Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.
Chapter 2: Return of the Seven
Back to where we left off….
Order of Yggdrasil cathedral
All five of the Fairy Tail wizards could feel the evil coming off of the demons in front of them. Natsu's nose twitched and he fought back the urge to hurl. All seven of them smelled of death. Erza tensed herself and readied her sword. Behind her, the monk trembled in fear, his hands going for the silver necklace around his neck. Lucy, Gray and Wendy were similarly frightened. They'd face demons before but these seven felt vile in comparison to the others.
The knight behind the pew observed the view. His eyes glanced over the cathedral's ruined appearance then to the Wizards, to the monk and then to Jango, who was hiding behind a pillar in fear after the shaking woke him up. Jango cowered when Pride's gaze glanced to him but the demon paid him no mind. Raising his gloved hand, he flexed it and smiled. "Free at last…" he said in a smooth, silky voice.
"Yessss…" Lust purred, arching her back as she stretched out her legs. "I feel so stiff after spending so much years cooped up underground. I need to find some nice toys. I'm out of practice," she said before her eyes turned to the group in front of them. "Oh? What's this?" Her lips formed an evil smile as she turned her eyes on Lucy. "I didn't even need to wait."
In a small voice, the girl in front looked up and spoke up, "Who're they?" she asked.
"Wizards, Envy," Greed explained, his staff tapping the ground as he walked over towards Pride. "Can't you feel their magic energy? Pride, what's the plan?" he asked.
Before Pride could speak, the monk behind Erza pointed at him and shook Erza's shoulder. "What are you waiting for?! STOP THEM!" he pleaded. "They'll kill everyone!"
Pride's eyebrow rose when he saw the monk. A thin smile graced his lips when he suddenly recognized him. "Bartolomeo," he addressed. "I thought I recognized you. My, oh my, you've aged. How old are you now? Eighty? Eighty-five?"
"Eighty-three!" the monk, Bartolomeo, answered indignantly. "You look just as twisted as the day we sealed you away!"
"Yes, I remember it well…" Pride said as he drew his gleaming silver blade. "How unfortunate. You've become old and infirm. You won't be sealing us away again. But just in case…" his blue eyes narrowed with evil, murderous intent, "I'll be taking your head."
With alarming deftness, Pride leapt over the pew and Lust, swinging his blade with the intent on cutting Bartolomeo's head clean off. Erza barely had time to put herself in his way and had even less time to block his strike. "Stay back, demon!" Erza shouted as she pushed her blade against Pride's.
"Oh? You seem well versed in swordplay," Pride noted as he stepped back and braking the bladelock. Giving Erza a mock salute with his blade, he smiled. "Come, my dear Wizard. Let us dance."
As soon as Erza and Pride's blades started to collide, the other members on both teams leapt into action. Natsu, not wanting to let Erza outdo him, leapt up into the air with a flaming fist. He aimed to punch Sloth, who was simply standing there and looking bored. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted before throwing his punch.
His attack never made it to Sloth.
Wrath, who had risen from his seat on the collapsed pillar, reached out and grabbed Natsu's leg. "You leave yourself wide open, child," the huge man scolded before slamming Natsu to the ground. Natsu immediately rose to his feet and grinned at Wrath. Scoffing, Wrath stabbed his sword into the ground and cracked his knuckles.
"Raaaaah!" Natsu shouted before charging at Wrath, both hands ablaze. "FIRE DRAGON'S TALONS!" he shouted as he swiped at Wrath.
The hulking demon easily dodged Natsu's strikes, observing the Dragon Slayer's pattern of attack. Over and over again he dodged and blocked Natsu's strikes, Natsu's fiery hands not doing anything to his black gauntlets. Finally, as Natsu threw another punch, he caught it with his bare hand. "Your defense is as brittle as bones." In a single motion he swung Natsu around and slammed him into the ground, leaving a Natsu-shaped impression in the concrete. "You're overrated, kid." Wrath raised a heavy boot.
"Let me show you a real hit."
Three sounds echoed throughout the cathedral. The first was the sound of rumbling when Wrath brought his foot down, the shockwave shaking the entire monastery to its very foundation. The second sound was the sound of bone braking. In one motion, Wrath completely shattered five of Natsu's ribs with a single stomp. The third…was Natsu's scream of pain.
"AHHHHHHHH!" the pink-haired boy screamed. He was used to pain, having endured so many fights. But even he couldn't withstand the brutality that was the demonic Wrath.
"NATSU!" Gray shouted. This was the first time in a long time that he'd seen Natsu be brought down so swiftly; Even their defeat at the Oracion Seis hadn't been that brutal. He put his hands together and ran over to the huge black-armored demon. "Get off of him! Ice Make: Cold Excalibur!" he shouted.
And nothing happened.
"What?!" he looked down and saw no ice in his hand. More so than that, he didn't feel any magic in his body. "Why can't I use my magic?" When he felt a dark, sinister presence behind him, he turned around and saw the small girl directly behind him. Her sickly yellow eyes stared at Gray before she made a familiar gesture with her hands. "Wha-"
"GRAY!" Wendy screamed before the Ice Maker Wizard was frozen solid in a block of ice. "NO!" Her hands covered her mouth as she felt sick. "Lucy, we need to do something!"
Lucy nodded, grabbing her keys. She couldn't understand it. How could Gray be frozen like that? He was an ICE Wizard for crying out loud! She readied one of her golden keys. "Open: Gate of the Bovine Palace: Taur-"
The Celestial Wizard was interrupted when she heard a loud music being played. Wendy wondered why she was stopping when she turned to the source of the music. Still seated on the pew, Lust played her black flute. Her eyes gleamed with deviousness as she stared at Lucy. As soon as she heard the music, Lucy's vision started to blur. "I…I feel…so…sleepy…." Her keys dropped from her hands before she collapsed to the ground, sleeping like a kitten.
"Lucy!" Wendy went to her friend's side and tried to shake her. "What's wrong? Wake up!"
Lust's voice came from behind her. "Oh don't worry about her. She's only in a temporary sleep, that's all. It's a good thing she's so pretty." Wendy spun around to see that Lust was at her back. "I like pretty girls." Lust frowned when she looked at Wendy. "I don't like children, however. Too needy. I'll have to make"
Wendy took a deep breath. "Sky Dragon's Ro-"
The tiny girl was interrupted when Lust grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up with surprising ease. "Time to go to bed, my dear…."
"WENDY!" Erza screamed when she saw Lust hurl the girl out a broken window. She charged at the wicked horned demon with fury. "You witch!" Her clothes began to change as she transformed into her Knight Armor. She was almost done changing when Pride slashed her from behind. "Gahh!" she cried out before coughing up blood, hitting the floor.
Wrath walked over to Pride, who flicked the blood off his sword. "These are Wizards? What a waste." Behind him lay Natsu, who was lying in the crater while in sheer agony.
Pride merely smiled before sheathing his sword. "Was there ever anyone who could stand against all seven of us, Wrath?" He turned around and gestured to the door. "Come. It's a brave new world. Let us go and see what we've missed while we were sealed away."
"But Pride!" Lust insisted, standing over a sleeping Lucy. "Can't I take my new toy with me?" she pleaded.
A low chuckled came from Pride, who looked down at Lucy's lovely face. "As much as I would love to watch you toy with her, we've things to do. We'll get back to them later," he pointed to the fallen Natsu's brand. "It looks like these children hail from the same Wizard guild. I'm certain we'll see them again soon."
"Oh fine!" Lust pouted. Leaning down, she kissed Lucy's temple before tracing her jaw. "Just you wait, my dear. We're gonna have such fun…" she giggled before leaving Lucy lying on the floor.
Sloth, Gluttony and Greed, the three who had not joined in the battle, all followed Pride and the others out of the cathedral, leaving the defeated Wizards where they lay. As soon as they left, Jango, who'd been hiding the entire time, bolted out the door. He left Lucy's keys where they lay. He wasn't interested in the Celestial Spirit Wizard's keys anymore. Jango had found something a bit more interesting….
Peeking from behind the pillar, Bartolomeo saw that the coast was clear and darted out to where the fallen Wizards lay. He first turned his attention to the block of ice that was Gray. "Poor young man…" he said sadly. As he turned around to check on Lucy, however, he saw Natsu rise to his feet. "What are you doing?" He rushed to the young man's side. "You're injured. You must keep still!" he insisted. "I'll fetch the order's healers and-"
"No," Natsu said, ignoring the pain of his shattered ribs. "My friends…come first." Reaching Gray, he held up a flaming hand, putting it on Gray's frozen head. "My friend, Wendy. Please make sure she's okay," he asked, coughing up blood while keeping his free hand on his injured side.
Bartolomeo was impressed by Natsu's strength of will; he'd never seen someone take such a beating and yet place his friend's wellbeing above his own. "Very well. I'll find her. She should have landed in the gardens." With that, the monk left.
Right after the monk had left, Erza rose to her feet. "Natsu…you shouldn't be moving," she said, ignoring the pain in her back.
"Gray needs to be thawed out," Natsu said. No sooner did he say that did the ice began to melt. In a matter of seconds, Gray was freed from his icy tomb. The Ice Maker Wizard collapsed to his knees as he was freed. "Gray, you okay?"
"No, I'm not okay!" Gray gasped, shivering from the cold. "She…she just froze me with my own magic!"
Gray's shout woke up Lucy, who sat up and yawned. "What happened?" she mumbled.
Bartolomeo returned to the group, carrying Wendy in his arms. "Is she alright, sir?" Erza asked.
"She's fine," Bartolomeo said, "She landed in the tulip field. She's just unconscious. The better question is: are YOU alright?" As he handed Wendy to Lucy he took a look at Erza's back. "I know you're a tough lady, miss, but that's a bad wound."
"I'm fine, sir. Wendy can heal me when she wakes up. But for now…" her eyes narrowed and her hands balled into fists. "We've got bigger things to worry about."
"One thing is for sure," Gray said. "If these guys are that strong then we need help."
Later….
Magnolia; Fairy Tail Guildhall
"I see…" Makarov said as he listened to the group's story. After Wendy had healed everyone, the five had returned to their guild with Bartolomeo in order to rally the guild together. All of the guild's strongest fighters had assembled. Cana, Juvia, Elfman, Mirajane, Gajeel, Levy, Laxus and the Thundergod Tribe as well as Loki from the Celestial Spirit World were all present. Only Gildarts was absent from the meeting since nobody could get in touch with him. "Well, looks like you've stepped into something nasty this time, Natsu…."
"Hey, how was I supposed to know that there were demons sealed away?" Natsu retorted.
Makarov turned his attention to the monk. "Tell us, sir, who are these Seven Deadly Sins? Why were they sealed beneath your monastery?"
Sitting on his stool, the old man nodded. "As you wish. But please, call me Bartolomeo. Or Bart for short. As I told your young wards I am the Grandmaster of the Order of Yggdrasil."
"Order of the World Tree," Levy said. "You're a group that believes in the multiverse theory, aren't you?"
Bartolomeo nodded. "Yes. And unfortunately it is the World Tree which is where this insanity begins…."
"We believe that our world is but one of many. Countless worlds, all connected like branches on a tree. We call this tree Yggdrasil, the World Tree. More than that, some of our order believes that our world is not just a branch but the very root of the tree, the basis of which all worlds are created. Out of that need to prove that idea, many young monks go on a pilgrimage to find the so-called Tree of Life. It is believed that this tree is connected to the World Tree and is the anchor for our world."
"And the Seven Deadly Sins are seven of those monks?" Lucy asked.
Bartolomeo shook his head. "No so, my child. Only two were of the order. The one who commands the seven and is the one who is the progenitor for all of this is the one we call Pride. He set out to find the Tree of Life many years ago. He was my brother in the order and a dear friend. He believed that proving that the World Tree existed would mean the beginning of a new age for man; it was his desire to seek new worlds that fed his ambition. He set out, alone, one summer day. I had thought that he would merely travel for a month or so before returning." Bartolomeo merely hung his head. "We were wrong."
"How did he become a demon?" Gajeel asked.
"The man we called Pride traveled for three years. He scoured the globe for the tree and chased every single lead he could find. Finally, at the end of those three years, he found it."
All of the wizards stared at the old monk. "He found the Tree of Life?" Makarov gasped, only to stare in confusion when Bartolomeo shook his head.
"No." Bartolomeo looked up with sad, tear-filled eyes. "He found its opposite: The Tree of Sin."
"I don't get it?" Natsu asked, a question mark hanging over his head.
Bartolomeo explained. "Child, understand this. For every great power in the universe, there is an opposite force that keeps it in check. Sword has shield. Fire has ice. Land has the ocean. And the opposite of creation is destruction. We believe that he discovered the Tree of Life's antithesis: The Tree of Sin. He must've been overjoyed to have found what he thought was his life's goal that he ate one of the apples that the Tree of Sin bears. Those who eat the Apples of Sin…well…" he hung his head and sighed. "You saw the result. He became consumed by his ambition and corrupted by the fruit. The end result was him becoming the Sin of Pride. After becoming a demon, he set out and gather companions, tempting them with the apples he'd gathered from the tree. By the time we'd learned of his dark fate, he'd assembled what we came to know as the Seven Deadly Sins. And as you five saw, they are formidable."
"I'll say…" Lucy said, shivering from the frightful power the seven showed. "We didn't even fight all seven and we were still beaten!"
"Yes, and none of them were even going all out," Erza noted. "I don't think we were even an afterthought for them."
"What should we do, old man?" Laxus asked his grandfather. "If they could beat Erza and Natsu, we might be in trouble here."
Makarov nodded. "I'll send word to the other guilds. We're not going to face these demons alone. Bartolomeo, how did you stop them last time?"
"We baited Pride with the rumor that the Tree of Life was actually beneath the order's monastery the entire time. Pride had never stopped seeking the Tree of Life; I believe his intention now is to corrupt it and corrupt the World Tree altogether, damning all creation. We tricked him and his ilk and when they had entered the cathedral we used our order's strongest magical seal to put them away. For sixty-five years that seal has held. Now…" Bartolomeo looked down at the floor in despair. "We cannot seal them a second time. Pride will not fall for the same trick twice. And even if we could lure them back none in our order has the ability to reciprocate such a powerful seal anymore. That knowledge died with the old generation."
"So what's the plan then?" Natsu asked.
"It's just like the Oracion Seis," Erza said. "They're too strong as a group. But individually we may have be able to overcome them."
"Agreed," Makarov nodded. "I should think that it is best for everyone to remain here at the guildhall until we have a plan of attack. Bartolomeo, is there any way you might be able to help us?" he asked the elderly monk.
"I shall return to Silva and scour the order's tomes for any information I can find. If I discover something, I'll relay it to you." Standing up, Bartolomeo bowed to the Fairy Tail wizards. "Thakn you, Fairy Tail. Please forgive me for leaving you with such a monumental task…."
"Do not worry, Bart," Natsu said with a grin. "We can take them!"
"YEAH!" the guild shouted.
Bartolomeo was shocked at the guild's cheerfulness. He'd heard that the Wizard guild was lively but they put the rumors to shame. Donning his hood, Bartolomeo exited the guild, taking the road back to his town.
As soon as Bartolomeo left, Makarov addressed his fellow Wizards. "First things first. Mira, send word to the other guilds and inform them of the situation. Levy, find out as much as you can on these demons. Erza…."
The rest of the day was spent on Fairy Tail's plans on how to combat the seven demons, unaware that the seven were already planning on coming to them….
Meanwhile….
Order of Yggdrasil Monastery
'Something's wrong…' Bartolomeo thought as he rode his horse up the path to the monastery. 'It's sundown. Why isn't the bell ringing?' Dread gripped him as he rode onward. His next red flag came when he saw that the doors to the monastery were hanging open. 'Where is everybody? Have they all fled?' He immediately shook his head. 'No. Many of the others would never abandon the order.'
Reaching into his robe he drew a small silver dagger. Putting one foot in front of the other he slowly stepped into the monastery. The fading light of the setting sun gave the dark halls an eerie vibe as he quietly crept into his home. Silence filled the air as Bartolomeo walked onward, keeping his hand close to his silver necklace of Yggdrasil. When he neared the order's mess hall, he heard something that chilled him to the bone.
It was a loud sound, like someone digging into a plate of meat.
Seeing light coming from the cracked door, Bartolomeo slowly opened it, only to gap in horror at the sight before him.
Bodies filled the room. A large pile of corpses sat next a person who was eating at his spot at the head of the large table. To Bartolomeo's undying horror, he saw that what the person was eating was a human heart. "Oh god…" he murmured in horror.
Looking up from his meal, Gluttony gave Bartolomeo an evil smile, blood and bits of meat spilling down his chin and onto his stained robes. "Why hello there, Bartolomeo, my old friend…."
"Care to join me for a bite to eat?"
To be continued….