"Control your breathing…control your breathing…control….your….breathing" Erza chanted that phrase like a mantra drilled over her head. But against a foe like exhaustion, it was a battle that everyone inevitably lost, for even her own body would eventually give out. Lying on the ground and drowning in her fatigue, Erza's breathing became rapid as sweat dripped from her face and body like a raging morning dew. "Ah, darn it, I'm nowhere close!" she cursed, raising her head ever so slightly and stared at a cross-legged Sasuke, equally drenched in sweat, with one eye open.
"Are you sure about that?" Sasuke remarked, wiping the sweat from his chin.
After much deliberation, Erza noticed that he too was visibly winded. A far cry from their several bouts years ago, where she couldn't even get a single hit in while he stood tall. This was enough to get a laugh from her.
"It's momentum. With every step you take, with every strike, you inch closer to victory" he explained.
Slowly rising from the dirt, Erza sat cross-legged and faced Sasuke. "So, you're saying I'm getting closer to beating you?" she teased with a grin.
"Let's not get carried away here, you've still got a long way to go" Sasuke playfully retorted, a rare instance of his lowering his guard.
"But if I learned some of your special magic, I bet I'd be able to catch up to you in no time" she declared, pointing her finger at him.
"You'd have to be born an Uchiha to use the Sharigan. That or take my eye from me" Sasuke replied, "But even if I could teach you how to use the Chidori or the Sharingan, I wouldn't."
"You won't?" Erza repeated, leaning forward with wide eyes.
"Nope," Sasuke bluntly answered with a slight shake of his head, "You don't fight exactly like me and that's completely fine. I never intended for you to become an imitation of me. Besides, you have magic that's completely different from mine, ones that I'll never be able to learn. You've got the basics down and I've taught you all I can. From now on, expand your skills and become the warrior that you want to be. I look forward to the day you'll surpass me."
Erza had to blink to register what he had told her. But from the first day they met, all she ever wanted was someone to see her potential and acknowledge her worth. She always wondered what would've happened had she never met him. After so many losses and so many sacrifices, he was the one constant that was always there in her life.
"Okay…" her head lowered as her cheeks reddened as she looked at him once again with a beaming smile, "I promise!"
All she could do was sigh, exasperated by what her old self had proclaimed. "Surpass him, huh? Sounds like a pipe dream" Erza lamented. Even if that conversation took place years ago, it was still an important moment for her. As she strolled around her room in circles, the expectations placed on her began to weigh in, her confidence waning as she failed to find something that could serve as an equalizer against Sasuke.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began visualizing every scenario possible for their fated encounter. This mental projection was another one of his lessons, a way to harness one's inner turmoil and focus on the task at hand. Yet, rather than instill a sense of calm within her, this form of mediation only served to stir her inner turmoil into a raging storm, for every scenario she projected, all ended in defeat. Brute force? He would easily outmaneuver her. Heaven's wheel? His Sharingan allowed him to see every hit coming.
Defeat after defeat, these speculations bubbled up until they surfaced into a raging torrent as she roared and swung a massive club towards a practice dummy, missing it by a few inches but smashing it into pieces thanks to fallen debris. But that moment of anger, ironically turned out to be her best avenue for an answer, for in that instance she realized. "The Sharingan can let him see what I'm about to do" she murmured to herself, "But not what I'm thinking of doing."
She had hit a moment of Eureka, a hope and a chance at victory. Without wasting another moment, Erza immediately began rummaging through her workshop, scrounging up an item she had been working on. This time, she was going to prove why they were right to choose her as an S-Class Mage.
…..
"So, you need my help with Sasuke because you think he's possessed by something? I don't think that's my specialty here" Warren scratched his head and asked. It was honestly a strange request, especially given that while he considered Sasuke a valued member of the guild, he was unsure of the situation before him. "Besides the point, of getting into his head? I can read people's thoughts but getting deep into their minds. That's gonna be tricky."
"But you're the only one who can do that" Gray stated, trying to convince him, "And are really you gonna abandon a friend?"
"Besides, he'd do the same for you too, even with all that brooding" Gray continued.
"Please Warren, we need you" Lisanna pleaded.
Warren found it difficult to refute their argument; it wasn't in his nature to abandon those in need, especially his friends and colleagues. It was one of the core principles of Fairy Tail, an unwritten rule to always look out for each other. "Alright, alright. I'll do what I can " he reluctantly agreed, though he was unsure if their plan would even work.
"Nice! I knew we could count on you" Gray gave a thumbs up of approval, while Lisanna jumped up and down joyfully.
"Is there anyone else coming along?" Warren asked.
"We tried asking Laxus and the Thunder Legion but…" Lisanna trailed off.
"No dice" Gray abruptly finished Lisanna's sentence, to which she nodded along with a disappointing hum. "His words were "As if I'd risk my limb for that loser. Help him yourselves" the ice wizard eloquently conveyed the words of the S-Class Wizard.
"Sounds like Laxus alright" Warren crossed his arms and groaned. It was not even a surprise to him that he would refuse to send aid, since this wasn't the first time he refused to help others. According to him, asking for help was a sign of weakness and he loathed that. Warren shuddered to think what would happen to the guild once he took over.
"But he did say he'd think about sending the Thunder Legion to help us" Lisanna tried to steer the conversation back to more practical matters and open up a silver lining.
"Yeah, right" Gray chuckled, shaking his head in denial, "You can't trust a single word coming out of that guy's mouth. We're better off not counting on him sending anyone to help us."
"He's right Lisanna, I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you" Warren agreed, "Speaking of which, is there anyone else joining up?"
"Well, Natsu and Happy are looking for Sasuke right now. With his nose and Happy around, they'll be sure to find him soon." Lisanna answered.
"And once the lizard-brain finds Sasuke, we'll meet up with Erza and Mirajane over at the old lady's place" Gray added.
"Sounds like a plan" Warren stated with a confident smile, one which hid his uncertainty.
…
It was all so strange. Strange in the sense that a tiny piece of item, no smaller than a pinkie could hold the power to save or destroy a human mind. Holding the pill between her index and her thumb, Mirajane continued staring at the item, wondering if this single item could be the key to bringing back a certain someone from the brink.
"It's not a piece of candy. Put it here" Porlyusica chided and directed Mirajane to a small vial. The white-haired girl groaned and reluctantly complied as she watched the old lady close the lid shut. Once that was done, the old healer slowly extended the vial to Mirajane, who reached out for it only for Porlyusica to immediately reel it back.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Mirajane called out on the abruptness of the old woman's actions.
"This pill will send him to the deepest parts of his mind. If it fails, he will exist in an eternal slumber, neither alive nor dead. Are you certain of the risk you're going to take here?" Porlyusica said, clutching the vial tightly.
As much as she hated to admit it, Mirajane knew that the old hag had a point. As grumpy as she appeared, it would seem Sasuke's condition weighed heavily in her mind, otherwise, why would she show reluctance to hand over such a dangerous item to her? Or maybe she was just being her prickly self, as usual, Mira could never figure her out. "Look, what choice do we have? It's either this or let that thing walk around in his body forever" Mirajane tried to justify.
"Are you certain this is your only option here?" Porlyusica asked as her eyes eventually narrowed into a deathly glare, "Or did Makarov put you up to this?"
"I…. well," Mirajane stammered before violently scratching her head and pointing at her, "Look, you old hag, we don't have a lot of time here! So, give me that pill, or I'll take it from you?"
Porlyusica blinked with a slightly open mouth as she was momentarily taken aback by Mirajane's brazen threat. Her furrowed face showed that she was less than amused by the young girl's antics, although Mirajane herself did not budge. "This girl…. she must be desperate" she pondered in her thoughts, as she emitted an audible exhale and slowly extended the vial once more.
"I hope you know what you're doing" she warned the young girl as she took the vial off of her hands.
"Look, we'll fix this and bring him back, even if we have to drag him here. You can count on that" Mirajane declared.
Even if she would not admit to it, the thought of the quiet Sasuke being dragged through the mud did amuse Porlyusica. "I'll hold you to that. Now get out of here!" she yelled as she hurriedly pushed Mirajane through the door.
"Hey!" Mirajane protested but to no avail as she found herself on the doorstep as it loudly shut in front of her. "Arrgh, cranky old croon. One of these days…" she angrily droned on before focusing on the item in hand. Sealed within a secure vial, was a single, crimson pill, one that could supposedly send a person into the deepest, darkest depths of their consciousness. She wondered why someone would even need such a thing, why someone would want to psychologically scar themselves even further by reliving painful memories. But right now, it didn't matter, for in this instance, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
As if right on cue, a loud, beeping sound began emitting from her pocket. Placing the vial in her other pocket, Mirajane took out the item that was making that sound; a special card given to her by Cana, one that signaled the news of Natsu and Happy's investigation. "Looks like they found him" she noted as she immediately placed the card back in her pocket and bolted towards their meeting place.
…
"So, this is where all you kiddies are gathered eh?" A voice of a certain guild member echoed as Gray, Warren, and Lisanna hung their heads in exasperation.
Mirajane was recently on the scene as she jogged her way towards the group, strangely surprised to see their recent addition aside from Warren. "Bickslow?" she said as she halted her momentum, stopping next to the other two.
"One and only" Bickslow answered, pointing his thumb towards himself, "Laxus send me over to give you all a little assist."
"Oh really?" Mirajane crossed her arms and raised a brow, "Then why isn't he here right now? Afraid to do a little dirty work?"
"Hey, you better watch what you say! Laxus has better things to do than waste his time saving someone like Sasuke" Bickslow angrily retorted and pointed his finger toward Mirajane, "You should count your lucky stars that he sent me to help you out. Besides, it'll be easy with me around. Just watch, my babies and I will take out that dope face kid and bring him back before dinner."
As if on cue, three wooden dolls began cooing in front of him. Mirajane scrounged her face in a mix of annoyance and embarrassment over the sheer arrogance of the senior wizard. To be fair, every member of the Thunder Legion exuded an air of superiority in their own way, whether it'd be Fried, Evergreen, or the creep standing in front of him. As she glanced towards her other guildmates, they too looked back at her with a face of equal unease. "Whatever you say, big shot" she sardonically replied, "Any help is better than nothing I guess."
"So, any news from Erza?" Gray asked.
"No, and I don't think we'll be getting any for a while" Mirajane answered, "We should head out now."
"But, shouldn't we wait for her and Elfman?" Lisanna raised a hand and pointed out.
"We don't have time to waste. Every second we waste is another second that that thing keeps possessing him" Mirajane bluntly replied taking out the beeping card that was pointing in a particular, "Besides, Cana's cards will lead them to us."
"Good point" Warren agreed.
Before Gray could speak up, Bickslow snatched the card from his hand, which elicited an audible "Hey!" from the ice wizard, even if it fell on deaf ears.
"Now we're talking, let's get moving people" Bickslow bragged, oblivious to Gray's protest or the looks of annoyance from Mirajane as he marched forward.
"Is everyone from the Thunder Legion like that?" Lisanna asked with a sad look on her face.
"Unfortunately," Warren and Gray answered in unison.
Sasuke looked across the street to where a particular shop was located. It had the image of a giant antique camera plastered atop its entrance, embalmed with the words "Charle's Photo Studio". Now, such a place would have been almost inconsequential to him; one of the same places he would walk past without a care in the world. But on this particular day, things were different, namely the fact that he was wearing a white shirt with a black vest and pants and pointy shoes that covered his toes.
He had never cared much for fashion but this particular piece of clothing was quite…restrictive to say the least. The fabrics were smooth and comfortable yet this restriction bothered him a bit. Even so, he endeavored to soldier on and bear any discomfort he might face for this one single day. Not only because Erza had spent a lot of money to buy him these clothes but also because they were going to the studio for a particular reason.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" a voice shouted out loud, bringing Sasuke back to reality as he looked on and saw waving frantically, "Come on over!"
Without hesitation, he nodded and walked over to Erza, who was resting in the shade. Much like him, she too was dressed for the occasion with a black vest, a long skirt, and a white shirt underneath. "Took you long enough, what were you dawdling around for?" she crossed her arms and lightly chided with a wry smile.
"Sorry, just thinking about something" Sasuke answered, scratching his head.
"Never mind" Erza shook her head and walked behind Sasuke before pushing him from the back, "C'mon let's go."
The Uchiha was a little dumbstruck by her enthusiasm, especially her attempt to push him, but decided to indulge in her antics as he wordlessly stood still as Erza pushed him to the entrance of the studio. After a brief knock, the two entered and were greeted by a frail old woman.
"Well, hello dearies. Is there anything I can do for you?" the old lady sweetly asked, her wrinkled cheeks bending as her lips curved into a smile.
"We'd…like to get a photo taken" Sasuke answered.
"A photo? What kind of photo?" the old woman inquired.
"It's …a…." Sasuke was having trouble finding the right words to convey.
It was then that Erza stepped in and answered, "We'd like a family portrait, please."
"A family portrait?" The old lady repeated, a likely result of her age and senility, "Are you two siblings?"
Erza bashfully grinned and grabbed her chin, "Kind of, I guess."
'Is that so? But where are your parents, my darlings? Oh, they must be nearby but what are they doing leaving their children alone like this!" the elderly dame then proceeded to go on a tangent about grandchildren and parents and responsibility. All the while Erza looked at Sasuke, who simply responded with a nonchalantly shrug as if telling her that she could fix this by herself.
"Actually, my…um…. b-brother and I came here on our own. We only wanted to take our pictures" Erza improvised and quickly replied before the old woman could continue speaking.
"Oh, is that so! Well then, please, take a look at this background" The old lady proceeded to gingerly and very slowly limp over to a large area in the studio with a distinct painting on the wall, reminiscent of the mountains. "If it's not to your liking, we have more."
"More?" Sasuke asked.
"Yes indeed. Open prairies, vast sandy beaches, Crocus by night, quiet meadows…"
"Meadows sounds good" Erza spoke up as she looked at Sasuke, "What about you?"
"Fine by me" he replied.
Erza's reaction to this answer was not one of joy but a pout, because it indicated either his disinterest in such things or his willingness to go with the flow rather than decide for himself once again, an issue she had raised many times over. But for now, she reluctantly decided to move things along, "Alright, if you say so. We'll take the meadows please."
As the old lady began shifting through the background paintings, Erza couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed in the fact that the references to the meadows flew over his head. It the was place where they first met and where they kindled their friendship. The place meant a lot to her but she wasn't sure if that was the same for him. She knew he cared about others in his own way but she also knew that he didn't mind much to things he felt were inconsequential.
"Come, come, please pose however you like" the old lady motioned for them to enter the spot in front of the background.
As the two looked at each other, Erza raised her hands and adjusted Sasuke's collar. Once that was done, Sasuke gave a nod as Erza walked over and sat on the chair placed in the area while Sasuke stood next to her.
"Now smile"
A brilliant flash of light emitted from the object in front of the old woman as a feeling of discomforted emitted across Sasuke.
"Another one please," Erza asked, much to Sasuke's dismay, though he was rather quiet about his dislike.
The second flash was equally just as disorienting. It was like being hit with a smoke bomb but with twice the potency.
"Brilliant! Now, give me some time while I develop this. Don't go anywhere my dears" the elder said.
While the old woman began working on the two pictures, Sasuke went over to the nearby bench and sat as he rubbed his forehead.
"Are you alright?" Erza leaned over and asked.
"Yeah, just….the light is a bit disorienting"
"Really? Well, it is kinda bright but I didn't think it'd be this bad?"
"It's just my eyes."
"Are they that sensitive?"
"Possibly?" Sasuke said.
The conversation, however, came to an abrupt end as the old photographer emerged from the other room with two frames in her hand. "One for you," she said, handing one portrait over to Erza with a beaming smile before moving on to Sasuke, "And one for you."
"How much will it be?" Sasuke asked.
"That will be five Hundred Jewels, my dear"
Just as he was about to pay up, Erza once again stepped in and handed over the money, "Thank you so much for the portraits, Ma'am."
The old woman happily took the cash and smiled, "It was my pleasure, darling."
Once they had paid the old woman, the two left the studio as they looked at the pictures. Erza could barely feign social grace as she burst into laughter over their faces. "Look at that face of yours" Erza pointed at Sasuke's portrait; a blank stare that almost seemed to droop down.
"Yeah, yeah" Sasuke grumbled, though this playful banter was something he found pleasantly happy with, even if he refused to show it. Thankfully, Erza was savvy enough to pick up on it, on account of how long they've been together.
"But you know what?" Erza spoke up.
"What?"
"I've never had a family picture before, so this is my first one. I kinda like it" Erza smiled as she gazed into the contents of the frame.
Sasuke slowly looked over to his left as Erza happily stared at their picture. It took him back to the time when he had his first family photo, with his father, mother, and brother, all together with him. A time when he was at his happiest. Seeing him and Erza, it almost felt like rekindling that familiarity, that familial happiness. "Yeah, me too" he smiled back.
Erza took in a deep breath and released her breath, but the pressure never seemed to go away. Looking at the decrepit studio that once stood in front of her years ago, evoked a strong sense of nostalgia. The owner of the studio had passed away not long after they had taken their picture, and it seemed there was no one else to inherit the place. Nowadays, it was nothing more than an abandoned building ready to be claimed by a new owner.
Perhaps she was looking too deeply into this, but it felt like a representation of her own life and how fleeting it was. One moment there were times of happiness and the next, it was loss after loss. Looking up at the sky, she wondered if the worst times were ahead of her.
"Erza!"
Her thoughts were interrupted and brought back to reality by Elfman, who was standing in front of her. For reasons she couldn't fathom, it brought about a sense of déjà vu for her but with the roles now reversed.
"Is something the matter?" Elfman inquired.
"It's nothing" Erza answered and adjusted her strap, "We should probably catch up to the others."
"Yeah, they might've already got a head start on us."
As the two continued on their path, a thought crept up in her mind: a very selfish desire, a dark impulse. One she was ashamed to even think about: she hoped that they wouldn't be able to beat Sasuke until she arrived, just so she could be the one to prove her mettle and show how far she'd come.
"No, I can't think like that! What's wrong with you Erza!?" she cursed internally, trying her best to banish those thoughts. But aside from dread, worry, and uncertainty, there was another feeling that had been building up all week long; excitement. A chance to go head-to-head against Sasuke, not in another sparring session, but in a full-blown fight. A battle where they would give everything they've got. In this regard, it would seem Natsu, Gray, and Mirajane had unfortunately rubbed off on her, something she loathe to admit.
"Took you long enough" Natsu grumbled with his arms crossed while sitting atop a rock.
"Yeah, we've been waiting for you guys for ages" Happy chimed in.
"Not all of us can fly, you stupid cat!" Mirajane grumbled.
As Natsu leaped from the rock and landed in front of the group, Cana stepped out of the bushes and looked at the volunteers. She noticed a few were missing and pointed out, "Say, where's Erza and Elfman?"
"They're late to the party" The eldest Strauss answered.
"What does that mean?" Natsu asked, tilting his head.
"It means we're gonna have to go on without them, Lizard brain" Gray rudely answered.
An irate Natsu stomped his way onto Gray and stared at him, 'Hey, who're you calling lizard brain!"
In response, the ice wizard smirked, "What're you gonna do about it?"
"Why you!"
Before another pointless fight could escalate, Cana stepped in and pushed both of them back. "Save that energy for when we fight Sasuke!" she stated, even then, she was still struggling to hold them back as the two rivals stared daggers at each other.
"Nah, you don't need anyone else when you got a member of the Thunder Legion right here!" Bickslow interrupted their fight as everyone blinked their eyes and looked at him dumbfounded, "Me and my babies will handle him just fine."
As if on command, three totems appeared before him, flying around their master as they squeaked out. "Just lead the way, little man," he said to Natsu.
"Why you little-" Natsu paused as everyone looked at him with a painful expression except for Mirajane who shot him a murderous glare as if telling him to stop wasting time and get on with it. "Alright, fine, follow me," he said with a defeated sigh.
…
The remaining journey was quicker than before as Natsu led them past a few ruins situated on a hill. They were archaic in design and didn't seem to belong to any of the cultures currently known, not that most of the guild members could care, since this was more of an archaeological guild business. Eventually, they reached a small river that led to a waterfall. Next to the river was a massive ruin, circular in design like an amphitheater or a gladiatorial arena, though not much of it remained.
"There he is" Natsu pointed to a lone figure standing at the center of that ruined building, kneeling and performing some sort of ritual. "He's been acting like this all day" he added looking at Happy, "like a creep."
"Aye" Happy nodded in agreement, "And he kept mumbling on about something."
"Do you think, he's too far gone?" Lisanna answered, clasping her hands together, fearful of the worst.
"It doesn't matter" Mirajane spoke up, as she began walking towards Sasuke, "We'll kick his butt and snap him out of this nonsense."
"You got that right" Gray joined in and followed behind as the rest did the same.
Descending to the ruins, the group carefully observed their target, and as they inched closer, so too did the possessed Sasuke stand up, as if anticipating their arrival. At this point, he had discarded the kimono and the kasa hat, his upper body was completely naked except for the several tattooed markings littered all over his torso and arms. His lower half consisted only of his hakama pants and sandals, giving him the look of a disheveled man.
"So, you've finally arrived" the one possessing Sasuke spoke up.
"You knew we'd come for you, didn't ya, Aetherium" Mirajane spoke back.
Aetherium inhaled and spoke up once more, "I did. Your scouts were quite…...noisy."
The group looked at Natsu and Happy with furrowed brows but did not proceed with any further chidings. "Then why didn't you run away?" Gray asked.
At that moment, Aetherium looked up at the sky and exerted a sound that evoked a sad sigh, "This place…is important to me. These ruins may have been long forgotten by you humans but we do not forget."
"What do you mean?" Lisanna inquired.
"Our people were travelers, journeying across the vast empty cosmos from star to star. It was only through chance that we ended up in this world. When we first arrived, you humans had just discovered how to use fire" As he continued explaining, a small smirk fell across his face, "You were weak creatures yet….so curious. And that curiosity drew us to you. Over time, we forged a pact, where we taught you our magic in exchange for deference and worship"
The group listened quietly as Aetherium continued on with his story. He raised his arms as his voice became louder, "Temples and statues were erected in our honor, dedicated to exalting our glory, it would seem that our reign would last forever. We were gods! But it was not to be."
At that moment, the creature's tone changed, a frown on his face as his fists were clenched. "Overtime the humans believed themselves to be masters of their fate, of the magic we taught them. And so, they turned against us, their masters. Centuries of bloody war thinned our numbers until only a handful of us were left. While the humans carried on with their lives, acting as if we never even existed, we were left scurrying about in the dark, sealed for eternity."
Once more, Aetherium's tone changed, from feelings of anger to a voice that evoked a more sombre tone, one of sadness as he waved his hand towards the ruins. "This is all that is left of our past."
"Blah, blah, blah, sorry but do you want me to feel bad for you? Because I don't" Mirajane mouthed off, stamping her feet as she pointed at him, "So you guys decided to play god and it bit you in the butt. Big deal! Whatever happened, it happened years ago, it's got nothing to do with us and frankly, I don't care. Besides, you using that body to put out your sob story makes me sick."
"What she said" Bickslow joined in and stuck his tongue out, "Laxus wanted me to test out that body, and my babies are itching for a fight!"
"Rematch time!" Natsu screamed as he cracked his knuckles.
Their responses only elicited a sigh of disappointment from Aetherium. "I expected nothing less from a bunch of human children, still I'll allow this fight. This was an arena once after all" he groaned as he looked at them, "But seeing as you all have greater numbers this time, I feel it is only appropriate that I even the odds."
Clenching his fists together, Aetherium gritted his teeth and began growling. As he did so, the earth began to shake and a green aura began emanating around Sasuke's body. The rest of the guild members looked on with bated breath as they tried to find their footing. Finally, with a roar, Aetherium stood upright and released his fists as green runes began glowing all over Sasuke's body. "But I warn you, I will not be so merciful this time. So, keep your wits about you, your weapons sharp, your magic honed, and give nothing less than your absolute best."
At that moment, his single eye turned red once more.
Shoes scraped against the dirt as they pushed forward, leaving behind noticeable footprints on the ground. Any keen tracker would easily deduce that the tracks indicated that whoever left them was in a hurry. And rightly so, as Erza and Elman dashed through the countryside, frantically looking over at the direction in which Cana's cards were pointing. The endless sprinting was, however, beginning to take its toll on Elfman, despite his larger stature compared to Erza. Or rather, one could say that his gaunter physique made him more susceptible to exhaustion. Either way, he was forced to stop and catch his breath.
"C'mon Elfman, we're almost there" Erza looked back and egged him.
"I know…I know" he panted heavily and slowed his breathing as he took his first step once more and then the next until he was lightly jogging.
Once she was certain that Elfman would be able to reasonably catch up, Erza paced herself and pushed on. Those years of hard labor in that cursed tower and the years of intensive training under Sasuke and by herself had paid off. At this point, exhaustion was not an issue for her. As of right now, the only thing on her mind was making sure the worst outcome didn't happen. "I hope I'm not too late" she prayed, hoping that the worst outcome did not occur.
Based on what she saw and was told, it would seem that this being that possessed Sasuke also had access to all of his abilities and skills. Which in itself was already problematic, but what troubled her the most was the fact that, unlike Sasuke, this creature might not have any of his restraints.
…..
Time flew by quickly amidst her contemplation until the both of them reached the ruins at the top of a hill, which rested next to a river that transformed into a waterfall. As the beacon on Cana's cards bleeped louder, Erza and Elfman looked at each other and nodded as they finally entered the open ruins. What they discovered shook them to their very core as Elfman gulped with wide eyes and yelled, "No!". What they witnessed was akin to a massacre, as the broken bodies of their guildmates lay everywhere. Some with their faces on the ground, while others faced the sky. The devastation was clear to see with various cracks and splinters being formed all across the area with vestiges of fire and ice scattered all around.
As he tried to go over to their aid, Erza extended her hand and held him back. "But Erza!" Elfman protested until the scarlet-haired girl pointed towards a figure standing at the center of this 'arena'. Basked in a hellish green aura, this being who wore the body of Sasuke was clutching onto the body of a defeated Bickslow, his helmet half shattered on his left side, leaving his eye exposed as he groaned in agony. It didn't take long for the one called Aetherium to drop Bickslow and turn around to face them. From his perspective, he could see two additional figures standing at the entrance of this ruin. "Elfman" he spoke before turning to his right, "And…. Erza Scarlet. Leave now, and no one else will get hurt. Or else, burn like the rest."
The mere mention of the others sent Erza's body into a tingle, forcing her to maintain her composure as she momentarily clenched her hands before releasing. Once her nerves were calmed, she looked at Elfman with an approving nod, to which he immediately rushed over to the other's aid. 'Lisanna! Lisanna!" he yelled as he ran to his sister's aid. The moment he reached her, Elfman gently lifted her head and allowed it to rest on her hands. Her eyes would not open but she was breathing, that much was certain. As he looked around, he noticed the same could be said for the others, even Mirajane. "She's okay…..." he mumbled before looking at Erza. "They're all okay Erza!"
Taking his words into consideration, Erza scanned the fallen and reaffirmed with her own eyes, much to her relief. With a quick exhale, she spoke "Elfman, get them as far away from her as you can."
"But what about you?" Elfman asked.
"I'll be fine. Now go!" she ordered.
The middle Strauss took one glance at Erza, a face hardened as steel, unperturbed by the threat in front of her, and gulped. She had always been as terrifying as his sister but now, she seemed to be something else entirely. "Okay," he answered weakly, as he began cradling Lisanna before lifting her and taking her first.
"A wise choice" Aetherium noted, under the assumption that they were falling back. In return, he tossed Bickslow's body towards them as well.
"You're wrong" Erza shot back, "We're not falling back. Not until you give back Sasuke."
"We had an agreement. That in exchange for their safety, I would take possession of his body. I intend for the both of us to honor that" the being answered.
Its answers irked her to no end, not just because it put her in a corner, but because she could find the notion of finding Sasuke doing something extremely reckless for the safety of others quite believable. After all, he was willing to gouge out his own eye just to save her once before. "Idiot!" she angrily muttered. At this moment, all she wanted to do was charge straight at him and beat the thing until it gave it and left Sasuke, but the elevation to S-Class almost came with it the wisdom of experience, that not every battle had to be won with fists. "Just what are you after?" Erza inquired.
"I wish…to return home" it answered as it looked up at the sky.
"Then let me help you. Just leave him out of this" she offered.
"Hmm, you've always been mature for your age. I've seen through his memories and I am truly sorry for what you had to endure."
"I noticed something" Erza replied, "Judging by the time we got word of your location and the time it took for me and Elfman to get here, you had every chance to kill them…but you didn't. This is why I want to talk things out with you first. Maybe we can come to deal?"
"As I've said before, I made a promise in exchange for this body and I do not intend to break it" Aetherium replied, "Still, they put up quite a fight, especially that one called Mirajane. I do not wish to kill any of you, but I will not give up this body."
Upon closer inspection, Erza noticed that there were quite several cuts and bruises all over Sasuke's body aside from those green runes; a clear indication that he was pulling his punches even with the Sharingan. "Are you certain?"
"Yes"
Upon hearing its answer, Erza closed her eyes as her body glowed, until she was covered head to toe in steely armored with feathered designs all the while brandishing two swords. "Then it looks like I'll have to beat you."
Aetherium answered her challenge by entering a fighting stance and activating the Sharingan, flickering his hands as if daring her to attack him first. With a pursed lip, Erza pointed her blade towards Aetherium, commanding a dozen or more of her swords straight toward the spirit possessing Sasuke's body. Under any other circumstances, she would never have considered such an action, one that bordered on lethal force, but she had to test the waters on how good the creature's use of Sasuke's Sharingan was, which was also why she limited the number of swords.
As expected, the being possessing Sasuke swiftly evaded every one of them and without moving from his spot, simply sidestepped. "You're holding back" he noted.
Rather than answer, Erza once again switched armor, this time taking on the form of a metallic suit covered in spikey shoulder guards. Her default weapon had also switched from a sword to a massive spiked mace. "Then how about this; Purgatory armor! Haaaaah!" With a mighty roar, Erza slammed her mace onto the ground, cracking the foundations of the ground to its very core, forcing Aetherium to jump back.
Rather than give him a reprieve, Erza grabbed the largest rubble that had been formed as a result of her attack and threw it like a boulder. Aetherium swiftly answered by coating Sasuke's sword with lightning and slicing the boulder in half. But from the other side came Erza, no longer in her heavy armor yet still strong enough to kick the upper half of the boulder straight towards Aetherium who easily avoided the attack by leaning back and letting the rubble pass through him. At that moment, Erza took the chance to attack the possessed Sasuke, who easily avoided all of her swipes and thrusts as if he could see where exactly they would hit.
Once he saw an opening, the possessed Sasuke jumped into the air and dove towards Erza's foot first. The newly christened S-Class responded by placing her sword forward, using it as a shield of sorts which allowed Aetherium to land on them instead. Upon realizing that this was the first point of contact between either of them, Erza spun around and pushed the possessed being to the other side, where a small crater had been made as a result of Erza's initial attack with her mace.
Walking over to the crater, Erza stood above her foe, who was simply dusting himself off. "Had enough? Guess you're not as untouchable as you thought you were" she stated.
"Is that so?" Aetherium smirked.
Erza blinked and looked at him with a gaping mouth. Before she could do anything, a surge of electricity struck her from behind, as another clone of Sasuke appeared behind. As she screamed in pain, the original one leaped from the crater and behind her.
"Erza!" Elfman called out to her.
"N-no! Stay…back…...Elfman!" she yelled back despite the immense pain, "I've…. got …this!" Electricity coursed through her body, rendering her near immobile, yet amidst the surge, Erza found the strength of will to slowly move her arms, curling her hands into a fist as she powered through the attack, until with a sonorous cry, power exploded from within her as her body glowed white once more, dispelling the attack in the process.
"What?" Even the confident Aetherium, one who had all of Sasuke's current skills and abilities, one who had deemed his host superior to his opponents was taken aback.
Once that light disappeared, Erza had now taken on a new form. Gone was the metallic plating that protected her torso, and in their place were light fabrics that acted as breastplates, shoulder guards, and vambraces, each sporting a spotted fur design. Holding two swords at hand, Erza was ready to continue to fight. "You're not the only one who's got speed on their side" she declared.
Reminiscent of a cat, Erza lunged at breakneck speed that rendered her image into a hazy flash. Were it not for the Sharingan, Aetherium would not have been able to make out where she was going, yet even with Sasuke's gift of perception, he was finding it difficult to keep track of her and evade her attacks, forcing him to block with the sword or narrowly steer clear from her trajectory. Eventually, Erza began darting all over the arena, ricocheting like a ball of light with such speed that a strong gust of wind began forming around Aetherium until it eventually morphed into a powerful tempest.
Outside the battlefield, the power of the wind created by Erza was such that even Elfman took notice, using his left hand to block out the wind. "I can't even make where she is!" he said.
"Ugh, what's going on?" a familiar voice groaned.
"Mira!" Elfman shouted in delight. The effect of the resulting battle was such that it caused the wounded guild members to stir them from their slumber.
"Dammit! We screwed up" Gray lamented, clutching his head.
"Argh! It's not over yet" Natsu growled as he rose to his feet despite his legs still wobbly.
"Natsu! You've barely got enough strength to stand up" Lisanna chided, holding a bruised and barely conscious Happy, "Besides, who's gonna take care of Happy?"
The fire dragon slayer looked at the fight before fixing his gaze on his injured friend. "Fine..." he grumbled and hesitantly sat back down with his legs and arms crossed.
"That kid is a monster" Bickslow stated, licking his wounds and nursing his pride. He'd never admit that he underestimated the gravity of the danger they were facing. "Still, I can see why Laxus has it out for him" he quietly mumbled.
"Don't I know it" Warren snarked with narrow brows.
"So, who's he fighting now?" Mirajane asked.
"It's Erza" Elfman replied.
"Erza?" Cana repeated.
"Yeah!" Elfman enthusiastically nodded, "And you're not gonna believe it but, she's holding her own!"
"For real!?" Natsu and Gray said in unison and blinked before turning their attention towards the fight. From the looks of it, it would seem Erza was the one putting the possessed Sasuke on the defensive, forcing him to block all of her attacks. At that moment, the boy's eyes glistened as they both began cheering her own. "Kick his ass!" "You've got this Erza!"
Their loud cheers were infectious enough that Lisanna, Cana, and Elfman all began joining in as well, each showing their earnest support for Erza, the S-Class among their ranks to finally achieve victory where they could not.
The exceptions were Bickslow and Mirajane, as both of them were content to simply watch on the sidelines in silence. Mirajane in particular was not in a good mood, as the sight of her rival going toe to toe with a foe even, she could not defeat on her own irked her like never before. "Damn that Erza! You think you can show me up, huh?" she growled and bit her fingernail, the frustration from the gap in their power and rank seeping in.
Meanwhile, in the center of the storm, Aetherium was on his guard, looking for an opening in this impenetrable wall that Erza had created. With each block, he was beginning to read her movements and plan out her patterns. "Most impressive" he commended as he forced Sasuke's Sharingan to track and pinpoint her movement to a particular spot, "But I can see you now." Running towards a particular spot in the arena, Aetherium jumped forth and thrust his legs forward, landing them exactly in the spot where Erza was running past.
The impact of that kick sent her flying against a wall, while also dispelling the artificial tempest that had been created. Elsewhere, her guildmates sat and watched in silence as her offense had finally come to an end. Falling to the ground, Erza painfully rose to get her bearings, only to be met with a thunderous kick that sent her flying back once more. As she attempted to recover, she was again interrupted with a punch to the face that sent her ears ringing before a power palm strike to the stomach knocked her back. But just as it looked like a punch from Aetherium would deliver the final blow, Erza instinctively grabbed the hand and held onto it tightly before delivering a counter punch of her own that sent Aetherium tumbling back.
"Luring me into a bait?" the being possessing Sasuke inquired, as he dusted himself off and began conjuring two familiar hand signs, "Then how about this! Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A volley of flames emerged from his mouth and headed straight toward Erza, who immediately switched her attire. In an instant, she was now covered in armor once more, this one was one adorned in red black, and orange, its greaves reminiscent of claws, and her hair split into twin tails. With a large sword in hand, Erza placed it forward and it split the incoming fire in half. But it turned out to be a trap set by her opponent as he appeared directly before her as the flames subsided and locked Sasuke's red eye with hers. In that instance, her voice hitched as her body locked in place, unable to take a step back as she was now beholden to one of Sasuke's deadliest abilities. One she had been victim of many times during their training.
…
The world turned black as the only source of light was a gleaming red platform beneath her. As she frantically looked around, she could hear the sound of footsteps, each thumping closer to her. Looking at the direction of the footsteps, a figure emerged from the shadows, one that caused her to drop her sword, her fingers to tremble and her feet to become unsteady. "J-Jellal?" she uttered the name in a tremulous voice, her hands shaking as her eyes were wide open. In front of her was a visage of a figure that had haunted her all her life, a ghost from the past that still lingered on. That blue hair and the tattoo beneath the right eye was a surefire sign of none other than Jellal Fernandez.
"N-no….no! You're not real, you're only an illusion" Erza mumbled to herself as she stared at the figure in disbelief.
"Am I?" the figure of Jellal questioned. Raising his palm, Jellal sent out an unknown force that pushed Erza back, shattering her armor as she screamed in pain and restoring her to the tattered dress that she wore during her time in the Tower of Heaven.
With a painful expression, Erza realized that she had been stripped of her armor, and reduced to the weak, helpless prisoner that she once was. Her trembling intensified as her breathing became more rapid. It was then that she was assaulted by a volley of magic that surged from within, reducing her to screaming in agony.
"Poor little Erza" Jellal taunted, snapping his finger as the magic blast intensified and tormented Erza even further, "All that strength, all that power, all those armor and weapons. Take them all away and you're nothing but a scared little girl. A failure."
With each snap, the torment intensified, causing even greater suffering to Erza.
"A failure who couldn't protect me." Memories of Jellal's torture at the hands of the cultist emerged.
"A failure who couldn't protect her friends" Memories of Shô, Millianna, Wally, and Simon were added to the chorus of cries.
"A failure who couldn't save anyone" A lone silhouette of Rob appeared before her.
"And in the end, it took poor little Sasuke to give up his eye just to save you" The final nail in the torment, a memory she looked on with tears in her eyes as Sasuke willingly caused himself excruciating pain just to save her life. "So, why don't you just give up and keel over? Just…like….Sasuke!"
These were nothing but tricks on her mind, or so she should tell herself, yet the memories were real. They were the remnants of her failure, as she watched those close to her suffer a fate worse than death. If only she had been stronger if only she tried harder. "If only…."
"There's always a way out"
Her eyes twitched.
"But every time you use that trick on me, I don't know what's real anymore." a mirror of herself appeared, younger but just as enthusiastic.
"Because you're allowing it to. Of course, to be fair, even I had a hard time getting out with the Sharingan." In front of her past self, was Sasuke standing with his arms crossed.
"See! Even you admit to it" her memory pouted, placing both her hands on her hips, "If you have a hard time getting out of an illusion, what chance do I have?"
"I said it was difficult, not impossible" Sasuke answered to which the Erza of the past blinked, "Listen, every illusion, no matter how real or perfect they may seem, has a flaw. If you find that flaw, you'll find your key to escape."
"How can I do that if everything feels so real?" the younger Erza inquired.
"Your eyes send messages to your brain, telling you what you think is real, and in turn, they affect your other senses. The key lies in your instincts. Find the right headspace, get into the zone, and most importantly, be mindful of your thoughts. Don't ever give in. Your willpower is the key to freedom."
Were those memories part of this illusion or simply her will emanating in that form? Whatever the reason, Erza suddenly felt a surge of newfound strength, giving her the push needed to get back up.
"Oh? Still want some more?" The vestige of Jellal taunted, "Good. I'll make sure to save some for Sasuke as well."
Yet, this time, Erza chose to close her eyes and breathe in slowly, blocking out any external stimuli, especially those that were taunting her. "Every illusion has a flaw" she mumbled to herself as the vestige of Jellal reeled back in surprise.
"You think that mumbo, jumbo is gonna save you?" he continued jeering, but there was no response, as Erza chose to remain quiet with her eyes closed. "Maybe it's time I show you just how real this is!" he yelled as he charged straight for her.
"Be mindful of my thoughts, they can lie to me at any time" she uttered to herself as the image of Jellal lunged forward, only to be illusion to crack as the phantom of Jellal disappeared and in his place was Aetherium, ready to strike her down with a Chidori. As she opened her eyes, Erza gleaned white once more as she held out a spear right in from of Aetherium, taking all of the Chidori's attack with no side effect.
…..
"What!? How did you break out!?" the creature was baffled by this turn of events. Based on Sasuke's memories, the genjutsu should've been a surefire path to victory. Yet now, in front of him was Erza, in her new armor; adorned in blue, decorated in gold trimmings, lightning coursing through the spear and to her body yet showing no side effects.
"You made a in your illusion. Jellal didn't attack me like this and Sasuke doesn't use his right hand for his Chidori. It's time to end this!" Erza roared as she pushed him back. As she charged at him with her lightning spear, Aetherium retaliated with the Chidori, no longer caring about strategy or tactics. The two clashed as sparks of electricity trickled all over the arena. As the two locked weapons, Erza shoved the spear underneath his arms and pushed him toward the wall before rolling back and flipping him over.
"She's got him!" Gray yelled.
"Hell yeah!" Natsu shouted as well.
"Beat him up Erza!" Happy cheered on, joining in the chorus with his best friend.
"That Scarlet girl's laying on him. Guess that's why she got picked for S-class huh" Bickslow noted.
Mirajane however, was not amused. All she could muster up was an indignant "Tch"
Stumbling onto the ground, Aetherium wiped the dirt off of his face as he began panting. "No! This is impossible! This body was supposed to be untouchable!" He growled, slamming his fist to the ground as Erza dashed for him. With a monstrous roar, he intercepted her attack and sent her flying upward with a kick.
Once she was in the air, he jumped and appeared behind her, spinning around and slamming his left leg onto her body. Yet, this was also something Erza had anticipated, seeing as she had learned of the Lion's Barrage before. Grabbing hold of his leg, Erza changed her form and adorned the massive, bulky Giant armor. Intending to use its weight to her advantage, Erza grabbed hold of Aetherium and dropped to a thunderous crash that the very earth shook and the center of the arena was left with a wide hole on it.
At the bottom, Erza had Aetherium pinned. Having now changed back to her regular armor, she placed a sword on his throat and demanded, "Let go of him now!".
"Never!" he yelled and disappeared in a puff of smoke, replaced by a log.
Caught unaware by the clone, Erza's eyes widened as she looked to her back to see Aetherium emerge from the ground and thrust forth a Chidori spear, one that Erza narrowly avoided. At this point, both fighters had given it their all, and yet both of them kept coming back. With each blow, their bodies began to give out yet their will to fight raged on. Both were visibly bruised and weary, panting from exhaustion and both knew that one strike was all it would take to end this.
Retracting his Chidori, Aetherium coated it on his right arm, a sharp contrast to Sasuke, who held it on his left as he sprinted towards Erza.
The S-Class had anticipated that it would come down to this. She had calculated every scenario in her head and all of them led to her defeat. His speed and the incredible perception of the Sharingan meant she would always lose this duel…except for one outcome. Reaching for her pocket, she took out a peculiar ball and held onto it tightly. She watched as he inched closer and closer, patiently waiting for the right moment to let out her trump card. And just as he was within arm's length, she tossed the ball and dropped to her knees, covering her ears and closing her eyes.
A white flash of light emitted from the ball, followed by a bloodcurdling high-pitched screech, one so potent, that the other guildmates were reeling in pain as they covered their eyes and forced their eyes shut. Natsu in particular, was in complete and utter agony thanks to his greater sense. The situation was even worse for Aetherium, who was caught right in the center of the blast.
"Sorry Natsu" Erza apologetically noted, having been aware of the effect the object would have. But she had created this device for this one specific battle in mind. The Sharingan was an ability like no other, one that allowed the user to gain perception akin to foresight. But it still relied on visual senses to be utilized properly and Erza banked on it to create the perfect countermeasure. Taking the chance, Erza saw an opening in this moment of vulnerability and in one swift motion, sliced past Aetherium.
Once the effect of the bomb as worn off, every slowly regained their bearings, some still groaning in pain. "What the hell was that!?" Mirajane snarled, the ordeal having a worse effect on her already negative mood.
"Looks like that was her secret weapon," Elfman said.
"Her secret weapons?" Cana repeated.
"Yeah, guess she figured out something that could stop him" Elfman answered.
"Can't figure out what you're going to do next if you can't see at all" Mirajane grumbled and rolled her eyes, " elementary."
"Then why didn't she just use it from the start?" Warren questioned.
"Cause you can't use the same trick on him" Mirajane replied recalling her own experience fighting with and against him.
"Everyone, look!" Lisanna pointed out.
On the other side, where the battle was at its thickest, the two warriors stood across from each other. One was battered and bruised but standing tall the other barely clung on with blood dripping down his mouth as his chest was cut open with a wide gash. "Impossible..." the being possessing Sasuke's body gargled as blood continued pouring from his mouth. "This… can't be…"
"I didn't want to go this far, but when we were fighting, I realized something," Erza said as she turned around, "You feel his pain too. Every hit, every cut, you feel every bit of it. And that's why I'll keep fighting until you give up. So, I'll ask you this one more time, let go of Sasuke or you're in for a world of hurt."
All was quiet for the moment, as the spirit seemed to consider Erza's ultimatum. It turned around and instead of accepting her proposal, it began to growl, "NO! I AM DONE STOOPING TO YOUR LEVEL!". The ground began to shake as Erza struggled to find her footing. Even the onlookers were having trouble steadying themselves while the being escalated its intensified transformation as it let out a demonic roar "UUUUUURRRRAAAAGGGGHHH!"
Sasuke's body began to undergo an even greater metamorphosis, his arms began to grow in size, coated in pitch black and green runes, his legs snapped from a straight posture to a hind formation with bird-like feet while massive horns grew from the side of his head and reached upward while green runes continued tracing from the tip of horns all the way to his face. His Sharingan had disappeared as well and in its place were pure white irises. He had become something akin to a demon.
Erza and the rest could only watch in stupefied horror and despair as a surge of green magic blasted from the arena and towards the sky, blackening the world above as dark clouds hung over.
"W-what, what is that!?" Cana asked with a terrified expression.
"It looks…" Elfman mumbled,
"Just like…..." Lisanna added
"Me" Mirajane finished the sentence in hushed whispers. Watching with hopeless despair as Sasuke now took a form reminiscent of her own. Her heart sank as she lost all feelings in her arms. It was like looking at a mirror in the worst way possible.
And she was not the only one affected by this ordeal, for there was another guild member who had horrible memories of demons. "This…. this is a nightmare," Gray said to himself.
Meanwhile, on the battleground, Erza watched on with a horrified look as Aetherium took an even greater hold on Sasuke. "What have you done!?" she called out to him.
"If you believe in any gods, start praying to them" the beast warned as it stabbed itself in the palm of its left hand with its right, gurgling in pain as it pulled out what could only be described as an enormously large sickle from the palm of its hand.
Erza's hand trembled as she struggled to hold her sword. The stakes had escalated to even greater heights and now, the situation had changed from merely just saving Sasuke. It was now a matter of survival. With a deep inhale, she slowly let out her breath as she steadied her hands. Things were going to get much worse.
AN: Sorry for taking so long to finish this. I was going to publish it in July but circumstances stopped me from doing so. In any case, I've already gotten started on the next chapter and hopefully, I'll be able to start replying to comments once more from the next chapter onwards.
Oh yeah, 100 Year Quest finally aired and I've been hooked on it. Definitely gave me the inspiration needed to continue making this.
Anyways, thanks for all your support. I truly appreciate it.