Sorry about this chapter being a little short, I've been a bit busy with preparations for my move to the States! I'll try to update as soon as possible! For now, though, enjoy!
Glass Hearts
Chapter 10: Cracked Locks
The voiceless sound of feet moving cautiously up the wooden stairs echoed through the silent guild. There was still the overhanging dark cloud of tension above their heads tying the man so deeply into his shoes, the wood creaked with his every heavy step. Faces twisted with insecurity, caution and anger watched him strictly rise above them all, closing in on the very thing they wanted to keep him furthest from.
Only few were permitted to go up to the top floor. Some as neccessity, others already had a given pass.
The door creaked open, and Gildarts entered first. Magnus looked on at the light spilling over his black shoulders ahead of him like a looming black shadow. He paused by the door, giving off signs of caution. Green eyes felt the tinge of curiousity urging him to look over the shoulder barricading the sight of the room ahead of him, but a colliding dread held him back. Would the sight before him be worst than he realised? Or was he just making himself pointlessly concerned? Nevertheless, he would have to see it anyway.
With the vow he had made with the scarlet equip mage, he had made a contract pressuring him into caring. However, it wasn't exactly like that; rather than being pressure to care, it was more like he was being pressured into showing he cared, a side of himself he had tried to deny. Caring about others hurt. A long lasting job alone and outcasted by the ability he was running towards had thought him that. Only, he still found himself caring in the end, despite what he knew was painful.
The stiff lift of Gildart's shoulders relaxed a little bit, shifting his body enough to finally let loose the green eyes on the sight before him.
The infirmary of the guild was a simple one. However, what was harbored in it, was not. Not in the slightest.
The blonde haired girl he had abandoned in an attempt to save himself, laid peacefully asleep on the bed. She didn't stir or make a sound, only the small rise and fall of her chest showed any signs of life.
By her side, was the loyal dragon slayer, guarding her as any companion would. His earlier complexion of furious anger was long gone; exhaustion drained his face of most of its color, turning him a faint shade of grey. He sat by the edge of the bed, his hand place a little to far on the edge of the bed, indicating he had previously been touching her face in some way. But most of all...he looked sad.
Dark eyes held caution as they caught a glimpse over Gildart's shoulder at the man. Assuming he was using his sharp hearing, he already knew most of the details about what had happened. Though when they went into a little extra detail about his methods, the rowdy shouts of the crowd may have drowned out his voice somewhat. There was definately one thing he knew he hadn't heard. If he had, he would have already lost his head.
Gildarts eventually moved out the way, checking to see Natsu was calm and controlled. The chains around Magnus' wrists had been unlocked in exchange for a single cuff around his right hand. Laxus Drayor, the also famous lightening dragon slayer, had infused it with enough electricity to kill him should he do anything out of line. Though, assuming about what he was about to do, though it didn't both him, he wondered where the line actually was. The blonde mage just rested against the wall with his arm folded over his chest, watching the man closely.
Magnus moved cautiously into the room, the dark-haired ice mage moving past him to protectively come around front, placing himself nearer to the dragon slayer. Erza stayed on his tail, ushering him silently into the room. Wendy, along with the two exceeds, brought the fully assembled Team Natsu together. Other than that, there was only Gildarts, Makarov and Laxus, excluding himself, that weren't team members.
Looks were passed amongst themselves, trying to choose who would be the best to tell the news to the dragon slayer with slight hints of fear.
In the end, it was the ice mage who took the initiative once again, stepping even closer to Natsu. The pink-haired slayer caught his look, relieving his glare off of Magnus and up onto the mage's face. After a small hesitation, he finally told him the news that may or may not end up in Magnus' murder depending on whether they could, or would, restrain him.
"To take back the power, he..." He said bitterly, unable to let his name leave his lips. "...needs to...kiss...her." His words came out slow and comprehensable, so there would be no misunderstanding on his part, saving himself of any further repeating of such a sickening phrase.
Just as he expected, Natsu's eyes went red with fury. They whirled back on the red-haired man, his feet already closing the distance. The reaction happened so fast, no one had chance to catch it.
Fists swallowed up handfuls of Magnus' shirt, shoving him effortlessly into the air. The height difference dissolved and the red-haired man didn't dare move. His unforgiving, disgusted glare didn't affect him so much as the metal cuff threatening to shock him to death if he retaliated.
"It's not like a proper kiss or anything like that." Magnus tried to explain, raisingn his hands sluggishly up in surrender. Both his eyes told the dragon slayer that he thought Natsu was over reacting or misunderstanding, but the pink-haired boy didn't care. Small flames jumped from his hands, burning the fabric from his fists. Black boots slammed against the wooden floor, echoing a bang in the room beneath them, as he felt back down, gaving had two charred circles bitten out of his shirt. Green eyes fell on him with almost equal standing, keeping his arms steady by his side. Dark eyes turned away, looking at the ground a few feet away. He stood still and quiet, waiting for the man to continue and explain in a way that would push the dragon slayer to kill him. "It's just some lip-to-lip contact." he continued, before stupidly adding. "Though, she is pretty cute."
Fist against bone echoed in the room, seconded with a riverting crash. Magnus slammed into the wall, his huge body left reeling with a red punch over the first one he had already received. Everyone stood still, feeling their protection was blinded by red the second he had said it. Natsu stood quietly in the same spot, but his intent to kill radiated out to everyone.
"You hurt her again and I will kill you this time." Natsu threatened, his eyes glowing a deep, lethal crimson.
Erza was the first to step in, positioning herself quickly between the two. "Natsu..." she said cautiously, unsure of Natsu's current stability. It was quickly cleared up when the slayer stood straight, lowering his hand into a loose fist. His dark eyes looked sympathetically at the red-haired mage.
"I'm alright." he said, slowly regathering himself. He turned away and sat again besides Lucy. He positioned himself on the opposite side, leaving the side closest to them free; offering his full cooperation, not that it meant he liked it.
Everyone waits, unaiding Magnus when he eventually picked himself back up off the ground. There was some slightly satisfied gleams in the surrounding witness' eyes that couldn't be hidden. Shrugging them off, he dusted the debris from his clothes, eyeing the metal cuff around his wrist. Laxus didn't set it off, seeming to be apart of the group that felt satisfaction with the punch.
Magnus sighed under his breath, moving cautiously passed the wizard guards over to the bed. Green eyes fell on the blonde girl's sleeping face. Last time he saw her, she was being hurriedly carried up into the infirmary. As she laid silently in front of him, he felt the churn of guilt he tried to smother, scorning his personality. There was also an underlining bad feeling as look so peacefully on her face. Something didn't feel quite right. Nevertheless, there was no running from it all. He had to do it. If not for them, but for himself. Even so, he felt himself hating the trust he put in the red haired wizard as he slowly sat on the edge of the bed.
Small burn holes were being made into the sides of his cheek, from the dark glare of the dragon slayer's eyes. A small sweat broke out on his face, unsure if he was actually safe in doing what he was about to do. In order to do the transfer, it was a necessary action. Whoever came up with such a method was feeling the wrath of Magnus' hate currently, proceding to close in on her face.
His ealier comment was still true; she was pretty cute. Especially when she wasn't on the attack or being craftly like the previous times he'd met her. She looked innocent and unharmful, like a small animal. But, there was something about kissing another man's girl that made him feel weird. With his life on the line, he had no choice.
His short red hair touched the edges of his cheeks as he lowered himself even closer to her face, gently closing his eyes. His lips reached down and grazed her own.
A second later, he was suddenly thrown all the way across the room. Concrete broke collapsed over his burning body, collapsing against the ground.
"Laxus?" Makarov exclaimed.
"I didn't do it!" Laxus snapped back, lookin just as shocked as the rest of them. Their eyes opened wide in surprise looking back and forth from the man and the blonde. Lucy still slept peacefully like nothing happened. Natsu checked on her just in chase, breathing a relieved sigh when he saw she was fine.
Magnus was unconcious for less than a few seconds, once again picking himself up. Chunks of concrete moved aside as he staggered to his feet.
A hand scrubbed across his head, feeling the burning tingle of a headache throbbing inside of him. But it was an extra migrain when he looked back across the girl in just as much shock as the guild members.
"What happened?" Gildarts demanded, moving over to Magnus. The red-haired man shook his head in disbelief, looking at the girl.
"She's progressed too far." Magnus mummbled, not taking his eyes off her. "I can't take it." A groan left his lips, rocking forwards on his knees.
Before he could fully recover, his body was slammed back into his man whole. A small choke caught in the man's throat, shooting his green eyes forwards.
Black onyx eyes glared at him with a veil of red mistrust. "You're lying!" Natsu snapped. "You're just trying to get out of taking it away from her! You just want to let her di-"
"I'm not!" Magnus snapped. He damned the consequences, not letting himself be insulted by a little lizard brat. His hands ripped the dragon slayer's off of his already ruined shirt. He shoved the slayer with enough force to send him stumbling backwards a little. Anger just increased on his face. But it wasn't just anger. As Magnus looked closer, he noticed what it truly was that was on his face; despair.
Just the mention of Lucy being beyond help and beyond saving threw the boy into such a frenzy he was looking for any excuse to deny it.
It wasn't just Natsu. From the faint buzz of electricity in the cuff around his wrist, he could tell all of them had been thrown on edge; Laxus, Makarov, Gildarts, Erza, the rest of the team and the two cats.
"You're misunderstanding something dragon slayer." Magnus responded, letting his irritation soften. His green eyes turned onto the blonde, guesturing to her with a nod of his chin. They glanced at her before turning back to him. "I thought her magical power was large but not so much to progress it so fast. It's grown attatched to her and her power; the thing pretty much acts like a virus, wanting the largest sum of resources as it can find. It won't settle for mine when it has her's."
"So what do we do?" Makarov progressed, stepping forwards. His dark eyes settled on the man with a sharp knowing glare, showing he knew there was more to the story than the red-haired man was letting on.
A heavy sigh escaped the man's bruised lips. "There is no way to remove it from her from the outside." He said, capturing their eyes. "However... there is another way."
"Another way?" Gildarts repeated. Caution amped up on his face, letting on that he didn't like the tone in the man's voice.
"I can forcibly put myself inside of there and try to loosen the connection from the magic and the blonde." He explained, turning to look directly in the dragon slayer's eyes. Hope balanced in his eyes, unsure on what to trust. "But," he said, finally getting to the reason behind his tone. "It's a lethal method..." Alert jumped on everyone's faces, flinching at his words. "...for me." he added reluctantly. They all seemed to relax, feeling the weight lifted from their shoulders.
"We're ready to make that sacrifice." Natsu replied a little too quickly. Short nods followed in cannon around the room. The only one who didn't nod was Erza. Even so, he couldn't help the little bit of resolve in her eyes, letting him know that even though she made such a confident vow, Lucy was still her top priority. Figures...
A deep grumble came from his lips, rambling over back towards the bed. Onxy eyes snapped onto him again with high alert. "Don't worry." Magnus mummbled, giving him a sharp glare. "It's not like last time."
"Yeah," Natsu growled sarcastically. "I like this method better."
Magnus gave him a sharp glare back before turning on the blonde. Just like before, with all eyes on him, he lowered himself towards her face. Instead of touching her lips this time, he lowered his head just enough for their forehead to touch.
A sharp yelp leapt from the man's and he suddenly collapsed on the floor.
A moment of shock froze everyone in silence, staring dumbfounded at his still body.
Eventually, Natsu was the first to move, launching forwards with enough speed to break the sound barrier. He grabbed the unconcious body of the man, shaking it with enough force to send his head rolling. "OI!" Natsu snapped. "WAKE UP!"
Gildarts moved forwards after him, setting his hand on the dragon slayer's shoulder. Fists stopped shaking the man, dark eyes turning up to the ginger-haired mage. Gildart's eyes moved from Natsu's face to the blonde, sensing that Magnus' conciousness was no longer in his body.
He offered a reassuring smile, knowing there wasn't much more they could do. "We can leave it up to Lucy for now."
Magnus has entered Lucy's conciousness in an attempt to break her free of the magic? But will he be able to do it alone? Or will he be able to save her or will her fail? Find out in Chapter 11
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-A-ccentric