Chapter 17

Flames of Fury

Aries guided a shaking Alu through the dark forest as quickly as she could. Violet flew beside them. She constantly looked back over her shoulder, worried that one of those Neo Spirits would ambush them at any moment. What made it worse was that because of the deep shadows from the trees, and the limited light from the moon and stars above, it was almost impossible to see anything in the forest. One of those Spirits could be nearby and they wouldn't see it until it was too late.

Their best chance was to keep running and hope they would find some kind of help.

For a while, Alu felt numb, like all her senses had been shot. She had only heard stories of Ivan from other Fairy Tail members. All she knew was that he had a deep loathing for Fairy Tail for some reason, and that he did just about anything he could to humiliate and destroy the guild during the Grand Magic Games during the year of X791. Since he hadn't made any notion to attack the guild since then, everyone just treated his stories as if he was nothing more than a bad memory.

But Ivan was beyond just being a bad memory now.

Alu came face-to-face with him just minutes ago. From what she could see, all the rumors she had heard about him were more than true. During that whole confrontation, she could just feel the malice coming off of him like it was a physical presence. She didn't know how strong he was during the year X791, but it was clear to her that he was definitely powerful. Maybe more than he was back then.

As she reflected that whole situation, Alu's brain slowly began work more effectively once again. When she and her friends reached a small clearing, it soon dawned on Alu that she and Aries were running away, and they had left Aquarius behind to fend for herself.

What was Alu doing?! She shouldn't be running away! She should be fighting back!

"Aries, we have to go back!" Alu suddenly shrieked. "We have to help Aquarius!"

"I'm sorry, Alu!" Aries whimpered. "But you can't let Ivan get his hands on you! Don't worry about Aquarius! She's one of the strongest Spirits in the Zodiac!"

"But even Aquarius can't take on twelve Dark Spirits by herself!" Alu protested. "And Ivan's after my dad! We have to stop him now!"

"I have to agree with Aries on this one!" Violet said. "You won't be any help to anyone if your mind isn't sharp and focused!"

"It's sharp and focused now!" Alu shot back. "I know I froze up back there, but Ivan just caught me off guard! But I know we can beat him! C'mon Aries, you and I have that combo attack we can use!"

"We can't let Ivan know you're a Dragon Slayer, too!" Aries cried. "If he finds out, he'll probably kill you!"

Alu jolted at that statement and came to a stop. "What do you mean?!"

Aries squeaked in fear and came to an abrupt halt. This made Alu and Violet stop as well.

"I-I didn't mean anything!" the Golden Ram Spirit stuttered, her voice in a jumble of haste. "I-It's just that, if h-he's after Dragon Slayers, then he, I mean, h-he could take your soul!"

Alu frowned with irritation. She didn't buy that explanation for a second. Aries was a horrible liar and Alu knew it. Alu could just see it in her eyes that she was hiding something. Especially since she just said moments ago that Ivan would probably kill Alu if he found out she was a Dragon Slayer.

"You know something, Aries!" Alu confronted. "Why is Ivan going after Celestial Wizards and Dragon Slayers?! And why would it matter if he knew I was both?! What's going on here?!"

Aries brought her arms up in front of her body, like she was trying to form a barrier between herself and Alu. She began to shiver and she avoid Alu's suspicious glare. Her voice quivered with uncertainty.

"Alu," she whimpered, "I'm really sorry, but…I'm afraid I can't tell you."

Alu groaned in annoyance.

"Oh, never mind then," she said forcefully. "Let's just go back and help Aquarius. I still hate her with all my guts, but even I don't want her dead."

"No, Alu!" Aries squeaked. "Aquarius can handle this herself! We have to…!"

Suddenly, a lightning whip came out of nowhere and struck Aries. The Golden Ram Spirit screamed in both fright and pain as she was flown backwards by the impact. She landed hard on the ground and slid across the grass for a few inches.

"ARIES!" Alu and Violet screamed.

Alu was about to run over to her Spirit friend when a pair of chains appeared around her ankles, tying them close together. She fell over, grunting as she made contact with the ground. Alu quickly looked back to see that evil version of Virgo towering over her. The evil Spirit had a pair of purple glowing cuffs in her hands that were identical to the ones around Alu's ankles. Beside her was Violet, who was struggling to get out of a large, heavy restraint that had locked itself around her torso.

The look on the Neo Virgo's face was one of sick pleasure. She was taking delight in seeing the helplessness of her victims.

Just seeing that made Alu scowl in anger.

"Why you bi-!"

Alu didn't get to finish her sentence because at that moment, another set of cuffs snapped around her wrists, and a large one flashed around her mouth. The chains on her ankles and wrists felt like they were nailed to the ground beneath her. They forced to lay prone on her stomach. She screamed and struggled to get out her bindings, but to no avail.

She was trapped.

"My, the look on your face is quite exquisite, little Dragneel." Neo Virgo said snidely. "So much hatred and pain, it's beautiful really. I can only imagine how much more amazing it would look when I inflict more pain."

Alu wanted so much to burn this Dark Spirit into a pile of ashes.

"But my orders were to bring you to my master alive." Neo Virgo sneered. "But I have no need for this little feline."

With a flick of her hand, Neo Virgo tossed the tied up Violet aside. Violet screamed as she flew through the air and landed in a bush. Alu cried out the Exceed's name, but her voice was muffled by the metal gag around her mouth. She struggled and fought even more to get out of her bindings, but they held onto her tight.

Neo Virgo just laughed at the sight, which infuriated Alu even more. She absolutely hated people who took pleasure in other's pain and suffering. Those kinds of people made her sick to her stomach. Whenever she saw them, she just wanted to knock them down so hard they wouldn't get back up.

Neo Virgo turned back to Alu and made a gesture with her index finger. Alu was suddenly lifted off the ground by the chains on her wrists. It was like she was being held up by an invisible rope that was tied to her cuffs. She was suspended in midair, defenseless and weighed down by her restraints.

Regardless of all that, the scowl in Alu's eyes never left for a second. She refused to show any fear to this freak of a Spirit.

"My mastered ordered me to bring you back alive," Neo Virgo grinned maliciously. "But he never said I couldn't have a little fun with you first. And I definitely intend to."

Alu still kept her brave face, but cold sweat began to form on her face.

Neo Virgo walked up and grabbed Alu's sleeveless shirt in a seductive fashion and gave it a slight pull. It made Alu's skin crawl and her muscles tense. She saw a look in Neo Virgo's eyes, and her heart rate began to increase. She did not like that look at all.

"Let's see what you look like underneath all these cloths," the Dark Spirit sneered wickedly. "With Lucy Heartfilla's genes inside you, I bet you have a ridiculous figure, too. I can't wait to see it, once your dignity's strip away."

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Alu wanted to scream. But the metal gag on her prevented her from getting those words out.

However, before Neo Virgo could so much as make a single tear in Alu's shirt, she was suddenly hit with a pink ball of wool. This knocked the Dark Maiden away from Alu just a bit before getting her stuck in its grip.

Alu turned her head sharply to her right. She saw that Aries was back on her feet. She was in a fighting stance, but the look on her face was one of great distress and fear. Alu knew why.

Aries was a Zodiac Spirit, but she wasn't a combat-oriented Spirit. She did know hand-to-hand combat, but she was more suited for defense and support rather than offense. It was clear that Neo Virgo was the exact opposite. She wasn't an opponent that Aries could take on by herself.

However, Aries knew she had to protect her key holder no matter what, even if that meant risking her life.

Neo Virgo only hesitated for a moment before summoning her lightning whip. She cut though Aries wool like a knife cutting through butter. She then landed on her feet and turned to face the true Zodiac Spirit.

"Well, it seems like someone is just asking for a punishment." Neo Virgo grinned viciously. "You really think you can take me on? You're just a sheepish little Spirit who can't stand up for herself. No wonder so many Celestial Wizards took advantage of you. My master's new and improved Aries is easily stronger than you."

Alu wriggled and twisted with rage-induced adrenaline, her chains rattling and clanking loudly. Nobody had the right to talk to Aries like that. Especially this Virgo copycat.

But Aries didn't back down. It was clear that she was frightened to go up against this artificial Spirit, but her loyalty to Alu was stronger than her fear.

"You might be stronger than me," Aries said, "and I know I'm not the most powerful of the Zodiacs, but I'd rather die than abandon my key holder. I'm doing this for her sake. She's not just my key holder, she's my closest friend. I'll stand and fight for her, and her family."

"No, Aries!" Alu wanted to shout. "Save yourself! I'm the one they want! Just take Violet and run!"

But all that came out from behind that metal cuff around Alu's mouth was stifled shrieks.

Neo Virgo snickered maliciously before licking her lips with twisted delight.

"If that's how you're going to be about it, then fine," she said. "More pain for you means more fun for me. And I wonder how it'll feel to destroy a Zodiac Spirit."

Neo Virgo then leapt forward. Aries had only a second to dodge before that lightning whip can down. It left and large gash in the ground the moment it came into contact with it. But that whip wasn't the only form of combat Neo Virgo had. Just as Aries landed on stable ground, she was forced to run and dodge because Neo Virgo began to create holes all around her. Neo Virgo wasn't giving Aries any time to counterattack. She was overwhelming the poor Ram Spirit with whip attacks and craters in the ground.

Aries tried to summon an attack of her own, but she couldn't get enough time to use any of her Wool Magic effectively. She was having a hard-enough time trying to not get struck by Neo Virgo's whip. And with all of these craters appearing around her, she really had to stay on her toes.

But Neo Virgo was a big cheat. She anticipated one of Aries landings and created a hole right under her left foot. This caused Aries to falter as she tried to regain her balance. But by the time she did, it was too late. Neo Virgo struck Aries across her center with the lightning whip.

"ARIES!" Violet cried.

Aries flew backwards and slammed straight into the trunk of a large tree. Before she had time to get up, cuffs and chains suddenly flashed around her neck and wrists, pinning her defenselessly to the tree.

Neo Virgo then began to strike Aries blow after blow with fast and furious whip-lashes. She laughed and jeered every time Aries let out a cry of agony.

"That's right, cry for help!" Neo Virgo shouted ecstatically. "Louder! I said louder! Keep crying! You're pathetic!"

Alu, who had been watching the whole fight, felt immeasurable rage grow deep inside of her. It grew and grew every time she heard Aries cry and scream. She felt as if her heart had been set on fire. Her anger grew to the point where she felt like she was going to explode.

Alu couldn't stand seeing Aries being tortured like this.

Aries was her first Spirit. She could still remember how happy she felt the when Lucy entrusted the Celestial Spirit's key to her. Ever since then, Aries had been a true and faithful friend. She was always by Alu's side whenever she was sad or lonely. They fought battles together, trained together, laughed together, and encouraged each other. They were friends.

And now, Alu was being forced to watch as this fake Virgo hurt her friend.

This was unforgivable! It was more unforgivable than what Neo Virgo threatened to do to Alu!

Alu wasn't going to watch this anymore. She didn't care if Neo Virgo saw her use her Dragon Slayer Magic, she had to use it. She couldn't reach her keys to summon any of her other Spirits. She had to use her Dragon Slayer Magic. It was her only chance.

She had to use the gift that her father had given her to save her friends.

With battle cry of fury, Alu's whole body suddenly erupted in an aura of white-hot flames. The intense heat caused the metal cuffs and chains to shatter and scatter across the grass, where they melted into puddles of liquid metal.

Neo Virgo stopped torturing Aries to look around to see what was happening. To her open-mouth shock, Alu was down on the ground on all fours like a wild animal, and was surrounded in a blaze of whitish-orange fire. The expression on the young wizard's face was one of untainted rage.

No, Alu was beyond the point of rage. Her eyes showed that clearly. For a moment, she almost looked like a Demon. Her pupils and irises both when very small, leaving a majority of her eyes white. She bared all of her teeth and curled her fingers as if they were claws.

"FIRE DRAGON SWORD HORN!"

Before Neo Virgo could raise her whip in defense, Alu shot forward with incredible speed.

Alu head-butted Neo Virgo, knocking her away from Aries. This caused Neo Virgo drop her whip and stumble back in disorientation.

"YOU THINK OTHER'S SUFFERING IS SOMETHING TO LAUGH AT?!" Alu roared. "WELL, LET'S SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT, YOU VIRGO PHONY!"

"No!" Neo Virgo screeched.

But Alu wasn't listening. She didn't even stop for a second. She was going to make this sick and twisted sadist pay for what she did to Aries. And she was going to give it back a thousand fold.

Alu was going to have revenge. She used every single Dragon Slayer technique her father had taught her, and overwhelmed Neo Virgo with a flurry of fiery punches and kicks.

"FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST! TALON! WING ATTACK! FLAME ELBOW! CRUSHING FANG!"

Again and again, Alu showered unavoidable attacks on Neo Virgo. That Dark Spirit was now at the mercy of the young Fairy Tail wizard. And Alu wasn't letting up. She knew this wasn't the real Virgo she was fighting. It was just an empty shell.

Which meant Alu wasn't going to hold back.

Gathering up the last of her Dragon Slayer Magic, Alu summoned one of her father's greatest techniques. She had never used it before, but she had seen Natsu use it many times in the past.

She had to use it now.

"FLAME LOTUS: EXPLODING FLAME BLADE!"

Alu swiped her arms around in a circular fashion. A destructive force of flames spiraled around together and hit Neo Virgo with fierce power. The Neo Spirit flew backwards before hitting the ground and skidding through the grass and dirt. By the time she came to a stop, Alu's flames dispersed and faded away from her hands.

Neo Virgo laid flat on her back in the grass, completely stunned and unable to move. She wasn't getting up any time soon. Now that she was defeated, the chains and cuffs binding both Aries and Violet disappeared in an instant. While Aries sat up against the tree, trembling and desperately breathing hard for air, Violet lifted herself up and summoned her Aera wings. She then flew over to Alu and hovered beside her.

As she did, Alu dropped onto one knee and gasped.

"Alu, that was incredible!" Violet praised. "Are you alright?!"

"Oh, yeah." Alu wheezed. "I'm fine. Just a little low on Magic."

Alu panted heavily as beads of sweat rolled down her face. She was now feeling just how much of her Magic Power was depleted. She had used up all of her Dragon Slayer Magic in that last attack. Even though she knew that using all that Magic would drain her, she also knew that she had to stop Neo Virgo and protect Aries. It didn't matter if her Dragon Slayer Magic was exhausted. As long as her friends were safe, then that was okay with her.

Luckily, her Celestial Magic was still in reserve and was stopping her from keeling over completely. It was times like this where she was actually grateful to have separate vessels of Magic Power. For it was her Celestial Magic alone that was keeping her alive and conscious.

Once she had gotten enough air back in her lungs, Alu stood up and walked over to the fallen Neo Virgo. She stopped just a few feet away from her and glowered down at her.

"Don't EVER torture any of my Spirits again!" Alu angrily warned. "Because I'll give it back to you a thousand times over! You and the other phony Zodiac Spirits!"

Then, much to Alu, Aries, and Violet's surprise, Neo Virgo began to disappear. She didn't vanish instantly like her Gate was being closed. She was dissolving into purplish-black dots. Her face was blank and emotionless, like she didn't feel any pain at all.

"Quite impressive, I'll give you that." Neo Virgo said flatly. "But now our master's going to kill you, little Dragneel. He won't tolerate having competition."

"Competition?" Alu said with perplexity. "What are you talking about?"

"Are you that stupid? Master wants to be a Celestial Dragon Slayer."

At the sound of that, Aries jolted. Alu's eyes widened and she inhaled sharply.

"Celestial Dragon Slayer?!" Alu whispered in shock. "You're saying there's a Celestial Dragon Slayer?!"

"You're so dense." Neo Virgo said, staring up at the sky. "The only way there can be a Celestial Dragon Slayer is by completing a Spell."

Aries frowned and narrowed her eyes ambiguously.

"What kind of Spell?" Alu asked.

Neo Virgo just grinned wickedly, "Once our master has your father's soul, then you'll see."

Alu flinched at that remark and scowled viciously.

"He'll never get my dad's soul!" she retorted. "My dad's super strong! He'll easily kick Ivan's ass into the next century!"

Neo Virgo just chuckled spitefully, "You don't know how strong our master is. But if you don't believe me, by all means, face him yourself if you have the nerve. Once our master's completed the Spell, you and your guild won't stand a chance. Fairy Tail will fall. You can be sure of that."

Before Alu could say anything, Neo Virgo faded completely. All that was left in her place was a small, damaged and torn shikigami. Alu slowly walked over and picked up the little piece of paper. As she examined it, she remembered what Ivan had said before about combining his power with Yukino's to create the Neo Zodiac Spirits.

"I get it," she mumbled. "They're shikigami creations. They don't even have a soul. They're just imitations."

Alu then just stood where she was. She closed her eyes as she thought back over what Neo Virgo had told her. She had to try and fit all the pieces of information she had together.

Ivan was now after Natsu because he wanted his soul. And he wanted his soul so he could become a Celestial Dragon Slayer. That made sense as to why he went after Yukino. After all, it was only logical to assume that the Celestial Dragon Slayer would be connected to Celestial Magic, too.

But what was this Spell that Neo Virgo mentioned? Alu had always been told that Magic was generally taught, particularly strong Magic. All wizards were born with the ability to use Magic, but they had to learn a style of their own. That's what both of her parents did. Lucy was taught Celestial Wizard Magic by her mother, Layla Heartfillia; and Natsu was taught Dragon Slayer Magic by his foster father, Igneel the Fire Dragon King.

Then again, Alu was an example of a special case. She was born with specific kinds of Magic.

So, was it possible that Ivan could attain this Celestial Dragon Slayer power through a Spell?

Whatever the case was, Alu knew one thing was clear: Ivan wanted her father's soul just to make himself more powerful. And he wanted that power so he could destroy Fairy Tail. Just thinking of that made Alu grit her teeth and clench her fists, crinkling the little shikigami in her right hand as she did.

"Ivan's not going to get away with this," she said with conviction. "I'm going to stop him myself."

"Alu?" Violet said.

Alu turned around to look at her companions. The determination in her eyes was unmistakable.

"We have to go back and help Aquarius," she stated. "I don't care what it takes, we have to stop Ivan."

"But Alu," Aries said hesitantly, "you're out of Dragon Slayer Magic."

"I still got my Celestial Magic." Alu replied. "I'll be fine. Let's just go help Aquarius. That is if you're feeling up to it, Aries."

Aries paused for a second or two before giving a confident nod. She slowly got to her feet and stood up as tall as she could.

"If this is what you want, then I'll follow you," she said. "As my key holder, I am bound to protect you. But as my friend, I will follow you into battle."

"You can count me in, too." Violet said, raising her right paw. "I'll do what I can to help."

Alu grinned at her two companions, "Then let's go."

With that, the small team ran back in the direction they came from. They couldn't afford to waste any more time. All they could do was run as fast as they could and hope that they would reach Aquarius in time.

However, what none of them realized was that they weren't alone.

No sooner had Alu, Aries, and Violet rushed back into the forest, that a small group of four figures dressed in dark blue cloaks moved swiftly and silently through the forest. This group took great care in making sure that they were far enough away so that the Dragon Slayer girl couldn't sense their presence, but also being close enough to keep a close eye on their targets.