Her eyes snapped open as her senses kicked in. The Alvarez heat and the dust and rubble covering the ground made it hard to breathe.
Since the moment she arrived on the continent months ago, no place had been safe. This abandoned castle had proved no different. Of course that is the exact reason she was even there in the first place.
Ever since the war between Ishgar and Alvarez ended, the enemy country has been in disarray. Like a snake without a head.
Dark guilds and individuals looking to take advantage of the innocent citizens in the midst of Zeref's defeat.
With no authority figures to take control of the situation, the new counsel has sent requests to this side of the boarder for help in restoring order and dissipating the newly found dark guilds causing chaos.
Many of her guildmates had taken these opportunities to earn some Jewels, since these types of jobs were in abundance at the moment, but Mira's quest was different.
While some of the requests from Alvarez could reach A-Class level and Even S-Class, never before had they sent Fairytail a SS-Class quest… Until now.
Master Makarov was so secretive with the entire thing that he only notified those wizards that were ranked S-Class for safety reasons.
At first Mira didn't even consider taking the job, figuring that Erza or Laxus would probably want it. Truth be told, she hadn't been on a S-Class Job since the incident with Lisanna. Even after her magic returned and Lisanna came home, she was still hesitant.
But alas, both Laxus and Erza had already committed to other jobs and no one even knew where Guildarts was at the moment. So due to the urgent nature of the Job request, Mirajane decided to accept the offer.
Which brings her back to the present. She could hear them on the lower level, searching each room systematically, throwing open doors, then slamming them shut.
The sound threw her back to a few days ago, when she had pushed open the door to the orphanage. A little girl had been in the arms of one of those monsters, her blood spilled across the floor
The memory twisted her gut into a raw ache, but she couldn't think about them right now. To the children she was too late to truly save. She might have saved their lives, but their minds and bodies would never be the same again.
She jumped to her feet, halting in the narrow hallway, straining to hear how many demons were in there. Three? More?
These were the repercussions of Zeref dying. According to Natsu, Zeref assumed that with his death, all the demons from the books of Zeref would die along with him, but that's not what happened.
Instead, we now face the exact opposite. Those demons that were still trapped in their books were set free upon his death. No ties to bind them any longer. They had the freedom to operate as they pleased and just like their fallen Tartaros brethren, they took delight in the death and despair they caused.
Her fingers flexed as she felt the magic radiate throughout her body. She couldn't give up. She wouldn't leave until he was dead.
Out of the hundreds that were released into the world, the counsel had identified 10 of them that they consider higher class demons. These demons had a much higher curse power than the usual demons one would come across. They call themselves the kings of hell.
She had already killed 9 of them and had taken over their souls in retribution. But one evades her. For the past few months she has been focused solely on tracking him and destroying him.
She knows that the guild is probably worried about her, since she has been gone for months now with no contact, but she has to see this through. So many people have died at his hand. Men, Women and Children. If she doesn't stop him, more innocent people will suffer.
She had finally caught a lead, leading her to her current predicament, but after coming here she realized that it was not the High Demon Amimon that was creating mayhem in this small town but some of his lower demon lackies.
Somewhere in the building, a floorboard groaned and gave way. A deep howl broke the silence, starting as a low whine before hitting an intense shril pitch. The scream sounded inhuman, sick and horrifying. Nothing else in this world sounded like a demon did. A hungry demon at that.They were close to her, she could feel it.
A whoosh of stale air whirled around her as something grabbed a handful of her hair, slamming her into the wall. Taking a hazy look at him confirms that he is not the one she was looking for.
Dust and plaster floated through the air. Black starbursts dotted her vision as she scrambled to her feet.
Those soulless, pitch black holes where his eyes should have been, seemed to stare at her like she was his next meal ticket.
The demon grasped her shoulder, but the takeover mage let her instinct take over. She twisted around, catching the surprise flickering across his dark face for a split second before she brought her hands to his chest.
The beem emanating from her palms went straight through his chest. The impact sent him staggering into the opposite wall. Mirajane spun around, slamming her hands into him.
Surprise turned to horror as the demon looked down at the talons buried deep in his stomach. It didn't matter where she aimed. Her magic would always win in the end.
A guttural sound escaped his gaping mouth before he disintegrated into nothing.
Changing back into her human form, Mira whirled around and took some steps away from where the demon just was, turning to survey the room.
She had been at this for months already and what was meant to be a job to defeat one SS-Class demon became a witch hunt when she realized that there were nine more of them who were even stronger, wreaking havoc on the world.
After killing Nine of them in total she was completely physically and mentally drained. That was practically equivalent to taking Nine SS-Class jobs one after the other. The only thing that is keeping her going right now is her determination to save as many people as she can, but even she knows that right now she is at her limit and she needs a few days just to recuperate.
"And where do you think you are going little wizard?" Mirajane stumbled to the side as she heard the voice.
Twisting around, her heart slammed against her ribs. He appeared a few feet behind her. Finally she was face to face with the demon that has eluded her for months. Amimon. He looked like a freak. His mouth hung open, exposing sharp serrated teeth. His eyes like soulless black holes. It sent chills over her skin.
"What are you doing here all alone?" he asked, voice deep and alluring. She took a step back, her eyes searching the room for an exit but she brushed that instinct off.
Honestly, at the moment, she didn't know if she could defeat him. After weeks of fighting non-stop she was drained, but there was no way she was going to back down from this fight. This is what she has been working towards for months. She was a member of Fairy Tail. She will never give up.
"Well that's a simple one. I'm here to kill you." A cold smile forms on her face sending chills through the room.
Without a second thought she charged towards him, throwing her palm against him, letting out a powerful display of magic. He looked at her surprised, not expecting that kind of Power to come from a human.
Reaching for him again, she tried to use her magic to take him over but he dodged her hand and landed a heavy blow to her abdomen, causing her to buckle over.
As brave as she was trying to be at this moment, it might be impossible to cast another takeover spell as her reserves were very low now.
The demon Amimon advanced on her. "Do you know what I'm going to do to you?" he smirked as he came over and ran his filthy hand over her breast. "I think I'm going to have a taste before I kill you."
Dread settles in Mira's stomach as the implications of his words set in. She cannot let that happen. Never. She would kill this bastard before he can even think of placing his hands on her in that way.
He circled her like a vulture, ready to rip into her. Mira's eyes narrowed on him, wondering if she could catch him off guard.
She slumped her body down almost like she had given up and like a druggie going after his fix, he came right at her. Before he could even blink, she had him in her hold. The demon yelled at her to stop, but it was too late. She has her hands wrapped around him and sunk her teeth into his neck, using what little energy she had left, she started to absorb his power through his blood. It felt delicious, it always did. She could feel the life-force leaving his body and flowing into hers.
What she was doing to him now, it was not like using her takeover power. No, this was something else. Something forbidden. This feeding was more sinister. a way to satisfy the darkest part of the soul. A part she never wanted anyone else to see.
She was so caught up in her feeding, she didn't even realize that someone had walked into the room until it was almost over. The electricity crackled in the air as the lightning dragon took in the terrified scene before him.
"Mirajane?"
The Distraction was just what Amimon needed. Taking advantage of the surprise caused by the new wizard, he managed to free himself from the takeover mage and took the opportunity to escape.
"No!" Mira screamed as she tried to stop him but it was too late. He was gone.
"Do you even know what you just did? Do you Laxus? That could have been my only chance!" Mira says as she storm's from the room, wondering if Amimon left any traces behind.
Laxus remains silent, possibly still shocked and confused by the scene he had just witnessed.
"What are you even doing here?" Mira asks as she walks out of the old building. Laxus being here has thrown her for a loop. Out of everyone, he was the last person she ever expected to see here.
Truth be told Laxus and her used to be close at one time. She even considered him a good friend and perhaps in her young mind, she had even hoped that they would become more, but that was ages ago. Just a girl of 15 and her little crush.
The Laxus that he was back then has grown into a man. In hindsight, he has always been this person, he just let his pain blind him in the past, but his heart had always been true. Regardless, their past relationship had never returned to what it was when they were younger, even after his return to fairy tail. She figured he just considered her to be a distant colleague at most now, so his appearance here really surprises her.
"Seriously?" He asks and she looks away at his condescending tone.
"You've been MIA for months now, not even a word from you. Do you really think gramps would sit back and do nothing?"
Mirajane stood frozen, even though she had expected something like this. "So Master sent you?" She responded with an aspirated sigh. All her thoughts vanished as her stomach did a funny twist. Mira turned and stared out to the streets
"Well what did you expect? Trust me, if I had a choice in this, I would not be here right now." She nodded, at a loss for words. Even though she was trying to push the emotions down, some of them seeped through and her eyes harden.
"He is really worried. It's not like you to go off the rails like this." He looks at her like he is waiting for an explanation, one she is not willing to give. Not now. Maybe not ever. She can't bare to see the look she knows will accompany the knowledge of what she is starting to become.
"I didn't mean to worry them, but as you can see, I'm perfectly fine so you can go back now."
"Yeah, that's not going to happen." He says and Mira stops to stare at him.
"I thought you didn't even want to be here." She says as she continues to walk in the direction of the inn she is staying at. She hasn't been there for a few weeks and had instead decided that camping out, away from the citizens, was a safer option.
"I've changed my mind." He says with his usual arrogant smirk, but Mira knows that behind the arrogant persona he still hides behind, is a wizard who really cares about his guild mates. As much as she is happy to see the man he has become, she really can't have him around her during this mission. This is something she has to do on her own. Something he couldn't be around to witness.
"Seriously Laxus, you need to leave. I'm not here to play a game, I'm in the middle of a dangerous mission. I can't afford any distractions. Just go back and let the guild know that I'm fine and that I'll be back once I'm done with my task."
"You know little demon, I've been watching you for a while now." His words are said with an emotion she cannot place.
She freezes "What?"
"Probably a week in total." He say getting serious.
"What the hell Laxus, that's creepy as shit." The realization that Laxus probably knows exactly why she has not returned home yet rock's her to her core. He has probably seen all the inhuman things she has done too. It makes a sense of dread stair in her stomach. Nobody would look at her the same.
"What I saw today. Are you going to tell me exactly what you were doing when I walked in?" He asked.
"No." She says and turns away. She cannot bear to look at him.
He smirked " Do you know what I've noticed? You've changed since the last time I saw you..." He says as tears start to gather in her eyes. Her fear starts to rise. What will he think of her now? "And you know what else I picked up on? You struggle to stay in control of all those demons you have consumed."
"Fuck you Laxus." She hisses, letting her fear and pain turn to anger
"Your bloodlust is uncontrollable Little Demon. You could really hurt someone if you're not careful." He say with contempt.
"I have it under contro-"
"No you don't!" He cuts her off letting some hardness seep into his voice.
"You are loosing control... Which is why I'm going to be your new shadow from now on." He says with a smirk but she knows he is serious.
"I don't need you here Laxus. I would never hurt an innocent."
"Maybe not on purpose."
"I-…" The tears start to fill her eyes again because she knows he is right. During these last few months, she had slowly started to become the monster everyone was afraid of her to be.
Behind Laxus's words, she could see a future she couldn't bear to face. Being subjected to her darkness, having no control or say over anything she does, the possibility scared the crap out of her.
A possibility made worse by her nearly all consuming need to hunt these demons. Fighting them was ingrained in her blood, but after seeing what'd happened to all the people here, what happened to the children, her desire for their blood skyrocketed.
"Aren't you the one who has always told me to ask for help when I need it? Fairy tail is supposed to be a family right? Those were your words."
"I don't- "
"That's fine Mira, you can try to hide it but I've already decided that I'm going to stick around for a while. Maybe you really don't need my help, but I'm going to be there for you either way." He say nonchalantly as he walks into the inn.
"Laxus-" Mira whispers.
"I'll see you in the morning, Mirajane. You should get some rest now. You and I both know how much you need it."
She doesn't say anything more, she can't. It feels like the world is caving in around her. It makes her feel like she can't even breathe.
"Oh and Mira, don't you dare try to run. There is nowhere you can go that I would not be able to scent you, so just make it easier on us both and stay put, yeah?" He says, not stopping to give her a second look as he shuts the door behind him.
Her footsteps felt heavy as she moved around the familiar room. It was fully furnished, seeming larger than she remembered. The room had a separate living area and a decent sized bedroom. And it had its own bathroom.
She took longer than necessary shower, reveling in the feeling of being clean again. People took things like showers for granted. She knew she had. For the last few weeks she had been out there, tracking that demon. Staying alive had turned out to be more important than taking a shower.
Once she was sure all the grime was washed away, she found the bag with the clothes she brought along on the table in front of the couch. Picking it up, she realized that they were actually somewhat loose on her. The pants were at least two sizes too big, eating well had been another thing she was not quite concerned about during the last few weeks.
Back in the bathroom, she craned her neck. Amimon had marked her just where the neck sloped down to the collarbone. The scratch would be an angry red color for the next day or so, but would fade into nothing, leaving her with clear skin once more. One of the benefits of her demon blood.
She almost had him. If Laxus did not show up, all of this would have been over but... What would have become of her if she actually completed her feeding? Each one of the other high demons she fed off had changed her, made her stronger, but they were also the very thing that fed her darkness. Part of her wonders if one day they would truly take her over.
She knows she should stop, but demons were the most powerful beings alive that she could feed on currently. It's something that she craves and she doesn't know if she can stop doing it even after she defeats Amimon.
Now in bed she couldn't help looking out the window of her bedchambers. She noted that the lands were completely enveloped by the depth of night, but still she could not find sleep. Taking a couple deep breaths, she slowly let her body drift back into slumber, but not before making a mental note to set some preliminary rules come the next morning.