(Hi, quick AN here :3
The idea for this chapter has been in my mind for a LOOOONG time and is based on a specific song. There's an indicator in the text and I'd recommend that you either listen to it first before continuing or turn it on and read with it playing. I tried to write in a way that would correlate, but I'm not 100% on it. Either way, the song is
Hoist the colours high - the version by Colm R. McGuinness
So if you'd like to fully immerse yourself - please listen to the song, I promise it'll be cool :p

ALSO

HAPPY GAJEVY DAY 33

Oki, thank you and have fun with this massive chapter!)

...

Complete and utter quiet is unimaginably eerie. Despite her recent experiences, nothing could have prepared Levy for this feeling. She wondered how the soldiers could stand this on the regular, waiting, anticipating, over and over before each battle. Whether they always had to fight this same anxiety or got used to it after enough experience. She felt as if she'd been submerged in ice water even though the morning was temperate. Her chest rose and lowered rapidly, but her breath remained shallow and almost inaudible, too much, yet too little at the same time.

This battle would may well determine her fate, which was a new and strange feeling. Despite her growing anxiety, the thought calmed her. Usually, wars could rage on for years or even decades, the prospect of which had been a constant source of tension at the back of her mind. But with Hades acting on his own in this fight, taking him out meant ending this conflict before it even fully began. While she welcomed the thought, this amount of confidence in his abilities and those of his puppets made her nervous, as it signified a strong enemy. But she didn't have an ace up her sleeve for nothing. She just wished she could have tested it beforehand, without certainty, the ace was more like a joker. If it was viable, this spell could cost her all her remaining magic and possibly damage her capacity to wield magic permanently. The thought scared her, despite magic not being a major part of her life, the prospect of losing it felt daunting. Less daunting than what lay in wait for the day, yet daunting nonetheless. Thinking about the battle ahead once again filled her veins with ice, pinching and pricking at her flesh from inside, stiffening her limbs, paralyzing her with fear. This feeling was different from the screeching hot terror she'd felt back in the cave beneath Erkar castle, but familiar enough to remember what Rheyvar had told her to do to open the portal. Once again, she conjured up everything she could about Gajeel in her mind.

How they'd spent the past days working on his mastery of the dragon magic, his proud grins when he mastered a new form, as well as his focused frown when he tried to figure out a trickier aspect. How she'd sneak into his tent each night so they could use all the time they had, talking about anything and everything, falling asleep on his chest or holding his hand. Him teaching her a few words of ancient Teryan to get her mind off things because he already knew her well enough to know she was most at peace when her brain was busy processing new and exciting things. How his hair had tickled her face earlier when they said their goodbyes and he'd gently pressed his forehead against hers, a gesture of deep love and devotion in his culture. All the little affirmations of love he'd given her so far condensed in this one action and the promise to return to her, so certain, so intense, so full of yearning for their shared future.

"I'll come back to you. And if I can't, then I'll find you, wherever I am. No matter where or what you are, no matter how long, I'll wait an eternity for you and I'll find you. We'll be together, I promise."

These were the words that chased away the darkness and conquered the fear in her heart. To be loved so fully, so utterly overwhelmingly, so…completely. What was death against the promise of such love?

Levy could feel the hairs on her arms stand one end, not just signifying the exhilaration and joy that was chasing away the icy panic, but an extension of her magic. This is why she liked magic, it was alive and resonated with her very being. She felt ready to face the challenges ahead. Walking a few steps away from Leo, who of course was assigned to protect her during the battle and possibly beyond, she glanced down towards the troops. Since she was to stay away from danger as far as possible, Gajeel had stationed her on a hill overlooking the battlefield, equipped with strong binoculars and a flawless exit plan. Together with Rheyvar, who could contact Gajeel and other troop leaders via telepathy magic, she would be a one-woman communication station. Leo was responsible for concealing her position from enemy forces so she wouldn't become a target.

Beneath the hill she could see the forces of the Teryan army standing ready, with several riders heading the batallions. Two were moving up and down the entirety of the mass of men, Lily and Gajeel no doubt. They'd be giving out last orders and rallying speeches. If the wind was good while they were close she could faintly hear their booming voices, but they were too far to understand any coherent words. She lifted the binoculars to her eyes and looked to the west. There, at the edge of a forest she could make out the banners of Erkar in between the trees. They'd been on the move for the past days and came to a halt at the forest, soon assuming battle formations. This was more than an invitation, a declaration of war could hardly be more unmistakable. We're here, we're ready and we are many.

Despite this, Gajeel and the others had decided to make one last effort to establish diplomatic contact. Avoiding a fight was always top priority after all. Levy glanced back towards their forces where a scout was getting ready to deliver the request, white flag in hand, he got on a horse and quickly made his way over. Shortly before the forest, he was greeted by one of Erkars scouts, who escorted him the rest of the way. The exchange wasn't visible, but it was brief. Only minutes later, the scout exited the treeline, riding back towards their side. Levy watched as he travelled, when he suddenly stopped. It was so abrupt, she lost him with the binoculars and had to look without them. He was slouched over his horse, which continued their way in a trot, confused as to why its rider wasn't giving any more commands. When Levy focused the binoculars on him again she knew why he'd stopped. She was thankful she couldn't see everything from her position, but she could definitely see the arrow near where she presumed the scout's head to be. Those bastards.

The man's death signified the point of no return, no more talking, no more avoidant tactics. This was a taunt, a show of power, they had violated the first rule of honourable warfare, showing that what they were seeking was not domination, but annihilation. If Terya backed down it would be nothing more than an admission of weakness.

[=]

Levy still wondered how the battle would play out when she heard an unexpected noise. And from an unexpected person. Beneath her, spearheading the troops sat Gajeel on his horse and…sang. She'd never heard him sing before, but it sounded skilled and pleasant, his voice strong, loud enough for her to hear, but still clear and melodic. In a slow, deliberate, almost haunting tone he sang of a queen being stolen and bound, making Levy wonder if it was a reference to herself. Some of his men had joined him, not singing, but providing a harmony to his lyrics, at first tentative and quiet, it soon swelled to a sonourous hum that enveloped the clearing below.

Their singing ebbed off and Levy thought they had finished their song when Gajeel began again. This time he sung in a voice that was low, even for his gravelly bass. It sounded like a growl, threatening, intimidating, as if more than one voice emanated from his throat. His men joined him in this tone, one after the other, until everyone was either singing along or humming the harmony. Even from where she stood, far away from them, Levy could hear their many voices, everything from a clear tenor to the low gravelly growl of a bass. She'd never heard a harmony like it, even at this distance, it reverberated in her, full and smooth like a deep red wine. Just like with Gajeel, it sounded strangely multiplied, as if each of the men was singing with more than one voice. With how many they were, the song swelled to a roar, like waves crashing against the shore in a raging storm, like a vulcano erupting in the distance or the stampeding wildebeest herds of Rhyacus' steppes, but it never detracted from the clarity of the song. Levy couldn't quite understand every word, nevertheless, the emotions were as clear as if she was reading them in a book. Pride, quiet fury, camaraderie, determination, but most of all, defiance. Defiance against adversaries, against death, against fate itself. A testimony to their strength and perseverance it spoke of decades of lives, of generations of experience, of the pride of repeatedly fighting tooth and nail for their home.

Goosebumps raced across her entire body, the sights and sounds before her so otherworldly and intimidating, yet so instinctive and beautiful she'd struggle to put it into words. Her magic reacted to it, rushing, pulsating within her, like tiny shocks, pinching and pricking her in a sensation like the icy fear she'd felt before, yet so different in that it felt pleasant, joyful almost, as if the magic itself was singing. It swelled ever more, growing stronger, fuller, deeper, clearer with each passing line. The sound was overwhelming, mixing with the wind rustling through the trees, carrying it throughout the clearing and almost gathering there, an all-encompassing presence in every fibre of every being.

—

Then it stopped. As suddenly and hauntingly as it had started, it ended and the clearing was quiet once more. Nevertheless it felt…changed. It felt as though nature itself had listened, the area felt alive with the same humming magic that had accompanied the song. And something else was different. A faint, light blue glow was emanating from the men below, faint enough that it could be a trick of light if you looked too long. Levy hadn't noticed Leo stepping close, transfixed by the sight before her, so she jumped when he spoke.

"Milady, you just witnessed Terya's most well kept secret."

"What did they do?"

"You might be under the impression we Teryans don't have much capacity for magic, which is a rumour spread on purpose. Unlike other cultures we don't receive magic energy from a guardian deity, a pact with a higher being or through the study of the arcane. We instead mastered one specific kind of spell, one of the strongest enhancement spells known to mankind. The cantrip for it is only possible through song and only in a group like this. If you witness it you're either a trusted ally to us, or…well…not surviving the encounter."

This sent shivers down Levy's spine. So after all, Teryans weren't merely strong and battle-hungry, they had been capable of complex enhancement magic this entire time. No wonder they were considered such ferocious fighters. Behind them, the troops were reorganising into battle formations.

"Can you explain to me how it works? Or is that forbidden?"

"You're his majesty's chosen partner. If anyone would be allowed to learn, it is you, Madam. Truth be told, this spell is not strictly just an enhancement spell, it is a form of berserker possession. We channel our ancestors, draw upon their strength, experience and perseverance to guide us in battle. They also protect us against some more…insidious forms of magic."

Levy sighed with relief. Having seen firsthand what Erkar mages were capable of, she had been worrying about how this would play out in battle. Hearing that the men below, including Gajeel and Lily had at least some resistance to one-hit-ko spells was calming her nerves. Though the thought made her pause. Lily? He was an Exceed, a kind of people notorious for nomadic lives and movement patterns, was he not part of this spell?

"What about those who are not of Teryan decent? Like Lily?"

"I myself am not strictly of Teryan decent. For us, if we are accepted as part of the Teryan people and taught the song, those who never saw generations after them or whose line has ended will be happy to provide their strength to us instead. Don't worry about Master Lily, he's the one who taught his Majesty how to fight after all. If his Majesty wasn't stronger by nature, I might have to call Master Lily the strongest fighter in the south."

Levy smiled wearily at the revelation. Gajeel had mentioned something about training with Lily before, but she made a mental note to ask him about it after the battle. She'd gotten into the habit of gathering all of these small things she wanted to talk about or do after the conflict was over to stay optimistic.

On the other end of the field, Erkar began moving.

A shadow passed over Levy and when she looked up, she could see a flickering mass above her, like heat above a fire came alive. Rheyvar was using the same light refraction spell she'd used to make an invisibility cloak to conceal himself above the battlegrounds.

The Erkarian troops were approaching in a long rectangle formation, which puzzled both Levy and Leo.

"Why are they doing this? It leaves them wide open to getting flanked or circled and cut off. Do they have some hidden strategy?"

"I sure hope not. Hades is a cunning and prolific sorcerer, that much is certain, but maybe he's relying too much on that and hasn't strategized enough."

It seemed as though Levy would be proven right. The two armies met in the middle of the field and soon, the advancing head of Erkars troops found itself surrounded. Sparks, flames and other effects of magic use flew around and swords glistened in the sun. Levy chose to follow Gajeel closely with her binoculars, watching him mow down hordes of enemies with just a few swings of his massive sword. He hadn't taken Scenja to battle, too afraid to loose her, but the horse he was riding on seemed as well trained as she was. It forged ahead calmly, mostly directed by only Gajeels legs, since he needed both arms to make proper use of Dragonfang. Despite the seriousness of the situation, there was a thought creeping in the back of Levy's mind as she watched him ride around the battlefield, swinging a sword taller than her with ease, clad in shining armour.

He was magnificent.

She scolded herself for it, but it was undeniable. Seeing him at work, witnessing what years of training and experience looked like on a born fighter; the intensity of his presence on the field was a sight to behold. No wonder he was known beyond Terya as the warrior prince, Kurogane - the black steel sword of Terya. Rugged, rough and most of all, deadly.

But Gajeels strength would be exhausted at some point and despite cornering the Erkarian troops earlier, they had seemingly unlimited stamina compared to the Teryan fighters, who continually had to dodge or block magic attacks. More mages were joining the fight too, with the chaos of battle providing them cover to attack from behind and execute flanking manoeuvres themselves. Suddenly, there was no more surrounding, no more manoeuvring, just people upon people, fighting with everything they had. And it wasn't going so great.

"We're loosing footing. If we don't push them back soon we might have to retreat." Leo commented.

"We can't. They're not human, they don't feel fear, or hunger, or exhaustion. They'd follow us since they won't need rest themselves."

The situation looked bleak. Levy knew without using her binoculars that they had suffered a lot of losses already. Not all of Hades' fighters were simple magic puppets like he'd used at Helias Pass. Some of them were as real and conscious as any other human, which made them dangerous enemies.

"Humans."

Iit was Rheyvars voice in Levys head, and presumably Gajeels too. "I can feel Hades' presence. He's coming. Dragonblood, look for him in the treeline."

"Tiny human. Tell your guard to conceal your presence. If Hades knows you're here he'll try to use you as leverage."

Levy relayed the message to Leo, who immediately drew his sword and used it to draw a large circle around them, mumbling cantrips under his breath. She was glad to have him by her side and not have to use her own power for these complicated spells. He really was quite talented as a spellcaster.

She focused back on Gajeel, but her heart sank at what she saw. He seemingly had spotted Hades, but nearly all of the soldiers had retreated and were building a shield formation around the sorcerer. There was no coming through for now and despite relieving immediate pressure from their own troops, the mages and archers in the formation were utilizing long-range attacks to wear them down further. However, their troops had one clear advantage over Erkar: experience. More precisely, they could rely on their leaders to strategize on the spot, much more than Hades could. Gajeel waved his arm in a motion as if he was whirling a piece of cloth above his head while shouting orders. The men began to gather in one spot, then another order and they moved to form a semicircle around the Erkarian troops, all while holding up their shields or shield spells to block incoming attacks. Suddenly, Lily appeared next to Gajeel, eliciting a relieved sigh from Levy, who'd been worried about the Exceed. The two men had a terse exchange, then Gajeel took position at the centre of the circle. Lily raised his paw and on his command, the shield formation exploded. Every battle mage on Terya's side fired offensive spells at it, but by far the most interesting spell was coming from Gajeel. Levy had seemingly not been the only one hiding an ace up her sleeve. Gajeel had raised Dragonfang over his head and expanded it to be triple of its original size. With a motion of his hand, the giant sword came crashing down on the enemy, splitting the earth with a force comparable to Rheyvar ripping that tree out of the soil back when they were camping. Levy's musings about whether the sword with imbued runes was specifically crafted to be used by dragonbloods would have to wait though. The dust was settling and they were not yet broken through.

Gajeel drove his horse forward, swinging his sword in preparation to strike, Lily and his men close at his heels. Using the aftermath of the frontal attack and sheer force, they managed to get through the shield formation, where the men immediately began disabling it from the inside. Gajeel left them to their devices, carving his way through and Levy finally spotted the man of the hour.

Hades looked the same he had back in the cave, or maybe even less human than back then. He seemed taller, stronger, so different from the old man that had greeted her in the small room and pretended to be slow on his feet. Gone were the many heavy robes meant to make him look less threatening than he was, replaced by a tight fitted shirt that revealed him to be much more built than expected from his age and profession. Dark purple flames emerging from the shadow his cloak cast at his feet licked at his hands like they were puppies begging for a treat. But the most unnerving thing were his eyes, even darker than the flames and without a discernible iris, they seemed hollow and empty, yet so full of malice, brimming with dark power and…directly looking at her.

Levy dropped the binoculars, shivers racing up and down her spine. They had made eye contact. She wasn't imagining it, this kind of instinctual reaction, this kind of fear was not born out of imagination, he had looked at her.

"Leo! Reinforce your enchantment and add a portal blocking spell!"

Hearing the urgency in her voice and recognizing that she was giving him direct orders for the first time since they met, he immediately began casting new spells, adding a defensive and magic-resting shield around them. Not a second too late, as out of nowhere, a portal opened, two spearheads connected to chains within. They shot straight for Levy but crashed against the shield.

"I'll keep you safe, Madam, keep looking so we know what's happening!" Leo shouted, now focusing fully on the shield, rather than concealment. Hades had found them anyways. This way they might at least be able to distract him from finding the dragon.

Another portal opened with more attacks waiting inside, but they were reflected by the shield as well, after which they stopped. Lifting the Binoculars again, Levy could see why - Gajeel had finally managed to reach Hades and immediately engaged him in close combat.

—-

Gajeels side ached where he'd gotten hit with the blunt end of a battle axe, but he ignored it with routine acquired through many fights. He had more important things to worry about. Hades was right in front of him and the stakes had never been higher. One good hit and this would be over. He was responsible for the outcome of this battle, this war and it all relied on taking down this damned sorcerer. But he needed to be careful. Through many conversations with Levy and the dragon he'd learned a great deal about the man, who seemed to always be one step ahead of everyone else. Almost instinctively he covered his skin in scales, something that thanks to a whole lot of training now came as natural to him as walking. Though he and Levy suspected that the way his magic was so interwoven with his body had been helpful too.

He jumped off his horse, knowing it would only provide a larger target for magic attacks and ran at Hades, sword ready. Of course he didn't expect this attack to land, but it was a good way to get closer and put the enemy on the defensive.

"Oh, the impostor is finally showing himself!"

Hades gloated and shot one of his spearheads at Gajeel. Having anticipated a counterattack, Gajeel dodged to the side and grinned. A blade on a chain? Good idea actually.

"Don't go givin' me ideas!"

Channeling the magic into his hand, he flung Dragonfang at Hades with all his might, connecting it to his own chain to mimic the spearhead. Hades seemed surprised by the attack, but managed to block it by pulling his flames in front of him to manifest a shield. Gajeel retracted the chinese to retrieve the sword and used this short confusion to get closer. However, he had underestimated Hades' reflexes and reaction time and was hit with a ball of dark purple magic immediately after the shield came up. Hades grinned triumphantly, but only for a moment until he saw Gajeel shake off the attack with ease. Gajeel grinned and swung his sword at Hades, the whispers of his ancestors' protection guiding his hand. They wouldn't block attacks for him forever, but it was enough to get some time to analyze his enemy's attack patterns without eating too many hits.

But of course, Hades simply protected himself against the sword attack with the flames, prompting a frustrated growl from Gajeel. If Dragonfang was imbued with magic itself, he could most likely break through the shield, but he didn't have enough mastery of magic to do that consistently during battle. He'd need to come up with a strategy and do it fast. Hades seemed fresh as ever, barely having moved from his spot and clearly here to outlast him if the battle continued like this. So he switched strategies. Sheathing Dragonfang into the holster on his back, he started to pull on his own magic energy, dodging attacks and sending small projectiles and chains Hades' way. These small weapons wouldn't do much damage, but that wasn't the point anyways. The old man was clearly rather prideful, not wanting to move to dodge, using magic to shield himself instead. Gajeel would make it his downfall. He'd keep attacking with these low-cost spells for now, focusing on relaxed breathing to keep up his stamina, distracting Hades and forcing him to slowly deplete his magic energy. Meanwhile, he was slowly imbuing Dragonfang with magic energy to use once he'd see an opening.

It took all of his focus to execute all of these manoeuvres simultaneously, Hades only had to keep up his shield and throw the occasional attack his way. While it wasn't meant to be sustainable anyways, he'd still need to figure out how to distract him enough to actually land an attack.

"Struggling, are we?"

Gajeel breathed a sigh of relief at hearing the friendly teasing from his left, a phrase he'd heard over an over throughout his life.

"Shuddup cat, can't you see he's close to giving up?" he shot back with a grin.

Lily jumped into action immediately, putting pressure on Hades at melee range with his own sword. Gajeel joined him when Dragonfang was ready, hoping that the two together could drive him into a corner. He had covered his hands in reinforced, spiked scales and was relying on hand-to-hand combat. The draconic magic seemed to be able to circumvent the shield, now actually putting Hades on the defensive, as he had to dodge attacks rather than just shield himself. Suddenly, his eyes seemed to glow and his face twisted into an wrathful grimace.

"ENOUGH"

A powerful wave of black flames erupted from the shadow at his feet, catching both Gajeel and Lily off guard. The sheer force of it threw them back several paces and the spell itself would have most likely been deadly had it not been for the ancestral protection. The light around Lily flickered and died. Protecting him from this last spell had used up all the power available to him. Gajeel could feel his own dwindling with each attack and knew he'd also be without any last barrier soon. While they were still getting back up, Hades stepped closer to Lily, faster than any human should be able to move. Within the blink of an eye he had the large cat gripped with black tendrils of flames. They started to crawl over his body, wherever they were they left strage dark marks all over his fur, making their way to his throat. His face was twisted with agony, whatever these things were inflicting on him, it was clearly painful.

"LILY!" Gajeel shouted, scrambling back onto his feet, ears still ringing. He tried to run for the two, but his feet were equally tangled in the black tendrils and Dragonfang had slid out of it's sheath away from him. It glowed with the imbued magic, ready to strike down any enemy. Gajeel stretched out his hand towards it.

"You annoy me. You're even less worthy to fight me than he is." Hades hissed at Lily, slowly closing his fists as the tendrils sapped more of his life energy. The exceed's eyes closed, his face not twisted anymore, but more frighteningly, lacking any expression.

"Begone."

In a split second, as if the battle had stopped just for the blink of an eye, the meadow went deathly quiet. Only two sounds were heard echoing over the hills.

The clanking thud of an armored Exceed falling to the floor.

And a gurgling cough.

Hades looked bewildered at Lily on the ground in front of him. Then his gaze lowered to his own chest. There, in the afternoon sun, the tip of Dragonfang glistened with fresh blood. He turned slowly, blood dripping out of his mouth onto his beard. There Gajeel stood, both hands outstretched, panting from the exertion of using the immense amount of magic it had taken him to pick up such a large sword from afar and drive it into him with enough force to bring it right through his chest. Then he fell to the floor.

Gajeel immediately ran over to his lifeless friend.

"LILY! Come on, wake up, I know you're tougher than this." He checked for a pulse, struggling to find anything. Around him, the battle raged on, many of Hades soldiers still up and fighting despite the death of their master. His own heart was beating out of his chest.

There it was. Faint, weak and incredibly fragile, but he could feel a heartbeat and even more, he could feel the faintest flow of magic.

"Oi, dragon! Can you get him out of here? He needs help!" He hoped that his thoughts would reach the beast flying overhead.

There was no answer. Of course, with his summoner dying the dragon would be gone. Gajeels brain scrambled, trying to think of a way to get Lily off the field and somewhere he could be treated. Suddenly a portal opened next to him. His brain came to a screeching halt. There was only one wizard in his camp who could open portals.

"Leo, what're you doing here, you need to protect Levy!"

"Don't worry your Majesty, Miss Levy sent me when she saw what happened! I'll take him into our shield for now!" With that, the young man pulled Lily into the portal and vanished. Gajeel took a deep breath to center himself. The fight wasn't over, his soldiers were still fighting to end it for good. He got back up on his feet and walked over to Hades, looking to retrieve his sword, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as he approached. Even in death, the dark sorcerer was emitting a sinister energy.

He should have listened to his instincts. Why was the dead man still emitting such an energy, why were his soldiers still fighting, why were his instincts screaming at him? Through the noises of battle behind him cut a sound that felt like it was scraping over his bones, the very last sound he wanted to hear in this situation. A low, far too lively chuckle.

And it was coming from a dead man.

...

AN: I'm evil I know :p

I had originally planned for this to be the last chapter, the grand finale posted on Gajevy day, but it ran away with me just a little and I decided to split it. The next and final chapters + epilogue will follow soon!
Also, dw, I'll obviously continue writing on other projects, but this has reached novel length by now and can't go on forever ^^'

As always, thank you so much for reading and please do leave me your thoughts in the comments! Seriously, they make me so happy.
Also, I post my art on Tumblr mavikiu, so if you're interested come and take a look :3
See you soon! 3