After speaking with his wife, Bickslow desperately wanted to find the next mirror. There had be something else around here. Cepheus's past had to have more clues in it.
He grabbed the next mirror, hoping for the best.
The young king walked as he smiled to himself. He had been away for a couple of days and couldn't wait to see his wife. Cassiopeia had some news for him and he couldn't let her wait any longer.
As he opened the door, his heart plummeted. His beloved was on the floor, her body still.
He ran forward, calling for his guards. He turned her over frantically, to find her pale. Her eyes looked up at him sadly. "I'm sorry, my love." Her voice was labored as the light faded from her eyes.
He felt it instantly, her soul left her body leaving him crying out as if in loss. In the background, his son cried. His eyes turned to his son, who was barely a toddler. "Did you see who did this?!" His voice almost yelled at his son and the boy flinched back.
"There was a strange person, daddy. They gave mommy something to drink." The boy said, cowering against the wall.
He growled. No magic user would stoop to using poison. It was one of them. Those scum. "Get my son to safety!" He said turning to his guards. His rage was building as he exited the room. The trash below would pay for her death.
He felt a small tug on his soul. It wanted to leave his body and go with hers. He growled, cursing his families most sacred tradition. He had to plan his revenge. If he wasn't around, they would not be punished.
He ignored the tug, almost running from the castle. Her killer couldn't be that far. He would do what he had to and rip the man limb from limb.
As he turned a corner, he looked at over at the small pond that sat in the corner of the courtyard. To his surprise, there was a strange old woman was sitting in front of it.
He stocked over to it and found the woman smiling at him. He glared, he had never seen her here before. "Who are you?!" He growled, was this the person he was looking for?
She only laughed. "You are on short time, are you not?"
He raised an eyebrow. Did this woman know the power that his family had? If she was, she had to be the one that went after his beloved. His eyes flashed. "Why?! Why did you kill my wife?!"
She giggled. "It was not I. You already know who did it. It was them. They were jealous of your love. Of your power."
They? "What are you talking about?"
The cackling continued. "Those without magic wish to destroy you. They know your weakness. You will die without having your revenge. Leaving your child to grow up under their scrutiny."
He found himself pacing. The woman was right. If he didn't do something quick, he would die and Cassiopeia would have died in vain. Their son would be left to the vultures if he faded away. "There's nothing I can do." He whispered.
The woman only cackled. "But Lord Cepheus, there is something. You just don't know it."
He looked up at her in shock. "What are you talking about?! You know the rules of this. I have no time. In fact, I'm wasting time talking to you!" He made to turn away from her. He had to go after those that wanted his kingdom before they destroyed his legacy.
"You can live. You can stay in this life and watch over your son. You can have you revenge." His face turned back to the woman. "For a price that is."
"A price?" He questioned.
"All you need is to rid yourself of your soul. If you do that, the effects of the meteor shower will not work. Not only will you live, you will gain much more." She said.
"Like what?" He said.
She chuckled. "How about armies that summon at your word. The power to conquer everything without fail. The power to bring back the one you love."
His eyes grew wide. "Cassiopeia…"
The woman walked around him. "She won't come back instantly; it will take time. She will be reborn, in a new body. You will find her someday…. that is if you sell me your soul, Cepheus."
He froze, how could he refuse? He couldn't die. His wife would be returned to him. All he would have to do is wait. He could raise his son go after those that harmed them. He could make the world submit to him. "Yes."
She giggled. "Yes what?"
"I want it. Take my soul, it is useless to me at this point. It is a small price to pay for my love to be returned to me." He growled.
She giggled and reached her hand out to him. He took it without question. As soon as he did, pain radiated from his chest. He wanted to scream as he heard a loud tearing noise. It was almost like he was hearing his skin ripping to pieces only it was his soul ripping violently from his body. The world went dark as he let out one last breath.
He opened his eyes. The world looked different as he stood in the courtyard. He looked around and the woman was gone. He looked down at the water below and found that his eyes were different. His pupils were only slits. It was astonishing that he didn't have to breathe.
He turned and let out a laugh. He was invincible.
One of the guards came out into the courtyard. "Lord Cepheus, we have locked down the castle, but we have not found the culprit."
He continued to laugh. "Line up those without magic. I will exterminate them for their crime."
"But your majesty…."
The man began to shake as he forced the man to his knees. "You will listen to me. Get the foul trash from the street. They must die."
"Lord Cepheus…"
He chuckled, what a stupid name that was. What a common name for his dirty father to call him. He would give himself a new name. "Cepheus is dead…You will call me Cetus from this say forward."
"Yes, Lord Cetus."
He was pushed from the mirror and sat there in shock. He couldn't believe it. Sure, he suspected it, but Cetus was once human, and not just any human, the king of Absolon, before it was Absolon.
His mind turned back to the elephant in the room. There was no denying that he shared a bloodline with Cetus. The child had to have continued the line down to his father and finally to himself.
He wondered what that reincarnation thing was. Did that mean that Cassiopeia was alive again, but how? There was no way that that was possible…
He froze. Flare. It had to be. It was the only thing that made sense. She was on Cetus's radar from the moment that he met her. He didn't doubt that he went to her side before going after the Modd.
But he still had questions, what of Cetus's son? What happened to Miresa and how did Cetus get locked underground? He sighed, every time he thought he learned something, he found more questions.
He growled under his breath. This was going to take forever.
Laxus moved out of the way as the Kurohebi, sent another one of his blots back at him.
"There'sss no ussse. Give up." The man cackled.
He growled, frustrated with himself. He was stronger than this. Kurohebi shouldn't have the upper hand. How was this guy the same guy that he faced at the Grand Magic Games?
The truth was that it wasn't this is the man he faced. This was the demon that was controlling Bickslow, he would have to think like a demon to defeat it.
He felt another strike meet his back and turned to face the man. He would not run and there was no way that he was going to be beaten back by his own magic.
Kurohebi sent another strike his way and he caught it with his hand, holding it as it thrashed violently between them. The man didn't have time to think as he pulled the electric current forward right into a punch to the jaw.
The man fell to the ground, passing out beneath him. He watched as his eyes faded back to black before going unconscious.
He sighed, why did he think this guy was a threat again? The coward was known for sneak attacks, so he couldn't be that strong to begin with.
He turned to find, his father passed out on the ground. Blood was everywhere. Beside him, laid the crushed corpse of what had to be the purple guy. He couldn't remember his name, but knew that it had to be him.
He didn't think, only pulling his father's body up as a man ran to him. He recognized the man that came forward. "I didn't expect to see you." Warner said, looking over Ivan.
"Same to you." He looked back at his father. "We need to get him to Lisanna's."
Warner only nodded. "If only Remy was around, then we could get him healed up. But it looks like we're going to have to run him."
He nodded. "Are the others already there?"
"Yes, your comrades are with Lisanna and my wife." The gunman stated.
"And what of Bickslow?" He asked.
Warner sighed. "Maybe Remy knows; Cetus is the one in control now."
He almost growled under his breath. "When this is over, Bickslow and I are having a long talk."
Flare awoke in her bed, almost smiling to herself. She couldn't believe that Bickslow had come for her. She almost giggled to herself. It felt so magical really. The way he looked at her. His kiss. The way his body molded against her own as they made love. It was almost as if they were made to fit each other.
She sighed. But what of Lisanna? She would surely, get in her way. She cursed the white haired, goody two shoes. She hated her. Everything about her made her cringe. She didn't deserve Bickslow's love.
She pulled herself out of bed, happy that she was still undressed. Her body still tingling from the rapture that she was given that morning. If only she could get him to do it again.
Then it hit her. A twisted idea that would easily bring the white puff ball to her knees. Bickslow shared a child with Lisanna. She could too.
If she could get him to come back to her over and over again, she could surely bare them a child. One that would be the star of his father's eye. She would bare him a son. Something that Lisanna failed to do.
She smirked to herself. All she had to do was find him. She was sure that she could seduce him again. From the way he acted, he must have really wanted her. She didn't even care that he called her some strange name as he took her. Just the loving way that he stared at her as they made love was enough.
He would be hers. There was no way around it.
Remy looked walked around the man that was using his son's body, just as he felt Magnus die. His soul left his body only leaving Modd strapped into his clay dummy.
"You can't win Remy. I don't even know why you are still here. Your Ivan is in danger, close to death, from what I can tell." The demon prodded.
He could feel it, Ivan was pressed for time, which meant that he was also in danger. "Give me Modd and I will leave." He hated to do this. He hated leaving that thing in his son's body.
Cetus only laughed. "You really want him?" The straps came loose and Modd was flung down at him. He barely caught him as the monster laughed. "I suggest you get out of Miresa before I stake my claim." The monster turned and looked at him and he swore he was looking at his own child for a second, before he was pulled under again. "Get out of my country."
He only looked at his son, for what may have been the last time. He felt tears sting his eyes as they faded to yellow, taking himself and the bleeding senator to the ground.
He looked up at Laxus, to find the boy look at him in anger. He only offered his hand after seeing Ivan. It would take the rest of his power to heal both the senator and his husband. "We need to get back to Lisanna. Then we need to get to Fairy Tail. Cetus is going to do a lock down on the city. I don't know what his full plan is, but we need as many reinforcements as possible."
He hated giving his order. He was taking about going after his own child. All it did was pain him from the inside out.
Laxus sighed. He must have known that this was the only way as well.
They grabbed onto him and disappeared back to the house, where fate would either save them or destroy them.
To Be Continued…
Author's Note
No Remy, you can't leave without Vik….or can you…I'm so mean.