Shining Star and Turbulent Wind
Finished this chapter a few days ago, so I figured I would celebrate the new Black Clover chapter with a ToBF chapter as well.
Feel free to comment about your feelings on this chapter. I feel proud of all my work, but if you have criticisms, go ahead and say them.
"Charmy!"
Yuno's ears were ringing as everyone was checking on the tiny cook. His mind was still trying to catch up to what had just happened, his eyes locked onto Charmy's charred body lying on the ground.
He didn't register the explanation that Cana gives explaining what happened. He barely understood the words "Body-Link" at some point, but he couldn't be bothered to listen.
He just stares at Charmy.
Because that's all that he can do.
Yuno doesn't realize when, but at some point, he starts banging against the enchantments that are keeping him in here. The others yell at him, but he can barely parse their words through the fog in his mind.
"Yuno, what are you doing?!"
Something.
"Stop, you're just wasting mana!"
He knows, but he has to do something.
"Levy, can figure out how to undo the enchantment, just wait!"
But then he's just doing what he's been doing all his life.
Failing.
He failed to help his brother when he needed it.
He failed to defeat the moon mage on Galuna Island.
He failed in his fight against Jose.
Now he's failing to stop Laxus from hurting innocent people.
His whole life was a failure because he was trying to be someone he wasn't.
Maybe if he didn't antagonize Laxus, he would never have gotten this angry.
If he didn't show up, then Charmy wouldn't have tried to save him, and she'd be fine.
Maybe… Maybe if Asta didn't save him, everyone would be happ-
BAM
"Ugh!" Yuno's thoughts are brought to an abrupt halt, as pain suddenly shoots out from the back of his head. He whirls around to scream at the source of his pain, not realizing that tears flew off his face as he did so. "What the hell was that-?!"
Only for the words to die on his mouth, as he realizes it was Gajeel that hit him. "Now then, are you done blowing a temper tantrum?"
Yuno doesn't respond. "Good, then that means you'll actually start listening to us. Now then, as we were saying, Shrimp over there is gonna work on the enchantment. It'll take a while, but she says it won't be long till we're out of here. Understand?"
Yuno nods. "Great. Now while you and me wait here for her to finish, everyone else is gonna leave to find Flower Girl so she can come and heal up Fluffles over there. Her cotton absorbed most of the blast so she's in no danger of dying anytime soon, so don't freak out about it again. Okay?"
Yuno nods again. "Alright. Then get your head in the game, and as soon as the barrier's down, you get first dibs on punching Laxus, but not as a screaming maniac, we already have enough of those here. If you fought Laxus as you are now, you'd get creamed faster than Salamander did, so figure out your shit, and focus on what you need to do. Am I clear?"
"Yes." Yuno answers this time.
"Fantastic. Now why don't you go finish the food she made for you earlier? Wouldn't want to get revenge for her with an empty stomach, would you?" Yuno nods again and walks past him to get back downstairs.
Gajeel turns around to find everyone looking at him with wide eyes. "What? Is there something on my face."
"No, it's just, we didn't expect you to be so… so…" Erza trailed off, unable to find a nice way to say it.
"Reasonable." Mira finished.
Gajeel looked offended at the insinuation. "Hey, I was an S-Class wizard! I'm more than just my muscles! Right, Juvia?"
Everyone turned to the water mage, who nodded her head. "Yes, Gajeel can be very rational… when he needs to be."
Gajeel nods. "Yeah, I – wait! What do you mean, when I need to be?! I'm so rational, everyone else just becomes unrational!"
"That's not a word," Rogue interjects.
That one exchange between the former Phantom mages signaled the rest of the guild to laugh despite the tense situation they were in. It was nice to have a reminder that despite the danger, the spirit of Fairy Tail still persisted.
"Alright!" Erza declares, "Like Gajeel just said, Levy will do her best undo the enchantment. Me, Mira, Lucy, Cana, and Juvia will head out to defeat the rest of the Thunder Legion and Laxus, as well as find Mimosa and bring her back here. Everyone else, stay behind to watch over Charmy and Master! Now, let's go!"
"Aye!" Everyone agrees and goes to do their part in stopping Laxus's sinister plan. Lucy lags behind the rest as she prepares to head out. "When I woke up this morning, I thought that maybe I could get through this day without anyone trying to punch each other. Guess I should've known it was too good to be true."
As she finished getting her tools ready, Natsu walks up to her with a look on his face that Lucy could only describe as 'unsure.' "What's wrong, Natsu? Are you still upset that you aren't able to hit anyone yet?"
Natsu pouts. "No." A brief pause. "Okay, yeah, but it's not just that. I was just thinking about Laxus."
"Thinking about punching him in the face?" Lucy deadpans.
"No." Another pause. "Fine, you got me again, but actually I thought about you punching him in the face."
"Umm, thanks?" Lucy understood that Natsu's brain was centered around fighting but chose to take it as a compliment. "Sorry that you won't be able to watch it."
"I bet your fight with him is gonna be awesome! Make sure it's flashy enough for me to see from the guildhall, that way everyone can see how awesome my girlfriend is again!"
Lucy blushed at Natsu's request. "I'm glad that you have so much faith in me, but how do you know that I'm gonna be the one to fight Laxus? I'm sure Erza and Mira are way more likely to find him first, plus the rest of the Thunder Legion's still out there. I might not even get to be in the same room as him."
Natsu then leaned forward toward Lucy's face with an intense look, making blush even harder and back away from him. "Um, I know we're dating and all now, but can you at least warn me when you get in my personal space."
Natsu stayed quiet for a moment while he looked his girlfriend in the eye before speaking up. "You gotta be more confident in yourself Luce." The blonde bombshell is struck by Natsu's actually serious change in tone. "I've seen you help fight two Wizard Saints and both times you ended up saving the day. You're the target of a crazy cult that wants to destroy the country, yet you manage to still wake up every day with a smile. And don't forget, you're aiming to be Wizard Queen and competing against two of the most intense guys I've ever met. In moments like these, you can't think about what you may or may not do, you have to think about what you're gonna do. I know that whatever happens, you're gonna do great."
Lucy's heart almost blasted out of her chest from the support her boyfriend just gave her. Natsu's speeches always managed to lift a weight off of her shoulders, but now that they're an official couple, that feeling increased a hundredfold.
Not knowing how else to answer his words, Lucy pecks Natsu on the cheek, keeping mind of the people watching them. "Thanks a lot, Natsu. I promise to keep that in mind when I give Laxus a special Lucy Kick. And a Celestial Spirit mage always keeps their promises."
Natsu smiled his signature toothy grin. "Alright, that's my girl! Hey, Happy!" The blue feline walked over. "Make sure to keep Lucy safe, alright?"
"Aye, sir! I'll make sure to tell you about all the fun we had without you!" Happy teased.
Natsu growled in frustration. "Grr, hurry up before I start wanting to punch people in the face again!" Lucy and Happy run off giggling at Natsu's anger, however, a small problem occurs when Lucy and Happy try to leave.
"Oof!" With a quick pop, Celeste pops out of Lucy's grimoire, causing her to look around in confusion. "I was a having a good nap just a few minutes ago, what happened?"
"Celeste? Why did you show up?" Lucy is confused until she remembers what the rules of the enchantment were. "Oh, right. I forgot you're way older than 50."
"Um, Mother, what exactly is going on?" asks Celseste.
Lucy sighs. "Look, there's no real time to explain, but you're gonna have to stay in here for a while, okay?" Lucy is about to run off along with Happy but stops as she realizes something. "Celeste, sweetie? Would you be so kind as to tell me what happens to my weapons now that you aren't in my grimoire?"
"Oh, they lose power once I'm more than a certain distance away from them, why?" Celeste answers with a sweet smile, but Lucy has a dark cloud over her head. "No reason, but as soon as Levy is done with her job, come back to me as soon as you can, okay?"
Celeste gives a salute in response. "Yes, ma'am! I guess I'll just talk to Liebe while I wait for Auntie Levy to finish. You and Big Brother Happy be safe, okay?"
"Why did you tell you her to call him that?" Lucy moans to her feline companion.
"We both have wings, so we're practically related," Happy answers as if that made any sense and Celeste nods in agreement.
"I'm gonna have a talk with you later, cat" Lucy growls before addressing the two people she feels need to hear her the most. "Hey, Asta, Yuno!"
Lucy's rivals turn to look at her. "Don't beat yourself up over today. None of us have had any control on what's happening, and none of us did anything wrong either. All we can do is keep going. I'm going on ahead, but I know you two will catch up, because that's who you guys are." With that, Lucy rushes out to save their friends.
Celeste watches her 'mother' run off alongside her 'big brother,' while giggling to herself. 'I guess Big Brother hasn't told Mother how he feels yet. I understand that he makes fun of her a lot, but he and Father are also a part of our family.'
Celeste heads over to Asta, who had been really quiet ever since his rival started freaking out earlier. "Hello, I'm sorry to bother you, but can Liebe come out of the grimoire? I haven't talked to him since you came back."
For a brief moment, an emotion flashes over Asta's face that Celeste fails to identify. "Uh, sorry. Liebe's feeling kind of crappy lately. He's mad at me for getting my arms broken, but don't worry about that. He's just being his usual grumpy self."
Celeste is used to reading people's emotions through their mana, an ability that angels excel at. Unfortunately, Asta and Liebe are the only people she can't understand with that ability, so she has to figure out what they mean on their own. Despite that, Celeste doesn't think anything Asta has said just now was a lie, but she feels that there's something more to what he's saying.
"Okay, well can you tell me some stories about you and him?" Celeste begs, her eyes identical to that of a puppy.
Asta immediately relents. "Sure! How about the first time he met everyone back at the church. I remember Father Orsi fainted and Sister Lily slammed him to the ground with a fist of water." Asta sighs wistfully. "Oh, the memories."
Celeste looks at him with no context for what he's talking about.
Yuno simply watches this all happen before looking at the food he started eating earlier from Charmy. His thoughts were still floating between Laxus, his failures, his feelings toward three girls, his fellow rivals, and the impending doom coming for Magnolia. With all of these things roaring inside his head…
He grabs a spoon.
Lucy and Happy had gotten to a spot where they could overlook a loud crowd of people. They thought it would give them a better look at where Freed and Bickslow but were having no success so far.
Instead, Lucy was looking across a sea of people, some local, and some that came today to participate in the festival. They had no idea that their lives were currently in danger by the mysterious lacrima floating over their heads.
Lucy's hands were gripping the railing harder and harder as she got madder and madder. "Happy," The flying cat turned to her in confusion, "I understand why Yuno was so angry earlier. All these people want is to just take a break from their busy lives and have a whole day of fun to themselves. Friends, coworkers, lovers, families; And now they're just being used as pawns in a game that they don't even know they're playing."
"I just don't understand," Lucy whispered before she began speaking with much more emotion. "I just don't understand how people get so obsessed with their petty jealously to the point that they forget that people exist as anything more than tools."
"Well, Laxus was probably gonna snap sooner or later," Happy comments, "I guess he just kept it inside for too long."
Lucy was still unconvinced. "Maybe, but Laxus… when I first met him, he seemed more arrogant than anything else. Did he think less of everyone else? Sure. Did he want to be in charge? Absolutely. Was he clear about his distaste for the current state of the guild? No question. But killing an entire town because no one agrees with him? That just seems to far, even for him. And besides, aren't the Thunder Legion his friends, why would they let him do this? Come on, I just need to think for a minute."
"Yeah!"
"Think, Lucy"
"What're ya gonna do?"
Lucy is shocked by the sudden appearance of three dolls(?) that appear next to her and start mocking her, though she does notice something odd about them. Before she can put a finger on what she's feeling, Happy snatches her out of the way. "Lucy, move quickly!"
Happy grabs Lucy and flies away as the three doll heads begin firing green lasers where she was. "What the heck are those things?!" Lucy shrieks once they land on the roof.
"They're Bickslow's minions!" Happy answers. As if on cue, Bickslow floated down standing on top of one his floating dolls. "Yo! You must be one of the newbies that everyone's been talking about."
"Oh yeah, well- wait. People have been talking about me, what did they say?" Lucy suddenly became extremely interested in what the jester-like man had to say.
"Just that you're into whips, playing dress up, and bossing people around."
Lucy was aghast at Bickslow's comment. "What the hell?! That is a gross misinterpretation of my image! There's no way people think of me like that… do they?"
"Well to be fair Lucy, those are all things that you do." Hapy chimed in.
"You aren't supposed to agree with that! What if I said all you did was eat fish, annoy people, and tag along with Natsu?"
"Hey! That's not fair… I only do two of those things." Happy's argument failed to find any footing.
"Well, you aren't doing yourself any favors right now, cheerleader." Bickslow pointed to Lucy's current outfit, which embarrassed the Celestial mage.
"Oh right. I forgot that I was still dressed like this. Whatever let's see how you feel once I do this! Open, Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!" With a wave of her hand, the archer in his signature horse costume appears, bow at the ready.
"Oh, so Celestial Spirits like wearing costumes too?"
"Haha, very funny! Now Sagittarius, fire away!" Sagittarius wasted no time in following his master's orders, realizing several arrows in quick succession to destroy all of Bickslow's totems.
"No! My babies! How could you?!" Bickslow cried.
Lucy could only stare at his reaction. "You criticize me for the way I dress, but you look like a court jester and call a bunch of toys babies? Has anyone in this guild ever looked at themselves in the mirror? Doesn't matter, I guess Laxus really isn't all that bright if he considers you one of his strongest members."
Happy tries to interject, "Um, Lucy, I don't think-" However, before he could finish his statement, a green beam of magic shoots straight at Sagittarius, the archer taken out in one blow.
"What in the world was that?" Lucy asked. "I know that I destroyed all of his statues."
Unfortunately, what Lucy failed to realize was that Bickslow did not pick this location to fight in for no reason. The building he was standing on was actually a toy shop, and stuffed dolls and action figures floated out of the store, like puppets on strings. "I picked this place for a reason, dumbass! As long as I have replacements, the souls in my possession have infinite vessels!"
"Souls?" Lucy asks.
"That's what I was trying to tell you, Bickslow's Seith Magic can move souls between objects and use them to fight for him!"
"Alright then, guess I'll have to try out a new strategy." Lucy pulls out her key ring again, but as soon as she does, one of the toys shoots by her, grabbing her keys and laughing the whole time. "Crap! My gate keys! Aquarius is gonna kill me if I don't get those back!"
"Don't worry, I got it!" Happy tries to chase after the thieving toy but is blindsided by another.
"Happy!" Lucy turns toward her feline companion but is forced to dodge the barrage of dolls that start attacking her, until one eventually catches her by the ankle, and she falls to her knees.
"Too bad, cheerleader! I was hoping that your soul would be as interesting as it looked, but I guess it was just for show! Kinda like you! Babies, Baryon Formation!"
Lucy is confused by Bickslow's words but puts it to the side as the dolls rotate in a circle and begin glowing before another green beam appears and shoots out at her.
'Shit! No grimoire, no keys, and no one around to help me! Sorry, Natsu, but I think I'm gonna have to break that promise.'
Lucy closes her eyes as the beam approaches her, but before it can make contact, a man in a black suit dashes in to carry Lucy out of the way. When the smoke from the attack clears, the figure is revealed to be a familiar face with orange hair, rings on his fingers, and a charming smile that women find irresistible (somehow).
"How strange. For some reason I have no problem moving between worlds without you having to summon me. That means the wall between human spirits is no more, together the two of us have broken it down. And it's all thanks to the power of lo-"
BAM
The knight in shining armor lets go of his princess as he holds his hands over his smoking face. "Hey, what was that for?"
Lucy held up her smoking fist threateningly. "The first time you show up in weeks and you have to ruin it with a cheesy pick-up line. Thanks for saving me, but I do have to remind you that I'm dating Natsu, Loke?"
The Fairy Tail mage/Celestial Spirit chuckles at Lucy's comment. "It's true that I may have lost to that dragon, but a true knight is always there for his princess, whether she accepts him or not."
"If you're just gonna keep hitting on me, you can go." Lucy deadpans.
"Oh hey, I knew I recognized you! Loke, I keep your secret safe all this time, and this is how you repay me?" Bickslow yells.
"Wait, what? How did this guy find out about Loke's condition?" Lucy asks.
"He doesn't just control souls, Bickslow can see them too!" Happy answers.
"That's right! Whenever I look around at people, I can see the true form of their soul. And let me tell you, most people's souls are so boring! They're all so bland and lifeless, but that changes when we use magic! If there's one thing Laxus's old man is right about, is that magic is one with our very being, including our souls. That's the entire reason I even joined this guild in the first place, was to see what kind of souls would be here. Well that and every other guild I tried to join thought my magic was creepy.
"But man, let me tell you, Fairy Tail is full of souls like no other! There are so many people in this guild who have weird souls, and the first one I met was Laxus! When I told him, he laughed and said that he was just different than everyone else, and since I could see that, he let me hang around him. Not to mention that his soul has been changing a lot recently, so, I'm gonna help him out however he wants, so I can see what happens to Fairy Tail's soul next!"
Bickslow's rant honestly left Lucy with a lot more questions than answers. But nevertheless, she stood her ground defiantly. "Sorry, I just can't let you get away with this. As the leader of Fairy Tail's strongest team, I'll show you a power even stronger than souls; heart!"
Loke smiles at his summoner's confidence. "That's right Lucy. Together we'll show him the true power of our hearts."
"My, my, you sure are cocky, calling a group led by a cheerleader the strongest team. As a member of the real strongest team, let me show you what the Thunder Legion is capable of!" Bickslow readies his babies to fight once more in this battle of souls and hearts.
Meanwhile, Erza and Mirajane were charging alongside one another to find Laxus. They had heard some civilians that they heard a sound akin to a lightning strike coming from near the cathedral. As the resident S-Class mages, they decided it was their duty to deal with Laxus before the situation got worse. Halfway to the cathedral however, they both a felt two familiar pulses of mana nearby, one an ally, the other a foe.
"At the cathedral, I think I sense Mystogan!" Erza shouts. "Things have been so hectic, I guess he must've arrived not to long ago and is fighting Laxus."
"And near the river I sense Freed." Mira's tone was much more bitter when she spoke his name.
Erza looked at her rival for a moment before sighing. "You can go deal with Freed. Me and Mystogan combined should be enough to handle Laxus."
Mira pouts in faux annoyance. "Oh, and how did you know I was going to say that?"
"Simple," Erza replied, "The way you looked at Yuno when he lost control earlier."
Mira's playfulness faded immediately, "Erza-"
"It's fine. I understand what it's like when someone you care about loses themselves in their grief." Erza recalled her farewell with Jellal as a child while also obviously referring to the demoness next to her. "You have some grievances to work out with Freed's actions, and defeating him will only help us more, so don't feel the need to hold back for my sake. In any regard."
The two women stare into each other's eyes for a few more moments before simultaneously turning toward their respective targets, whatever words the two have remaining unsaid for the time being.
Back at the guildhall, Levy was working hard to undo Freed's enchantment keeping two of their strongest players captive. Gajeel, being bored as everyone was still reeling from Makarov's current state, despite both Mimosa and a surprising Porlyusica having arrived to help the old man recover, decided to watch the blue haired girl while she worked. He tried to strike a conversation with her, but she pretty much ignored him to continue working.
The Iron Dragon Slayer wasn't annoyed by that though. He was like that too sometimes when he was eating high quality metals, or was in a really good fight, so he understood what it meant to enjoy what you were doing so much to the point that nothing else mattered. To be honest, he found that very intriguing in a way he had never thought of before. In fact, now that he could look at her at her best instead of covered in bruises, she was almost cu-.
"I've got it!" Gajeel had to cover his ears from how loud she yelled in close proximity to him. While his ears were still ringing, she kept yelling while working on the enchantment. "Well, almost. I got rid of the line regarding Spirit wielders, but the one about age is still up. That last line was thankfully added last minute so it was much easier to break. That means you're up, Yuno! Are you ready?"
KLINK
Levy called for the wind mage as soon as he finished eating the meal Charmy made for him. "Yeah, I am."
(A/N: I am skipping the rest of the Bickslow fight, not much to change.)
Bickslow lied on the ground, body smoking from the end of his fight with Lucy, Loke, and Happy. "Damn, I guess that cheerleader was stronger than I thought. Should've known, souls never lie after all."
"Oh yeah, about that," says Lucy, floating down towards him thanks to Happy carrying her. "Can you explain a bit more about that soul stuff?"
"The first time a chick asks about my magic and it's one who kicked my ass. Ha, life is wild here sometimes. Why'd you come down here anyway, came to finish the job?"
Lucy looked at him in bewilderment. "What?! No! I just came to see if you were okay. Loke hit you pretty hard there, and I wasn't sure if you were still alive."
"Thanks for the compliments, Princess. My strength comes from the bond we share." Loke remarks.
"Hit on me again, and I'm telling Natsu."
That promptly shut him up.
Bickslow laughed. "Alright, well you gave me a real good time, so I'll tell you whatever you wanna know."
"Okay, I'm short on time, so I'll try to keep it brief. First off, what did you mean when you said my looked 'interesting?'" Lucy questioned.
"The easiest way I could describe it to someone who can't see souls is that yours was naturally brighter than anyone else I had ever seen. The only thing that I could compare it to is a star. Heh, guess it makes sense for a Celestial Spirit Wizard."
Lucy pondered his words for a moment. 'I feel like what he said just know is really important. It's another one of my gut feelings, but I just know that'll probably come up soon. In fact, it might be related to one of my other feelings.'
"Alright, next, what do you see in other people's souls, specifically Laxus's."
"Fine. His soul is almost filled to bursting, as if his body can't fit it all inside. Though for some reason, it seems like his soul has been… I don't know, fluctuating, I guess? Every time he gets angry lately, it almost seems like his soul has been changing shape. I didn't even know souls could do that."
The Lucy Sense was ringing a lot harder from Bickslow's explanation of Laxus's soul, a few details in particular spoke to her very clearly. 'An oversized soul, fluctuations when he's emotionally stressed, almost as if… he was someone else entirely? That sounds a lot more familiar than I'd like.'
Lucy, bombarded by the new mysteries presented to her, takes a deep breath. "Phew. Okay, I'm gonna have to process all of this later, so I'm gonna ask you one more question and leave."
"Well, I'm not in a position to stop you, so shoot."
"The members of the Thunder Legion are Laxus's friends, right?"
Bickslow looked at her like she asked him if he breathed air. "Duh, of course we are."
"Then we must have completely different definitions of the word 'friend,' otherwise, you all don't know the first thing about being friends because real friends wouldn't support a plan like this." Lucy's tone grew much more intense as she spoke.
"Hey! I know that what Laxus is doing might seem crazy, but it's all gonna work out! Time's running out, so the master will have no choice but to concede his seat to Laxus, and then everything will-"
"The master's unconscious right now," Lucy interrupted, "from heart problems and getting to worked up because of your 'friend's' genius plan, and if he doesn't calm down soon, a lot of people are gonna find themselves in a much worse scenario than that. Oh, but it's alright isn't it because you believe in your friend, right? You just support him blindly and never question him at any point.
"That's not what true friendship is. You don't just watch when the people you care about make bad decisions, that makes you nothing more than a sycophant who can't think for yourself. A real friend would see that Laxus was clearly hurting and do talk to him about it, not just let him continue out of apathy. No one is happy in that situation, least of all Laxus."
Bickslow had nothing to say to that, as he realized that everything Lucy said was right. The Thunder Legion just unblinkingly followed Laxus's leadership and have rarely if ever challenged him due to their respect for him. Unfortunately, at some point that respect morphed into blind obedience, and they never questioned Laxus on the assumption that he was right as always.
Lucy let out a deep sigh. "Phew. Man making speeches after a fight is really tiring. I have no idea how Natsu and Asta can come up with these on the spot. Thanks for helping me out, Loke, but you should probably go home and rest now."
"Hold on, you're going to fight Laxus, right? I can't just leave you to fight on your own, Laxus is not an S-Class wizard for nothing. Fighting him alone would be suicidal without your Sacred Treasures." Loke argued.
Lucy shook her head. "It's fine. I won't be alone. I trust that Levy will do her job and that Yuno will be out soon. And even then, Erza and Mira are running around and I'm sure that at least one of them is fighting him right now. Besides, you've only just recovered from your condition, I won't ask any more of you today."
Loke looked unsure, but eventually relented. "Fine, you win. You Heartfilia's really are the most stubborn people in the world." He muttered that last part under his breath, but before he left, he looked Lucy in the eyes. "For real though, I know you just heard a lot of strange things just now, but I'm sure that everything will be fine for now. Those are problems that you can handle, and I know it'll be fine."
Loke began glowing as he returned to the Spirit Realm but had one last message as he did.
"Just do me a favor. For everyone's sake, be safe."
Unsure of what he meant; Lucy shrugged her shoulders. "Man can people stop being cryptic about my life for once. I'm starting to feel like a doomed protagonist." She then turned to Happy and noticed that he looked upset. "Hey, Happy, are you okay?"
Happy looked startled as if he forgot that Lucy was still there. "Oh, uh, I'm fine Lucy. I was just thinking about what kind of fish I'll eat once this is all done."
Lucy doubted that but had more pressing issues to deal with at the moment. "Alright, well while you think about that, how about you head back to the guild and see how everyone is doing."
That got a reaction out of the talking cat. "What?! Lucy, I can't just leave you, Natsu asked me to stay with you. I wouldn't abandon him now, and I'm not abandoning you either!"
Lucy found her heart growing warmer at Happy's attempt to actually be supportive. It was nice to remember that even though he mocked her a lot, he cared about her just as much as his adoptive father.
"That's really sweet Happy, but I don't feel comfortable bringing you to fight Laxus. Ever heard of a bird getting struck out of the sky by lightning, well how about a cat?"
Happy imagined himself flying through the air and getting hit by lightning out of the blue and paled. "Y-yeah, maybe you have a point. I'll tell Natsu you're safe, but be careful, I don't wanna be blamed in case you trip on your butt or something."
Lucy's attitude 180'd immediately as she remembered why Happy got on her nerves in the first place. "Hurry up you stupid cat, or else I'll trip you on something!"
Happy giggled as he flied back to the guildhall with his wings, Lucy watching him go with a smile. "Alright, Lucy. You're heading off to fight one of the strongest wizards in Fairy Tail, possibly without any backup and no idea when your best tools might be available. That just means you gotta try that much harder, as Natsu would say… Maybe I shouldn't take too much advice from him."
Before she could leave, however, Bickslow spoke up again. "Cheerleader, wait."
Lucy growled. "For the record, my name is Lucy, and if you don't want a repeat of today, commit it to memory!"
Bickslow laughed. "Well, whatever your name is, I was just gonna tell you that if you're serious about duking it out with Laxus, you might wanna try the cathedral. I hear that whenever weather gets heavy around here, it ends up as the 'eye of the storm.'"
Lucy looked at him with wide eyes. "Wait are you-"
"I'm just speaking out loud about the weather, though I still doubt you can beat Laxus. I guess this can be the battle for who's the strongest team, the Thunder Legion, or – wait, what are you guys called again?"
Lucy started sweating nervously. "Oh, well we kinda, sorta, maybe… haven't come up with one yet."
"Bahahaha!" Bickslow guffawed at her response. "Well, you better figure it out soon, otherwise what are people gonna call the team that lost to the Thunder Legion."
Lucy rolled her eyes at Bickslow's mocking but charged toward the cathedral to face the storm head on.
Earlier…
Mira headed toward where she sensed Freed earlier, and anticipating an encounter with Freed, she immediately transformed into her Satan Soul and flew in that direction. She had been training to reacclimate herself to using her demonic powers again. She felt comfortable enough to use them in a non-lethal fight against another guildmate because despite being the linchpin behind Laxus's plan, he was still a member of the guild, and she didn't want to hurt him anymore than necessary.
What she found was simultaneously upsetting and kind of gratifying at the same time, as she found Cana struggling against Freed on a bridge, her cards failing to connect to the green haired man.
"You forget, the most powerful spells in the world mean nothing if they cannot hit their opponent." Freed's taunt succeeds in frustrating Cana, as she pulls out several more cards before the combo summons tendrils of lightning at him.
"Dark Ecriture: Repel!"Before the cards can hit him, however, he writes runes on thin air that push her attack right back at her. The impact destroys the bridge and leaves Cana on her knees.
"Cana!" Mira cries out, ready to soar down and join her, but Cana holds out a hand.
"Stop! Don't get too close or you might end up in another of his traps. That's how he got Juvia. Me and her were trapped in a barrier, so she took herself out so that I could fight him on my own! So I'm gonna make him take back all the terrible things he said about her, to prove that she's just as much a part of Fairy Tail as any of us!"
Mira's heart was warmed by Cana's speech. Despite coming off as someone who spent every waking hour drinking – which she did do – Cana was second only to Laxus in their generation in her tenure as a member of Fairy Tail.
Freed, unfortunately, did not have the same reaction. In a flash, runes appeared on Cana's forehead, and before she could have a reaction to them, her eyes started bulging out of her head, and an earsplitting scream erupted from her mouth, until a few moments later she passed out.
"No! Freed, what did you to do to her!?" Mira roared, living up to her moniker of She-Devil.
Freed kept a cool face despite the situation. "I simply used my magic to increase her sense of pain a bit. If she cannot handle it, then she will be put out of the game."
"We're in the same guild, you piece of shit! Why the hell are you fighting us!" While Mira was in control of her powers, her emotions were still much more volatile than normal, so her speech patterns changed during her Takeover sometimes.
Freed's face is solemn in response. "We were once, but the point of this game is to restructure the guild and break these meaningless bonds. Laxus's enemy is mine as well, and though you may be an S-Class wizard that does not change anything."
"If you're too busy riding that blonde jackass's dick to see what was wrong with that statement, then I'm done talking to you!"
Again, Mira's vocabulary changes a lot when she transforms.
Mira crashed down to where Freed was but landed on nothing, her opponent having used his magic to make wings on his back to fly away. "Demon Blast!"
Mira fires a beam of demonic energy at him, but he managed to barely dodge it. "I see that despite the time since you've been inactive that you still have power. Unfortunately, others have grown in the time you've remained stagnant."
"Get back here you bitch!" Mira chased after him, throwing attack after attack, Freed managing to defend and avoid her every time. She started slowly gaining on him in spite of his head start, until she realized something. 'Wait a minute. Why is he just running away? Freed's many things, but he's not a coward. He has to have some kind of plan. Shit!'
Too late, she figures out she's in a trap right as it lands. In an instant, she stops in midair, her form flickering on and off, and she can tell something is very wrong. "W-what the hell, did you do?"
Freed summons runes for her to read, and her eyes widen in a horrific realization. "By your face I can tell you understand the situation. I placed these in a 15-meter radius that we are flying above right now. Initially this was meant for Asta, as his powers are sort of a wild card, so I made this to counteract his 'Anti-Magic.' When I found out that he would be unable to fight, I thought about erasing it, but thankfully his powers and yours share the same quality."
"D-damn you!" Mira growls as she reads the words again, to confirm what she already knows.
'Demons have no power in this space.'
Those simple words meant nothing to anyone else, but to her it was a death sentence, as she did not just take on the form of demons, but her magic was considered entirely demonic. That meant in a space like this, she was no stronger than an average human.
"You're doing well to hold on, but my magic is absolute. Don't worry, we're not high enough for you to die from falling, but it will be enough to incapacitate you until Laxus has won. Even if you're still conscious, I've also made it so you won't be able to leave. Fall under the weight of your failure."
Mira opens her mouth to respond, but at that moment the rules finally apply themselves to her. Her Satan Soul fades away, and she is left powerless for that single terrifying moment where it feels like everything stops.
Mirajane closes her eyes…
…And then she falls.
…
And falls…
…
And falls…
…
And keeps falling…
…
Okay, can she hit the ground already, edging her on the impact is not a fun time.
She would know from experience.
It took a few seconds until Mira felt comfortable enough to open her eyes, as she was wondering if maybe Freed was wrong and she died on impact. When she did open them, however, she was greeted to the sight of golden, almost hawklike eyes looking down on her.
"Don't mind me, you can go back to sleep. When you do, this nightmare will be over."
…
"Pffttt!"
"W-was that too much?"
Mira wiped a tear away from her eye. "No, you dummy. Yes, the line was so cheesy that a mouse could find it from a mile away, but that's not why I laughed. I'm just glad to see that you're back to yourself, Yuno."
Yuno smiled. "Well, I went to the effort of wearing what you picked out, so I figured it'd be rude not to get your opinion before the day was over."
"My effort was not wasted; you look stunning in that getup."
"Thanks, MJ." Mira raised her eyebrow. "Oh, that's my new nickname for you. You wanted me to be less formal with you, so I thought that you might like it more than Jane. I probably won't use it around other people, but I hope you don't mind."
Mira thought on it for a moment. "Hmm… I think I like it more as well. It fits me better."
"Excuse me, but are you two done conversing down there?" Yuno and Mira were both brought out of their flirting by the reminder that they were still in a fight. "I see that Levy has managed to undo my enchantments. It was only a matter of time, but it is rather fortunate that I was the one to face you."
Yuno puts Mira down but doesn't lose eye contact with Freed for a moment. "Why is that?"
"There are three people that seem to occupy Laxus's mind lately. One is your brother Asta, who despite not having magic, is a member of this guild. Two is Lucy Heartfilia, daughter of the previous Wizard Queen, and her membership caused the destruction of the guild. Not only that, but both of them have also caused rampant speculation on Fairy Tail's strength, with Asta's defeat of our most publicly known S-Class fighters, but also letting people think that other guilds such as Phantom Lord are a challenge for us. Last of all is you, someone with talent trying to make a name for himself yet surrounds himself with those who are not on his level. You live with the Black Bulls, a rowdy group even by Fairy Tail standards, defend the one responsible for destroying the guild in the first place, and declare along with Ms. Heartfilia that one without magic is your equal. To Laxus, the existence of you three is ludicrous."
Freed pulls out his rapier, brandishing it at Yuno. "And like all things, the Thunder Legion agrees with him, so his enemies are our enemies. Right now, Bickslow is engaging Ms. Heartfilia, and Asta is unable to fight. That means the I shall defeat you, so that Laxus will not have to waste any effort on you."
"…" Yuno doesn't respond for a moment, his face eerily quiet. "On the way here, I saw Cana passed out near the river. Am I right in assuming that's you?"
Freed nods. "Yes, you would be. She let her guard down and lost because of her own stupidity."
"That's a lie! Cana just wanted to understand why you would betray us like that!" Mira shouts, but Yuno motions go her to stop.
"That's all I needed to hear."
FWOOSH
Yuno's green aura flares in an instant, mana pouring out in waves. "Now I don't have a problem with beating you anymore. I have a lot of things I want to work out before I deal with Laxus, so I think that you'll do fine."
"Hmph, your arrogance knows no bounds if you think you can defeat Laxus, much less me – UGH!" Freed was cut off by Yuno, who had flown straight at him while he was speaking and delivered a punch straight to the gut.
"Feel free to mock me once you've won. But keep this in mind." In between his hand and Freed's body, a burst of wind sends him flying. "I hate losing."
Freed, still flying from Yuno's attack, manages to reorient himself in midair. 'I underestimated him. Laxus was interested in him because of his strength after all.' In the distance, he sees a bullet of wind heading toward him and tilts his head out of the way just in time, the wind streaking past the end of his hair.
'Despite that punch, he's obviously more of a long-range fighter. While I shouldn't write off close range fighting entirely, I should prepare myself for a barrage of projectiles.' Proving his hypothesis true, he senses something below him, he looks down to see several daggers of solid air racing up to impale him.
"Dark Ecriture: Barrier!" Freed uses his magic to form a wall of runes that block the blades from reaching him. The blades imbed in the words, but Freed sees through the distraction for what it is. He turns around and unsheathes his sword to parry Yuno swinging down his Zephyr Blade.
"Against a lesser opponent, you may have caught them off guard, but I am above your caliber." Freed raises his hand. "Dark Ecriture: Push!"
Yuno's eyes widen as he is suddenly knocked away from Freed by an invisible force. 'Not only can he form physical objects out of words, but he can also cause certain phenomena with it. I've seen Levy use her magic a few times, but this is different than hers. If he has the same attribute as Yami, then I need to be wary of strange attacks like that more often.'
Midflight, Yuno opens his grimoire to summon his Swift White Hawk from behind him, managing to stop his momentum, and riding it to head back towards Freed.
Noticing the creation that Yuno makes, Freed uses his sword to write out another word. "Dark Ecriture: Slash!" Purple crescent shaped energy fires out of his blade that flies toward Yuno. Yuno responds with a Crescent Moon Sickle, the wind and darkness colliding and cancelling each other out. The two of them then repeat this several times over, every swing of Freed's sword being matched by a similar attack from Yuno. The sky is covered in miniature explosions from so many collisions until both of their visions are completely obscured.
Freed readies into a stance with his sword sheathed. 'Yuno can't afford to wait too long, otherwise, he will be too exhausted to battle Laxus if he somehow manages to beat me.' With extreme focus, he waited with bated breath for a sign of danger.
It appears with a loud cry as Yuno's steed emerges from the smoke in front of him. Freed does not flinch for a moment, and with expert precision, he unsheathes his sword while also activating a spell. "Dark Ecriture: Destruction!"
BOOM
With a roar of wind, the hawk is destroyed and air around him is disrupted by his attack. But once he finishes his attack, he realizes something was missing from the attack. Namely, the wizard he's fighting.
"Where is he?" He looks around for the wind mage but can't seem to find him. "I don't see him anywhere," Freed closes his eyes and attempts to sense his presence, but notices nothing strong enough to be Yuno or an attack. "Did he run away? No, he's fought against a Wizard Saint, albeit with help. Even then, I doubt he would just give up in a fight so soon. Where in the world, did he go?!"
Freed is about to head toward the cathedral in case Yuno decided to do what he intended in the first place, when he suddenly senses an immense amount of mana directly above him. He looks up and is shocked by what he sees.
Not more than two dozen or so feet from him, Yuno is soaring down towards him with his Zephyr Blade in hand. What sets him on edge, however, is that the wind making up the sword is moving much faster than before, looking as if he's holding a hurricane in his hands.
'Damn it! How did I not notice him until now?!' Freed thinks as he draws his sword to counter. 'I couldn't sense him before, so what did he – oh, I understand now. He must've gone high enough in the air that I couldn't see or hear him, then lowered his mana output to almost zero. But to do that, he wouldn't be able to fly either, so he's been free falling and building up speed until he was at a distance that I wouldn't be able to dodge!' Yuno then uses his magic to boost his speed even more and Freed only has time to make a barrier and try to minimize the damage.
Time seems to move in slow motion as Yuno gets closer to him, but Freed does not let the roar of Yuno's weapon, or his own thundering heartbeat unnerve him. 'I am the leader of the Thunder Legion, Laxus's right hand! I cannot lose if I am fighting for him, I refuse to! That will never happen, or my name isn't Freed-!"
CRACK
Before he can even realize that Yuno's even made contact with his sword, it dissolves from the torrential level winds that smash into it, and his barrier crumples not a few seconds later. And then…
"Agggggghhhh!"
Yuno smashes into him while his sword grinds into his flesh. As Freed falls into the forest trees below them, he reinforces his body as much as possible, but it is not his forte, nor is it enough to completely defend against Yuno's vicious strike. Freed can't possibly imagine it getting worse…
KABOOM
Until he hits the ground.
Yuno breathes heavily as he dissipates the weapon he made. "Phew. Thank god that worked, if you noticed me even second earlier, it would have been pretty embarrassing."
Freed is barely conscious as he weakly pulls himself out of the crater his body made. "Free falling to hide your mana from me… how did you come up with such a simple yet effective strategy."
Yuno looks down on him, his golden eyes seeming to lock Freed in place. "Simple. People like you do so much looking down on others, that you fail to even conceive that people you don't recognize are actually above you. Now stay there for a while, I'm going to settle things with Laxus."
Yuno turns away from Freed but doesn't take more than a step away from him before he feels something tugging on his pants. "Ugh, I respect that you have conviction, but I don't understand why in the world you would stake it on someone as infuriating as Laxus. Why do you guys follow someone around who does nothing but belittle people anyway."
Why?
"You don't understand…"
Did he just ask why I pledge myself to Laxus?
"How could you ever understand…"
I would never question Laxus.
"…The feelings that Laxus hides in his heart!"
(Flashback)
Five Years Ago…
Growing up, Freed had a very sheltered life, but not once did he ever question the life he was given. He was raised knowing that he would never go hungry a day in his life, all he would have to do was work hard in his studies, behave well at social gatherings, and one day he would inherit the Justine name and grow to up get married and have a wife and kid. Same as any young nobleman.
Even if the idea of that being the endpoint never exactly excited him, he was satisfied with what he had and never complained. Although there was one caveat to his preordained destiny.
He must never use his magic.
It was a tradition in their family as long as he could remember that no one in it must ever practice magic. Despite magic being a well-respected talent in the noble class of Fiore, the Justines got by with their sheer amount of money and influence. Though that did not mean they lacked it or had no talent for it, simply that they banned usage of it in direct descendants of the family line.
Young Freed was fine with this too. He figured there was probably a good reason for it, maybe it was dangerous to the wizard or those around him or had ridiculous rules that made it unwieldy. Either way, Freed did not know then, nor did he care.
Until he met him.
One day, his family was travelling on the way to a party one of the noble families was having. Freed did not remember which one as the party kind of blurred together with all of the other parties at that time.
Besides, there was only one part of that party worth remembering to him.
At some point during the festivities, he did remember getting bored from having the same conversation with rich girls that kept trying to suck up to him in a clear attempt to curry favor with his family. It was nothing new, but by the tenth girl, he was starting to dread having to talk to another women again.
But that's when he noticed someone that had been hanging at the outskirts of the dancing hall, and he was currently heading out toward the balcony. To this day, he still wondered why he decided to follow the blonde-haired boy back then. Was it simply boredom, a child's desire to rebel every once in a while, even in a small way?
…Or did he see something even then that drew him to that boy.
When he reached the balcony, Freed was greeted by the sight of the mysterious youth with headphones on his ears and listening to music that was so loud he could hear it from several feet away. "Why in the world is that music so loud?" Freed wondered.
"It's so I can drown everyone else's prattling." Freed jumped when the blonde responded to him, confused as to how he heard him underneath all that noise. The boy pulled his headphones off and sighed. "You clearly wanna talk to me, so go ahead, talk about how great my grandpa is, and how I'm certain to be as great a wizard as him, or my favorite, how I've got big shoes to fill. Or not, I'd really prefer if you didn't try to treat me as if I was a damn toddler who cares about that shit."
Freed was left aghast at the sheer vulgarity coming out of his mouth. "Wh-who in the world are you?! What noble family would ever teach their child how to speak like that?"
The mystery boy looked at him in confusion. "Uh, none of them? Wait, do you actually not know who I am? It seems like every other person I meet at these parties knows me even if I've never heard of them. Who are you anyway?"
Freed somehow managed to regain the composure he was trained to have. "My name is Freed Justine, and I have no idea as to who you are, or your lineage. I simply followed you because I thought it odd how you left in the middle of the party?"
The blonde snorts. "Sure, if that's what you say." Freed was unsure what he meant by that, but before he could ask, the boy finally introduced himself. "The name's Laxus Dreyar. Grandson of the currently oldest Wizard Saint, Makarov Dreyar, who is also the head of the wizard guild Fairy Tail."
Now that was a name Freed was familiar with. "I've heard of that guild before. Whenever they appear in the news, it always seems to be about a new violent escapade."
Laxus groaned. "Of course that's the only thing you've heard about the guild. Thankfully, I've never been the cause of one of those reports. Blame gramps and his inability to turn anyone away. I don't know why in the world he lets kid in who can't keep their clothes on or that are crazy and stupid enough to believe that they were raised by a dragon. I'd kick those chumps into shape before they could even get the chance to wreck anything. And don't get me started on the redhead and the She-Devil."
Freed did not really know how to respond to Laxus's ranting, but since he was also tired of the environment of high society party's he figured this would at least be more interesting. "Um… May I inquire as to why you are at this party then?"
"Unfortunately, Gramps knows a bit too many important people for his own good. If he's not busy dealing with the guild's crap, then he's dealing with other old farts from his past. On top of that, he also has duties as a Wizard Saint, but he's been slowing down recently. I'm worried that he's overworking himself, but any time I try to bring it up he just laughs me off and goes back to work like it's nothing. Ugh, he's so frustrating sometimes! I've been a S-Class Wizard for years, but he still treats me like I'm 5. I wish he would just retire already."
Laxus then seemed to remember that he was not the only person in the room. "Oh crap, I'm sorry for just dumping like that. You probably have your own problems that you're worrying about."
Freed shook his head. "It's fine. I guess you haven't really gotten to talk about this before, but I can also tell that you care about your father. I've never had a conversation like this either, so it's interesting to hear about someone's life that is so different than mine." It was honestly amazing how much more interesting talking to one man was than any other noble child he's talked to before. Not to mention the embarrassed look he had after realizing that he was sharing so much.
It was almost kind of cute.
…
Wait…
WHAT?
Before Freed could even understand what he just thought, Laxus asked him, "Since I'm talking about my family what about you? Does your family have things that annoy you."
Desperate for any way to forget that idea which was ringing throughout his head, he gladly accepted the change in topic. "My family? They're fine. I'm an only child, so I don't have to worry about them having to split time amongst siblings. They are also very busy, but they make time whenever possible. I am satisfied with my life."
And that was the truth. Freed was satisfied. He had no reason to complain, he had a life that millions would kill over to have a chance of achieving. So how else could he describe his life but satisfactory? And he wouldn't dream of changing it.
Until his world was shattered.
"Satisfied?" The look Laxus gave made it clear how he felt about Freed's answer. "What kind of answer is that? I'm satisfied when I've finished a hard job and got extra pay for not breaking anything. I'm satisfied when I have a really good drink after dealing with my guild's bullshit for too long. I feel satisfied when I wake up from a really good nap. But if I had to put my life in a single word, I would definitely have a more emotional description than just 'satisfied.' Don't you have anything that makes you happy? What about your magic?"
"Oh, well, I'm not really allowed to use magic. It's a rule in our family to not practice magic I have no idea why, but I assume there is a risk to them or strict use cases."
"Bullshit." Laxus responded. "Noble families love flaunting how much stronger they are than common mages. I'm sure that your family is just ashamed that they don't have that leg up on all the other folks here and just want to keep it secret. You should try and figure it out on your own, you seem like the type of guy that's smart enough to do that."
While he had never once thought to go behind his family's back in such a way, Freed could not deny that the idea of uncovering this family secret interested him to some extent. Nevertheless, he shook his head as if it would erase the blasphemous thoughts he had been having throughout this conversation. "That's absurd. I'm sure that's not true, and even if it was, what would I get out of it? Then I would just have weak magic that does nothing and have wasted time that I would never get back."
"Yeah, but it would be your time." Laxus looked Freed in the eyes and even though Laxus wasn't the height he is now, Freed still fondly remembers the feeling of the young man towering over him. "It would be something that you could be proud of doing on your own, not just what your family is known for doing. That's why I chose to be a wizard, so that no one would be able to deny that I am Laxus Dreyar, and that I am just as great as my grandfather. Hell, I'm gonna be even better one day, I promise you that."
Freed was left speechless at Laxus's explanation. An achievement all his own? He could never have conceived of being known as anything other than the heir to the Justine family. With cheeks tinged the lightest shade of red, Freed asked. "Where I would I even begin learning magic. Our family library has no books on the subject, and I have no idea what kind of book would be good for a beginner."
Laxus gave his answer by reaching into his jacket and pulling out a book that showed it's age on its sleeve. "Here, take it. I swiped this from the guild library a few days ago, but the magic in here requires a lot of patience and planning, and while I'm not bad at that, it doesn't really match my style of fighting. I got a feeling you would be a way better fit for what's inside here."
Freed gingerly accepted the tome from Laxus. Looking at it made several emotions flare inside his chest. Pride, nervousness, intrigue, excitedness.
…Freedom and assuredness.
"Thank you. I don't know if I will take up your offer, but I'm honored that you would place so much trust me in me. You will be the first person I notify if I choose to go down this path."
"Dude, it's just a book. You don't gotta be so dramatic about it." Laxus laughed but then patted Freed on the head. "Just have confidence in yourself. You looked like a puppy excited for a treat when I gave it to you."
That comment made Freed's heart soar to the sun.
He flew too far and too fast, and while he eventually reached the sun, it came at the cost of the nest he started from.
But that was something Freed would never regret as he got to see the sun rise every day.
That night was the dream Freed didn't know he wanted until he got it, but he would always follow the sun, no matter what he had to sacrifice.
Even if he must use the evil in his heart.
"Dark Ecriture: Darkness!"
Freed's body was covered in a black aura that gave off a feeling of malice that Yuno found unnerving. Though he was unable to focus on that over the cracking sound of Freed's body as it was forcibly changed under his own power, bones breaking into place as he was remade into a bulkier, deadlier form.
Then came a cracking sound that sounded much closer than the others. For a moment, Yuno was in shock as he tried to figure out what the sound was, and why he suddenly felt an immense pain around his ankle.
…Until he realized that they were the same thing; The bones in his ankle being crushed by Freed's new strength.
Now realizing that he's in incredible pain, Yuno is about to scream until Freed uses his newfound power to lift Yuno by the leg and slam him into the ground. Yuno cried out in pain as he began to understand that he's not fighting the same opponent as a few moments earlier.
Yuno looks up at Freed's transformation, noting the stark changes that had occurred. Freed's green hair had burst from it's ponytail and was now a flowing green mane that flowed wildly and framed by horns on his head. His upper body was like that of an ape and his feet became gray talons, not to mention his back still had the wings from earlier in the fight. His left eye was surrounded in a white stone texture and now both visible and constantly purple as his magic was rapidly flowing through his body
"Mirajane is not the only one who can control the powers of evil. I rarely have to use this form, but none who have seen it, have been around to tell it's tale." Freed growled, his voice noticeably deeper and warped.
Yuno tried to get up, but a jolt of pain down his leg told him that was not going to work. To accommodate for his now broken foot, Yuno instead uses wind to blast off the ground beneath him and launch towards Freed, preparing to launch another attack at Freed.
SMASH
Before he found a hand grabbing on to his face and slamming right back into the ground. His screams were muffled by Freed's hand. Freed could still feel Yuno attempting to vocalize his pain, however. "Oh, you think that's bad? Try this. Dark Ecriture: Pain!"
…
Pain.
That was an accurate description of the spell because that was the only thing that filled Yuno's mind as the words applied to his skin. If having his ankle broken was the worst pain he had ever felt up to this point, then this was that but in every part of his body at once, the nerves in his body shouting in unison with him.
"Oh, but who said we should stop at physical pain. How about emotional as well. Dark Ecriture: Fear!"
Freed finally let go of Yuno, who was now clutching his head and finally letting his voice go free as now not only was his body wracked with pain, but his mind was also overflowing with images that had made his blood run cold in the past.
Asta being impaled by a sword of gems.
Him, Asta, Erza, and Mira almost dying at the hands of Jose.
A lightning bolt missing Charmy's stone form by inches.
And then the images became worse.
And so did the screaming.
Freed simply watched emotionlessly as Yuno screamed bloody murder under every thought and sensation being one of pain. "Fear and pain have locked your body down, so suffer under the engulfing darkness." Freed then turned away, ready to handle all other challengers that were currently after Laxus at the moment.
Yuno, meanwhile, was retreating further and further into the recesses of his mind to escape the torment that he was suffering, looking for any possible way that he could overcome this ordeal. 'Come on Yuno! If you let pain and fear stop you, how can you ever call yourself Asta's rival! Injuries have never stopped him from doing what he needed to, and despair has never been in his vocabulary! Your other rival is out there too, and she's facing her own uncertainties to save the people she loves, so you can do it too! Just remember what you've learned since joining Fairy Tail to prove him wrong, and that the bonds we've formed mean something!'
As he searched for a memory that would solve this problem, he finally found what he was looking for; the last training session he had with Erza.
(Flashback)
A few days before the Harvest Festival, Yuno and Erza were once again training, as Yuno was feeling motivated after hearing that both Lucy and Asta had faced Third Eye members. Well, it's more the Fourth eye since the reveal of Siegrain being a traitor. He had heard from Makarov that the official statement was that Siegrain was a traitor to the Fioran government, but the information of him being part of the Midnight Sun was something only known to the people who fought him at the Tower of Heaven. To not be caught off guard should he run into one of the remaining members, he needed to get much stronger than he was now.
He and Erza had just finished an intense training session and were taking a minute to rest before calling it a day. While they rested, Yuno had Erza run through her experience at the tower, as he had also noticed that while she wasn't necessarily stronger after the events, the way her mana flowed was different. If he had to describe it in one word, he would say it was more efficient. He had noticed something similar happen after Lucy's awakening against Jose. After hearing Erza explain her also activating an Ether Flash in her battle, Yuno realized that was the defining factor between both wizards.
"So, activating Ether Flash is key to increased mana circulation then?" Yuno pondered. "The experience of seeing and being able to control all of that mana in one highly concentrated burst must force the body into a higher level of mana activity, and the user gains a greater subconscious understanding of magic to understand it all."
Yuno realized that Erza was silent, so he turned his head to find Erza with comically wide eyes. "Um… Yes. What you said made… sense. I'm glad that my training is paying off."
Yuno laughed at Erza's obvious attempt to make it sound like she understood the mechanics of magic. "It's fine if you don't get it Erza. I came to that conclusion from studying in the guild library and talking to Lucy and Levy. Levy's read pretty much every book the gulf has, and Lucy and I have been trying to learn as much as possible since we haven't had the resources to learn. You've been a wizard much longer than me, and you've managed to get by with trial and error so far. The experience you have is something that I can't match with just studying." Yuno then looked at his and clenched it tightly. "Though that is why I have to get stronger. Both your and Asta's teams encountered a Midnight Sun member, so I figure it's only a matter of time until I have to face one myself. Plus, considering that Asta had his arms broken fighting one of them, and victory required both entire teams pulling out every trick they had and ones they didn't even know of to barely pull out a win, I have to work even harder if I even dream of taking them on my own."
Yuno's monologue was interrupted by Erza grabbing him and slamming his head into her chest. Yuno groaned in pain, not unused to this as she did this whenever she was proud of her training partner.
It still hurt though.
"I'm glad that you are passionate about your rivalry with Lucy and Asta, but I would caution against the path you're on now." Erza said. "When we were young, Mira, Laxus, and I were all moving so fast to become stronger, but at some point, we had also forgotten that we were allowed to be weak. I learned that facing Je- Siegrain at the Tower of Heaven, and Mira learned that when she lost her sister, though I thank you for reminding her that she still has strength to spare. Laxus never learned that lesson, and you see what he has become because of it. So, while I support your desire for strength to protect the ones you love, don't forget that they are trying to do the same thing. So, every once in a while, when things seem like too much, just take a moment to find yourself and you'll find that what you need has been there the whole time."
Yuno took a second to think about Erza's words for a bit. 'Find myself, huh? I'm not sure what means, but I'll keep it in mind.'
It turned out that Yuno was actually more exhausted than he thought as he began to doze off on Erza's chest. Most people would find that a much more exciting and tantalizing prospect, but Yuno had never thought of Erza in that way. At the time he wasn't sure if he thought of anyone that way.
…Man was he dumb.
As he nodded off to sleep, he thought back to when he was young, and he and Asta would pass out on Sister Lily's lap. He could only compare his situation to that experience and note on how nice it was to have someone he could think of like a big sister.
LINK BREAK
Back in his current predicament, Yuno latched on to that memory and realized that was exactly what he needed in a fight like this.
'Take a moment to find myself. Hmm… myself, huh? I feel like today alone has changed who I think I am a lot. In some ways, I guess I'm still that crybaby that looked up to Asta for inspiration. But that's not all I am anymore. I have the strength to stand against strong opponents on my own. I have the confidence to be myself around those I care about. But that doesn't mean I care about them all in the same way. I still have no idea what I'm gonna do about Cana, MJ, and Charmy's feelings, or if I should even respond to any of their feelings.
'It's these contradictions that make me who I am. I'm strong, but I can still be weak. I let others see me, but I don't know how to let them in. I have greater control over mana after bonding to Belle, but I don't need to force it. I remember Asta talking about people like me that are loved by mana. In that case, I don't need to force the mana to work, I just have to let the mana work for me. If I really am loved by mana, then I'll treat it with love in kind, same as everyone else.'
Remembering the experience of feeling mana in the capital, he envisions green birdlike beings as mana around him. Usually, he would rely on Bell to assist in his control, but this time he's all alone. So instead, he reaches out to it with the mystical sixth sense mages have for mana. He can feel the mana react and reach back at him. In fact, if he didn't know better, he would think that it was smiling.
He doesn't try to force it under his control, instead he surrenders himself to the current of the mana around him, letting it wash over him live a storm. He could feel his body being filled with the ambient mana around him, as if it was washing away the influence of Freed's spells.
'This… this is amazing. This must be the technique that lady on Galuna Island used. Now I understand why this technique is so highly regarded. This is the power I've come to grasp to rise above my enemies and keep everyone safe.'
'This is my power.'
FWOOSH
Throughout the city of Magnolia, everyone stops as they feel a tremendous wave of power rush over the whole town. In unison, they look out to the forest nearing the city and see a pillar of green energy shoot out.
The citizens watch in awe, wondering what the cause of it could be. Tourists that came for the festival are worried, but the locals assure them that it's probably Fairy Tail making a grand light show for the festivalgoers.
The members of Fairy Tail, however, take notice of the emerald tower, and even those unskilled in mana sensory abilities can feel the immense power emanating from it.
Lucy, who had just finished her victory against Bickslow, watched it large eyes. "Woah! I can feel Yuno's mana, and it's crazy strong right now! I feel like if he fought Erza right now he could win no problem! He must be fighting Freed right about now, so I hope he finishes up soon because I'm not sure I can take down Laxus on my own."
Back at the guildhall, Asta is standing on the balcony and watching the display of power with a smile of pride. "So, you've gotten even stronger, huh Yuno? Don't worry, I'm gonna get there soon, just you wait. One day… one day I will."
While Asta was distracted, he didn't notice the vermillion and silver headed girls watching him as he finished with a bitter tone.
Freed turned around as soon as his surroundings were bathed in viridian light, realizing that Yuno had somehow disabled his magic. 'How?! How did he manage to do that under such intense pressure on every part of his body? No one soul could carry that burden on its own! Wait - could it be that he somehow managed to instinctually overwrite my runes by flowing mana throughout his body? But he shouldn't have anywhere near enough power to do that?! Most S-Class wizards would struggle with that! Unless… unless he achieved it? But that's not possible, even Laxus has not managed to grasp that power!'
Regardless of Freed's musings, the fact remains that Yuno had managed to overcome his agony and achieve the ability that most wizards dream of gaining even a fraction of control over.
Mana Zone.
Yuno opened his eyes as he began to float off the ground, his broken foot momentarily forgotten under the silent nirvana that he had reached from ascending to a new level in magic. He flexed his hands a few times, his magic responding seamlessly as Freed could feel the mana's ebb and flow from where he stood, the green aura dying down to now only cover his body.
Freed grits his teeth in fury. "So, what if you've learned a new technique. It won't matter once I make sure you won't get up again!" Freed takes a deep breath before letting out a vortex of black air from his mouth.
Yuno silently pushes back with a silent cast of Tornado Fang, releasing a vortex of wind that collides with Freed's vortex. Freed tries his hardest to push back against Yuno's tornado but fails as his breath attack is quickly devoured and Yuno's magic strikes him dead on.
Yuno waits silently as he knows that Freed won't be defeated so quickly. When the dust clears, Freed is still standing, but breathing heavily from the numerous cuts on his body. "If that is all the power you have gained, then I guess Mana Zone is much more flash than it is substance. I could tell that was much more powerful than any spell you've launched, but not enough to defeat me."
"I know," Yuno responds, "That's what the next one is for."
Freed blinks in confusion before the ground under him erupts in another hurricane, Yuno motionlessly casting Towering Tornado faster than Freed could perceive.
Freed roars as he soars into the air before flexing and releasing dark mana around his body, dispersing the spell. Yuno soars up to meet him, so Freed surrounds his hand in darkness before rushing into close quarters combat with the awakened Wind mage.
Freed starts with a punch from his right, but Yuno effortlessly counters it as he ducks under it before making a ball of air in his hand and pushing into Freed's chin. Freed grunts in pain but recovers and tries to kick him while he's still recovering from hitting him, but is stopped as a wind dagger embeds itself into his leg.
'Curses! He's somehow managing to read all my attacks! Is he able to read the mana and wind currents well enough to anticipate my attacks that well!'
Freed tries to gain an advantage with a flurry of blows that fail to connect and instead suffers more and more damage with every exchange. Eventually, Freed gets frustrated enough to once again surround himself in magic before expelling it from his body. Finally, Yuno doesn't just dodge the attack as he defends with a wave of his hand, summoning wind to push back against the force Freed was projecting.
Freed roared as he pushed even harder against Yuno's wind field. "I will guarantee that once the dust clears, Laxus will be the one standing on top! He will make the guild better I'm sure of it! He set me on the path I am now, so I refuse to betray his trust at this crucial moment!"
Yuno grunts as Freed's power increases even more from his intense emotions. "You don't get it, not one bit. You say that you refuse to betray Laxus's trust, but what about the rest of the guild? Do they not get that same courtesy because you simply knew him longer?"
"Shut up! What would you know about me anyway? You didn't even know I existed until today, so who are you to talk down to me?!"
"Of course, I understand what you're going through!" Yuno cries. "I know what it's like to be unsure of what to do in life before someone comes in like a star to illuminate your path forward. But I also know that you can't follow that star forever. There are millions of stars in the sky, and none of them follow the same path, so how would I become one by following someone else! I would only blind myself to those who want to walk that path with me, and I would never be worthy enough to call myself their equal! Without Laxus, or the Thunder Legion, who are you, Freed?!"
"What a ridiculous question?! I am - I am…" Freed could not find the words answer him, as he could not answer him. Who was he without Bickslow and Evergreen? Who was he without Laxus? They had always been together as long as he could remember in the guild, but he didn't have any friends outside them.
"Well, I know who I am. I may have changed since joining Fairy Tail, and I probably have lots more to go through. Still, I know that in my past, present, and future, I will always be Yuno! I'll show you what that means right here, right now! Mana Zone-Wind Magic: Boreas Impact!"
For a moment, the scenario didn't change as the two of them pushed their raw magic against one another. Freed was perplexed as to what Yuno must have done, until he noticed a green glow hitting his eyes. He looked up as what looked like a giant hand axe made of wind appeared above him.
'That's it? A simple axe of wind?' Freed thought as it swung down. 'He would need something much more explosive to best me.'
Freed should've watched his words more carefully.
The axe swung down, collided with Freed's mana and-
BOOM
Explosive was an apt term to describe Yuno's attack. When the axe contacted Freed's mana the spell's true purpose was revealed. It was actually made of extremely volatile mana that was tightly packed into a single object. When it strikes something, all of the energy inside detonates in a compact area for maximum destructive power.
Unfortunately for Freed, he did not get that explanation, all he got was a face full of razor-sharp wind that exploded in his face as he fell to the ground again. Unlike last time, however, he had no more tricks up his sleeve.
Yuno looked down at Freed's down body. "You talk about breaking bonds, but you cling so tightly to yours that you never tried making new ones. I may not be the best at making friends, but the ones I've made are more valuable than life itself. If you can't figure that out, you have no chance in hell of beating me."
Hey. I'm back… Again.
Sorry if chapters take a while to come out, it's the cost of doing more and more original content in chapters. Also, writing fight scenes are kind of hard, plus sometimes (as seen in this chapter) I don't have any thing to change about fights that I have no excitement for. I figured mostly skipping the Bickslow fight was better than me just boredly watching the anime and describing it in words as nothing would change except dialogue probably. I did have a lot of talking in it to set up for stuff it was just changing the beginning and ending to suit my needs.
But enough about that, let's talk positively about this chapter. Especially, the way I started this chapter, super positive, right?
I loved writing for Yuno this chapter because I got to flesh out more of his bonds with his Asta, Lucy, Gajeel, hell even Erza in that flashback. Most of his original character is focused on Asta, but I like focusing on the parts of him that aren't just about that.
Another fun bit was my backstory for Freed. Before anyone asks, yes, Freed is gay in this story. If you don't agree with that take of the character, that's fine, I'm not necessarily a fan of most male-on-male ships myself. Don't complain about in the comments, you can either accept it or stop reading.
I also got to show more of Laxus before he was an asshole, which is nice to see. You could see that he actually cares about his grandpa a lot, and while he may not like everyone in Fairy Tail, his criticisms are much less severe. We'll finally reach the climax as forces converge on Laxus and his irrational behavior. What could have cause him to change so much in 5 years? Maybe there is more than meets the eye to his anger?
Oh yeah, there was a weird scene between Mira and Erza. Wonder what that meant? Oh well, I'm sure it's nothing.
I have dozens of ideas floating around in my head, but I'm not gonna lie, I'm more excited for this arc to be done than to actually write the next chapter. I realize now that I've been kind of rushing through the plot, so I wanna do a few filler chapters to flesh out relationships that I have or haven't yet set up. I'm still pumped to write out the battle with Laxus, I just need a longer break from action heavy chapters than I've given myself up until now.
Next Time: A Sky Full of Stars Struck by Lightning