Chapter 6: Luck Versus Darkness

"My name isn't Macbeth. It's Midnight."

Dreamer's body began to go limp, the lack of oxygen finally robbing her of consciousness. Through a black haze she could hear another voice. She struggled to make sense of it.

"Midnight, huh?" The voice cut through the darkness that was enveloping her. Something about it was familiar. "I'm gonna need ya to let the girl go."

"Oh? And why would I do that?"

"Because you don't wanna push your luck."

Push your luck. Dreamer forced her eyes open and choked for a breath. She knew that catchphrase.

"P-Piper…"

Her teammate stood on the other end of the clearing facing Midnight. His face was set in a hard expression, fiercer than even his usual angry scowl. He rolled his shoulders in preparation for a battle and scratched the shaved side of his sky-blue hair.

"Hey, Dreamy. Sorry I'm late," Piper's emerald eyes were narrowed at Midnight, but his voice was gentle when he called out to her. "Tried ta tell the old man that your numbers wasn't lookin' too hot, but he insisted I stay out of it. Good thing I gots a problem with authority."

"Hm, another Fairy Tail wizard," Midnight crossed his arms over his chest. "I hope you can provide me with some more entertainment. The past few days have been miserable. I'm itching for some chaos and agony."

Piper moved suddenly, throwing a handful of razor sharp casino chips like ninja stars in Midnight's direction. He nimbly dodged out of the way, but the coil around Dreamer's throat loosened slightly, just enough for the haze in her skull to dissipate.

"Piper, no!" Dreamer called out while the man dug in his leather jacket for a deck of cards. "You can't fight him! He's one of the Oracion Seis!"

"Have some faith in me, Dreamy." He slid the cards out in the air in front of him as if he were a blackjack dealer. "Besides, what the hell am I supposed to do? Let the guy kill ya out here?"

"No, please! You guys don't need to fight!" She looked up at the back of Midnight's head, his hair being flicked by the breeze. He stood so still and proud, not intimidated by Piper in the least. A fight with him was going to bad…

"Your move!" Piper called out to Midnight. "Hit or stay?"

Midnight said nothing, just smirked wider.

"Stay?" Piper placed another card. "Dealer wins. Lucky me."

A cage of magical cards suddenly surrounded Midnight. The numbers on the cards glowed red and began shooting bullets at Midnight from all angles, causing a shroud of explosive dust. Dreamer gasped and jumped back, away from the explosions. It was only then that she realized the magic energy that had been holding her was gone. Did that mean Piper won? Was Midnight down?

When the smoke dissipated, Midnight was still standing. There wasn't a scratch on him. He hadn't even moved.

Piper blinked in shock and took an uncertain step back. "What the hell?"

The air around Midnight turned bright white and all the bullets Piper had shot at him were reflected back. Piper shielded himself at the last moment using a magic circle in the shape of a roulette table.

"Is that the best you've got?" Midnight mocked. "You might just bore me to tears."

"Macbeth, you don't have to do this!" Dreamer appealed to him again.

"Of course I don't," he scoffed. "I want to." He licked his lips. Bloodlust shined in his eyes.

Piper regained composure and dug in his pocket. "You're tougher than I thought. Let's check my odds."

"Piper, no! If he could reflect that spell back at you, then what makes you think he can't reflect anything you use! You can't pull out your dice, please!"

"Did anyone ever tell you, you talk too much?" Midnight flicked his wrist and one of Piper's cards materialized in the air and shot at her, like the others. She rolled to the side, getting grazed by the bullet in the shoulder instead of her skull.

"Leave her alone!" Piper shouted. "The bone you's got ta pick is with me!" He rolled two red dice in the air. Numbers shone above them. Piper clenched his teeth. A three and a one.

"If those are the odds that you'll beat me, then maybe you should quit now." Midnight laughed callously.

"Not a chance," Piper snapped. "Wanna know what's so great about my magic? The lower the odds of success, the stronger my attacks are!"

The dots on the dice flickered and shapes began to spring from them. "I rolled a four and that means: Four Horsemen!" The shapes took the form of four ephemeral black horses with white eyes. The neighed loudly and stampeded toward Midnight.

Not one of the charging horses managed to hit him. The lifted on their hind legs and turned around, eyes focused on Piper instead. He cried out and ducked down as they trampled over his head.

"Piper!" Dreamer cried out in horror.

He stood up and wiped dirt off of his cheek. He lifted the dice again.

"Are you crazy?" Dreamer shouted. "He'll just hit you again!"

"Listen, Dreamy. I ain't got anotha choice. I'm gonna die protectin' my teammate. My girl. I wouldn't be a member of Derelict Heart—no, I wouldn't be a member of Fairy Tail if I didn't try my damndest to put this bastard down!"

He rolled again. This time it was only a three.

"Three Match Payoff!"

The sound of winning slot machines filled the air. The sky flashed with blinding neon lights. The clamor was supposed to be enough of a distraction to let Piper get close. He charged at Midnight and threw a fist toward his face. Midnight caught his fist with one hand and lifted a boot to kick him square in the chest, sending him flying back and against a tree.

"Are you done yet? I'm getting sleepy."

Piper groaned and stood up. He swayed and supported his body weight against the tree.

"I ain't done yet, pretty boy." He grabbed his dice yet again. Midnight scoffed and put his hands in his pockets, just waiting to see what would be thrown at him. Piper tossed the dice and watched as they flipped slowly so that each showed only one black marking. "Snake eyes."

The ground began to tremble. Midnight's smirk grew wider. Magical energy sparked in the air…

"STOP!"

The air held still.

Arms closed around Midnight's neck. Dreamer buried her face against his back, tears rolling along the fabric of his vest. She trembled violently and held onto him in the unexpected embrace with all the energy she had left. Blood trickled from her shoulder, staining the white fur red. His eyes widened—his smirk dropped into a disgusted scowl.

"You don't have to do this," she repeated, voice shaky with emotion. "I know what I saw, Macbeth. There's good in you. It's buried under a lot of pain and fear, but it's there. It's in the face of a little boy who only wants to find a quiet place where he can sleep in peace. It's in the heart of a child who just wants to be free from pain and chaos. You keep telling yourself that you're cruel, but I know that deep down, you don't want to be. Deep down, you have compassion for your friends in the Oracion Seis and for everyone who's ever been forced into slavery the way you were. You're not a bad person. At least, not completely."

Piper's magic faded as he watched the exchange with just as shocked an expression as Midnight. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Your charm magic won't work on me, fairy rat," Midnight hissed. "Not since I know about it."

"I'm not using my magic," she whispered. "My magical energy is completely expelled. All I'm trying to do is appeal to your heart."

The disgusted frown on Midnight's face deepened. He opened his mouth to speak but Dreamer's fingertips suddenly brushed across his lips. His eyes widened to the full extent, pupils retracting in utter shock. Then, everything made sense, the moment a tiny round pill dissolved against his tongue.

Dreamer braced herself and caught him as the sleeper pill took instant effect. He collapsed in her arms, already releasing a loud snore. She sighed in relief and slid the bottle of round pink pills back into her pouch. Then, unable to keep her energy up any longer, she collapsed with the dark wizard.