Chapter 109:
Laxus kept his mouth shut about how over-the-top Davian was being, especially since Irena seemed to have those criticisms covered. He'd purchased all of the seats in one of the cars, which was ridiculous when you knew he only purchased first class and so they already had plenty of privacy. It wasn't until they were actually seated, did Laxus realize why.
He hadn't really paid much attention to their other two companions, and so it was a shock when the doors closed and the boy, Erandi, dropped his glamour with a vexed sigh. Davian was giving him a disapproving look over his spectacles, arms crossed as the boy muttered tiredly in another language. Davian gave him a slow, stern response, tongue and teeth wrapping around each syllable in a way that made Laxus assume whatever he was saying, it wasn't nice. His suspicion was confirmed when the larger one laughed, a sound that Laxus inherently recognized and sent a tremor down his spine. When Laxus stared him down, trying to figure him out, the hulking man sucked in a deep hiss, not unlike Davian had done to him earlier. It was a warning sound, and had Laxus not been conserving his energy, he might have done something about that. But he didn't.
"I know him... don't I?" Laxus asked when the other two lizardfolk settled into the cabin behind them. Davian looked like he was bracing himself, "How do I...?"
"It's Rut." he stated, hurling it out like a child tossing something they clearly weren't supposed to have on the table for their parents to see, examine, and punish them for having, "I got him out of prison... recently."
"You're… you're fucking kidding, Davian." Laxus said, fists clenching as he took in his words.
"Please, I know, it's abhorrent. I didn't have a choice," Davian spilled, rushing, "He's less of-of a threat, now. Do you remember the introduction ritual we did?"
"…yes," Laxus said through his teeth.
"It separated me from Father. The separation, you see, changed something. I don't experience that insatiable hunger anymore, even in the presence of fresh blood. Rut has been through the same as well. The beast of him is still there, but I can ensure he won't do anything… despicable." He said, fidgeting the entire time. Laxus felt uneasy.
"How are you supposed to ensure that?" He pictured the bones in the basement of the old sawmill, how small the skull had been. His stomach twisted and he felt nauseous all over again.
"By getting ahead of it."
"Uh… huh…" Laxus narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "How in the hell do you get ahead of it?"
"Oh, don't be so cryptic," Irena sighed, and looked at Laxus, "It's a hive mind."
"It is not a hive mind. I can think for myself." Davian hissed.
"They used to share a hive mind with Father. Your introduction severed Davian's connection to it accidentally. It was done to Rut as a punishment, while he was in prison waiting for whatever Father would do to him for stepping out of line." Irena explained, "Davian figured out a way to align Rut to his own... frequency."
"You can read his mind?" Laxus said, studying him, "You could read Father's mind?"
"No because it's not a hive mind... it's, well..." Davian huffed, trying to arrange his thoughts, "I couldn't read Its mind. It... doesn't follow our rules of existence. But I could sense a presence if one of my kind was near, as I believe I've already told you. And perhaps if that presence wanted me to, I could read their mind. But there was a distance between me and the rest of my kind, and a larger amount of presence, that made all of that even more difficult. As it stands, Rut and I are in close proximity and we're the only two aligned to each other..."
"So you can read his mind," Laxus stated.
"I catch glimpses... if it's strong enough." Davian finally admitted, "Mostly he's just aimless. Lacking the hunger, he has little drive for anything outside of daily survival... and terrorizing Erandi."
"He ate an eight-year-old and regurgitated his remains on a basement floor." Laxus said scathingly.
"We're not thrilled about it either, love," Irena said idly. She was fiddling with Rameses' harness, allowing the dog a moment of reprieve as the train began its departure.
"It was done out of necessity," Davian said, "Perhaps it is true that Orotrushit isn't a fighter as I am, but even still, what he lacks in prowess he makes up in his ability to see and heal. Rut, despite everything, hails from the Yaoyo. He can both sense and defend against Orotrushit better than I can... and he was desperate to be free of prison and connected to another mind. The quiet is... maddening."
The way Davian spoke, it occurred to Laxus that he also craved the connection. A glance at Irena just confirmed the suspicion. She gave him a tense smile.
Laxus… let it go. There wasn't much he could do anyway, which was something that was really beginning to agitate him. If Rut decided to go on a rampage, he'd probably pass out before he could do anything constructive. Despite how much he didn't like it, it seemed they were stuck.
A particularly rough bit of track had the cabin rattling to the side. Laxus clenched his teeth as he was made to bump against the seats. He snapped out a hand to steady himself and immediately regretted the action. Amongst the prickling of his flesh, the vertigo, the motion sickness, Laxus felt the harsh lines down his back twist and pull uncomfortably. The remnants of Gajeel's claws would typically have been healed by now, but the magic deficiency reduced his fast healing to something much more mediocre. He felt something reopen and cursed, balling his hand up into a fist. He considered punching the wall, but that would probably make the pins and needles worse.
"I see you haven't talked to him about being less of an animal, yet," Davian said. If Laxus hadn't been so miserable, he might have noted how his voice lacked its usual sharpness to it when he spoke of his lover. But Laxus was in a bad mood, and it hurt.
"And I see you're still a virgin," he snapped, and immediately regretted it.
Davian's brows flew up and his eyes flashed. His teeth showed when he spoke, "How rude."
"I'm sorry..." Laxus immediately backpedaled, apologizing first to Davian and then looking to Irena who seemed nothing short of amused, "That was uncalled for. I apologize."
"Apology accepted," she was smirking, although it was beyond Laxus as to why.
"I didn't mean offense." Davian said, "It just... seems you're in pain."
"Usually, they'd be gone by now," Laxus said, stretching his arms experimentally. He could feel the tug and pull of the flesh of his back. Across his shoulders, the fiery lines from talons stoked back to life just slightly, "It surprised me."
"Why let him do it?" Davian's lip was curled, "It doesn't seem something you enjoy."
Laxus levelled him with a look, "It's just… part of who he is."
Davian made a noise in the back of his throat that might have been disgust, "Does that matter?"
"It's strange to me that you don't understand him better," Laxus said, "Do you like hiding who you are, Davian? Do you enjoy covering your eyes and teeth and feathers?"
He looked confused, "It's done out of necessity."
"Do you enjoy it? When you look at yourself in the mirror and you see yourself without everything that makes you you... is that what you want?" Laxus asked.
Davian stared blankly, "Not particularly... but I recognize my appearance is frightening."
"And you're ashamed of it." Laxus said, and it seemed to make the chameleon quite uncomfortable, "You're ashamed of the fact you're not human. You think its barbaric and backward and animalistic. You're terrified of it, or you were, because you hurt someone you cared about, and that just made it worse."
"I don't appreciate the direction this conversation is going," Davian said slowly.
"Why?" Laxus chuckled. He settled back into the seat and crossed his arms, trying to get comfortable enough to rest, "If you didn't want me to see right through you, you shouldn't have yelled at him the way you did at the safe house."
"Perhaps I was under the impression you don't stand up for yourself when it comes to your other half," Davian said tersely.
"I really must look like shit. Do I seem like someone who can be bullied now?" Laxus rolled his eyes, "We all need some refuge to be ourselves in, where we don't have to put up a façade and pretend to be something we're not. That's an issue I never really had. The need for control, I can understand. Fear of what you're capable of if you're not careful, I understand. Fear of not living up to expectations, I understand. I don't understand what it's like to hate the body you live in, to be told you're an animal for how you look, for how you feel. To be labelled inhuman just because of the way you present yourself, or for how you react when you're overwhelmed."
"There is a responsibility, though, not to cause harm," Davian argued, and it was clear he was choosing his words carefully, "Perhaps from where I'm standing, it looks like he doesn't care about that. Besides, if I'm not mistaken, his claws are optional."
"Then you'd be mistaken." Laxus said demurely, trying to keep his eyelids open, "Magic is tied to emotion, they can't be separated from one another. Non-mages always assume its genetics, which is understandable, but that is just one piece of it. Powerful mages are strong because of passion. He has all this emotion bouncing around that he hasn't learned to feel properly because he was never allowed to before. It wasn't something he had to confront before because for most of his life, his passion came from rage. Now it comes from places he doesn't understand."
Laxus caught himself drifting and so he blinked rapidly and forced his attention back to Davian who watched him with one brow arched. Either he didn't understand or else he didn't want to.
"I'm not exempt from it either. I slip. I'm very aware that if I lose my grasp on my magic, it can kill people. I had to learn to send it other places. Into the sky, or the air around me," he clenched his fist and electricity spidered over his knuckles and down his arm to demonstrate, "Into my own skin... It's natural. The claws are bound to come out. He can't control it and, honestly, he shouldn't feel the need to. I love him for who he is. He holds chaos in him like hot water. Sometimes, it boils over."
His eyelids fluttered closed. He really, really didn't want to fall asleep. He finally just abandoned tact and pretense, far too exhausted at this point to care.
"One day, I hope someone makes you comfortable enough to be yourself without feeling the need to hide behind your glamour." Laxus sighed, leaning his head back and trying not to let his eyelids shut for fear he'd begin to drift away again, "One day, I really hope someone sees you, thinks you're beautiful just as you are, including everything that you find, or have been told to find, ugly. I hope they take the time and the care it takes to convince you that you're beautiful. And then when they succeed, I hope they kiss your tears away."
The last bit he said a bit dramatically, dismissively, and with a flourish of his hand as if it were just a grand thing to say and not the exact thing he'd done to Gajeel just a couple nights prior. He sighed and tried to force his eyes back open.
"He's been called an animal his whole damn life." Laxus muttered, "The next time I hear someone insult him with it, they will find out why I'm called the Thunder God of Fairy Tail."
"Oh my goodness," Irena had her hand over her mouth, blushing.
"That would be much more intimidating if I didn't know you were two steps from passing out from magic deficiency," Davian said, though not unkindly.
"Magic deficient or not, I bet I could get at least one good punch in before I went down," he smirked, "Singe some hair at least."
"I don't doubt it." Davian said, any humor he might have had gone as he watched Laxus struggle to stay awake, "Did you... have time to consider how long you've been suffering from the night terrors, Laxus?"
Laxus chuckled mirthlessly, "It's like the bitch never died, the way she haunts everything."
"I beg pardon?" Davian said, but he didn't look stricken. No, he looked like he was bracing for impact.
"Why do I get the feeling you already know?" Laxus replied, tightness making his chest feel too cramped and heavy, "The nightmares about Ivan came back over a year ago, shortly after we returned to Fairy Tail. After Gajeel killed Bianca."
Laxus could hear the sound of something scratching away. He knew the noise but couldn't pinpoint what it was, exactly, but it was incessant. He felt heavy, like something was sitting on his chest. His heart rate was slow, his breath measured. He couldn't move.
Gajeel was sitting across from him, but in the darkness Laxus couldn't see his eyes or his face. He recognized him by silhouette alone, by the way his hair fell over his shoulders. There was something black across his chest. A smell was in the air, a scent that made his stomach twist. He couldn't move.
,/^,..; ;. ; wa âä ań nt t h hi įíim m ,,..;#;.- #;
Immediately, terror began to claw its way up Laxus's throat. He'd fallen asleep. He'd fallen asleep.
-;; . , ,';.. , ;. ;- - -GG Gi îve hìm m t öø o m mę ê é.,/ - ;- - -;; . , ,
Laxus had heard somewhere that if you knew you were dreaming, you could take control. Lucid dreaming. He fought in his mind's eye to picture something else, to allow himself to move, anything. The nightmare held tight to him, sending claws down deep into his spine. He tried to thrash, to do anything other than just sit and stare at the void that was Gajeel in shadow across from him.
He heard something creaking in the walkway. The sliding partition of one of the cabins eased open. He couldn't move.
,/^,..; ;. ;- I I Ï kkno o óøw w yÿo óø õ u,..; ;.
Something was coming, it was just a few steps away from their own door. He heard the train car groaning, as if there was an immense weight to it. The whispers were starting. Shadows were appearing in his periphery. Bianca was standing next to Gajeel where he was slumped. Laxus could see the large slash across her throat. Her eyes were vacant and staring somewhere over his shoulder.
It was nearly to the door now. Laxus could hear claws dragging against the glass. The partition slid open and he wanted to scream I know who you are. It was smiling. Avarice filled the air like poisonous smoke. He couldn't move.
';../';.;#;.- ;.- I will have what is mine.. , ,';../';..,,..;#;
Bianca had turned and was bending over, leaning towards Gajeel. He could see the inside of her throat as her lips parted and she began whispering in his ear. Black stained his chest and the entire time he hadn't moved. Laxus could hear her words and her eyes flooded with yellow.
Our Father, who is strong and supports us, supports the temple and the rock it is carved from.
You are the Aurincarae, the profit most high, In your presence reason grows dizzy, thou art the interior and exterior of the soul...
It was in the doorway. It was massive. It stretched across eons with teeth that tore flesh from bones. Its skin writhed like a mass of roaches. Laxus couldn't look away from Bianca even as it reached forward. Even as fingers plunged into his eye-
At the pleading lamentations of our sacrifices, accept our offerings this night, bless their flesh with your hungry bite-
The cabin rocked and Laxus's eyes shot open. He could still feel a large presence looming and so he lurched back from it, covering his eye with his palm as the searing pain started. He had his fist reared back, ready to strike out, but found himself looking up to see Davian standing. His eyes were wide and he had his hands up, one to him, as if to hold him at bay, and the other to Rut as if he'd just been trying to stop him from entering. The massive lizard-man's eyes were honed in on Laxus in a way that made his stomach knot.
Davian was saying something, something that sounded soothing but stern. Rut was making a noise that twisted between a growl and a hiss, responding harshly. His gaze shifted from Laxus to Davian, and when he spoke again he leaned around Davian. Like some sort of illusion, he was somehow more massive than he looked. His black tongue slid out, tasting the air for a long moment before he was speaking again.
"If you're going to talk about me like I'm not here, at least do it in a language I can fucking understand," Laxus snapped.
"The mage summonsss Father in its sleep," Rut said, and it sounded like an accusation.
"I already explained this," Davian replied evenly. Davian turned his eyes back to Laxus, an apologetic smile on his face, "Were you… having a nightmare?"
"Yeah…" Laxus said slowly, trying to relax.
"That's all this is. Father isn't truly here," Davian was calming him, speaking in a smooth, unyielding way, "There's nothing to fear."
Rut narrowed his eyes at Laxus, "It consumesss the wizard."
"Which is why we're going to the temple." Davian said in a way that sounded like he'd said this before, "We discussed these things, if you recall, when I got you from the prison. You're sensing Father appearing in his nightmares."
"Mmhhh…" the air vibrated with the strange, deep hiss he made. He spoke again, this time in Oumic once again. Davian's brows knitted down in response.
"What?" Laxus demanded.
"He wants me to put a protective rune on you," Davian said.
"What's going on?" Irene asked, groggy from just waking. She yawned, "Oh, Rut, is everything ok?"
"Will it keep the nightmares away?" Laxus asked.
Davian seemed hesitant to answer, "Maybe… for a little while."
"Then fucking do it," he huffed, "Why the hell not?"
"You don't enjoy knives, for starters," Davian said, and at Laxus's blank look he continued, "I have to carve it into your skin, Laxus."
Laxus winced at the thought.
"Not to mention, I'm assuming as your magic regenerates you heal faster? So, you'd endure that only for it to be gone by morning… and then there's Erandi that I'm worried about."
Irena interrupted him, "Davian, he's harmless."
"He's connected to Father, which means he will react when he smells human blood. I don't know what kind of reaction it will be," Davian replied tersely, "The boy is gifted. His connection is stronger, as mine was."
Another deep growl from Rut that reverberated the entire cabin, "The little thing will not get passst."
Davian scowled.
"Your concerns aren't more important than Laxus's. It's his body, after all. He's the one suffering," Irena gave Laxus a tired glance, "It's your choice, love. Do you want it?"
Laxus found himself hesitating, "Fuck, I really want a good night's sleep… even if it's just a few hours."
Davian's scowl deepened. Rut sniffed and withdrew from the cabin, standing in the corridor with arms crossed. His body shifted, revealing long black claws and a tail that was still partially in their cabin. Laxus watched him warily, remembering acutely when those claws were much more violent. He still recalled the smell of the basement and the sound of so many flies humming…
Laxus's stomach dropped as Davian offered his hand while simultaneously drawing his ritual blade.
"I'll be as quick as I can be," he said.
"You can't just bless a coin for me again?" Laxus chuckled, but the nervousness in his voice was clear.
"That would be so much easier, wouldn't it?" Davian replied, his face unreadable. Laxus gave him his hand and Davian twisted his palm so it faced the sky. The gold blade flashed in the dim light as Davian ran the tip of it up Laxus's forearm to where it was the thickest, "Ready?"
"No," he whispered, trying to contain his trepidation. He balled up his free fist and clenched his teeth.
The blade was sharp, and in Davian's deft hands it glided across his skin as if it were warm butter. A trail of fire followed wherever it touched, and Laxus swallowed down a groan. He watched as Davian began to draw a pattern into his skin. First, he carved what appeared to be a square with rounded edges, then the blade returned to carve a diamond within it, with each point touching the sides of the square. The sides of the diamond concaved slightly, and because of this it appeared Davian had just made four eyes, all connected at the corners, the image symmetrical no matter which way you divided it. Then, he carved a circle into the center of each eye. When he finished, Laxus's hand was shaking and his skin was prickling alongside the pain of the lacerations. He wanted to snap his hand back, and too late he realized he didn't have anything to catch the blood. When he tried to move, Davian held his arm fast.
"Hang on... the point is to let it bleed." he said, his voice hushed, "Give the pain to the gods. The blood gives the sigil its power. You will this into being."
"It hurts..." Laxus hissed.
"Breathe..." Davian instructed as blood began to streak freely down his arm, pattering to the ground. There was conviction in him that was foreign to Laxus, and he realized it must be from when he used to do similar things as this so many years ago, before he left to strike his own path and become a Rune Knight, "You're doing a fine job. "
It was at that point that Laxus heard the partition next to them slide open. Rut straightened his spine as much as the train car would allow and growled. Laxus watched as he flexed his fingers. He heard Erandi dash for him, but the beast was fast and strong. He snatched the boy by the throat and slammed him into the floor. It knocked the wind from him and he gasped, struggling to get his lungs to fill with air once again. Laxus stared wide-eyed at Erandi where he lay, gulping in air with eyes equally trained to him. They glowed gold and hungry, something he recognized immediately. Something clicked into his head, a realization.
"The hunger you feel around blood... comes from Father?" Laxus said, watching Erandi struggle vainly up only to be gripped by Rut's massive hands once again and forced onto his back.
"So it would seem," Davian said quietly, still focused on Laxus's arm.
"You didn't know?"
"I've never been disconnected like this before. Those of us who are don't typically live long after."
The boy was clawing at the arm that kept him down, but they couldn't penetrate navy scales.
"How do you know what thoughts are your own and what belongs to It?" Laxus asked.
"I can't possibly describe it to you," Davian whispered. When Laxus turned his attention back to him, his eyes were reptilian, the pupils dilated until they almost swallowed his irises, "You always know when It is near. It is nearly impossible to resist Its will... especially if It touches you."
"I thought It was a spirit," Laxus said.
Erandi went still and deflated, an exhaustion setting in just as the gold seemed to leave his eyes. He stared up at Rut, eyes snapping wide in fear. The larger released him with a shove for good measure. Erandi looked over to Davian and words spilled from his mouth nervously. This time Laxus didn't need a translation. He could tell by intonation alone that he was begging forgiveness.
The corner of Davian's lip pulled up in a rueful smile, "What was it that Dimisia told you? It isn't and It is."
"Mmph," Laxus let out a huff.
"Irena, darling, if you would."
Irena procured a cloth and gingerly began wiping blood away. The wound throbbed painfully with each gentle touch. Laxus watched Davian walk over to Erandi where he still sat on the ground. He squatted down next to him and spoke softly. The boy seemed on the verge of tears. Rut just crossed his arms and snarled.
"How are you dealing with all of... this?" Laxus asked Irena, who up until this point seemed to not even care about everything going on.
"It's taken some getting used to," she said, smiling up at him softly, "Erandi worships Davian, and he hates it. Davian can't stand Rut, and Rut hates him as well, but they also can't stand to not be around each other because they both can't stand the quiet. I often find them in opposite ends of the same room like petulant children."
"Right..." Laxus said, "But are you ok?"
"Oh," she laughed a little, "I'm fine. Rut is unsettling at times, and I don't know if he's protective of me of his own accord or if it's because of his connection to Davian, but between them and my dogs, my safety is no longer a concern I have."
Laxus let out a tense sigh as she finished and again he settled back in his seat. The wound still throbbed, but despite it, he was exhausted. He heard Rut hissing something and Davian huffed. He couldn't keep his eyes open if he wanted to.
"Well, good. I should think that means its working then," Davian said, "Now if you please, I have something I'm hoping to finish before we make it to the temple."
"You need to wake up now, love."
Laxus awoke with a start. Irena was shaking his knee, and he winced as a migraine worked its way to his attention. He was immediately aware that he was hungry, and secondarily was aware that the sun was shining through the window of the cabin and it was just the two of them sitting there. She smiled at him.
"Get some good sleep?" she asked.
"Yeah..." he grunted, rubbing at his temple. The throbbing in his arm was gone, and when he looked down to the protective symbol that had been etched there he saw that it was already nearly healed. By the afternoon, it would be completely gone. He rolled his shoulders and found no more sting. The pins and needles were gone. All that remained was the discomfort of his migraine, a general weakness, and a sorely hungry belly. "Damn."
"I wanted to let you sleep for as long as possible, but the conductor just came by. They're starting to board." she said, standing. Rameses, still at her side, drew up with her and trotted to the corridor. Laxus glanced around for their luggage only to realize it was already gone, "The boys are out at the market getting supplies for the trip. How do you do with camels?"
"Camels..." Laxus grimaced.
It wasn't that Laxus had no idea where they had been going, it was more he just hadn't really cared at the time. Now, he wished he'd paid a bit more attention. They were in Chia, a place that was arid and hot any time of the year, but especially so in late summer. The blistering sun only exacerbated his migraine and he had to stop and take a minute when they disembarked. He groaned a bit as the realization hit him that this was as far as the train lines went. No matter what they did from here on out, it would be in a cart or on the back of an animal. Neither of these appealed to him.
He followed Irena through the market. Vendors were selling last-stop essentials; horses and carts, camels, tents, dried foods, and water. Any supplies one would need to traverse a desert could be found here. They wound their way through the dust and bodies until they approached the far side, where people clustered as they readied for journeys or otherwise unloaded supplies from a recent return. The three chameleons, for their credit, blended in quite well amongst all the other wayfarers, grifters and vagabonds. Laxus's stomach turned as he took in the six camels, one of which Davian was currently packing their supplies on.
"I understand Dreadwood Valley would be faster, but the camels can't traverse those paths. I highly doubt, given the circumstances, we'll be able to make it solely on foot..." Davian was saying, "Disapprove all you want, but unless you want to carry the mage through that wretched place, we'll have to go the long way."
"The jungle isss not better," Rut's deep voice sounded angry. It only just barely didn't sound like a hiss which was a feat, Laxus was sure, "It isss made to confuse."
"And also well marked, if you know where to look." Davian replied curtly. Rut made a noise and Davian froze, looking stricken. He shook himself and snapped his eyes to Rut, "Oh please, jaguars? You are more concerned about jaguars than sink holes? There will be five of us, and three of us smell like a threat. Not to mention Rameses..."
Laxus stood by Irena, who again looked nothing short of amused as the two bickered. Laxus watched as Erandi, completely unsupervised, grabbed onto the saddle of one of the camels and hoisted himself up. He sat, eyes brimming with mischief and grinning, twisting and turning to look around him. Then, unsatisfied as he eyed Rut's height, he began pulling up his knees, trying to get them underneath him.
"Oh no," Laxus said, and Irena followed his gaze. She stifled a laugh as he stood shakily, throwing his arms wide as he tried to balance on the camel's back. The temperate creature groaned and shifted on its feet, making Erandi even more unsteady. He tumbled and landed with a yelp on the ground at Davian's feet.
"Well now, that wasn't very wise, was it, little sage? Unburdened by the weight of knowledge, you are." Davian said, arms crossed and looking down his nose at the boy. Then, a keen smile slid across his face and he glanced over towards Rut, "He reminds me of you, really."
Rut's eyes widened as he took in the comment. He made a loud noise like a bark and then punched Davian squarely on the arm. The smaller man somehow didn't even flinch. It dawned on Laxus that Davian had just made him laugh. It might have been a sweet moment to walk into if Laxus didn't know that Rut had literally eaten children. That knowledge just made the whole interaction surreal.
"Good to see you getting along," Irena said and Davian offered them both a haggard look.
"You should get something to eat here," he replied, disregarding the comment entirely, "It'll be beef jerky and nutrition bars for the next few days." his eyes flittered to Rut and back to them, "And I'd imagine the jerky will go fast."
Laxus was still eating the street food he picked up – some sort of corn pastries stuffed with eggs, beans, beef, cheese, veggies and a spicy sauce – when he dared to pull himself onto the camel. He didn't typically eat the way he was, but he felt like he hadn't eaten in days. He'd already had three of the damn things, which he knew was a bad idea since he was about to be on the back of an animal for Mavis knew how long, but he still felt empty. He was craving something to the point where nothing was satisfying, and it annoyed him to no end. He even tried sniffing the air to pick out something enticing as he walked around the market, but nothing had jumped out to him. So, he'd settled on the first authentic food cart he could find. He noticed Erandi giving him a curious look, and when he glanced his way the boy quickly turned away.
"Eh? What?" Laxus asked, but he wasn't even sure he understood.
"He wants to try the gorditas," Davian said, walking around the boy's camel and ensuring everything was in place, "He's too shy to ask."
Laxus leaned towards him as much as he dared, offering him one, "It's not what I want anyway."
"Then why did you buy it?" Davian hummed, and stood waiting expectantly for Erandi to do something. When he obviously didn't, he snapped something in Oumic and the boy jolted.
"Th-Thank you!" he said in between bites.
"Because I feel empty," Laxus replied, trying to get his hips comfortable. Davian was walking around him now, tightening straps as he went, fussing, "I don't know what I want."
"What does it feel like?"
Laxus laughed a bit, "What?"
"What does it feel like? Nostalgic? A comfort food? Or is it something from an occasion? Something from your guildhall or a favorite restaurant? Something crisp perhaps?"
"An occasion..." Laxus mused aloud, thinking. What occasion came to mind? The smell of rain, the sensation of a thunderstorm. Gajeel goading him out of a cave... he gasped, "Lighting?"
Davian paused, a bemused quirk to his lips like he was trying not to laugh, "Well you certainly can't purchase that at the market."
"Why in the hell am I craving lightning?" Laxus demanded more from himself than anyone nearby.
Davian's hands were on his hips, his head tilted to the side like Laxus should clearly know and he was confused that he didn't, "Is that not a moniker of a dragon slayer?"
"Yes but I don't." Laxus sputtered, "I don't crave lightning. Hell, I've only eaten lightning, real lightning, once."
"So this is new... for you, at least?" Davian asked, "You're arguably the strongest dragon slayer there is, being a Wizard Saint Tier mage. How is it that you don't eat your element?"
"I just... don't. I've never felt the need to." Laxus huffed, "Probably because I'm not a real dragon slayer. I'm second-generation. I don't crave my element, I don't have sharp teeth or pointed ears or dragon eyes, I don't have a... a cycle..."
"But Cobra does." Davian stated, and that made Laxus's train of thought skid to a halt.
"What?"
"Cobra, the other second-generation dragon slayer, he does," Davian stated it again, this time a little more gently, "I did some research after one of our conversations. He does. Of course, the teeth, eyes, and ears were a given. He spoke of craving poison while incarcerated, which was also when it was discovered he went through a cycle. You seem to be the only dragon slayer exempt from these things... I wonder why that is."
Laxus just stared at him for the longest time before finally rubbing at his temple and closing his eyes, "You know, Davian, I'm going through a lot of shit right now. An identity crisis isn't what I need."
"Apologies... I wasn't trying to cause one. I merely meant that there must be a difference between you and the others... or perhaps not. You're craving your element now, at any rate. Maybe the rest is short to follow."
Laxus gave him an unamused look, "Are you implying I'm a late bloomer? At twenty-four?"
"Just let me know if the pins and needles turn into some other type of sensation..." Davian chuckled, turning to walk towards his own camel, "Although I don't suppose I could douse you with cold water in the middle of the desert, could I?"
It didn't take long for Laxus to decide camels weren't as bad as horses. At least they traversed land at a reasonable pace. When they were well into the desert and the dunes began to slope higher and higher around them, Rut slipped off his mount and began shucking off clothing. Cowl, shirt, and even his boots were gone before he settled and shifted. One moment, a six-five monster of a man in desperate need to see a barber, and the next he had grown three inches and was covered in deep blue scales. He strode past Erandi who, after watching him, also hesitantly dropped his hood. The boy changed as well, dropping his glamour in the way a child might drop the blanket wrapped protectively around their shoulders. He shivered and scales bloomed across his skin. Unlike Rut whose body was clearly built to carry muscle and exude strength, Erandi was slim built like Davian and didn't gain height with his transformation. His scales weren't a deep navy, but royal blue. Laxus did note that despite a lot of similarities in appearance to Davian, he was lacking in feathers. His tail flicked nervously from where it lay against his steed's hump, and it dawned on Laxus who he did look like. Kahli.
As the day progressed, Laxus found himself rapidly tiring. Perhaps it was the sun, or perhaps it was just clinging to the back of an animal for hours on end, but he found it more and more difficult to focus on the path ahead. Every so often, he would find himself losing track of what was going on around him, like if he wasn't focusing on something his mind would just slip away. It was during one such instance of fading that Laxus became aware of a shadow against one of the distant dunes. At first, he thought that maybe he was imagining things. It wasn't like there was an abundance of people around, and the figure that he was seeing didn't look to be moving and yet stayed on track with him. Was it closer now than it had been or was that just the heat and a trick of the sun? He found himself listing to the side, the world tipping slightly...
A clawed hand clamped down on his thigh and he nearly jumped out of his skin. Rut was standing beside him, teeth bared, and it was at about that moment that Laxus realized everyone else was a bit farther ahead, all twisted to look back at them. Laxus's skin crawled where Rut's hand touched him and he recoiled when a black tongue slid past his lips.
"What doesss the mage sssssee?" when Laxus didn't answer, he hissed, "Isss It near?"
"Its... a shadow," Laxus curled his fingers back from his words, clinging to what he was witness to the night prior in order to trust that the beast at his side would not try to kill him. He motioned to the distance, "Out there."
Rut followed where he'd pointed with his eyes.
"The Favorite Son will not rewrite the rune..." he said, talking as his tongue slipped out to taste the air, "If it is seeing It in the daylight, the eating isss near complete... the mage will be dead by morning."
"I feel fine," Laxus snapped.
Yellow eyes snapped to him and Rut's lips pulled apart in a grotesque sneer, "Don't fall from your beassst. Pray when the vulturesss come, you feel their feathers instead of sharp beaksss."
He snatched the reigns from Laxus's hands and began to lead him up to the others. Whatever it was that he said to Davian, it made his lips thin into a tense line upon their approach. Laxus gave Rut a hard look, especially when he continued to walk beside him as the party continued their trek through the dunes and blistering sun.
"How did you know?" he found himself asking, "Davian can't even tell when it's happening."
"I am not just Father'sss offspring. I am the Yaoyo."
Laxus gave him a blank look, and Davian cleared his throat, gaining his attention.
"I believe you remember me mentioning there used to be four clans?" he asked.
"Yeah... I think so."
"Right. Each of the four clans bear a different burden unto Oros, the god that created them. Erandi hails from the Yohual of the spirit, who worship the god, feed it, and give it prayers. The Qaholom, the ancestor, I told you had cycles. They produce children to ensure the survival of Oros's blood which was shed to bring us life. Rut hails from the Yaoyo of war, who bear the burden to protect the children of Oros from what seek to destroy them."
Laxus waited for him to continue, but when it was clear he was finished he crooked his head to the side curiously, "And the fourth?"
He hesitated, and when he did Rut took in a breath that shook the air.
"The Osaloua, The Chosen of God, the most high and thossse blessed with the spirit of the old god. It is of their line which the Aurincarae is chosen. They of the sacred feathersss."
Davian leaned forward on his saddle, studying Rut, "I'm surprised you speak of them."
"We are ssseperated from Father's will. It cannot forbid us from ssspeaking any longer," Rut hissed, and his yellow eyes flashed to Laxus, "When the wizardsss came, the Yaoyo fought with tooth and claw to defend the children of Oros. On the night when the Z'ragnaró de Draodh began, the Yaoyo were not there to ssstop the attack. It wasss our clan'sss failure which led to the Osaloua ssslaughtered where they slept, the surviving ssscattered to the desert and picked apart by vulturesss. Men, women, and children were burned. None were ssspared...
"As penance for our failure, every season a male is chosen. One of full blood is given to Father who comesss in the night to take in blood the repayment for our sin. The one who should have been my father wasss chosen. It came. It ate. In one ssseason he was brought low, left shivering in hisss bed, begging for death. I granted hisss wish before I left the underground, robbing Father of Its chosen sacrifice. I smell the same rotting stench on you as I did on him each time the shadow came at night. It growsss when the shadow isss near."
"Damn." Laxus said, swallowing hard. "But... the witch hunts were hundreds of years ago. Why would Father keep asking for something like that? You have nothing to do with it."
Rut made that deep humming noise that Laxus was starting to recognize. It was like a question, although he couldn't understand it. The massive lizard man was swinging his head towards Davian, giving him a look Laxus couldn't interpret.
"I don't know the will of the divine," Davian chuckled a bit ruefully, "Although, at this point, I wish I did."
"You know it better than any, barring the Hungry Son," his black tongue slid out as he spoke.
Davian shrugged and Laxus was baffled, "You just let it happen? You haven't even asked why?"
Davian snorted and rolled his eyes a bit.
"You ssspeak of thingsss you know nothing about, but you will know sssoon. I remember you, mage. I remember the sssickeningly sweet smell of you from the sawmill. One who has never known true fear, one who has never had to sssurvive in dark underground. There isss a mouthwatering softnesss to you..." Rut eyed him steadily, and his lips pulled back slowly, showing razor-sharp teeth, "I enjoy robbing Father of Its mealsss. I will wake you until your body will no longer respond. But you are not a child of Oros. You cannot resist sssleep forever. When It comes for you, you will understand why we cannot speak againssst It."
Laxus decided he didn't really want to talk about it anymore, because at that point, he noticed something in the distance over Rut's shoulder. A shadow, large and looming against one of the dunes. Above it, a vulture was lazily circling.
Laxus blinked against the sun, and the temptation to close his eyes was strong. He had been slipping in and out of the half-lucid state just before dreaming to the point he no longer recognized the waking from delusion. The sun was arcing downwards, towards the west, and the heat had lost just a touch of its harshness. In the distance, Laxus could see a figure on the dunes. Despite knowing what it was, even blinking couldn't make it go away. Rut was to his side speaking, although Laxus didn't know if he didn't understand because of the language he used or because he was half-asleep.
Davian was peeking over at him, the syllables on his tongue too muddled to be deciphered. Laxus couldn't be bothered to turn his head to glance at him. He felt shaky and hot. Sweat was slipping down the back of his neck. Pins and needles danced up his arms and threaded through his calves. Every once in a while, a dark spot would warble into his vision and disappear just as he tried to look at it, affirming to him it had never existed in the first place.
There were vultures circling, and it made Laxus's stomach twist. The shadow of one swept down the dunes, doused him in darkness for half a second, and was gliding up over another. His stomach growled at him, reminding him that he was empty and craving lightning. Another vulture swept gracefully overhead, dipping on a breeze he couldn't feel.
The shadow was so close now that Laxus could nearly feel Its teeth. It smiled as It watched him, hungry for something he was in short supply of. He could hear the whispers although he couldn't understand them, and he knew that soon he'd start seeing more shadows. The ghost of something was in the distance, a massive monument that was sometimes there and sometimes wasn't. Inside the temple, there was an altar. There was a place where bodies were rolled down stone steps. There was a figure laying, still and gaping open. Blood was running down the stone…
Rut growled and the depth of it made the air tremble like the memory of thunder. A vulture swooped overhead and the chameleon lunged at it, his teeth bared. Rameses started barking, a noise that felt like a fist hitting at the insides of Laxus's chest. Davian gave some sort of order, dismounting and drawing his sabre. There were so many vultures. Dozens of them were circling overhead now. Their shadows were dancing up and down the sand dunes, making wide patterns around them. Vaguely, it reminded Laxus of ballroom dancing; so many bodies in fluid coordination, never touching, never in the others' way, all waiting patiently for their turn to pass over the sun, to blot it out, to dance around again. He felt like he was going to throw up.
"Laxus? Laxus, love," Irena was trying to get his attention now. She'd dismounted and was tugging at his pants, trying to get some sort of response from him. But it was like he was dreaming. An enervating haze had settled over him and everything around him was bleeding together into background. Another vulture dipped low. Laxus heard the rush of it as it swooped near his head. It was so close, he thought maybe if he had reached out to it he would have grazed one of its glorious wings.
"Laxus, you need to get down!" Irena was tugging at him harder.
But he didn't have the energy to move, much less to get down. His skin was clammy, and he wanted to wretch. His muscles felt weak and he wasn't even using them. His eye started to throb, the pain quickly transforming into something sharp that rooted into his brain, sinuses, teeth.
The shadow was standing in his path, smiling. When had It gotten so close? He'd never even seen It move. It was just there with arms opening wide, mouth opening wide. He had a white-knuckle grip on the reigns that made his hands shake. They felt dumb and bumbling, as if he'd just been roused from a sleep. His eyes dropped closed and he felt himself leaning. He jolted awake. The pain in his eye intensified until he could hardly stand it. He felt dizzy and the dunes looked like they were swimming around him, roiling like the waves of an ocean. It was hard for him to breathe.
More vultures were circling. There was enough that the sky looked like a vortex of brown and black coalescing around some point that he was in the center of. He knew Davian was saying something, Irena was trying to pull him down, the dog was barking, Rut was snarling. Black talons were out and threatening to tear. The shadow was before him but It wasn't smiling any longer. It was angry, raging. Laxus could feel Its want for him, starving, needing, and It reached for him as if lunging, like It was desperate to reach him before it was too late. He could feel hot breath and it made him cringe. Blood, it smelled like blood…
A vulture swooped down just as it reached for him, and its massive wings filled Laxus's vision. The sounds of vultures' wings was louder than the rest of the world, louder than Rut's growls, louder than Irena's commands to Rameses, louder than the dog growling, louder than Davian maintaining order. The whispers were rising to a fervid din and he knew they were near, the spirits of the long dead stretching into infinity, dashed just out of sight by the setting sun. The sand was dipped in crimson and the sky was bleeding and cloudless and churning with vultures.
The world slipped out of focus. Laxus could hear the pounding of his own heart in his ears and it didn't sound right. The strength left in him failed and he fell, hitting the ground on his shoulder in a way that rattled his bones. He felt a weight on his chest, like the world was weighing on his body. Despite the arid desert heat, he felt as if he were drowning, unable to struggle in a breath deep enough. The sky was nearly dark and the air teemed with the sounds of hundreds of massive, black wings. His eye was burning and he heard the sounds of footsteps approaching. Steady and sure, they came to his side and Laxus tried to focus on the figure looming over him.
Dark wings blotted out the world. Blearily, he looked up and was met with eerily glowing eyes, fierce and sharp and an ethereal sort of green. The face they sat deep into was in one moment beautiful, filled with youth and with full, pouting lips that teased to kiss. She was the most bewitching and alluring woman he'd ever seen, looking down on him with a mix of depthless sadness and lust that struck him into his marrow, inciting a reaction he would have otherwise thought himself too weak to have. In the next moment, she was the frightening and ferocious old crone, wise beyond her years and twice as wicked, with nails like the hooked talons of the vultures now converging on them. In her hand was a staff and when she moved he could hear the hollow sound of bones. She leaned over him and long rivulets of jet black hair laced with shining silver spilled over her shoulders. She smiled and Laxus heard the wingbeats of hundreds of massive birds, and then it all went black.