A/N: Well minna, we're entering into the final few chapters. Things will be escalating quickly from here, and the chapters might be a little shorter. :(
Thank you to Lightmoon54, severedserenity, FoxOnPie, Sky Slayer, ElodieKumari94 and all the guests who took the time to review on the last couple chapters (released at the same time. If you haven't read chapter 13, please make sure you go back and do that! I know some people apparently missed that chapter since I uploaded 13 and 14 at the same time)! Additional thanks go to inazumadraco, Ein011, Syryn17 and fatogami for following or favoriting! And the biggest thanks of all go to GingerificFabulousTime, my real-life BFF who always finds time in her busy schedule to read my stories and review! :) (And for cheating the system with me! XD You are too devilish, my friend!) You guys should go check out her stories; they're awesome! :D
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If you took the time to read this whole rambling author's note, kudos to you. I have nothing else left to say, except please enjoy this chapter!:)
Chapter Fifteen – Darkbringer
Erza
I looked up at the sky, my eyes widening as I took in the crimson dragon descending towards us. Everyone else stopped what they were doing to look up in shock, too. Jellal moved to stand in front of me in a defensive stance. From somewhere behind me, I heard Gajeel mutter, "What the hell?" That about summed up my thoughts.
I changed into my Purgatory Armor, preparing to take on whatever new devilry these dark mages had summoned. I shifted my giant, spiked cleaver in my hands, adjusting my stance. Just then, I heard a familiar voice call down to us.
"Don't be afraid! It's us!" I squinted up at the dragon—no, at the figure peering over the dragon's shoulder—and recognized Gray's spiky black hair and fiery blue eyes.
"Gray! What's going on?" I yelled. The massive red dragon sent up a cloud of dust as it landed in the center of the square. Everybody on the ground rushed to make room for them. As soon as the dust cleared enough for me to see, I sprinted towards the dragon and peered up at its passengers. It appeared that all the rest of our alliance had arrived.
The ice mage hopped off the dragon's back and strode over to me with a grave expression on his face. "Before you decide to do something dumb, I'll tell you that this is Natsu." He patted the dragon's scaly leg, and my jaw nearly struck the ground. "Details can wait," he said brusquely. "We've come to give backup, but there are some injured people on board. We need Wendy and Chelia."
As if to prove his words, I looked up to see Rogue carrying something in his arms as he leapt gracefully from the dragon's—Natsu's—back and landed on the ground in front of us. His face had a dangerous expression, and I saw why as I realized that it was the White Dragonslayer he held in his arms. A swath of bloody bandages was wrapped around his torso, and his face looked ashen. My heart went out to the Shadow Dragonslayer as I thought about how painful it must be to hold his dying friend. But I steeled myself and strode briskly over to him to guide him over to where Wendy and Chelia were already working on Lyon. As we approached, they looked up with pale, drawn faces. Fortunately, they appeared to have just finished with Lyon. He was good to go now, and just had to wake up on his own.
"Can you heal him?" Rogue asked desperately, laying Sting gently down in front of them. Chelia and Wendy looked at each other, and then at the wound, and then back at Rogue's haggard face. They nodded simultaneously, determination stealing across their youthful faces.
"We will save him," Wendy said with more determination than I'd ever heard from her.
Leaving the two Sky Slayers to do their thing, I turned back to survey the crowd. The rest of the people on Natsu had disembarked, and word had apparently spread that the massive red dragon was Natsu. Everyone was gathering around him with awe on their faces, and Gajeel actually turned red in the face as he leapt to his feet and screamed about how unfair it was.
"Natsuuuuuuuuu!" Happy shrieked. A small blue ball careened into the dragon's snout, looking microscopic next to the giant reptile. Unfortunately, Natsu's scales were also harder than his human flesh, so Happy slammed into Natsu and slid down his face with a dazed look on his feline face. "Natsu…" he whimpered, tears spilling from his eyes, "I thought you were dead! I missed you! But I think you gave me a concussion…."
Lucy rushed to catch the falling Exceed in her arms, and Natsu peered down at his feline partner with a mix of concern and guilt on his reptilian face. At the same time, I heard a faint voice coming from behind me. With shock, I realized that the voice had come from the White Dragonslayer. I turned back to where I'd left him with Rogue and the two girls, and saw that his lips were moving slightly. Curiosity took me as I ducked closer.
"Don't…worry about me." Sting's voice was weak and breathy, every word an immense effort. "Save…Lector and…Frosch…." With a final shuddering breath, he went completely limp, his head lulling to the side. Chelia smoothed his blond hair back from his sweaty forehead and cooed soothing things to him, and Wendy looked around for the Exceeds in question. I felt a presence at my back and turned around in time to see Kagura carrying two bundles in her arms. My eyes widened as I realized that they were the two Sabertooth Exceeds. The sight was so shocking that I actually stood staring dumbly for a few moments before I snapped back to attention and made room for her to bring the Exceeds to their owners. The way she cradled them so gently to her chest made me stare at her with a shrewd eye. Since when has she cared about them? Shouldn't it be Millianna who is obsessed with caring for them? Just then, I saw the cat-like girl stagger over, a hand pressed to her temple. Her eyes were unfocused, and she collapsed on the ground next to Wendy.
"Hey, Kagura-chan," she slurred weakly. "Take care of the kitties, okay?" She then proceeded to pass out.
Wendy squeaked and rushed to examine Millianna. I glanced at her with concern, and then noticed that Kagura ducked her head in guilt. I faced the other swordswoman with a raised brow. In a rare show of vulnerability, she bit her lip and shifted nervously.
"We were controlled to fight against each other," she mumbled. Now I understood why Millianna was in such a bad state and Kagura felt guilty. I wanted to blame Kagura for hurting my friend, but I knew it wasn't her fault. I sighed and clasped her shoulder to show her my support. She nodded her thanks and passed the Exceeds off to Rogue.
"What happened to them?" I asked in concern. We both knew that I was really asking who had injured them.
Kagura sighed and glanced down at the man lying on the ground. I nodded my understanding. No wonder why he was so concerned for them then. I would feel like dying if I had hurt my friends.
"But after that, he was the only one to remain free of her control," she hastily added. I looked at her with curiosity. She had done nothing to defend herself after implicitly admitting to having been the one to put Millianna in her current state. But now, after admitting that Sting had been the one to hurt the Exceeds, she felt the need to stand up for him. Very interesting. Especially considering that if anything, she would want to redeem herself for hurting a friend of mine. Why Sting then? I watched her closely as Kagura drew a breath to continue. "He was the strongest out of all of us, to be able to resist the brunt of that mage's control powers. And then…even after she stabbed him, he managed to take the knife out of his own gut and put an end to her." She seemed close to tears, and her voice was oddly quavering.
Suddenly, I understood clearly. Kagura had…feelings for Sting. When the hell did this happen? I thought, dazed. I never would have guessed.
My musings were interrupted when I heard a massive boom sounding from behind me. I spun to see what had happened, a sword materializing in my hand. People were rushing towards something in the middle of the square, shouting at each other. Immediately wary, I dashed over to see what was going on.
"Hold him down!" I heard Gildarts shout. I brushed past one of the girls from Mermaid Heel and saw the blond mage lying on the ground in a crater. He snarled in fury as he bucked against the arms holding him down. His eyes were glowing a bloody red.
I immediately helped to pin him down by driving my sword through his shoulder. My gaze was cold as it locked with his. Instead of pain in his eyes, there was only hatred.
"You brats will pay," he spat. I drove my sword in deeper.
Mira landed beside me then, her eyes blazing and her chest heaving. "I guess that decides who the stronger demon is," she said coldly, her voice deeper and rougher than usual. The mage roared his rage and renewed his struggles against his restraints.
"This proves nothing," he hissed. "You will all die now. It's too late for you. She has come with the night, and you will fade away. Like the rest of them." An eerie laugh bubbled up from his throat, echoing through the night. His strange words stirred something within me, and I glanced up to the skyline. Just in time to see the last of the orange stains flee beneath the horizon, plunging the world into shadows.
"Erza!" I heard Jellal scream. My heart lurched as I spun to find him. I saw him running towards me with his hand outstretched before him, a panicked look on his usually stoic face. But then he disappeared. Or rather, my sight disappeared. My whole world was plunged into blackness, a darkness so thick that even sound fled before it. I could feel the screams vibrating through the air all around me, but I couldn't hear them. I tensed up and spun around, trying to feel my way around to figure out what was going on. Just then, someone collided with me, and I was almost sent sprawling backwards. However, a pair of warm hands grabbed my arms and tugged me against a solid chest before I could fall.
I started to panic and summon a sword when I realized that the heartbeat pounding in my ear was familiar. As were the hands wrapped around my shoulders. And the scent, that was uniquely…Jellal.
I felt my name rumble through his chest as he murmured it into my hair, though I couldn't hear it. I was still a bit anxious from my lack of sight and hearing, but at least I knew that Jellal was here. After allowing myself one luxurious minute in the safety of his arms, I reluctantly pulled away. I left my fingers twined with his though, just so we wouldn't lose sight of each other, so to speak. Then I closed my eyes and tried to sense what was going on around me. I could feel the chaos that reigned in this darkness, as people stumbled around crying out in terror. What was worse was that it seemed to have a dampening effect on magic. My brow furrowed when I realized that I couldn't requip into my Lightning Empress Armor to produce lightning that might help break up the perpetuity of this gloom.
The darkness is my domain. I can trap you all within it for as long as I desire.
I jerked around, recognizing the high, whispering voice as the one that had spoken in my mind before, when I had been in the alley with Jellal. Who are you? And what do you want? I thought viciously, casting the thought out at whoever was listening. I was done playing games. I danced to no one's tune but my own.
So direct. I like that. So I promise that I will kill you as bluntly as your words. Torture is rather messy anyways; clean deaths are always easier, don't you think? I was chilled by the calm, serious way in which the voice spoke those thoughts into my mind.
Show yourself! I yelled mentally.
As suddenly as if I had just opened my eyes, the utter darkness was lifted from me and I saw the moon shining down on the city square. Everyone else looked around in relief, some falling to their knees as they were able to see again. My gaze roved over the people assembled in the square around me, taking stock of everyone's condition. Gajeel was on his feet, Levy cradled protectively in his bulky arms. The small group of people and Exceeds with Wendy and Chelia was huddled together, forming a ring around the girls as they continued to focus on their healing art. Ren and Sherry were clinging to each other, as were Elfman and Evergreen. The latter pair jumped apart as soon as they realized they could see each other, looking anywhere but at each other. Natsu—still in dragon form—hunched protectively over Lucy, who was cowering against his front leg as he wrapped his tail around her.
My gaze wandered over everyone, satisfied that they were all okay. And then it snagged on a new pair. Or rather, I recognized the blond mage from before, but the person at his side was new. Baring my teeth, I looked down and saw that he had somehow managed to escape the crater in all the chaos. The mysterious girl standing at his side looked to be no older than twelve and had long, wavy blonde hair that reached down past her hips. She was wearing a fancy pink gown with lace and a high collar, and her white-booted feet were pressed primly together as she stood calmly and faced us. When she spoke, my blood ran cold.
"I am very pleased to meet everyone," she said in a high, clear monotone. The same voice that had spoken to me in my mind. "I am Malaena Darkbringer. I have come to bid you all an eternal night."
"You can't defeat us all with just the two of you," Gray snarled, his muscles rippling beneath his bare skin.
"It isn't just the two of us," she said with the same monotone. As she stared at us with her cold, dead blue eyes, I saw movement stirring in the shadows behind her. Another man staggered out, coming to stand at her side with an insane smile on his face. He favored his left leg, the pant leg shredded and the skin beneath stained with blood. His whole torso was covered in bloody gashes, and his right arm looked like it was hanging from a bloody thread. Bile rose in my throat as I took in his gruesome appearance.
"Aprindere!" Juvia gasped, putting a hand to her throat. "But…I killed you! How…?"
"It'll take more than this to kill me," he growled, his eyes glowing an eerie shade of green. "Especially since I have this favor to return."
A pale figure staggered over to stand in front of Juvia, his arms outstretched on either side. "You'll have to go through me first," Lyon gritted out through his teeth. Juvia immediately put a hand on his shoulder and leaned forward to peer at him with concern.
"Lyon, stay out of this! You still need time for your body to recover!"
"My body is recovered. And my mind was never injured. I will destroy him."
"You? You can barely stand!" Aprindere scoffed. Juvia wrapped an arm around his waist so that he could lean on her, but Lyon continued to glare at the other mage with such fierce hatred that I knew this Aprindere would come to regret his words.
"You don't look any better," Mira pointed out, her arms crossed over her chest and a cold look of determination in her eye. "Two powerful mages and a half-dead mage can't stand up to our combined power."
"Maybe not," Malaena began slowly. My stomach immediately sank, a bad feeling stealing through me. "But I have a whole army of people behind me. They will be enough to distract you while I finish you off."
Just as she finished speaking, a mob of people began streaming from the alleys, until we were completely surrounded. They were dressed like normal villagers, but there was something animalistic in their expressions as they closed in on us.
"Tch." I hissed and bared my teeth, requipping into my Heaven's Wheel Armor and readying my swords. Everyone else in our alliance moved closer and formed a ring facing the oncoming people, their faces saying that they were ready to fight. Natsu remained in dragon form, most likely until he decided that we were safe. I nodded in approval.
"Everyone," I called, raising my voice to carry over the monotonous drone coming from the people, "try not to injure any of the townspeople too badly. There may still be a chance for them to return to normal once we defeat the Dark Mages controlling them. That said, we must focus our power on defeating them!" I waved my arm toward the three mages standing off to the side. The two men wore smirks of disdain, while the girl—their leader—merely looked on with an emotionless expression. It was eerie to see on her youthful face.
The alliance roared its approval, and we prepared to charge.
"It won't do you any good," the little girl called in a bland voice. "They're not being controlled. Not since you defeated Lieutenant Elme. However, I no longer need to control them. All I had to do was steal their hope, and they became mindless animals, desperate for a taste of the light. Sadly, they have no magic, as Lieutenant Sitri already drained them. But I think that they'll manage just fine, don't you? They've already lost their humanity; they'll do anything to feel the light again, and you all possess quite a healthy dosage. They'll be hungry for…a taste."
Not a second after she finished speaking, the townspeople rushed us, their mouths gaping like soulless animals. A wave of horror swept over me as I saw the state they'd been reduced to, but I didn't have time to dwell on it; I had to fight to protect my friends. An eerie, bone-chilling wail rose up from the masses as they surged toward us, their eyes blank with no trace of humanity in their depths.
I yelled as I raised my swords and sliced at them, keeping them at bay. At my side, Jellal sent a blast of power at them to send a large chunk of them flying backwards. I expected them to be wary about approaching us again, but to my shock, they surged toward us with just as much mindless need as before. One man got closer than the others, so close that I could see his blank white orbs in his skull. He snapped his teeth at me hungrily, strings of saliva hanging from his teeth and lips. His fingers reached for me like bony claws. My sword slashed forward before I could think, sliding between his rib cage. I stared in horror as bloody froth gathered at his lips, and he fell forward to crash to the ground not a foot from my feet.
"Erza!" Jellal shouted. His voice sounded like it was filtering through a tunnel. When I felt his warm hands on my shoulders, I realized I had been standing motionlessly, staring down in horror at the man I had just killed. "Snap out of it! Do what you must." His voice was hard, but his eyes were understanding as he peered into my face.
I nodded and mentally slapped myself. I had momentarily been so absorbed in the fact that the man had looked like a soulless beast that I hadn't thought once about killing him. But then the realization had frozen me, and that was something that I could not allow to happen again. Painful determination stole over me as I realized that I might have no other choice but to kill again. They were simply too far gone for them to think about pain or consequences.
With renewed determination, I changed into my Lightning Empress Armor and sent a line of lightning from my spear. It crackled along the ground, electrocuting any who came to close. At least for now they were falling back, but I knew it wouldn't last. Looking around, I saw that Gray had erected an ice wall in front of his section of the circle, and was creating an ice floor around that. The townspeople weren't able to get any closer. On his other side, I saw Lyon doing the same, but towards the trio of mages who were still standing off to the side. I felt my heart lurch with worry as he sent a balustrade towards them, forcing them to leap aside to avoid being struck. Juvia raced forward, her fists wreathed in water.
I had to refocus on the people in front of me to send another branch of lightning towards a cluster of people who were creeping closer again. When I returned my gaze to Juvia, I saw that she was aiming for the wounded man, who had leapt to the other side of the ice wall than the others. He had apparently also realized that he was cut off from them, for he looked around in a panic, looking like a caged animal. He managed to dodge Juvia's first attack, cursing as he held his limp arm. But the dodge had put him with his back to the group of mages behind him, and Lyon took the opportunity to send another blast of ice at him, this time managing to encase his body up to his chest in ice. Still weak from his previous battle, Lyon collapsed to the ground, his magic having drained the last of his strength. Gray stooped to lift his friend and fellow student, carrying him to the center of the ring we'd formed with our bodies. Gently setting him down where he would be safe, Gray remained at his side to act as a protector. He still sent blasts of ice at anyone who came too close to the others, his face set in hard lines.
Meanwhile, now that Aprindere was unable to move, Juvia was free to finish him off. With one final shriek of rage, the mage thrashed against his icy confines before Juvia neatly removed his head from his shoulders with a thin blade of water. Panting with pent-up emotion, she looked up and smiled triumphantly at us. I felt my own lips curling in pride at her success. She and Lyon really make a good team….
With a terrible rumble, the wall of ice that had been separating the Dark Mages collapsed in a million tiny shards of ice. Everyone froze to turn their gazes on the small blonde, who stood there with a dark aura surrounding her. Her youthful face was frighteningly calm, the complete opposite of the murderous aura that was coming off of her. Even Sitri backed away a step, bowing his head in awe and respect. And maybe a little fear.
"I had not wanted to do this," she began, her high voice cold and emotionless, "but you have left me with no choice. You have killed yet another of my generals, and so now I must end you swiftly. You will never climb out of the dark abyss."
A shadow stole across the ground, like a bony hand crawling swiftly across the land. Within seconds, it had reached everyone, swallowing us up in its dark embrace. And just like that, I felt nothing.
There was no hope for us. My eyes hollowed out, my sword clattering eerily against the ground as it fell from my limp grasp. We are…finished.
Now that things are wrapping up, I feel kind of sad. And yet happy that I can move on to writing other fanfics! :D
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