Chapter 14
Natsu had woken up from his fight with one of the Nine Demon Gates, Jackal and he heard, even though his half conscious state, that Lucy and Wendy were reporting to their guild Master, Makarov through the transmission lacrima.
"Ah, finally! It connected!" Lucy said, "The Lacrima we brought broke, so we had to go to and get another."
"Is the former council member alive where you are?" the master asked desperately, hoping beyond hope that their news would be good.
"Yes sir, he is. We arrived just in time to save him from Tartarus." Lucy told him "Natsu's seen better days though-"
"Doesn't matter. I won!" He told them from his place on the floor.
"We beat one of the members of Tartarus." Wendy clarified for them, still healing Natsu.
He added "I won."
"At least it appears that way." She continued, ignoring him "The city is in shambles though."
"Alright that's good." Makarov breathed a slight sigh of relief though he was still anxious. "Did you manage to gather any information from him!?"
Lucy looked away from the Lacrima "About that…" She looked over to the former council member who was whimpering things about 'White Legacy' and 'Face.'
"I don't know anything… Absolutely nothing…" He continued to whimper.
"Face?" Makarov asked.
The council member answered, "Face is one of the weapons the council possesses."
Natsu sat up and even though he was tired and his clothes in tatters (plus his hair was all frizzy and singed.) asked "Why would the council need weapons?"
"The council's various weapons are managed according to their lethality and priority. For Example-" He told them "-the Etherion. The grand sorcery cannon that can target an entire continent, with enough power to destroy an entire city in seconds. To fire it, the approval of nine standing members and the firing codes of ten senior officials are needed."
Note; 7 years ago the approval of 5 were enough for firing
"So now that nearly all the council members are dead… they can't use the Etherion anymore?" Jet and Droy said.
"So one of their aims was the nullification of the Etherion?" Panther lily thought out loud, his group was also attached to the Lacrima communication.
"What sort of weapon is face?!" Makarov shouted at the former member "I know you have a duty to keep these secretes but now is not the time for that!"
The former member cracked and whispered "A magic pulse bomb. A weapon to nullify all magic across the continent."
Everyone was shocked and shouted things like "All magic users would become useless!"
"That's not all Tartarus said their powers they use were 'curse', not magic"
"A world where all magic users are powerless and only Tartarus is free to run amok."
Natsu jumped to his feet and gripped the former council members coat and began shouting and shaking him "Where is it!? Ill destroy it before they can get their hands on it!"
The council member shivered and nearly wet himself "I-I really don't know. I heard that it was sealed by organic link magic used by three former members. But only the Chairmen knows who they are."
"Organic link magic…" Happy said.
"The lives of those three are the key to the seal…" Wendy contained the train of thought.
Gray finished it "That is why Tartarus is trying to silence the council."
"On the contrary." Juvia told them "Wouldn't that mean that they no longer need any information from them? That they already know where face is hidden?"
Gajeel shouted at them through the crystal "If the three that made the seal are killed then face falls into the hands of Tartarus, Old man!"
"We have to find the three and protect them!" Makarov shouted back at the former council member "And that the Former Chairman would know where they are? We also have information of the Former Chairman."
"Who's with them?" The group asked, though they already had a feeling.
"Erza and Mira." The master told them with confidence.
When Natsu heard that he bolted to his feet a scream on his lips.
Both Lucy and Wendy were concerned, their friend didn't usually act this fearful "Natsu what's wrong? You still need more rest" They scolded him.
"We have to go!" He shouted and took the former council member again "Where is the former Chairman's address!"
Having gotten the address Happy ran to the fire mage and picked him up to fly to the home of the Former Chairman.
As they were in the air Happy looked at Natsu.
"Natsu, what's wrong?"
"Erza and Mira are in danger." He told his friend, the time of his voice betraying his body and reviling his fear "Somehow Tartarus had been able to find all of the former members of the Magic Council. Now they are going to get the Chairman, he may already be a traitor! We have to hurry!"
"Aye, sir!" Happy shouted flying at his max speed.
In the prison of Tartarus
Erza opened her eyes slowly, the effect of the drugs slowly wearing off, her head was still dizzy and vision slowly cleared only for it to be filled with Kyouka looking at her smiling. But there was nothing reassuring about the smile, it was all malice.
"You finally woke up." She told the scarlet mage, a hint of teasing in her voice.
Remembering what had transpired she snapped awake and she viewed the room she was in. It was a small room that had stone walls and that only lighting in the room were candles mounted to the walls. Erza also found herself stripped from her clothing and that she was chained at her hands and at her feet. Her arms were chained to the roof, suspending them above her head.
"What is this?! Where am I?!" She shouted, trying to pull herself free of the shackles.
Kyouka just smiled. "Welcome to Tartarus."
Erza froze as she looked at Kyouka in shock, this couldn't be possible, the dark guild couldn't have captured them so easily. "This is Tartarus?! Where is the chairman?! Where is Mira, the one who was with me?!"
Kyouka just smiled in amusement at Erza's reaction and begging. "The Ex-Chairman is our ally. After our plan is complete, he will once again be made head of the council. You two fell into our trap and were captured by us."
"Impossible!" Erza shouted, disbelief layered in her voice "The Ex-Chairman would never commit a treachery like that!" She once again began to struggle, trying to break the chain and summon her armour. But it didn't come. Her magic didn't come when summoned.
Watching her meaningless struggle Kyouka smiled "You're struggling is useless. Those restraints are made of seal stone. As long as they are connected, you cannot use any magic whatsoever."
"Mira… Where is my friend!?" Erza shouted, concerned for her fellow Fairy Tail mage who was not in the room.
"We haven't killed her." Kyouka told the mage, grinning sadistically. "In order to turn her into our servant. We have begun modifying her body."
Erza really couldn't believe what she was hearing. "No! Stop!" She screamed, only imagining what could have been happening to her friend.
Kyouka quickly moved forward and grabbed Erza by the jawline forcing the mage's head upwards and leaned closer to her, smiling.
"Now, don't squeal so." She spoke softly to her, "Besides, I have something I'd like you to tell me."
"..." Erza scowled at how close this Demon was, but she held her ground.
"Where is Jellal?"
"..." The question was simple but it caught her off guard. She was stunned for a few moments, why would these people need or want Jellal? What could he have that they wanted…? These questions plagued her mind.
"I know the two of you were intimately involved, so only you would know where he is." Kyouka continued in a soft voice, the scarlet mage still in her claws.
"W-What do you want with Jellal?" Erza questioned, not willing to give up his location even if she knew where he was.
Ignoring her, the Demon repeated "Where is he? Tell me."
When she refused to answer, Erza was whipped by Kyouka's claws that had extended out. The wound itself was not very deep, it was more like a small scrape. But the pain of it was immense, it was as if the demon was dragging a dagger through her skin.
"My 'magic' allows me to alter a person's sensations. You're sensation of pain is now at its highest." She told the mage, enjoying her screams.
"I…Don't know… Where he is."
Once again whip like claws from Kyouka slashed Erza across her body, the pain was too intense and it brought her to tears. Kyouka smiled as she looked at Erza who would have fallen onto the stone floor if not for the shackles supporting her weight.
"To release the seal on face, we intended to kill all the former council members. But we eventually found out the names of the three that actually sealed it." She pulled the mage's head back by her hair "Two are already dead. The other…" She left the sentence for Erza to complete. "If Jellal dies, we can release the seal on face."
"Dear God…" Erza whispered not believing what she was hearing.
"Oh my looks like ive said too much. Now if you do know, you'll never tell me his location." Kyouka said, not appearing worried at all by the leak in information. "Let's try this. If you tell me where Jellal is, I will give Mira and Mercedes back to you. If you don't they both die."
Erza's eyes widen in shock as she looked up at Kyouka. "W-What… do you… mean?"
Kyouka smiled, happy at the idea that the mage had no idea that Mercedes was in there hold. "I brought Mercedes into the guild since she was also looking for you and I happened to find her in a ruins of a dark guild."
"Where...is she?" The scarlet mage hissed. Though fatigued, she was prepared to fight with renewed vigour if her young charge was in danger. She dredged what could have happened to her in the clutches of these demons.
"She's thinking about going through the same process as your friend Mira and becoming a demon and a member of this guild." Kyouka told her, speaking casually as if talking about the weather.
Erza was in shock, her heart was hammering within her chest and there was a fear within her not from the torture "N-no...she wouldn't..."
"Tell me where Jellal is."
"I... don't know... I beg you, please spare them. They have nothing to do with this." She told the demon.
"Is that so? Then I'll have to enjoy myself a little more." Kyouka spoke, raising her victim's pain sensation even higher.
In a bedroom chamber
Sayla had woken up from her nap and looked down at the sleeping Mercedes, her breathing was slow and even as she slept, still in the same position that we were in before falling asleep. The child was fast asleep gripping the front of the Demon's kimono, while her own arms were wrapped around the child. Sayla had a small smile on her face as she caressed Mercedes cheek and she leaned closer whispering in her ear.
"It's time to wake up, little one. It is nearly time to watch the story of the fairies end unfold, but first, Kyouka-sama wants you to meet her in the prison chambers."
Mercedes slowly regained consciousness, still under her 'Macro' and sat up. They both left the grand room and traversed the hallways, Mercedes keeping pace with Sayla the entire way to the prison chambers, where they were to meet with Kyouka.
Prison chamber
Erza was still being tortured by Kyouka but she had stopped with the session and smiled as she sensed something approaching the room.
"Well Erza, it would appear that Mercedes is here." She told Erza as the door opened and two figures entered the room.
Erza looked up, despite how weak she was at the moment, to see Mercedes gazing at her, but there was something wrong with her eyes. They stared blankly, glazed over as if she wasn't there.
"Mercedes?" she whispered, hoping that the child would recognise her and explain why she was here with these Demon's.
Kyouka smiled then looked at the young mage, standing next to Sayla before walking over and put a clawed hand on her head.
"So Erza, are you going to tell me where Jellal is? If you do, I'll give you back Mira and Mercedes."
Erza wanted to cry but couldn't. "I don't know! Please just release them!"
Kyouka smiled, "That might be a good thing. I don't think Mercedes wants to leave anyway."
"NO! Mercedes would never want that! She belongs in Fairy Tail with me and the other guild members!" Erza shouted, not believing that child she had met from Sabertooth, who was once so shy and frightened, would wish to leave.
Mercedes lowered her head, still not in control of her body before speaking her lines. "You never cared about me. You care for Jellal the most in the world. You only wanted me away from Sabertooth to humiliate them, to gain an upper hand on them. You took me away from Minerva, and allowed me to be taken brought to Tartarus. You did nothing."
She raised her head and looked at Erza with those near dead eyes. "That is alright now, because I have a new family that loves me, a strong family. I want to become a demon and live here."
Erza couldn't believe what she was hearing. There was no way that the child she had brought from Sabertooth, gone on missions with, watched grow from a shy and timid person to a more confident one, could be saying these things. She could clearly see that Mercedes was being controlled somehow, it was the only explanation for her strange behaviour, but she couldn't do anything… Nor, she dreaded, could she prove that she was under control. She had tears pouring down her face as she looked at Mercedes.
"That's not true...you don't know what you're saying. You're not yourself." She near whispered, fearing that she was not in fact under someone's control.
"Then where were you when I called out for you?" The child said, her hands curling into fists. "You're just the same as Minerva. You both toyed with me but were never there for me when I really needed you. I am going to become a demon."
Kyouka smiled then stroked Mercedes' head, careful not to cut her with her claws. "Alright Mercedes we'll go ahead and take you to the lab but first, let's get out of here."
With that, Kyouka left the room taking Mercedes and Sayla with her and Erza's knees buckled and she was only supported by the chains, with all hope seemingly gone, the scarlet mage began to sob.
"Mirajane...Minerva...Mercedes...I'm so sorry..."
Erza was ashamed of herself for multiple things. The first was, she couldn't keep Mirajane from being remodelled into a demon. Second, she felt the she couldn't keep her promise to Mercedes. As for Minerva, she wasn't sure where she was but Erza wasn't sure on how she would face Minerva and debate sharing what had happened to Mercedes.
"If you can... please forgive me..."
AN: How was this chapter everyone? I hope you liked it and I thank you all for the followings, Favors, and the Reviews. I would also like to thank Trying To Put Pen To Paper for edititing. I will update later, Take Care!