REPOSTING! (Just to remind you of this story cause chapter 9 will be posted tomorrow!)
Good evening, everyone! As promised, here we go with chapter 8 of Demons. I gotta say, this is one of my favorites. If you're a fan of Jerza, Silver or the Strauss siblings, it's the right chapter for you.
Before we begin, I'd like to thank Lieutenant Myst, Cheschire-Kaat, emcpherson and Guest for leaving comments on chapter 7. Here's a reply to the latter two:
emcpherson: Thank you. I hope you're enjoying this story.
Guest: I know how you feel, I also adored Juvia and Keyes battle; it was great seeing her so powerful and badass, not to mention the Juvia x Silver moments. I really wanted to use it in this story, but with Juvia kidnapped by Zeref, I had to replace her with someone. It felt right to use Lyon since he's also connected to Gray and it was also the perfect moment to develop his relationship with Meredy.
You can bet on a Gruvia x Silver moment later on, but as you'll find out in this chapter, Silver isn't as dead as you might think. I hope you'll keep enjoying this story despite that switch up and be assure that there are many great Juvia moments to come.
Just a WARNING before the chapter begins: you've got a NEW CHALLENGE at the end! (Yay)
Happy reading, everyone!
Freedom-Anthony Hamilton
Felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders
Should I break or retreat and then return
Facing the fear that the truth, I discover
No telling how, all these will work out
But I've come to far to go back now.
I am looking for freedom, looking for freedom
And to find it cost me everything I have
September 22nd, X791. 7:30 PM
Silver was immensely relieved when he felt Keyes' presence diminishing until it was no more. He immediately stopped attacking Gray, glad that Lyon had managed to defeat the demon just in time; only a few seconds longer and he would've killed his son.
He dropped to his knees, feeling overwhelmed. It was so strange, being free. For so long he'd prayed that somehow he'd manage to free himself from Tartarus, but with each passing year it had felt more and more unlikely. It was hard to believe that it was finally over.
"Dad?" He heard Gray call out and Silver smiled.
"It's over, son. You can come out now." He was also glad that the younger man hadn't been forced to fight against him. That might've ruined their relationship; if it wasn't ruined already, he thought grimly.
"What happened?" Gray asked after coming out from behind the rock where he'd been hiding. His black eyes stared in confusion at his father.
"I talked to your friend, Lyon. He managed to defeat Keyes, which means I'm finally free." His eyes widened.
"Lyon defeated Keyes?" He couldn't deny that he was impressed. As powerful as he knew Lyon to be, taking down a member of the nine demon gates was on another level.
"Yes. That means that Keyes no longer controls me." Silver confirmed.
"I'm glad to hear that." With slow steps, Gray approached his father.
"I'm so sorry, son. I didn't want to hurt you anymore than I already have." The older man said as soon as he was close enough.
"You don't have to apologize, dad. I know." Gray replied before kneeling down. Surprising them both, he wrapped his arms around his father. "I'm just glad they didn't kill you. I was so scared that I was gonna lose you again."
The latter smiled sadly as he held his son."I'm sorry you had to go through that." They stayed like that for a few moments; until Silver remembered that with Keyes' gone, he could finally tell Gray all of the secrets he'd been forced to hide.
"Son, there's a lot that I must tell you; that I can only do so now that I'm free." The younger man nodded.
"You don't have to do that now." He reassured, but Silver shook his head.
"No, I've waited too long; I want to do it while I have the chance." They changed positions, now sitting in front of the other. After taking a deep breath, Silver began his tale.
"After Deliora's attack and we were knocked down, I thought it was over. I could hear your cries for help in the distance as I slipped into unconsciousness and I was so sure that I was going to die." A pause. "So you can imagine my surprise when I woke up a few weeks later at a hospital near Antartica."
"Someone rescued you." Gray noted and Silver nodded.
"It was a woman, I didn't know her then. She told me how she'd found me and Mika and how she'd thought that I was dead too. Once she realized I was still alive, she took me to the hospital where I was in a comma for a few weeks."
"Who was this woman?" He knew it couldn't be Ur, so he was curious.
"Her name was Lydia." Another pause. "Lydia Strauss." Gray's eyes widened in realization.
"Strauss? So this means she was related to Mira, Elfman, Lisanna?" Silver nodded
"Yes, she was their mother. According to what she told me, they had moved to a small village near Antartica after the death of her husband a few years before." A sigh. " At first I thought that she was just a kind person and I thanked her for rescuing me, but afterwards I learned the truth."
"Which was?" The former asked after he was silent for too long.
"She was no ordinary mage, Gray. She was a demon slayer." His eyes widened. "And she told me that she thought I could become one too; she revealed how she'd sensed something about me. I didn't believe her at first, I even refused her help when she suggested to teach me demon slaying magic."
Silver swallowed hard. "Until she told me how I could be strong enough to defeat Deliora. The memory of the monster who had taken away my beloved wife and you was what made me agree to learn it. "
Gray nodded, thinking back to his mission to Sun Village and the reveal that a demon slayer had frozen it. It seemed very likely that Silver was the one to do it, but he wondered why.
"As time passed, Lydia and I actually became friends; I found out that we had more in common than I'd ever think. She eventually confided in me about what happened with her husband." The older man continued, grimacing at the memory.
"Victor was killed because of me. I will never forgive myself for causing his death and forcing my children to grow up without a father." Lydia sighed as she sat down in front of the fireplace.
"I'm sure it wasn't your fault." Silver was quick to reassure her while sitting by her side.
"They were looking for me, I was the one they wanted." When he gave a confused look, she elaborated. "They are Zeref's closest allies, the demons from his books. They formed a guild called Tartarus, one of the darkest ones in existence."
"But why were they after you?" The answer was so obvious that he was surprised he hadn't reached it.
"They heard that I had become a demon slayer after I managed to defeat Set and they worried I might represent a threat. So Zeref sent his most trusted ally, Seilah, to kill me." Lydia avoided his eyes when she continued.
"She arrived at my home while I was at the market, Victor was home with the kids. He protected them and tried to hold her off, but she killed him in cold blood. And my poor babies, they were forced to watch it." She was crying by then and Silver took her hand and squeezed it.
"When I arrived home, it was just in time to stop her from killing Mirajane, who tried to protect her siblings against Seilah. I managed to get them out of the house, before returning to fight against the demon using my own demon form and eventually I defeated her."
"I'm impressed." Silver admitted, knowing that couldn't have been easy.
"In time, I'm sure you'll be able to defeat Deliora as well." Lydia turned to him, eyes determined."But I must warn you, demon slaying magic can be unpredictable, unstable and dangerous. I might be in perfect control now, but it wasn't always like this."
"You won't talk me out of this, Lydia. I want to become strong enough to avenge my wife and son." Silver quickly said, just as determined.
"Very well, then. Let's resume our training." So they stood up from the couch and went outside to the unforgiving cold.
"That's..." Gray didn't know what to say. His own childhood had been so traumatic, but it seemed like the Strauss siblings had it even worse.
"Horrible, I know." Silver sighed once again.
"What happened to Lydia? I mean, I know she died since Mira told me, but how?" The younger man wondered after a few moments of silence passed as he tried to take it all in.
"It was my fault." Silver surprised him by admitting. "And there isn't a day that goes by in which I don't remember that."
"What happened, dad?" Gray pressed.
"After a few months of training, I got cocky. I thought that I was strong enough to defeat Deliora even though Lydia warned me I needed more time." Silver looked away, ashamed. "I ignored her and used my powers to track down Deliora. I was led to Tartarus' fortress and, needless to say, they weren't too happy when they found me."
"So they didn't kidnap you." He shook his head.
"No, I found them on my own. I was only hoping to fight against Deliora, but suddenly I was faced with the nine demon gates and Zeref. Honestly, I was so sure that I was going to die, then."
"I don't get why they didn't kill you when they wanted to kill Lydia." Gray was confused.
"I don't either, son. All I know is, they had been about to kill me when Lydia suddenly showed up. Apparently she had managed to track me down and she stood tall against them. She scolded me for being such an idiot, but she had my back. She told me to get out of there, to let her handle them."
"Of course you didn't do that." He knew his father too well.
"We were arguing when they started attacking us. The battle was short lived and, unfortunately, Lydia ended up being killed by Jackal. I was horrified after that, as I remembered her children, who I'd never met and who needed her. I think you understand what is like to blame yourself for someone's death, right, son?" Gray swallowed hard, flashes of Ur and Ultear crossing his mind.
"I do." Silver placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"So you know how broken I was. So broken that I stopped fighting and accepted that this would be my end. However, to my surprise, Zeref stopped them from killing me. I don't know what he had in mind, but he told them that having a demon slayer on their side might prove to be useful. So they took me inside the fortress, branded me with Tartarus' mark and placed a spell that prevented me from telling anyone else details about it. That's why I didn't tell you any of this before."
Silence fell upon them once again. Gray had to admit, Silver's tale made a lot of sense. He knew his father wasn't lying, but still, something was off.
"That was 17 years ago, wasn't it?" The older man nodded, confused by the question."When I met you, you said only 11 had passed. You also don't look like you've aged nearly two decades, so what aren't you telling me?" Understanding crossed Silver's face.
"I'm sorry, I forgot about that." He took a deep breath. "You see, just like you, I was frozen in time for 7 years. That's why I don't seem to have aged."
"What?" Gray couldn't believe it. "No way!"
"I was on Tenrou Island with you, Gray." His eyes widened in shock."Of course, I had no idea you were there at the time. Tartarus had sent me to retrieve Lord Zeref and keep an eye on Hades, from Grimoire Heart. I arrived just before Acnologia wiped the island away."
"So you were there too." Silver sighed.
"It's incredible how many times we were so close and never saw each other, isn't it?" The younger man nodded, thinking not only of Silver, but also Juvia. They had lived together on the same village for months, yet somehow never met. It was truly incredible!
"But it's over now, isn't it? Now that you're free, you don't have to do what they want anymore." He tentatively asked his father, who smiled.
"Now I can finally be a true father to you, if you'll allow me." It was hard to hold in the tears.
"You already are, dad." He replied hoarsely, thinking of the past few weeks and how close they'd grown. Silver smiled even more before once again taking him in his arms for a much needed hug.
"Keyes is gone. They killed him." Torafusa said while glaring at the couple who remained holding hands while staring ahead of them.
"Alright!" Gajeel cheered and Natsu gave a smile, though his gaze quickly went to his injured girlfriend.
"Now you can help Lucy." The reminder made Meredy remove her hand, blushing a bit, before sitting down by the blonde's side. She felt exhausted and drained, but thankfully there was no pain, meaning the baby was probably okay. She still needed to check with Porlyusica, though.
"Hey, you okay, man?" She looked up upon hearing Gajeel's words and her eyes widened. Lyon was coughing, struggling to breathe.
"Lyon? Are you okay?" The pinkette asked while pressing against Lucy's wound.
"Bean particles. So Keyes managed to contaminate him at least." They heard Natsu's opponent say.
"One for one, that we can take." Torafusa said just before Lyon's body dropped after a final cough.
"No!" Meredy let out a frantic scream while quickly crawling away from Lucy so she could catch him before he hit the ground. The impact of his heavy body against her arms hurt, but she ignored it as she desperately touched his face.
"Hey, don't do this to me. Just open your eyes." She barely realized that tears were streaming down her face until they began soaking his blue coat.
"What's wrong with him?" Natsu asked, though his attention soon went back to his battle as Tempester sent an attack.
"Damn it!" Gajeel tried to reach the trio on the ground, but was stopped by Torafusa. "Get out of my way!"
"You are not leaving our battle." The demon warned.
"Please, talk to me." Meredy kept trying, sobbing onto Lyon's unconscious body. He remained unmoving, face suddenly pale and she could feel him struggle to breathe.
Looking between him and Lucy; she started growing stressed with the knowledge that they needed help and there was nothing she could do. She wasn't a healer, after all and wasn't even supposed to be using magic.
"What do I do?" A broken whisper as her hand returned to her stomach. The pain was beginning now, she could feel it. "Okay, baby, I'm calm. It's okay." She whispered while taking a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.
"Just hang in there, Meredy." Natsu's reassuring voice made her look at him and her eyes widened. Something had changed, that was clear. He was glowing bright red and there were lightening sparks coming off his body. As she surveyed Gajeel and their opponents, she noticed they all had changed. While the iron dragon slayer now glowed green and had a different appearance, both demons had changed form. They looked stronger and more threatening.
"What happened?" Meredy asked, confused.
"They said something about taking Etherious form, that way they'd be more powerful against us." Natsu replied.
"So we decided to do the same." Gajeel replied.
"Let's get them, Gajeel!" They charged at their opponents, managing to catch them by surprise.
Meredy sighed in relief once the demons were thrown back, but they were quick to stand their ground and fight back. She could do nothing but watch as the two dragon slayers tried to keep up, but everything soon turned chaotic when Natsu and Gajeel accidentally punched each other on the jaw.
"What the hell?" The latter grew angry.
"Hey, you were the one that got in my way." A fight quickly erupted between the two while their opponents watched, shocked.
"Guys, this is the worst time for us to be fighting amongst ourselves." The pinkette reminded them while attempting once again to press her cape into Lucy's wounds, seeing as the celestial wizard was fading fast.
"He's the one that came at me!" Both men yelled while pointing towards the other.
"Why do I have to be awake for this?" Meredy sighed, shaking her head.
"Forget it, let's just go back to beating this punks." Natsu turned back to Tempester, who stared at them with a raised brow.
"Yeah! Victory will be mine!" Gajeel turned to Torafusa, who was smirking at them. "The hell are you smiling about?"
"You just allowed me to win." As the former stared at him in confusion, he suddenly began glowing.
"This can't be good." The pinkette whispered, staring in disbelief as water seemed to pour out of his body.
"What the?" Natsu screamed just before it reached him. There was so much liquid that within minutes they were submerged.
"No." Gajeel's eyes widened once he looked around.
Meredy was attempting to reach the surface, taking Lucy with her. She clearly didn't have the strength to do so, though, and he could tell that she was in pain. Lyon's body was dropping and he knew the ice mage wouldn't hold on for much longer.
"Lucy!" Natsu tried to swim towards the trio, but he could feel himself being drained. They noticed, quickly, that this wasn't just normal water. No, there was something mixed with the liquid. "Damn it!"
"What the hell do we do now?" Gajeel wondered, feeling himself grow weaker. How could he fight his opponent when he couldn't even breathe?
Meanwhile, with the wounded…
Elfman stood protectively in front of his girlfriend while Alzack and Bisca protected Freed and Yajima. Laxus was the only one left open to attacks coming from Tartarus' army, except for Porlyusica's presence. The healer didn't do much to attack their enemies since her magic didn't work that way, but she did manage to hold them off while conjuring a protective barrier around them.
They were having a hard time keeping up with the many soldiers, since Elfman was still traumatized by what happened and wasn't able to focus entirely while the couple worried about Asuka, who had taken a seat by Freed's side after Alzack told her to. They wished she didn't have to be there, but they couldn't take her somewhere else because that would put their friends' lives at risk.
Elfman felt the same towards Evergreen, all he wanted was to get her out of there, but with attacks coming at all moments, that seemed to be impossible. Besides, there was no way they could get all of the wounded away, they didn't have enough magic to do so.
"This is getting exhausting." Bisca whispered while putting down her gun.
"We could use some help over here." Alzack replied, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Why did everyone leave, mamma?" Little Asuka wondered and both parents glanced at her, but didn't have an answer ready.
"Makarov and his stupid plans." Porlyusica shook her head, frowning."I warned him that we needed more people to guard the wounded."
"Damn it!" Elfman screamed as his transformation wore off. He fell to his knees, exhausted and for a moment it seemed like everything was lost as five soldiers came jumping at him. However, they were suddenly thrown back by a gust of wind that left everyone in shock.
"What the…" His eyes widened once he spotted a familiar pinkette followed by the wizard saint who carried none other than Mirajane. "Mira!"
"Elfman!" The oldest Strauss yelled his name, though her voice sounded weak and shaky. He could immediately tell that something wasn't right with her.
"I'm glad we've found you." Jura told him while putting her down and she was quick to run to her brother's side and throw her arms around him.
"Elfman, I was so worried." The giant man hugged her back tightly, relief crossing his face. At least she was okay; even if Lisanna was hurt, he still had Mirajane. Lisanna! The memory made his eyes widen and he unwrapped his arms to look at Mira's face.
"Lisanna! I…" She interrupted him.
"I know, I found her. Well, it wasn't really her." She glanced towards Chelia, who was fighting against the soldiers with Jura while Bisca and Alzack took a break as the enemies were quickly wiped out and Porlyusica stood still, worried eyes focused on the two siblings.
Elfman followed Mira's line of view to the body lying close to the pinkette and he frowned.
"Cana? What is she doing here?" Now that he thought about it, Cana had been absent for a long time. The last he had seen her was before he left for his mission with Lisanna.
"I don't know how, but she took Lisanna's place." Mirajane explained and his eyed widened once again.
"What?" So did this mean that the girl who'd gone with him was not Lisanna, but Cana? The girl he had hurt, had stabbed nearly to death?
"What's wrong?" The she-devil became worried once his face drained of color. "Elfman, talk to me!" She pleaded while sitting down more comfortably; he did the same.
"I hurt her." He admitted, swallowing hard. "I didn't want to, but she forced me to. That demon, she was the one…She killed our dad, Mira." Much to his surprise, Mirajane didn't look shocked.
"I know." She sighed before glancing once again towards Cana's body. "I fought against her; she was so strong and she killed Cana."
"You fought against her?" He repeated her words; face paling even more.
"Yes. I still don't understand how I managed to win, but I defeated her in the end." She sighed. "I only wished I could've saved Cana." Elfman surprised them both by laughing.
"You're incredible, Mira." He smiled, proud of her for defeating the monster that had killed their father.
"So are you. Seilah told me how she had a hard time manipulating you, how you tried to resist." Mirajane placed a hand on his cheek while staring at him lovingly. "You were so strong, even when you were hurting because of what happened to Ever."
"It's killing me, Mira. I can't protect anyone I love and I feel so useless." He broke down in tears, unable to contain it anymore. She wrapped her arms around him, bringing him closer for another hug.
"It's okay. I don't blame you for it, any of it." It was true. She knew it wasn't Elfman's fault, he'd never intentionally hurt Lisanna.
A few minutes later, Mirajane and Elfman were still hugging when a familiar voice let out a scream of his name.
"Elfman!" They broke apart and stared wide-eyed at Lisanna, who approached them. Bixlow was was by her side and behind them were Blue Pegasus' elite and, surprisingly enough, Fiore's crown princess.
"Lisanna?" They barely payed attention to the others as their eyes focused on the youngest Strauss. Her face showed worry and guilt, but she didn't seem to be injured at all. She was okay.
"Lisanna!" Mirajane attempted to stand up, but her body was still far too weak.
"Are you okay?" The younger girl quickly rushed to her siblings, Bixlow following her.
"I thought I'd lost you." The she-devil threw her arms around her while Elfman continued to stare, frozen in shock.
"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have lied to you." Lisanna hugged her back tightly, letting out a content sigh.
A few minutes later Bixlow's voice made them break apart. "Where's Cana?"
"Wait, you knew about this?" Elfman asked.
"Yeah, I was with them when Cana told us about her vision." The former's reply made them even more confused.
"What vision?" Mirajane asked.
"So she didn't tell you?" There was confusion in Lisanna's voice.
"Hey, guys, sorry to interrupt." They turned to Chelia, who had approached them."Jura and I will search for Lyon now, will you be okay?" They nodded.
"Thank you for your help." Mira thanked her and she smiled softly.
"No problem." Then she raised her hand and Cana's body suddenly appeared by her feet. "I'm sorry about what happened to her. Wish I could've done something." With that she turned around, missing the moment Lisanna, Bixlow and Elfman widened their eyes.
"Oh, no." The former covered her mouth.
"She's dead?" Bixlow's face behind the helmet was suddenly pale.
"It's my fault." Elfman sobbed, feeling his heart breaking once again.
"No, it's mine." Lisanna sighed. "She was trying to protect me, it was supposed to be me."
"What does that mean, Lisanna?" Mirajane urged her to explain.
So Lisanna nodded before telling them about Sherry and Ren's wedding and how Cana's cards revealed something bad was going to happen to her. She told them about her friend's warning, and how Bixlow and her became extra careful after that. About how, after the explosion of the Magic Council, Cana feared even more for her life, so she convinced Lisanna to let her take her place during the mission with Elfman. She explained how they didn't want to alert anyone or distract them from the war, so they only told Bixlow about it and he took her to his former guild, Blue Pegasus, where she'd be safe.
"This wasn't supposed to happen." Lisanna finished her tale, turning to Cana's body.
"You couldn't have predicted this." Mira tried.
"But she did, she predicted that I would die. And once she took my place, my fate became hers." Tears were streaming down her face and Bixlow tentively placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It was her choice, Lis." He told her and she turned around. "But I'm so glad it wasn't you." They shared a meaningful look that didn't go unnoticed by the two siblings.
"Oh, this is a dream come true." A smile took over Mirajane's face.
"I'm glad it wasn't you too, Lisanna." Elfman said, sniffling. Lisanna turned to him, worried.
"Are you okay, big brother? What happened?" He sighed, unwilling to talk about what happened with Seilah. The guilt of hurting who he thought to be Lisanna and nearly destroying Fairy Tail was still crushing him.
"It's a long story." Mirajane said, before taking a look around them. Blue Pegasus was doing a good job at keeping Tartarus' army at bay, so they had some time for themselves. " But I suppose we have time." So she explained everything that happened between herself and Seilah, respecting Elfman's wish to remain silent.
The three siblings finally took time to understand everything they didn't know about their mother, unaware that Silver was the only living person who knew the full story of Lydia Strauss.
Erza panted, struggling to breathe while she returned to her normal clothes. Her fight against Kyoka hadn't been going too well, to say the least. Despite the fact that Porlyusica's potion had healed her injuries and restored her magic, she was still in no condition to fight; even less against someone as powerful as the nine demon gates.
"So pathetic." The demon scoffed. "Losing Jellal seems to have drained your magic abilities."
"How dare you say his name!" Erza immediately stood up and charged at her full force.
"Oh, did that hurt?" Kyoka smirked, easily sending the weakened mage away. "I'm sure that you're just boiling with rage, knowing I killed your beloved."
"You will pay for that!" Was the former's response as she reequipped into black wing armor and sent a powerful attack.
"That's right, Erza. Strike me down, if you can." The demon taunted and Erza complied, but barely managed to touch her.
"Why won't you just die?" She was getting frustrated.
"Do you really think that taking down one of the nine demon gates would be so easy?" Kyoka raised a brow, still unaffected.
"All I know is that I will take you down. For Jellal, for Mirajane. For all of Fairy Tail." Erza reequipped into one of her most powerful armors, adamantine. It had the ability to hold any attack and could also send it back towards the attacker.
A smile overtook her face once Kyoka's curse was quickly redirected, but it soon fell as the demon easily avoided it. "Not bad. But not good enough." The spell she sent next was so strong that it broke through Erza's armor, sending the mage back a few feet.
"What? How?" This wasn't good. She stared at the smirking opponent in shock as fear began to rise. Her magic power was fading once again, so she wouldn't hold on for much longer. She needed to finish this fight quickly, but how?
"Now, as amusing as fighting you has been, it's time to end it." Kyoka said as her smile enlarged.
"No. I refuse to be defeated so easily." Standing up with difficulty, Erza eyed her determinately.
"So you want more?" The demon asked, an idea coming to mind. "Very well, then. If pain is what you want, then I will show you just how much I can bring." She started to glow as her true Curse was activated, sending torrents of energy all around. As they reached the red head, she found herself knocked on her knees.
"You see, I have a very special curse that not only increases my power, but it allows a single touch to cause severe pain." The demon explained before approaching her, kicking her on the leg to prove her point.
"But I don't think that's enough to take you down." As Erza screamed in pain, Kyoka stepped back a bit. "You've proven yourself to be a capable warrior, so I will use my full power to defeat you."
The red head felt fear like never before as all of sudden she could no longer see her opponent. She couldn't see anything, only darkness. "What did you do?" She yelled while closing her eyes and opening them once again.
"I took away your sight, but that's not the only sense you'll lose before death finally comes." Within the next few seconds, the demon took away everything until Erza was lost in darkness and pain. It was all she could feel; it was torture and all she wanted in that moment was for it to end.
For the first time in her life, she wished for death. She begged for it, even though she could no longer hear her own voice. Tears streamed down her face, though she didn't feel them, as she pleaded for Kyoka to end her life.
"As you wish." The demon made her sword appear, the same one she'd used to almost kill Silver only a few days before. She was about to use it when she was suddenly thrown back by a dark orb crashing into her.
"What?" Her eyes widened once she spotted the familiar blue haired mage who had just cast Abyss Break. "Impossible." Kyoka shook her head, shocked. She actually felt afraid while staring at Jellal Fernandes; his dark green eyes were cold and unforgiving and his determination could be easily felt, as well as his immense magic power.
Now this was a twist that not even Zeref could've predicted.
Back with the wounded…
Elfman had just revealed that their mother was a demon slayer when they heard a groan and a weakened voice. Their eyes widened as he glanced behind him towards Evergreen's previously unconscious form.
"Ever?" He stared in shock as dark brown eyes slowly opened.
"Elf..man?" He quickly approached her, gently taking her hand while she blinked a few times.
"I'm here." Mirajane, Lisanna and Bixlow also scooted closer, staring worriedly at her.
"Where?" Evergreen asked and they shared looks.
"It's a long story." The former answered and the fairy's eyes focused back on her boyfriend.
"Tartarus… They…attacked us. I couldn't…couldn't use... magic." She struggled to speak while trying to move.
"I know, Freed told us what happened." Elfman replied before carefully picking her up, holding her against against his body. She blinked a few more times before her eyes widened.
"The baby!" A hand immediately rested upon her stomach while her face paled even more.
"He's okay, Porlyusica placed a spell to protect him against the poison." Evergreen nodded, relieved.
"Thank goodness." A small smile came upon his face as he allowed his hand to join hers.
"I can't believe you guys are having a baby, it's so crazy." Lisanna said, smiling brightly as well as Mirajane.
"Yes, but I am very happy for you." The latter added and the couple returned their smiles.
"We're happy too." Ever said, looking at Elfman sincerely. He couldn't help himself and brought her even closer, leaning in for a kiss that she eagerly replied, a cold hand resting against his cheek.
Their moment was interrupted soon by a loud scream and the couple pulled apart as everyone glanced towards Dorenbolt, who had just arrived with an unconscious Wendy and Carla in his arms.
"Wendy!" Worry immediately replaced the smile on Mira's face.
"What happened to them?" Lisanna wondered.
"I don't know." It wouldn't be long before they learned of the two friends' brave efforts to put a stop to FACE and, eventually, their success. However, that didn't mean the battle was over; the future held more disasters for them and yet another mage in that area would soon be taken away by death.
Meanwhile, with Juvia… 7:45 PM
She had her eyes closed while her back rested against the cold wall of the small cottage. It had been nearly 3 hours since she had been bought there and she was still alone. Honestly, at that point she was so close to losing it that if anyone showed up, she'd be grateful. Even Zeref.
"I didn't recall it being so horrible." The bluenette thought back to years os loneliness, none of which compared to what she felt now.
"It seems as if you grew tired of trying to escape." She groaned upon hearing the familiar voice.
"Finally! I was starting to think you had just dumped me here." Zeref stared at her in surprise for a moment.
"I apologize for my delay, I had some things to take care of." She didn't even want to think about what he meant.
"I don't even want to know what you've been up to, honestly." Once again, he seemed to be caught off guard.
"That's unexpected. I assumed you'd want to learn all of my plans; probably try to stop them even though you can't use your magic." Juvia shrugged.
"Sorry do disappoint you." He did, in fact, look disappointed, which was weird. "But I already know exactly what your plan is; my memories have returned."
"Yes, I am well aware." It what is her turn to be surprised.
"Well, you can just forget it. I know my friends will find a way to stop you from transforming me into E.N.D!" Juvia tried to appear confident even though she was beginning to lose faith.
"Oh, but I have no intention of doing that." Zeref replied, a smirk on his face.
"Wait, what?" Now she was confused.
"No, I have much better use for you than simply turning you into a monster." While she stared at him in shock, he made something appear into his hand.
"What do you want, then?" The bluenette asked, staring at the crystal glass seemingly filled with water.
"All I want right now is my freedom." He replied, eyes shining with hope. "And you'll help me achieve it."
"How exactly am I supposed to do that?" It didn't make sense, Zeref didn't seem to be trapped, so why was he seeking freedom? But then, as she thought better about it, perhaps he hadn't chosen to bear such deadly and dark powers. Perhaps, he had been forced to. But by whom?
"All you need to do is drink." He took a few steps until he was standing above her and extended the glass in her direction.
"Do you really think I'm that stupid?" She raised a brow and Zeref chuckled.
"Do you really think you have a choice here?" He was right. Without her magic, she didn't stand a chance fighting against him. So she sighed before accepting the glass and forever altering her fate.
So, thoughts?
I warned you that my introduction of the Strauss parents was no coincidence. What did you think of the twist with Lydia being the one who taught Silver demon slayer magic? Also, did you enjoy Mira, Elfman and Lisanna's reunion and that little ElfEver scene? If any doubts remain on the Cana/Lisanna storyline, be sure to let me know.
Speaking of Silver, was anyone surprised to learn he's actually still alive? I dropped so many hints that I thought it was a given by now.
By the way, this chapter covered only half of his story. There is a lot more that you remain clueless about, which will be revealed in later characters. I told you he has many connections, so there's still an obvious one that needs to be addressed.
On another topic, Jerza fans, what did you think of Erza and Kyoka's fight and Jellal showing up?
Lastly, that last scene. It was about time Zeref showed up, wasn't it? What do you make of his conversation with Juvia? And what will happen next between them?
Next chapter: Every Story Has Plot Twists.
Summary: I guess you can call this chapter the shipper's chapter. We'll have Jerza Reunion, GaLe cuteness, CobraxKinana reunion, Stingyu scenes and a HUGE Lyredy moment. You'll also get to learn more about Acnologia's history. (bet you all forgot he existed by now)
NEW CHALLENGE! Next chapter there'll be another MAJOR DEATH, one that I know no one will see coming. Seriously, the person you'd least expect to die in this story. If you can guess who it is, I'll give you a sneak peek of a ZerefxAcnologia flashback coming soon that has MANY ANSWERS.
Good luck, everyone!
I'm sorry chapter 9 is taking so long. I haven't been inspired lately and writing that story for mother's day took away some time for Demons. I Am so close to finishing it, will post it tomorrow. And worry not, I also plan on posting chapter 10 this week.
THE CHALLENGE STILL COUNTS, SO IF YOU WANT A SNEAK PEEK OF ZEREF AND ACNOLOGIA TOMORROW, BE SURE TO PARTICIPATE!