Chapter 5
Forgive Me...
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, only my own OC's, Energy Magic, and Ideas
.:+:.
Chase jumped, lunging forward and sitting up in instant, his breath coming in shaky, panicked gasps and eyes glinting in the dim. His heart pound in his ears, his mind in a whirl as the feeling lingered over his head- that feeling he had dreaded and the one that broke him in too many ways to count.
He'd felt it snuff out, felt that half-filled hole in his chest suddenly empty again, tearing through him, leaving him in cold and pain.
He ran a hand through his hair, eyes riveted on the far wall and searching, desperately for a few minutes...
... No, it's... It's still there.
... A nightmare... But he swore, he swore it had happened, he had jolted from sleep the minute that light went out, the minute her Energy Signature snuffed out for the second time, leaving him feeling so, so empty.
That felt... Too real...
He cringed slightly, a stab of pain rushing through the still raw and throbbing wound cut into his side, his hands falling to hold the wound lightly, eyes shut tight and jaw clenched, body rigid and hating himself for jumping up so quickly, his body still hurt like hell, and moving so fast did nothing to help. He could see small spots of crimson bleed through the white cloth, and sweatdropped at it.
Damn it...
He stiffened on instinct, someone's hands landing on his shoulders from behind him, lightly so. He let out a shaky breath, glancing back to meet those purple eyes as Aisha sat behind him on the couch, her expression worried and yet so calm he felt himself relax a little.
"... It's fine." She murmured quietly, "... It was a bad dream, I promise. She's not gone... I would know." She assured quietly, he blinked, sweatdropping slightly as he waited for his mind to settle down again.
... Yes, Aisha would know. She was connected through Frea as a Cosmic Soul since the Balance Shift, that connection would have snapped if... And she'd have felt it, just as easily as he would have.
In the small flicker of relief that hit him he didn't even question the tenseness that sparked from her when she said the words.
Her assurance that it had been a bad dream was something of a lie- at least, she didn't tell him the full of it. Because she had felt the connection break off, it was a blur and honestly she wasn't sure if she had imagined it or not. She thought maybe she had dozed off, dreamed it like he had... But that didn't sound right.
It was some uneasy feeling, like the ground spinning under her feet in nauseating quickness, a sudden chill that ran through her core, emptiness like that day... The connection had broken, for a few split seconds, before everything seemed to slow- and then her attention snapped back to him, as he jumped up from the uncomfortable sleep had had been in the last few hours, his head in her lap and unable to fall asleep herself.
She just didn't voice her thoughts, for his sake.
Chase looked back ahead and away from her, letting out another shaky sigh as he hunched slightly, trying to calm down as she simply sat in silence behind him. Her eyes trailed toward his hands, seeing him holding his side and frowning as he let out a hiss of pain.
He looked exhausted, as well he probably should. He really hadn't been sleeping well the last few weeks, what little sleep he managed wasn't peaceful. He looked worn out and ready to fall apart, and she hated it, but she couldn't do anything about. So she did the only thing she could manage- she stayed with him, hovering maybe... But she figured he needed her around, even if he would have preferred to be alone at times.
Her hold on his shoulders tightened slightly, her eyes falling closed as she easily, if a bit forcefully- made him to lay back down, his head falling into her lap as he glanced up at her, his blue eyes glinting slightly in the dark, looking somewhere between surprised and questioning... but even that was dulled by the pain and the tiredness she saw in him.
The room around them was very dim, what little light there was, was owed to a carefully placed Lacrima hanging from the ceiling over their heads a way, shedding pale blue light only slightly, illuminating the railing of the staircase that spiraled up along the walls around them and over their heads toward a loft overhead. There was a window across from them both and the couch they were on, a coffee table between them and it, and a shelf with books and various items to the right of the window, settled in the wall in a small alcove just under the staircase. It was a circular room with a high roof, and fairly large, with another armchair settled around the table and another pushed up near the bookcase, a hallway lead further into the apartment behind them, and another larger alcove opened up in the wall to the right of the bottom of the staircase toward a kitchenette, though it was dark and had been left rather untouched.
A quaint little place, the apartment Chase had, the one he had gotten not long after coming back from Training with Frea, once he could use Magic and work for the money to pay for it. He had been here since they came back... and it had just been him till he met Aisha.
Even before they officially became Partners, she had been rooming with him almost since she had joined the Guild. He offered of course, he had the room and he had been more than content to have her around, even though at first she was rather distant.
That changed though.
A small part of him found himself wondering how many people even realized they lived in the same apartment... he couldn't remember mentioning it, or having heard Aisha mention it either.
"Go back to sleep, there's no use staying up through the night." She murmured quietly, though her voice was gentle, her tone was final, he wouldn't be arguing with her even if he had the energy to. Her voice snapped him away from his wandering thoughts though, as he blinked up at her.
She just sighed slightly, her eyes trailing up toward the half-curtained window across the small living room from them, light shimmering slightly from far off and dancing slightly against the rain-soaked glass.
"... you need some more sleep." She murmured softly, her purple gaze flashing slightly as she glanced out the window a few more moments. Chase frowned slightly, his eyes narrowed a little as he huffed silently,
"... you say that, but you haven't slept either, Aisha." Chase murmured quietly, his hand trailing up as he lightly tapped her forehead, her eyes didn't find his face, instead they trailed toward that arm, seeing the bandages and the fresh tears running along his skin, still raw in several places. She felt her heart ache slightly at the sight of it, more so when she thought of what small flecks of blood she glimpsed soaking through those bandages wrapped around his torso still.
"... you're just as tired as I am, I can feel it." He told her softly,
"... yes, but I wasn't beaten half to death two weeks ago." She replied easily, he frowned a little, sweatdropping as his eyes fell from her.
"... don't be like that." He mumbled, she blinked, quirking an eyebrow as she glanced down at him. "... I... I'm sorry... about all this... I know you're worried... I'm sorry... that I'm not helping... I just..."
She grimaced slightly, hearing his voice hitch slightly.
"... it's alright." She murmured, her voice dropping to a soft, gentle tenor she hardly ever used. "... you have every right... I get it. I know how much pain you're in, I know you're scared... I just... I hate seeing you like this, but it's ok... I... I just wish I could do something more."
"... you're doing plenty." He whispered quietly, she seemed to cringe slightly at that. He felt the guilt flash from her, and the ache too. His hand moved over toward hers that she had rest on his shoulder, his fingers intertwining with hers lightly. "... you haven't let me out of your sight for an instant, you've kept an eye on me... hell, you've been taking better care of me, than I am of myself..." He paused though, "... You sent the Council away too, you stepped in when everyone else was... just... too dazed... I know... I know it wasn't easy to call a Druhma, Aisha... I know you hated having to do it..."
Her fingers tightened around his for a minute, her eyes hidden from him as her head tilted down and her bangs hid her face from view.
"... tch... you... you can't tell me... that you're happy... I called it... into effect, idiot..." She hissed, he blinked, his heart clenching painfully. "... the rest of... the Guild didn't have a clue... what it is... but you... you know... I essentially... just... fucking...c... confirmed th... that..."
"... I know that's not why you did it." He told her softly, she stiffened and he let out a small breath. "...I know you only did it... because you didn't want the Guild to have to deal with the Council, or the Knights... you stepped up so no one else had to. You weren't doing it to try and... hurt me... I know that's the last thing you wanted."
"... d.. damn it..." She hissed, he swallowed, "... I'm... I'm sorry."
"... I know." He murmured, his blue eyes glinting as he squeezed her hand a little. He shifted, wincing as he sat up, his hand still holding to hers as her other hand moved to hide her face, rubbing her eyes a little angrily as he moved his legs off the couch.
He smiled slightly, just slightly, as he leaned in, his free arm hooking around her shoulders as he pulled her into him, his chin resting atop her head as she leaned into the crook of his neck.
"... aren't I... supposed to be the one comforting you...?" She hissed lowly, he let out a small breath.
"... I think it's my turn about now." He replied softly, "... you've been doing it for two weeks, so it's well passed my turn to step up."
"... you... don't have to..." She mumbled, he smirked, a tired, weary smile that was still pained... but her stubbornness was just that little bit of normal he had been missing.
"Come on." He said softly, pulling back a little as he stood up, his fingers still entwined with hers, she glanced up at him, her purple eyes glinting in the dim.
"... I think we could both use some sleep." He murmured, "... maybe it'll be better in the morning, after we rest up a bit." She blinked at him, looking unsure and a little uneasy at the rather lack of optimism in the last statement.
It was morning that seemed all the more likely to just be even worse.
"Please?" He added in softly, her eyes narrowed at him, sweatdropping a little.
She nodded, just a little, getting to her feet as she stepped up toward him, her purple gaze falling to the floor as he smiled wearily, the smile faded quickly as he felt his worry and fear crash down again, though he tried to just wade through it.
Aisha's fingers locked with his a bit more steadily as they headed side by side, through the dim and the dark of the room toward the stairs, a flash of gold outside made her silver hair shine like moonlight, thunder rumbling lowly as they made their way up the steps slowly,
"... I hope the morning is better." She murmured quietly as they stepped up the last few steps, he blinked, his eyes snapping toward her as she nodded at him. "... I don't want her to leave, not if it hurts you. So I'm hoping... the morning is better."
He blinked, eyes shining as he simply looked at her. His mind filtered to a sudden slowness, trying hard to wrap his mind around the sudden words, and the small faint flicker of... of actual hope coming from her.
... she's hoping... wishing...
... for my sake...?
His eyes flashed, smiling for a minute, a small, painfully sad smile as he shook his head at her,
... Aisha...
"... there you go again." He whispered, drawing his hand and hers up as he held her hand in both of his. She blinked, blushing, just slightly as he held her hand to his chest, almost like he didn't want to let go.
"... making me feel better, I thought it was... supposed to be my turn...?"
"... How... Long... Long have I been... O...out...?"
Laxus blinked, his eyes opening as he glanced downward, as his fingers lazily twirling a section of hair stilled when he noticed her eyes flutter open after a few hours of simple stillness in the room. His eyes flashed as his eyes fixed with that dim, feverish silver gaze from where she was looking up at him quietly, her shoulders shaking slightly as she fought to settle her breathing again.
"Hmm?" He hummed,
"...y... You said it had... Been t...two weeks..." She mumbled,
"Yeah." He sighed slightly, she frowned, just faintly, before hissing slightly.
"... Everyone... Got back... okay...?" She asked softly, "... C...Chase too...?"
"... Outside of worrying over you, everyone's fine. Your brat is too, though he's still healing." Laxus replied lowly, Frea let out a small breath, only to end up wincing again.
".. Al.. Alright..." She mumbled, her eyes falling closed again. Laxus tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowed for a minute.
He was perfectly fine with her going back to sleep. But he found it just a little odd she hadn't immediately asked about anything other than how everyone else was.
"... Is there... Something I need to know...?" She mumbled, wispily- almost like she had read his mind... Or maybe she just felt the small bit of confusion from him just then to be more accurate. Laxus sweatdropped, glancing away for a minute as he let out a small breath.
"... nothing important." He replied lowly,
"... Tell me anyway..." she replied almost immediately. "...T... Two w... weeks is a long time... I'm sure... there's something t... To talk about..."
"You shouldn't be talking." He grumbled, she seemed to sigh slightly at it.
"... Then I'll just... li...sten." Was the easy answer, he let out a small huff, but didn't argue it anymore. He wasn't going to go back and forth with her, not right now.
"... We got you back to the Guild and had The Old Woman and the Kid trying to fix you up." He murmured, "The other kid from Lamia showed up to help out, with a few others from her Guild and Mermaid. And those two idiots from Saber have been around since then. Master Bob, Ichiya and the guys that follow him around showed up not long after that, Goldmine and Quatro too."
Frea blinked, her eyes trailing up toward him in tired surprise, but he wasn't looking at her, his eyes had fallen closed.
... Mermaid, Lamia, Pegasus, Cerberus... And SaberTooth...?
... I suppose... Mordren did... Make them watch... Too...
"... Sherria and Wendy stopped trying to heal you about a week ago." He grumbled, Frea blinked. "... The Old Lady said their Magic wasn't working anymore."
Frea's eyes fell closed at that, she wasn't surprised. She knew what that sudden surge in her Magic had done to her body. Every muscle, tendon and bone was strained and broken and snapped, she knew that... Those ugly, unnaturally dark bruises that ran along portions of her arms were like burns, that had scorched her, moving from the inside out.
... Too much power for her body to handle all at once, she could hardly move, just breathing was painful... And with the sheer amount of damage her Magic had done, added on top of the damage Mordren's Magic had done, she knew she was more broken parts than a person. And she knew Healing Magic had limits. And she was well passed those limits.
Laxus' eyes opened slightly to look down at her, seeing the pain cross her face... but no surprise at the words.
She knew how bad she was, she didn't need anyone else to tell her. Hell- she probably knew the damage better than even the Old Lady and the sky kids.
"... And the Council tried to bud in." He added lowly, "... They sent Knights to try and arrest the Guild, and you... Said you were wanted for involving yourself in a 'national threat'."
"... Well... T...that clearly didn't... Go their way..." She mumbled lowly,
"... Aisha stopped them before they had any time to try." He grumbled, he saw her eyes snap open in shock at that, looking up at him wearily. He sighed slightly, sweatdropping. "... I still don't get it, but she called up some Law that's been set up through a treaty with another country... Tellin' the Council they weren't aloud to interfere for some amount of time or even come into Magnolia at all. She didn't really get into it... But from what I pieced together, she's some sort of Noble in that Country, and they had to listen to her and the Law, though they didn't want to."
"... Law...?" Frea mumbled,
"... somethin' weird, she called it... 'Druhma'." Laxus replied softly, but his heart jumped slightly to see the familiarity dawn on her face in that next instant. He sweatdropped, his head tilting, "... how the hell do you know what that is?" He asked the question before she had time to even confirm that she did, or even before he could stop himself regardless of telling her not to talk.
"... It's... Not really a law..." She mumbled, her eyes moving away from him. "... Not...originally... It's... Kinda like... A... Ritual..." She broke off to wince, her eyes shutting against the pain. "...Its...Something...f...from... when the... Energy Mages... Were still around... It must have... Managed to stick... Even after... Mordren..." She winced again, a flash of pain running through her head, a fractured image and collection of information she never wanted.
He wondered faintly if that sudden new bit of information was owed to what she had said she had seen of Mordren's life. He also wondered what 'Ritual' it was, Aisha certainly hadn't elaborated and he was sure she wouldn't even if she was asked. He might have asked Frea, but he wouldn't, this time he stopped himself.
"... Well, whatever the hell it is... The Council's stayed away. And so far nothing's been in the news about Mordren or anything that went on. The Council's kept it under wraps, and since everyone was put under a Spell for it- and just don't remember any of if happening, there's not been many people questioning what went on." He murmured, "... But that's it... The Guild really hasn't been doing anything... They've all been too worked up to even get into another mess." She nodded slightly, letting out a shaky, shallow breath. She shivered under him, still trembling and still running a fever- though it had topped out awhile ago, now her body was just trying to work through it... slowly.
"... I'm sorry... About worrying everyone..." She breathed, "... And being such a... A pain in the ass..."
"... honestly, woman." He grumbled, letting out a small huff at the string of words that suddenly had a flash of annoyance running through him.
Always so worried about everyone but herself
"... Quit worrying about that. If you want the Guild to quit being so tense, just focus on trying to heal." He grumbled lowly,
"...k...ay..." she murmured so softly he barely heard her, her voice fading away as her attention and focus waned again. He let out a small breath, he had the feeling she was still gonna be worked up over worrying everyone else, she always was, but for now he let it slide, he'd just tell her to quit worrying about it when he needed to.
Sometimes it really did feel like he had to repeat himself a hundred times over for her to just listen to him.
"... Thanks... La...xus..."
He blinked, he hardly heard her say it as she fell back into an uneasy sleep again, thunder rumbled outside in a slowly lightening sky and nearly drowned the words out entirely.
He let out a small breath, annoying as it was how focused she was on the idea she had been worrying everyone, and not on herself- and as annoying as it was that he had to keep telling her things he had said plenty of times before... It was more like her.
The rain let up that morning, he heard it lessening as the hours rolled by, the patter of water against the stone and the glass lulling into nonexistence as the thunder came to a halt too. The storm clouds over the city remained, though somehow they seemed less dark than before.
Magnolia slowly, steadily, pulled itself from the tense slow humm it had fallen into, people peering out their windows and chancing to move outside in the lapse of rain and wind that started.
That night felt like it had lasted years, his back was stiff and his knees were too from sitting in the same position for so long, he felt drained and he had long since stopped trying to keep his eyes open- though his mind never once wandered toward sleep for even an instant.
She was in and out a few times, drifting between drowsy wakefulness and uneasy sleep. They didn't talk to one another when she did wake up, there just didn't seem much to say anymore- so once again, silence became content between the both of them, and even then she was hardly in any way to be chatting in the first place. He simply sat there, his eyes closed and fingers twisting about a section of her hair- that hair that was still so long and so very silver from when it had grown to a length that reached her lower back during the fight with Mordren- once and awhile shifting only to replace the damp cloth on her forehead with a cooler one.
His other hand rest lightly atop her head, his shoulders sagging and stiff. He didn't shift nor even notice the door cracking open to the room, or the silent, slightly shocked gaze that had been settled on him by the Old Man.
Master had shuffled down the stairs from his office and the restless sleep he had been fighting to stave off for days now, his eyes tired and face worn as he picked his way down the steps, turning without a second thought or moments hesitation toward the Infirmary. He hadn't meant to sleep through to morning, and a part of himself hated he had- afraid that in the hours he was gone he was that much closer to losing that first child he had brought to the Guild. And this time it would be for good.
He halted with the door only slightly open, his eyes landing on the bed he had spent so many days sitting beside, and his heart jumped slightly.
His grandson was sitting at the head of the bed, motionless, a pillow in his lap and Frea's head resting lightly in it. Laxus' coat was thrown over her shaking body, his hand pressed ever so softly against her neck, his fingers twisting a single strand of her hair lazily. He noticed immediately the cloth settled on her forehead, and the collection of others sitting on the nightstand and by the bowl- and how softly his grandson had placed his hand on her forehead.
It was a shock to say the least, in that moment he saw Laxus doing something he could hardly fathom... Something that was very much unlike the Lightning Dragon Slayer, something much more kind and gentle than he had ever seen his grandson be, and especially so toward the very person he had always been at such odds with... Well, maybe until recently.
Makarov was still having a difficult time getting used to the idea that Frea and Laxus weren't always at one another's throats. Things had been less and less tense between the both of them and he knew it. He did know something had changed between them, but he supposed... Maybe he hadn't realized how much they had changed.
"Say whatever you two want, it doesn't matter. There's nothing going on, nothing important, so I don't have to argue nor justify it to the both of you." Frea muttered around her food, eyes still closed. "We're just friends, so stop reading into things."
"She wasn't going to give it up." Laxus said suddenly. Master blinked, "She was so beat up I could have knocked her out and been done with it easily, because I knew she'd never quit fighting about going to that Guild, she's too stubborn and too much of a hot head. But I wasn't going to hit her, or knock her out.. Even though that might have been better, seeing as how she ended up getting hit by that Hikien bastard."
Master blinked, seeing Laxus' hands grip about his mug tightly in sudden anger that the Old Man hadn't been expecting.
"... She was beat up enough, I wasn't going to do anything else to her." Laxus said lowly, "I went with her thinking I could keep her out of enough trouble she wouldn't get any worse than she was, and let her go because I wasn't looking to fight with her for it. I let her go because it felt better than forcing her to sit still."
This had been happening for awhile now, it wasn't simply because of what happened with Mordren. They had been at ease with one another, cooperating, talking... And he had seen something like... Maybe protectiveness and care in Laxus before, just faintly.
... When did it happen, I wonder..? When did it all change..?
Master sighed slightly, stepping away from the door and away from the room entirely- he would come back a little later... He was sure Frea would be alright, with his grandson watching her.
He bit the inside of his cheek, sweatdropping slightly as his eyes fell closed.
Laxus had been unusually silent since everything... but he had been one of the few Master had not seen fall apart the last two weeks, and he found himself wondering if maybe Laxus had been keeping what was he was feeling to himself the whole time.
That boy... he's grown so much.
Freed leaned against the wall just outside the infirmary door, his arms crossed over his chest and eyes cast sideways toward that small crack in the door that let him peer inside. The main hall was filled with the daily collection of people that had grown fewer and fewer, small murmurings and tense shoulders, a dim Guild nearly as dreary as the wet morning, though the rain was nothing but a sprinkle at this point.
He'd come to the Guild to check in on Laxus, he hadn't wanted to leave the night before, but he had complied when asked none the less. He knew last night had been bad, she had been bad, and he couldn't imagine what it had been like to sit in the silence of that room for so many hours, a part of him had been concerned how Laxus had taken it.
Freed was oh so aware that Laxus had put up that stony exterior the last few weeks because he had to... he knew the Lightning Dragon Slayer was just as worried and in as much pain as the rest of the Guild, maybe even worse. Laxus had been tense, brooding... more so than Freed could remember seeing him before. Laxus wasn't one to let others see what he was thinking or feeling, he was reserved and he kept to himself, it was only because Freed had been around him, and friends with Laxus so long that he could tell- he had long since learned to see it when Laxus was troubled, in pain, worried... afraid, even.
He'd noticed how Laxus had grown around her, especially so after what had happened with Ivan. He'd noticed how she'd been around him, how they both had seemed to relax, grow closer. Odd as it had been before, it was a change certainly- but it was a pleasant one too.
Laxus had changed when he came back from being Expelled. He'd been easier to get along with, less angry and quick to act- but he'd still been rough around the edges, distant even.
But since then? Since he was let back in the Guild, and since that rift between her and he had started to close distance, even long before anyone noticed it?
Laxus had been different, more open, more easy-going, kinder- and Freed had to wonder how much of it was owed to how he learned to act around her, or if Laxus even realized what an effect she had had on him, even if only slightly so at times... it all added up.
He also faintly wondered if Laxus realized how much he had changed over the years, and especially this last year.
Freed was surprised at what he found when he paused at that crack in the door, surprised to find Laxus sitting at the head of the bed, Frea's head in his lap and looking so very content and calm. Shocked to see that Laxus' coat was settled over her body, pulled up to her chest and free from where it hardly ever left the Lightning Dragon Slayer's shoulders. He stood in silence, watching Laxus lightly brush away those few strands of her hair from her face, his eyes cast down toward her, face neutral and silent... Vigilant.
And ever so gentle.
Freed let out a small breath, he had stepped away from the door and leaned against the wall, halting his plan of going in and settling for simply waiting outside the room.
He saw Laxus' shoulders sag slightly, he heard the Lightning Dragon Slayer let out a small, low sigh, his eyes falling closed as his hand came to a halt just under her jaw, the other brushing against her neck just barely. Freed's eyes flashed slightly,
"... you're annoying, you know that..?" Laxus' words were so low Freed barely heard him, if not for the near silence of the room he probably wouldn't have. "... I thought I told you to go to sleep, woman."
Freed blinked, sweatdropping as his eyes widened slightly, his heart jumping a little and quickening in its pace.
Laxus' voice was low, weary almost... but not angry, or even annoyed. It was soft, a low, calm tenor that was so kind Freed had never heard him like that before, not once.
"... mm... I was asleep.." Was the shallow, shaky reply that Freed found himself growing rigid at. "... I don't keep... wakin' up... for... t... the hell of... it... you know..."
She... she was awake...?!
Freed felt a flash of shock run through his core in the same instant that something like relief crashed down over him. He remained still, transfixed as he watched Laxus frown slightly, shaking his head a little as the Lightning Dragon Slayer sighed again.
"... hmph... that's what happens when you have a fever about ten degrees too high." Laxus mumbled back, his eyes glinting sightly as both he and Freed heard her hiss slightly, stifling a few coughs that threatened to send her spinning into a world of pain. Laxus' hand that held his cheek fell, resting lightly on her shoulder, frowning slightly as he watched her chest rise and fall in shallow, painful gasps a few minutes before settling out a little more. "... you alright..?" He asked lowly,
"... b... been better..." Was the shaky answer, Freed and Laxus alike seemed to stiffen at the reply. "... you alright...?" She asked, wistfully as Laxus blinked, quirking an eyebrow down at her, her eyes half-open and shaking so badly still.
"Hmm?"
"... heh... you've been... sitting like that... for hours..." She mumbled between her harsh breathing, "... can't be... com... fortable... lightning-boy..." Laxus sighed again, looking weary for a moment as he shook his head in slight exasperation.
"I'm fine." Was the short reply, though it wasn't as firm as it usually would have been. "... I thought I told you to quit worrying about everyone else." there was no conviction in his tone though, it sounded like he had given up arguing the point long before.
"... you don't... have to be... so da... mned stubborn..." Frea breathed, her eyes flashed slightly, settling him with a weary, tired expression, "... you don't... gotta st...ay... you're tired too..."
"... I'm fine." Laxus grumbled again, his cheek resting in his hand once more. Frea seemed to shake her head at that a little, but she was trembling so much it was hard to tell, Freed certainly couldn't tell from the distance he was at, his eyes wide and sweatdropping as he listened in sheer shocked, riveted silence.
Laxus...
"... t...tch... be stubborn then..." Frea sighed slightly, her eyes falling closed again. "... I won't complain... having you... around a l...little while longer..." Freed blinked in surprise at the words, Laxus did the same, blushing, just slightly.
"... tch... you're delirious..." He grumbled lowly, she smiled, just faintly, her mind teetering on the edge of sleep for the dozenth time.
"... not really..." She sighed, Laxus blinked, biting the inside of his lip as he huffed. "... you're actually... surprisingly good... at the whole... taking care... of people... thing... it's... nice... you're actu...actually a r...really big... softie... heh..." Laxus noticeably blushed a little more at that, looking disgruntled for a minute as Freed felt his jaw drop slightly.
"... I'm still... R... Royally... miffed... ab...out the Chance... Laxus... but...tch... thank you... really..." Frea's voice dropped so low in that next minute Freed barely heard her at all. Laxus seemed to stiffen slightly at the words, though Freed wasn't sure what she meant by them exactly, or why it was Laxus looked so tense upon hearing them.
"... I a..appreciate... you sticking... around...I... I feel a bit... better..."
Laxus blinked, looking somewhere between shocked and lost for words, and even somewhat nervous. His eyes fell halfway closed, sweatdropping as he grimaced a little.
"... you got it." Laxus murmured gently, the words little but a whisper.
Freed's eyes shone slightly, seeing the small flash of... of sadness appear on Laxus' face, just for a small second.
"... now you better stick around too, woman."
"... mm... promise... I'm not going... any...where..."
Laxus' nodded slightly, his hand falling lightly on the top of her head.
"Hmmph, good."
Freed glanced away, his eyes falling toward the floor and leaning a bit more against the wall. He let out a small sigh, smiling just faintly as his eyes fell closed.
Perhaps I shouldn't have been very worried at all...
He remained where he was awhile longer, content in silence and eyes closed- nearly as content as Laxus seemed to be, sitting in that bed and with her head resting in his lap.
... Do you know, Frea? How much Laxus has changed?
Freed hummed slightly under his breath,
... Do you know how much he's changed, just around you? Because of you? Maybe even.. For you?
He didn't let his thoughts linger on that for very long though, he just waited patiently, not daring to move or walk away- he'd resign himself to waiting outside that room as dutifully as Laxus seemed to about sitting with her. Doing the very thing Freed had found himself nearly astounded at, when Frea herself had promised to sit with the Lightning Dragon Slayer after Ivan.
Even despite the tenseness in his shoulders, and what concern worked its way into his core at the sound of her harsh breathing- there was something better, warmer, pleasant even.
He was pleased... Pleased that she was still alive, pleased she had managed to come back to wakefulness- if only for a minute or two.
And pleased... Because he wasn't sure what would happen if she were to die, and he honestly hadn't been excited to find out. Pleased more so, that she had made it through the night and that Laxus hadn't been forced to endure what pain it would have caused had she not.
Freed had been standing outside the room for near an hour and a half before he moved- stepping away from the wall lightly and sighing, sweatdropping slightly.
He knew that Porlyusica would be arriving soon, and he knew the Old Woman enough to know she would be less than pleased with Laxus' current position... Little as he wished to invade on the silence and the calm, he felt maybe it was time too.
He stepped inside the door silently, hardly moving it on its hinges as he advanced a few paces inside, he saw Laxus' head tilt in his direction just slightly as an indicator his arrival was noted- though Freed didn't earn Laxus' eyes.
"Laxus." Freed murmured quietly,
"Hmm?"
"Porlyusica will be here soon." Freed responded quietly. Laxus let out a low, nearly weary sigh at the words, nodding, just once.
Laxus didn't move right away, he sat still for a few moments, his eyes opening half-way to glance down at her. Freed simply just watched quietly,
Laxus shifted, his movements slight and controlled as his hands moved to lift the pillow and her head ever so slightly- enough to allow him room to slid from the bed stiffly, laying the pillow down gently and carefully- grimacing a little when she winced, but she didn't come to. Laxus hand lingered on the edge of the bed for a moment, before he straightened up, his eyes closing as he took in a long, low breath, rolling his shoulders- Freed could hear the stiff joints pop and crack at the sudden movement.
Laxus ran a hand through his hair, fingers trailing along the bed as he moved before they left the bed top entirely, walking around it and stretching his arms out. His stretching of his hands above his head faltered slightly, just for a second- Laxus' eyes snapping open and onto the floor as he felt for the first time- pain. Pain that ran along his arms and soreness to boot, he stiffened, biting the inside of his cheek and ignoring it for now- and keeping himself in check enough not to let Freed know something was wrong.
"... You been waitin' long?" Laxus murmured lowly, Freed blinked.
"Not very." Freed replied softly, "... Are you alright?"
"I'm good." He sighed slightly,
"Have you been awake all night?" Freed asked quietly, he earned a small nod in return, though Laxus didn't seem all that perturbed by it.
"The Old Man been down yet?" Laxus asked, halting any question or reply to the lack of sleep comment. Freed blinked,
"... Yes, Master was sitting at the bar when I arrived." Freed answered, Laxus blinked, looking faintly curious at the news, before he shook his head slightly to clear it of the thoughts that had propped up. "... You should probably get some rest, Laxus." That received yet another sigh, and a small, fleeting glance back toward the bed and Frea from the Lightning Dragon Slayer, though Laxus let his eyes fall closed again so quickly Freed barely saw it.
"... Yeah, fine." He mumbled softly, looking exasperated for a minute. Freed smiled faintly, before both he and Laxus turned slightly to the sound of feet approaching the room. Laxus shifted, turning toward the door and rubbing the back of his neck as he started to slowly walk out, Freed paused long enough to let the blonde man passed him- his eyes glinting slightly when he realized that Laxus had failed to bother and retrieve his coat from atop the bed.
The door opened as Laxus and Freed drew up near it, the grim faces of Porlyusica and the Old Man appearing in the doorway- Master's eyes flicked from the bed toward his grandson in slight surprise, blinking as he drew up slightly.
"Laxus," Master murmured, eyes narrowed as Porlyusica stepped past him and the Lightning Dragon Slayer further into the room.
Laxus' eyes had fallen closed though, and he didn't look up as his grandfather said his name.
"... Did something happen?" Master asked quietly, his eyes glinting.
He stiffened a little, Laxus pausing just long enough to drop his hand atop the Old Man's head.
"Quit worryin', Old Man." Laxus murmured lowly, but he simply left it at that, and walked past Makarov and toward the door without another word. He waved a hand behind him as he reached the entryway, "... I'll be back later. Don't wear yourself out too much, Gramps."
He left the room, Freed trailing after him as Master stared, sweatdropping and eyebrow quirked, unsure what the action was or even what brought them on. Master Makarov's eyes cast toward Freed in slight question, only to receive a small, faint smile from the green-haired man in answer.
Freed stepped passed the Old Man and followed Laxus out without a word, leaving Makarov glancing back at them uncertainly. It had been a long while since he had heard Laxus call him 'gramps', and certainly he hadn't expected to have Laxus' hand fall on his head, it was such an odd gesture from the younger... more so he was confused to see Laxus looking so calm (and maybe a bit tired if he was being honest). It was like a huge fraction of what tenseness the Old Man had seen seep into his grandson's shoulders and remain the last two weeks had faded away so suddenly.
... why...?
Porlyusica hardly payed them any mind as she moved in, her eyes fixing ahead and to that same young woman she had been worrying over with every waking hour, searching the edges of her mind for something to do, some remedy, some way of helping. She drew up by the bed, setting her own bag aside on the table and her eyes flicking briefly toward that blood-stained rag that had been tossed in the chair nearest the window. Her eyes flicked from it toward the door, but Laxus and Freed had already gone, and to be entirely honest- she didn't really need to ask, she could perfectly well guess from what faint, stain of crimson she spotted at the edge of Frea's lips. The Old Lady sighed, her wrist flicking toward the cloth as it was wrapped up in a small burst of gold Magic, before disappearing from sight entirely.
The Old Lady drew up beside the bed, her hand moving forward to lightly take the damp cloth up from Frea's forehead, before pressing her hand lightly to it, grimacing slightly to feel the sheer heat flaring from the young woman's skin- much higher than it had been when she left the night before, and enough so she was shaking and shivering without end, her skin pale and breaths in ragged, feverish gasps that did nothing to lessen the lump that had fallen into the Old Lady's stomach.
She sweatdropped, her hand moving away from Frea's forehead and trailing down to shift the covers slightly, for a small moment just faintly noticing the coat that had been abandoned there- before her attention turned entirely on her work instead.
Her eyes narrowed, watching every harsh breath, every small wince let out as she trembled and her body ached under the pain that came with simply breathing- heard the way the breaths caught in her throat every once in awhile, most assuredly hindered by the blood the Old Lady was oh so aware had worked its way into the Energy Dragon Slayer's lungs. Her eyes narrowed to slits, seeing the shine of fresh blood welling up through the bandages that covered the wounds in her chest, and her stomach- the wounds had refused healing and hadn't been closed outside stitching them, and it seemed a few stitches had pulled, though she wasn't sure why or when... she figured it hardly mattered. With how weak and sick she was at the moment, she didn't dare move her too much, or put her body under more stress trying to repair the sutures just now- the fresh blood seemed to have drawn to a halt for the moment, and that was only on the outside.
With how many organs had been punctured, and the sheer damage that seemed to have raced through the young Dragon Slayer's body like a fire coursing through every inch of her veins, her muscles, bones, tendons, nerves- there wasn't a part of her body that hadn't sustained some sort of damage, there didn't seem any part of her that hadn't been ripped to shreds from the inside out, breathing was probably agony even if there hadn't been a hole in her chest and stomach, and adding it all together was a very, very grim picture.
Frea had always been almost impossibly resilient when taking damage, it took no small amount to truly put her out of commission, and there hadn't been a wound yet she hadn't managed to overcome. Even without Wendy's Healing Magic, long before the little Dragon Slayer had joined the Guild- Frea had always healed remarkably well, as Porlyusica knew. Even with serious wounds that would have had others out for months, she had been back in much less time- time and time again she pulled through every injury, even when Porlyusica had been uncertain she could. Her health never fell so low as to cause any great concern, even when she was hurt... but now her immune system was shot, both her strength and resilience seemed to have finally met it's match... in the most terrible way. No stubbornness or resilience could heal this much damage, or stave off this weakness- this sickness and fever.
The Old Lady was suddenly reminded of that day the Energy Dragon Slayer had appeared on her doorstep, looking so frail and weaker than she had ever been... that day it had been oh so clear something was very, very wrong. And then, Porlyusica couldn't do anything- not when she became aware of what darkness had seeped into her body, destroying her health and draining her life- too powerful for even her skills to combat with.
Powerless to stop that foolish, young girl always getting into trouble- from dying. Powerless then, and powerless now.
Porlyusica swallowed, her hand falling to take light hold of Frea's wrist, her fingers pressing against the underside as her other hand pulled the sheets back up to her chest again from looking the wounds over in sheer silence. She waited, her eyes trailing over those unnatural bruises swirling up the few places of bare skin like a wire coil had been wrapped around her arm and dug in.
She felt her pulse, weak and flitting unevenly under her fingers, but she paused.
Porlyusica's red gaze narrowed to slits, her hand releasing the girl's wrist as she bit the inside of her cheek.
She bent over slightly, her head falling to press her ear against that frantically rising and falling chest, hearing the struggle of the breaths, the sound of fluid, and that heartbeat that had been so faint, struggling so badly the night before... fluttering and beating so terribly unevenly still, but...
Porlyusica sweatdropped slightly, remaining bent over and listening intently for a few moments- trying to make sure she wasn't making a mistake.
... that seems impossible... her pulse is stronger, and her heartbeat's grown steadier too...
Porlyusica straightened up, her eyes narrowed still as she pressed her chin into her hand slightly, eyes glittering in the dim. She was unaware for a few moments the slightly pained and fearful gaze Makarov had set on her, the Old Man having seen the tenseness in the Healer's expression, and how serious she seemed so suddenly.
It seemed wrong to even think it, but for a small moment the Old Lady wondered...
... hmm... Is...?
Her eyes fell closed, banishing the thought for slight fear the minute she even gave it time in her mind, things would turn on her.
Porlyusica took a small step back from the bed, turning slightly as she began to sift through her bag, setting supplies out and glassware in silence- this time aware that Makarov had approached the bed and taken a shaky seat in the chair pulled up on the opposite side from where she was. The Old Man's hands fell on the bed, his fingers lacing around Frea's limp hand lightly as he seemed to grimace, sweatdropping and shoulders hunching slightly despite himself.
The clink of glass sounded quietly in the room as Porlyusica set to work preparing a potion, her eyes narrowed in concentration, light flitting faintly from the window to bounce lazily off her tools. A few minutes passed by as she worked, before she finished, in her hand a glass filled with some pale, somewhat ugly green color that seemed to fade to brown as the seconds ticked by.
Porlyusica's hand slid behind Frea's head as she brought the glass to the Energy Dragon Slayer's lips, slowly tilting the glass down so the liquid could make its way down her throat, though Frea unconsciously tensed as she did so. The Dragon Slayer's face twisted slightly, her shaking and heaving body growing rigid as she was forced to drink it until the glass was empty,
She coughed a few times, her jaw clenching as she hissed, the pain clear on her face as she settled into a few quick, gasping breaths. Makarov's hold on her hand tightened a little, his eyes gleaming as his head bowed slightly, he felt an ache in his heart that grew deeper the minute he saw how much pain she was in, even with her not being awake.
Porlyusica replaced what supplies she had brought out in her bag, her eyes narrowed and all focus flitting between that and her patient. She hoped that potion would help to dull the fever down a little, if nothing else... And if she was lucky, ease her pain too.
When her supplies had been cleaned up to her liking, she let out a low sigh, her fingertips pressed against the topside of the nightstand and eyes talking closed a moment. This time she could tell that Makarov had glanced her way, waiting, watching ever so intently.
"... Her fever is worse, and her wounds still don't seen to be healing at all." Porlyusica announced quietly, Master stiffened, though he did not seem surprised at the news- just pained. "... I can't think of anything more to do, Makarov. I will keep trying what I can, and keeping a close eye on her condition... But for now waiting is all we can do."
She refrained from voicing the fact that it seemed her pulse had stabilized, she didn't wish to give him hope if there was a chance it could simply fall through... She'd just wait, and watch... And hope too.
"... Thank you, Porlyusica. For all you've been doing." Master replied quietly, his voice shaking slightly as his eyes fell closed. Her red gaze flashed, her face falling slightly as she sighed silently. She circled the bed, her bag in one hand as she stopped beside him a moment, her hand falling lightly on the Old Man's shoulder for a few moments, before she continued forward toward the counter on the opposite wall- filled with herbs and other things that had slowly migrated over from her house in the East Forest.
There was the muffled shuffling and moving of supplies as the room fell into silence again, the Old Woman casting small, short glances toward the figure of Makarov with his back to her, his hands holding the Energy Dragon Slayer's own between them, his head bowed and eyes closed.
... Even if she were... what chance was there of healing from all this?
Porlyusica wasn't sure if she could... And that made her grimace slightly, her eyes falling closed.
All the times she'd been told to be careful, to quit getting into trouble...
... to the time Porlyusica had stepped up, and asked she hold back, for sake of Makarov.
"Don't do that to him."
She sighed slightly, not that there had been much chance or choice to avoid this at the time... it still ached.
That... Foolish, foolish... Girl...
"Have you found your will to live again, Enogora Dragair Slajur?"
Frea stiffened, her eyes snapping open and glancing around quickly- her eyes landing on that massive, dark form of the Dragon (or not really a Dragon, just... Magic? Taking the Form of a Dragon?) standing behind her, smiling wryly as he remained settled on his stomach, looking amused.
The space was dim, but not as dark as the Reach- the ground underfoot was nothing but empty space that shouldn't have been solid, and yet it was. She took a few steps back, her eyes narrowing to slits as she glanced upward at Naraka, looking wary a moment.
It took all her effort and concentration to not allow herself to fall back to the Reach, she could almost feel the water hiding somewhere in the back of her mind, hungry and wanting ever so badly to reach out and snatch her up- plunge her beneath those thick black waves again, consume her.
She wouldn't go back there, regardless of what sinking sense of terror still swirled in her core, or how painful it was to resist it... she couldn't, if she did she wasted that damned Chance and she couldn't have that.
She huffed a little hotly at the thought, Naraka's head tilted slightly at that small flash of anger that appeared in her eyes a moment.
"... Naraka." Frea mumbled lowly, she was less than pleased to see him, especially after what shit she had been forced to endure in His 'Domain' for what Laxus told her was two god damned weeks- though to her it felt much, much longer. "... why the hell are you here? I'm not going back to the Reach."
"Hehe, indeed you are not." Naraka chuckled, his front legs crossing over one another almost leisurely. "It would be quite the waste if you were to, given the sacrifice the Aleuruen Dragair Slajur made for you... and more so, given how Death, Soul and Time all came together to help and save you as well- momentous occasion, the Mortal Embodiments of Our Power have not worked together for an age or more. And rightly so, given how many misused their power so often before.." Frea blinked, her head tilted slightly as Naraka let out a sigh, looking remiss. "... A very special occasion indeed... hehe, it's not like Time- mortal or Immortal- to ever step in and meddle. You are a very special circumstance indeed for the Fealorr to be willing to help you."
"... the Fealorr?" Frea mumbled lowly, "... I take it, that's the name of the 'Mortal Embodiment of Time' then?"
"Very quick study Malurey." Naraka smirked, "Now that you are no longer Falling, it may just be time for you to hear the rest of the story, hmm?" Frea's eyes flashed, her jaw clenching slightly as she bared her fangs at him.
"Not a chance!" She snapped immediately, earning a blink from Naraka. "You think I'm gonna let you force me back into some stream of memory and history like you made me watch Mordren's?! Not again, never again!" She growled, looking utterly furious as Naraka simply looked at her.
She couldn't do that again, seeing all of that... it tore her mind to more shreds than her Magic had torn her body apart, her thoughts were still frantic and fractured- she couldn't take anything like that again... that torture.
"Hmm, you believe that was my doing, Malurey?" He mused, unperturbed by her anger in the slightest- Frea faltered at the question. He noticed her hesitation and shook his head, "I assure you, I did not force the Energy God's Memories onto you. I do not have control over the Memories of Mortal's anymore than you do- Memories are under the control of Time." Frea sweatdropped, her heart dropping slightly. "... if it was the Fealorr who forced them on you, or my Brother- I am unsure. But what you saw of Mordren's life, and those after him... what you lived of it, that was by Time's will, not my own."
Frea took a few shaky steps back, her legs shaking slightly as she sat down with a thud, her eyes wide and falling as she grimaced.
"... why in... why in the hell...?"
"... you needed to know, or at least- Time believed you needed to know." Naraka replied simply, "After all, your Memory and your sense of all Time has become quite fractured, has it not? You understand what has become of your own History, or at least part of it, yes?"
Frea bit the inside of her cheek, sweatdropping slightly as she winced- a flood of fractured and blurred together images flashing through her mind- still much to much to make sense of... but yes, some of it was clear.. at least a little.
... she remembered, almost everything... from much before Chaitanya- those fragments of her past she had been aware of, but never aware of the details... until now.
"... yes, you do remember it now- but do you understand it all?" Naraka pressed lightly, Frea's eyes trailed up toward him slowly, looking wary a moment.
"... no." She replied softly, though she wasn't particularly sure she wanted to know.
"I told you before there was much you do not know." Naraka murmured, "I will tell you what I must... it is too much to hope I can tell you it all, and I doubt you care to learn much more at this moment." Frea grimaced slightly, he smiled. "... So for now, listen, Malurey- I will begin with the basics."
He paused, chuckling under his breath.
"... and you need only listen, I am able to hold a conversation with you and little else while we are here. Do not worry over unwanted memories crowding your mind again." He smirked,
"... where is 'here', Naraka?" Frea mumbled lowly, "... this isn't the White Plane. It's... different."
"A very good question, Malurey." Naraka smiled, "... it is not the White Plane in the sense as you know it- the true White Plane you have never witnessed, you've only ever stepped into the fringes of it- what little you could perceive in your Mind and in your Magic. The Seleyn has control over the White Plane- as you well know." Frea blinked,
Seleyn... so he's talking about Jynx then?
Wait... if Time, Soul and Death worked together to save me... does he mean that Jynx...?
... but who the hell are the Mortal Embodiment of Death and Time? And why try and save me?
Naraka didn't give her time to question him though.
"This place is... complicated, I suppose you could say." Naraka smiled, "The name has changed over the ages.. but the one used most often is 'Median'." Frea blinked, "... it is here that some small, tiny fraction of all the domains of all the Forces of Creation come into contact. Where some corner of the Reach, the Clear, the Veil and the Crossroads- or the White Plane as you so aptly called it- touch. It is a Magic epicenter stretching between physical and ethereal- able to be touched by all Forces and entered by any who control them, it exists in and out of all Magic... and it often takes the form of whomever enters at any one time. You cannot use Magic here, you can simply enter and leave."
Frea's head was spinning slightly at the slew of information of most she understood near nothing of, her eyes narrowed and head tilted as she sweatdropped.
"... it is amusing however, that Median looks so barren with you having entered into it." Naraka mused lightly, glancing around the space and the sheer empty calm of it all. "... or perhaps understandable, something of simplicity and calm in your world... that I suppose is probably spinning and much too complicated right now."
"Hehe... I suppose I will do nothing to ease your wild thoughts Malurey... but I will be much more pleasant than what you experienced before in how you receive the information."
Rified stumbled slightly, the ground rushing up to meet him and gravity kicking in on full force where it hadn't been in so long. His feet met cracked and uneven stone, the area around him a war zone and silence like death hanging over the area- smears of crimson still staining the stony faces and bits of earth here and there.
The sky was a dreary grey and the air moved past him in chilly waves, the sound of water tumbling from height and waves lapping at stone filled his senses as he glanced around the destruction warily, sweatdropping at the sight of it.
This was most definitely not where he had been before... well, before being sucked into the Reach and staying there for a time that felt like years- and was most definitely longer than he had ever spent any extended amount of time there.
But this place... he knew where this was, instinctively, though he had never set foot here or even seen it for himself. He just found himself reeling slightly at landing here now, he had to have been hundreds of leagues from this place before it had all happened, and how he was suddenly here now was just... he didn't get it.
"You have got to be kidding me... why am I getting pulled every which way?" He grumbled under his breath, "... it's not fun getting dumped in the middle of nowhere, you know."
He didn't get an answer, so he assumed that this time he was by himself... But why here? Of all places?
This was where Frea had fought with Mordren... where he killed her.
He shuddered slightly at that, but shook it off.
"Damned... Annoying..." He grumbled lowly, starting forward slowly across that crumbling island of stone. "... Bullshit... All of this... Is damned crazy..."
Forces of Creation, Mortal and Immortal Embodiments, what they did... To save her.
He sweatdropped at the thought, his eyes trailing upward toward that dreary looking sky overhead.
... She didn't come back to the Reach, as far as he was aware... He hoped that monster of a man had actually managed to convince her to stay, to fight.
"He managed to settle her down, at least. To get her to try."
Rified froze, his eyes widening slightly, before grimacing a little and slowly turning toward the voice.
"... You can read minds now?" He asked, looking bemused. Those emotionless yellow eyes looked back at him oh so calmly, his hands hooked behind his back and utterly neutral.
"No. I simply knew you were going to ask." Was the level reply. Rified sweatdropped, about to ask how he knew- but he thought better of it. Things were complicated enough.
"... Right." He sighed, "... So why did you drop me here?"
"I have things to explain." The other man said easily, "... Or rather, things to muse. Now that the Malurey has been saved there have opened up hundreds of new currents, and many of them lead in a direction that will be hazardous to the world." Rified blinked, "... I do recall mentioning it might have been better to let her die, Kala. But you and the Seleyn were adamant on it."
"... What the hell are you saying?" Rified grumbled,
"There are several paths in the current that lead to a world where the Malurey becomes something much fiercer, and much more dark than even that of Mordren." Was the calm reply, Rified felt his heart jump. "And the destruction she could unfold is... I can't seen the end, but at a guess, it is substantial."
"She'd never do that." Was the sharp answer, though Rified sounded a little unsure.
"She may not have a choice." The other man replied, "... That darkness is not the only one beginning to rear its head. All conflict between here and then, may be enough to make her fall, regardless of what she or anyone else wishes."
"...w...what conflict?" Rified growled, surely there couldn't be anything as bad as Mordren still coming?
"... The details are unclear, but it is most assuredly linked with the current spinning away toward Zeref." Rified went rigid, chills running up and down his spine at the name.
"... What's going to happen?"
"I do not know." Was the answer, Rified scowled.
"What good are you as the Master of Time if you can't tell the future?" He snapped on agitation,
"The future is never a set thing. There is no future that will always happen, things are in flux and continue to be up until the very moment they unfold. Things that happen and pass are subject to change, or remain the same, it all varies." Still so very neutral, and it was starting to piss Rified off. "I can guess at what happens, but I cannot know for certain. Everything changes and has the possibility to change too much to know every little detail."
"... You're freaking useless." He growled, "Can't you talk plain for once?"
"I rather thought I was." Rified blinked at that, his anger simmering down in way of confusion. He swore he saw the other man sigh a little, the neutrality giving way slightly to exasperation. "... But perhaps Death was right. I only talk in riddles... Though once I didn't. I'm simply out of practice, I've not spent much of my life in the Clear."
"... How long have you been away from the waking world...?" Rified mumbled, eyebrow quirked. "... And how old are you anyway?"
"... I was born in the year X763. I entered the Veil in the year X777, and arrived in the year E-387, of the first age, and the time of the Energy Mages." Rified blinked, "... I stayed in the country known as Adgnei for several years, before I entered the Veil again, and stayed... Watching the ages pass by and letting the Current move and alter around me. Until now."
"... Y... You're telling me you haven't been in the real world in more than a few thousand years?!" Rified stammered breathlessly, "You've just been hanging out in the 'Veil' for thousands of years?!"
"Indeed."
"How the hell are you even... Shouldn't you be dead?!"
"... Eventually, I will be. Just not quite yet." Was the easy answer, "Being the Fealorr, I can stay in the Veil for centuries without issue, though I don't think any Fealorr before me spent quite as much time in the Veil as I have."
"... That... You're crazy..." Rified stammered, trying very hard and pretty much failing to wrap his mind around the idea that anyone could be born around the same time he was- and end up thousands of years in the past, and then live for thousands of years more and eventually end back up here, now... What the literal hell.
"... Why is all this... So freaking complicated...?" He grumbled, looking ready to just give up.
"I find it extremely simple." The other man replied,
"...says the guy who's been in a Magical, mystical plane of existence that let him live for way longer than anyone should..." Rified grumbled, sweatdropping heavily at the idea. "... And who is also the mortal Master of Time itself... Which is also a mystical, magical... Thing... Force... Whatever.. That creates and created all existence in itself..."
... And now I sound insane too...
"... You do realize the idea of Time Travel and Time Magic is just not even possible for most people, right?" Rified murmured, "... Even all that crap with the Eclipse Gate in Crocus was a little much..."
"I find it an odd thing so few people consider Time Magic as a possibility." The other man murmured, "Considering how many in this present Current have traveled, and meddled with the Veil- and not simply because of the Eclipse Gate, but further beyond that." Rified blinked, his thoughts scrambling to a halt at the words, his jaw dropping slightly.
"...heh?"
Laxus bit the inside of his cheek, his eyes narrowed to slits and frowning as he sat on the edge of his bed, the room and the house silent and empty apart from him.
His elbows rest on his knees as his eyes traced along the bare skin of his arms, his shirt abandoned on the bed beside him and aqua blue gaze trailing along the dozens of teeth marks that punctured and tore along his arms and even his shoulders. Bruising dark red and purple and a little swollen, and leaving a sharp, throbbing ache to travel through his person without end.
He had been so focused on Frea, that nothing else could have gained his attention... Not even the thin, dried streams of blood that had seeped from the wounds and even stained the sleeves of his shirt. He hadn't noticed the pain at all until Freed had convinced him to get up and go home- to which now he was. The throbbing had grown steadily worse as he finally took a chance in solitude to find the damage that had been done in that... Place, seemed to have persisted even when he came back. They were not as deep as they'd been back there, no, but they still stung and they still bled. A lasting, physical mark of something and someplace that had otherwise been rather intangible.
He faintly wondered if the wounds Frea received there had shown through like his had. He couldn't remember seeing any fresh wounds, though with how badly injured she was, he wasn't sure he could have picked out those wounds from all the rest regardless.
He let out a breath, his eyes flashing slightly as his head bowed, his gaze falling shut and shoulders sagging in exhaustion he didn't dare let the world see.
He was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open, or even care about the wounds- let alone enough to clean them or anything.
He just wished his mind had as little energy as the rest of him seemed to, maybe then all the thoughts and questions would manage to cease.
Laxus let out a low, long sigh, falling back against the bed and eyes narrowed to slits as he simply stared up at the roof- midday light struggling to break free of the curtains drawn over the window to his right.
"I've come back too... T-too many damn times... And now you... You jumped in after me... You could have... Fucking died for me..! ... I am so tired of... People throwing their chances away on me... I've had too many people lose their... Their lives for me...! T-too many people... Have died for me...!"
... what the hell does she even mean...?
His bruised and torn arms crossed over his forehead, his eyes closing again.
His thoughts clouded and filled with nothing but the sensation and feeling of her body trembling and heaving in her panic and pain, how broken those eyes had been, the glitter of the tears falling from them where he had never seen them fall- beside hearing her sob just the once.
The images never ceased, nor the memory, even as his mind fell away and sleep rammed into him, swallowing him whole in a thick, black wave eerily reminiscent of the waters that had nearly dragged them both down into nothingness.
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