A/N: Loyal readers, we're in the home stretch! I can't believe how far this story has come or how much attention it has received. Two more reviews and it breaks 300, which is something I would have never thought feasible for a Midnight fic. Thank you so much for following and loving this story. ^^ Chapter 75 will be the last chapter, but I will follow it up with a collection of fillers to hopefully amuse you and occupy your time while I work on the sequel. Which, of course begs the question, how many of you are interested in a sequel? Furthermore, I'd like your input on how to present that sequel, since it concerns you as readers as well it concerns me.
I have two options. 1) I can start a new document specifically for the sequel, which means you will have to find and follow it. 2) I can continue to add chapters to this document after the collection of filler scenes. In the first option, I have a clean slate and a less hefty fanfiction (which has its merits because long fics can turn away curious readers). In the second option, OSD continues to be refreshed in the list of recent stories, possibly drawing more readers to it, but the chapter count gets waaaaaay up there.
Thoughts? Preferences?
Anyway, I hope you've been enjoying this final arc and battle scenes! I find it highly amusing that some of you are so concerned about Erik, considering there are three major characters KO right now, one of which is an old man who took an energy spike through his entire body. xD Don't worry about Erik. Gajeel smelled him bleeding in the basement. He's in good, iron hands now.
Please, continue to share your honest thoughts! You've been strangely silent throughout this arc, so I have a hard time gauging whether or not I'm successfully delivering the ideas I want to convey! Specifically, did you like how I wrote the battle scenes, and divided them up between chapters rather than using one chapter for each fight? Were they convincing, entertaining battles, or were they droll? (I have deep insecurities about my ability to write successful battles). And Sange, did he capture your heart as a classic, redeemable Fairy Tail villain?
I don't need ego fluff (*cough* though I don't mind it all that much). I would love your honest opinions about this arc so far. So, if you find the time, drop a review and tell me how I'm doing!
Thank you all so much!
Chapter 67: Nightmares of the Past
Resmond moved instantly. He erected a black shield in front of him. It seemed to absorb the energy of Macbeth's attack, with the gravitational pull of its own dark magic. Macbeth raised his hand and clenched a fist.
Nothing happened.
His eyes widened in surprise. Resmond stepped casually out from behind the shield.
"I am afraid it's no use, Macbeth. You will not be able to control my diamonds." He held his palms out in front of him. "Diamon- Make: Sword."
A hilt formed in his hands, ornately crafted with tendrils of thorny vines. A soulless, black-diamond blade formed from it as well. The speed in which he crafted was akin to Gray's ability to make ice, which should be impossible given the density of the material. Yet, Resmond did it with ease.
"Scream."
He rushed forward, yellow eyes set on Dreamer, like the gleaming eyes of a wolf in the dark. Macbeth stepped instinctively in front of her, and swished his hand to reflect the blade.
He gasped when it sliced through his reflector, completely unhindered.
"Macbeth!" Dreamer yanked him roughly out of its line of trajectory. He cried out in pain when the blade nicked the skin of his shoulder, but at least it had missed its original target.
He scooped Dreamer into his arms and jumped out of Resmond's range. He dropped her to her feet before grimacing and touching his now bleeding shoulder.
Resmond regained his posture. He fixed the crown on his head and tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear before yawning. "I am sure that is quite painful, isn't it?" He dropped the sword carelessly to the ground. "My diamonds are infused with dark magic, as you already know. One of the unfortunate-for-you side effects, is lingering dark poison."
Dreamer swallowed nervously as she looked at Macbeth. She could feel his fear rolling off him in waves. It was the same fear she was feeling, as they were faced with a man who was shrouded in thicker magical energy than they had ever felt.
Macbeth thought back to Zero—to standing before a monster with red eyes, whom he had been equally terrified of. Only then, he had been terrified for himself. Now, facing the King of Diamonds, he could care less about himself—the fear he felt was for the woman at his side.
"Neither my manipulation magic, nor my reflector magic works on him," he said, with a tremor in his voice. He glanced at Dreamer. "Your sleeping pills…?"
She inhaled sharply at the idea. Surely even Resmond couldn't be impervious to sleeping pills from Edolas! Her hand went automatically to her side… then fell limp. White rose petals fluttered to the ground from the gold ball-gown she wore. There had been no room for a bottle of pills in the tight-fitting dress—no need for them on the Excalibur ballroom dance-floor.
She shook her head, lips pinched together.
"Then I have no choice." He took a step forward, barring Dreamer with his arm so she wouldn't follow him. "Close your eyes, Dream."
She did, as the unmistakable sound of a bell tolling echoed off the walls of the room.
The corner of Macbeth's mouth twitched in a smirk. "Resmond… I've been waiting a long time for this."
"Really?" Resmond asked sincerely, as he clasped his hands behind his back and waited.
"You are worth destroying," Macbeth said, excitement beginning to seep from his lips, from his outstretched arms. "I haven't been this thrilled about a fight since I faced Titania on Nirvana! No… even before that… Never have I wanted to hear a lullaby of screams as badly as I do now! Never have I craved the sight of torture like I do right now!"
"We really are alike," Resmond noted. "I'm not the only one who likes the sound of screams."
The bell continued to chime.
"I am nothing like you," Macbeth said, as wild fury swirled in his red eyes. "You're nothing but a roach—an infestation. And I am your exterminator!"
The nightmare began to materialize. The walls of the room disappeared, becoming a backdrop of gray. Macbeth began to transform into his nightmare form, the horrifying demon that haunted the sleep of so many Oracion Seis victims.
There was an echo in the nightmare-space, the distant sound of water dripping, sending soundwaves rippling in all directions. For a moment, that sound seemed like it would take form. Shadows flickered and flittered, morphing and twisting, but never quite taking on an appearance. Everywhere was the crackle of an empty space, lacking resolution like a broken magic panel on a vehicle. Shadows rose… then flickered and fell. The ripple grew louder… then faded away.
Resmond looked around him, expectantly. He waited, hands clasped behind his back, yellow eyes unfeeling.
Macbeth's nightmare form roared in anger. His claws scraped on ground, his teeth gnashed. The sight made Resmond cock his head just slightly, but that was all. Other than this tiny movement, the man couldn't look less interested.
The nightmare form began to shrink. The walls of the space flickered, then deteriorated. Macbeth's true body stood, arms outstretched, feet shoulder-width apart, mouth parted in an expression of total shock.
"What?!" His eyes opened wide in horror. A violent tremor shook his spine. "My nightmare failed? That's not possible!"
Resmond nonchalantly picked a hair from his sleeve.
"Y-You're not even afraid!" Macbeth stumbled back, colliding with Dreamer behind him.
"Afraid?" Resmond blinked. "Should I be?"
Dreamer opened her eyes, as dread plummeted into her stomach.
"I've never felt fear before," the King of Diamonds mused. "What is it like, Macbeth? Sânge says it causes your heart rate to speed up and your palms to sweat, your throat to constrict. Is that what you're feeling now?"
Macbeth's pupils were retracted, his body shaking with horror. "H-He doesn't feel fear… That's not possible. E-Everyone feels fear!"
"Not Resmond…" Dreamer's face was pale, her body trembling as well. "He doesn't feel anything."
"Dream…" Macbeth swallowed hard, never once looking away from Resmond's eyes. "W-We have to run. We can't fight him."
She knew he was right. Resmond was impervious to every aspect of Macbeth's magic, and Dreamer had absolutely no offensive spells. They were completely outclassed.
But running away? Letting him live? Living in fear for who-knows-how-long that he would come for her and Syllestra again?
"I can't…" she shook her head, sending tears flying. "I have to get my revenge, for Rosy! I have to keep Syllest safe! I can't let him live!"
"Don't be stupid!" Macbeth snapped at her. "He'll kill us both!"
"Thinking of running?" Resmond held up his hands. "Diamond-Make: Cage."
The walls around them were suddenly blocked off by bars of diamond.
"Can I show you some new spells I've been practicing?" Resmond asked. "I haven't had the chance to use them on anyone, yet."
The way he talked to them… As if they were his audience, not his opponents.
"I'll take your silence as a yes, then."
"Stay behind me," Macbeth commanded, though his voice wavered in terror.
"N-No!" She grasped his hand. "We fight together!"
"Dark Diamond-Make: Demon." He moved his palms in a strange pattern, and began forming a beast from black diamond. It resembled a panther, with spikes along its spine. The created demon's tail swished and shoulders hunched in preparation to pounce. "That worked well," he mused. "My first dynamic creation."
The demon pounced.
Macbeth and Dreamer separated, each of them jumping in the opposite direction to avoid the attack. The creature rounded on Dreamer and leapt again. Its heavy paws slammed her into the ground. She rolled to the side, but did not avoid a slash across the arm and collarbone from diamond claws.
"Dreamer!" Macbeth lifted his hand, using his magic to pick up an old piece of metal from the ground, which he slammed against the demon's diamond head. The metal bent, doing absolutely nothing to harm the creation. However, the attack did seem to distract it. It turned on Macbeth and charged. He dodged over and over, narrowly avoiding claws and fangs as the creature backed him into a corner.
Resmond was watching with muted interest. In fact, his attention was so focused on Macbeth struggling to escape the clutches of his demon, that he didn't notice Dreamer coming up from behind.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she crept up on him. Everything was surreal. Being in the same room as her sister's murderer again. Seeing his familiar posture, his swaying black hair, as if from a time when she was younger. She was thirteen again, helpless against him. Thirteen years old, looking up at her personal Satan.
She gritted her teeth and shook her head, forcing herself back to the present moment. She wasn't thirteen anymore, and she wasn't helpless. This time, she would fight back. This time, she would stop him before it was too late. She hadn't been able to save Rosy… But she would save Syllestra, and protect Macbeth.
While his back was turned, she jumped. She leapt onto his back and threw her arms around his neck to choke him. She closed her eyes when she did this, because the sensation of touching Resmond was nearly enough to make her vomit. She held her breath, afraid of breathing in his scent. Afraid of smelling the charcoal hair that once draped around her sister's shoulders.
Of course, the moment Resmond was aware of her grip on his throat, he swept around. He gripped her by the forearm and slung her onto the ground, sending her skidding a few feet with a cry of pain. Now, his attention was on Dreamer. His face flickered with the slightest emotion, mouth parting in a sharp intake of breath at the sound of her cry.
"I want to hear it again," he murmured, as he stepped toward her cowering form with palms glowing.
Before he could reach her, however, a chunk of stone collided hard with his temple. This dropped his focus enough to cause the diamond beast to shatter and reveal Macbeth pressed against the bars with his hand outstretched. He flicked his finger, lifting more debris to pelt Resmond with.
"Diamond-Make: Armor!" Resmond lifted his hands and swept them over himself. This created a black suit of armor that protected him from every stone and chunk of metal. The only color in this void suit, was the gleaming of yellow eyes.
"Diamond-Make: Spikes."
Sharp spikes suddenly jutted up from the ground, around both Macbeth and Dreamer. There were cries of pain as both Fairy Tail wizards were sliced in several places. Dreamer scrambled to her feet, but Resmond moved his palms again causing black vines to close around her calves. Diamond thorns pierced her flesh, and she cried out again.
"I love that sound," he whispered in his helmet. "You like it too, Macbeth, don't you? Let's listen to it again, together!"
"Don't touch her, roach!" Macbeth charged as Resmond sent needles at Dreamer's back. She gave a broken scream as they penetrated her skin. When Macbeth reached him, he was already waiting, a black diamond dagger in hand. He moved quickly and made a flurry of strikes, slicing Macbeth across the chest, arm, and a long slice across his cheek.
"Hm. Sânge would probably really like to see all of this," Resmond said calmly as he observed the blood around him. "If he survives tonight, I guess I can let him raid your bodies."
"Stop!" Dreamer cried out. She was still on the ground, held down by the diamond tendrils. "Resmond, stop! Please!"
"Why?" he blinked at her.
"Please! For Rosy, for me, for Syllestra! Please, just stop!"
She knew it was pointless. She knew there was nothing in Resmond to appeal to. No heart. No emotion. Her words fell on deaf ears. This man's soul was as black and hard as the diamonds he created.
"There's something… I really want to try," Resmond said, ignoring her pleas altogether. He lifted his hands again.
Macbeth started to stand to stop him, but Resmond raised a hand in the air and immediately crafted chains that snapped around Macbeth's wrists and ankles. "Tsk tsk, Macbeth. Boyfriends aren't allowed at family reunions."
"Dammit!" He struggled uselessly in the bounds. "Dreamer!"
Resmond approached and stood over her, staring down with expressionless, lightning eyes. "Look at me, little Rosy."
She did. She stared up at his ominous form, at the electric hell in his eyes.
"This is a spell I mastered just for you…" He held his palms over her. Black magic circles spun. "Dark Memory."
She was eclipsed by darkness.