Hello! Here is Chapter Four, and I apologize for the wait!
Title: Paradox
Rating: M
Genre: Supernatural, Horror, Romance, Adventure
Summary: In a world where magic is used only by the rich and the elite, debonair noble Lucy Heartfilia is far from pleased when her father assigns a trainer to help her with her magic. He is strong, sharp-tongued, mysterious, and dangerously powerful—and despite this, she finds herself drawn to him, and together they spiral into a world of darkness and intrigue.
Characters: Lucy Heartfilia, Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Jude Heartfilia, Erza Scarlet, Jellal Fernandes, Makarov Dreyar, Laxus Dreyar, Freed Justine, Bickslow, Gajeel, Sting, Rogue, others
Relationships: Natsu/Lucy (implied), Natsu/Gray, Laxus/Freed/Bickslow
Warnings: Blood and Gore, Torture, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Mind Games, Mind Manipulation, Depression, Implied/Referenced Torture, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Masochism, Sadism, Implied/Referenced Submissive & Dominant Relationship
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"I don't sleep. My mind has the uncanny ability to be dark and demented."
"You don't sleep? Are you afraid of something?"
He nodded, emerald eyes dark and hooded. "Yes. I'm afraid of my own dreams. Of the darkness in my head."
The woman seated before the salmon-haired man nodded in understanding, pushing her hair out of her face. "I see. Do you feel like you're trapped?"
"Trapped? I suppose so." Green eyes wide, the man heaved out a heavy breath and ran a trembling hand through his hair. "The nightmare won't leave."
"Well, then." Beside the pinkette, his partner took his hand, a slightly wan smile curling back his pale, bloodless lips. "If you can't wake from the nightmare, maybe you're not asleep."
The doctor frowned at those words, her lips flattening into a thin line. "Those aren't the precise words I would use, but perhaps there is something we can do to fix this."
"You can't."
Tilting her head, the woman frowned deeply. "Of course we—"
"No." The pinkette grinned widely and shook his head, rising to his feet. "You see, I don't think I want to wake up. And neither do you."
The woman barely had a chance to scream before she was burned alive.
"What's wrong with you?" Gray muttered over his frost-glazed glass of wine, black eyes narrowed in suspicion as he stared at his partner.
Natsu didn't respond, his eyes fixed on the passerby through the window, his chin rested on his balled fist.
"Natsu."
The fire wizard flinched violently as a heavy-booted foot collided with his shin. Baring his teeth in irritation, he glared at his companion. "What?"
"Eat something," the raven-haired man murmured, pushing a plate of untouched food towards him. "You need your strength."
"To kill somebody else?" Natsu hissed, narrowing his eyes.
Gray sighed and shifted in his seat, running a hand over his face. Reaching out slowly, he placed his hands over his lover's, catching his attention and forcing those endless emerald eyes on him. "Natsu. We're going to be just fine. We're almost done here."
"How much more, Gray?" The pink-haired wizard pressed his lips together and dug his nails into the wood of the table beneath him. "I don't want to do this anymore. I can't."
Gray stood silently. pulling the fire wizard along with him. The civilians and other wizards in the restaurant tensed as they watched the powerful raven-haired man and his partner rise to their feet.
"Huh. They're staring at you, Gray," Natsu muttered, pressing against the larger man's side and baring his teeth. "Where are we going?"
"Away from here. We need to talk."
"Mmm. Okay."
I hummed beneath my breath as I strolled towards the library. My tutors had insisted that I catch up on my studies and take a break from my training.
I tensed as I pushed open the massive mahogany door, feeling a chill travel down my spine as I felt the presence of wild, dark magic.
Pressed against the towering bookshelf was none other than Natsu, his head thrown back in ecstasy as he dug his nails into the wooden frame beneath him. Gray loomed over him, a knee wedged between his thighs as he pressed his lips against the smooth bronze skin of the fire wizard beneath him.
I cleared my throat as I crossed my arms, tapping a foot impatiently.
Natsu gasped as glazed emerald eyes fixed on me. He tapped against his lover's arm, muttering something to him and shifting under the weight restraining him.
With a sigh, the ice wizard straightened, a dark glare fixed on me. "My dear Miss Heartfilia, do you not know how to knock?"
Knock? It's my library, you insolent ice-covered fool.
Sighing, I recollected myself and smiled softly. "Well, I apologize for interrupting, but I was ordered to study in our library by my father." I met his stare without hesitation as I tilted my head, waiting for his response.
Gray smirked, wrapping an arm around Natsu's waist and pulling him closer. It was almost as if he were daring me to take his lover away. "You know what, Natsu? I think I'm starting to like her."
"I have a name, you know."
"Yes, you do. But it seems to be one of those uptight, maudlin names, so I don't like it and I am most comfortable calling you by your gender." His smirk developed a feral, vicious edge as he tilted his head to the side. "If I can even call you a girl."
I pressed my lips into a thin line, fury washing over me. "If you think you can—"
"Stop it, blondie," Natsu hissed, even as Gray made to approach me. He pulled roughly on the ice wizard's arm to hold him back, his nails tearing thin lines into the fabric of the large white trench coat. "Remember what I said earlier?"
I crossed my arms and cocked a hip to the side. "He started it."
"Because that's what he does," the fire wizard retaliated, narrowing his eyes as he nudged his partner in the side. "Gray, I told you about this."
"Funny how you thought I would listen," Gray murmured, his eyes narrowing to slits as he leaned down to trail his tongue in slow, lazy patterns over the fire wizard's neck.
An uncomfortable heat washed over me as the tall, dark man kept his eyes locked onto me.
Glancing away, I forced my interest to focus on the shelf of books nearest me. "Can you leave now? My studies are kind of important, not that I'd expect you to understand."
"She's got a tongue on her, doesn't she?" Despite the darkness in his voice, Gray smirked and sauntered over to the door. "Well, I suppose I'll be off, then. Natsu, be sure to keep what I said in mind, won't you?"
I turned to face the pink-haired man, my frown lessening as I noticed the scowl on his face. "Natsu?"
A deep, rumbling snarl thundered throughout his chest, and his hands clenched into fists at his sides. In all but a single moment, a haze of flames surrounded his fists and his heat was spreading throughout the room with a relentless efficiency.
A chill crawled down my spine as I took a step back from him. I knew he was a wizard, but I had yet to know what he could truly do. Yes, he could control fire and make it appear out of nowhere, but there was something else that made him not seem...entirely human.
I watched Natsu as he trembled violently, his breathing harsh and heavy as he turned and pushed his way past me. I cringed as his unnatural heat bit at my skin, but he seemed to disregard or not care for that fact as he stalked out into the hallway and vanished without a trace.
"What—? Natsu! We still need to train!"
But he was gone.
Wouldn't he head straight into the gardens if he kept going that way?
A strange sort of determination filling me, I squared my shoulders and followed the man into the shadows.
Alone in the darkness, two cloaked figures stood watching the noble girl and the fire wizard.
"Haven't you ever considered what monsters really are?"
"Hmm?" The shorter of the two turned, his head tilted in confusion. "What are you going on about this time?"
A heavy sigh escaped the larger man as he raised a gloved hand and pointed at the two below them. "That one is not human."
"Yes, he is far from it, obviously."
A bat flew above them, and an owl sang its mournful song into the icy air.
"Sometimes what the world needs is another monster."
"Master let you into the library again, didn't he?"
"If that's what you believe."
The shorter man chuckled softly, shaking his head and rising to his feet. "You're like a drunk whenever you leave that place. Your thoughts are all scrambled up, and you begin to question the very existence of reality itself."
The other man shook his head, and his companion could all but feel his confusion. "That was last week, you know."
"Exactly. You're so drunk on the words of the insane that you retain them all."
"Hmm. How about you stop talking now?"
"But I like messing with you."
"Enough."
Without a last glance at the brightly-lit mansion beneath them, the two beings wrapped their cloaks tighter around themselves and vanished into the darkness.
Terror raced down his spine, an emotion he had not felt for a long, long time.
"Natsu!"
The pink-haired man let out a horrific cry, his back arching as blood streamed from his mouth and feral rage burned in his eyes.
Gray scowled, sweat glistening on his skin as he held his partner against the ground. "Natsu, listen to me! You have to calm down!"
A vicious roar escaped the crazed man's throat, and he reared up and snapped his teeth at his opponent. Fire blazed beneath his skin, a storm waiting to unleash its wrath upon the world around it as the pungent, horrid aroma of ashes and burned wood filled the air.
"Isn't there anything you can do about this?" A tall, violet-haired man hissed deeply, wringing his trembling hands together and shifting his weight restlessly. "Gray, you know this isn't—"
The ice wizard sent a glare towards the anxious man, silencing his protests with a shake of his head. "Don't you think I would be trying if I could?"
"Can you move him?" The slim white-haired woman beside him murmured, fixing wide and worried, cautious eyes on the struggling wizard. "He'll destroy the bar unless we're able to put him somewhere else."
"No, Mira," Gray hissed, baring his teeth at the snarling man beneath him. "His magic is out of control too much. My powers can't—his heat is overpowering my cold." As if to confirm his statement, there was the pungent smell of burned flesh and clothes, and then the ice wizard was groaning and rocking his weight. Despite that, his hands continued to hold down his partner, and veins and tendons visibly stood out beneath his skin.
"Gray, you have to stop this!" Mira cried, terror explicitly clear in her eyes. "You can't contain all of this power!"
"No! I have to help him!"
"At the cost of your own life? Just how stupid can you be?"
The temperature of the air dropped dramatically, and frost coated the walls and floor. "Enough! I'm not changing my mind!"
"Gray, eyes on Natsu!"
Before the ice wizard could react, a violent explosion of heat filled the room. Horrified screams and cries of rage combined in a cacophonous symphony.
"No! Natsu!"
I crept silently down the dimly lit path, shivering and wrapping my shawl tighter around my shoulders. It had been almost a good half hour since I started following Natsu, but he seemed to have no end in sight as he kept going and going.
Through the bush I was looking through, I could see his vibrant pink hair. He was pacing back and forth, muttering beneath his breath as he trembled visibly. Had his encounter with Gray disturbed him this badly?
His head turned, and he bared his teeth and narrowed his eyes. A chill went down my spine, and I shuddered and pressed myself against the ground in an attempt to mask my presence
"What are you doing, little blondie?"
A stifled gasp escaped my throat as I whipped around, fear racing down my spine.
Natsu loomed over me, his body blocking out the sun as it was enveloped in a melted golden light. His hands were twitching at his sides, and I could not help but notice that his nails had extended to sharpened points. the wizard's lips were curled back in a snarl, and he bared his large, fang-like teeth at me.
"Natsu." I rose to my feet slowly, watching his eyes follow my movements. "I was just curious. What are you doing out in my garden?"
"Is it forbidden for me to take a walk? Were there terms and conditions that I forgot to read?" His voice was deeper than normal, harsh and stained with that unrecognizable accent.
He growled deeply, leaning down so we were almost eye-to-eye, and the emerald depths of his stare burned a violent gold for a brief moment. "Little girl, do you know who I am?"
"Wh-What?" I backed away from him, my voice unsteady and high and my hands trembling at my sides. "What kind of question is that?"
Natsu bared his teeth, rage boiling in his very being as he began to approach me. The air around him rippled and wavered with the increasing amount of body heat he gave off, and, to my surprise, his skin seemed to melt off and give way to a new type of flesh.
Scales.
Each scale was a vivid crimson, brighter than blood and smoother than the richest wine. They appeared almost simultaneously, but they were so slightly out of sync that it was as if they spread out in a random motion.
Natsu groaned suddenly, and then he was lurching away from me, his breathing dangerously harsh and heavy. A horrid cry of pain escaped him as he doubled over, arms wrapped tightly around his torso and flames appearing on his skin.
Despite my best efforts and my terror, I found myself approaching him with an outstretched hand. I had to do something, anything, to stop that nauseating declaration of agony and despair.
"L-Lucy! Stay away!" Natsu glared up at me with crimson-stained eyes, fear and fury battling within his vicious stare. "I d-don't want to hurt you!"
There it was. That same hopelessness I had witnessed before this. What could have happened to make him so fearful of interaction, of being with other people?
Natsu was snarling deeply, his body trembling violently as flames flickered on his skin and charred the land around him. His eyes were burning a violent crimson, and his teeth were extended to dangerous points as his talons twitched at his sides.
He eyed me roughly, lust and hunger clear in his intent.
For the love of Fiore, what a fool I am.
I stepped forward, holding my hands out where he could see them. "Natsu? It's me, Lucy Heartfilia. The noble you're training in magic? Do you remember me?"
The fire wizard hissed, glaring viciously as he swayed on his feet. He bared his teeth, the sun reflecting violently off of his crimson scales as he shuddered. My attempts were not reaching him, and despite the fear that possessed every inch of my body, I could not help but continue to try and—
"Get away from him!"
I spun around, realizing too late that I had put my back to the flame-powered beast behind me. Gray was heading towards us, ice coating the ground beneath him with each step as he moved with dangerous intentions.
"Gray?"
He growled roughly, and then a large sword of ice was forming in his hands. "Move back."
Natsu roared at him, nothing but pure and unadulterated rage in the action as he moved to attack his partner. Fire formed around his hands, and then he was launching himself at his newfound opponent.
Ice clashed with fire, and then vapor filled the garden clearing. I squinted and flinched as the heated gas made contact with my skin, stumbling back and attempting to see through the vicious maelstrom.
Gray was pinning Natsu to the ground, digging his hands into his scaled flesh as he roared obscenities at him. It only incensed the fire wizard even more, and he arched his back and tried to dislodge his opponent.
But, to my surprise—once again—Gray only leaned down and captured the fire wizard's mouth with his own, a violent collision of two equally powerful opposites.
Natsu seemed to calm down and his body went limp in the raven-haired man's arms. His breathing was still heavy and labored, but the snarls that had rumbled in the back of his throat ceased.
"Is he awake?"
Gray turned to fix his stare on me, and I met his coal-black, suddenly soulless eyes as he glared. "What did you do to him?"
I was dumbfounded. Of all the things to say, he thought I had had something to do with this?
"Me? I did nothing to him! Why don't you ask yourself what you did wrong?"
The ice wizard bared his teeth, rising to his feet slowly with the unconscious fire wizard laid out prone behind him. "Watch your tongue, noble."
"Or what?" I crossed my arms and glared just as hard at him. "You'll kill me?"
"What?" He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. "What are you going on about?"
"You know what! Or do I have to remind you what Natsu told me?"
In the blink of an eye, Gray was looming over me, rage bright in his stare. "Listen here. I may hate you, but I wouldn't stoop so low as to dirty my hands with your filthy, muddled blood." His breath was an icy storm that hung over me as he leaned down so we were eye-to-eye. "Don't think so highly of yourself, noble. You aren't that important in this world. It's about time you realize that."
He turned and picked up his partner, and then he was gone without a trace.
Next chapter, I'm thinking of doing some stuff from Gray's point of view, and I'll continue the section with the cliffhanger that I left you all. :)
