The stadium was echoing with cheers and the night sky was painted in bright colours to show everyone which guild proved to be the best, the strongest, the top guild in Fiore: Fairy Tail.
After escaping from Laxus, Karissa was quick to notice her brother jogging out from the shadows with his arm waving, shouting out her name with a grin. Laxus, Gray, and Gajeel looked over to the older twin who vaulted over a wall with ease and then practically bounced his way to his younger half. Karissa couldn't help but grin back while leaning away in fear of him colliding with her.
"Congratulations on winning." Clavis smiled, gently clapping his hands together.
"Thanks." Karissa copied him instinctively and returned his smile with her own.
Erza, who finally tore her gaze away from Sting, looked over to the two and chuckled softly to herself when she saw how they gently clapped together with matching smiles.
Gray arched a brow when he noticed that the 'something weird' he felt from Clavis was… weaker? He still couldn't quite understand what he was feeling when he looked at Clavis before. But whatever it was, it wasn't as strong. It was like someone changed their pitch-black curtains into something more see-through to allow sunlight to shine in one room.
Oh. Maybe that was it.
He could see him a bit clearer now.
His eyes dropped on Karissa who was bashfully grinning at Clavis, abashed by the sudden praises he was showering her with. He was now holding her hands in his while gently swaying them between their bodies.
Gray sighed with his shoulders and smiled a little. I guess you asked him. That's good.
All of those who participated in the final game were told to return and take a quick respite before the closing ceremony. Each guild needed to head towards their respective nearby streets where a magic circle would teleport them back. For Fairy Tail, they needed to go somewhere on Howell street to find their way out.
Erza needed some treatment from Porlyusica. Actually, everyone required some minimum treatment since the last game wasn't a walk in the park. Erza and Laxus were walking ahead of everyone while Gray and Karissa took the rear with Gajeel walking on the far side of them. The two ice mages were watching Gajeel mumble something about how Quatro Chihuahua was making a racket on the other side of the building they were walking past.
"Dragon Slayer hearing is something else, huh?" Gray chortled with his hands in his pockets.
"Literally part animal." Karissa added with a snort, causing Gajeel to look over and give her a nasty look. Before anything could be said, Erza called him over with a wave of her hand, forcing him to reluctantly march over to the S-Class mage.
Karissa's gaze was torn away when she felt Gray nudge her arm with his elbow. He was giving her a knowing look. "I take it things went well with Clavis?"
This brought a small smile to her face as she nodded gently. "Yeah. I learned that I need to be more careful with him…"
"Careful?"
"Gotta keep my eyes peeled!"
Gray furrowed his brows at her confusing answer. "You gotta keep an eye out for him? Why's that?"
"Hm, well… it's just that… Clavis is kinda scared. So, I need to make sure I'm not seeing him hide himself in front of me if I wanna get to know him." She placed her hands atop her chest as if to emphasize her heart. "He doesn't want to hurt by letting people know who he is since he's used to only smiling for others. They might think ill of him, that's kinda what he said."
"What, he's been just faking the whole sunshine demeanor?" Gray could not think of anything but how impressive that was since he was fooled so well.
"Not really… I don't think all of it is fake." Karissa quickly defended her brother. It was a part of his insecurity. The desperate wish to be loved was hidden underneath happy smiles whenever people displayed their liking for him. "At the amusement park, he said that people wouldn't like it if the sun went out. He thinks people would dislike him if he stopped smiling because that's how he got people to adore him: by being good. He just wants people to like him."
Karissa gave a little more detail about Clavis' past to give him more insight. With Clavis' memory loss blocking off anything prior, he never felt any love in his life. Instead, he felt the instinct to not trust other people except for the one person who found him. However, seeing conditional and unconditional love in front of him, he believed that being good was the only way to feel loved ever since he craved it, the human instinct to feel loved overwriting the instinct to feel guarded.
Gray hummed to himself when he began to understand now. To him, it kind of felt like a transaction. Be good and then earn love. Much like Karissa, he couldn't help but think how lonely it must feel to think that way. As human beings, it was necessary to be genuinely close to someone, bonds were fundamental.
He needed to learn someday that those walls needed to be put down to feel true affection.
To be intoxicated with the idea of being always good and hiding pieces of yourself that you think others would hate or dislike you for was a desperation founded by insecurity.
He needed to feel free to truly open his heart to build true bonds.
If he did, he wouldn't have to feel so insecure about himself.
And Karissa was determined to get to the heart of it to see him.
The female ice mage blinked when she felt Gray's hand plop atop her head. Confused, she blinked at him, question marks appearing in her eyes as he simply smiled a proud smile before slipping his hand off and stuffing it back into his pocket. She waited for an explanation. He shook his head when she asked what it was for. He didn't say anything else, allowing the silence to flood between them instead.
Gray and Karissa unknowingly fell into step as they watched Erza say something to Gajeel which had him scowling. Unlike Gajeel, they didn't have that animal hearing. They couldn't even hear voices with how the fireworks started blasting into the sky again for a second round of congratulations.
"Oh, right… I guess now is a good time since we're all in good spirits." Karissa leaned closer to Gray when he lowered his head to hear amidst the loud booms and cheers. He was still looking ahead of him, waiting for her next words that magically decreased the volume of the fireworks. "I just want one date to follow the old-school formula and then we're good."
He looked at her, surprised at her words and with how she was sheepishly grinning with one finger held up.
OH.
It seriously took a few seconds for him to get what she was saying. It was probably the high and the fatigue.
Mimicking her, he held up one finger as well. "Just one?" He teased. "You don't want two?"
"Nope. Only one!" Karissa insisted. "I thought about it and figured you were right. But I still want to follow the traditional formula just so it feels right."
"So old fashioned." Gray sighed with a shrug.
"Take it or leave it." Karissa faked pouted as she pulled away.
"Hey, I got no complaints. I'm down for anything you want to do as long as it's legal."
If someone paid closer attention, they'd probably notice the pep in Karissa and Gray's steps as they joined their friends in the magic circle.
Gajeel looked at Gray who was standing next to him and discreetly covering his mouth by pretending to wipe it with the back of his hand. He cocked a non-existent brow as he watched Gray compose himself before lifting his head. The ice mage could feel the pair of red eyes watching him, prompting him to look over at him.
"What's got you looking stupid?"
Gray deadpanned and flipped him off.
"The fuck—?!"
Gajeel's voice was cut off as the magic teleported them back.
They had at least an hour to get their wounds dressed and change into better clothes if they wished. However, only half an hour had passed before they were told to go to the central city square of Crocus, all of the guilds. It startled everyone since they thought they'd have more time to get ready for the closing ceremony.
Karissa was dressed in black pants, gray shoes, and a pastel green plaid that went past her waist. As for bandages, she had some mostly on her legs and arms and one on her right hand, enveloping her entire palm. Her wrapped hand was mostly from the cracks in her skin that formed when she used Absolute Zero. Thankfully, their wounds wouldn't have to hurt that much thanks to Porlyusica giving them drugs to kill any pain while accelerating the healing process.
Erza poked her head inside the room. "Are you ready?"
Karissa jumped and quickly grabbed the chocolate bar she left on the side. "Yeah, I'm coming! Go on without me! I'll catch up!"
She was busy adjusting the bandage around her hand since Lisanna tied it a bit too tight for her liking. She didn't realize how absorbed she was in it until Erza spooked her.
Without any more delay, she grabbed the chocolate bar that she plucked from one of the boxes that Alzack and Bisca brought, and checked herself in the mirror to make sure she wouldn't look like a clown during the closing ceremony. She kept the chocolate bar in between her teeth while fixing her hair the best she could, flattening it and combing through it with her fingers hastily.
She paused when she was carding her fingers through her bangs.
What the…?
She stepped closer to the mirror and looked closer.
The roots of her hair were faintly white.
Dandruff? I thought I was past that…
She used to have dandruff before becoming a teenager but her sister bought her that super serum shampoo to treat it. It never came back.
So, what the hell was this?
Confused, Karissa swatted her head and tried lightly scratching it off… But nothing seemed to work. It didn't even move. It made her frown. However, she couldn't spend her time trying to uncover the mystery of her hair roots since everyone was waiting for her. Reluctantly, she closed the lights and sped off after her guildmates.
As she ran through the halls, she realized that it must have been because of the Punishment of Absolute Zero. It was the only thing she could think of since it was such a dangerous spell? Maybe her hair was still somehow 'frozen'?
…
…
…
In the central city square of Crocus, everyone was gathered… literally everyone. It didn't look like no damn closing ceremony was about to take place. The guards simply told them to wait for His Majesty The King to show up once everyone had gathered.
Fairy Tail was one of the first guilds to arrive. Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus joined soon after and they were all asking each other what was going on.
Amidst the chatter, Gray noticed that Karissa kept rubbing the top of her head.
"What's wrong, did you hurt yourself?"
Karissa frowned. "No… but my hair is white? Like at the roots."
Gray pulled a face and motioned for her to come closer. Leaning her head down for him, he placed both his hands on her head and checked for whatever she was talking about.
"There's nothing. Your hair is fine."
"What? But that's not what I saw in the mirror five minutes ago!"
She lifted her head and patted her hair as if she could see the white that she had seen earlier.
"Why is Karissa-san getting so close to Gray-sama?" Juvia suddenly appeared between them with wide dark blue eyes and a weird aura, causing Gray to flinch away and Karissa to casually shrug her off as she was more concerned about her head.
Strange…
The King didn't waste time.
He cut right to the chase.
Dragons were coming to attack soon.
Not just one but ten thousand of them.
Pandora paled when she remembered that day. That flying disaster that put them under the water. How could they take down ten thousand dragons when they couldn't even scratch one?
Van couldn't fathom how they were supposed to fight off the dragons. Even if the King assured them that a plan was already in place to fight them and take them out in one shot there was still a worry of the possibility of failing, a what if.
Van's gaze was shadowed by his bangs as the other mages willingly offered their help at the king's plea. He gripped his fist in his hand tightly close to his chest. Most of these damn mages wouldn't be so gung-ho about this if they went up against Acnologia like they did. He knew that some mages have cowardly natures. They were quick to change their mind if something wasn't for them. To lay down their lives for the sake of a country… he wasn't like that. If he could, he'd turn around and leave it all behind to protect his and his sister's lives.
As people around her roared their determination to take down the dragons, Karissa couldn't help but feel a throbbing in her head, it felt like it was getting worse as she imagined more dragons like Acnologia.
The flying calamity.
Her head was hurting over this as if it couldn't wrap it around this current situation. She resisted crumbling down and holding her head by being defiant and looking up at the moon behind the King. She couldn't hear anything at all except the thundering of her own heart that seemed to beat at the same time as the throbbing of her head.
Death was certain.
She could die tonight.
A sharper pain this time.
Karissa lifted a hand to her temple.
All of sudden, loud thudding sounds were echoing in Crocus. It was coming from the Royal Palace. The sound was also in time with the throbbing of her head and beating of her loud heart.
Then it came… the roaring of a dragon, an unforgettable sound.
And then came the first sign of destruction.
A straight-line shockwave coming from the palace traveled and destroyed everything in its trajectory.
Karissa flinched and looked to the left to find Quatro Cerberus freaking out over the destruction that took out the structures next to them.
"What was that?!"
"Where did it come from?"
"From the palace!"
"What the hell?!"
Everyone looked towards the palace and saw the smoke the shockwave left in its wake.
Karissa clenched her fists when she spotted the silhouette of a dragon.
It begins.
The pesky dragons have descended with their scales of arrogance.
But not be dismayed, the light of the astrals will descend to purge their approaching darkness and wickedness.
Let it not still your strides nor weaken your soul.
"Just follow the traces left behind from the blessed storm's wake." Karissa mumbled blankly. "And you will know where the gifts are resting."
"Did you say something?"
Jolting, Karissa blinked and looked to her left where Cana and Juvia were looking at her strangely. They overheard her mumbling something.
"Oh, uh… nothing."
What was I saying?
…
…
…
Fire.
Fairy Tail braced themselves when a dragon with a fiery body landed before them, heating the air tremendously.
"There's one!"
"A dragon!"
"Its body is made of fire?!"
Makarov immediately ordered them all to attack the dragon. They would not allow this manifestation of fire to strike first. The creature known as Atlas Flame wasted no time in blowing them all away with a mouth full of raging fire. The shockwave that sent them flying was immediately bringing back the memory of Acnologia, and it was pricking Karissa's heart with fear.
The fear of being helpless again in the face of a walking disaster.
"Karissa! Get up!"
Bickslow and Evergreen came to her side and helped her up on her feet since she was caught under several pieces of wooden planks. Karissa coughed and looked up at the burning creature while making sure she wasn't injured from the first wave. If anything, she was just scratched up from being tossed around.
She was thankful for her physiology.
"You can live through me attack?! Are you wizards?!"
Makarov's body burst into bright light, making the dragon squint a little, and he grew exponentially, assuming his Titan Form. The old man glared at the dragon and reeled his fist back. "We aren't just any wizards! We're a group tied by the bonds of family!" He roared and punched the dragon's head.
However, the dragon's head didn't even move. Atlas Flame just allowed his fist to strike him, watching expectantly as Makarov winced and pulled his fist away, revealing a burnt hand. Karissa's eyes widened at the sight and she hurried to move to the front in case she needed to provide support for him.
"Even the Master's attack didn't even dent it?!"
"No way!"
Atlas Flame laughed wickedly at their disbelief. "It doesn't matter what magic you have! You'll never defeat a dragon!" He lifted his tail. "As long as you're human!" His tail spun around and released a huge wave of fire their way to push them back once again.
Karissa's eyes narrowed at his statement while she did her best to maintain her position by using her wind and ice combined. It was too risky to even think about using the Punishment of Absolute Zero right now, not with all these dragons roaming around. She'd only be a burden to the others when she would need to thaw.
The others recovered from the second wave of attack and got back into position.
The dragon laughed once more when the smoke cleared. Even though they were back on their feet, he could tell they got roughed up from a simple dragon attack. "Absolutely pathetic! You inferior beings stand no chance!"
Karissa's eye twitched. The longer this fucking dragon kept talking, spewing words that oozed with arrogance, the more her fear started getting crushed by anger.
First, it was Zirconis.
Now, it was Atlas Shit—
"Don't look down on humans, you lowly lizard!" Karissa snapped, enraged. The others looked at her sudden outburst. "This arrogance you possess is only thanks to the Gods who decided to spare your meaningless life!"
Atlas Flame stilled. Her words, her tone, her expression… it reminded him of that time. He could almost feel their superior gaze on his body.
His body flared and the heat grew more intense.
"You…! You accursed human! No damned human can speak to me like that again!" Atlas Flame took a breath and tilted his head back. He was preparing to blast fire on her.
Van dashed to the front to put his sister behind him before violently stomping on the ground just as the beast was going to spew fire in her direction, startling it enough to miss. The other members were able to move out of its range thanks to its poor accuracy. Pandora used the properties of light and dashed past her guildmates before leaping up in the air to be at the dragon's eye level.
"Sirius!" Using her body, she produced the brightest of lights and forced it all into the dragon's eyes, blinding it. It let out a roar of annoyance as it bowed its head and growled. It was trying to shake off the light that seemed to be akin to looking directly into the sun's core.
"Good job, Pandora!" Makarov praised. "Let's strike while we can!"
Van looked over his shoulder and saw the irritation colouring his younger sister's features. He was just as irritated by what she just did. "What are you trying to do, provoking it like that?!" He snapped at her.
"Yeah, are you trying to get yourself cooked?!" Bickslow shouted from afar, flabbergasted by her pointless taunt.
"Listen," Karissa clicked her tongue. "I'm tired of these goddamn dragons thinking they're hot shit when they're just eating scraps!"
Confused, Van squinted his eyes. "What?" Was the only thing he could say in response. He didn't understand where this was coming from. But this anger… this irritation was a genuine response.
All of a sudden, another dragon roar erupted in Crocus, alerting everyone and putting them on the defensive. It was coming from the skies.
Following that roar was another one, but this one sounded more human.
"Can you hear me?! Dragon Slayer magic can take down these dragons!"
Gray put a hand over his eyes when he saw the dragon in the sky struggling to retake flight. "What the… Natsu?" He couldn't see him up there but his voice was coming from the dragon.
"What's he got, a megaphone?" Van wondered how he could project his voice so clearly. It must be all the practice he got from always shrieking.
"There are seven Dragon Slayers and there are seven dragons! Our magic is meant for today! Right now! The whole reason we Dragon Slayers exist is to fight right now! We're hunting dragons tonight!"
Karissa looked over to Laxus and Gajeel, concerned. Those two were strong, stronger than average mages.
But is one Dragon Slayer per dragon enough?
Natsu's words affected everyone's morale which was slowly being affected by the dragons' overwhelming presence, it was boosted when they realized he was right about the facts.
"What's that?!"
"Incoming!"
"Everyone, watch out!"
Karissa flinched when a huge rock pitched into the ground next to her. Quickly, she backed away and looked up at the sky. There were maybe a thousand of those things crashing down on them. She dodged the rocks while also using her hand to redirect their falling trajectory. When she dodged the last of them, she heard Droy and Jet screaming about something, forcing her to spin around and finally look at her surroundings.
Her eyes widened. Those weren't rocks falling. Those were eggs.
And their landing broke the shell sealing mini dragons inside. They were bipedal and wingless, lacking eyes and teeth, and possessing metallic-looking scales along with sharp claws.
Cana clicked her tongue and slowly backed away from the robotic miniature-looking dragons. "We got enough problems just bringing one down…!"
"Careful!" Van warned when he noticed a few of them started to twitch as if getting ready to pounce on them. He stomped on the ground and overhauled it to create spikes made of rocks. Just as he launched his assault on the small dragons, Laxus attacked Atlas Flame with a fistful of powerful lightning.
Compared to his grandfather, Laxus' fist knocked the dragon's head to the side, and he didn't suffer any fire burns because of his lightning. Seeing some difference, Laxus immediately ordered everyone to go face against the gremlin dragons. The Raijin Tribe would provide backup for him.
"I'll stay with you." Pandora quickly took a spot next to Evergreen, and it made Laxus turn since he was expecting her to stick with her family. In this kind of situation, she would worry a lot about their safety… but the hardened stare she gave him was saying otherwise.
If there was something Pandora learned from Tenrou Island, it was that her family was strong.
She was not going to play guardian for them forever.
They were not going to be helpless and alone.
"My light works on any creature that can fucking see. I'll keep blinding the dragon so that it'll be easier for you guys to attack it." Pandora explained while holding up a fistful of light in both hands, it illuminated her face and caused some of the baby hairs on her hairline to gently flow.
"Are you sure?" Laxus wasn't opposed to it, but he didn't know if doing this would be distracting right now, the worry.
Pandora turned to him. "I have things to worry about but I have to do what I have to do now! I don't care if the Raijin Tribe has your back! I'll give you more help so this night can end faster!"
The faster they defeat this dragon the more help they could provide with one free Dragon Slayer.
Van's eyes widened when his older sister indirectly declared her intention to put aside her personal feelings. He thought for sure they would stick together in this kind of situation.
The second child whipped around to locate his young sister. She was with Gray and Lyo, and they were making a run for it to lead some of the mini dragons away. It was getting too crowded with them getting boxed in.
They were shooting some ice spells as well to keep the attention on them.
She was moving away fast out of his reach.
Around her was debris.
Around him was debris.
Piercing through the night like a silver moonlight, shattering the buildings and windows and forcing the people to fight back against vicious destruction.
The sounds around him were suddenly muted when he found himself feeling all alone and terrified.
Cold.
Unfamiliar.
As if his lungs could finally function again, he gasped and got his wits together. He quickly ran over to Laxus' group.
"Let me help too!"
…
…
…
Chaos.
Karissa groaned as she struggled to get out of the rubble she was caught under. It was rocks, wood, and more freaking rocks piling on top of her body, trapping her in the dark. There was a small space that was enough for her body to squeeze through if she managed to get out.
She ended up stuck here due to an attack caused by those little dinosaurs.
They launched an attack that turned their beams into an explosion when it struck the ground, she, Lyon, and Gray were running over. The blast was able to send them flying in different directions.
Fortunately, this spot hid her well from the little dragons.
But she couldn't stay hidden forever.
With a grunt, she pressed her palms against the ground and prepared herself to push herself up. Maybe she'd be able to push up the stuff off her enough for her to quickly scamper out. When Karissa made her attempt, a sudden throbbing in her head made her collapse with a wince. She put a hand to her temple and cursed in annoyance. She didn't need this right now.
"Karissa!"
Her head perked up. "Lyon." She whispered in the dark.
"Karissa!"
That one was Gray.
"Karissa!"
Lyon was nearby.
Karissa sucked in her breath and then focused on stretching herself far enough to reach the hole to get his attention. "Get me out of here!"
Lyon stilled when he heard her movement and her muffled voice. Immediately, he ran while asking her to say something again to pinpoint her accurate location. He got on his knees and peeked inside the hole to see her trapped in the dark with her arm outstretched to him.
She grinned sheepishly. "Help, please? I don't wanna make risky moves and have this collapse on me."
"Don't worry. I'll get you out." Lyon swore and got up while checking over his shoulder to see if Gray caught up. The other ice mage was still far away even though he was running over. They had been trying to cover wider ground in the search since they both were blasted pretty far away from each other.
Instead of waiting, Lyon went ahead and started helping her out of the rubble by himself with the help of his ice creations. Two apes were removing the heavier pieces while two wolves stayed on standby.
The scene was almost reminiscent of when Lyon first met Karissa.
The ice wolves were given orders to slide into the spaces next to Karissa to support the weight of the rubble while also adding a bit more moving space for her. But Lyon could tell the ice wolves wouldn't be able to support the weight for too long when he saw the cracks on their body. Quickly, he planted his foot and knee on the ground to use it for momentum as he dragged her out and pulled her against him.
Karissa grunted when she fell against Lyon's chest, sighing in relief.
Lyon's head perked when he heard the rubble start to rumble. It was a sign of collapse. Hastily, he pulled himself up while dragging her away close to his body, startling her. He narrowly avoided a giant piece of debris dropping on them. Karissa stared at the mess while gripping Lyon's sleeve. That was too close.
"Are you alright?" Lyon asked as he pushed her away enough to check for any injuries she could have gotten from the previous blast.
"No, I'm okay." Karissa exhaled in relief and dusted herself off. "Thank you, Lyon."
"I'm just glad you're okay."
Gray finally caught up after freezing some little dragons to stop their advance. Karissa exhaled when she felt his hand on her shoulder, firm familiar warmth, proof that they were all okay.
"You okay?"
"Yeah." Like Lyon, he made sure with his own eyes that she was fine.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted movement and stepped past Gray to send sharp wind at the dragon that fell over before getting back up. It made her narrow her eyes in annoyance.
They were always getting back up like it was nothing.
"They keep getting back up." Karissa complained before charging a stronger attack to send it crashing into a pillar and effectively trapping it under some rubble as it collapsed. They used that as their cue to move away and run away to find a better space to fight in. But it seemed like the longer this battle dragged on, the more open spaces were quickly getting filled with dragons and debris.
"We need to stop them from moving." Gray shot an ice spell at an enemy.
"Then we'll need a widespread spell like Punishment of Absolute Zero." Lyon suggested. He opened his mouth to continue with his train of thought before pausing and looking irritated. He turned to look at Karissa who was running by his side and fending off the dragons. "By the way, I still haven't given you a piece of my mind for that stunt you pulled."
"Oh, come on." Karissa avoided his stare. "Just drop it for now."
"For now, sure. But just know that was a risky move to make." Lyon aggressively summoned a giant ice dragon to sweep away the little dragons. "Didn't you think about—"
"Juvia!" Gray suddenly exclaimed, cutting off the two. It was so simple and maybe so easy. "We need to find her!"
"What about her?" Karissa furrowed her brows.
"Her water!" Gray pointed out. "If she can summon a high volume of water then it would make freezing much easier!"
"Yes." Lyon could see where he was going. "We could triple the ice released to freeze them all. It would give a chance for everyone to finish those trapped in one fell swoop."
"Yeah…! It might be the next best thing after Absolute Zero." Karissa could almost see the golden opportunity shining within reach. The golden opportunity was a light silhouette of Juvia and it was suddenly jumping around and fangirling about Gray.
Karissa groaned.
"WHY ISN'T SHE NEAR GRAY NOW?!"
Nearby mages wondered whose voice was echoing like that.
…
…
…
The dragons let out cries before a crunching noise sounded clearly in the night.
Clavis was floating high up in the air with two fingers pointed down.
He just finished mercilessly crushing the miniature dragons to their deaths.
The Lamia Scale mages breathed sighs of relief. Just a minute ago, they were all struggling against the little dragons and nearly died if it weren't for Clavis speeding past them all and bringing the enemies high up in the air before tossing them back to the ground and crushing them with the force of gravity.
"Ahh! Thank you, Clavis!"
"You're a lifesaver!"
In this fight, Clavis was the unstoppable force against the miniature dragons. As long as he willed it, he would crush them all with the weight of gravity, easily safeguarding several lives.
And he was more than willing.
As Clavis floated high above the danger, he remained straight-faced while staring at the broken remains of those miniature dragons he just finished off. Remembering where they came from, he tilted his head back to the big dragon that had flames and bursts of black clashing on its back.
As long as that dragon is still alive, then there's a high chance it'll just drop more of them.
I'm not reckless enough to go up there and try to crush the dragon with my magic.
Clavis turned his attention away to focus back on the ground where the fight for life continued.
This night would never end unless they took out all the dragons that invaded the capital.
Unless they made it through this night, he wouldn't be able to have the chance to start again. He wanted to be more genuine with others, one step at a time, he wanted more time. He wanted to live. He wanted the people he liked to live. He wanted to be there to know what if felt like to let others see him.
"Clavis!"
Blinking back to reality, Clavis whipped around and made his black long jacket flutter around him. Down below was Jura gesturing for him to come down. With a swift movement, he rapidly brought himself closer to Jura, just enough to be within earshot while staying airborne.
"Go help the nearby mages who need help." Jura instructed. He knew that Clavis' magic was well suited for rounding up these enemies and defeating them with ease. Knowing that, he couldn't possibly limit Clavis' ability to Lamia Scale when others might need it. Jura was a Wizard Saint, he was capable of doing his own crushing force with his Earth Magic, it wouldn't be as fast as Clavis but it would still get the job done in the end.
"Are you sure?" Worried, Clavis glanced at his guildmates who were checking on those who got injured. They were given some reprieve for now. Maybe it was arrogant to think that they wouldn't be able to handle this without him.
"We'll be fine," Jura assured with a nod, pleading. "Please, help the other guilds who could use your help. If you can, find Lyon or Sherria and make sure they have enough backup."
Clavis held Jura's stare for a while. He didn't have any reason to doubt Jura at all. He always felt safe knowing that a strong mage like him had his back. But earlier, Lyon and Sherria ran off in different groups and there was no telling if they were okay amongst the chaos. He liked those two and didn't wish for anything bad to happen to them.
Clavis' eyes flickered with light when he remembered something.
Lyon is with Karissa…
Right.
Was she okay?
His twin sister was strong… but he was still concerned about her in this situation.
Well, if I want to make sure I have nothing to worry about then I should listen to Jura.
With a silent nod, Clavis finally gave in and started cutting through the air towards the east.
…
…
…
The ice mages were able to locate Juvia. The search nearly drove Karissa mad since she so desperately wanted Juvia's water to drown these goddamn baby dragons. She was eager to wipe them clean from the capital, and it fueled her to zoom around while staying just a few inches above the ground to try and find her faster. Her speed had Gray and Lyon scolding her for being reckless since they didn't know when these dragons could attack her while she flew.
The three of them dealt a devastating three-combo ice attack on a big group of miniature dragons. It killed them instantly. As the air cleared, Karissa was able to spot Juvia coming out of a nearby building. She was with Meldy.
As they raced towards them, Lyon and Karissa noticed more of them eagerly scrambling towards them with claws ready. They simply urged Gray to keep going while they froze and pierced the small dragons.
"Any more of them?" Lyon surveyed the area.
"No… I think we got them." Karissa panted and held up a hand to her head when she started feeling something akin to a headrush. Her little wobble was quickly noted by Lyon and he approached her with concern written across his features.
"What's the matter?"
"I'm fine. My head just felt weird."
Lyon pulled a face. "Now's really not the time for that. We need to focus."
"I know. I know. It just comes and goes." Karissa shook her head to shake off the feeling as she lowered her hand. She didn't want to die because of this. Her left eye was covered by her bangs and she scowled. "It's been happening ever since the King talked about the dragons showing up. This is the first time it happened ever since it stopped."
Distractions were akin to fatal attacks. Lyon hoped it wouldn't worsen and force her guard to drop. This was a battlefield and they needed to be a hundred percent aware of their surroundings.
Lyon grabbed her wrist and gave her a serious look. "I won't have you dying because of some headache. From now on, you don't stray too far from my range. If you feel any worse, you need to tell me. You understand?"
Karissa blinked at his unfiltered care. "Um," she blinked again and nodded. "Yeah, okay."
"Come." Lyon put a hand on her back and urged her to follow him as they ran after Gray. When they redirected their gaze forward, they were just in time to see Gray tackle Juvia and Meldy to the ground to avoid the range of fire from a dragon. With a click of his tongue, Lyon sped around the corner to get a clear view and froze the dragon in place.
"Don't lose focus!" Lyon bellowed. "This is a battlefield!"
Karissa skidded to a stop and quickly looked around to protect the others if a dragon decided to be sneaky.
"Karissa, keep an eye out!" Lyon instructed her. While Gray would fill Juvia in on the plan, they would keep the enemies at bay until she was ready.
"I'm already doing that!"
"Juvia, I need to say something to you."
A gasp. "What could it be?!" She wondered excitedly, causing Karissa's eye to twitch.
Really? Right here?!
Gray sweat dropped at the water woman's obviousness. "It's not that big of a deal." He was hoping she'd get the hint and realize he wasn't referring to what her imagination was cooking up.
"It may all be important to Juvia!"
Karissa growled and proceeded to snap impatiently while looking over her shoulder to glare at Juvia. "Oh for— Can you not let your imagination run right now?! We need your water! So get out of horny land and focus!"
"Karissa! Lyon!"
Hearing that familiar voice, Karissa looked back in front of her to see her twin brother rounding around a nearby building. Her eyes widened to see him okay and couldn't help but smile a little with relief. She couldn't keep track of everyone so she was truly in the dark about their conditions. He expressed the same relief to see her safe amidst the chaos with a restrained smile. He vaulted over debris and stretched his arms out to her because he wanted to touch her.
"JUVIA!"
The alarming urgency in Lyon's voice forced the twins to turn their attention to the woman named Juvia.
Karissa turned around and saw Gray in her line of sight.
A beam of light shot through his chest, and for a second, she could see a clear red spurt of blood before falling to her right and landing on the ground confused. In her confusion, she dazedly turned to look behind her for no particular reason.
Her heart dropped.
Clavis was behind her.
He was behind her.
The beam blew off half of Clavis' right side.
And he stood there frozen in shock as the rest of his right arm fell to the ground with crimson red blood chasing it.
Clavis was behind her.
"Karissa…"
The second he spoke her name and collapsed on his back was the second the pain started flaring on her left side.
Unbearable pain.
"Clavis…!" Karissa whimpered and tried pushing herself up on her feet with the support of her left arm. Instead, she simply collapsed from the absence of it and she felt warmth seeping into her clothes and touching her skin.
She didn't even flinch when more beams flew above them as she kept her eyes glued on her twin brother. She dragged her bloody body closer to him and breathed shakily when she saw him take weak intakes of breath.
"GRAY!"
Karissa winced at the name and clenched her eyes shut. That was both Juvia and Lyon.
Her brain couldn't keep up with all of this. It didn't want to accept what was happening.
She gingerly placed a hand on her brother's cheek as he stared into her matching dark brown hues. "Clavis. Please stay awake… I don't want you to go too." She removed her hand and placed it above his left side to begin using ice to try and stop the bleeding. But her magic was too slow. She only had one hand to use her molding magic.
Biting her lip, she focused her attention back on his eyes. She shuffled closer placed her hand on his cheek again and simply stared, watching him stare back quietly as the light in his eyes faded away.
...
...
...
Seamlessly did he move towards her, but not without obvious hesitation as if to test her. The second he saw her lift her arms, and open them, he was already on her and hugging her. She felt his hair brush her ear, tickling her enough to try and move her head to glance at him to see if he was doing it on purpose. He was hugging her so tightly.
As if to imprint his wish of being loved onto her.
As if he was cursing her.
"Please love me. Don't reject me. Love me."
"I like you today. I'll like you tomorrow. And I bet, I'll love you in a way you never experienced."
...
...
...
She just met him.
And now she just lost him.
"Clavis?"
"SHERRIA! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
She didn't know what to do.
She lost her voice.
She couldn't think straight.
Her brother just died.
And Gray…
I don't want to look.
I don't want to see him.
I don't want…
Karissa's head began to turn. It was like Lyon's screams were saying something else to her.
'Look over here'
'Look at him'
'LOOK'
Suddenly, someone blocked her view as they carefully held her close from behind.
It was Lyon.
Her cheek was pressed against his chest and her head tilted down awkwardly enough for her to see the damage. Her right arm, past her shoulder, was gone. Lyon's hands appeared in her sight as they immediately began sealing her wound with ice. His body shook against her and she could see it in his hands.
She felt something drop on her face when she tilted her head up to look at him.
Her body stilled when she saw his tears.
Sherria wasn't coming.
Clavis and Gray were dead.
The only thing he could do now was preserve what was left.
Seeing him cry as he tended to her injury just made the reality hit even harder and she couldn't hold it in anymore.
She was falling apart at the seams.
Her free hand gripped his clothes as she buried her face in it to let out a heart-wrenching cry.
…
…
…
60…
…
…
…
40…
…
…
…
20…
…
…
…
0
"Don't lose focus!" Lyon bellowed. "This is a battlefield!"
Karissa skidded to a stop and quickly looked around to protect the others if a dragon decided to be sneaky.
"Karissa, keep an eye out!" Lyon instructed her. While Gray would fill Juvia in on the plan, they would keep the enemies at bay until she was ready.
"I'm already doing that!"
"Juvia—"
Karissa stilled when her mind was consumed by a clear image of Gray and Clavis dying. Her left hand immediately grabbed her right arm when she recalled the burning sensation of losing her arm. How creepy. She spun around to look at the others and found Gray looking straight back at her with a hand pressed against his chest.
"What was that?!" Lyon moved closer to Gray, the first who would die in that vision.
"I'm going to get killed?"
"A dream?" Meldy wondered.
"Juvia saw it too!"
Gray shuddered with gritted teeth and lowered his hand, eyeing it. "The hell… out of nowhere… It's way too creepy to get a vision of my own death!" He clenched his fist tightly and looked back at Karissa. The vision they all had involved three people getting hurt from a single beam. He could recall the way she loudly sobbed in Lyon's arms over losing two people, utterly inconsolable. It made him feel terrible for her. He couldn't let things play out like that.
Karissa continued standing afar from them while holding her arm. She couldn't believe what she saw. It felt so real...
"Karissa." Gray spoke her name to snap her out of it.
Meldy looked behind her and pointed towards the roof of the bar. "It looked like they came from here…"
"Karissa, Lyon!"
"Clavis?!"
Thud, thud, thud.
The wind mage lowered her head and clenched her teeth.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
There it was again.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
The throbbing in her head.
Karissa's eyes shut tightly as that terrible vision plagued her mind. Gray and Clavis died.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.
Dragons suddenly broke wood as they clawed up the bar and appeared on the roof.
"They're actually here!" Lyon exclaimed.
THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, TH
"Why don't we kill them?"
UD—
Karissa's eyes shot open and her head rose fast. With one step forward, she swung her arm in the dragons' direction which released a wave of purple. Upon contact with the dragons, their magic ceased and they appeared rattled and confused by what just happened.
The wind mage repositioned herself and pointed her index and middle finger upwards. A sharp wind current flew and destroyed what was left of the bar to mercilessly pierce through the dragons, sending them high up in the air while continuously chipping away at their body. Everyone watched in shock as the remains of the dragons rained around them.
"In an instant…" Juvia mumbled.
Lyon's eyes widened when he saw such a distinctive colour on Karissa.
If their physiology were any different, perhaps it would be raining blood instead.
Gray turned to look at Karissa. There it is again... that feeling.
She stomped her foot on some debris and lifted her right hand with a handful of wind and ice. Her long black hair flowed behind from the magic pressure around her.
Her eyes were glowing eerie purple while the white of her eyes were completely painted black.
"Let's finish this dragon hunt, shall we?"
I've been sprinkling hints about that throughout the story. I don't wanna spoon feed you guys sooo you'll just have to recall or go back to find the hints lol. This is only scratching the surface of things though.
The first dragon that shot Gray almost did a triple kill lmao.
They never revealed what Gray was going to say to Juvia (had me searching through several chapters to try and find what he was going to say). I guess it was just meant for comedy and plot for Juvia to get caught off guard. Anyway, I decided to make it make sense for this story.
I wrote everything I needed for this arc so all that's left is the aftermath really.
Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you have a nice day/night!