Yosh! New chapter! I apologize sincerely for the delay, but I just took the SATs and I've been studying pretty hard for those-to make up for it I've made this extra long and (hopefully) exciting. Enjoy!
Prabha
...one…
….al…gon…
Kshhhh—
…li…why?
Wendy slumped on her knees in the sand, all her resilience from the last dream gone, drained away into weariness felt to the bone.
"Not so tough now, are you?" it sneered, running a hand through its long, long hair. "Not so brave now, hm? Not so fierce, little dragoness?"
Wendy said nothing, only stared at the sand beneath her, tears dripping from her eyes to the earth. The shadow laughed in delight, reveling in her despair, breathing in her confusion.
"Why?" Wendy whispered, as if to herself. "All those people…those poor people…" Wendy glared through her tears. "Was it you? Why would you do something like that?"
"Why, my dear Wendy, who on Earth said I did it?" it grinned maliciously, sharp and dark. Its tongue darted out briefly to wet its lips. It leaned forward slightly, a hand to its mouth as if it were about to tell Wendy a secret.
"They did it, little dragoness," it whispered, venom in its voice. "You humans, you living beings, you did it to yourselves. Everything is your own fault."
"That's impossible!" Wendy cried, jerking upright. "I would never do something like this to—"
"Irrelevant," it cut her off, leaning back smugly. "Everything that befalls you, all that happens to you and your comrades is your own fault, because you are weak."
"You're delusional," Wendy whispered, the truth dawning upon her. "You are absolutely insane."
"If you think I'm the insane one, little dragoness, then you are worse off than I thought," it sneered.
The figure drew itself up to its full height (considerably short, but nonetheless imposing). "You say that I am delusional? That I am insane, that I know nothing? You are the one who knows nothing, little fool. You are the one who understands nothing."
It spread its arms wide. "Just look at this world. Do you not see the contradiction in your very existence?"
Wendy listened with one ear, hearing all and comprehending none, tears continuing to drip from her face.
The shadow drove on viciously. "There is no point to you—to any of those whose hearts beat, whose blood flows. With or without humans, with or without any life, this world will continue to exist. Time will continue flow. All you serve to do is destroy the place that gave you a life and a home. So then, for what purpose are you here?"
"The answer is simple—the only purpose you have is to die. Everything you do—whether you help others, whether you destroy them—all ends in death. Your only purpose is to show the desolation of death, to show the pointlessness of life. You have been created to make the best of a life of suffering. That is the logic of this world."
Wendy dug her fingers deep into the sand as if trying to anchor herself down, but the fine grains only ran through her fingers. "What kind of logic is that?" she whispered. "That's not logic—that's just your own twisted beliefs that you're putting on the shoulders of others—"
"Silence!" The figure snapped, sounding angry for the first time. "I will not be disparaged—I am the protector of this logic! I am its defender!"
"And I just said that's not logic!" Wendy cried out, lifting her head defiantly.
"If that's not logic…why is this happening to me?"
Wendy's vision was consumed in white.
earlier that day
"Good morning, everyone!" Wendy beamed, flouncing into the kitchen where her comrades were eating breakfast.
"Mornin' Wendy!" Natsu grinned, mouth full of food. Lucy sighed even as she smacked the back of his head. She smiled at Wendy, echoing the chorus of greetings from everyone else in the room.
Wendy grabbed a plate of eggs and toast, poured a glass of milk, and took a seat next to Romeo, who grinned easily. Wendy took a deep breath and began to eat, feeling the last effects of her nightmare melt away as she sank into the noisy and cheerful chatter of her companions—of her family.
"Sleep okay, Wen?" Romeo asked, nudging her shoulder to turn her towards him.
Wendy paused, considering her answer. "Okay, I guess. What about you?"
Romeo threw his hands up in the air, looking at Wendy with wide eyes. "Mavis, Wendy, I had the weirdest dream ever! Okay, so, there was you, and there was Charle, and there was Natsu-nii and Master, right, and then there was this merry-go-round and it was being operated by an elephant—"
"Huh? Me?" Natsu's mouth dropped open, staring as Romeo described the details of his dream. "On t-t-transportation?"
Wendy giggled helplessly, watching Romeo recount his dream to a gawking, mismatched audience of mages (even Gajeel was listening out of one ear, though he'd deny it with all his might). I wish I could have dreams like that, she thought wistfully.
"—and then, the unicorn said, 'Oh my god, Narwhal, you can't just ask people why they don't have a horn!'"
The table burst into laughter, startling Wendy so much she almost fell out of her chair (which, of course, only made them laugh harder).
Such was the raucous scene that Zahin entered in to, Aaliya on his arm. Wendy, the first to notice them walk in the door, stood hastily and bowed slightly.
"Good morning, Zahin-san, Aaliya-san," she greeted nervously, wincing mentally at the mess behind her. "I'm sorry if we disturbed you at all, we were just—"
Zahin waved his hand carelessly, taking a seat at the counter. "No worries, dear girl. With Merin around, we are more than used to noise in the mornings," he said drily.
"I'll have you know that I resent that," Merin said sagely, striding into the room with his usual exuberant confidence. "I am as quiet and patient as a saint."
Aaliya chuckled. "Oh yes," she said humorously, setting a plate in front of each before taking her own. "Our Merin has been saintly since birth; why, when he was just two, we visited Fiore's zoo and he—"
"Grandmother, I don't think they need to hear that," Merin interrupted loudly, eyeing the room.
"Well, suffice it to say that the giraffe was never quite the same," she laughed. Wendy twitched.
"Hey gramps," Natsu said, leaning forward on the table, "I have a question."
"Have you ever heard of a dragon named Igneel? Maybe Metalicana, or Grandeeney?"
The air around the table sharpened immediately, Gajeel and Wendy turning to stare intensely at Zahin. Romeo, Lucy, Levy, and the Exceeds looked on quietly, watching their respective Dragonslayers.
"Dragons, you say?" Zahin looked around the circle, noting each one's focused expressions. He laced his fingers together atop the table, thinking deeply.
"I can't say that we have much legend of dragons," he said thoughtfully. "By all rights, as a people we are concerned mostly with Ulli, our god, than we are with dragons and such Fioran folklore. Generally to us dragons represent evil creatures, as they are so closely related to the treacherous snake."
"Igneel's not evil, old man!" snapped Natsu, rising to his feet and ignoring Lucy's harsh whisper to be polite.
Zahin raised a hand. "And I never said so, my boy. I have never met a dragon, so in all honesty I cannot judge whether they are evil or not." He sighed. "I can, however, safely say that I have never heard of anyone or any dragon by the name of Igneel, Metalicana, or Grandeeney."
Natsu sank back into his seat, muttering a short apology; unable to see Natsu upset Happy flew to his shoulders, Lucy laying one hand unobtrusively over his.
"The reason Natsu-san asks, sir, is this request that we received is a little strange," Wendy smoothed the wrinkled, aged paper out before Zahin. Merin and Aaliya leaned over his shoulders, Merin mouthing the words silently. Wendy's hands quivered; she gripped the table hard as if they would stop if she did.
"I know you probably don't see anything, b-but actually the reason we all took this mission was that—"
"At the bottom," Gajeel cut in, shooting Wendy a look that was probably meant to be reassuring, "all of us saw a dragon—our dragon mentors. Nobody but us and the mini flame-brain over there," he nodded in Romeo's direction, ignoring his shout of protest. Wendy patted his shoulder comfortingly, giggling now that the attention was off her (failing to notice Romeo's blush).
"You know anything about it?" Gajeel's eyes fixed on Zahin, searching for any hint of a lie.
Zahin examined the paper closely, turning it over and feeling the corner. He frowned.
"You're right; I see nothing. I have no recollection of doing anything to this paper," he turned to Merin, "but Merin was the one who delivered it to our postal station. This isn't one of your new tricks, is it?"
"Why is it always my fault?" Merin cried, but quickly silenced under the unnerving stares from the Dragonslayers. He swallowed at Gajeel's snarl—his face read clearly: If you brought me all the way out here for a stupid prank I will not hesitate to rip you apart.
"It wasn't me," he protested, nervous but resolute. "I delivered it just like you told me to. This is too serious for any pranks."
Zahin sighed, sliding the request back to Wendy, who picked it up and folded it carefully. "That, I am sorry to say, is true. Even Merin is not so foolish—not now at least. Now no one can afford to be foolish."
He leaned back in his seat, Aaliya rubbing his shoulder tenderly. To Wendy, he suddenly looked a thousand years older—weary and tired. Wendy felt a sudden pang of sadness at the way he scrubbed at his face, back hunched.
"We're sorry, Zahin-san," Levy interjected, shooting Gajeel a look of warning. "We didn't mean to accuse you or Merin. Those dragons are very dear to Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy—we've all been searching for them for a very long time," she said gently. "But please rest assured, we always finish a mission once we start one. We'll all do our best to help you."
"Of course," she continued. "We can't do that unless we know what the problem is. Do you think you can tell us?"
Zahin took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Yes, I believe that I have secured proper clearance. I apologize for the delay, but the people of the village are stubborn—they do not take easily to strangers."
"I-it's not a problem at all, Zahin-san!" Wendy piped up, Romeo nodding at her side. "We're ready to go whenever you want us to! Please leave it to us!" Wendy made a fist.
Zahin shared a look with Aaliya, who nodded somewhat uneasily.
"Very well. Shall we say in about an hour?"
"This is it—our hospital," Zahin said. "It's not much, but it's enough for a town like this one."
"Small," Merin coughed.
Wendy bit her lip nervously—Merin's assessment was true. The hospital looked to be no more than three floors, shaped like a box of beige bricks. The few windows were sealed shut and boarded up with wooden planks, every crack sealed up with a tape or a cloth. Two guards dressed completely in white, with fabric covering every exposed bit of skin and thick surgical masks over their mouths and noses stood guard at the door, backs straight, hands clasped behind them. Zahin led the group up the front path, stopping to speak briefly with the guards in a low voice. Wendy watched the guard on the right nod and say something to the other, who walked quickly around the side of the building.
In a minute he was back, holding a large basket of white cloth in his hands. He strode over the Wendy and the others, setting the basket on the ground gently and motioning them over.
"You…take these, now, please," he spoke in halting Fioran, nonetheless giving them a friendly (if wary) smile. He gestured to his outfit, making special note of his facemask.
"Put on," he clarified, pointing to the basket. Exchanging glances, the mages quickly donned the same garments as the guards: full white bodysuits, gloves, boots, and masks that covered everything but their eyes.
"Ugh," Lucy grunted, struggling to pull her suit up, "this is too hard to get on! Is there a bigger size?"
Natsu cackled. "You don't need a size up, Luce! That's just cuz of your boobs. Didn't you notice before? They're huge!"
Wendy sweatdropped, mouth twitching as she stared at her (flat) chest and cringing at the supreme smack that followed Natsu's comment. Gajeel cackled at his flattened, steaming form on the ground.
"Gihihi! Poor Salamander can't even take a hit from bunny girl!"
"How about we see if you can take my fist in your face, you bastard?" In a millisecond Natsu was up and raring to go, knocking foreheads with the Iron Dragonslayer.
"Ahem," coughed Zahin, winking at the flabbergasted guards. "We should be going in, I think."
Leaving her face mask in her hands for the time being, Wendy began walking towards the door eagerly, taking in a deep breathe. The scents of disinfectant and chemicals were strong—Zahin had said that the hospital was mainly non-magical. Strong too was the smell of sickness; decay was in the air. Wendy grimaced, almost unconsciously reaching out to hang on to Romeo's sleeve. He looked down at her in surprise. Wendy's face was a mask of nervousness barely covered by confidence; she was biting her lip so hard it might bleed. Romeo's lips quirked into a smile, his hand rising to remove it gently.
Wendy started, staring at Romeo in blushing shock. He grinned.
"You're gonna do great. I just know it."
Wendy said nothing, examining Romeo's assured, smiling face. Taking one more breath, she grinned back—radiantly beautiful.
"Yeah."
Zahin hesitated at the door, one hand on the doorknob. His eyes closed, a weary look on his face.
"Our…problem, dear girl, is an illness that we have never seen before. Our healers are unable to make any sense of it, even our magical ones. It is—sickening, to say the least. For all our sakes, I hope to Ulli that you are able to help us."
Wendy nodded firmly, strapping on her mask. "I will do my best."
Natsu didn't like the mask. It made it too tough to smell the air, and it obscured his breathing. Plus, it was itchy. Natsu didn't like itchy things.
He turned his head from side to side, doing a quick head count. The Exceeds had chosen to wait outside, given that insofar there were no cat-shaped protective suits. Natsu wasn't really quite sure how a sickness could be so bad that people needed breathing masks—the last time he was sick it was just a little flu; Lucy came over with lots of soup and DVDs and it was gone in a few days. Natsu had never been really, really sick; he supposed it must have something to do with his draconic immune system (which sounded kind of cool, now that he thought about it).
Natsu stretched his arms up, folding his arms behind his head as he continued walking upstairs, supposedly towards where the emergency ward was. To be honest it looked the whole place was in a state of emergency to him; people in white suits were rushing about everywhere, yelling in their strange language. Cries and screams of pain echoed throughout the hospital, ringing in his sensitive ears; in all their ears, looking at the cringing faces of Wendy and Gajeel. This clearly wasn't some normal epidemic—whatever was going on was causing real suffering, and Natsu didn't like it when innocent people suffered. Whatever was going on in this hospital gave Natsu a bad feeling.
A small, warm hand curled into his—Lucy, by the looks of the outrageously stretched suit. Her hand squeezed, both seeking and receiving comfort; the other gripped the place where her keys sat on her hip, protected by the white cloth.
"This is it," said Zahin, voice muffled by the mask. He had paused by the door at the top of the steps, leading to the third floor. "The healers here are our best; they have predicted that one of the patients being kept here is on the verge of death, so—well, you'll see.
"Don't think that there's anything you can do to change it, either," he turned pointedly to Wendy, who clutched Romeo's sleeve almost reflexively. Natsu frowned; it wasn't okay for Wendy to be scared or uncertain.
"Most of the patients here are too far gone to be helped, so don't blame yourself. You'll have to see this at least once to understand the true problem. Please prepare yourself."
Without another word, he threw open the door.
Even with the mages' intrusion, Wendy observed, it didn't seem like the workers ever stopped moving. There was a constant circulation of bright, sterile white; a doctor or nurse from one room to the next, and the next, never staying in one place for too long. At any rate it seemed like there were too many patients for individualized care; if these were only the people who were too far gone, Wendy didn't want to know how many were just getting started.
The third floor consisted of a long hallway, with plenty of doors on either side leading, presumably, to patient rooms. Each room had a thick glass window; Wendy sensed weak but effective magical seals on the edges to prevent the escape of infection. The real horrors, however, laid in the pictures those windows captured: families sobbing, screaming, holding the atrophied hands of their loved ones, who laid back, obscured by the covers. Others banged on the windows futilely, trying to reach their family as the doctors struggled to ease their pain. The putrid smells of vomit and blood mixed with powerful disinfectant assaulted her nose, even through the heavy cover of the mask. It was clear that the hospital had no handle over whatever this sickness was; it was all they could do to keep it contained.
Zahin led them to the very end of the hallway, the doctors growing quiet, making way for Wendy and the others. Zahin stopped outside the last room, looking in briefly and looking away. He gestured Wendy forward and began to speak in a whisper, an undercurrent of desperation in his voice.
"The boy in there was one of the first to fall ill—they were the ones hit hardest; many of them are on this floor. We call them 'the first wave'. His name is Amari; he's only 14 but he's one of our brightest students. They thought he might even have had magical potential. You can't help him. His family knows that, so don't blame yourself. Just—please, if you could ease his suffering even just a little, it would mean the world to them—to us. To all of us."
Wendy shivered, feeling pressure as if the whole town was in that tiny building, staring right at her. She shook her head, reaching out one hand to grip the door handle.
"I will do my best," she said quietly. "I won't let him go in pain."
Wendy leaned back on the closed door, cut off from all emotion.
What is it with doors today? She thought detachedly. It feels like every door we open is more horrible than the last. Why are there so many doors?
Wendy had been prepared for the usual gross throes of sickness; it was, after all, difficult to be a healer and squeamish at the same time (not to mention a Fairy Tail mage). She had been prepared for the distraught family that she saw, whimpering quietly across from her, clutching at the bed sheets. But she had never been prepared for the scrap of a human being that lay, heaving, before her on the bed.
Amari: that had once been the name of the—the thing here now. "Amari" sounded like a bright name, full of possibility—Wendy could picture him, as he had once been, lively and sharp. Now, though.
Now, he was a husk—literally, a shriveled husk of a person, dried up into a small, arid stick like a dead cornstalk. Paper-thin skin clung uselessly to cracking, brittle bone, rounding almost imperceptibly over tough muscle and shrunken organs, and his face, oh his face, it was like something out of those horror movies that gave Wendy nightmares. Nearly all of his hair had dried up and fallen out—his eyes, his mouth, his nose, even his teeth were completely moisture-less, unable to produce neither saliva nor tears. Veins stood out in his eyes, blood running thinly, bursting out of the weak walls to dribble down his face, as if he was crying. He stared into space, twitching, sucking air into his lungs as though it might heal him (as if it was the only thing he could do, robbed of all his functions as he was). Wendy felt a tear run down her face—it evaporated almost as quickly as the boy's fluids seemed to be doing. She reached a hand up to touch her mask, knees locked, unable to move an inch out of—what? Fear? Pity? Slowly she became aware of a pounding on the wall—was that Romeo-kun? Natsu-san? Lucy-san?
The boy choked, his mother crying out, and Wendy jerked into action. She rushed forward, hands hovering for only a moment before she was checking his pulse, gently probing his skin, careful not to rip or tear (why was she thinking that he was made of paper). With seemingly great effort Amari dragged his eyes to meet hers—she gave him a shaky but reassuring smile.
"You'll be okay," she said gently, gripping his hand in hers. "You'll be just fine. You won't hurt anymore really soon, okay? It'll be okay."
Holding his hand in both of hers, she closed her eyes and summoned her magic—heightening her senses, feeling the air swirl around her, hot and dry. Slowly, tendril-by-tendril she delved into his body, her magic infusing him.
She flinched—the illness was just as bad as it seemed. She could feel his cells dying, screaming in agony as they withered away in nothing, into non-existence. Deep in as she was Wendy knew nothing of the hush that fell over the room, of the awed and proud stares of her companions as Amari's body relaxed, glowed blue.
Zahin was right, she thought, dismayed. I can't do anything for this person. The damage is too extensive. She clutched his hand harder, head bowed. But I won't let him go like this. Not in so much pain.
Wendy concentrated, pushing more magic into the boy's body. Synchronized, they took a deep breath together, blowing out slowly.
Be calm, she thought, as if her thoughts could reach him where he was. You'll be at peace soon. More magic, soothing the cells, blanketing their pain with numbness. I'll take care of everyone for you. You can rest now.
In her mind's eye she saw Amari—a complete stranger, but bright and good nonetheless, smiling and waving. It was only a dream, of course, but Wendy smiled anyway and thought,
Good work.
Slowly, very slowly, he breathed out, deflating like a balloon, and he didn't breath in again.
Wendy released her magic, a lone tear dripping off her face, sliding easily off of still-warm skin. It was hard, harder than she had expected, to feel the life drain out of someone, unable to stop the flow of a spirit away from its shell. She took one more look at his face—peaceful now, eyes closed. As if in a trance his mother came and stood beside her, vacantly running a gloved hand down her son's (her precious, precious boy's) face. Rivulets of water ran from her eyes, soaking her suit; the little girl clung to her side, one hand on her mask. Trembling, she muttered something in Wendy's direction, unintelligible—
And she screamed for all she was worth, grief and loss and fear saturating her voice; painfully clear to the young Dragonslayer—
Wendy frowned, confused. Fear? What could there be to fear now, with all her protective clothing—?
Suddenly Zahin was banging on the window, yelling at them get out—
Crack.
Crack,
Crack,
Crumble.
Amari's body was disintegrating—dissolving into sand and dust before Wendy's very eyes, and she was powerless against it. His face caved in, everything, flesh bone blood organ—everything crumbling into dust that swirled in the air. Wendy's pupils dilated; never before had there been any such illness—in the first place it should have been physically impossible for the cells not to retain their structure—
Vicious pounding came at the door; doctors burst in, wrenching the frightened girl away from her mother and out of the room, screaming all the time. The mother put up more of a fight; she struggled with a desperate strength, throwing the doctors off of her, reaching out for the body of her son (what was left of it anyway).
The corpse continued to dissolve until it was completely gone, heedless of the chaos, dust spiraling and swirling into the air. The doctors dropped the woman in terror, scrambling back out of the doorway as fast as they could, slamming the door behind them, holding it shut on the other side. She could see Zahin panic, run to them, cry to open the door ("it—infect!—out!"), Romeo and the others rushing to assist him. Wendy was shocked still, after all it was dust how dangerous could dust be—
Finally the door wedged open, and Zahin yelled to her inside, "Contain it! Contain the dust! IT WILL KILL YOU!"
Wendy wheeled around, the mother ripping off her protective mask, throwing herself towards the apparently poisonous dust like she wanted to breath it in, like she was welcoming it, and Wendy reacted faster than lightning.
Air burst to life in the room, collecting the dust into a small tornado before compressing it into a sphere with walls of pure air. The mother fell to floor, sobbing and banging on the ground. Wendy's hands shook, but her will remained steady, keeping the ball together and the dust safely inside. She watched it spin like the world was in slow motion, understanding nothing about what she had just seen.
And then the door was open, slow motion reverting to real life, and there was tight steel box around her little sphere, and a flash of aquamarine that scribbled a SEAL on it, and warm warm hands that wrapped around her, pressed her into a broad shoulder.
Romeo. Romeo and Natsu and Lucy, stroking her hair, hanging onto her for dear life. Wendy sighed, tiny hands reaching to clutch at the back of Romeo's suit, which didn't diminish his warmth at all—must come from being a fire mage, she supposed. She let out a stuttering breath, leaning her forehead against his collarbone, listening to them whisper comforting platitudes in her ear. She sighed softly, hearing that awful crumpling sound fall away from her ears.
Crack.
She twitched, fingers clenching.
Crack,
Crack,
No.
Crumble.
Shouts and screams echoed throughout the whole floor as person upon person dissolved into nothing, noxious dust clogging the air, people clutching their masks like lifelines and trying not to breathe—
"Natsu! Burn it! Burn the dust away!" cried Lucy, jumping up and fumbling for her keys, only to remember they were still trapped beneath her clothing.
"I can't—there's too many people! The hospital will be destroyed!" Natsu snapped running out into the hallway.
Wendy tore herself away from Romeo, wheeling out of the door and running up the hallway. Window after window passed, showing the same shockingly grotesque plateau, brown dust rising and filling the rooms, spilling into the corridor.
"Levy-san! Please be ready!" she cried, screeching to a stop outside the door, arms outstretched as if Wendy was a one-woman barricade.
"I won't let it pass," she whispered (like she was reassuring herself), and said,
"Sky Dragon's Roar!"
The current of air blasted the dust back—rather than her usual outpour Wendy controlled her magic, scraping the air inside of each room, scrubbing the walls, gathering up each speck of dust, hurtling them towards Levy, who stood determined at the other end.
She gathered up her Solid Script Pen, sparks swirling around the nib. With a flourish she wrote in the air, drawing a square in thin lines around her word.
"CONTAIN!"
Wendy's wind directed straight into the box of empty space Levy conjured; in an instant Gajeel had clamped the box down with impossibly hard steel, perfected with Levy's SEAL.
Distantly she heard Zahin's explanation to the others.
"The dust is the real problem, aside from the illness itself. We managed at least to figure out that when the—cadaver crumbles, the dust that it circulates becomes what infects other people. In other words—"
"When a person dies the disease becomes airborne," Lucy whispered, eyes wide behind her mask. "One dead body could infect an entire family—anyone who goes near it. This is insane."
"Precisely," Zahin said, grasping weakly at his heart, Romeo supporting him from one side. He's so old, Wendy thought sorrowfully, regaining her senses. This must be too much for him.
"We've see people dissolve before, but never—never—on this grand a scale. I didn't think it possible; to lose so many at once in a town this small is…" he trailed off, head bowed.
Wendy walked slowly back, overly conscious of the shell-shocked atmosphere, the numb whispers, the now quiet but no less grievous tears. The floor wasn't spacious, but it was long—it could hold thirty, maybe forty people easily. So many lives—men, women, children, the young, the old, everyone—gone in the blink of an eyes, without anything to ease their pain like Amari had. So much death, and not a trace was left.
Amari. Amari Amari Amari. Wendy would engrave that name onto her soul with a knife in her own hands if she had to—even if there was nothing left of him, of all of them, Wendy would never allow them to disappear.
"If that's not logic…why is this happening to me?"
Wendy turned to the source of the voice, dreading whatever gruesome picture she knew awaited her. She flinched only slightly, voice flat, drained of shock.
"Lisanna."
The younger Strauss sister laid prone on the ground, arms and legs haphazardly spread about, clothes ripped and dirty.
"You didn't save her, so I've lost Mira-nee. And now this is happening to me. Why? If we weren't born to suffer why would this be happening?"
"This isn't real," Wendy said quietly, shutting her eyes and clamping her hands over her ears. "It's not happening because this isn't real. Lisanna is fine."
"I'm not fine," Lisanna snapped, voice growing weaker and wearier as time ticked on, second by second. "This is why Mira-nee's gone—you shut your mind to the truth because you're weak. You never help anybody but yourself because you can't accept that you have no power."
"Stop it—whoever you are, just stop," Wendy whispered, screwing her eyes further shut like that would make her disappear entirely. "This is wrong, and it's not real—"
"Says who, little dragon?" the figure sneered, composure regained. "How do you know that your precious guild is just fine? You don't know. You could be wrong. What are you going to do about it?"
"Whatever," Lisanna whispered, voice dead of the vitality that usually filled it. "I'm sick of this. I want Mira-nee." Blood began to leak from her eyes, thick and red (totally different from Amari's blood like water). Wendy opened her eyes just a little, unable to close them to her precious guildmate's pain. Blood bubbled up from her pores, her ears, her nose, even her mouth, choking her, running her precious life out into the sand—and even so she closed her eyes almost blissfully. Slowly her body melted into nothing but red, red liquid that stained the sand, before it sank away into nothing. Wendy dry sobbed, hitting the sand with a clenched fist.
"It's. Not. Real," she ground out, pounding the ground with each word. "It's not! I won't give in to something like you!"
The figure laughed in delight. "That's it! Hate me! Not so perfect, are you? You're having fun, aren't you? Now that you understand this world! This logic!" It spread its arms. "Come! Break more! Break until you're just little pieces of nothing!"
"I won't break," Wendy gasped, scrabbling at the sand. Amari, she thought. Amari, Natsu, Lucy, Levy, Gajeel, Happy, Lily, Charle. Romeo. "I won't break for as long as my friends are with me! I won't!"
The figure paused, one finger (presumably) to its mouth as if it was seriously considering the notion. "Is that so?"
It grinned. "Then, I'll handle that. I will see you kneel before me, little dragoness. You won't stay whole. I swear it."
Desert outlying Meshbaal, same day, 8:00 pm
"This is by far the area with the largest output," Erza mused, surveying the deep magic detectors lent to them by the townspeople. "But without intimate knowledge of the desert, it would be impossible for us to figure out where the entrance is."
Gray, meanwhile, was paying no attention whatsoever. "Damn it, whose idea was it in the first place to bring an ice mage into the desert? Who thought this was a good idea?"
"Do you have something to say about my choice of companionship, Gray?"
Glower.
"N-No ma'am!"
"That's what I thought."
Erza took one last look at the device and pocketed it (pockets? Where are Erza's pockets?). "At any rate, we've accomplished the primary objective: to find the area. Next we'll need to rendezvous at the capital—we'll meet the original request senders and go from there. Let's rest for the night."
Gray sighed, moving to unpack camp (which was more of a hotel than a camp given the amount of stuff Erza carried around with her), groaning pitifully under the extensive heat.
"Can't wait. Say, Erza, what was the name of the capital again?"
Erza thought for a moment. "If I remember correctly…
…it's a city called Hamil."
Well, that's this chapter done! I'm working on chapter 6 right now-you can probably get ready for a little actio-oh, oops, almost spoiled ya there ;)
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-WD2645
Song: "Kisetsu wa Tsugitsugi Shindeiku"-Amazarashi