Hello, everyone! I was startled to see that I have already gotten three new followers and two new favorites on the Black Ice reboot! It's made me very happy and excited to see that people can still get into this, and I'm thankful to have you guys reading my material. So, I sat down and typed this up just for you guys, reboot for Chapter number 3. :D
I'm also about halfway through the second chapter of The Infinity of DragonWraith, if any of you got into that!
As usual, hope you enjoy reading.
Fury poured through her veins like liquid fire. Unwanted tears streaked down her cheeks and her limbs burned with exhaustion, yet she did not stop. She continued to repeatedly assault the tree in front of her, wincing as each hit made her limbs burn even further with exhaustion. Having come to the same place for the past few days, desperate to regain control over herself after the repeated night terrors, the tree was now looking quite worn down. Bark peeled off in many different places, others singed with magic and some areas of the tree stained dark with blood. She tried to bring her muscles to stop, knowing that the constant strain of her body over the past few days would soon wear her down, but she found herself unable to. Her heart brimmed with hate as images of her destroyed home swirled viciously through her mind, and she felt her attacks lose any rhythm and quickly resort to lashes of pure rage. It was because of him that she had been left on her own, and nearly killed! She would have died if it weren't for…
She growled angrily, shoving all of her emotions deep down and desperately trying to bury the memories that were clawing their way back up. Ryuu, the Spirit Dragon. He had saved her that day before him and his men could kill her, already wounded and broken, and taken her away from the burning remains of the town she once called her home. All of it fallen into ruins by a single monster from the Book of Zeref.. He had healed her wounds and raised her, eventually deciding to enter her into vigorous training so that she would know how to protect herself and anybody she would ever care about. But there were drastic twists to her unique magic, and that was why, in order to limit the use of her power and learn to control it, she was required to learn other types of magic not only to strengthen her expanse of magic power, but so that she would only have to tap into her main magic as a secondary resort.
But even the dragon whom she had come to know as her only family had eventually left her. She had simply woken up one morning to not find him there, no traces of where he could have gone. As she searched for him, the only thing she could find left were two bracelets, comprised of only the strongest of his reflective golden scales. Though she had felt only hatred towards him at the time for leaving her on her own, she still took the bracelets with her, a part of herself still desperate to have even only a fragment of him by her side.
After losing count of the days she had spent searching for him, she ended up having to find her own way. She encountered more trouble than she could possibly account for, the only thing keeping her alive being the strength and determination that Ryuu had instilled in her during their time together. She isolated herself as far away as she possibly could from the world around her, only leaving the caves she found hospice in when she found herself in need of food.
As she shook her mind away from past thoughts, she realized the shape she was currently in. Her knuckles were dripping with blood and covered in splinters, minor scratches and bruises lining her arms and legs from the constant hits to the tree. Her limbs shook from a mix of pain and exhaustion, the mixture of harsh training and lack of sleep wearing her out almost completely.
She stepped back from the tree, staring at the damage, before picking up her towel and wiping her face, erasing the tear streaks. She brushed her hair away from her face. She figured that, despite the fact it was early, she wasn't going to be able to sleep again soon. Might as well just stick around the guild.
She turned around, looking up and instantly freezing as she soon met an icy pair of eyes. It didn't take long to realize who those eyes belonged to, as his already shirtless form was now making its way around the corner. She stood, startled, staring into the eyes of none other than Gray Fullbuster.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she growled, the shock now giving way to irritation as she came to a realization. He had been watching her train. He hadn't witnessed her tears, had he?
His eyes narrowed, and slight anger flashed across his features. "I could be asking you the same thing, newbie."
She turned away from him, picking up a hair tie and tugging her ebony tresses into a loose pony tail. "That's none of your business."
"Tch, fine. It's not like I care. "
He shook his head, turning and heading in the opposite direction. "You know, you might make friends more easily if you weren't so aggressive. Also, widen your stance a bit. It'll help in case you have to resort to defense."
"As if I would be the one on defense," she spat. He laughed, and she felt an eyebrow twitch. Just who did he think he was?
However, if he had noticed any indications of her irritation, he ignored them, continuing his pace to the front of the guild. She followed him inside, taking a seat almost immediately at one of the long tables to briefly relieve her muscles of the strain she had brought on them. A moment later, Gray appeared once more, making his way from behind the bar to slide a cold glass of water across the table.
She gave him only a glance before snatching the glass, the icy liquid satisfying the burn in her lungs almost immediately as it slid down her throat. She set the glass down, giving him a slight nod. "Thanks.."
He gave a nod in return, and the room went silent. After the female of the two felt things had started to become awkward, she cleared her throat and spoke loudly. "So, when did Gray Fullbuster become my stalker?"
His face went red, and she resisted the urge to snicker. He began to sputter for an excuse, and she waved her hand lightly, now unable to stifle her giggles.
"Don't get so worked up. I was only joking." She smiled, taking another sip from the glass of water in front of her.
He sighed and crossed his arms. "For your information, I am not a stalker. I was just… curious."
She raised an eyebrow at that, leaning back against the table. "About?"
His cheeks were lightly dusted with pink, and he dropped his arms, looking at her with a shrug. "Just the way you fight, I guess. I've never seen anyone actually battle quite like that. It's… different."
She felt a small smile play on her lips. Different? "Hmmph."
"Eh? What's so funny?"
I'll take that as a compliment. She stared at the presently empty glass, swirling her fingers over the misted surface. She felt another smile pull at her lips as her mouth opened to tease him again. "Nothing. Just don't want you memorizing my attack patterns. It would make it relatively difficult to defeat you in a battle."
He scowled. "Oi! You act like you could defeat me in a battle in the first place, newbie!"
"Really? Did I say that?"
"I could easily defeat you."
That earned a laugh from the girl. "I doubt that."
His eyes narrowed, and he tugged at the collar of his button-up. "Yeah? Try me. "
She looked at him in amusement, a genuine yet tired smile on her face. "As interesting as that sounds, I'll have to raincheck. I'm tired."
With no prior warning, he lunged at her full speed, and her muscles screamed in protest when she was suddenly forced to dive to the side. Her heart pounded as he crashed into the table where she was sitting, sending it screeching a few feet back. Her eyes widened in surprise as she watched him stand up once more to face her.
"What the hell was that?!" she breathed, agitation flashing in her eyes.
"You should always be ready for a battle. In a guild like Fairy Tail, you never know when a fight is gonna start, so you should always keep a low guard up. Even around me." It was his turn to smirk.
Dammit! How was she expected to refuse a battle when he continued to grate on her nerves so expertly?
"You're correct, I suppose." She regained her composure despite the ache still evident in her limbs, straightening her posture and allowing her irritation to give way to anticipation. "However, you should take into consideration that the reason I didn't have my guard up was because I didn't deem anything nearby to be a threat." She looked him in the eye, a smug gleam crossing her features. "That means you, you Ice Bastard."
"We'll see about that." He growled, shifting his legs apart slightly and slamming a fist back into his other palm. A light blue magic circle swirled beneath him, and the temperature of the room instantly dropped. "Ice Make: Lance!"
In the blink of an eye, several sharply angled ice shards had materialized from thin air, molding into form. Sage noted that there were exactly 12 of them, but based on what she could sense of his magical abilities, she knew he was capable of much more. She barely had time to end her thoughts before all twelve of them propelled towards her at an impossible speed, giving her only seconds to react. Merely feet from striking her body, a candle settled on the bar flared brightly and a startling crack rang throughout the guild as an aura of flames began to roar around the dark-haired female. As the weapons of ice met the blazing surface, they melted almost instantaneously. Unfortunately, the melted aftermath was just enough to turn her roaring shield into quiet embers, and she soon found herself standing within nothing but a singed ring to surround her on the wooden floorboards.
His eyebrows scrunched together, and he sighed in what appeared to be disappointment. "A fire mage? Might as well be fighting damn Natsu!"
She laughed, the amused noise echoing through the quiet guild. "Not quite."
She formed into a stance of her own, one foot forward and the other back. Her right hand formed a tight fist near her stomach, her left held palm-out to the air as the presence of the elements made themselves known around her. She decided that, since it was the element she was most comfortable with, she would rely the singular element of air for this brawl. She took a deep breath, steadying her heartbeat and feeling the oxygen currents carress her skin as they awaited her command. Opening her eyes, she allowed her magic to flow out in an expertly controlled surge. Barely a half second later, the air in the room was pulled to her as it began to swirl viciously, forming into damaging gusts of wind that would easily smash through a target. In one swift motion, she forcefully shoved both hands out before her, targeting a startled Gray.
He flew back into his stance, bracing himself for the oncoming attack. "Ice Make: Shield!"
The razor-sharp gusts of air flew past the girl, slamming and biting harshly into the opposing mage's crystalline shield of ice. The air clashed into the surface, relentless against the frozen wall, and he roared as he struggled to keep it from collapsing. Finally, with a bit more effort, she sent one last large gust of air, shattering the shield into millions of tiny ice crystals and sending Gray flying back from the force.
As she readied herself for another attack, her heart pounding with exhilaration, she suddenly became aware of another presence in the room and spun to face a familiar blonde.
"Wow," Lucy breathed, gazing at the magic mingling in the air with awe.
Feeling shy of being observed as she fought, she flicked her wrist to the side, magic receding back into her internal well of power until she would need it again. Now noticing that her quiet viewing had been discovered, she met stares with the violet eyed girl, and a friendly smile shown bright on her face.
"I see you're fairly acquainted with Gray-"
Suddenly, a heavy forced slammed into the ebony haired one of the two, knocking the air from her chest and pinning her to the ground. She hissed at the dizzying pain in her torso and struggled to regain her breath, her eyes flickering upwards a moment later to stare at the attacker. That annoying smirk plastered on his face, Gray loudly boasted, "Gotcha!"
She groaned internally. How the hell had he managed to surprise her like that?! As she remembered the other presence in the room, she became quickly aware of the position she was currently in. The ice mage hadn't yet moved from on top of her, leaning over her and pinning her wrists to the sides of her head with that haughty expression on his face. His cold breath exhaled onto her face as he finally met gazes with her. She blushed, now frozen in place. Her heart rate sped up tremendously, and she suddenly began to wonder what the hell was wrong with her. Was she afraid? Of this bastard? As if sensing how she felt, she saw something strange flash behind his eyes. She turned her head to the side, finding herself feeling uncomfortable under his icy gaze. His cold breath trickled down her neck, causing her to shiver.
"Something wrong, newbie?" he inquired quietly, a hint of amusement sounding in his voice.
"..apparently more than I was aware of." Lucy muttered indreduously. Gray shot a brief glare at the blonde, opening his mouth to respond only to be interrupted.
Another voice broke in, quickly shaking Sage from the slight trance.
"Hey, Luce, why'd you stop at the door?"
A tuft of pink hair floated into her vision as Natsu broke through the entryway, taking in the surroundings and… Gray laying on top of the relatively new guild member.
"What the..?" He had a dumbstruck look on his face, and the blue cat in his arms began to titter to himself. Lucy shot a look at him immediately, effectively silencing whatever he had planned to say.
Quickly regaining her composure, the raven-haired female looked back at Gray. Though his smug grin had mostly dissipated, she growled as she realized that he had not only caught her off guard, but had also managed to embarrass her in front of her new acquaintances.
"Get the hell off, stripper bastard," she hissed, anger lacing her words
He snickered. "Afraid to fight back?"
She felt yet another growl bubble up from her throat. "I told you before, I don't feel like it."
With that, she gracelessly threw him backwards with her full strength, his body soaring through the air and smashing into a table across the room. He choked out a curse as his body rolled to the ground. Using the tiniest bit of magic, she allowed air to swirl around her and lift her onto her feet before she once again withdrew her power. She brushed herself off, letting out a large and tired sigh. The adrenaline had now begun to wear off, making her fully aware of her exhausted muscles. What was that feeling just then, and what the hell had caused it?
He stood up, wincing, before that snarky grin returned to his features. "I've never minded a strong woman, you know."
"You're going to if you don't shut the hell up," Sage retorted venomously, massaging one of her temples.
Lucy rolled her eyes. "Seriously guys? It's still early."
Noticing Natsu still bearing his confused look, Sage sighed and explained the situation. When she was done, he threw his fist into the air with a laugh, pointing a mocking finger at Gray, who had now stood up and begun to make his way back over, grumbling under his breath.
"Ha! Looks like you got beat by a girl, Ice Breath!"
Lucy, narrowing her eyes, turned to Natsu, hands on her hips. "Need I remind you of the numerous times you've been beaten up by Erza?"
He froze, a shiver running down his spine. "Yeah, but that's Erza! She scares everyone."
"That's not the point, Natsu!"
Their argument soon ended, only to be replaced with Natsu picking a new fight with Gray for, likely, no reason whatsoever. Typical day in the Fairy Tail guild. Sage winced as her eyes scanned across the blackened ring singed into the wooden floor, internally hoping the other two wouldn't cause any more damage to the guild hall. It would be troublesome to be dragged into cleaning… Maybe she could move a table over it?
She decided to sit at a table, watching them beat the snot out of each other, picking up on their strategies…analyzing them subconsciously. She didn't think she would ever need to use that against them, as for the time being they were on the same side. They were her comrades, after all… Weren't they?
After Ryuu had disappeared, she was completely left on her own. She wasn't sure how to go about finding a place to stay in some town, and she didn't have help from anyone, so she stuck with Ryuu's habits and decided to isolate herself in the mountain caves. It wasn't until around the age of 13 that she had made the decision to wander into a nearby village. There was a horrendous storm hitting the usual area, the slanted sheets of rain slamming into the side of the mountain with terrorizing force. The cave she had been residing in ended up flooding, and though dragon slayers weren't often sick, she decided wisely not to risk it by staying.
She ended up stowing away in a barn for the night, and though the weather-worn wood didn't provide much better shelter than the mountain caves, the hay allowed for a warm bed for the night. As she slept, she dreamt of Ryuu, and how he had told her she would one day have to learn to blend in with the rest of the mages of the world. Though reluctantly, the next morning she decided she would travel from town to town in search of purpose. She encountered mages of all types - both good and evil - during her journey, and learned more than she had ever thought would come from associating with others. One of those things being the purpose she had been so desperately searching for; revenge.
She trained harshly and got into many brawls during that time. She was eager to gain strength and power, as it was important if she planned on taking on an entire dark magic guild. However, among all of the wizards she had battled during her travels, she considered not a single one to be her "comrade". In fact, most of them hadn't even earned the title of "acquaintance". It left her to wonder if perhaps she simply wasn't capable of bonding with others, though if that was the case, why were these people being so friendly towards her?
Or did she even want a 'friend'? She had told herself from the very moment she had set out for Fairy Tail that she would not become attached to anybody within the guild. She was simply here because it was the one place she knew of that could possibly give her the strength and power that she needed. Forming ties would only hinder her progress in the long run, and she wasn't willing to make that sacrifice. However, she came to the decision that she would try to be friendly while she was here, if only to make the time go by as pleasantly as possible. If that was simply an excuse for herself, she paid no mind.
She snapped out of her thoughts as she became aware of a presence behind her. Turning around, violet eyes locked with chocolate brown, and she didn't miss the glint of concern in the other.
"You okay? Seems like you're thinking awfully hard about something!" the blonde said, a friendly smile on her face. Remembering what she had just told herself, Sage offered a smile as well, though it felt a bit awkward.
"Ah, I'm fine," she insisted with a small wave of the hand. "Just got caught up for a second."
"Good to hear." Lucy paused. "Also, there's something I wanted to ask you.."
Sage held her breath. Though she knew it was most likely paranoia, it didn't help to reign in any stray thoughts. There were many things about herself that she was unwilling to discuss, especially with these supposed "comrades" of hers, unless it was necessary. Just the small pause was enough to make the dark-haired girl's mind begin to wander.
"I was just wondering if you would want to take a mission together."
She let out the breath she had been holding. Was that it? However, the offer still surprised her, and she found her expression morphing into one of uncertainty. Noting this, a small blush tinted the blonde's cheeks, and she let out a nervous laugh.
"Well, you're still pretty new to the guild, so you don't know a whole lot of people yet. I thought we could go on a mission, and possibly get to know eachother better. Some old fashioned "nakama bonding time", you know?" She sighed. "I was new once, too. I didn't want you to feel alone."
Sage stared at the ground, hesitantly processing the words. "'Nakama bonding time', eh?"
Lucy offered a small smile, though the other could see that it was half-hearted. "Of course, if you don't want to go.."
Sage internally cursed. As much as her mind screamed to halt at the word "bonding", it was easy to see that the other girl would be disappointed if she declined. Just to bide the time, she repeated. Yet, a small part of herself also admitted to simply not being cold enough to decline an offer with such thought behind it, as nobody had done something while thinking of her well-being in the past.
"I… suppose it would make for good training.." she muttered, her cheeks turning a very light pink.
The blonde's eyes instantly lit up, and her smile became one of excitement. "So, you'll go?"
Sage felt a small smile of her own tug at her lips, amused that the other girl's demeanor had changed so quickly. "Sure."
The dark-haired girl gasped as she was almost instantly jerked over towards the mission board, ignoring the nagging hesitance if only this once. As the blonde continued to talk to her, she found herself becoming absorbed in the conversation, forgetting the day's earlier events with ease. They talked about the simplest of things, ranging from odd mission experiences to struggling to pay rent, each topic managing to elicit yet another surprising response from Sage. For once since the death of her mother and the departure of Ryuu, she actually felt a spark of happiness.
Thank you all for reading! Waking up and seeing that people are reading my stories just makes my entire day, whether it's one of you or more. I'm still new to posting my writing online, so it elates me to see that other people are able to find enjoyment in it too. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and if you did.. let me know in a review? ;)
Hope to see you next chapter.
~Rose