Warning: bloooooooood and fighting incoming in this and the next chapter... so if you're a vampire then you might like it... yeah that would be something... neat... if you're a vampire... uhm... yeah...

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima


ACT III: Crossroad - Where demons roam

Approximately X793

Chapter 11: Round 2, fight

The fight had been going on for what felt like a long time, between the team and the demon. At first it looked like they wouldn't stand a chance especially because of the demon's almost blinding fury. But once they started countering, it looked like they might have a slim chance of doing something against their opponent. Even though they carried this new found hope, it didn't change the fact that they were all receiving some terrible blows, that left them wounded in various places.

They all knew that if the fighting continued, their chances of coming out victorious would become more slim. Unless of course Lucy and Happy managed to find the answer to reverting him back, in which case defeating him was insignificant...

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Gray was struggling to breathe after he had received a massive blow to his stomach, that knocked the air out of him.

It was a hard battle despite of the fact that his demon slaying magic could resist some of the effects from Natsu's curse. However it wasn't enough to shield himself completely.

"Is that all you've got?" the demon hissed, his eyes glowing as he glared in his direction.

"No we're just getting started!" Erza roared as she requipped into her Purgatory Armor and started running in his direction, raising her sword above her head when she was close enough to hit him.

"You really have a death wish don't you?" the demon growled impatiently as he raised his arm, to protect himself from the incoming attack, which hit him a second later.

"We will get him back, no matter what it takes" Erza narrowed her eyes and glared back at the demon, trying her best not to be intimidated by his cruel aura. Which was easier said than done, because the aura was constantly there, making the air feel heavy and uncomfortable.

"Ohh yeah?" Natsu smiled widely a hint of insanity momentarily glistening in his eyes "You really think you got what it takes?"

"Yes we do!" Gray snarled with a large bow in his hands "Ready Wendy?"

"Yes!" the girl nodded and the same second the ice mage started shooting, the girl yelled "Sky dragon's roar!"

The wind hit the arrows, increasing their speed and raising their magical powers as they flew towards their target.

Natsu noticed the arrows from the corner of his eyes and easily dodged them, while simultaneously defending against Erza's blows.

"As if such small arrows can affect me anyway" the demon chuckled mockingly.

"Wendy, Carla..." Gray forced more of his slayer magic into the bow "... now!"

"Got it!" The healer ran as fast as she could, with the exceed running beside her. When they were close enough they both jumped into the air, raising their legs, ready to deliver a kick to the demon.

"Sky Dragon's Claw!" Wendy yelled making wind form around her leg, giving her kick more momentum and power.

"Tsch!" Natsu spat and looked at the approaching duo with a somewhat bored expression "Little girls should stay home and play with their toys"

He easily evaded the two of them making their kicks hit the ground that started rumbling and crack at the impact.

"Erza!" Gray roared.

"Yes" she requipped into her Heart Kreuz armor and summoned a huge hammer "Haaarrr!"

The hammer hit the demon with so much power, it made him skid backwards a few feet.

"Ice Devil Zeroth's Destruction Bow!" Gray yelled and an instant later he shot a large arrow from his bow.

This went by unnoticed by the demon because the hit from Erza had shocked him momentarily. He noticed it though when it hit right shoulder.

"Argh!" the demon roared in pain as ice spikes and blood, shot out from where the arrow had hit him.

"Gotcha" Gray smirked and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"You..." Natsu snarled in anger as he started breaking the ice spikes and throw them away "... I'll get you for this"

"Be careful" Erza swung her arm to the side, before exchanging the hammer with a gigantic sword.

None of them said anything but glared at their opponent as he summoned more flames that evaporated the remaining ice.

With an incredible speed none of them had expected Natsu launched himself again and before any of them had a chance to act, the demon had smashed his claw into the exceed, who was sent flying with a scream.

"Carla!" Wendy yelled in panic as she watched the girl fly, before eventually hitting the ground, where her body started rolling around before she eventually turned still.

"I'm..." the exceed was panting and clearly struggling, as she turned into her original form "... I'm fine..."

The healer quickly ran over to the cat and started healing her.

"No..." Carla shook her head "... they need your help..."

"It's okay, I'll just heal the worst"

"You bastard!" Erza roared in fury as she once more tried striking the demon, but the sword was met with his clenched hand that was surrounded with fire.

As they kept fighting Gray tried catching the demon with one of his smaller arrows, but none of them hit their target.

"You ready to get cooked?" the demon asked before sucking in his breath.

"Shit!" Erza turned her head and knew the girls would be caught in the crossfire unless she did something fast. So with that in mind she quickly requipped into her Adamantine Armor, and used herself and her armor as a shield, from the dark flames that came an instant later, and bathed everything in an uncomfortable heat.

"Tsch!" the ice mage spat as he watched how Erza's armor started to crack and melt from the incoming heat. It didn't take more than a few moments before he had prepared another one of his big arrows which he sent flying. This time it hit the demon in his left leg and once more blood and ice spikes spawned where it hit.

"God damn it!" Natsu roared in fury as he removed the ice "That's it!"

The intense and furious aura around seemed to grow in volume, making the air heavy and warm thereby making it harder for the team to breathe.

A low ferocious growl formed in the demon's throat before he made a loud and fierce battle-cry, as he launched himself at Erza. This time he managed to grab the woman's head and a second later he slammed her down into the ground, making Erza yell in pain.

"Shit!" the ice mage cursed as he dissolved his bow and ran as quickly as he could, while slamming a clenched fist against his other hand "Ice make scythe!"

When the weapon was summoned he jumped into the air and raised it behind him, forcing it downwards when he was close enough.

"As if..." Natsu snorted and parried the incoming attack with his forearm, still holding on to the Erza's head, which he started crushing with his hand making the woman scream in pain.

There was the nasty sound of bones starting to crack, signifying that any minute her skull would break, unless he prevented it somehow.

"Let go of her!" Gray roared pressing the scythe more forcefully against his opponent.

"Fine!" the demon casually threw the woman away, making her body roll on the ground before eventually stopping.

"Erza-san!" Wendy yelled before running over to her.

"I'm... ugh..." the woman flinched in pain, her vision was darkening and blurry indicating her head had taken a massive hit.

"I'll get you, hold on" the girl said and started emergency healing.

"Come on!" Gray narrowed his eyes in anger "Snap out of it already!"

"No you snap out of it!" he spat back "It's all your god damn fault!"

"What are you talking about?" the ice mage furrowed his eyebrows.

"How dare you say that like it's nothing!" Natsu snarled his eyes widening momentarily before narrowing in anger "You piece of shit!"

Gray didn't see the demon raising his claw, but he felt it when it dug into the meat of his arm.

"Argh!" he exclaimed in pain, before quickly jumping backwards, where he quickly glanced down to see how grim the wound was. Fortunately it wasn't that bad as he knew it could have been, but it was enough to make it drip with blood.

The demon launched himself and pulled his leg backwards, making black fire spawn around his foot before he delivered a roundhouse kick to the ice mage's stomach.

"Ugh!" Gray groaned as he skidded backwards from the impact.

"You'll pay!" Natsu's eyes shone with pure madness and anger "I'll make you pay for what you did!"

"For what?!" the ice mage snorted in annoyance.

It was only there for a brief second, but Gray could swear that he saw sadness and regret overwhelming his opponent. But just as quickly as it spawned it vanished, making the mage confused and question his own sanity.

"Ohh... I'll spell it for you" the demon laughed hysterically "... yes I'll write it in capital letters on your face, with my fists!"

"I would like to see you try!" Gray snarled in anger as he watched his opponent jump into the air, where he flapped with his wings to gain more speed "Ice-make crescent blades!"

A lot of ice crescent shaped ice projectiles spawned which he sent flying in the demon's direction, who dodged them by flying in between them and ducking downwards whenever the projectiles came too close.

Suddenly a lot of swords was mixed in with the ice projectiles and Gray didn't need to turn his head to know that Erza was back in the fight and had summoned her Heaven's Wheel Armor.

"Armor!" Wendy yelled and increased Erza and Gray's defense power "Arms!" the healer continued making their offensive more potent.

"Thanks!" Gray managed to say before turning to smile at the girl who had fallen down on her knees "You take a break, you hear?"

"N-no..." Wendy stuttered and tried getting into a standing position "... I can... still..."

"We might need your healing later on Wendy" Erza argued and felt a drop of sweat run down her forehead "So please leave this to us"

"Ohh... okay..." the healer sighed before crawling over to the exceed.

A sword hit one of Natsu's wings making him flinch in pain. It was obvious that he really wanted to get down to his targets but it was hard, when they we're both using long distance attacks.

"Tsch!" the demon snorted angrily as he flew in a zigzag pattern and away from the two mages.

"What is he doing?" Erza narrowed her eyes and watched their opponent.

"Don't know" Gray answered.

They both watched in wonder as Natsu opened his mouth and a second later a deafening and ear piercing shout escaped from the demon's mouth. The sound volume was so loud and intense, that it was like an audible shock wave was unleashed on them.

"Shit!" Gray cursed as everything around him started to shake from the unbearable sound. It was so unnatural and filled with both pain and anger, that he had to stop his attack and place his hands above his ears.

Erza was trying her best to keep on her attack, but eventually she also had to succumb to the effects of the attack and cover her ears.

When the scream or shout stopped, they both felt like their bodies were somehow more numb than it had been before. It was like all of their cells had been vibrating for a long period of time, so when the shout stopped it was like their bodies were trying to comprehend to suddenly being still.

So they were rather defenceless when Natsu dived down and managed to catch each of their heads in his claw like hands.

"Curse.. it" Erza managed to mutter as the demon held them in outstretched arms, clutching their skulls firmly, making them both scream in pain.

"I wonder what you look like inside those heads of yours" Natsu growled, his red pupils glistening in anger "Especially the ice prick... he's so oblivious and stupid for not knowing... not getting it..."

After a few seconds the demon evidently seemed to change his mind as he knocked their heads together, making their eyes widen in both surprise and pain.

"Argh..." Gray grumbled as he watched the demon jump backwards and away from them, where he opened his mouth and sucked in the air, making his cheeks bulge.

Not thinking twice the ice mage quickly grabbed Erza and held her close to his own body, before he rolled around on the ground and away from the dark fire that was sent flying in the direction they had just been in.

"Thank you" Erza expressed her gratitude when they were away from the attack and could safely get into a standing position.

"Yeah..." Gray said while eyeing their opponent carefully.

The demon stood perfectly still as he slowly raised his arm and pointed in their direction.

"You..." Natsu's voice was hoarse and dripping with malice "... your attitude is pissing me off"

"How so?" Erza wondered as she requipped into her armor that contained fire patterned pants and a bandaged chest.

"Because you're acting all high and mighty like nothing happened!" Natsu roared in fury and threw his arm dismissively to the side.

"And I keep saying I don't know what the heck you're on about!" Gray yelled back and prepared his hands, to summon anything in a millisecond if he had too.

"I see" Erza nodded stoically "It's about her death isn't it?"

"You..." Natsu narrowed his eyes as he glared in her direction "... how dare you say it so casually?"

"I dare say it like that..." the scarlet haired woman took a deep breath before continuing "... because she isn't dead"

"What...?" the demon clenched his fist, making the claws dig into the flesh of his hands.

"Lucy isn't dead" Erza stated in a stern voice.

"Yeah that's right" Gray confirmed but kept his eyes on the demon, who was starting to shake visibly.

"You..." Natsu lowered his head "You're saying she isn't dead?"

"Yes" the armoured mage nodded.

"Really?" the demon put more force into his fists which resulted in him puncturing his own skin.

"Yeah, she ain't dead" Gray narrowed his eyes unsure of what would come next.

"You would say that wouldn't you..." his head snapped back up, making him glare at his opponents with eyes that shone with pure and unlimited hatred "... too fucking bad I don't believe your bullshit!"

"Natsu..." Erza said in a sad tone as she prepared herself for the incoming attack.

"No! Don't you Natsu me!" the demon growled sending saliva flying "First you don't acknowledge her death and now you claim she ain't dead?! How fucking morbid and insulting can you guys get?!"

"We can explain..." Gray tried but he knew that it was a fruitless effort.

"No! I'm not gonna listen to your insane and lame excuses!" once again it looked like there was a hint of sadness in the demon's eyes, but it quickly vanished as black flames engulfed his hands.

"Guess we'll just have to show you then" the ice mage sighed.

"Tsch, yeah good luck making her corpse look like a living person, dumbasses" Natsu spat as he launched himself and once more they were engaged in a fierce battle.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Lucy opened her eyes and was surprised at how bright it was. Actually it was really unnatural because it was like the light was everywhere and came from more than one source. It was almost like she was bathing or swimming in a sea of bright light. Speaking of bathing it actually felt like she was covered in something warm and soothing.

After a few minutes Lucy's eyes adjusted to the light, making her turn around to take in her surroundings.

"Where?" she wondered out loud "Huh?"

Lucy was hovering in the middle of a golden and possibly limitless space, filled with what looked like small glistening stars, that was flowing everywhere. Some of the stars looked like they were far away in the distance, while others were gently falling down like it was illuminated snow.

It was really beautiful and for some reason it made her feel calm.

Lucy took a deep breath and felt how all of her negative emotions seemed to vanish.

"Hello Lucy" a gentle female voice spoke from behind her, making her turn around effortlessly.

"Mavis?!" the blonde blinked feeling confused.

"Yes" she answered and chuckled brightly.

"But... why?" Lucy shook her head "I mean where are we?"

"Mmm..." the tiny girl hummed "... I wonder..."

"You don't know where we are?"

"I do... mmm..." Mavis placed an index finger on her lips and looked up, as if she thinking about something.

"Can you at least try to explain it to me?" Lucy encouraged the other mage.

"Well... you could say we're currently in another dimension, while simultaneously being back at the guild"

"Back at the guild?" the celestial mage blinked and tilted her head to the side.

"Yes"

"You're being really cryptic right now..." Lucy muttered to herself, before it hit her "... wait back at the guild... in the basement..."

"Uh-huh" Mavis nodded eagerly "Lumen Historie also known as Fairy Heart"

"No way..." she shook her head in disbelief.

"Yes..." the girl smiled warmly "... you're a clever girl Lucy. It runs in your family"

"Hehehe, thanks?" Lucy rubbed her neck sheepishly.

"We should get down to business, there isn't much time left"

"Okay?"

"As you may or may not know Lumen Historie is the ultimate weapon of light that conquers darkness. I want you to use it in the upcoming battle"

"But... how? I mean isn't it back at the guild?"

"Yes and no" Mavis pointed her finger at her "Right now we're inside the dimension that's hiding underneath the crystal's surface and that space is not restricted to a physical place"

"Ohh..." Lucy's mouth formed a circle "But why me?"

"Because you're a celestial mage, who deal with dimensions and summoning magic on a daily basis. That's why I have faith that you can summon some of the raw energy here with my help"

"That sounds amazing"

"Right?" Mavis chuckled warmly "Another reason I believe you can summon the power is because celestial mages have an affinity with the light. You might not have noticed this when you fought against Tartaros the last time, but when the Spirit King fought against Mard Geer he used a spell that originates from the light to erase all the darkness. That was how he managed to free all of your friends from that nasty spell that had trapped them "

"I see..." Lucy rubbed her chin in thought.

"So that's why I know you can use it for good. Not everyone can do that, since the power potentially to be used as the ultimate darkness. Jose saw it this way, because this light is essentially the same as the one magic we know as love. And love is a powerful magic that can lead to many things, both great and horrific"

"Because love can lead to hatred and pain" Lucy said in a low voice.

"Yes... " Mavis confirmed with a nod "... however I sense that you can control it, because the one you'll use it against is your friend. Or perhaps... he's more than that?" the girl chuckled warmly, making Lucy blush from head to toe.

"N-n-no! It's not like that!" the blonde stuttered feeling embarrassed all of a sudden.

"Obviously not" she laughed teasingly "Anyhow... let's get down to business"

"Yeah" Lucy nodded in determination.

"Close your eyes and focus. Concentrate on the light and the one magic, and you will sense it... when you enter the battlefield you have to use the same procedure and summon the energy, before it can be unleashed. It might take a while once you get out of here, so don't get disheartened by it. I have faith you can do it. Ohh, and remember this is raw energy so don't be too reckless when you use it, because that might have dire consequences"

"Okay, I will be careful" Lucy smiled genuinely towards Mavis "Thank you"

"You're welcome" the girl giggled "Now focus"

Lucy did what she was told and to her surprise, it was quite easy to spot the energy. After all it was like a radiating warm presence, that was constantly there.

Taking a deep breath she allowed the light to enter her body. It felt warm and pleasant, like there was a stream of hot liquid that was slowly filling her body.

It didn't take long before she had filled the magical container inside of her, making her take a deep breath before opening her eyes, but to Lucy's big surprise she wasn't in the weird space with Mavis anymore, but in a rather common looking room, laying flat on the floor.

"Lucy are you okay?!" Happy asked clearly in concern.

"Ye-yeah..." she rubbed her head and slowly sat up "I'm fine"

"I couldn't wake you..." the cat sulked "... you were like... unconscious or something"

"I'm sorry" Lucy gently patted his head and noticed the loud noises from the fighting that was still going on somewhere outside.

"I wanted to go out and check how everyone was doing, since this room doesn't have any windows. But... I didn't want to leave you here alone and defenceless"

"Thank you" Lucy's smile widened "My noble knight"

"Aye!" Happy grinned feeling a lot better about himself.

Lucy was momentarily lost in the moment, when she remembered something vital making her turn her head around anxiously.

"What's wrong?" Happy asked in concern.

"Where's Zeref?"

"I dunno" the cat shook his head "When I woke up, it was only you and me"

"Weird... anyhow I guess we should get going" the celestial mage sighed as she got into a standing position.

"But... what are we gonna do?" the cat asked.

"Don't worry I've got this" Lucy winked towards Happy "Besides if anything bad happens I know you've got my back!"

"Aye!" Happy confirmed and raised his paw.

And with that the duo left the room, going towards a battle they would do their best to finish.


A/N: Okay I know this was a rather short battle, but honestly it took forever just to get this amount because it was sooooo hard typing it three/four people against one person. Like wow... wow...

And Erza's armor that contains pants with fire and a bandaged chest doesn't have a name for some reason. I checked but couldn't find it anywhere :(

And holy mother of... it looks like things are about to get serious in the manga for reals. So yeah some of the events in this story might not be so accurate when it's related to the manga version, but ohh well this is my interpretation of it and how it might go, so it's fine (I hope) ^^

I'm going on a holiday for a few days (I'm going to Gamescom!) so I wont be able to upload until the weekend or sometime during next week. I'll try my best to finish the next chapter before I leave, but if I can't make that, then this is it for now, so... I'm gonna go be a nerd with a bunch of other nerds! :D

Play nice and have a great time y'all!

/Hejmdal