A call from Simon was allowed to get through to Sho, and after listening for several moments, he glanced up at Nora.
"Happy is evacuating Gray, and Millianna and Wally are getting Lucy and Juvia out and onto your boat," he said, frowning. "All of the warriors—assassins known as Trinity Raven, from Death's Head Caucus—have been defeated, but those I mentioned have taken a bit of a beating. Natsu is alright and he's with Simon, and they're going to help Erza."
"That's the first good news I've heard all day," Nora remarked.
Sho's arm was around her shoulders and she was helping him stagger through the halls of the Tower of Heaven. Nora's aura taking such sudden and devastating damage had finally caught up to her, and she was using Magnhild as a walking stick to support the both of them as Sho directed her through the passageways to get outside.
At least the time would help her recover her strength.
"Hm." Sho gave a weak grin. "I know I'm feeling better, knowing she won't be on her own." His face fell. "Like she's been, for eight years… How could I believe she betrayed us?"
"You were manipulated," Nora replied gently, then she sighed. "And she wasn't on her own, okay? Fairy Tail's pretty much the place to go when you don't have anywhere else. Master Makarov collects adopted children like trading cards, and he took Erza in."
"The guild became her family," Sho decided, and Nora nodded. "That's good… I know she always wanted to join Fairy Tail, with the stories Grampa Rob would tell."
Nora raised an eyebrow. "Grampa Rob?"
"Hm." Sho produced a sad grin. "He was this old man who looked after the kids here, and he was a member of Fairy Tail—had the guild-mark on his back 'til the day he died." He looked down, frowning. "He died… using his magic to shield Erza and the rest of us from the spells of the magical guards. It was like he turned to stone and burst, using up his magical energy."
Nora shuddered, then she frowned. "I'm sorry that you had to see that. He sounds like a good man."
"Yeah… He was."
When Nora finally got Sho outside, her aura had started to recover, and she found Lucy, Gray, and Happy in the boat with Wally and Millianna, just as Simon said.
"Sho!" Millianna's eyes widened as Nora lowered the boy into the boat. "What happened?!"
"Heh." Sho leaned back against the side of the boat, grinning tiredly. "I ran into some trouble with a swordswoman who cuts nerves but not skin or clothes. Big Sis and Nora managed to get me out okay."
"Yeah." Nora nodded, then she glanced back at the tower with a frown. "Now, it's time to get Erza out okay. We've still got time, so I'm gonna-"
"Nora." Sho reached up and grabbed her wrist, halting her. "Simon told me to make sure that everyone else got away… and I don't think Erza really meant for you to return." He squeezed her wrist. "You should stay with us… We have to trust them, now."
Nora was silent, then she closed her eyes. "... I can't." She took a deep breath, then she opened her eyes and looked back at Sho, pulling her wrist free. "I can't leave them behind. I won't… I'm going after them."
"Nora!" Lucy shouted, but as the Huntress looked away and started running, Sho reluctantly pushed the boat away from the docks.
Gray looked up, his eyes narrowed. "You bring everyone back, Nora!"
"Will try!" Nora called back, then she took a deep breath and kept running. "No promises."
/\
Erza's trek to the top of the Tower of Heaven was quiet.
The only sounds she heard came from her—the rustling of her clothes, the soft padding of her bare feet against the stone floors. She had never felt so exposed yet so strong; it had always been just one or the other, never both.
She could still see it before her eyes, the conviction of Nora Valkyrie as the strange new arrival to Fairy Tail stood between Erza and Ikagura with her hammer raised. Erza saw a pink light ripple across Nora's body like the disturbed surface of the ocean at sunset, and she had heard a sharp crackling sound like one of Gray's ice sculptures fracturing in battle.
The warrior—the Huntress, Erza reminded herself—had dropped onto one knee, feeling such unbelievable pain… but then she had gotten to her feet again, without one scratch.
Erza had wondered at what sort of magical power could cause the scars covering her teammate's body. Now, trying to picture such might shook her to her core. Could Laxus manage such a feat? Erza was starting to think that he might be the only one she could imagine.
… And Nora still wanted to 'ding-dong ditch' him.
Truly, Erza would never understand that girl… but maybe that was alright,
Even if Erza could never completely comprehend Nora Valkyrie, the knight could still learn from the Huntress. That became apparent in the garden hall, up against Ikagura.
Erza was done hiding from her past, from her regrets, from her pain, from her love, and from her feelings for Jellal—the good of the past, the bad and the pained of the present.
Erza was tired of running.
It was time to take a stand.
It was time to fight.
The last time she had been in that room, she had been a child; she had been bound to a pillar, tortured, and relieved of her eye only a short time before, but she had returned to free a little blue-haired boy who had inspired her before taking her place.
She had then watched him take lives with a sick, twisted grin on his face before he had attacked her and cast her out. He enslaved their friends, finished the tower which had held them all prisoner and kidnapped her to resurrect a creator of demons…
And there he was, sitting cross-legged upon a throne with the hood of his coat raised and a small, amused smile on his face as he played with a piece from a game-board at his right hand. Everything they had been through, he truly saw it as a game.
"Oh," he said in a bored voice, standing up without even turning his head to look at Erza. "The game is already over?"
"Is playing with people's lives so fun for you?" Erza bit back, stepping towards him as her shoulders raised and she gripped her blade.
"It is fun," he insisted, turning his back and approaching a mural on the other side of the room. "Birth and death, after all, are the origin and focus of all emotions—or, to put it the other way around, nothing is more boring than living on its own." He finally turned to look back at her, his dark eyes narrowed as he gave a small smile. "It has been a while, Erza."
"Jellal," Erza greeted curtly. "I will liberate my old friends."
"Do as you please," he told her idly, his hands stuffed into his pockets. "I no longer need them. The Tower of Heaven has been completed."
Erza pointed her blade at the young man, growing suspicious. "Even though it will be destroyed in less than fifteen minutes?"
Nora's reasonings rang through her head. Why would Jellal be so calm, like he wanted it to fire? What was his hidden motive?"
"You mean Etherion?" He asked, then he chuckled.
Erza frowned. "Such confidence… So, it was a bluff?"
"No." Jellal had a crazed look in his eyes as he threw his hood back and grinned at Erza. "Etherion will rain down."
"... Hearing that makes me feel relieved," Erza decided, taking her blade and getting into a combative stance. "If I can delay you for fifteen minutes, then this will all be over!"
"No." A dark crimson energy, like blood turned into steam, surrounded Jellal. "You will be annihilated as Zeref's sacrifice! It has already been decided!" He closed his eyes. "That is your fate." He opened his eyes, and a strange symbol—the same sitting over his throne—glowed purple over his right eye. "Your destiny!"
Erza could practically see Nora by her side, rolling her eyes as she gripped her hammer before glancing over at her with a raised eyebrow. 'Get a load of this guy.'
Nora always did have such a strange perspective…
"And it's now twelve minutes," Jellal went on, smirking. "Twelve more minutes, and Etherion will rain down upon this place… Let's have fun for the next twelve minutes, Erza."
'For that, we break his legs,' Nora's voice rang clear in Erza's mind, and the knight almost smiled in spite of the ache in her chest. 'Then, make him chug 'respect women'-juice.'
That made Erza think of her team.
If they were there with her, they would be standing firm.
Gray and Natsu would show no fear. Lucy might be nervous, but her eyes would narrow and her face would fill with conviction—and the same could be said for Happy.
And Nora, who sassed a Wizard Saint? She would merely fire a heart-emblazoned grenade right at Jellal just to see his face as he was shrouded in that bright pink smoke.
In spirit, their strength became Erza's own.
"Right now, I fear nothing," the knight announced even as Jellal summoned a churning mass of purple and crimson matter from his palm. "Even if Etherion comes, I will be satisfied to take you with me!"
And she meant it, because that meant that he would never hurt her or anyone else ever again.
God knew her friends would never forgive her, but at least they would live.
"Oh? Take me with you?" Jellal gave a mad smile. "GO AHEAD AND TRY!"
The swirling mass of energy surged from Jellal's hand and flew at Erza, who raised her one blade in defense as she squared her shoulders and primed herself for battle-
'You called me out for holding back because of my fear,' Nora's voice chimed in her head again. 'What's your excuse?'
Erza's eyes glinted. "Requip!"
Blades flew through the air and sliced through the multiple tendrils of energy branching through the air as Erza donned her Heaven's Wheel Armor, her eyes narrowed as she gripped her two main blades and commanded the array hanging in the air around her,
The deflected blasts burst through the floor and walls behind her, but the knight was unscathed as Jellal smiled fiendishly. "Hiding behind your armor again?"
He truly had been watching everything.
"This isn't hiding, Jellal," Erza announced, raising her right blade in a challenge. "This is punishment for everything you've done and retribution for everyone you've hurt." She bared her teeth. "After everything I've been through because of you, I'm not going easy on you—and if you want to live to die by Etherion, you had best extend me the same courtesy." She glanced back at the destruction behind her, then she looked forward at Jellal. "But do be careful. You wouldn't want to destroy your precious tower!"
Erza requipped into her Black Wing Armor and flew at her former ally, slashing at him repeatedly while he merely backed away and weaved out of range of her attacks with a smug little smile on his face. He leapt onto the seat of his throne before leaping aside as Erza slashed it and his game-board apart, and he chuckled.
"A pillar or two are nothing but decoration," he remarked, resting a hand on his hip.
Erza gripped her blade in both hands, her eyes narrowed. "Sho and the others believed in you for eight years to make those decorations!"
"Stop complaining about every little thing I say," Jellal dismissed her. "The important thing is the R-System. Those eight years were for that." He summoned another sphere of that strange matter into his palm. "And that… is complete!"
That strange symbol appeared over Jellal's eye again, and he grinned as he clenched his fist around the sphere and caused it to burst. Tendrils of the energy appeared at Erza's feet, and she gasped as she was suddenly encased in a swirling mass of it.
"It does seem you have improved a bit," Jellal mused as he strode over to the energy, watching as it formed a sphere. "But I guess that's your limit."
The word's of Erza's friends rang through her mind even as she felt like she was drowning. She couldn't give up yet… but these murky waters were overwhelming her senses…
…
The lightning collided with the top of Nora's hammer, the electricity turning pink as it channeled down the hammer and into Nora's body. Erza could see the energy sparking beneath the smaller girl's skin, spreading throughout her body through little networks in her flesh like it was becoming her lifeblood.
"Nora!" Mirajane cried, standing behind the orange-haired girl and gazing at her in dismay.
Nora just gritted her teeth as her hair stood up and the energy reached her eyes, pink sparks flashing around her aqua irises as her pupils briefly glowed pink, then there were several gasps of alarm as Nora's scars flashed pink just before the blast from Erza's spear ended.
Nora's hair fell back into place, and the girl's next breath shook.
…
What was her excuse..?
...
Erza frowned at her friend.
"He was torturing us, and you barely flinched. If anything, you seemed to grow stronger."
"Oh." Nora blinked, then she looked away with some sheepishness. "It's -uh- this thing I can do. I know you guys have mostly seen me use my hammer with the electricity and the smoke and the explosives, and you've seen how strong I can be and the sensing and pulses and the… durability bit." Erza nodded, and Nora looked at her. "There's another thing. I, um… You know how you've seen me absorb and expel energy?"
"Yes."
"... I'm not supposed to expel it," Nora confessed. "When I come into contact with any sort of electricity, I sorta get… stronger."
Erza blinked. "What?"
"I can use electricity to charge my muscles, make myself stronger," Nora elaborated. "Sort of like—I don't know—how Natsu eats fire to re-charge his magic. Electricity just sorta… charges me up."
...
Something that should have killed her... absorbed and turned into strength to be turned against her enemies...
...
Lucy laughed, splashing around in the waters before Akane Resort.
"Come on in!"
"No, thanks!" Nora called from the shore, still in her Huntress attire but with a bright grin on her face. "Water and I don't really mix!"
…
Erza blinked, then her brow furrowed.
Jellal looked back, his eyes wide, as the sphere encasing his 'sacrifice' exploded in a tremendous burst of sparking blue electricity which immediately reduced it to vapor.
Erza kneeled on the floor, dressed in her Lightning Empress Armor, then she looked up with a small smirk as she gripped her Spear of Lightning. The armor was designed to not only produce large amounts of lightning but to also guard the wearer from it.
Lost in those murky waters, what should have killed her became a part of her.
Even when Nora did not mean to, she always had a lesson to teach.
"I thought I told you," the knight said, triumphant. "Right now, I fear nothing! Requip!"
Erza felt a surge of power and hostility as she was suddenly clothed in the Purgatory Armor, but she could not have cared any less.
The only thing that mattered was defeating Jellal.
The knight snarled as she swiped her Spiked Mace, and Jellal leapt up to escape the strike—only to gasp as the surrounding walls of his Tower of Heaven were left with a perfect slice averaging three feet from the floor. The knight leapt into the air and slammed her mace down onto that floor, causing the entire room to tilt and start to crumble as the walls and ceiling of the chamber started to slide free.
"NO!" Jellal shouted, landing on his feet and staggering on the uneven floor—only to yelp as Erza lunged at him, grabbed him by the collar with one hand, and slammed him onto the floor as the top of the room slid free over their heads and tumbled down towards the ocean.
Above them, there was only the starry sky—and around them, there was only crumbled pieces from the now-missing room along with the shattered remains of the large lacrima which had been the chamber's centerpiece.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?!" Jellal demanded, his eye glowing once more as Erza stood and raised her Spiked Mace over him. He sneered, summoning more of that dark energy into his hands. "You miserable-!"
SLAM!
A shockwave went out as the mace slammed into Jellal's chest, the force of it knocking that remaining three feet of wall free and over the edge of their tilted stage as the last fragments of the lacrima were reduced to fine powder.
Crack!
Jellal gasped, curling up on the floor and clutching at his chest as he struggled to breathe, his eyes wide as he found true difficulty in it.
Erza, despite the rage she felt, blinked at the sound and the sight of her former friend before feeling a familiar pang in her chest. "... Requip." The Purgatory Armor was replaced by the simple cloth Erza had arrived in, the Spiked Mace replaced by the simple katana, and the knight panted for breath as she pointed that blade at Jellal's throat. "... Yield." Jellal did not respond. "Tch. You remain stubborn, in this sorry state?" Her eyes narrowed. "What was your true motive in all this, Jellal?"
The blue-haired boy looked up at her with a scowl in spite of his exhaustion and broken, battered state—then the peculiar pattern in his eye flashed and faded, and he blinked before his body sagged and his expression became vacant. "E… Erza? Is-..?"
"What?" Erza gripped her blade tighter. "Speak, fiend." Jellal's eyes found hers, and Erza blinked as she found that they were filled with tears. "Jellal?"
"Is that… really you?" The boy asked, and Erza's body tensed-up. "Erza…"
"... What foul trickery is this?" Erza murmured quietly, keeping her blade steady. "Do not take me for a fool, Jellal! You tormented me for years! I will not be manipulated any longer!"
Jellal stared up at Erza, then he nodded shakily and smiled. "Good." He closed his eyes and clenched his fists to brace himself. "Now, finish me quickly—before he comes back!"
"What do you mean?" Erza demanded.
Jellal opened his eyes. "Zeref… The spirit of Zeref… Erza, I don't know why he's left me, but he always comes back." His expression grew desperate. "You have to finish me off before he returns!"
"... Jellal?" Erza's eyes widened as her blade finally dipped, and Jellal blinked in surprise but made no move. "Were you-..?"
"A puppet?" Jellal smiled grimly. "You were my dearest friend, Erza. Nothing less than a god's will could have made me-..." A tear raced down his face, and his expression became forlorn. "You have to finish me before he comes back, and the torment and manipulation resume. Please, Erza… liberate us both, and escape from this awful place with your life." Tears raced down his face as he beamed. "We can both be free."
"No. That's… not good enough," Erza stated as her sword vanished and she kneeled before the young man. "Freedom… is not good enough, Jellal."
He cringed as she grabbed him by his coat with both hands and lifted him into a seated position, then he opened his eyes and looked up. "Don't be ridiculous! You must-!"
"Jellal!" Erza snapped, and he blinked before his eyes widened. Tears were streaming from both of the knight's eyes as she glared at him. "Freedom is not good enough. I'm not leaving you…" Her lips curled into a smile. "I'm finishing what I started… I'm saving you."
/\
Running up the outside of the tower again would not be an easy feat, so Nora chose to use Magnhild to its full potential.
"Thank-! the gods-! I went-! with this-! upgrade!" She remarked between every jet of pink smoke she used to rocket herself up a level, the pause coming whenever she grunted upon landing on the stone stairs again. "Whoo! This-! is gonna-! give me-! a headache!"
Nora landed again, glancing up to see how close she was to the top, then she blinked as she heard footsteps before turning her head.
"Nora!" Natsu ran up, Simon right behind him. The Fire Dragon-Slayer looked panicked. "Erza's gonna kill herself trying to save some guy named Jelly-!"
"Jellal," Nora and Simon corrected the boy together.
"And we gotta go!" Natsu insisted, grabbing Nora's wrist and starting to run again—and Nora blinked before collapsing Magnhild and just allowing herself to be pulled along.
"So!" Nora spoke up, glancing at Simon as he caught up and ran beside her. "This is gonna be one awkward Battle of the Exes we're about to intrude on, huh?"
Simon, while battered and clearly exhausted, chuckled. "It's good to see you again, Nora."
Simon eventually gave out.
The young man's condition was too dire for him to continue on, so Nora and Natsu carefully helped him sit down in a hallway before continuing on to find Erza.
"He'll be okay, right?" Nora asked nervously, trying to avoid how her body was starting to tremble. "We'll get back in time?"
"Of course, we will," Natsu insisted, then he looked at the Huntress with a frown. "You're scared, Nora. Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah." Nora looked forward, trying to focus on not stumbling as they ran up the stairs. "I just-... This isn't the first time a red-haired, armor-wearing friend of mine has gone into a death-match at the top of a tower."
"But this time, she has returned," a voice spoke, and Nora and Natsu looked up the stairs with wide eyes. Standing there was Erza, who was carrying the broken and battered body of a blue-haired young man. The knight gave a small smile, raising an eyebrow. "And we have no plans to die today, my friends."
"Not anymore," the blue-haired boy grumbled, then he cracked an eye open and smiled weakly up at Erza. "You've become stubborn."
"Hm." Erza looked down at the boy, grinning tiredly. "I learned from the best."
"Is that-..?" Natsu became confused. "Isn't he the bad guy?"
"No." Erza looked back at the pink-haired boy and shook her head. "I should have realized. There was possession magic at work." She glanced at Nora. "You were right. No one changes just like that." Her eyes narrowed. "This was the work of Zeref. The Black Wizard used Jellal as a puppet."
"And cut my strings once I was too beat-up to be of any use," Jellal remarked wearily. "So, I'm free—but-..."
"Yeah, you've definitely got some internal bleeding there, buddy." Nora cringed in sympathy, then she looked at Erza. "Okay. We've got Jellal. Let's head back and grab Simon, then get the heck out of here!"
"Right." Erza nodded. "We have to hurry. There's no telling when-"
A bright light began to shine through the windows, and the tower started to shake violently as though the earth quaked.
Nora remembered that flash of white light from the top of Beacon Tower, the one she could see through the airship window.
Some nights, during their travels across Anima, Ruby would wake up from the nightmares of that moment.
...
"PYRRHA!"
...
After a few months, Ruby had stopped crying out at night.
Nora wondered if she still woke up, but she just did so without waking anyone else.
Time and the safety of friends had deepened the hammer-wielder's sleep.
"That would be Etherion," Jellal said what they were all thinking as his other eye opened and both eyes widened.
"RUN!" Erza commanded, and Nora and Natsu turned and led the way in the sprint down the stairs as Erza followed them with Jellal.
As they arrived at the bottom of that story, Simon looked up wearily from the floor before blinking in surprise. "Wait, what in the-?" He yelped as Natsu grabbed him and threw his body over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Hey-!"
"Less talking, more running!" Nora shouted, glancing back at the others with wide eyes as she watched the light coming in through the windows grow brighter and brighter. "Oh, gods!"
"Wait!" Jellal cried just before they arrived at a door which would take them to an outside staircase, and Nora paused and looked back. "We must stay inside! The tower will protect us!"
Simon glanced up, his eye wide, then he nodded in assent. "He's right! Brace yourselves!"
Everyone scrambled back, and Natsu set Simon down against the wall while Erza turned her back to the doorway to try and shield Jellal, who in turn wrapped his trembling arms around her neck and made her bow her head to try and shield her as well as he could.
... Damn it, Nora had a new ship for the Fairy Tail betting pool—but what to call it?
Erlal? Jerza?
Yeah, Jerza! That would sell it... presuming they all lived to talk about it.
Though, she still liked the idea of Erza and Simon...
Focus! Focus!
Nora herself moved as close to the wall as she possibly could, taking a deep breath as she prayed that her aura had been raised enough before cursing herself at the thought because her friends had no aura, then she closed her eyes and prepared for whatever came next.
However, a hand grabbed hers and she was suddenly being pulled into a tight embrace. Not thinking due to her fear, Nora just immediately clung to the other person, and they held on tight as the tower quaked and the light beyond her eyelids seemed to blaze.
Then, it was over.
"Nora?" A voice asked, and the Huntress opened her eyes and blinked before looking around. The tower… It had turned into a mass of glowing-blue crystal. "You okay?"
"Huh?" Nora pulled back, and her eyes widened as she saw Natsu looking at her with a worried frown. "Did-..? Did you protect me?"
"Hm." The boy smiled. "We're teammates, aren't we? And you're always doing it, so it was my turn anyway." He glanced around. "What the Hell..?"
"It's a lacrima," Nora decided. "And it absorbed the blast." She glanced at Natsu. "That's why Jellal wasn't scared before—Zeref wanted it to fire…" She glanced up. "Instead of sacrificing people, he tricked the Magic Council into giving him everything in one blast."
"You're right," Jellal said quietly, and Nora and Natsu looked over to see Erza standing up straight as the blue-haired boy in her arms looked at the other mages wearily. "My magical power was used to sustain a thought-projection capable of magic so strong that it could become a Wizard Saint and achieve renown, enough to stand on the Magical Council."
"Siegrain," Erza realized, her eyes wide. "He was merely a projection?"
Jellal nodded numbly. "Zeref took everything from me to fuel this plan… and once my body was broken, he left." He closed his eyes. "He will return when I am well-enough to be of use again, or he will claim someone else."
"Not if we can help it," Natsu decided, his eyes narrowed as he slammed one fist against the opposite palm. "He's not getting away with this, and he's never hurting you again!"
"... No. He isn't," Jellal murmured. "Because I'm dying here, today." He opened his eyes as the others' eyes widened. "The Tower of Heaven will destabilize unless all of the magical power it is holding is drained, and it will detonate." He glanced around, finding that the crystalline walls were already starting to take on a sludge-like quality. "Erza knocking the top off of this tower gave the magic less space to be contained in.
Time is short…" He looked back at the other mages. "We will never escape the blast-range in time. Someone must direct the magic elsewhere to halt the explosion, and… I'm the only one the tower will accept, right now. I never started the ritual to merge Erza with the lacrima to begin the resurrection, so… through Zeref's manipulations, I am this magic's master." He nodded shakily. "I can stop it, but you must-"
"Again, you ask me to allow you to give up on your life?" Erza asked, her eyes narrowed. "No, Jellal! You must have faith! Do not give up on your life so easily!"
"Let's get moving," Nora agreed, gesturing to the edge of the tower as she grabbed Magnhild. "Can everyone figure out a way down?"
Natsu grinned, picking Simon up again and pumping a fist. "Let's go, PARKOUR!"
Erza requipped into her Black Wing armor and nodded even as Jellal frantically shook his head and tried to squirm out of her arms.
Suddenly, the ground at their feet began to liquify as the 'branch' of the massive, tree-like lacrima they stood on slumped, and Nora, Natsu, and Simon all shouted in fright as they began to slide down towards the edge.
Natsu lost his hold on Simon when he had fallen, and Nora gasped as she saw the two boys nearing an edge before she placed Magnhild on her back, grabbed Natsu's hand, and used her other hand to swiftly draw something from her bag.
Ren's knife was driven through the liquefying wall of the lacrima, forming a crack but holding fast as Nora held on tightly to Natsu's hand. The pink-haired boy noticed what she had done, his eyes widening, then he quickly grabbed Simon's leg just before he could fall.
Natsu held onto the other boy and Nora's hand for dear life as he dangled off of the edge of the slumping lacrima and Simon hung upside-down in the air, the Huntress gritting her teeth and gazing at the knife—the one thing keeping them aloft—as she prayed for it to hold.
"Well… this is fine," the girl managed with some strain, then she closed her eyes. "Y… You hanging in there, Natsu?!"
"Really?!" Natsu looked up at her, his eyes wide, then he grew worried. "You okay?!"
"Could be better!"
"We're going to die," Simon decided, glancing 'up' to see the liquefying lacrima below him, then he sighed. "Oh, well—I lived a good life." He deadpanned. "Actually, wait—no, I didn't!"
Nora wheezed. "Hey, this is already hard enough! Don't make me laugh!"
"I'm not trying to," Simon said dryly.
Natsu cringed, trying to lift the other boy up and failing, then he looked at Nora. "Agh… Okay, what do we do?!"
"Well…" Nora took a deep breath. "I can let us start to fall, grab Magnhild off my back, activate the smoke-jet, and hope I do that in time and that my weapon has enough juice in it to get us out over the ocean. Then… pray, I guess? We're pretty high-up, so-..."
"... Any other ideas?!" Natsu tried, grinning awkwardly, and the Huntress glanced down at him with a huff. "What?! Either way, fall or fly, it sounds like we're making a splash and getting splattered all at once!"
"Well, there is one other option." Nora glanced at the lacrima. "Stay here and wait to get blown-up."
"Uh…" Natsu winced. "Okay, yeah—let's do the smoke plan."
Nora took a deep breath, closing her eyes, then she opened them again.
"You guys ready?!" She asked, glancing down at the boys, and they both nodded. "Okay! On three!" Nora glanced at Ren's knife, nodding shakily, then she planted her feet on the lacrima surface. "One! Two! Three!"
Nora pushed off the lacrima wall, taking note of how droplets of Etherion flew, then she put the knife at her belt and grabbed Magnhild off of her back. The Huntress activated the smoke function and started propelling the three sideways, her eyes widening as she saw that they were dropping much too fast.
"Crap!" She shouted, then her eyes widened as a powerful jet of fire flew down and slowed their fall somewhat. "What the-?!" Nora glanced down and to the side, and she gasped as she saw the source of the flames. "Natsu?!"
The boy bared gritted, fanged teeth dripping with a blue substance—Etherion. He must have caught the liquefying magic out of the air with his mouth, and—somehow—it was fueling his powers as fire flew from his feet.
When the Fire Dragon-Slayer opened his eyes, they were glowing blue—and he looked up at Nora. "We-... We can make it!"
The boy was in pain. That was plain to see.
Still, his grip on Nora and Simon was iron-clad and the fire from his feet never wavered.
Natsu let out a pained yell as a blue glow surrounded his body and power rolled off of him, then the pink-haired boy suddenly seemed to choke as glowing-blue liquid spilled from his mouth, and he bowed his head and started coughing up frothy Etherion.
"Natsu!" Nora shouted frantically as the boy writhed and squirmed, then Natsu suddenly burst into flames as his eyes glowed a fiery orange and pink-red scales started to form in patches on his skin. The fire from his feet intensified and held the group steady, and Nora blinked. "So… I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that's the whole 'Dragon Force' thing, huh?"
"Yep," Simon confirmed it, his eye wide as he shielded his face and chest with his arms just in case the flames got too out-of-control. "That would be it."
Erza flew up into the air, her eyes wide, then she looked at Jellal in dismay before zipping over to a safe ledge and setting him down.
"Stay here, Jellal!" She ordered him as she helped him lay down on his side, resting a hand on his arm. "I will be back for you!"
"I know," the blue-haired boy murmured as the knight stood and turned away. "Erza?" She looked back, and Jellal gave a frail smile. "Thank you, for not giving up on me."
"... As I said." Erza smiled back. "You must have faith, Jellal… After tonight, we will both have our freedom."
The knight leapt off of the ledge, and Jellal sighed as he closed his eyes. "Faith…" His hand slid across the lacrima surface. "I do have faith, Erza Scarlet… I have faith in you, just as I always have." He gave a weak laugh. "And I have faith… that my last wish will be granted, and you will finally be free of all of the pain I have caused you."
Jellal's hand sank through the lacrima surface, and a tear raced down his face.
Nora glanced up at Magnhild, then she looked down and saw the Tower of Heaven glowing brighter as liquefying Etherion raced across the island and onto the shore, splashing as it made contact with the sea.
It was moving faster than Nora's weapon—as it was weighed-down by three people—even with Natsu's fire barely keeping them aloft and helping them move.
Was there any chance of escape?!
Just as they reached the shoreline, Magnhild ran out of smoke.
Nora gasped as the propelling stopped and the weapon in her hand was made useless, and she cried as she dropped, only for Natsu to wrap his arm around her.
"Gotcha!" The boy said with strain, then he blinked as the glow in his eyes faded and the scales crumbled off of his face. He looked exhausted, but he still glanced down at the sputtering flames coming from his feet with a worried expression. "Uh-oh."
"Oh, ya think?" Nora whispered as the fire went out, then she and Natsu clung to each other and screamed as they and Simon started to fall towards the glowing waters below.
That was not how Nora expected to go out, but there she was—and really, why was she surprised? Just another ditzy move from Nora that ended in disaster, for everyone involved.
"REQUIP!" A flash of silver, and Nora and Natsu looked up with wide eyes to see Erza darting down in her Heaven's Wheel armor to catch them both by the backs of their vests. "Hold on!"
"ERZA!" Natsu and Nora chimed together, grinning, while Simon huffed out a weary laugh and smiled brightly. That poor guy had been through a lot…
Erza flew them out over safe waters and lowered them enough for a drop to be made safe. The knight released Natsu and Nora, and they and Simon fell and struck the sea.
Beneath the surface of the water, Nora placed Magnhild on her back, then she swiftly swam up to support Simon and Natsu and keep them above the waves, as both boys were completely wiped-out by the day's events.
Nora looked up, her eyes wide, to see Erza watching them worriedly, then the Huntress blinked. "Where's Jellal?"
"I'm going back for him, now!" Erza explained, then she turned and started to fly back towards the glowing tower. "It's going to detonate shortly! Hopefully, we'll be able to-!"
The tower started to glow so brightly that the blue turned to white, then a beam of powerful light flew up and into the sky.
When it faded, the tower was gone. The island was gone, just a crater which the tormented sea quickly sloshed to fill in.
Nora, Natsu, Simon, and Erza stared at this sight in complete disbelief, then Erza's eyes widened and filled with tears as her expression became absolutely stricken.
"JELLAL!"
/\
Lucy, Gray, Happy, Juvia, Sho, Wally, and Millianna eventually found the four mages.
Nora helped Gray and Wally lift Simon and the unconscious Natsu onto the boat Juvia had made out of water (she wasn't gonna ask what happened to the old one), then Juvia and Lucy pulled the Huntress aboard as well.
Erza still floated in the air above the water, staring at the place where the Tower of Heaven had been with vacant eyes and tears racing down her face in streams.
Nora gestured wordlessly, and Juvia moved the boat beneath the knight—and they all waited in silence for the red-haired girl.
Finally, Erza's attire glowed, and she dropped down into the boat—just wearing her white top, blue bow, blue skirt, and black boots. Only then did Nora connect the blue Erza wore so often to Jellal, and she sighed as Erza dropped to her knees and stared at the water.
"... I think he knew he wasn't going to make it," Nora said quietly. "That he wouldn't leave that tower alive, that-... That he couldn't win." She took a deep breath. "But… I think he also knew that he was the only one who could try to save us, so… he did."
"What?" Millianna asked, confused.
Erza stared blankly for another moment, then she closed her eyes. "For the last nine years, Jellal was under the influence of possession magic. When I defeated him in battle and caused great injury, the one manipulating him let him go… as he was no longer of use." Her fists clenched. "For the first time in almost a decade, his mind was free… he was free… and the first choice he made in his freedom, the-...
The only choice he will ever make… was to sacrifice himself in order to save our lives." Erza opened her eyes and looked up at the sky as another tear raced down her face, and her breath shook. "Because he was the only one who could try… and the Jellal he used to be, the-..." She took a sharp breath. "The Jellal he always was, deep inside… would never have made any other choice."
Nora bit her lower lip, then she closed her eyes as Erza turned and hugged her, the Huntress's arms wrapping around the knight as she began to openly weep.
Wally, Sho, and Millianna were wide-eyed in disbelief and dismay, but when Simon bowed his head and closed his eye, Millianna raised two trembling hands to her mouth and choked down a cry as Sho's eyes teared-up and Wally raised a trembling hand to remove his hat.
"So… he's gone?" Lucy asked, and Nora opened her eyes to look at the celestial-mage, and she nodded. Gray bowed his head and closed his eyes, not protesting as Juvia reached down and took his hand in hers. "But he-..."
Silence fell.
Everyone was caught in spinning thoughts and aching realizations.
Jellal was just another victim, but he would never live to be free because of the choice he had made to ensure that everyone else would.
"... We need to get to shore," Nora said softly, closing her eyes again. "Natsu's sick, Sho's got cut nerves, and we're all beat-up… We need to find a doctor."
"Right," Juvia murmured, waving her hand, and the boat started to move. "Are you alright, Nora-san?"
"Yeah." Nora nodded wearily. "Just tired." She glanced down at Erza, then held the knight a little tighter. "Hm."
"... What you said, about Jellal," Erza whispered quietly. "Did someone say that to you, about your friend? The girl in the tower?"
"Yeah," Nora admitted. "They did."
Erza nodded. "What did you say?"
"... She was the only who could try, so she did," Nora repeated it, then she smiled. "I said, Maybe we should, too… Pyrrha may not by our side anymore, but we can fight like she is." She took a deep breath. "And Jaune said… And in a way, she will be."
Erza's hold on Nora tightened.
/\/\/\/\
It was morning by the time the boat reached the shore outside Akame resort.
Happy carried an unconscious Natsu as Juvia and Lucy supported Gray, Millianna supported Simon, Wally carried Sho, and Nora supported Erza in the stumble across the sand.
"You're really incredible," the knight murmured, glancing up at Nora. "You and Natsu."
"I barely did anything," Nora remarked, looking away sheepishly. "I just stood between people and things, took and gave a few hits, yelled at some baddies, took out some soldiers, helped Sho get on a boat, caught some folks, and came up with a really dumb idea." She snorted. "When it comes to… wizards… I'm not the best in a fight, with or against. I'm the first to admit that I'm way out of my league, Erza."
"Says the girl who took a hit from Ikagura and walked away without a scratch," Erza said softly, then she smiled weakly. "And it didn't matter what you did… just that you were here."
Nora blinked, then she smiled back. "I always will be, as long as you don't do something stupid like—I don't know—go and get yourself killed. Think you can manage that?"
It might have been a little sharp, but Nora was still aching from what Erza had said during the confrontation with Ikagura.
"Perhaps," Erza joked weakly, and the two let out quiet laughs. The knight noticed that she and Nora were lagging behind, and she sighed. "... I really thought that I would die, tonight—win or lose."
"I know," Nora said, then she reached over and grabbed Erza's hand. "That's what scared the heck out of me, up there… You started sounding like you'd given up, you'd quit." She shook her head. "I knew those thoughts. I have them all the time." The Huntress looked back at the knight. "You started to sound like me… and you've got so much left to do, Erza."
"So do you," Erza insisted, her eyes narrowing in frustration. "Nora, I don't understand. You-"
"I told you, Erza." Nora gave a bigger grin. "I lost everyone." The other girl blinked. "We were in a fight, and… I got hurt. They sent me away to save my life during what was pretty much the fight to the finish, in… our war." She squeezed Erza's hand. "We were fighting someone no one could beat… just endure… and I know that it killed them, in the end." Her eyes teared-up. "I think and talk the way I do when-... When I get low because… I don't understand why I'm the one who's still alive, when every single one of them deserved it so much more."
"Nora…" Erza stared down at her, then she released Nora's hand and ran her hand through the other girl's coppery hair, shaking her head as they paused on the beach. "I didn't-..."
"Hm." Nora closed her eyes, bowing her head. "There was a thing… Never stop moving forward… Qrow said it. It kept us going." She bit her lower lip. "And I try, Erza… I try to move forward… I try to be brave… But the only thing I was ever good at was being strong and hitting stuff, and I wasn't good enough back then so I'm definitely not good enough now."
"Nora." Erza dropped her hand to grip Nora's shoulder, and the Huntress opened her eyes to see the knight's eyes narrowed and rapidly filling with tears. "You are more than good enough, and you are certainly brave if you have survived such things!" Her grip slackened as her face fell. "And you're the only one who can try, are you not? So you must."
"... I'm the only one by default," Nora remarked, shrugging. "But… I guess you have a point." She took a deep breath. "It's just… really hard, sometimes."
"But-" Erza paused, then she sighed. "I think I understand. After I left the tower, I-... I couldn't have lived without Fairy Tail. A world without my friends is unthinkable." Nora tried to avoid seeing the irony there. "You are all just that important to me."
"Hm." Nora looked up at Erza again, raising an eyebrow. "... If Jellal had given you the ability, you would've done what he did."
"Without question," Erza said, not even hesitating for a moment. "I would have gladly given my body and my life for my friends. I would rather lose all of myself than one of you.
Nora shook her head. "Erza, I think you understand this after everything that's happened... especially since you were so determined to talk Jellal out of it... but I still feel like I have to explain it." She glanced back at the knight. "When you give up your life… who is losing it?"
"Huh?" Erza blinked, surprised.
Nora sighed. "I mean, they usually call it 'losing your life'. But… you're only losing it if you don't mean to, you know? What you were doing… it was giving your life up. So… if you give your life up, you're giving it up for you because you're robbing yourself of a future. Who are you losing it for? I mean…" She tilted her head back and forth, trying to choose her words, then she closed her eyes. "Erza, when you surrender yourself… you're taking something irreplaceable from everyone who ever loved you." She opened her eyes and looked back at Erza. "You said that your life was something you would willingly give up for your friends… You should realize that your life isn't yours alone, not when it comes to death—to taking it away from this world."
"Nora…" Erza stared at the girl.
"Take it from me," the Huntress pressed. "It's like-... When you love someone, they become a part of you. When they love you, you become a part of them… And once you're gone, the parts they gave to you and the parts you gave to them, they become… wounds. Scars." She glanced up at Erza, frowning. "... That hurt you're feeling, after what happened last night? That's what it is: those parts scarring-over, 'cause… when he left, he took parts of you with him and the parts he gave you are gonna hurt for a long time."
Erza swallowed thickly, then she pulled Nora into a hug and closed her eyes. "I-... I see." Nora hugged Erza back, and the knight gripped the other girl's vest. "I'm sorry…"
"... I know," Nora whispered, holding Erza a little tighter. "It's okay. It's okay…" Erza broke down and started to cry, and Nora sighed. "It's okay, Erza… No apologies. Just live, okay? Live."
"I will," Erza pledged, her knuckles turning white. "I swear… I will not throw away my life, Nora… I swear…" Her next breath shook. "But you must do the same… Live."
"Hm." Nora closed her eyes, smiling tiredly. "I'll do my best."
Well... we've gone so far off of the rails that we don't even know where the rails are, huh? XD
I told you guys to be careful of what you wished for!
This was -like- 8,300 words, and I launched canon out the window!
- Erza used armor in the fight and beat the "Zeref" (*cough*Ultear*cough*) out of Jellal, resulting in The Embodiment of Guilt and Panic(TM) known as the true Jellal arriving a few arcs early for a brief guest-appearance.
- Erza was never connected to the tower, so Jellal went into the Tower of Heaven to dispel its energy.
- Nora, Natsu, and Simon's airborne adventures.
- Sho, Milliana, Simon, and Wally know that Jellal was innocent.
Oh, and am I forgetting something? Hm...
Oh, right!
- SIMON LIVED!
I am officially prepared to cause problems. XD
But anyway, this chapter was a lot of fun—especially Erza vs. Jellal, as I really wanted to show that experience-based wisdom and confidence in Erza as well as display how she is learning and growing just like every other character. I wanted her quick on her feet and strategic, but I also wanted that emotion in there and I'm hoping that I got it.
Jellal made me sad, he always makes me sad—but I provided him with a bit more hope for the future.
Nora and Natsu friendship moments! Soft sibling bond!
Nora and Erza friendship moments! We gave Nora a young, red-haired girl in armor with self-sacrificial tendencies like Nora wasn't gonna become this girl's impulse control in spite of her occasional lack of impulse control? XD
Also, angst...
SIMON..!
I'm sorry, but I just know how many things this ONE DUDE affects by dying... and that's gonna be a BLAST! XD
I own nothing! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)
