Chapter 40: One of Us
Macbeth's feet led him. He wandered through the forest, along the base of the mountains. Somehow, he knew his path would lead him straight to the Oracion Seis. It might have been the fact that they'd all once been connected by the spell that bound Zero to Brain, or it might have been that they'd been connected far before that, by the Tower of Heaven. Either way, they'd always been drawn to each other—connected by an invisible force. He knew for this reason, that his instincts would lead him straight to his old friends.
And as the sun was lowering in the sky, that's exactly what they did.
He could sense a familiar mingling of magical energy nearby, as he reached a plateau on the rocky hills he'd been navigating. He stood there, waiting. A strong breeze tousled his hair and made the length of his cloak and scarf flutter in the wind. He ignored the chill, eyes focused ahead, on the far end of the plateau, where he knew they would crest.
Several minutes went by before their shapes began to rise.
Erik led them. The man dubbed "Cobra." Reddish hair spiked upward, revealing pointed ears. Tan skin and beady, narrowed eyes. He walked nonchalantly, hands in the pockets of his red pants.
To his right was Sorano. "Angel." She still wore a feathered dress, collar dipping low on her stomach to reveal excessive cleavage. Her short white hair sported a signature cowlick in the shape of a halo.
On the left was Sawyer, also known as "Racer." His features sharp, all the way from his spiked hair, to his sharp eyebrows, to his pointed nose.
It was only the three of them. Their expressions were guarded as they looked at Macbeth from across the space on the rocky plateau. They approached slowly, keeping some distance from him.
For a long moment, the four of them were silent. Wind whipped between them. No one moved.
Finally…
"No. Zero's not with us." Erik echoed the thought that was ringing through Macbeth's mind. A wave of relief washed over him at these words, enough to make him tremble.
"We haven't seen him since before we were captured," Sorano said.
"And Richard?" He asked, red eyes flickering at the three of them.
"Hoteye heard that his brother was safe and he went to find him as soon as we got out," Erik said. "I hate to disappoint, but it's just us."
He gave a brief nod. Another tense silence ensued. Sorano took a cautious step forward, extending her arms. "Midnight…"
"Don't." Erik warned her, grimacing slightly. "You don't want to piss him off."
She looked nervous. All of them did. And it wasn't surprising. When Zero had raised them, he'd made it clear who their superior was. He'd forced their bond of friendship apart in favor for a hierarchy, where Midnight was far above them in rank. The dynamic between them had become one of quiet fear, where they knew better than to trifle with the sleeping demon.
But Zero wasn't here now. And Macbeth was Midnight no longer.
"Let her come," he said quietly. He opened his own arms, gloved hands extended in welcome to her. The smile that filled her face was nothing short of child-like glee.
She closed the distance and threw her arms around him. The touch was jarring, but not completely unwanted.
"You're safe," she said, happily. Her feathered collar tickled his nose.
In a flash, Sawyer was at his side as well, joining in the squeezing embrace. "We were afraid Zero found you and killed you," his voice shook with emotion.
"Stop acting like babies, you two," Erik chastised them, though he too was approaching. When Sorano and Sawyer finally released Macbeth, he stood facing the dragon-slayer. Wordlessly, Erik stepped forward and gave him a half-hug, patting his back in the process before stepping back. "It's good to see you again." Something about his voice was bitter, his expression darker than Macbeth remembered it being.
It was then that he noticed another face was lacking. The snake that could always be found wrapped around Erik's neck was missing.
Cubellios? He thought.
"She's gone," Erik said curtly. He turned away, the bitter scowl etched permanently on his face. "We were separated when the Magic Council captured us."
Macbeth said nothing.
"Let's get out of the wind," Sorano suggested, as another gust ruffled the feathers of her dress.
The group silently descended the edge of the plateau and walked until they reached a small valley, deep enough to close them off from the unfriendly breeze. They sat in a staggered circle on the rocks, facing each other. Sawyer worked on a fire between them, since the sun had disappeared behind the hills.
"Is it true you were captured by Fairy Tail?" Sorano asked, breaking the silence once more.
He didn't answer for a moment. "Yes."
"How many of them did you take out when you broke out of there?" Sawyer asked with a smirk while he crouched by the growing fire.
Macbeth didn't answer. He looked mindlessly into the flames.
"Let's talk business," Erik said, suddenly. He cast his narrowed gaze on Macbeth. "Zero is gone. Brain doesn't exist. We need a new master."
Macbeth met his eyes, lips in a thin line.
"I think it goes without saying that you should be our leader."
Sorano nodded. Sawyer "hmph'ed in agreement as he tossed one more stick on the fire.
"Me?" He couldn't withhold a scoff. "You can't be serious."
"It's no secret you're the strongest out of the four of us," Erik continued. "And probably the only one qualified to find two new members."
Macbeth looked away, back into the fire. "Strongest?" He gave a dry laugh. "Did you forget? I was beaten by Erza at Nirvana."
"An S-rank, wizard-saint-status mage," Erik said. "That's a hell of a lot better than being beaten by a brainless fire dragon-slayer."
"Or a blonde bimbo."
"Or two slow ice-makers."
Their faces flashed in Macbeth's mind. He thought of Erza's smiles of approval each time he presented her a new cake. He thought of Natsu's continual attempts to lure him into battle. Lucy clapping from the audience after a performance. Gray putting ice in a glass of water for him while he worked in the garden.
He crossed his legs and leaned back on the rock he sat on, carefully guarding his emotions, and even more carefully guarding his thoughts. He didn't have to look at Erik to know the dragon-slayer was listening intently to his every breath, his every heartbeat.
"Richard," he said suddenly. "Are you angry that he left?"
The three assassins looked startled by the question. It was Erik who answered.
"Why would we be?" It was as if the answer were obvious.
"His prayer was answered by the angels," Sorano gazed up at the star-speckled sky.
"Yeah." Sawyer sat criss-cross in front of the fire, the glow making his eyebrows look even more yellow. "We've all been looking for freedom ever since the tower. It would be pretty low to be pissed at the guy for running after his."
A sense of sorrow fell on the group. It seemed Richard had found a path toward freedom, toward having his prayer answered. Sorano, Sawyer, and Erik were despondent, each of them craving their own sense of hope.
But Macbeth…
His prayer was to have a night of peace. A quiet place where he could sleep without nightmares for once. One sweet dream.
That prayer had been answered for him. And as for freedom… He still didn't understand what freedom was. Not really. But during his time with Fairy Tail, he thought he'd been closer to it than ever before… As his gaze bounced between his old comrades gathered around the fire, the conflict tore him once more.
"I can't blame him." Erik lowered his head and closed his eyes. "He's looking for the one person who matters more to him than anyone else in the world." He grimaced. "I bet he'd do anything to hear his brother's voice again. Like I'd do anything to be with Cubellios…"
The fire crackled.
"We'll find her, Cobra." Sorano said. "We need only pray to the angels for guidance."
"Not everyone believes in that angel crap you know," Sawyer pointed out.
"Believe it or not, we are blessed." She held her fingers to her heart. "The angels set us free from a life of captivity, and placed us directly into the hands of our future. A world darkened by destruction, where—from the ashes—a new world can begin. A paradise. Heaven."
Her words caught Macbeth's attention. She spoke of this "paradise" as if it were within their reach. It was the same way she spoke about Nirvana when it was close to being unleashed. A thought suddenly occurred to him.
"If Zero didn't break you out of prison, did you escape on your own?"
"It was our new employer." Sawyer prodded the fire with a stick.
"New employer?"
"Yeah." Erik folded his arms. "He was impressed by our record and liked what we were trying to accomplish at Nirvana. So, he busted us out and hired us to take care of some things while he works on something. I don't really care who he is or what he's doing. It's a job. It's just something to keep us going." There was no hope in his voice. "Nothing matters long as I keep looking for her."
"I think he was sent to us," Sorano said, confidently. "To deliver our freedom."
Macbeth's eyes narrowed. They reflected the glow of the fire, looking like embers that belonged in the ash.
"Who is this employer?"
There was a pause. Then casually,
"He calls himself the King of Diamonds."
Macbeth's heart jumped. He reflexively clutched his scarf tightly, while his eyes widened.
Resmond.
Erik's ear perked. He cut a glance at Macbeth. "You know the guy?"
He stood. His fingers rose to the dreamcatcher resting against his chest, made from pink diamond. He looked at the confused faces of his old friends. There was a sudden realization that he'd made a grave mistake.
He remembered the snake-woman Giseld. She'd known of him, which meant that Resmond knew of him. Resmond knew that an ex-member of the Oracion Seis was protecting Syllest and Dreamer. It was clear that he was hunting them. Now, he'd broken the Oracion Seis out of prison.
Resmond broke them out knowing Macbeth would go to them and leave Dreamer and Syllest vulnerable. He could be there, right now, making his move. Macbeth had put them in danger.
He turned on the heels of his boots and began to walk away.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Erik stood up and called after him, his teeth bared.
Macbeth didn't stop walking.
"Racer!" Erik shouted. The sharp-nosed wizard was in front of Macbeth in an instant, blocking his path.
"Move." Macbeth narrowed his eyes.
"I knew you were acting strange," Erik said darkly as he walked up from behind him. "One mention of the King and you're on the run?"
"What's he thinking, Cobra?" Sorano asked.
"I don't know," Erik scowled. "He's protecting his thoughts with dark magic. I can't hear them. What are you hiding, Midnight?"
"Sawyer, move." Macbeth commanded again. "Don't make me hurt you."
Sawyer swallowed, nervously, but stood his ground. "Sorry, Midnight. The King said we're only going to get freedom if you're a part of this. I can't risk losing it again."
Macbeth raised a hand and summoned forth a dark energy. He wouldn't hesitate to thrust his friend out of the way, if it meant getting back to them. He was a fool for leaving.
Distracted by the confrontation with Sawyer, Macbeth didn't notice Erik was right behind him until his sharp nails grasped the collar of his coat. He swung around, tearing away from the grip. He jumped back and faced the poison dragon-slayer, who now stood with his coat clutched in one hand.
"It's true." His beady eyes traveled to Macbeth's shoulder. "I didn't believe it when I heard it, but there's the proof."
Macbeth didn't flinch. He kept his head held high, eyes level with Erik's, though he knew every other eye in the area was now trained on the dark pink Fairy Tail emblem emblazoned on his skin.
"Traitor…" Sawyer hissed at the sight of it.
"How could you?" Sorano took an offensive stance, her slanted eyes narrowing harshly.
Macbeth faced Erik, unyielding. "Call them off, Erik," he said, in a low threat. "I don't want to waste my time here."
But Erik's face was hard with rage. "First, I lose Cubellios… Then Hoteye walks out on us, and now this?" He bared his claws. "You want me to let you go so you can run back to your new Fairy family? That's not going to happen."
"Erik. Don't make me kill you."
"The name's Cobra." He and the other three members of the Oracion Seis barred him in. "And I'm bringing you back with us, even if that means I have to put you to sleep first."
"Be a good boy and take a nap on your rug," Sorano said, her voice now mocking and tainted with the pain of betrayal.
"You're one of us," Sawyer said.
Macbeth drew forth his magical energy and continued to face off against Erik. "I don't have time to play with you," he hissed.
"Then let's get this over with quickly."
Under the light of a full moon that had just begun to creep across the sky, a broken guild prepared to deepen the wounds between its members. At the center of the conflict, circled by old friends and new enemies—stood a man with the Oracion Seis symbol on one shoulder, and the mark of Fairy Tail on the other.
One of us, cried the Oracion Seis.
One of us, cried Fairy Tail.
Tonight, the choice would be sealed.