Hi Mewsugarpudd here and I just wanted to say how sorry I am that everyone had to wait so long for this. It was my fault.
Fakir smirked as the collection of mages around him started cursing profoundly at the darkness surrounding them.
"Shut up you big babies welcome to the first trial" Fakir taunted, bringing his long fingers together in a quick, fluid motion effectively lighting up the room.
Gray, Shi and Kowalski instinctively moved together at the scenes painted on the walls. Each wall had a different yet equally horrifying image splashed on it. The first was of a very familiar demon.
"Deliora" Gray's whisper echoed through the air, his barely concealed emotions of rage and fear clearly showing his thoughts on the demon. A hiss escaped Kowalski's clenched teeth as Shi stared curiously surveyed the demon that had caused so much pain and ruined many lives.
"Whoa," Shi muttered under her breath "That's one ugly demon and I've seen my Nan in the bath."
All the occupants in the room slowly swivelled round to observe every wall. The final three walls all depicted something that would upset the three friends. One of the walls had a young couple had a young couple painted on. The male had black hair spiked up in a relatively familiar style and hazel eyes and was a simple black tuxedo and crisp white dress shirt paired with smart black shoes that emphasized his pale skin wonderfully. While the woman had long blonde hair flowing down her back and black as night eyes as a long black dress with ruffled shirt and tight black corset that hugged her slender frame. Gray's hands clenched into fists so tightly that when he finally opened the to stroke the woman's hair, tiny droplets of blood dribbled out of the tiny crescents his nails had made in his palms.
"Mum, dad" To a normal person his voice would seem cold and detached but Kowalski could recognize the sheer agony laying under the chilly exterior. Fakir's giggle made everyone jump in surprise.
"Why don't you look at your wall Kowalski" The man pointed to the third wall and Kowalski's body betrayed him by slowly turning to rest upon the suggested wall. He jerked as the image filtered through his brain. There on the wall in front of him, flanked by two shadows that he guessed were his parents, was his sweet little sister Akuma. Pain coursed through his body as he saw the gleeful shine in her red eyes. Red. The colour of blood. Another shudder ran through his body as he tore his eyes away. Shi took a deep breath of trepidation before pivoting on one foot to see what horror was painted on her wall. A scream of terror jumped of her mouth. The two boys instantly joined her and Gray proceeded to stare at her in confusement. On the final wall was a giant apricot with a knife through it's centre. Its juices seemed to drip down and formed a puddle under the initial picture. In its centre was two shadowy, vague female silhouettes. Shi eyes were glazed in fear and she physically wrenched herself away from the wall.
"Is this our first trial, looking at walls?" Gray had long ago mastered the art of deadpanning and he thought the skill fitted this comment nicely. Fakir, however, shook his head in amusement.
"No this is a nice little warm up" Fakir stated calmly while the three mages looked at him worriedly. With a loud clank and the sound of bricks grating against bricks the walls started lifting up to reveal that they were standing on a relatively large platform. Oh and they were hovering over a very dark pit.
"Oh how original" The mocking note in Shi's voice was unmistakable even as she snapped out of the trance she had been residing in. Fakir's glare only served to make her smile evilly.
"Well how's this for originality" He smirked as the platform tilted upside down resulting in a lot of shrieks as gravity decided not to make an exception for the teenagers as they plunged to their doom.
"Wheeeeeeeeee" Shi laughed.
"Ice make slide" Gray screamed as his a magic gave off an icy wind that whipped his raven locks around his head. The slide ungracefully dumped them on the ground.
"Ouch" Was the only word spoken as they surveyed their surroundings.
Which was a whole lot of dark.
"Oh great not this again" Kowalski grumbled.
Evil chuckling filled the chamber as dark shadows encircled them.
"No!" Gray choked out as the faces were revealed as the trio's loved ones and friends stared at them with dark, soulless eyes.
They were ; Lucy, Erza and Midnight still dripping blood from his last encounter with crazed mages.
Erza was the first to strike Gray just barely dodged the sharp sword hurtling towards him. And promptly tripped over Lucy's outstretched foot. And Erza's sword was swiftly placed over his throat. His eyes flitted to were Kowalski was trying to outwit Midnight without actually hurting him and Shi was attempting to avoid being on the wrong side of the celestial mage's whip.
"Oh hell" He thought as he realised that he was facing Erza on his own. And he was currently underneath her sword…