The mission had ended victoriously for Natsu and his friends, without destroying everything around them.
In addition to the reward, they were more than willingly invited to attend a party in their honor by the villagers they had saved.
"This was kind by them, don't you think?" Lucy said as she finished putting on a purple-red evening dress.
"Of course, even if I don't think I deserve it. You worked harder than me today." The other girl in the room replied.
Lucy looked at her friend who had not yet taken off her armor.
"Erza, aren't you changing dresses? A lot of them are so nice!" Lucy asked her friend curiously. "No, I don't feel like it tonight..." said the sorceress with long, straight crimson hair, nervously crossing her arms near the chest hidden by a shining silver armor.
She didn't want to admit it, but the recent events at Tower of Heaven had shaken her to the core. She didn't want to show it, she didn't want to worry her friends needlessly.
An outdoor party, the lively and clean country air filled Erza's lungs with every breath she took, the lantern fires were a sight for sore eyes and the music was a pleasant background for the ears.
Everyone was having fun, her already tipsy friend Gray was dancing semi naked with Happy and Lucy was scolding them for their embarrassing behavior.
And then there was him. Natsu was talking amiably with the villagers, a girl was looking at him with a dreamy look, absentmindedly playing with the locks of his unruly pink hair.
He didn't give it any weight, Erza did.
She couldn't blame the young one, Natsu had a unique charisma. He was brave, fearless, nice, kind but above all he would have given his own life to protect the people he loved.
She closed her eyes still remembering the feeling of being in his arms...
A scene that she mentally replayed often in these days, that made her feel a strange sensation in her chest.
She opened her eyes and that feeling became a tightness that made it hard for her to breathe.
Natsu was dancing with that girl, a carefree smile on his face. That smile that Erza adored more than anything in the world.
She didn't understand what was happening to her anymore, they were just dancing, why did she feel so angry?
She didn't give it any weight before but lately if she thought about Natsu sleeping innocently in Lucy's bed, despite there never having been any relationship between them, it made her nervous, angry.
She tried to focus on the slice of strawberry cake on the table.
"how strange, not even a cake can cheer me up anymore..."
"Hey, do you want to dance?"
She turned around and Natsu was right there, in front of her. He was smiling, his hazel eyes were the most beautiful stars of that night.
She quickly wiped her lips stained with cream with a napkin.
She wanted to shout yes to him, get up and dance arm in arm.
"I-I...I don't dance."
Natsu looked at her in shock, then laughed carefree.
"Are you telling me that our guild's dance queen can't dance?"
Her cheeks caught fire.
"I didn't think you liked dancing with me, I thought my lessons had turned you off."
This time it was Natsu's cheeks that turned slightly red, avoiding looking her in the eyes.
"W-what are you talking about? You're like the best dancer I know." His comment warmed her heart.
His rough hand suddenly grabbed hers.
He didn't say anything, just nodded.
She smiled, standing up shakily and following him.
"So, can I lead this dance?"
She nodded, laughing lightly.
"Hey, I'm not that terrible!"
"I know, it's just...nothing." She rested her head on his chest, letting herself be carried away by his movements.
They continued dancing throughout the night, from the more frenetic and frivolous ones to the slower and more intimate ones.
"You are so beautiful when you are relaxed, I hate to see you worried." The wizard said, taking her by surprise.
"It's just an impression, I'm not worried at all." She lied.
"You don't have to say anything to me. Just remember that I'll always be here with you, okay?" He pulled her closer gently, his grip on her waist tightening.
"N-Natsu, it's just..."
She wanted to tell him that she felt confused, scared.
She wanted to tell him that she was tired of always seeming so brave and sure of herself.
She wanted to tell him that she wanted to explore their relationship, that maybe she felt something more than just friendship.
"I..."
The music stopped.
Screams of terror filled the clearing, the villagers running away in panic.
Hooded men crawled out of the shadows.
They shouted that they were believers of Zeref, that they wanted to eliminate the scum of the magical world.
Zeref, a name that was etched in her nightmares.
Gray, Lucy, and Happy were helping the civilians.
Natsu released his grip and ran.
Erza stood there, frozen.
Alone.
"I-I have to do something..."
"T-that's weird... m-my legs won't move..."
All she could manage was cry out in sheer terror, collapsing to her knees on the ground.
She closed the eyes, covering the ears with her hands as rivers of tears ran down.
She wanted all of this to end.
She didn't remember how long she was immersed in that darkness but when she opened eyes she was standing again, in his arms.
As if their lovely dance had never tragically ended.
She hid the head in his chest, not stopping crying.
The smell of ash and blood permeated what a moment before was a fairytale clearing.
"Erza I... I don't know what's happening to you, I don't understand it at all."
She continued to sob and tremble incessantly.
"What I said before doesn't change, I'll always be there for you. You..."
He pulled her closer, holding her in an embrace.
"You are everything to me."
She closed her eyes again, knowing that this time she was no longer in a living nightmare.