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Cana used a card to cut a particularly thick branch that almost whacked her in the face. She gritted her teeth and let out a growl. She had been following Juvia for an hour and a half looking for Gray, but no one crossed their path except enormous trees!
In Cana's opinion, it was creepy how Juvia was searching for her beloved Gray. The water mage was on her hands and knees, sniffing the ground like a demented, obsessed bloodhound. The action caused an icy shiver to run down Cana's arms.
Thankfully, Juvia stood up a moment later and sighed in dismay. "It's no use," she whined. "Juvia can't track Gray's minty, sweet, musky scent." Cana was grateful that Juvia stopped describing Gray's scent. It felt too intimate to know this much detail about her friend.
"We teleported to the middle of nowhere. I doubt Gray, or anyone else for that matter, have come through here," said Cana.
Juvia turned to pout and whine at her, but a slicing sound and falling trees prevented her from doing so.
Cana and Juvia watched with alert eyes as thick, tall trees were cut down by something hidden. They knew it was one of Zeref's demons attacking them, but they didn't know where it was. Cana expected the demon to be massive, just like Lullaby, but movement from behind Juvia caught her attention. She snapped her gaze toward the blue-ish creature with an arm raised across his broad chest.
"Juvia, watch out!" Cana warned her friend. The demon swung his arm horizontally, cutting through the air and Juvia like a hot knife through butter. For half a second, Cana thought Juvia died but noticed how her body turned into water. Juvia's eyes were wide in horror, knowing how close to death she was. She quickly spun on her heels and whipped her arm-turned-water at the demon; however, the creature dodged the attack.
Cana used this chance to unleash a torrent of magical attacks, sending sharp gusts of wind, floods of water, and blazing flames toward the demon. Her eyes widened when she saw none of her attacks land. The enemy's agility was unmatched as he gracefully evaded, his laughter echoing in the woods. Juvia, determined to aid her comrade, transformed into water and launched forward in an attempt to envelop the demon to drown him. The enemy danced around her and sliced his arm through Juvia's form. He gritted his teeth when Juvia showed zero signs of pain.
Using this demon's annoyance to her advantage, Cana surrounded her opponent with a line of cards and activated the spell, causing a loud explosion to quake the Earth and surrounding trees.
Juvia joined Cana as they eyed where the demon was. The dust was too thick to see through, but before it cleared, the blue-skinned monster shot out like a bullet and sliced deep gashes along the women's flanks. Cana and Juvia cried out in pain as they collapsed onto the growth.
Cana shakily lifted her gaze, and fear shot through her heart. Their foe had a wicked grin plastered on his face as he loomed over them, prepared to deliver the finishing blow.
The demon brought his blade-like arms down, and Cana squeezed her brown eyes shut, waiting for the end. The pain never came, and the only sound Cana heard beside her pounding heart was Juvia's gasp of shock. Slowly, the card mage opened her eyelids. They widened in shock when she saw Gajeel standing over her and Juvia, blocking the demon's attack with his metal-covered body.
Gajeel locked eyes with the demon and didn't waste a second. With a mighty swing of his iron-clad fist, he met the enemy's face and sent him soaring and crashing into a few trees. The force of the impact created shockwaves that rattled the forest.
Cana felt her jaw kiss the grass at what she witnessed. She felt embarrassed for getting beaten so easily while Gajeel made it look like a stroll through the park.
As the dust cleared, Cana saw the demon get up while rubbing his cheek. When his hand pulled away, the card mage saw a bump and scratch. The creature glared at Gajeel with burning anger, but he didn't attack. Instead, the enemy vanished into thin air.
Cana felt her body relax as soon as the spiky demon was gone. She turned to check on Juvia, who was awake but shaking as her body calmed down from the adrenaline. Cana reached out and lightly touched Juvia's arm, causing the blue-haired mage to startle and gasp.
"You okay?" Cana asked softly, getting a nod in reply. She sighed in relief. "That's good." Cana then turned to Gajeel, who appeared to be waiting for something. The two girls found out when they saw Wendy, Carla, and a few others from their guild enter the newly made clearing.
Wendy's eyes widened in horror as she laid eyes on them. Cana wondered if the injury looked worse than it felt, so she turned to the gaping wound on her side. It leaked blood, and the corners reached from below Cana's breast to her hip. She couldn't tell how deep it was, but now that her brain processed the injury, she felt all the pain it brought. It felt hot, like someone poured glowing metal onto her skin. The area around the wound felt cold - as if Gray coated his hand in ice and touched her in a pranking manner.
Goosebumps crawled across Cana's arms and back like ants. She also felt her stomach turn into knots, so she looked away and focused on Wendy, who now knelt beside her and Juvia. The Sky Dragon Slayer laid her softly glowing hands above the injuries, sending a comforting warmth to bloom.
Levy and Lisanna surrounded Cana and Juvia, searching with their eyes for any more wounds. Cana waves at them. "I don't think either of us has any more injuries," she said dismissively.
Lisanna glared at her. "It doesn't hurt to check," she snipped and returned to searching.
Once Wendy finished healing most of the terrible injury, she wrapped the two mages up with bandages provided by Levy.
Gajeel met both Cana's and Juvia's eyes with his red ones. "Are you two okay to move?" he asked.
Cana stretched testingly and felt the damaged area pull in discomfort. Since pain was absent, Cana nodded in reply to Gajeel's question. Gejeel then turned to Wendy with a raised eyebrow.
"They should be fine, but I wouldn't recommend fighting unless needed," she said, but Cana felt the last part was more toward them than Gajeel.
"Alright, let's get moving then. I can smell that Gray, Erza, Lucy, and Salamander's blue cat that way," the Iron Dragon Slayer said while pointing toward the North. At least, Cana thought it was the North. She didn't bother checking her cards to confirm.
Cana and Juvia followed closely behind Gajeel while the rest flanked them, and Elfman took up the rear.
Mira had no idea how she ended up in a dark, damp cave full of stalagmites and stalactites, but she did know to be alert for any surprise attacks. It was a good thing, too, because a female demon with dark hair and golden horns struck from behind.
Books were sent flying at Mira like missiles. The Take-Over mage wondered where the books came from, but the thought left her in a flash. She didn't have time to think about something so unimportant.
The two women fought for who knew how long, but Mira – in her Satan Soul: Halphas – raised her wings and lunged forward, her claws slashing down at her enemy. The demon narrowed her purple eyes and used her curse, Macro, to stop Mira from attacking her, but instead herself.
Mira's blue eyes widened when she saw her own claws change course and aim at her face. She moved her head back, but the claws clipped the side of her cheek, drawing a thick line of blood. As Mira continued to fight herself, she could hear the demon laugh in the background.
Unable to fight like this, Mira dove forward and latched onto the demon leech style, earning a startled yelp. Mira began using her Take-Over magic, but her opponent realized what she was doing before it was too late. The horned woman blasted Mira away, causing her back to skid along the rough, sharp ground and crash through a few stalagmites.
Mira's form reverted to normal, but she slowly got back up.
"How did you break out of Macro?" the demon demanded.
Mira smirked. "Taking over someone's body is my thing. It's good we're alone. That way, you can't use anyone against me." Mira transformed into her original Satan Soul and renewed her attacks.
The demon tried to block by sending books flying at Mira, but the Fairy Tail mage blasted them away and countered with Soul Extinctor. The attack met her foe, ripping a pained scream from her opponent.
Mira hovered above the ground, waiting to see if her enemy was down, but as the dust cleared, Mira's eyes sharpened. The demon's form changed. Her skin darkened and covered in black tattoo-like markings. Her arms looked like wings, and her legs were thick and hooved. This creature resembled a harpy, Mira thought.
With a heated glare, Zeref's creation raised her hand. A blue ball of light surrounded by kanji glowed in the palm, where Mira could see an eye. The force of the blast was tremendous. It destroyed everything in its path and moved too quickly for Mira to dodge.
With no choice, Mira gritted her teeth and changed into her Satan Soul: Sitri form. The oncoming attack collided with her crossed arms, pushing her back and crashing into a wall.
Mira hissed when she felt a sharp rock stab into her shoulder but ignored it. She saw the demon through the cloud, charging up another attack.
Mira placed her feet against the cracked wall and shot off like a missile, flames spiraling around her. Before the enemy could unleash her attack, Mira grabbed her by the face and slammed her head onto the rough ground.
Purple orbs formed around Mira and fired like lasers toward Zeref's creation. The attack met with the demon, causing her mouth to gap in a silent scream.
Mira took this chance to use her Take-Over magic. She pulled on the soul, possessing it. The older demon tried to fight Mira off, but the Fairy Tail mage punched her in the gut.
The dark-haired demon gasped, creating an opening for Mira to finish pulling the demonic soul into herself. Mira felt her form change into the Ethereous she defeated.
She felt the new soul settle into her being, learning about it. It felt different from the other demons she took over but similar enough for her magic to work.
'I'll be using your power from now on, Seilah,' Mira thought as the soul became one with her magic.
Harry felt Zere'f demon's life force fade at a snail's pace. He knew that meant Mira won, but when he and his team got to her location, they didn't see Mira but rather a dark-haired woman with golden horns.
"What happened to Mira!?" Natsu demanded at the demon, who looked up, stared for a second, and giggled. "What are you laughing at?!"
"Why don't you ask Harry," said the demon, causing everyone to turn to Harry, who looked forward with eyes rivaling the size of dinner plates.
Harry felt the demon's life force fade completely, dominated by Mira's. He knew what that meant, but he was surprised that his girlfriend could possess a devil that was created.
"It's okay, guys," Harry told him, shaking his head to rid the confusion. "It's Mira. She's used Take-Over magic to possess her opponent."
"That can work on Zeref's demons, too?" asked Macao in surprise.
Mira giggled again before returning to her proper form. "It felt weird, but a demon is a demon," she said.
Harry entered the cave, taking long strides. Once he reached Mira, he asked, "Are you okay? I can see a giant bruise forming on your chest."
Mira raised an eyebrow with a teasing smile. "Oh, so you checking out my chest?"
Harry felt his face heat up so fast it was like Natsu was trying to light his face on fire. "NO! Your dress has been damaged, and I couldn't help but notice a dark spot against your fair skin," he explained while looking to the side, studying the rock formation on the cave walls.
"What's going on?" asked Natsu, clearly not understanding that Mira was flirting with Harry to embarrass him.
"Don't worry about it, Natsu," said Wakaba with a knowing grin.
"Stop teasing Dad, Mom! We should get going and find the others!" Castor shouted, his voice echoing within the cave. Harry's blush lessened, but Mira's face reddened after Castor called her mom. A fond smile formed on her face.
{Castor's right though,} said Fawkes. {I can feel Erza's, Happy's, Gray's, and Lucy's life forces beside a really dark one.}
{Yeah, I noticed. None of Zeref's demons felt this bad except for Mard Geer,} said Harry, taking Mira's hand and walking out of the cave. "Come on, we should help Erza and the others. The demon they are fighting is stronger than the others."
"Even the one I fought?" asked Mira.
"Yours is a close third."
"Third?" asked Natsu. "Oh wait! You're basing their power level on the ones you've met already. Their boss is number one then, right?"
"Yeah, Mard Geer is the strongest one, then whoever Erza, Gray, and Lucy are fighting, and then the one Mira took down."
Natsu grinned. "Well, I know who I want to fight!" he exclaimed, projecting his fire as he thought of Mard Geer.
Harry shook his head. "Let's just go and give them a hand already." The Master of Death turned and ran in the direction he felt his teammates, not waiting to see if the others were following.
{Why the rush?} asked Fawkes, flying next to Harry's head.
{I…just have a bad feeling,} he replied, glad that Fawkes didn't continue to question him.
TBC
This took a long time to write! Didn't mean for that to happen. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I'm going to take a small break and get back to it.
Natsu: Please tell me I fight again soon.
Enj/Dark: I don't think so. It calms down after the next chapter, and we return to fighting. Don't worry, Natsu. You will be in a lot of fights soon.
Natsu: YAY! XD
Voldy: Finally, some progress.
Enj/Dark: I agree. -_-
Zeref: It's scary when they agree on something. :(
Harry: This one isn't so bad, though.
Zeref: I guess… :/
Enj/Dark: Please review! ^-^
