Hey everyone, I'm back with the next chapter for this story! I'm glad to see that you guys seemed to enjoy the last chapter! To be honest, Lucy gaining access to the powers sealed in her mate mark was a completely last-minute addition, but now I'm super glad that I did it because it opens up a lot of possibilities in future chapters. I don't want the mate mark power-ups to be a crutch in this story, but definitely expect to see more of them from the other girls later in the story. This new chapter will pick up where the previous one left off and will continue Fairy Tail's battle against Oración Seis, so look forward to that. Also, I just want to let you all know that I just started school again, and this semester is possibly going to be my hardest one yet, so I'll need to focus most of my time and energy there. I'm also now working and going to school at the same time, so I'm not going to have a lot of free time. So once again, I please ask you to just be patient and new chapters for my stories will be out eventually. Well, that's all I wanted to say, so let's get the fic!
"Speech"
"Thoughts"
Magic
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.
(With Jura and Hot Eyes)
"You're kidding me, right?!" Jura exclaimed, staring at Hot Eyes in complete shock, not believing what he had just heard. "So what you're saying is that Nirvana is magic that can flip a person's personality?!"
"Precisely!" Hot Eyes cheered with a bright smile as he clapped his hands together. "And in its initial stage...that black beam of light takes those on the edge between dark and light, and forces them to switch sides."
"Then...based on what you just said...you were on the border between light and darkness?" Jura asked, quirking an eyebrow in interest.
"When someone is on a mission to acquire money, they might occasionally find themselves doing things that are slightly on the wrong side of good." Hot Eyes replied as he clasped his hands behind his back, his cheery smile never fading. "Everything I did...even the reprehensible things...were all for my brother. I only desired money to aid my search for my brother." Glancing over at Jura, the Oración Seis member chuckled to himself. "You know, seeing you now really reminds me of the old days."
"Yeah, I don't believe that for a second..." Jura said in an amused tone, now chuckling himself as he rolled his eyes. "Are you trying to say that I look like your brother?"
"No, that's not it..." Hot eyes answered as he gestured towards Jura's bald head. "You look like the potatoes that my brother and I used to harvest and eat a long time ago."
"Oi! Are you trying to make fun of me?!" Jura exclaimed in anger, shooting Hot Eyes a menacing glare. The Oración Seis member simply threw his head back and laughed boisterously in response to Jura's irritation.
"Now, now...let us focus and stop Brain and his group, all in the name of love." Hot Eyes said as he continued to walk towards the pillar of black light.
"Yeah, yeah..." Jura said with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest, clearly still a little flustered by Hot Eye's teasing. "But I've still got my eyes on you."
(Same Time: With Wendy)
"I'm so happy that I got to see Natsu again...but I almost wish I had never come here..." Wendy said as she hugged her knees, her head hanging slightly. "I've only seemed to cause problems for everyone else."
"Are you still going on about that?" Carla asked in a frustrated tone, before letting out a deep sigh. "As much as that pink-haired boy irritates me, I know he'd do anything possible to keep you safe Wendy, you're special to him...the same goes for his friends as well...I don't think anyone holds any ill feelings towards you."
"But..." Wendy muttered quietly as she raised her head slightly, staring intently at Carla.
"Hush now child, all these negative emotions you're feeling could push your heart into darkness..." Carla silenced Wendy before she could continue, crossing her arms over her chest. "You really are too hard on yourself."
"I just can't help it..." Wendy said as she rested her head on her knees, staring out at the setting sun. "I...I ended up abandoning Natsu and Lucy-san, and just ran away, right?"
"Well to be fair it's not like you would have been much help in that situation." Carla pointed out with brutal honesty, causing Wendy's face to turn red in embarrassment. "You were unconscious and you don't know any offensive magic, so your help would have been pretty limited." Releasing a light sigh, Carla suddenly smiled and patted Wendy's knee. "You may not have been able to help in that fight, but Erza is alive right now because of you. I'm sure that pink-haired boy is very grateful that you did that."
"Yeah...I guess you're right about that...Natsu was really relieved when he found out Erza was going to be okay..." Wendy said as a small smile spread across her face, but that smile soon faded when she spotted the pillar of swirling, black light out in the distance. "Nirvana...they only found it because I revived Jellal...even if I saved Erza from that poison, I put her and everyone else in danger by leading Oración Seis right to Nirvana..."
"I wonder about that." Carla said, causing Wendy to quirk an eyebrow in confusion. "I'm sure they were close to finding Nirvana before you even found Jellal...speaking of this Jellal fellow...and Natsu for that matter...you were awfully happy to see both of them again, weren't you? Who are those two anyways? You've told me that they both saved your life, but you've never really told me much about either of them."
"That's true...I've never really talked about them." Wendy said with a small smile as she thought back to her days traveling with Jellal and her first encounter with Natsu. "It was seven years ago...Grandeeney had just vanished, I was lost and wandering by myself...I was cold and starving...Jellal ended up saving me. I found out that he was lost too, so we were both lost together, but at least I had someone to keep me company. We traveled together for about a month and during that time is when we ran into Natsu. He ended up saving us when we were ambushed by a group of bandits. The three of us quickly became friends after that, but unfortunately, Natsu had to leave the next day, and I haven't seen him again until now." Wendy suddenly paused for a moment, a particular memory flashing through her mind. "It's odd...one day after we parted ways with Natsu...Jellal suddenly mentioned something called Anima and started acting all weird." Carla quirked an eyebrow when Wendy mentioned this, having never heard of such a thing. "I had no idea what he was talking about...but he said that it would be too dangerous to travel with him anymore. At first, we tried to find Natsu so that I could stay with him, but we never ended up finding him. So, Jellal decided to leave me in the care of a nearby guild called Cait Shelter. After that, I never saw Jellal or Natsu again...until now that is. Eventually, I started to hear rumors about a member of the magic council that looked like Jellal and that he did some very bad things quite recently..." Wendy paused again for a few moments before a sad smile spread across her face. "Jellal...I wonder if he even remembers me?" Taking a deep breath, Wendy stood back onto her feet and tightly balled her fists. "Alright, I've sat around feeling sad long enough. Come on Carla, we need to get back out there and help everyone!"
"That's my girl." Carla thought with a smile, grabbing ahold of Wendy and flying towards the pillar of swirling light.
(Same Time: With Erza)
"I'm finally here!" Erza thought, reaching the origin of the pillar of black light. As the scarlet-haired knight slowly approached Nirvana, a powerful shockwave was suddenly sent out. Erza quickly raised her arms to shield her face from the large amounts of flying dust and debris. When the rushing wind began to settle down, Erza lowered her arms and was shocked to see that she was standing only a few feet away from Jellal. The scarlet-haired knight gulped audibly when she locked eyes with Jellal, a strange chill running down her spine. "Alright, I need to stay calm...I can't lose my composure..."
"Erza?! Even if she was saved from my poison, there's no way she should have recovered this fast!" Cobra thought as he watched the scene unfold from behind a partially collapsed wall. "What the hell!? How did she get so close without me noticing!? It doesn't matter anymore, I just need to stop her from killing Jellal until we have Nirvana's true power under our control!"
"Jellal..." Erza muttered, tightly balling her fists in an attempt to stop the anxiety bubbling up inside her. Despite confessing her love for Natsu and choosing him to be the only man in her heart, Erza couldn't deny that being around Jella made her feel odd. Erza felt an odd mixture of emotions, ranging from intense rage for what Jellal did to her and her friends into the Tower of Heaven, to overwhelming relief that he hadn't actually died in that godforsaken tower. Jellal was still an important person to Erza, despite everything he had done to her, without him she may not even be alive. So despite his recent betrayal, Erza wanted to give him one last chance and if he crossed her again she'd cut him out of her life for good. "What the hell are you doing here? Why are you doing this?"
"Erza...I don't know...I don't..." Jellal said as he simply stared at Erza for several moments before he suddenly hunched over and gripped his head in pain. "Erza...Erza...Er...za...that name...is the only thing I can remember..." Erza's eyes widened in shock when she heard this, watching as Jellal's entire body began to tremble. "Would you please tell me...just who I am? You seem to know me...so can you tell me who I'm supposed to be?" When Jellal raised his head again, Erza was surprised to see tears had formed in his eyes, a look of pure confusion and anguish on his face. "Who is this 'Erza'?! I can't remember anything! It's all just gone!"
"Are you serious...this guy has no memories at all!?" Cobra thought, feeling his body tense up momentarily. "How will this affect our plans!?"
"Jellal..." Erza said in a sympathetic tone as she slowly began to approach Jellal. "What's going on with you? Are you okay?"
"D-Don't come any closer!" Jellal exclaimed in a panicked tone, quickly firing off a burst of magic at Erza. However, the scarlet-haired knight simply braced herself and took the attack head-on. When the smoke from the blast began to clear, Jellal was surprised to see that the scarlet-haired knight was still standing, a small stream of blood trickling down her forehead. "I-I said...don't come any closer!"
"Then you come to me. I am Erza Scarlet! Come to me!" Erza said in a determined tone as she beckoned Jellal closer. "Your name is Jellal. At one time, you and I were friends...but you recently became deranged and defiled the dead...even hurt those closest to you...then you went so far as to destroy the council...and murder Simon!" The scarlet-haired knight grit her teeth in frustration and tightly balled her fists, her eyes full of anger as she glared at Jellal. "You can't remember anything!? I won't accept such a convenient excuse! If you think for even one second that I'll let you get away with forgetting everything you've done, I'll slice you to pieces with my sword right now! Come here! Come stand before me and face your sins head-on!"
"I hurt...those closest to me..." Jellal muttered, staring down at his hands, his entire body starting to tremble. "How could I...do such a thing..." Once again tears formed in Jellal's eyes as he clutched his head, appearing to be in great pain. "What...terrible things have I done...how...can I possibly atone for such sins?"
"Is...this really the same Jellal?" Erza thought as she continued to glare at Jellal. "How could he forget everything he's done...how could forget all the people he hurt and loved?"
(Back with Lucy and Natsu)
"Ah damn...that really sucked...I can't believe we survived that fall..." Lucy grumbled, before sitting up and hissing in pain when she felt a dull soreness emanating from her arm, where she had been cut earlier. However, the blonde celestial spirit mage was surprised to see that her wound was treated and bandaged. But what shocked her, even more, was that she was now wearing new clothes. "W-What the...where did these clothes come from?"
"They came from the celestial spirit world." Lucy squeaked in surprise when she heard some speak up behind her. Whipping around, Lucy saw that Virgo was standing next to Natsu, who had now recovered from his motion sickness. The blonde celestial spirit mage also noted that Natsu was wearing new clothes as well, and couldn't help but notice how good he looked, a faint blush spreading across her face. "I'm glad to see you are okay, princess. As you've probably already noticed, Natsu-sama is safe as well, I even got him a matching set of clothes."
"Glad to see that you're not hurt, Luce." Natsu said with a massive grin as he rubbed the back of his head. "You also kicked some serious ass back there! I was in a real tough spot and you really saved me! Those flames and lightning you used were just like mine! And then you used that super powerful spell to take Angel out, it was totally awesome! It gives me an awesome idea for a new spell! We'll have to test it out once we get back to Magnolia!"
"N-Natsu...I was just protecting my nakama..." Lucy breathed out, her face flushing bright red in embarrassment. The celestial spirit mage felt her face burning up as a smile spread across her face, feeling so happy that her lover had complimented her. "But that power was truly incredible, it felt like your magic was embracing me...then there was that pure rage I felt...I've never experienced such intense anger before...when Angel said she was going to kill you...I...I just sort of snapped."
"Don't worry Luce, you were probably just experiencing some heightened emotions because of the mate mark..." Natsu said as he walked over and crouched down next to Lucy, before smiling and placing his hands on her shoulders. "I feel the same way when someone threatens the people I love...I guess you're being more influenced by my dragon instincts than I thought."
"Well, I didn't hate that feeling..." Lucy muttered, turning her head away from Natsu's intense gaze and twiddling her thumbs. "In fact...I kinda liked it...makes me feel like we're closer and our bond is even stronger."
"Our bond is unbreakable, Luce..." Natsu said before he cupped Lucy's cheek and turned her head back towards him. The pink-haired dragon slayer then leaned closer and captured the blonde celestial mage's lips in a gentle kiss. Lucy closed her eyes and leaned closer as well to deepen the liplock, a small moan rumbling in her throat. When Natsu eventually broke the kiss, Lucy groaned in disappointment. However, Lucy's eyes widened in surprise when she felt Natsu's hot breath on her neck. "Just hold still Luce, this will only take a second."
"N-Natsu...what are you doing..." Lucy stuttered out, her breathing starting to get heavy, feeling her heart racing in her chest. "We can't do this-" The blonde celestial spirit mage was cut off when she felt Natsu's fangs bite down on her neck, right into where her mate mark was. It didn't take long before Lucy felt Natsu's magic flowing through her entire body. Lucy bit her bottom lip to hold back a moan, wrapping her arms around Natsu's head and holding him close. After a minute or so, Natsu finished and pulled away from Lucy, a dull pain now radiating from her neck. "Not that I didn't enjoy that, Natsu...but what was that for?"
"When you fought Angel earlier you used up some of my magic...so I was just filling it back up..." Natsu said with a chuckle, a grin spreading across his face as he rubbed the back of his head. "It just felt like something I had to do."
"Well...thank you then..." Lucy said with a small smile, feeling the familiar comforting warmth emanating from her mate mark once again. "But we should get going."
"Yeah, I don't like the look of the pillar of light..." Natsu said as he gestured towards the beam of magical energy. "It changed color, it's white now. We don't have much choice now, we need to keep heading towards that light...I'm sure that's where Jellal is."
"Well you two seem to have things covered, so princess I will be excusing myself." Virgo said with a bow, disappearing a puff of smoke.
"That's not good..." Lucy thought as she stared down at her hands. "Virgo passed through her gate using her own power...Natsu may have given me some of his magic...but that must mean my own magic power is close to zero right now." It was then that Lucy heard some rustling in the foliage behind her. Whipping around, both Fairy Tail mages were ready to pounce on anyone that emerged from the forest. However, Lucy was surprised when a familiar scent hit her nose. A few moments later, a dazed-looking Sherry walked out of the treeline. "Sherry! Thank goodness you're okay!"
"Luce...stay away from her..." Natsu said, stepping protectively in front of the blonde celestial spirit mage, as he glared fiercely at Sherry. "Something is wrong with her...she has the scent of blood on her." Lucy gasped when she heard this, her eyes widening in shock. "What did you do?"
"I'll make you all pay...Fairy Tail mages..." Sherry said with a twisted smile as large wooden arms protruded from the ground behind her. However, just before Sherry could attack, someone else burst out from the treeline and tackled her to the ground.
"Stop this, you idiot!" Gray exclaimed, pressing his arm down on Sherry's back and pinning her in place. The pink-haired Lamia Scale mage tried to fight free, but Gray kept her on the ground. Looking up, Gray saw that Natsu and Lucy were staring at him in surprise. "Oh hey, guys...you okay?"
"Let go of me you fucking bastard! I thought I killed you! I knew I should have made sure you were dead!" Sherry screamed as she continued to thrash underneath Gray. "I have to avenge Lyon-sama's death!"
"This little..." Gray muttered, before muttering something underneath his breath and letting out an exasperated sigh. "After that damn beam of light appeared, she started acting like a damn lunatic."
"I'll kill you all...I need to avenge Lyon-sama!" Sherry yelled as tears formed in her eyes. "He's dead...I need to get revenge..."
"Jeez, at least make sure I'm dead before you go berserk." Sherry's eyes widened in shock when she saw that Lyon was now standing over her, an annoyed look on his face. "Now, are you going to calm down or not?"
"L-Lyon-sama..." Sherry muttered as her entire body began to tremble, tears now streaming down her cheeks.
"He's one tough bastard to kill..." Gray said with a grin, getting off of Sherry and standing next to Lyon. "So don't write him off so easily."
"Thank...goodness..." Sherry said with a smile before she fell unconscious. Moments later, Sherry was briefly bathed in white light, before a whisp of energy exited her and floated off into the sky.
"What the hell was that?!" Natsu exclaimed in surprise, watching the spiritlike energy disappear into the air.
"So, she was possessed by something..." Gray muttered as he gazed down at Sherry. "This Nirvana shit is seriously scary stuff..."
(Back with Erza and Jellal)
"I guess it makes sense that you lost your memories..." Cobra said, before emerging from his hiding spot and slowly approaching Erza and Jellal. "Now it makes sense why I can't hear your heart's voice."
"So you were here, Oración Seis!?" Erza exclaimed as she whipped around to face Cobra, sword at the ready. "I should have known one of you would be skulking around!"
"But something is just bugging the hell out of me..." Cobra said in a menacing tone, his large snake wrapping around him as he continued to approach both mages. "How'd you manage to find this place? And...why'd you break Nirvana's seal?"
"While I was sleeping...I heard a voice...it kept telling me to take control of Nirvana..." Jellal said in a pained tone as he winced and pressed a hand to his head. "I seemed to have a faint recollection of its magic and location. It's an extremely dangerous magic...something that should never fall into anyone's hands. The only way for me to destroy it was to first remove its seal."
"What the!?" Cobra yelled, his eyes widening in shock. "You can't be serious!"
"Did you say, all of this is meant to destroy Nirvana?" Erza asked as she quirked an eyebrow, surprised by what Jellal had just revealed. "Huh...maybe he does deserve one more chance..."
"Yes, I've inserted a square of self-destruction into Nirvana." Jellal replied, slowly nodding his head as he turned to glance back at the beam of magical energy. As if on cue, a large series of runes began to spread around the pillar of light. "In only a few moments, Nirvana should implode in on itself."
"You bastard! What the hell did you do!?" Cobra roared in anger as he bolted passed Jellal and Erza, stopping in front of the spreading runes. "God damn it! How the hell do I stop this shit?!" Frantically glancing around, Cobra tried to decipher the magical symbols. "What is with this high-level magic square!? I have to stop it or Nirvana is done for! Jellal! You better fucking tell me how to stop this thing!"
"Only I know the sequence to stop it and I won't tell you the code...it's futile, so don't even try." Jellal said, stopping Cobra in his tracks. The scarlet-haired knight's eyes widened in shock when Jellal suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, his entire body trembling. "Erza...Natsu...for some reason those names are stuck in my head...and I can't help but feel an odd sense of warmth..." With a sad smile, Jellal turned to face Erza and clenched a hand over his heart. "I'm sure that you still hate me and I can't blame you, it's only natural after what I did to you and your loved ones. But if you'll just heed my words one time...hatred steals your heart's freedom...it will eat you up from the inside and consume you." It was then that Erza noticed that the same runes that were spreading across Nirvana were now appearing on Jellal's chest. "I can't go to you...I can't even begin to earn your forgiveness...but I don't want to burden you any longer...I will free you and everyone else from Jellal...I will take all your hatred and pain with me..." After wobbling for a few moments, Jellal collapsed onto the group, blood spilling from his mouth. "You...are free now..."
"That idiot! Did he put a self-destruct magic square on his own body too!?" Cobra cursed as he grit his teeth in frustration.
"Jellal!" Erza screamed with tears in her eyes, rushing over and crouch down next to the blue-haired man's motionless body. Grabbing ahold of Jellal's jacket, Erza roughly yanked him off the ground so that they were now face-to-face. "I said it before, I will not allow it! You're not allowed to die so easily! I won't let you die like this! You have so many crimes you have to pay for! You must remember them! You will never rest in peace if you don't acknowledge your crimes! Don't think you can just run away from facing all the people you've hurt!" With one fist tightly clenched around Jellal's jacket, Erza cocked her other fist back and hit him with a powerful punch to the face. Jellal looked visibly surprised after the punch, but he also saw that tears were still streaming down Erza's face. "After what you did to Natsu and me, I'll make sure you live with the guilt, Jellal!"
"Why...are you crying..." Jellal asked which caused Erza to gasp in surprise. Reaching a hand up, Erza saw that Jellal was right and that tears were really pouring from her eyes. She had been so caught up in the moment that she hadn't even noticed. "You really are a kind person, aren't you..." After flashing Erza a brief smile, Jellal's body suddenly went limp in her arms.
"Jellal!" Erza exclaimed, shaking him several times in an attempt to get a reaction out of him. "Wake up! Pull yourself together!"
"What in blazes is going on here?" A new voice asked which caused Erza's head to snap in its direction. The scarlet-haired knight's eyes widened when she saw that it was another member of Oración Seis, the man who appeared to be their leader. "Ah, a square of self-destruction..."
"Brain..." Cobra muttered, before gesturing to the ever-expanding runes behind him. "That Jellal asshole did this! We're in deep shit right now! We managed to get Nirvana started, but if we don't do something it's going to be destroyed!"
"Heh, you can relax Cobra." Brain said with a smirk as he sauntered up to the self-destruct magic square. "You may know why my codename is another word for the mind. I used to work for the Ministry of Magical Development. It was during that time that I personally developed several hundred different types of magic, and I still retain that knowledge. One of those magics is the square of self-destruction. In fact, I was the one who taught it to you Jellal, did you forget that? I have no need for your silly cancel code." Erza's eyes widened with shock when Brain made a sweeping gesture with his staff and the self-destruct ruins began to fade away. "For an amazing mage like me, all I need to do is negate the effectiveness of the entire magic square."
"I-It can't be..." Jellal breathed out, balling his fists in frustration.
"You poor fool, did you seriously put a square of self-destruction on yourself?" Brain asked in a confused tone as he stared down at Jellal. "Did you plan to take the cancel code to the grave with you?"
"I think the ethernanos made his memory unstable." Cobra explained with a smirk, shrugging his shoulders. "He doesn't seem to remember anything, not even all the evil things he's done."
"Are you serious? What a complete and utter joke..." Brain said before he burst out laughing. "HAHAHA! How pitiful of you, Jellal! Because of your failure, I will now claim Nirvana for myself!"
"I won't allow that to happen!" Erza exclaimed as she charged towards Brain, a sword appearing in her hand in a flash of light. "I'll cut you down here!"
"Foolish girl!" Brain exclaimed with a twisted smile, laughing maniaclly as he outstretched his arms. "Awaken, Nirvana!" Moments later, the ground began to tremble and cave-in. Erza was forced to leap backward, as the ground beneath her buckled and collapsed. With a soft grunt, the scarlet-haired knight landed back next to Jellal. "Nirvana, reveal your true form!"
"OH!" Cobra yelled with a massive smirk as he pumped his fists into the air. "I can hear it! This is the sound of our future! The sound of the extinction of light!"
"Damn it! We need to get out of here and try to regroup with everyone else!" Erza called out over the collapsing debris, wrapping Jellal's arm over her shoulder and hoisting him onto his feet.
All across the surrounding forest, all the present mages watch in shock as the beam of light expanded in size severalfold, before disappearing completely. A few seconds later the earth began to quake and crack open. All the light guild mages were astonished to see several humongous stone pillars emerging from the ground across the forest. All the pillars rose up into the air, now appearing to be legs for a massive city that now towered over the surrounding area.
"It's finally all mine!" Brain exclaimed in a joyous tone as he stood in the center of Nirvana's awakened form. "The ultimate weapon is now ready to extinguish all light from this world! Hyper-reversal magic, Nirvana! Trust and companionship are the official guild's greatest weapon, and now they will be rendered useless!"
"For fucks sake, Jellal! I need you put in some effort, or you'll be left behind!" Erza huffed out in a frustrated tone, practically dragging Jellal through the still-collapsing ruins they were in. "Now cancel that stupid square of self-destruction you placed on yourself so that we can get out of here together! I told you before, I won't let you die here! You have a duty to survive and atone for all your sins! I don't care how unsightly or weak you think you are, you have to live to overcome that!"
"But..." Jellal muttered as he lowered his head, hiding the pained look on his face. "I failed to stop Nirvana. We lost...it's all over now..."
"Don't give me that bullshit!" Erza exclaimed in anger, tossing Jellal to the ground and slashing through a rock that was about to fall on them. De-materializing the sword, Erza grabbed ahold of Jellal's shirt and turned him so that he could look out towards one of Nirvana's legs. "Look over there and see! Nothing is over yet!" Jellal's eyes widened in shock when he saw several people rapidly scaling Nirvana's leg, all of them appearing to be light mages that had come to fight Oración Seis. "None of us have given up hope! And you can't too! All of our hopes are tied together!" Releasing a long breath, Erza released Jellal and flashed him a soft smile. "Live and you'll see what happens next."
"Heh, maybe you're right..." Jellal said with a small smile as he brushed himself off and stood back onto his feet. "Alright Erza, I'd like to see how this story will end."
(With Natsu, Lucy, and Gray)
"Once we get to the top of this thing, I'm going to go all out and smash this damn thing to pieces!" Natsu growled, practically bounding up one of Nirvana's legs. "Then I'm going to find Jellal and give him a piece of my mind!"
"Take it easy Natsu! We can't just rush into things! We should try to regroup with everyone and come up with a plan!" Lucy exclaimed as she trailed slightly behind her pink-haired mate, grabbing ahold of a piece of stone and propelling herself forward. The blonde celestial spirit mage was surprised at her own stamina and reflexes, they had seemingly improved drastically recently. She had always had trouble keeping up with Natsu in the past, but now she was almost going at his pace. "This is amazing, ever since Natsu gave me some more of his magic my body has felt so light. Maybe the mate mark did more than just enhance my senses...maybe it also gave me better reflexes and stamina like a dragon slayer has...or maybe it's related to me tapping into some of Natsu's magic earlier? Either way, I could used to this feeling."
"God! Would both of you slow the hell down!" Gray yelled practically out of breath, lagging behind both Natsu and Lucy. "And what the hell is with the matching outfits?! You two look like total dorks!"
"Just the hell up ice-" Natsu was cut off when the leg they had been climbing began to move. Almost instantly the dual dragon slayer was hit by a wave of dizziness and nausea, causing him to lose his balance and fall off Nirvana.
"NATSU!" Lucy screamed as she lunged towards the pink-haired dragon slayer and reached for his hand. But the blonde celestial spirit mage was just a split second too slow, her fingertips grazing against Natsu's. In horror, Lucy watched her mate plummet towards the ground below. "NATSUUUUUU!"
"Why you screaming, Luce?" The blonde celestial spirit mage squeaked in surprise when she saw that Natsu's face was suddenly right in front of her's.
"H-How are you..." It was then that Lucy noticed that Natsu was floating. Looking up, Lucy felt a wave of relief wash over her when she saw that Happy was carrying Natsu. "Happy...thank god! You showed up right on time!"
"Aye!" Happy cheered with a grin as he nodded his head. "There's no way I'd let Natsu get hurt!"
"Yeah, you're a hero bud!" Natsu said with a chuckle, giving the flying blue cat a thumbs up. The dual dragon slayer laughed loudly in joy when Happy did a quick loop in the air. "Hell yeah! This is the best!" As Happy and Natsu flew through the air, the pink-haired dragon slayer looked around for any possible openings. His eyes lit up a few moments later when he spotted a large hole in Nirvana's side. After pointing the opening out to Happy, both Fairy Tail members flew back to where Lucy and Gray were. "Hey, you two! You guys just keep heading towards the top from the way you're going! Happy and I found an entrance on this thing's side, so we'll enter from there!" Seeing both his nakama nod in agreement, Natsu looked up at Happy. "Alright buddy, let's get going!"
"Aye sir!" Happy cheered as he flew both of them through the opening in Nirvana.
"Let's shut this shit down!" Natsu thought, tightly balling his fists. "And I have to make sure both Erza and Wendy are alright."
(Same Time: With Brain and Cobra)
"You really did it Brain!" Cobra exclaimed with a smile as he watched them ascend higher and higher into the air. "You got us Nirvana!" Walking over to a nearby stone pillar, Cobra pressed his hand against it. "This is truly incredible! A leftover from ancient civilizations...isn't this amazing Cubellios?"
"Observe this Cobra!" Brain proclaimed, standing at the edge of the platform they were on and gesturing towards what was bellow them with his staff. "Partake in the view before you!" Walking over and peering over the edge, Cobra's eyes widened in surprise when he saw what appeared to be an abandoned and decaying city below them. "A city of the ancients! This is indeed Nirvana's true form! And within this King's Hall here, it will do my bidding! This city will move to wherever I desire!"
"Move..." Cobra repeated as he quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "So this thing is taking us somewhere?"
"Yes, we cannot reach our target from here." Brain replied an evil smile slowly spreading across his face. "That guild!"
"Our first target?" Cobra asked with a smirk as he put his hands into his pockets. "Sounds good to me."
"It's more appropriate to call it the starting point for light's extinction." Brain said, before making a sweeping motion with his staff, which caused dozens of magical projects to appear around him in a circle. "Now forward, my ancient city! And turn light into darkness!"
"As if I'd let that happen!" Both Brain and Cobra's eyes widened when they looked up and saw someone rapidly descending towards them, their entire body cloaked in bright blue flames. "I'm gonna stop you bastards!" A split second later the newcomer landed and slammed both his fists onto the ground, sending out a wall of scorching flames in front of them. The stone-ground cracked and buckled as the incredible flames coursed through it. Brain and Cobra both dove for cover, barely escaping the searing hot fire. Once the intense flames died down, Brain peeked his head out from behind cover and was surprised to see the pink-haired man from earlier had been the one to attack them.
"It's that little nuisance again..." Brain growled as he grit his teeth in frustration. Ducking behind cover again to dodge another wave of fire, Brain's eyes widened in fear when he saw that explosions caused by the flames were destroying parts of Nirvana. "Cobra! Don't let him run wild! We can't let him destroy Nirvana!"
"Right! Cubellios!" Cobra exclaimed, leaping out of cover and sending his massive snake towards Natsu. The pink-haired dragon slayer leaped backward right into Happy's arms, flying away from the snake's attack. "Tch, this bastard is slippery."
"I'm gonna take that damn snake and burn it to a crisp for hurting Erza." Natsu growled in frustration as he pointed a flaming fist towards Cobra. "Then I'm going to light you up with so much electricity that you'll pop!" However, Natsu was surprised when Cobra used his snake like a springboard and launched towards him. Happy quickly flew back even further, moving them out of Cobra's grasp. "Thanks, Happy, didn't think that guy would-" Natsu's eyes widened in shock when he heard the sound of flapping wings. To the pink-haired dragon slayer's utter shock, he saw that Cobra's snake had now sprouted wings and was not directly in front of them. "W-What the hell!? That thing has fucking wings?!"
"Heh, I won't let you anywhere near brain!" Cobra said, fiercely glaring at the dual dragon slayer. "Just try and get passed me!"
"So that guy is controlling this thing?" Natsu muttered as he looked down at Brain. "That means he's my main target. But first..."
"Come on, dragon slayer!" Cobra exclaimed, beckoning Natsu to come forward and attack him.
"I have to deal with this guy..." Natsu said as he glanced between Cobra and Brain several times. "No, I don't have time to waste on this guy! I need to take out this Brain bastard first!" Natsu completely ignored Cobra and made a beeline towards Brain. However, Happy and Natsu were stopped when Cobra's snake's tail suddenly blocked their path. "What the? Is this guy reading our minds?"
"No, but I am hearing your moves! I heard it all!" Cobra said with a smirk, crossing his arms over his chest. The Oración Seis member's smirk widened when he saw Natsu glaring at him. "AHA! That's the look I wanted to see! Come on, dragon slayer! That fight against all of us when we first met was quite the display, so let's play a little, just the two of us this time!"
"Looks like I really will have to go through this guy first." Natsu growled as he coated his fists in swirling blue flames. "Alright, you want a fight, you got one!"
(Same Time on Another Part of Nirvana: With Wendy and Carla)
"*Pant* *Pant* When did you get so heavy, Wendy?" Carla panted out of breath, lying on the ground in front of the blue-haired dragon slayer.
"I'm sorry for forcing you to do this, Carla!" Wendy exclaimed as she crouched down next to the white cat. "But we have to help everyone!"
"Bah, just forget about me." Carla said, waving her paw dismissively.
"Don't say that, I'm worried about you." Wendy said with a small smile as she gently petted the top of Carla's head.
"I know you said that you want to help...but are you here to chase after Jellal?" Carla asked, causing Wendy's shoulders to stiffen. "*Sigh* Wendy we-"
"NO! Well...I do want to see Jellal again and try to talk with him...but that's not why I'm really here!" Wendy said as she tightly balled her fists, her eyes full of determination. "I have to do something to help stop this thing, I'm sure everyone else is thinking the same thing! Natsu believed in me, so there's gotta be something I can do!"
"That's true..." Carla said before her entire suddenly stiffened, her eyes widening. Wendy watched in confusion as Carla stood up and slowly walked towards the edge of the platform they were on, peering out at the forest before them. "O-Oh no..."
"What is it, Carla?" Wendy asked confused as to what had the white cat so spooked. "Is something wrong?"
"It...it has to be a coincidence right? I mean...there's just no way..." Carla muttered, turning to face Wendy, tears forming in her eyes. "This direction...if we keeping going that way...that's where Cait Shelter is!"
"H-Huh?" Wendy breathed out as she felt a chill run down her spine, her eyes wide in fear. However, before Wendy could dwell on what Carla had just revealed, a fiery blue explosion rang out in the distance. "Those flames...it has to be Natsu..." Whipping around, Wendy grabbed ahold of Carla and took off running towards the sound of distant fighting. "Come on, Carla! We need to get going!"
"W-What are you doing, Wendy!?" Carla asked, staring up at the blue-haired dragon slayer. "We can't just rush towards a fight! We need to think of a plan!"
"Well, that's exactly what I'm doing!" Wendy said without missing a beat as she picked up the pace after another explosion went off. "Because that's what Natsu would do!"
(Back with Natsu and Cobra)
"Cobra, hurry and finish that ingrate off." Brain said in an annoyed tone, paying attention to the magical projections in front of him as he focused on keeping control of Nirvana.
"I'm on it!" Cobra exclaimed as he flew towards Natsu on top of his flying snake. "Cubellios! Those two will be your snack!"
"GAH! Out of my way!" Natsu yelled, flying towards Cobra and Cubellios, his fists coated in blue flames. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" However, as Natsu lunged forward to attack Cubellios, the massive snake easily dodged his fist. As Natsu whipped around to launch another attack, he was struck in the face by Cubellios' tail. sending him flying backward. "Damn it, that hurt!"
"I told you, didn't I?" Cobra asked with a devious smirk as slowly flew towards Natsu. "I can hear all your movements! None of your attacks will hit me!"
"Happy, back us off!" Natsu exclaimed, both Fairy Tail members flying down into the ancient city ruins below them, attempting to lose Cobra. Spotting an alley, Happy and Natsu ducked inside. Knowing that Cobra would likely hear anything they said, Natsu made several motions with his arms, trying to let Happy know they should try and ambush Cobra. The blue cat gave Natsu a thumbs up, understanding what their plan was. Pressing himself flat against the wall, Natsu strained his ears to listen for Cobra's movements. Soon, the pink-haired dragon slayer heard movement on the other side of the wall, a smirk spreading across his face. "Here he comes, I got you now!" The wall suddenly burst open and Natsu rushed towards the opening, his fists coated in orange electricity. However, when Natsu burst through the smoke and debris, he was shocked to see that no one was there. "What the-"
"I heard you!" Cobra proclaimed in a cocky tone as he rushed in from the side and kneed Natsu in the face, sending the pink-haired dragon slayer skidding across the ground.
"Son of a bitch...why can't I hit this guy?" Natsu growled, recovering from the attack and coming to a sliding stop. As soon as Natsu stood back up, Happy picked him back up. "Does he have some magic to hear our moves?"
"You could say that..." Cobra said with a grin as he chuckled and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I can even hear your thought processes. There's no way you can win against me. Not bad kid, you've got a lot of good ideas brewin' in your head."
"Damn it, you're really playing dirty!" Natsu exclaimed in annoyance, before launching towards Cobra and Cubellios. "If that's how things are gonna be, then I'm just gonna charge you head on!"
"Right hook!" Cobra said in a bored tone as he easily dodged Natsu's attack. "Left kick. And a follow-up left jab. Which will lead to a lightning breath attack." However, Cobra was stunned when he was suddenly hit by a flaming kick to the jaw. "HOW!?" Cobra gasped in pain when Natsu hit him with a punch to the stomach, knocking all the air from his lungs. "How is this possible?!" Cobra's eyes widened in surprise when he saw Natsu's face, the pink-haired dragon slayer looked completely zoned out. "He...is not thinking at all?!" Natsu cocked his flaming fist back, prepared to strike Cobra again. But when Natsu went to attack, his fist was stopped when Cobra grabbed it. "I've never met an asshole like you before! Now I get it. Cheap tricks won't work on you anymore."
"What are you-" Natsu was cut off when he felt an intense pain coming from the hand Cobra was holding. Yelping in surprise, Natsu quickly yanked his hand away. "Jeez, that really hurt!" Looking down at his hand, Natsu was shocked to see that it was turning almost purple in color. "What the hell..." When Natsu raised his head again, he was stunned to see that both of Cobra's arms were covered in dark red scales. "What's going on here?!"
"Cobra, the Poison Dragon!" Cobra exclaimed with a devious smirk, an inky dark purple smoke-like substance wafting off his hands. "This is where I get serious!"
"Are you kidding me?!" Natsu yelled as both Happy and his eyes widened in surprise. "This guy is a dragon slayer?!"
"My poison causes your body to rot away with just one attack!" Cobra said with a twisted grin, launching forward and tried to hit Natsu with a poisoned kick, which the pink-haired dragon slayer managed to block. Natsu tried to counter, but Cobra easily dodged his attack. Spinning around, Cobra hit Natsu with a poisoned punch. "Cubellios!" The massive snake twirled around Cobra and breathed out a thick cloud of poisonous gas. Then Natsu and Happy watched as Cobra began to eat the poison.
"H-He's eating the poison..." Happy said in a fearful tone as his grip on Natsu's vest tightened. "We might be in trouble, Natsu."
"Poison Dragon's..." Cobra said, inhaling deeply as poison clouds gathered around his mouth.
"A breath attack, this bad!" Natsu exclaimed as both Fairy Tail members tried to escape, but they were too late.
"Roar!" Cobra unleashed a massive stream of dark purple poisonous gas, which Natsu was hit directly by. The pink-haired dragon slayer grunted in pain as the poison surrounded him and he was forced to breath it in. When the attack finally stopped, Natsu instantly felt his entire body going numb and because Happy was hit by the poison too, his body began to shut down too. Happy could no longer fly and both Fairy Tail members crashed into the ground. Laughing maniacally, Cobra slowly flew down and floated several feet above Natsu and Happy. "Man, you old school dragon slayers sure are tough! Most people would be dead by now!"
"Old...school..." Natsu repeated as he began to process what Cobra had just said. He groaned in annoyance when he connected the dots. "Ah damn it, don't tell me...you've got a damn dragon slayer lacrima in your body?"
"That's right..." Cobra said with a smirk, crossing his arms over his chest. "I've got the power to hunt down dragons! I'm the newest generation of dragon slayers!"
"Bah, I don't want to hear that shit! You're not a real dragon slayer!" Natsu growled as he forced his body to sit upright. "You're using fake dragon slayer magic, just like Laxus!"
"Real?" Cobra parroted, quirking an eyebrow in intrigue. "This magic is meant for dragons to kill each other! There's no way a simple human could learn it! From my perspective, you're the one who's suspicious here! After all, there are no dragons left in the world."
"Igneel and Valinor are out there! I will find them!" Natsu exclaimed as he tightly balled his fists and slammed one of them onto the ground.
"They're all gone! All the dragons have been wiped out!" Cobra taunted, before inhaling deeply once again. "And just like those dragons, I'll wipe you out too! Poison Dragon's Roar!"
Not knowing what else to do, Natsu closed his eyes and braced himself for the onslaught of poison to hit him, his body still under the effects of Cobra's poison. But when he heard something land in front of him, he cracked an eye open. What Natsu saw caused him to gasp in shock, his eyes now wide open. In front of him stood Wendy, the blue-haired dragon slayer's arms were outstretched protectively as she began to eat the stream of poison. Natsu both watched in utter disbelief as Wendy inhaled copious amounts of poisonous gas. When Cobra's attack finally stopped, Natsu was unhurt but Wendy wobbled for a few moments before she collapsed.
"WENDY!" Natsu roared as newfound strength rushed through him, instantly leaping over towards Wendy's side. Kneeling next to the blue-haired dragon slayer, Natsu felt his heart sink when he saw Wendy's veins turning black as the poison coursed through her body. Her breathing was ragged and her entire body was trembling in pain. Natsu had no idea how to help Wendy and felt tears well up in his eyes. "WENDY! Say something! Why did you do something so reckless!?"
"H-Heh...sorry...Natsu..." Wendy apologized with a weak smile, before coughing out a mouthful of black bile. "I...I just...wanted to be useful...and help you...I...I did...help right?"
"Y-Yeah Wendy..." Natsu said in a shaky voice as he now felt tears streaming down his cheeks. "You helped out a ton...you did an amazing job..."
"That's great..." Wendy said with a soft chuckle, hacking up another mouthful of black sludge. "I'm so happy...I was able to..." Wendy stopped mid-sentence, struggling to take in a breath. After several moments of gasping, Wendy's entire body went limp.
"W-Wendy..." Natsu breathed out as he was filled with an overwhelming sense of dread, everything that was happening finally sinking in. "No...No. No. No! NO! NO!" Grabbing ahold of Wendy's arm, Natsu gasped when he felt that her skin was cold. Leaning down, Natsu pressed his ear against Wendy's chest, all his hope crumbling away when he didn't hear any heartbeat after several agonizing seconds. "No...this can't be happening! This is some sick dream! Wendy can't be...there's no way!"
"Tch, stupid kid..." Cobra muttered in a seemingly saddened tone, turning his head away from the heart-wrenching scene. "She should have stayed out of this..."
"HIM! HE'S THE ONE WHO KILLED HER!"
"HE MUST PAY! HE TOOK AWAY SOMEONE PRECIOUS TO YOU!"
"HE MUST DIE! TEAR THE FLESH FROM HIS BONES!"
"W-What the hell is going on with that guy..." Cobra thought as he felt the air around Natsu seem to chill, a black aura radiating off him.
"That mother fucker...it's all his fault..." Natsu thought as he felt his heart stop, the most intense and pure rage he'd ever experienced welling up inside him. The pink-haired dragon slayer felt his mind going blank, being completely consumed by intense, black fury. He felt something dark and dangerous cracking within him. "This fucker took Wendy from me! He's going to die!" But before this new, evil power could escape, a new sound hit Natsu's ear and brought him back from the brink. It was faint, but Natsu was sure he had heard it. It was slow at first, but it gradually became faster and faster. Natsu felt an intense wave of relief wash over him as heard Wendy's heart start beating again. With a groan, Wendy slowly sat upright, holding her head in pain. Unable to contain his joy, Natsu lunged forward and embraced Wendy in a tight hug, tears pouring from his eyes. "She's okay! She's okay!"
"N-Natsu!" Wendy exclaimed in surprise, her face turning bright red in embarrassment. "I-I'm okay! You don't have to hold me so tight!"
"Sorry, I was just so worried...I thought I'd lost you, Wendy..." Natsu said as he released the blue-haired dragon slayer, sniffling several times as he wiped away his tears. However, when Natsu finished wiping away his tears, he was not prepared for what he saw. Wendy was seemingly okay, but something had definitely changed about her. Wendy's normally brown eyes now resembled slits, similar to a snake's. Her normally blue hair was now dark purple and completely disheveled. "Wendy...what the hell happened to you?"
"Huh?" Wendy said, cocking her head in confusion. "What are you talking-" Wendy stopped dead in her tracks when she looked down at her arms, seeing that they were now coated in several rows of purple scales and her nails had elongated into claws. Screaming in surprise, Wendy bolted onto her feet. "WHAT THE HELL?!"
And done! AHAHAHA! The evil cliffhanger strikes again! Well, it seems that Wendy has successfully absorbed Cobra's magic, but it has some unforeseen side effects! And before any of you jump to conclusions, no Natsu was not about to awaken E.N.D. when he thought Wendy had died. That's a completely different power that will come up again later in the story. Anyways, the next chapter will conclude the fight with Cobra and keep this arc moving forward. Sticking with my new story rotation, I'll be updating my Batman story next. So please just be patient and the next chapter will be out eventually. Remember to Follow/Favorite if you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW (I NEED YOUR FEEDBACK GUYS, SO LET'S TRY TO GET SOME MORE REVIEWS IN THIS TIME!), check out my profile and other stories if you haven't already, and PM me any ideas you might have for any of my fics. So until next time, I'm outta here!