeks, as did Elfman's, but he bore a smile as he put a hand on the boy's head.
"That was the manliest think I'd ever seen." The crying Elfman told Adrian, as he continued to smile. "You were never monster, you're a real man!"
More tears of joy fell down Adrian's face as his lower body had already faded completely.
"He's right." The crying Mira also said. "And I know that your family is waiting for you…. Your mother, your father, and your sister… and I know that they still love you, just as any family would."
He nodded his head as he continued to cry. "Mirajane, Elfman, thank you. I truly wish… I could have been a part of Fairy Tail…"
"We'll never forget you Adrian." Mira said as his body almost completely faded, including his hands as she let him go. As he began to fade away, his vision began to change as he saw a bright light. He saw the images of his parents and his sister welcoming him with open arms. A peaceful smile formed on Adrian's face as he felt their warm embrace and he faded away completely.
That was it, Adrain, formerly known as Beelzebub of the Seven Sins of Devil Hand, was gone. Mira fell to her knees and began to cry into her hands. Though she was happy he was able to find peace, she wished she could have been there for him. He was suffering for so long, and Arkham manipulated the poor boy into being his servant. If Mira had found him before Arkham did, maybe she could have helped him. As she cried, Elfman put a hand on her shoulder as he looked at her with a sad smile.
"Mira… even if we did find a way for him to live, I don't think he would have ever fully forgiven himself." Elfman began. "Believe me, I know. To this day, I still haven't forgiven myself for what happened to Lisanna, but unlike with her, his family wasn't coming back."
"I know." Mira took her brother's hand. She really did know. "I just wish… we could have helped him sooner…"
"So do I." Elfman said in a gentle tone. "But now… he's with his family, and he's at peace. The best we can do for him now is honor is memory, and help all the people we can."
Mira looked at her brother with a smile before she hugged him and he hugged her back. The siblings held each other in their arms and would be doing so for a long while as they expended a great deal of their magic, not to mention Elfman's own injuries. But that could wait, right now, they would mourn the boy named Adrian who may have suffered in life, but would now find peace in the afterlife.
Room of Tranquil Souls
"Wendy…" Leviatha growled as her attire began to glow and she transformed into her green copied Heaven's Wheel armor, carrying a sword in each hand, and her copied Exceed wings sprouting from her back. She glared at the blue-haired Dragon Slayer. "When I'm done with you… you'll wish you'd vanished with the rest of Cait Shelter to!" She exclaimed as she lunged at Wendy who already had a spell prepared.
"Wendy, get out of the way!" Carla warned.
"Vernier!" She cast a support spell on herself as a bright blue glowing orb encompassed her body and she swiftly dodged the attack before she moved at super speeds along the ceiling of the room. Leviatha's looked even more enraged.
"Don't think for a moment that you can escape me!" Using the energy in her copied Exceed wings, she sped up towards Wendy. "Max Speed Attack!"
"Arms! Armor!" Wendy had casted both spells at the same time along with her Vernier spell as her arms began to glow a brighter blue right as Leviatha brought both her blades down towards Wendy, but she crossed both her arms to block it, and due to the armor spell, the swords didn't so much as scratch her.
"What?!" Leviatha questioned, just as Wendy delivered a powerful roundhouse, enhanced by her Arms spell to knock Sheeree back to the other side of the chamber and crashing into a coffin.
"Whoa!" Lady looked in shock at Wendy's power. "Since when could the kid do that?!"
"She's using support magic on herself." Erza stated as she, Carla, and Lady hung back on a far end of the massive chamber and out of the way as the armored wizard was still recovering.
"Wait… support magic?" Lady was confused. "What do you mean by that?"
"As a Sky Dragon Slayer, Wendy is capable of using spells that can enhance the natural ability of any one she chooses." Carla explained. "Vernier enhances speed, Arms for strength, and Armor for physical defense. Normally she can only cast one at a time, but I'd never expected she'd be able to cast all three upon herself."
Wendy had a determined expression on her face as she saw Leviatha climb out of the dust with a glaring and hateful look on her face. As Wendy faced the other girl, she recalled her fist training session with Modeus.
Flashback – several days ago
"Okay, so my first day of training." Wendy looked towards her newly christened mentor, trying to mirror the determination of Natsu and Dante. "Whatever it is, I'm ready for it."
"Honestly Wendy, you're sounding too much like those ruffians." Carla gave a light chastise, before Modeus spoke.
"Wendy, while I admire your resolve to get stronger, this is something you cannot rush." Modeus told her.
"What do you mean?" Wendy asked.
"You may be a Dragon Slayer, but your body is not as physically developed as the likes of Natsu, so at the moment, you're not ready for the most advanced of combat practices." Modeus explained, as Wendy looked a bit down.
"Oh, I see."
"Don't take it the wrong way though, it doesn't mean you're weak, far from it." Modeus said to her, as she looked up to him in minor surprise. "Here is your first lesson, instead of focusing on what you can't do, focus on what you are able to do right now and try to work on that. So tell me what can you do right now."
"Well I can use support magic; I can make someone stronger, faster, or increase their durability." Wendy said.
"Are you able to use these spells on yourself?" Modeus asked.
"Well, I only used my Vernir spell on myself once when we were back in Edolas, so I guess so. But it was the only time I'd ever used it on someone other than myself." Wendy answered.
"Can you cast more than one at a time?"
That actually had Wendy think. "Well… I never actually tried it…"
"I've only seen her use one-at-a-time myself." Carla added. "Though I never heard her say she couldn't use morethan one."
"Alright, so we'll start with that." Modeus said. "But before we do, I would like to pass on the first lesson Sparda taught me when I first began training with him. Observation."
"Observation? What do you mean?" Wendy asked.
"To observe your opponent." Modeus began to explain. "And you can certainly use that yourself. As a Dragon Slayer, your senses are far stronger than the average person; sight, hearing, and especially smell. If you use your senses to observe your opponent, you may be able to find a physical weakness that maybe even they aren't aware of."
"Really? I can do that?" Wendy asked excitedly.
"You can if you remain calm, that is one of the most important aspects of battle." Modeus continued. "Despite the situation, you have to keep a cool head. Think clearly, and the answer will come to you. So, let us begin."
End Flashback
"Circle Sword!" Leviatha shot a hail of swords at Wendy, using her own enhanced speed from Vernier, she was able to dodge many of them. Those that she couldn't dodge, she bounced away using the enhanced defensive power from Armor.
"I have to stay calm." Wendy thought as she moved around the enraged Leviatha with her super speed. "Use my senses; sight, sound, feeling, her scent, if I concentrate I can find a weakness." She ducked under a sword slice as Leviatha zoomed towards her with her copied Exceed wings, and she was able to swerve behind her and land a kick onto Leviatha's back, knocking her off her flight path and sending her crashing into a pillar.
"She's angry… angry at me." Wendy continued to think to herself. "I can't think about why right now, I have to stop her… wait. She's letting her emotions get the better of her, not thinking clearly. Maybe her magic has a weakness to?"
"Come on!" Leviatha screamed. "STOP RUNNING AND FIGHT ME! LIGHTNING EMPRESS ARMOR!" She requiped into a green and yellow version of Erza's Lightning Empress Armor and used its lightning power and the Exceed wings to zoom at Wendy at a speed that surprised her, but she was able to just barley dodge the strike itself it as the risdual lightning shocked her side; though the Armor limited the damage done, it still hurt a bit. But the impact of Leviatha crashing into the wall created a small shockwave that rocked the entire room.
Wendy looked to see Leviatha climb back up onto her feet, rather shakily however. "Are you… really not gonna fight back…" She said in-between breaths.
That's when Wendy noticed it "That's it!"
"Looks like she figured it out." Erza said with a small smile.
"Figured what out? Help me out here, magic isn't exactly my forte!" Lady stated.
"Leviatha is able to copy the magic of all those around her." Carla explained. "She has shown to be able copy both my Aera magic and Erza's requip magic, even copying the magic provided by the many armors Erza has in her collection."
"However, despite copying all that much magic, her own natural magic is limited much like the physical stamina is to a person." Erza explained as well. "If you burn too much of your stamina too quickly, it wears you down. The same goes for one's own natural magic power."
Lady understood. "I get it. Since she's using too much at one, Wendy's just has to wear her down before she can get a good hit in."
"All I have to do is keep dodging. When she expends too much of her magic power, I can stop her, and maybe I can finally understand why she's doing all this." Wendy thought to herself as she readied herself for whatever Leviatha had next.
Leviatha looked like she was about to pop a vein, she was so mad. "Come on! Fight me! Why won't you hit back?! If you don't hit me… I'll hit them!" She exclaimed as she turned her direction towards Erza, Lady, and Carla. "Sky Dragon Roar!"
She shot a large breath attack directly at the shocked group. Erza looked like she was about to take action, but Wendy had already spead in front of the attack and took it head on, resulting in a small explosion and a powerful whirlwind around the area.
"Stupid brat." Leviatha spat in disgust. "Throwing herslf in the way for her so-called friends. She's so self-rigthous it makes me want to vomit! I…" Her ranting was halted when she heard a suction noise coming from the same area she shot. She looked in surprise at what she saw. "What the hell…!?"
Wendy was inhaling all the air as it looked like she was actually breathing in a whole tornado, almost like how Natsu would normally eat his fire.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Leviatha questioned in anger and shock.
"Sheeree, have you so soon forgotten who Wendy is!" Carla exclaimed to her. "She's Wendy the Sky Dragon!"
"As a Dragon Slayer, Wendy is able to consume her element and replenish herself, and seeing how you just hit her with her own element…" Erza said with a small smirk.
"You just gave your enemy a major boost in power." Lady smirked. "You let your anger get to you sweetie, and it's gonna be the end of you."
Leviatha had a look of complete and total frustration as Wendy finished her 'meal'. She rubbed her mouth as she mirrored Natsu's own smirk. "Now I got a fire in my belly."
"You… you stupid… arrogant… little.." Leviatha uttered, as she was so mad she couldn't even think of a proper response.
"Now's my chance!" Wendy was now on the attack as she rushed in and delivered a palm strike to Leviatha's chest to knock the wind out of her before she laid a series of attacks.
"Sky Dragon Wing Attack!" She waved both her arms forward to create a powerful whirlwind that knock Leviatha back before coming in with another. "Sky Dragon Claw!" She delivered a kick to Leviatha's face that also delivered a powerful gust of wind to send her crashing into the wall on the far end before Wendy delivered her third attack. "Sky Dragon Crushing Fang!" Wendy gave a powerful slap across Leviatha's face that delivered a backlash of wind to knock Leviatha skidding across the ground.
With that powerful combo, it looked like Leviatha was just about done. Erza, Carla, and even Lady couldn't help but look proud at Wendy's growth and strength. The spiteful and jealous girl of Devil Hand struggled to get up as she looked to see Wendy standing above her.
"Damn you… stupid Wendy…"
"Sheeree, please… tell me why you're doing this." Wendy said in a calm voice. "We were both in Caith Shelter together, we grew up together. Why would you join a Dark Guild, one that wants to destroy the world? I don't care if you hate me, but there are countless people out there who will be hurt by all these monsters in this horrible place. Please, if you just… tell me why… I can help you." Wendy offered Leviatha a hand, causing her to look in surprise. "Let me help you."
Leviatha looked in honest surprise. "Why? Why would you… want to help me…?"
"Because we were friends…. We can still be friends now."
"Friends?" Leviatha said as it sounded like she was actually laughing, surprising Wendy. "We're friends?!" HA HA HA! That's the biggest load of bull I'd ever heard! We're not friends!" She stopped laughing and glared back up at Wendy. "We were never friends! You're the reason I'm here in the first place!"
"No she is not!" Carla exclaimed as she flew up towards the two girls, with Lady helping Erza up as they walked toward them as well. "Wendy didn't ask you to join a Dark Guild, you made that choice all on your own! Take responsibility for your own actions, child! Don't blame them on someone else!"
"Shut up! You're not my mom!" Leviatha exclaimed to Carla.
"Sheeree…" Wendy tried.
"I told you, that's not my name!"
"But your other name is one that represents envy." Erza said as Lady helped her over. "You represent the Sin of Envy. I can see it, you're jealous, jealous of Wendy."
"So what if I am!" Leviatha yelled. "Yes! I'm jealous because she had everything, while I had nothing since the day I was born! I don't even know my own parents, I was just some bastard child they dumped in the Worth Woodsea when that old fart took me in!"
Wendy's eyes widened as the image of Roubaul, the master of Cait Shelter and guardian of Nirvana entered her mind.
Flashback
The sound of a crying baby was heard outside the ruins of an old house when the spirit of the old man named Roubaul walked forward and looked down to see a crying baby girl in a basket just hanging there.
"Oh my goodness! Where did you come from?" He took up the baby and it slowly began to stop crying. "Oh there, there. Now, where did you come from? What kind of person would just leave a baby out here all alone?"
"Aparently he tried to look for my parents but couldn't find him, so he took me in. He even gave me my former name."
Roubaul would try to raise the child as best as he could, for five or six years he would feed her and provide her with clothes, even naming her Sheeree.
"For the first years of my life, it was just the two of us living in what was left of his village's old home. Until that boy brought you in."
"Hey mister? What is this place?" The little Wendy asked Roubaul as he looked down toward her.
"Well… how do I explain it…" He tried to come up with an answer.
"He lied to me." She said, referring to the young Mystogen who brought her there. "He said he was going to take me to a magic guild!" She was about to cry when Roubaul finally spoke.
"Right! This is a guild! A magic guild for wizards of every stripe!"
"Wow! Really?!" Little Wendy said with an amazed look.
"Of course it is!" Roubaul said with a wide smile. "Go on and see for yourself! Your new friends are all outside waiting for you!"
As the little Wendy laughed, a much younger version of Sheeree hid behind a door and looked in confusion. What was he talking about? No one else was here but them.
"He created an entire guild for you. He created illusions of people, each with their own thoughts and wills, all for you!"
Little Sheeree walked around the newly created Cait Shelter guild, past all the so-called people. She knew they weren't real.
"Hi there!" She turned around to see the little Wendy running towards her. "My name's Wendy, what's yours?"
"Sheeree."
"That's a nice name!"
"You had that smile on your face. That smile that made you think you were the happiest person in the world, when you didn't even know the truth."
"You're mom was a dragon?!" Little Sheeree questioned in surprised as she and little Wendy sat together on a grassy hill.
"Yes! Grandeeney was so big! She was so nice and she loved me! She even taught me how to use magic!" Little Wendy said excitedly.
"You can use magic?!" Little Sheeree asked excitedly.
"Yeah! You wanna see?!" Little Wendy held out he hands and created a small twinkle of blue energy that was her Sky Dragon magic.
"Wow that's amazing! I wish I could that!"
"Your own mother was a dragon! I didn't even know my mother! You could use magic, but I couldn't! I didn't even have a single drop of magic!"
Little Sheeree was walking through Cait Shelter when she heard her name being called.
"Hey Sheeree!" Little Wendy ran behind her with something in her arms. "The egg finally hatched and a little kitty cat came out of it!" Little Wendy showed the infant Carla with a wide smile.
"But kitties don't hatch out of eggs, do they?" Little Sheeree asked.
"Yeah, but this is a magic cat! Look!" Little Wendy said as the infant Carla sprouted wings and began to hover in the air. "She can fly!"
"A flying cat! That's amazing!" Little Sheeree looked about as excited as Wendy, till the infant Carla fell down and landed on Little Wendy's head, resulting in the blue-haired girl laughing, but Little Shreeree's smile faded.
"You even got your own pet flying cat! For years, you got everything, but I had nothing."
Many years passed until both Sheeree and Wendy were both twelve. The brown-haired girl had grown quite distant of the fake guild and was walking away on a grassy field near Cait Shelter.
"Hey Sheeree!" Wendy, in the same outfit she had when she first met everyone, ran up with Carla flying close behind her. "Guess what? I'm going out on my first mission!"
"Really? Your first mission?" Sheeree asked in surprise.
"You're far too excited about this child, it could be dangerous." Carla said.
"I see you're still such a know-it-all." Sheeree told Carla, who simply crossed her arms and looked away. "Wow, you're first real mission."
"I know! Isn't it exciting?!" Wendy asked excitedly.
"Yeah… hey…" Sheeree looked a bit shy. "Maybe… I could come with you? I could help…"
"Absolutely not!" Carla scolded. "You cannot use magic of any kind! Someone like you would only just get in the way!"
Sheeree looked visibly upset by that. "Carla, you don't have to be rude about it!" Wendy told the white Exceed.
"No, she's right." Sheeree looked down with a sad smile. "Someone who can't use magic would only get in the way. Especially for an amazing Dragon Slayer like you."
Wendy looked in sympathy before she took both of Sheeree's hands. "Hey, tell you what. After this mission is done, we can go play together!"
"Really?"
"Yep! I promise, we're friends after all, aren't we?" Wendy said with her usual smile.
Sheeree gave a slight smile herself. "Yeah, we are friends."
"That's enough Wendy, we need to go." Carla told her.
"Wait, you're leaving now?"
"Yeah, sorry. But I promise we'll see each other later!" Wendy waved as she ran along with Carla. "Bye Sheeree!"
"Eh… yeah. Bye Wendy!" She called to her and gave a small wave before she lowered her arm and her smile faded. "So… here I am… alone… again."
"Right after you left, Nirvana showed up. When I heard it was going to destroy Cait Shelter I ran away! Why would I stay there!? It wasn't even a real guild, it's not like they were really people!"
It was late at night as the massive monolithic city-turned-war-machine known as Nirvana, under the control of the Oracion Seis, began to loom over Cait Shelter as Sheeree ran for her life as fast as she could through the Woodsea. As she ran however, she couldn't help but think about Wendy. But she was probably okay; she was with real wizards who would definitely keep her safe. Right now, Sheeree just had to make sure she was safe.
"You were also with those other guild wizards, so they'd probably keep you away from there! But… then I saw Nirvana collapse. So… I guess I headed back… I knew Cait Shelter wasn't real but… you were. I… I wanted to see you again but… right when I got back… Cait Shelter…. Was already gone"
Sheeree was just at the edge of the Woodsea as she saw the last of Cait Shelter fade away as Roubaul said his final words.
"Don't fret my dear, calm down." Roubaul eased the distressed Wendy. "Neither you nor Carla need those imaginary friends." He pointed behind her. "You're surrounded by real friends who care for you." He was pointing to them, but he wasn't pointing to Sheeree who hid behind some trees further away who could only look with tears swelling in her eyes.
Roubaul faded away in golden particiles. "I owe each of you my deepest gratitude, I know I can leave Wendy and Carla in your hands…"
The shocked Sheeree reached her hand in the direction where Roubaul, the first person she knew in her life faded away. "… Wendy and Carla… but… what about me…?"
"He said to 'take care of Wendy and Carla'… but… he didn't say 'take care of Sheeree….' Why didn't he say that? He knew I wasn't an illusion to! Why did he say your names but not mine?!"
It was late in the afternoon as Sheeree stood alone in the vacant area that served as the Cait Shelter guild. She looked in the sunset, the same direction Wendy and Carla left with Fairy Tail and the other guilds. She fell to her knees as she let out all her emotions.
"No! Please don't leave me!" She pounded her fist on the hard ground as she let her tears fall from her face like a waterfall. "Wendy! Don't leave me! DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE AGAIN! I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE!"
End Flashback
Sheeree's head faced the ground, as she couldn't look at the shocked faces of those around her. Wendy covered her mouth with both her hands as tears filled her eyes; Carla looked with teary eyes and a shocked expression as well. Erza, and even Lady, looked a bit shaken by this to.
"He didn't mention me at all… just you… and you just left me… like I didn't even matter to you…" Sheeree uttered as her voice cracked. "I didn't matter to anyone…. But… someone saw my worth… and I mattered to him…"
Flashback
It was several days after the Oracion Seis incident as Sheeree sat by a campfire at night in her own make-shift camp in the Worth Woodsee. All she had for shelter was a small opening underneath the roots of a large tree with a small pile of fruit near her body as a food source. She shakily held her hands to a fire as it was cold and she only had rags for clothes. It was so unfair! Why was she always left with nothing since the day she was born?! Why didn't she have a blessed life like Wendy!? A perfect life where she could have everything?!
Her own sorrowful thoughts were interrupted by footsteps in her direction. She looked up slowly toward the dark silhouette of a tall man slowly walking toward her.
"One can never know the true value of something, until they have lost everything, or in your circumstances, have never had anything to begin with."
She looked up in fear as the man came into the light from her campfire. His eyes would have terrified anyone, and the pulsating scar didn't help.
"Please… I… I don't have anything! Don't hurt me!" She tried to sink into her tree-shelter as this man feared her.
"I am not here to harm you, little one." The bald man known as Arkham told her. "But rather, I am here to help."
"Help…?"
"Your eyes." Arkham began. "Your eyes tell the story. I can see the envy that lies inside them, a special kind of envy. One that is unique to those who are born with nothing and desire everything. You, can have everything, everything you've ever wanted."
"I… I can…?" Sheeree asked, intrigued.
"Yes." Arkham nodded. "All you need do, is embrace the sin of your envy that dwells with in you. Once you do, I shall grant you the power, that will allow you to take what you rightfully deserve." He offered her his hand.
Embrace her envy? Sheeree thought back of Wendy, the only real person she knew. She was jealous of her. Why would she get such a perfect life while all Sheeree was left was less-than-scraps?! Well, maybe she should know what that is like! Sheeree closed her eyes and opened them to reveal a glare as she took Arkham's hand.
End Flashback
"Arkham implanted a lacrima in my body." Sheeree said. "One that would let me copy other people's magic. He taught me how to use it, and to embrace my sin! My sin of envy! So yes, I'm jealous!" She shot her head up at the other four females in the room, her eyes were filled with both rage and tears. "But can you blame me?!"
She spoke directly to Wendy. "You had a perfect life, and I didn't! You had a mother and I didn't! You could do magic, but I couldn't! Why?! Why did you get everything when I had nothing! Why do you get to be a part of a guild full of people who love you… WHEN I DON'T!?"
Sheeree's screams of rage were brought to a halt when Wendy wrapped both her arms around her, catching her completely by surprise.
"I'm sorry Sheeree… I'm so sorry…" Sheeree's eyes wavered. Was Wendy… crying as she said this? It was true, Wendy was crying, not for herself but for Sheeree. "You're right… this is my fault… I should have taken you with me, but I left you!"
Erza couldn't help but look in sympathy at Sheeree as this was exactly what it was like for her friends in the Tower of Heaven, especially Sho. They felt she abandoned them, just like how Sheeree feels Wendy abandoned her. Carla's eyes teared up as well, as she too had abandoned her, she never once realized that Sheeree was a normal person until this whole mess started, but now it all makes sense. Lady, though sympathetic towards Sheeree, looked away in anger as she clenched her fist. Of course Arkham would manipulate a lonely child like this, only he would sink that low.
"Why did you leave me…?" Sheeree said as her voice began to crack. "You said we'd be friends but… why did you leave me all alone…?"
"You we're wrong." Wendy said in-between her own sobs. "I didn't have a blessed life. Yes, I had a mother…. But she left me. I had someone else who took care of me, but he left me to. I had Cait Shelter but they also left me….. then I had Fairy Tail… and I almost lost them…" Sheeree's look softened. "But… when I saw Cait Shelter vanish… my heart was compeltley broken… because… I felt you were gone to. Sheeree, you we're more than just my friend…. We grew up together… you were… like a sister to me…"
"…what…?" Sheeree asked as her eyes shook.
"But… I left you…" Wendy continued to sob. "You we're my family… and I left you alone… I should have taken you with me to Fairy Tail… I'm so sorry… please forgive me!"
That was it. The damn broke as Sheeree broke into sobs as she embraced Wendy back and cried into her shoulder. That's all she really wanted in the end, she was jealous because Wendy had a family who loved her, and now she had it. She finally had someone who loved her.
As they embraced and cried, Carla had set down and walked over to Sheeree's side and placed her hand on Sheeree, as she too shed tears of regret for both leaving her and mistreating her in Cait Shelter. Erza also kneeled down and placed a hand on the sobbing Sheeree's shoulder. Even Lady patted her head, though she was a battle-hardened Devil Hunter, she understood what it was like to feel alone and could relate.
As Sheeree continued to cry and feel this embrace of those around her, she uttered one single word. "I surrender…"
Dante opened a door as he walked out, with Happy flying beside him. However, he looked down and gave an impressed whistle while Happy's eyes comically widened in circles.
"Whoa! That's a long way down!"
"Yep, be a nasty drop." Dante said as they looked down the pit that probably led from the top of Temen-ni-gru, probably all the way back to ground level. "Guess I'm lucky you can fly."
"Aye sir." Happy pumped his fist. "Come on let's…"
However, Dante's eyes narrowed as he quickly pulled out Rebellion and blocked several strikes of dark magic beams that shot down towards him and Happy, much to the blue Exceed's surprise.
"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!" Happy screamed.
"That would be me."
They both looked up to the upper part of this Heavenrise Chamber to see Iblis floating in the air with a pair of angelic wings, ironically made of dark magic, coming from her back.
Though Happy looked intimidated by her, as this woman carried a presence that rivaled even Erza, Dante had a smirk as he whistled. "Now that's a real hottie."
"Dante! This lady is part of Devil Hand!" Happy exclaimed as he pointed to the Pentagram guild symbol on her outfit. "She's an enemy, not your date!"
"Oh I know." Dante nodded. "Still, you gotta admit, this chick is smokin'. Gotta give Vergil credit, he did us both a huge favor recruiting her."
"Your flattery is amusing." Iblis said with an arrogant smile. "But it won't change your fate."
"So, to whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?" Dante greeted casually.
"I am Iblis, leader of the Seven Sins. I represent the Sin of Pride, the strongest of the Deadly Sins."
Happy looked serious. "So she's probably the strongest in Vergil's guild."
"Aside from Vergil himself." Dante quickly added.
"I must say, this is truly a grateful encounter." Iblis said. "You, the strongest of Fairy Tail, the son of Sparda, against the strongest of the Seven Sins, hand-picked by Vergil himself. While I'm sure you'd love to bask more in my presence, and I wouldn't mind basking in yours, I have a duty I must uphold. So it will be my pleasure to kill you!" She finished with an evil smile.
Happy looked rather frightened. "I don't think that's a threat Dante… I got the feeling she's really strong."
"Yeah, well so am I." Dante twirled Rebellion. "Come on little Iblis, show me what you got!"
Elsewhere, in probably the lowest and most deepest portion of Temen-ni-gru, Arkham led Vergil down a long hallway till they came before a massive locked door. However, Arkham stopped for a moment.
"Is something wrong?" Vergil questioned.
"Leviatha has surrendered to Fairy Tail, Beelzebub has ended his own life as well, and it would seem Iblis is now confronting your brother. Though she may be strong, I am doubtful she'd be able to truly defeat him."
Vergil paid this no mind. With Temen-ni-gru being unlocked, he no longer needed any of the Seven Sins as they served their purpose. Though he was a bit disappointed to learn Beelzebub had ended his own life. He was told of his curse with the Wendigo and Vergil himself had vowed to end his suffering and his life should he gain the power from this, and had every intention of keeping his word, but it seems Fairy Tail beat him to it, no matter.
"But it doesn't matter." Arkham continued. "Soon we will reach the Lair of Judgment." He said as he stood before the massive gate. "Temen-ni-gru will finally gain its full function and lead us into the Demon World. The world that Sparda had sealed away for so long." As he opened his book and prepared a spell to open the door, Arkham gave an ironic chuckle.
"And the one who will left the incantation is you, his own son." Arkham said as the locks on the door began to shift and move. From the top, the locks all unlocked until they reached the bottom. "It must be fate." With the locks all opened, the door slowly opened inward to reveal the path to the final chamber Vergil need enter.
Arkham made a bowing gesture for Vergil to enter. However, the eldest son of Sparda stopped for a brief moment.
"Does that woman really bother you?"
Arkham turned to him in surprise. "What are you talking about?"
"Why didn't you kill her?" Vergil questioned. "Because she is your daughter? Did some pesky fatherly-love get in your way?"
"That's none of your…!"
*SLASH!*
Vergil had impaled Arkham with Yamato, causing Arkham to drop his book as his blood spilt on it.
"To further your study of the black arts, you sacrificed your loving wife, to become a Devil as well. Knowing this, I thought you'd be more useful to me. But I was wrong." He twisted the blade and drove it deeper into Arkham's chest, causing him to cough up more blood. "No wonder your attainment of power is incomplete."
Arkham glared at Vergil. "What about you? You're an incomplete being as well…." Vergil drove it even deeper. "Both demon… and human blood… mingle in your veins…!"
Vergil's eye twitched only slightly. "Shut up." He quickly and swiftly pulled Yamato out of Arkham and slowly began to sheath it, but right as he did, Arkham's heart exploded inside him as he fell to the ground.
"Now that the final door has been opened, I have no use for you, any of you." Vergil was done with Devil Hand; he no longer needed a guild, not when he was only a few steps away from obtaining unlimited power.
Done.
Wow, this chapter was a lot longer than I thought. Well Leviatha and Beelzebub are defeated, Iblis is all that's left and is about to face off with Dante (and Happy), but she won't be an easy fight for him. There's a reason why she leads the Seven Sins.
And it looks like Vergil has (seemingly) killed Arkham as he and Devil Hand have fulfilled their usefulness to him, but we all know the truth.
There are also a few things I want to say in regards to Beelzebub/Adrian and Leviatha/Sheeree's fights.
I know the concept of suicide is a sensitive subject especially with children (my mother is a therapist and she deals with this sort of thing), and it's not quite a 'Fairy-Tail' thing to do, but that sort of thing works with Devil May Cry. His life was very tragic, he was cursed with a Take Over he could not control and ate so many people, including his own family, even if Fairy Tail found a way to cure him, he could not forgive himself for all he's done. But now Adrian has found peace and is with his family in the afterlife, as he not only destroyed his inner demon, but Mira and Elfman were able to give him some love and show him that he wasn't a monster. They couldn't have saved his life, but they saved his soul.
As for Sheeree, I'm sorry if it sounds like something from a 'Magical Girl' anime or a 'Friendship is Magic' type of lesson, but let's look at her life. She was abaondned as a baby and raised alone by a literal ghost until Wendy showed up and he made Cait Shelter. She was pretty much alone her whole life, Wendy was the only real person she had ever known, but then she left her all alone. Sheeree couldn't use any magic and she never had a real family, yet Wendy had both those things, so it only make sense she'd be a bit jealous. However, Wendy thought she was an illusion because she didn't see Sheeree with everyone else when Cait Shelter faded away (on the account she left when Nirvana was heading their way); so it made it easier for Arkham to manipulate her into becoming one of his servants and to turning her loneliness and wanting to be loved into envy and spiteful hate. But, Wendy was able to break through her shell, and now hopefully she has a chance for a brighter future.
(Slight spoilers. I have big plans for Sheeree as she actually has a major role in future arcs for my series. I won't say what though, you'll see for yourself)
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I look forward to writing the rest of it. See you soon.