REPOSTING ONCE AGAIN!
Hey, everyone. As promised, here I am with the next chapter of Demons.
Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed this story so far, specially chapter 4. Your interest is what helps me keep on writing, so keep giving me your opinions.
Now, let me reply to your comments:
Guest 1: I assumed Lisanna's death would be acceptable to the readers, although also predictable. So I decided to twist things a bit in this chapter.
Lieutenant Myst: I can't say anything without spoiling this chapter. Thanks for commenting.
Guest 2: Truthfully, it still is her birthday. You gave a great idea; wish I had seen it before posting last chapter.
erikam1015: You'll have to wait until next chapter to get an actual answer. Poor Erza indeed, I'm just breaking her in this story.
Just a little REMINDER before the chapter begins: This story isn't completely canon. Besides the fact that I've changed many things, I haven't read the entire manga. All I know about Zeref's backstory came up during research, so it might not be entirely correct.
Happy reading!
When We Were Younger- SOJA
I never really got why we're here
Just look at all we build in our lives
And we all disappear
So why we try so hard in this place?
When pain and suffering is a guarantee
And happiness is a phase
A few centuries ago…
"Che l'oscurita tu possa lasciare,e nel mondo dei vivi ritornare!" Zeref stood over his young brother's dead body, a book in hand while he chanted the ancient spell that was supposed to return him to life. He'd be lying if he said the intense darkness he felt upon saying the words didn't bring chills down his spine.
After a few moments, the young man opened his eyes, only to be disappointed. Natsu's body remained unmoving, face still devoid of color and dark green eyes closed. "Am I casting it wrong?" Zeref wondered before taking another look at the book.
"No, your spell simply is incomplete." The voice was soft and melodic and the woman to whom it belonged absolutely beautiful.
Her hair was dark and long, almost to the back of her knees. The eyes that stared down at him almost pitifully were unlike anything he'd ever seen; one was bright green like the trees and the other pitch black. Her flawless creamy skin was covered in a long dress that, once again, mixed green and black; with the top mimicking dark feathers while the skirt was made of leaves and a few flowers.
"Who are you?" Zeref stared at the stranger, mesmerized.
"I've gone by many names." She replied before stepping away from him. "But these days, the most common one is Ankhseram."
"Ankhseram?" He repeated, eyes widening upon realization.
"So you know who I am. Good." She paused and stared at him, eyes piercing.
"What do you want from me?" He knew exactly why she was there; seeing as she was the goddess of life and death.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to punish you." Ankhseram replied.
"Why?" He knew why; he'd been warned that messing with life and death would only serve to anger the gods.
"You see, this world relies on balance. Light and darkness; good and evil and, of course, life and death." With each word she took another step around him, surrounding him. "By using that spell, you have broken that balance."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…All I wanted was to save my brother." He hoped she'd take pity on him once she saw that his intentions had been pure. But Zeref knew, deep inside, there was no forgiving what he'd done.
"I know. And although I admire the sacrifices that you were willing to make in order to bring him back, your mistake could set this whole world into chaos." He sighed.
"So what will you do?" He feared her answer; but knew there was no point avoiding it. Even as a powerful water mage, he was no match to a goddess.
"The punishment for using the Ritornare spell is an unbreakable curse. I wish you didn't have to fall to the same fate as the one who used it before, but what's done can't be undone." Besides fear, curiosity build inside him.
"What do you mean? Who used it before?" Ankhseram smiled sadly.
"Someone that used to be close to you. I'm certain you'll meet them soon enough." With a wave of her hand, a dark circle enveloped him and suddenly there was pain. It was intense and unbearable; but nothing compared to the heartache that would follow him in the centuries to come.
Present day... 3:25 PM
The sight that met Dorenbolt once he reappeared at the palace was nothing short of terrifying. The building was in ruins; all the paintings, furnitures and people scattered all around. So much despair, fear and death.
The former agent quickly ran through the bodies while calling out Jellal's name; heart constricted with fear that he'd be one of them.
Right in the middle of the ruins there was a weird structure made of mud, as it seemed. It had clearly been created with magic, so he approached it while keeping his guard up. Just before he could reach it, though, it exploded.
"What the..." The agent used his magic to change his location.
"You shouldn't have done that." The voice was familiar and Dorenbolt's eyes widened once he spotted Cobra and Richard. The latter was kneeling on the ground while the former stood victoriously in front of him. King Thomas and Darton were sitting behind them, looking confused and scared.
"Why are you back here?" Cobra asked once he spotted the silent agent. Dorenbolt didn't respond; his attention was caught by the body laying in front of Richard. Very familiar short blue hair, the unmistakable red scar across his right eye and skin paler than ever.
"No." Dorenbolt shook his head.
"Shouldn't you be protecting my daughter?" The king asked him, worried.
"What happened here?" The agent asked instead. Seeing his unwavering gaze on Jellal, Cobra replied.
"The idiot tried to play hero like I knew he would." Richard cast him a stern look.
"He saved our lives. You should be thankful, Erik." Rage filled the dragon slayer's eyes as he glared at his comrade.
"Don not call me that." Dorenbolt decided to speak before a full argument could begin.
"What exactly did he do?" Richard sighed before replying.
"He used his magic to contain the first explosion. It was enough to let us know that Tartarus were here, so we took his majesty to the princess' room in order to ask you to take us back to the cottage." Cobra spoke next, glaring at Dorenbolt.
"Imagine our surprise when we noticed you weren't there anymore, only Jellal remained. He told us you'd be back soon, so we waited." The agent felt guilty for forgetting that he was supposed to come back for the others.
"Sorry about that." Richard cast him an understanding glance.
"It's alright. The only problem is that your delay allowed Tartarus to cast more explosions and Jellal wasted all of his magic trying to stop them, but he couldn't. I barely managed to use my own magic to protect his majesty." Dorenbolt glanced once again towards Jellal's seemingly dead body.
"But is he..." He couldn't say it. Couldn't fathom the idea that Jellal would be taken out so easily. He was as strong as a wizard saint, after all. If Tartarus had managed to defeat him so easily, what chance did the rest of them have?
A few hours later, in Tartarus hideout...
"Lisanna!" Mirajane ran to her sister's side; hoping, praying. Wanting so desperately to believe that she hadn't lost her, even though those lifeless blue eyes were staring at her.
Along the way, the take-over mage ended up tripping and falling once again to her knees; exhaustion taking over her. Never before had she felt so drained and she was confused. After all, she had released incredible amounts of magic before, but it never affected her so much.
"What's going on?" Mira whispered while glancing at the strange black marking on her arms. It must be related to how she felt, but what were they?
A bright light caught her attention and her eyes widened once she noticed Lisanna's body was encircled by it.
"No! Don't take her away from me!" Memories of a similar light that took her away years before crossed the she-devil's mind and she quickly got back on her feet and resumed running towards her sister.
"Lisanna!" Just as Mirajane reached her, the light grew so intense that she was forced to cover her eyes.
Upon opening them once again, a confusing sight left a million questions running through her mind. "What? How?" She took the dead body onto her arms, staring at it in disbelief. In that one moment she'd closed her eyes, everything had changed.
Lisanna's familiar blue eyes had suddenly turned to brown, her skin had gotten darker and the Strauss trademark white hair turned to brown. It was no longer her sister there, although it was someone she considered to be a sister.
Once the shock worn off, Mirajane was filled with a mixture of relief and sadness. Lisanna wasn't dead, she hadn't lost her. But someone else had died, an innocent. And she hated the fact that all her mind could think was "At least it's not Lisanna. At least I haven't lost her again".
"No. No!" Tears began streaming down her face as she was hit with a wave of pain and sorrow. Shaky hands ran through the brunette curls while she tried to comprehend what was happening.
"Cana! Please, wake up." Mira pleaded while sobbing desperately onto her friend's body. Only a few minutes ago she'd been heartbroken; thinking her sister had been taken away once again. But somehow, Lisanna had been saved from this horrible fate.
Instead, Cana had been the one to die. The cheerful, teasing, loyal brunette who always made them laugh; who always stood up for her friends; who'd always protected them. She'd saved Lisanna; had risked her own life by taking the latter's place.
"Thank you. I'll never forget what you did." Mirajane gave the brunette a small smile before collapsing on the floor, Cana's body falling beside her.
Meanwhile, with Fairy Tail...
"Ugh, why do you do this to me?" Natsu complained once they arrived at the celestial spirit world. Lucy watched her boyfriend with a concealed smile as he threw up on the floor.
"Sorry, Natsu." She gently tapped his back.
"It worked." Yukino said, a relieved smile on her face.
"Yes, you did it!" Sting excitedly told her and the two of them hugged. Upon seeing Rogue's knowing smile, he pulled apart, blushing furiously, while she did the same.
"Are we all here?" Wendy asked while looking around the unfamiliar place.
"I think so." Warren said while doing the same. Both sighed in relief once realising that all of the members of Fairy Tail were there.
"So, what now?" Gajeel turned to the master, who seemed to be lost in thought.
"Now we must return to our world." He replied.
"Yes, we might've escaped the explosion, but Tartarus still have Erza and Mira." Lucy said while helping Natsu sit down.
"And Juvia. They have her too." Gray reminded them for the millionth time.
"Let's go!" Gajeel determinately said.
"Wait! We don't know where they are." Levy reminded him.
"Actually, we do." Loke said, making many people stare at him in confusion.
"We do?" Natsu asked dumbly, finally finished with throwing up. Before the celestial spirit could respond, there was a shaky, loud voice.
"What...You're...What just happened?" Everyone turned their eyes towards the right corner of the mysterious planet they were on. Freed, Laxus, Yajima and Evergreen were thrown on the floor, still unconscious. Holding onto the latter's body was none other than Elfman Strauss.
"Elfman!" Lucy screamed, suddenly remembering that he'd been used by Tartarus to cause the explosion. She could only imagine how he was feeling now.
"Are you alright?" Makarov asked, approaching the giant man. The latter stared at everyone in shock for a few moments before letting go of Evergreen.
"I'm so sorry, master. It's all my fault. I was the one who brought the bomb that destroyed the guild hall. I completely understand if you don't want me to be in the guild anymore, but please, just give me a chance to save my sisters." He began babbling, tears streaming down his face.
"Elfman, it's not your fault." The master told him firmly.
"What?" Many people gave him pitiful looks; the poor man was completely devastated.
"We know that Tartarus didn't give you a choice." Lucy told him.
"But..how?" He stared at her in confusion.
"The celestial spirit king has been watching over you. He saw everything that happened with Lisanna and the Tartarus member that went after you." Loke was quick to explain.
"So you know...they made me hurt Lisanna." He swallowed hard before lowering his head.
"Hey, man. Look at me." Gray surprised everyone by quickly running towards the large man and kneeling down in front of him. "I know exactly what you're feeling right now, okay?"
"So do I." Gajeel joined in and many others did. But none of them was as familiar with it as Gray Fullbuster.
"I know you're blaming yourself for what happened. I know you probably think that it should've been you and that you don't deserve to be here, safe, while Lisanna's trapped with them." Elfman sighed.
"I'm a failure. I couldn't protect Lisanna, or Mira, or Ever." He glanced towards his unconscious girlfriend and Gray did the same.
"Then I am too." The ice mage told him. "I couldn't protect Juvia; I failed her and Tartarus managed to take her away." Elfman's eyes widened for a moment at the news before his face fell.
"I'm sorry." Gray nodded briefly, hands trying to hold onto the silver necklace only to discover it was gone.
"Now isn't the time for us to be sorry, we need to do our best to rescue them." He let out a sigh, trying not to get anxious because of the object's disappearance.
"So, what do you say? Shall we teach those monsters that they can't mess with Fairy Tail?" Elfman stared at his extended hand for a moment before nodding eagerly.
"Yeah." They stood up before letting go of each other's hand and staring at their guild mates with determination.
"Let's go!" Gray looked pointedly at Loke, who nodded.
"Be careful, you guys. These demons aren't playing games." They nodded, understanding.
"Before we go, I must ask, can the wounded stay here?" Porlyusica called their attention.
"I'm afraid not. Humans can't stay too long in the celestial spirit world." Loke replied and Natsu, Lucy, Wendy and Gray shared looks; knowing exactly why.
"Then we must select a group to protect them." The healer turned to Makarov, urging him to do so.
"Does anyone volunteer?" The master asked.
"We can stay with them. It's best for us not to get too involved in the war." Alzack said while picking up Asuka.
"Me too." They were surprised when Elfman also volunteered.
"You sure?" Gajeel asked, raising a brow.
"I thought you'd want to go after them more than any of us." Gray added.
"And I do. But right now, I need to stay with Ever. I already failed Lisanna and Mira, but I sure as hell won't let anyone take her." More pitiful looks were sent while Lucy and Levy shared knowing smiles.
"In the meantime, we'll do our best to bring Mira and Lisanna back safe, okay?" The celestial wizard reassured him and he nodded, a thankful smile on his face.
"I've placed a powerful spell to keep your baby safe. All I need now is the blood of the creature who hurt her and the others in order to make the antidote." Porlyusica added while Elfman knelt down and took Evergreen's body back into his arms.
"Then we'll get that." Gray said, giving his friend a reassuring look.
"Can we go now?" Natsu asked, ever impatient.
"Yes, I think we're ready." Makarov replied.
"Time to teach them a lesson." Gajeel said, looking rather excited while Levy rolled her eyes at him.
After the 12 gates of the Zodiac joined hands, light enveloped them all once again and it wasn't long before they found themselves on Tartarus' fortress. It was time to strike.
Kyoka was just about to swing the sword across Erza's body when a frantic looking Franmalth entered the room. "What are you doing here?" The demon turned to him, eye flashing with anger.
"There's been a change of plans." He told her.
"What change of plans?" Before he could answer, they heard screams and the sound of fighting.
"They are here." Franmalth said, looking anxious.
"How?" She asked, disbelieving it.
"We don't know how they escaped that explosion, but they are here and taking out our army." He replied frantically; both missed the small smile that came to Erza's face as she stopped crying.
"Seilah's plan didn't work?" Kyoka was furious.
"Let's just go, Kyoka. We need to eliminate them before they get to the control room." Franmalth told her and she sighed before glancing towards her prisoner.
"Let me just take Erza out and..." He grabbed her arm, urging her to leave.
"There's no time. The chairman said that the dragon slayers are quickly approaching." She looked back at Erza.
"I guess she isn't going anywhere." Nodding, she began walking away before stopping. "But I will come back for you, Erza."
As soon as they were gone, the red head let out a relieved sigh.
"At least they're here. I should probably call them." She knew that getting herself freed from those chains was crucial, but it felt like all of her strenght had just disappeared. And Erza knew, it wasn't just because of the torture.
"Jellal. He can't be gone." The tears resumed falling as more flashes crossed through her mind. "I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye." Erza sobbed. It was so hard to stay strong when everything was falling apart. And with each minute that passed and the knowledge that Jellal was dead sinked in, she began wondering why she should even stay strong.
True, she'd always fought for Fairy Tail. Protecting her friends had always been her reason to stay strong and fight against the enemy. However, ever since her relationship with Jellal evolved into a romance, he'd become her reason. The thought of a future with him, a happy life by his side, was what kept her going through all these weeks they were apart.
The knowledge that said future was no longer possible stabbed at her like knives and she couldn't stop the anguish scream that left her lips. "Jellal!"
Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Gray, Gajeel and Levy had been following a path along the lonely corridor inside the fortress when they heard the scream. "Erza!" They looked at each other.
"She's in danger." Lucy said, face paling.
"Can you guys sense where she is?" Levy asked, turning to the three dragon slayers.
"Her smell is very faint, but I can tell it's coming from there." Wendy answered, pointing in the direction they'd come.
"Then we need to go there!" Natsu said before quickly turning around.
"Wait! We shouldn't all go." Lucy told him and Gray nodded.
"We still need to stop them from activating FACE, so we should split up." Levy nodded in agreement to the ice mage's idea.
"So, how do we do this?" The blonde asked, looking between her friends.
"Levy and I will go after Erza. The rest of you can take care of Tartarus." They were surprised by Gajeel's suggestion, never having expected him to choose the option that involved less fighting. However, they didn't know that the dragon slayer was worried for his girlfriend and thought it was best if she stayed away from fights.
"I'll go with you." Gray said, hoping that Erza might lead them to Juvia.
After wishing their friends good luck, the trio turned around and walked back towards the hole from where they'd entered the guild. They didn't know exactly what had caused it, but it was clear that fight had occured not far from there.
"There!" Gajeel pointed towards an open door where the smell was stronger.
"Erza?" Levy called gently, running towards it while the two men followed her.
"Levy?" The petit bluenette was stunned silent once she entered the small room. There was Erza, hands and feet chained while her body was covered in strange markings. The worst part of it, though, was the red head's face. She looked so broken, so hopeless.
"What the hell happened to you?" Gajeel asked ever so insensitively.
"Are you okay, Erza?" Gray knew the question was stupid, but he needed to be sure of how bad the situation was.
"I'm so glad you're here." She was sobbing, tears streaming down her face. Erza Scarlet never cried like that, never.
"What happened?" Levy asked as she approached the red head and knelt down in front of her while Gajeel worked on breaking the chains and Gray just stared in shock.
"We were captured. Me and..Mirajane. I don't know where she is." Erza replied, sniffling as she attempted to hold back the tears.
"What did they do?" Levy regretted asking it as soon as they returned.
"They...tortured me. It was...worse than..." As Gajeel removed the last chain tying her arm, she fell forward, almost crushing poor Levy if the iron dragon slayer hadn't held onto her.
"Easy there, Titania." He knelt to the ground and placed her by his side.
"There's something else." They turned to the ice mage. "I've seen you hold up under torture, they couldn't break you so easily." Fear rose as he pictured all the horrible things Tartarus could've done. Juvia's face never left his mind and his heart tightened.
"They...said something." Erza took deep breaths, attempting to calm herself down.
"What did they say?" Levy asked.
"About Jellal." She sighed before saying the two words that changed everything. "He's dead."
"Are you sure?" Gray asked after a few moments of silence.
"No, but...They looked so confident. I don't think they're lying." Erza replied.
"I'm so sorry, Erza." Levy said before throwing her arms around the red head in a tight embrace. Her feelings for Jellal were no secret to them.
"We have to go." Gajeel said, making them stare at him in confusion.
"What's wrong, Gajeel?" The petit bluenette asked upon seeing his suddenly pale face.
"I can hear them coming." He replied simply before turning to the broken mage.
"Can you walk?" Erza quietly shook her head, deciding there was no point in deceiving them.
"I'll carry you." Gray immediately suggested, trying to shake off the images of Juvia's dead body from his mind.
"No offence, stripper, but I'm stronger than you. I'll do it." Before the ice mage could retort, Erza spoke.
"Thank you, Gajeel." Levy and the dragon slayer helped her stand up before the latter swung her over his shoulders like a bag of potatoes. She didn't complain.
"What now?" Levy asked.
"We should take her to Porlyusica." Gray suggested and the couple nodded.
So they began walking towards the area where the wounded were, managing to avoid the nine demon gates and easily defeating the few soldiers who got in their way. They had just arrived at the spot where Porlyusica, Elfman, Alzack and Bisca were staying when it happened.
They didn't know what it was, but all of sudden everything began shaking and then a red substance appeared out of no where and began trapping them. From afar, a sinister voice could be heard as the underworld king whispered the spell that should seal their fate. "Alegria."
"Natsu!" Lucy screamed in horror once she stared at her boyfriend. She couldn't believe what was happening, it was so insane.
First they had found a room where there were timers counting down the minute FACE would be activated. For reasons she had yet to understand, Wendy and Carla had been the ones to go after the weapon while she and Natsu faced off against one of the nine demon gates.
The creepy one-eyed creature had proven himself to be resourceful and his powers were unlike anything Lucy had ever seen. He had managed to absorb the souls of two of her spirits and almost did the same with herself, Natsu and Happy.
Thankfully, they had found a way to beat him in the end, although the aftermath of his death was just as frightening as they watched all of the souls he had accumulated "fly" away. And then Master Hades had appeared all of sudden told them to ask Makarov to "unleash the light", whatever that meant.
The couple hadn't had much time to dwell on it, because soon the whole fortress was shaking and then a strange red substance began enveloping everyone in the hall. Natsu and Happy had been trapped inside it, but somehow she had escaped such fate.
"Fairy Tail has been easily defeated by Alegria. However, it seems as if one human has somehow escaped the spell. Whoever manages to eliminate this poor, unfortunate soul will have the honor of becoming one of the nine demon gates of Tartarus." A voice echoed through the hallway and Lucy's eyes widened. This coulnd't be. Fairy Tail, defeated?
Once again, she didn't have time to dwell on it for water suddenly filled the corridor. She managed to stay afloat by hanging onto a door that had been torn out. A few soldiers soon appeared and she made quick work of them with her whip. However, when she spotted the same demon who had gone after her and Natsu earlier, Lucy was quick to summon Virgo and Loke.
Avoiding his attacks proved to be extremely difficult and it only got worse as two more appeared. She was lucky that the annoying girl who managed to get closer to her was weak and the celestial wizard quickly sent her away. However, the same didn't work for the bomber and shark demons.
As explosions were sent her way, she screamed in pain, but held on. She was the only one left, so she didn't have the luxury of giving up. She needed to fight them and beat them, but how? It's not as if she was some weaklink, but she wasn't Erza or Natsu.
Seeing as Virgo and Loke weren't able to handle the two demons, Lucy decided to use the water to her advantage and called for Aquarius. Having summoned three celestial spirtits, her strenght was drained and she collapsed into the arms of her oldest friend.
"You idiot. You shouldn't have summoned us all at once." The water spirit scolded while sharing worried glances with Loke.
"Lucy, you have to let us go." He screamed, knowing she wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.
"No, I can't. I can't fight them without you." Big brown eyes stared fearfully into his.
"It's okay, Lucy. You can do this, I believe in you." He smiled reassuringly at her.
"You'll be fine, princess." Virgo added, stopping her fight against Torafusa for a moment.
"Thank you, for everything." As she sent them both away, Lucy didn't know why she was crying or why this felt like a final goodbye.
"Easy there, Lucy." Aquarius said as she collapsed into her arms.
"Look at her, she's crying." Jackal mocked, a smirk coming upon his face.
"Defeating her will be easy now." Torafusa added.
"Hey, let me have her." The unnamed girl complained from the former's side and he rolled his eyes.
"I don't think so." Lucy watched in horror as Jackal placed his hand on her forehead and within seconds her lifeless body fell forward.
"Why did you kill her? Isn't she on your side?" The celestial wizard asked, confused.
"She was in the way." He replied, shrugging. She was frozen in shock. How could there be such evil and heartless creatures that were willing to kill their own allies without a second thought?
"Lucy, listen to me." She lifted her head to stare at Aquarius. "I'm afraid that, no matter which spirit you summon, it won't be enough to defeat Tartarus."
"Then what am I supposed to do? I have to save everyone." The celestial spirit smiled, though Lucy spotted sadness behind it.
"There is a way for you to do that." Then she proceeded to explain how the celestial spirit king could defeat them, but once she spoke of the price for summoning him, the blonde shook her head.
"No, I can't do that." Aquarius sighed.
"You're gonna have to. If you want to save your friends." Lucy bit her lip.
"But I don't want to break any of my keys." Once again, a sad smile was sent her way.
"And you can't just break any key. It must belong to a spirit with whom you share the strongest bond." Seeing where she was going, the celestial wizard sighed.
"You can't seriously expect me to do this." Tears began streaming down her face once again. "I can't... You're my oldest friend."
"It's not as if you'll be killing me. We just won't be able to see each other anymore." Much to her surprise, Aquarius looked just as broken as she felt.
"But...Aquarius..." Lucy tried, but the celestial spirit shook her head.
"It's time to let me go, Lucy. This is something you need to do in order to save your friends." She helped the exhausted mage stand up and took her hands. "It was an honor being contracted to you and your mother. I'll never forget you."
"I don't want to lose you." For a moment she completely forgot about he situation they were facing, or the demons that were watching them, ready to kill her. All she could think about is how she didn't want to let go of her oldest friend.
"I'm sorry it has to end this way." An unusually soft smile appeared on Aquarius' face.
"Can you do me a favor?" Lucy nodded mutely. "Tell Juvia that I'm sorry." More tears fell at the thought of her cousin.
"I will." The celestial spirit, seeing her absolutely broken state, opened her arms and embraced the crying girl. For a few moments they were lost in comfortable silence until Aquarius broke it."Now, it's time." Without pulling apart from the hug, the blonde took out the golden key and whispered the words that changed everything. "Open, gate of the king."
Meanwhile, with Juvia...
"They sure are taking their time." She whispered after sliding down the wall. She had just attempted another break out and the result had been the same as the last 15 tries: nothing. All she managed was to get zapped by that stupid barrier. "Why did I decide to come here again?" The memory of Gray's bloody shirt reminded her.
"Damn it." Juvia buried her head in her knees and embraced them, closing her eyes. If only she hadn't gone on that mission, she wouldn't be in this situation now.
Or would she? Come to think about it, no matter what she had chosen to do, Zeref would've found her. He was much too powerful, so perhaps it was for the best that no one had to get hurt in the end. After all, if she had stayed at the guild like the master suggested, Zeref would've needed to go through all of them to get her. This way she had managed to avoid unnecessary injuries.
"That still doesn't make it okay." Juvia removed her head and looked towards the open door where she could see the sun setting. "Great, now it's nighttime." She had a feeling that the reason why Zeref hadn't transformed her yet is because he needed to wait until midnight. She had heard Master explain that when mages turned 18, they would be at their most powerful since the age marked the beginning of adulthood.
According to him, the body would adapt to this change and, at midnight, all of the magic they possessed would be activated. Juvia suspected that Zeref believed she would be strong enough to withhold the transformation by then.
"That means only a few hours are left." She shivered. This wasn't good. She needed to get out of there and soon. However, as much as she had tried, saving herself didn't seem possible. She was relying on her friends to save her from Zeref and Juvia could only hope that they'd make it in time.
"They will." She reassured herself. "They never failed me and I know Gray will manage to find me before it's too late." Her confidence was ignited with the thought of Gray and the lengths he'd go to protect her.
"He'll save me, just as he's done so many times." The memory of the first time he had saved her life brought a smile to her face and hope to her heart.
At FACE's location... 7 PM
"You've done it, child. I'm so proud of you." Wendy barely had the strength to smile at her friend as she lay on the ground. After winning a hard fought battle against Ezel, who'd been guarding FACE, the young dragon slayer had collapsed, drained of magic and energy.
"Thanks, Carla." She moved her arms a bit so that the exceed could embrace her. They stayed that way for a few moments, but a sudden ticking sound made their eyes widened and both stared at the massive weapon that glowed in the dark cave.
"No way." Carla shook her head, staring at the timer in disbelief.
"I thought...I had destroyed it." Tears began streaming down the child's face as she was overcome with frustration.
"So did I." The exceed added before standing up.
"What do we do now?" Wendy began to panick and attempted to sit up, only to fall down seconds later.
"I don't know." It wasn't completely true. Carla knew what had to be done, but she couldn't shake off her hesitation.
"We should get out of here." The exceed sighed.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible. I used all of my magic bringing you here." She explained and Wendy stared at her apologizingly.
"I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have rushed you." Carla sighed.
"Now isn't the time for that, child. We still have a chance at stopping FACE and saving everyone." They were unaware that, at that very same moment, Lucy was thinking the same thing as she summoned the celestial spirit king.
"So you know how to stop it?" Wendy's eyes widened.
"I saw myself doing so in the future. All I need to do is press that button." Carla explained before turning her back and walking towards the weapon."You should step away as much as you can, Wendy."
"No way! I'm not leaving you here!" The child refuted.
"You don't understand." The exceed looked at her, tears streaming down her face. "Once I do this, there will be no coming back."
"What do you mean?" Wendy was confused.
"Stopping FACE"s activation will trigger an explosion, as all the ethernano contained in it will be released." Carla explained and the former's face paled.
"So you'll die?" She understood then, why her friend was ushering her away. But she wouldn't leave.
"I'm too weak to fly away, so I'll have to pay this price." Wendy shook her head.
"No. There has to be another way." Carla stared at her sadly.
"We don't have time to find it." They looked towards the timer, which marked less than two minutes before the explosion. "But you can still save yourself, child, so go."
"No!" The dragon slayer was determined. "I won't leave you. Even if I could move, and get away from here, I wouldn't. You're my best friend, so I'll stay with you until the end." For a moment, Carla stared at her; feeling proud. Who would've imagined that she could've grown so much in only the few short months since they had joined Fairy Tail?
"I can see there's no changing your mind." She finally realized and Wendy nodded before crawling towards where she stood by FACE.
"We'll do it together, okay?" The exceed nodded.
"Together forever, just like we promised." They were both crying by then, but their hearts were filled with happiness. The cave began to shake as only a few seconds were left.
"Ready?" Wendy asked before extending her hand towards the button.
"Ready." Carla did the same. Their faces showed nothing but determination as they made the ultimate sacrifice to save the world.
So, thoughts?
Were you surprised that I didn't actually kill Lisanna? I told you that this story is all about the plot twists.
Let's all take a moment to mourn Cana Alberona, who willingly took Lisanna's place, thus putting her own life at risk.
By the way, something to keep in mind: As I said in chapter 20 of Connections, Cana, Lisanna and Bixlow's fates were altered. Two who were supposed to die survived and two others were killed in their place. The question remains, who's going to take Bixlow's place?
On another topic, what do you think happened with Jellal? Is he truly dead? Jerza fans, are you hanging in there?
I couldn't not mention the two other sacrifices made in this chapter. Anyone surprised I followed the plots with Aquarius and Wendy&Carla? What will happen with the latter two?
Also, what are your thoughts on Juvia's situation? Will FT and Gray save her before midnight comes?
Lastly, what did you think of the introduction of Ankhseram and Zeref's curse?
Next chapter: According To Plan.
Summary: After taking a hit with the Alegria spell, Fairy Tail rises once again as the celestial spirit king frees them. New battles begin as Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, Lyon and Meredy encounter Lucy and defend her against the nine demon gates. Meanwhile, Erza finds herself in trouble; unaware that help is on the way. Will the arrival of Crime Sorciére turn the war in their favor?
Reminder: I set out a CHALLENGE at the end of chapter 5 and this is your last chance to enter it.
To summarise, if you can find out who was the body mentioned in the flashback between Zeref and Acnologia back in chapter 3, I'm going to write a prompt with your favorite characters/couples dedicated to you. Or, if you'd prefer, you can give me a character and I'll tell you their fate. Anyone interested in finding out if your favorite characters will live or die?
Can we try 5 reviews by the 4th of March?