Chapter 11
Trust Me
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, only my own OC's, Energy Magic, and Ideas
.:+:.
The next two weeks went by in near a blur, but not quite enough like a blur. It was agonizingly slow, even being exhausted and in pain all the time- she was getting restless, and quickly. She hated it, being cooped up in bed, not able to hardly move let alone breathe properly, and she was getting quickly tired of how everyone else was jumping around asking her questions that she could almost see burning holes in their heads.
It took Master and Porlyusica a little less time than everyone else to start asking questions, though only because they had to address the issue of her Magic and what it had done to her. So a week after Porlyusica had kicked the Guild out of the Infirmary, they came in, with Mavis in tow, careful to wait until the visitors for that day had filed out for the last time. The room had been prickling, all three of them serious and stony faced as they took up seats beside the bed, Frea watching them come in silently as she felt her heart race a little in a sudden pang of uneasiness... and damn it, panic.
She'd been turning it over in her head on end, without pause. What was she going to say? What could she say? There were so many sore topics and things even she didn't quite get... and fear too. That never went away, even with how happy it made her to have the Guild and the people smiling again. She didn't want to get into it, she wished she'd never have to- but she also knew better.
It just hurt, and it sucked. Because everytime, when she was alone and she let her thoughts wander that way, down those roads, toward those memories and the information she would have better left unknown- her pulse picked up, her already damaged heart started beating faster, and with it the pain got worse- her breathing got worse, and panic and fear and tension so powerful settled in again and made it hard to just think. Her mind became a whirl of thoughts, images, and emotions it was just too much.
Reyan was there, Mordren, what he did... the way he'd hurt her. What Reyan gave up, how she'd let herself suffer, so her baby...
... Mordren's pain, the agony, the torture- and she knew it had been left behind and given to her to suffer through. Maybe even eventually fall to...
... shit
She couldn't tell them all of it, or even half of it... she couldn't. She'd been trying to hard not to fall apart under all of it, but she was afraid if they started into it she would crumble.
"... you are aware that we need to discuss what became of your Magic. And the events that transpired." Mavis mumbled, snapping Frea from her thoughts in an instant as the Old Lady and Master Makarov gazed at her levelly, Mavis' own gaze steady and intent. The setting sun and it's light reflected in their eyes from the window behind her, Frea sweatdropped slightly, swallowing.
"... we can't simply ignore it." Master murmured gently, "However unpleasant a topic it is, Frea."
"... I know..." Frea mumbled quietly, her eyes falling to her hands, forcing herself a slow, slightly deeper breath- deep enough it stung, but she kept quiet.
I can't freak out... Don't freak out... it's Master... Mavis... and Granny...
... you're gonna have to do this with everyone else, you know.. and the Council too.
She bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood, before swallowing against it and shaking her head slightly.
"... your biggest concern is about what my Magic did to me, yeah?" She asked quietly, "... how it tore me up when I used it... hurt me, when I started using All Magic..." They blinked, their eyes glittering in intrigue at the last two words. Frea's fingers tapped together lightly, her gaze traveling along where those dark bruises like wire were coiled into her skin and up her arms- along with all over her body too.
"... All Magic?" Mavis echoed softly,
"... that's what it's called, the way I made different Magic out of my own. Used different Elements and Spells that aren't mine, by just converting and manipulating my own Energy Magic... fire, water... lightning... all of that... that was All Magic." Frea murmured lowly, her eyes still trained to her hands as the ghost of the memory of pain like fire running through veins ignited on full force. She missed the looks of wondering and astonishment that broke out on their faces- and why not? That seemed nothing less than utterly impossible.
"... That combined with my Magic just... Getting out of hand... Growing to the point it was just too much for me to handle it... That's what tore my body up..." Frea mumbled, biting the inside of her cheek again- she could remember hearing bones cracking, muscle snapping, her entire body shredding- and she had still kept moving. Kept fighting.
"... I'm used to handling Energy... But all those different elements at once and the sheer level of power I wasn't accustomed to... It just backfired... by a lot." She trailed off, her eyes falling closed a moment.
"... You mean... That you lost total control?" Mavis murmured, "... But... Even then you were still using Magic... Flawlessly."
"Flawless outside of not having it under control enough to keep it from tearing me apart." Frea murmured, "... To be entirely honest, at that point I wasn't even consciously thinking about what I was doing or how... It was like... Instinct, almost. It just happened, without choosing it."
"... So all of it. 'All Magic' and the height your Magic Power reached, it was as a surprise to you as it was to everyone else?" Master asked softly, Frea nodded. His eyes fell slightly, "... I had thought that maybe you knew you could use that much Power, and what it would do to you..." He sweatdropped,
"... And you went ahead and risked it anyway, to ensure you would win. Regardless of the consequences."
Frea stiffened, paling ever so slightly at the words as her heart skipped a painful beat- because that was the truth of it.
That one last impossible thing... Last because she had known she'd be dead at the end of it all. She'd let herself step over the line and let go knowing it would kill her. The only reason she wasn't dead now-
He got hurt... He got hurt, risked his life... Saving me...
"You are fool enough to do something like that." Porlyusica grumbled lowly,
Frea's hands clasped together in her lap, her shoulders hunching as her head fell. She shut her eyes tight against the images, and the rush of guilt that rammed into her.
She had known. And she'd accepted it... Even knowing she'd never see them again.
No, maybe she hadn't been expecting her Magic to grow so wild it would hurt her- but the minute she realized it was, she hadn't stopped. She let it grow more, tear her apart further and she did nothing to try and control nor curb it. She might not have known in the beginning, but she did choose to let it go on regardless of how she knew it would end if she did.
Even with all the crazy and the impossible and things she really didn't understand... That part was a certainty.
She chose it, chose to die.
"... I'm sorry..." She whispered, her voice so quiet they barely heard her. She took in a small, sharp breath that betrayed how uneasy her breathing was getting. How close she was to falling apart,
She wouldn't come back if she stepped over that line, she knew it... the minute she let this power run free, she'd be someone else, and honestly... someone she'd never want to be. How could she even think of letting herself do this? She'd failed, she was weak, even after everything, here, on this mountain she had lost herself- if only for a few minutes, she had gone dark. Chase knew it, she knew it... she had been murderous, she hadn't cared, she wanted to kill, she had fallen and turned into some monster... what could she do, if she fell into darkness again, and had this power? The horrors she could manage.
... but she didn't have a choice, it terrified her, she was holding herself tightly, forcing herself to keep back, to push away that power, a part of her wanted it, a part of her felt... it was natural, familiar.
She let go, and took a step forward straight over that line, leaving it far behind... forever
"... I didn't know what would happen exactly... But I did know what I was doing wasn't gonna end well... And I still kept on..." Frea mumbled quietly, her shoulders tensing a little more. "... I might have tried to keep my Magic back once I realized... but I didn't, I let it go all the way and out of hand so I could win... and I did it even knowing that it was hurting me... I'm sorry... but I couldn't let Mordren win... not on anything... not even if it broke me..."
"You're talking about killing everyone, everyone I care about and destroying it all. I can't let you do that, I won't let you do that."
"Darkness will not-" Frea snapped coldly, her arms raising behind her as the ground trembled, pillars and sections of the earth raising up, crackling and flickering with Magic. The earth shot out toward him, ramming into him on all sides as the water ceased, breaking bones and pummeling his body painfully as he failed to defend against it- in an instant her Magic had reached beyond... anything. And he didn't know what changed... Only that his control over that battle had been shattered, by this woman... This impossible...
"- I won't let you... or anyone else destroy the world, or kill anyone, not a single person!" Her voice cut through what incredible amount of noise the sudden onslaught of magic was tearing out toward him, she spun, her hands moving out as lightning arced from the sky, striking at him in powerful bursts and waves, he was on his feet, taking every hit, his Magic destroyed each time he tried to block hers, he was stumbling and staggering against it all.
Frea ran forward, the stone shattering under her footsteps as she swung out toward Mordren, her fingers curled and dancing with silver and red, she cut straight through his jacket, leaving long, blistering marks across his arm as she grazed him. "Beat me, torture me, tear my body apart, kill me- I don't care, I will not let you win!" He hissed angrily, his Magic flaring with his emotions as he bombarded her with heavy attack after attack, Frea was pushed back, hissing as some of the Spells left a few marks, but the fire in her eyes never wavered.
"To hell with it if my Magic breaks my body, and to hell with it if you or it kills me!" She snapped, her words icy and seething. "To hell with all of this nonsense! I don't know what gave you the right to decide you were going to be the one to plunge the world into chaos, or that I was gonna be the one in your way. But I'm here if I like it or not, and I won't let you. If I have to give in, change myself, let myself fall past that line I held myself back from crossing... then so fucking be it!"
Mordren killed her, once, and nearly twice- she hadn't been hopeful that after using her Chance, with what injuries he had given her- that she'd recover at all. She had expected to come back, beat him... and then that was it. She hadn't counted on her Magic being wild enough to kill her too.
And honestly? Adding that atop what Mordren did should have killed her- immediately. She should have never survived long enough to get back to the Guild, to have Wendy and Sherria and Porlyusica trying to heal her, she should have died out there, on her Mountain nearly the second that Mordren was gone too. It didn't make sense that she'd stayed alive as long as she had before Laxus... not even with Healing Magic.
Her Magic had been trying to heal her, when she was fighting with Mordren. It tried to heal her just as much as it tore her apart... that was likely the only reason she was here now. Her Magic broke her, and slapped her back together again- just enough- to keep her alive, drowning the last two weeks until she'd been so tired and just given in.
"... I had to do whatever I had to... to beat him... stop him..." Her voice dropped to something just shy of a whisper and she hissed at herself, the lump in her throat threatening to break her voice altogether. "... I didn't know what I could do... I didn't know All Magic was real... not until... not until I started using it... and then I couldn't stop... I had to win... nothing else mattered at that instant...tch... I'm sorry..."
"... I know I promised that I'd do what it took to win... but I chose to win and sacrifice living through it. I'm sorry, Master..." She mumbled quietly, swallowing hard against the guilt, the regret
Failure, more than anything.
"... Frea..." Master breathed, his eyes glittering in shock and worry when he saw her shoulders hunch more, tendrils of her hair falling to hide her face from view- but he could see the pain and the guilt just by seeing how tightly her hands had wrung together in her lap. She seemed to fold in on herself slightly, crumble even- and he couldn't recall a time she had looked so frail and small, like she was being crushed under her own emotions. What confident, strong girl he and everyone else were so used to was breaking away to show someone uncertain, someone who sounded so, so guilty.
There was anger there, annoyance at the confession- it made him angry she would ever thought it was worth it to win instead of ensure she'd live. But even then he couldn't be all that angry- especially not when Frea looked so torn over it in the end, regretful... Sorry.
"Listen, Frea." Master murmured, his tone gentle but suddenly firm. "... I understand, I may not agree with your choice... But I do understand why you made it. I am not angry, I'm not disappointed either... I'm just worried. I know why you chose the way you did... I know how much keeping everyone safe means to you. You've always put the Guild before yourself, its commendable, and speaks to who you are as a friend, and a family member... I just sometimes wish you'd think of yourself more. But I know you well enough, and I will not try to change you."
Master's hand landed gently on Frea's shoulder, the blonde Dragon Slayer stiffening slightly in surprise, her eyes snapping up toward him.
"... I accept your decisions, knowing you have good reason to make them. I am not angry, please don't feel so guilty over it... You did your best, and you are still here, Frea..." Frea bit the inside of her cheek, swallowing slightly as she met his eyes and found she hadn't the will to look away. Even though in that minute she felt like a child that needed to be reassured, and hated it. Especially if her surge in emotions and uncertainty was clear enough to him to have him reassuring her at all.
"It would do best not to dwell on the past. What happened cannot be changed... We can simply do our best to contend with what consequences come in the quake of all this. I'm more worried over what will happen, and what this new surge in Power could do to you again." He patted her shoulder slightly, his hand drawing away slowly as the concern shown through his eyes a bit brighter.
"... Indeed, this is an issue we need to address." Mavis murmured softly, Frea sweatdropping slightly as she nodded a little, her eyes flashing. Frea rubbed the back of her neck slightly, taking in a small breath as her eyes fell away from them again.
"... Right... Sorry..." Frea mumbled,
"... The simple fact of the matter is this;" Porlyusica broke in easily, her eyes steady and expression serious. "If your Magic gets up to the same level it did, and as out of control- it will kill you." The sheer bluntness of the word made Master and Mavis alike flinch slightly, though Frea did not look at all surprised at the words.
"While I have promised to do everything in my power to heal you and to try and leave no lasting damage- I cannot ensure there will not be some lingering effect. What happened to you, and the injuries you sustained are the worst and most serious I have ever seen. It is a miracle you're alive, even more so able to move as much as you can." Porlyusica grumbled, some small semblance of a flinty tone working its way into her voice near the end. "It is very likely that your body won't be able to hand much stress at all after this, before breaking down again. You may heal but all of this is going to leave more than a few marks, and you won't be able to go about injuring yourself as frivolously as you always have- your body won't be able to take damage as well, any longer. You cannot be overextending yourself for any reason at all, and you certainly can't risk your Magic growing to that same level again- you will not survive it a second time around."
Frea nodded slightly, "... I know..." She mumbled, and she did. But the portion on how she was gonna keep her Magic in check? She and Saige alike had doubts on how well she would be able to keep her Magic in check now... It had just grown to be too much.
"... Its not my intention to let my Magic get that out of hand, ever again." Frea mumbled,
"... Are you going to be able to keep your Magic under control?" Master asked quietly, speaking aloud the concern she stopped herself from voicing. She stiffened slightly, sweatdropping ever so faintly as he tilted his head at her, his eyes narrowed. "... It seems to me your Magic has increased, rapidly- and not just with 'All Magic'. The growth in such a short amount of time was immense, and that can't be undone... Your Power has grown, tripled if not more- and in the course of only an hour. Growing one's Magic Power to that extreme would usually take years, and that time would allow control and time to adapt to that new level of Magic... But you haven't had that time." Mavis seemed to grimace slightly at the thought, though she had thought of this herself beforehand.
"With what level of Magic Power you have now, are you sure you'll be able to control it at all...?" Master asked slowly, his gaze steady as Frea found herself glancing away.
There it was- one of the several questions she had been asking herself over and over again. And honestly, she didn't have an answer. Saige had promised his help but she couldn't think of what he would do... And seeing as how he hadn't elaborated, she'd have to wait to ask until that 'later date' he'd mentioned... And until then?
"... I don't know..." Frea mumbled, she could feel the worry spark from them all in tangent at the answer. "... I hope so... But I have no idea... As it is my Magic hasn't come back yet, so I don't even have a gauge of how much more Magic Power I have... Or how hard it'll be to keep it under control."
Mavis and Master glanced between themselves, looking uneasy at an answer that did nothing to comfort them- but it was the truth, she just... Didn't know.
"... I'm just gonna have to wait and see what happens..." Frea mumbled, swallowing slightly. "... And handle it, whatever happens..."
"... That... Is not a comforting plan..." Mavis mumbled, Frea sighed.
"... But what else can I do?" Frea asked softly, "I'm not gonna know what I can and can't handle until I try using my Magic again, and that's not gonna be for awhile yet... And even then, its gotta come back again. It's been two weeks and I don't feel like there's a shred of Magic Energy left in me. I'm gonna have to wait, and if my Magic gets to be too much for me to keep in control, I'll find a way to deal with it... But I'm a little out of options right now... I'm just gonna have to take it in stride."
"And if your Magic comes back and is too much for you to handle?" Porlyusica grumbled lowly, "That is precisely the sort of stress that your body will not be able to take." Master blanched a little at that, his hands doing together in his lap tightly. Frea gazed at the Old Lady and that serious look she had settled on her, her eyes flashing slightly.
"... I'm not sure if it would help that much, but if it gets that bad I could ask Jynx to put one of her Limiter Seals on me." Frea replied quietly,
"... You broke the last one, when your Magic grew in anger at the GMG." Mavis murmured, though honestly the sheer jump on Magical Pressure when it happened told her that Jynx's Seal had been Limiting Frea's Magic drastically. "... It may not work, if your Magic grows too strong for even a Limiting Seal- they would simply break, Jynx's Magic may not be able to hold against yours."
"... Grant you, that Limiter Seal held out through the Spell I used to turn Solana into a Celestial Spirit." Frea replied, earning shocked gaze from everyone in the room. "And even before that, that Seal had been on my arm for the three months prior. It held all the way through that, the Celestial Binding Spell- and being a 'Magic Anomaly'- all the way into the GMG before I managed to break through it." She sighed slightly, "... Her Limiter Seal even held up when I got all worked up about Tomaru and Death Bolt, and I was considerably more angry then, than at the GMG."
They glanced between one another quickly, entirely taken aback at the revelation and reeling slightly for it. That Limiter Seal remaining contact on Frea for months seemed impossible- but it had to be impossible for it to have never broken when Frea caused that Magic Anomaly half the Country had seen.
And yet it had happened?! Frea's Magic was striking and it seemed ludicrous to imagine that even Jynx's Magic could restrict the Energy Dragon Slayers so well. Jynx was skilled in her own right but one hardly looked at her and thought pure power, and it certainly seemed like nothing compared to Frea's.
"... You... Are serious..?" Mavis stammered slightly, Frea nodded.
"... Jynx is more powerful than you realize." Frea mumbled softly, after all... Of the Forces of Creation? Jynx's Magic was one of them... And more than that.
What did Naraka call her...? ... Seleyn...?
... One of the 'Mortal Embodiments' of a Force of Creation... Like me.
"... Alright, so... Perhaps maybe Jynx's Seal can last against your Magic, should it get out of hand." Mavis relented slowly, though she still seemed rather skeptical. "... Though... Limiter Seals only repress Magic to keep it from rising to the surface... Subdue them enough so you cannot use Magic easily."
"That Magic is still inside you, it could still hurt you, even if the Seal keeps it from being tangible enough to damage the outside world. It could still very well damage you regardless- tear you apart from the inside out like 'All Magic'." Porlyusica grumbled, clearly not at all impressed with the 'solution'. "Using a Limiter Seal could very well be just like trying to cage an animal; it keeps it locked away but it can still claw the inside the cage and damage it."
In this analogy, the cage her body and the animal her Magic... And with how bent and beat up the 'Cage' was, that 'animal' could do some incredible damage, and she knew it. She had gone over her options (what few of them there were) already, and she knew using a Limiting Seal could keep her Magic more manageable on a use-basis, but it was still swirling around inside her, clawing at the bars and trying to get out. That stress would be immense, and if it got bad enough- she could start tearing up organs, and bone... And she realized that immediately, as did Porlyusica it seemed.
"... That's true..." Frea relented quietly, agreeing had Master and Mavis looking worried- the air felt like electricity in that moment and she closed her eyes against the sudden wash of pale gold, pink and white color that suddenly seemed to seep into the room and float across her vision. "... But even then, it might be worth it to give my body time to adjust to the new level of Power slowly, and eventually all the way- and I'd need a Limiter to keep my Magic from rising too quickly... " She mused, she felt the annoyance pickle from Porlyusica at the suggestion, and sighed.
"... If you have a better alternative I am all ears... But I've been mulling it over and I can't come up with anything else... And as it stands, I might be ok and I might be able to handle this crazy rise in my Magic Power just fine... We are just gonna have to wait and see." She mumbled, wincing inwardly at the throbbing that started in her head.
She opened her eyes slowly, seeing them watching her now with such tenseness and apprehension it was painful to look at. But their faces blurred, the unwanted wash of color faded only slightly. But they didn't say anything- because like her, they didn't have another answer or solution.
"... I promise, I'll let you know if it starts getting really bad... But I've got to try and do my best to handle it on my own, first." Frea murmured lightly, "... I've managed to keep a good handle on my Magic for years, even when things went sideways... It'll take getting used to if it comes to that... But I'll find a way to stay in control." Her lips twitched at the corners, a small, split second of some rueful smile.
"... I don't really have a choice, I can't lose it..." She sighed, her eyes narrowing slightly when she saw Mavis look away from her quickly at that small comment.
"... I do not like leaving things to chance. Especially so when what you plan on chancing could affect your health." Porlyusica grumbled, Master shook his head a little.
"... I would feel better if you weren't running the risk of ending up in a bad situation- with your own Magic, no less..." Master murmured quietly, "... Magic is a fickle thing... If you are not careful it can do irreparable damage... More so the stronger the Magic..." His voice dropped, almost as if he was talking to himself. "... But you are right... I cannot think of a way to keep you from harm if you're Magic gets that out of hand. Limiting it could hurt you- but it may also be enough to let your body adjust to the new level of Magic Energy, even if it hurts you at the same time... Apart from that, I might have suggested Nullifying your Magic completely until we have a definite solution..." He sweatdropped slightly, "... But I have serious doubts Nullifying your Magic would do any good... I cannot think of anything that could control nor contend with what sheer level of Power your Magic rose to when you were fighting Mordren."
"... I am not sure I have another solution either..." Mavis admitted, though she sounded pained to do just that. Porlyusica leaned back in her seat, her arms crossed about her chest and huffing in agitation.
"... Annoying humans..." The Old Lady hissed, "... You can't be using Magic, for any reason. Not even to test it. With how weak you are now using any sort of Magic, small or not will send your health spiraling. Even if your Magic hasn't returned yet, it will. Leave it to chance if you will... Tch... But if it begins to affect you in any way you need to tell me immediately, understood?" She growled sternly, Frea nodded.
"I understand." All three still looked unhappy, and resigned. None of them liked it, not with the risk, but they realized well enough they had nothing they could do... It just didn't make it any easier.
"... Away from that, Frea... We were hoping to discuss the things that Mordren said.. Involving the 'Forces of Creation'." Mavis spoke up softly after a moment of tense silence between them, "You responded to him as if you were already aware of what they were, and knew more than he did."
"We haven't been able to piece together much of why he decided to attack and what the 'Ritual' was... Or if it was even real, or a fancy notion." Master murmured, "When he pulled us there he said you and Chase were to fight with him for deciding the Balance of Light over Dark... and that the Magics meant to fight for it consisted of those 'Forces of Creation'... To which Energy Magic is apart of." He paused, "... I suppose the biggest question is; was it all true? How much of what he said was fact and fiction? And what do you know about it..?"
Frea bit the inside of her cheek, her eyes falling into her hands as she sighed internally.
How much was true?
She wasn't sure she believed it... and she wasn't sure if she had any right not to.
"... To be honest, I don't know much... And I'm not really sure how easily I can explain it either... I'm still having a hard time deciding what was nonsense and what wasn't." She started slowly, "... There's... A few things... That I just feel like I know on instinct, though why I know it isn't easy to explain... The rest of it is guesswork, I guess..." She shook her head slightly,
"... The Forces of Creation are this notion, or maybe Theory is better- that all life, existence, world, everything: tangible and intangible are spanned from the mixture of four distinct Powers... Or Magics if you think of it that way." Frea mumbled, "... Its the mixing of those four that make up everything in some way... So in that idea, nothing exists without those Four Magics and nothing would exist without them... Put them all together and they are... 'Creation' itself."
They blinked, looking slightly awed and unsure of the explanation. Mavis sweatdropped, blinking a few times as she tapped a finger to her chin lightly, almost in thought, before she looked up toward Frea again.
"... Mordren was convinced there were three, not four." Mavis pressed gently, "... You told him he was wrong."
... he was wrong... Odd, considering so many years of his life were dedicated to studying the damn things.
She winced slightly as a flash of pain ran through her head, cursing herself silently for letting her thoughts trail there.
"... Yeah." Frea mumbled, "... I could be wrong, but I think they're supposed to be Time, Soul, Energy and Death... Making it four Magics, and not the first three he kept on about... Or at least..." she broke off slightly,
... Do I tell them about Naraka...?
She hesitated, she hated she did but she couldn't help it. How the hell was she meant to explain him? Or about the Reach?
"... That is my version... Anyway..." She put in quickly, Mavis blinked. "... The version that makes most sense to me, at any rate... given the things I've learned and been told... And felt..."
"... And what he mentioned, about the places holding those Powers...?" Mavis murmured,
"... Nvindorr, and Hilshine... And my Mountain, where I trained..." Frea mumbled, flinching at the ache that ignited in her core at thought of that place... It was likely nothing but ruin and rubble now, nothing like it had been when she was with Chaitanya...
She swallowed, hard.
... Chaitanya...
She let out a small, slightly shaky breath, forcing herself to push away the pain on her heart.
"... They're hubs for the Magic, where its concentrated, at it's most powerful and pure form.. and locked away from the world. I wasn't aware that my Mountain was one of them, though... Not until Mordren dropped us there." Frea replied quietly, ".. Nearest I can piece together, he wanted to gain control over every tomb containing one of the Forces of Creation, in the hopes it would get him closer to that power of 'Creation'. I locked him out of Nvindorr and Hilshine, and ruined that part of his plan... So he went with trying to throw the world into Chaos by tipping the balance in whatever insane ritual or rite he thought all that was..." She shrugged slightly, shaking her head a bit.
"... Like I said... I don't get all of it either... It's a lot of crazy and impossible to try and work through."
"... It is all... Unheard of to me..." Master breathed, Mavis nodded stiffly in agreement. "... In all history and theory of Magic, I have never come across the idea of 'Forces of Creation' or Tombs of those Magics... Or a Rite to decide the Balance of Light over Dark... Not once... I suppose it shouldn't be a wonder you would be confused by all of it as well... But I still have to wonder what was true.." Master shuddered slightly, his eyes narrowed in thought.
"... That man's power was no lie, I've never come across anyone with that sheer amount of crushing Magical Energy... But for that much power I find it hard to fathom he could exist and there be no record of him at any time... he seemed to come from nowhere..." Master hissed,
"... It seems even harder to fathom that he could have very well been around longer than that of even Zeref." Mavis murmured lowly, "... Zeref who has been around for thousands of years, immortal... And if I am to be honest... It would seem to me Mordren could have been even more powerful than Zeref..." Mavis bit the inside of her lip, her eyes falling closed as her hands linked together a bit tightly in her lap. Frea blinked, "... A truly chilling thought... and even more remarkable that you were able to contend with him, Frea... And survived it..."
Frea stiffened, sweatdropping slightly at the words.
She wouldn't be here now if Laxus hadn't-
...tch...
"... indeed." Master breathed, his eyes flashing. Frea bit the inside of her cheek as she felt the pain flash from him in the next instant,
"... There is another thing that's been worrying me, Frea. It happened when you and Chase were going to use your 'Energy Mage Defense'." Mavis started softly, slowly, her green gaze level on the Energy Dragon Slayer and so damned piercing.
Frea felt like her heart stopped altogether, her eyes widening a little as chills ran up and down her spine. Mavis simply held her in that green stare- and she knew what that look held behind it.
Her breath caught in her throat painfully, her heart pounding faster in a rush of fear she absolutely hated.
"... Gajeel said he heard you mention it had happened before, when you were fighting with Tomaru... It is what made you lose."
How do I explain to them... That I might end up...?
A wash of wind swept up as Mordren swiped his hand, clearing the dust and uplifted land from around himself in a clean wash of his Magic, his clothes dirty and ripped, blood dripping from a cut across his face and arm, his lips twisted in an almost maniacal grin.
"Has the Abyss claimed the great and powerful Energy Dragon Slayer?!" He called, his Magic shooting out toward Frea who was still utterly emotionless, her eyes still and flinty as she pushed off the ground, landing neatly on an Energy Box she had created in but a moment, before she launched herself upward into the air, her Magic rising over her head as she lift her arms up.
Chase hissed, shuddering again at the neutrality on his Old Mentor's face, it was wrong, it was off... there was something suddenly different about her, and that feeling of cold hit him again, and dread creeped in. Something about her felt wrong, horribly wrong. He placed his hands on the ground, his Magic pouring into the cracks in the earth and moving quickly toward where Mordren stood, still smiling up as Frea fell through air toward him.
"You tried to take my head off! And bury me alive! Oh I hoped I would see this!" Mordren smirked, eyes wild.
"The day that Malunafrey, great Energy Dragon Slayer, will finally Fall!"
... How do I explain... I'm corrupted...? That this darkness is growing on my Soul...?
Her jaw clenched, her eyes falling shut as that same icy pain that had been rearing it's head without end, ran through her core again. Throbbing incessantly as she felt the chill grow a bit firmer in her heart- it happened, again, right there with all of them and she had to do everything she could not to wince out loud. Because what explanation could she come up with? She was hurt, she was wounded- but this pain came from something else, from something she doubted they would really understand, and it wasn't something altogether tangible either.
That darkness was eating away at her, always, and when it hurt so bad like this? It was like it had ripped off another piece and started chewing.
It was worse than being stabbed a thousand times, worse than having Mordren rip through hee body with his Magic.
And it just kept on getting worse, everytime it happened- steadily and without end... It was so bad. She might even just-
... How do I tell them... It can't be fixed?
The world around her was spinning, the air moving and swirling and utterly pitch black. It was heavy, throbbing, she couldn't scarcely breath under it let alone move as she remained battered on all sides.
It was pure, sheer Power- she felt it in her heart. It was Magic and of a caliber she couldn't fathom, it was stronger than Mordrsn... Stronger than Frea. Immeasurable.
Carla couldn't make heads nor tails of what was going on, she was trapped- stuck inside this vast sea of black and her body aching from being rammed into so hard. She was being suffocated, consumed-
"N-no... It can't be..."
She couldn't place who's voice that was, it sounded familiar and yet she didn't know why. But she heard the terror, the pain- and the disbelief.
"There's... There's no way...!"
The world of pitch black around her shook violently, a boom ringing around her as the dark became split apart for only an instant by muffled, jagged yellow-before the gold was swallowed up again.
Carla shuddered, her eyes wide and a cold chill falling down her spine as her eyes locked with terrifyingly familiar ones.
Cold, glittering dull grey.
"Carla!"
Carla yelled, lunging upward in fright to painfully bright light. She was gasping in terror, her fur on end and her heart pounding madly against her ribcage.
"Carla..! Are you alright..?" Wendy's soft voice sounded beside her, the bluenette on her knees and her hand reaching forward to land gently on Carla's paw. Carla blinked, her eyes falling on Wendy and dazed as she did her best to calm down and make sense of where she was-
..F...Fairy Hills... In our... room
"... Were you having a vision, Carla..?" Wendy asked tentatively. Carla shuddered, holding her ears in her paws and taking in a deep breath to try and calm herself down.
"...n..no... I don't think so... I think it may have just been a nightmare..." Carla stammered, though Wendy could hear how unsure she was of the answer.
... Those eyes... Gray and lifeless... cold... Magic a choking, sick black...
"... Mordren... It was about Mordren..." Carla stammered, Wendy visibly flinched at the name.
"... It was a nightmare... Mordren can't come back... He's dead... There's no future that could... Ever... Involve him..."
"Teach... We need to talk about this."
Frea sweatdropped, her eyes moving away from the ceiling and over toward the unusually tense and somber form of her former Student that had halted himself in the infirmary on that second week.
Her hand fell away from holding her chin in it, her fingers grazing softly against her cheek as she cast him a sideways glance, her fangs biting down on the inside of her cheek and her stomach twirling unpleasantly.
He grimaced slightly at the look of fear he saw ignite in his Old Mentor's eyes for but half a second, the entirely unpleasant emotion flashing from her for, where he'd seldom felt it before... And once upon a time never expected he would. She looked exhausted, pulled every which direction and she looked afraid- tense beyond any level becuase she knew exactly why he'd come inside that room when everyone had started home and the Guild was going quiet again.
And she really, really did not want to go there... And maybe he didn't blame her, but he couldn't leave it alone either. This was just too serious an issue, and they really needed to be straight to one another about it.
"... Teach..." He mumbled, she flinched- flinched.
He stopped short, his eyes widening a little at the reaction.
There was pain sparking off of her in the next minute, powerful, piercing pain that rammed into him almost hard enough he felt like he was being stabbed. It made him feel sick, it stopped his breath in his throat and sent his pulse racing, his body went rigid in worry and shock as Frea hunched in on herself slightly, her hands holding tight of the fabric of her shirt and shoulders hunching. She hissed, badly- her body shaking and her breathing ragged by the time he felt the waves of pain from her halt.
He shuddered slightly, he felt like his heart had dropped into his feet.
He'd never felt that much pain, not from anyone- it was a level beyond what torture would have been like, or being burned alive... It was awful, and it came out of nowhere- no warning, nothing.
Frea was always in so much pain just from her wounds nowadays, but that was something else- something worse, cold, dark... And to be honest, with how sick it made him feel- how much it just hurt him to feel it coming from her- he didn't understand how she held against it, or even how she managed to live with it and stay so collected and quiet all at once.
He'd climbed to his feet and moved closer to her without consciously thinking about it. His hands moved to reach out toward her but he stopped- she likely didn't want to be touched and it wasn't as if anything he did would help her feel better... He wasn't sure anything could, from what little he understood of it.
It just made him feel worse knowing that, though. Useless even... Useless again.
But she couldn't keep up with that, not that much pain- and not as often as it happened. It would have been too much for anyone just after the first two times, and he knew it had been happening regularly- that pain flared several times a day and it seemed to just keep getting worse. Even for Frea, that was just too much pain and strain to live under.
"...tch... Damn... It..." She huffed, a little hoarsely. He sweatdropped at the sound of her breathing, his eyes glittering.
"... We really need to talk about this, Teach..." He murmured, his voice gentle yet persistent. "... You can't live like this... All that pain, it's just too much."
She cast him a weary glance, shaking her head slightly as her breathing settled down again.
"... I'm fine..." She mumbled,
"No you're not." He growled, maybe a touch more harshly than he needed to. "I can feel your pain, Teach- and its really, really bad. You're not just exhausted and hurting from all the wounds Mordren gave you, that much pain does not come from regular injuries." She blinked, her eyes narrowing slightly as he huffed under his breath. "Do not tell me you're 'fine', I know you're not!"
Her eyes fell away from him and fell closed instead. He growled under his breath, slowly sinking down into the chair beside the bed as his eyes remained fixed on her.
"... You're gonna need to talk to me... I know what I felt and I think I understand what it is, and what it means... But I need you to explain it to me." He started slowly, "... I can feel it still, there's something cold and dark latched on to you. I have to really try hard to look for it, I wouldn't have ever known it was there before what happened with Mordren... And I know it's affecting you. For a few minutes there you Fell, Teach. You went Dark- and it hurt you to try and stop from giving into whatever Evil Energy it is... It's still hurting you. But I don't get why, or even where this came from... You're not Evil, Teach. You never have been, what I felt coming from you... It wasn't you, it's like a separate thing entirely."
He paused, sweatdropping heavily as he gazed at her steadily and she didn't move, she hardly seemed to breathe- and she certainly didn't open her eyes to look at him again.
"Tell me what's going on." He grumbled, his tone becoming the slightest bit edgy for half a second. "Tell me what we need to do, what we can do to help you, Teach."
"You can't." Her sharp reply caught him off guard, and he recoiled a little at the sudden fiery blaze her silver gaze took on when she looked up at him. "There's nothing to be done, it can't be fixed and you need to get that, Kid. I am going to have to live with it, even if it hurts, even if I feel like crap- I don't have a choice. Pain is better than becoming..." she hissed, he blinked as she seemed to bite the inside of her cheek, and he felt fear prickle from her for half a second then.
"...Becoming Mordren." She finished lowly, Chase stiffened at the name. Frea shook her head in near agitation,
"... You couldn't ever fall that far, Teach... Not enough to be anything like him." Chase replied quickly,
"... I can when its the very same darkness that corrupted him, that's living inside me now." Frea mumbled, Chase felt his heart drop to his feet again. "... Mordren wasn't evil, not in the beginning. He tried to take control of some ancient, volatile Magic and it ended up taking over him, it stained his soul and drove him into darkness. Turned him evil where he hadn't been before... Made him do the things he did, kill people, become... Made him a monster."
Frea swallowed, shaking her head at herself and in an attempt to cast off the sudden memory of Reyan that sprung to the surface of her mind.
"... It's in me, now. Some section of that Magic that corrupted him passed over and latched onto me when he rammed his hand through my side back in Hilshine... It's been spreading since then, and it just got a lot worse when we were fighting with him on my Mountain." Frea grumbled lowly. "It can't be fixed, it can't be gotten rid of... I live with it or it turns me into something like Mordren. And I am not letting that happen, ever."
Frea hissed under her breath faintly,
"... There's nothing to be done, Kid. It won't go away, there's nothing you or I or anyone else can do to stop it getting... This is just how it is." She murmured lowly,
"... That can't be it, Teach.." Chase mumbled after a few moments of slightly stunned silence. "... How the hell do you... When did you know about this? If it happened back in Hilshine, have you been-?"
He was angry, just a little as he cut himself off. His blue eyes flashed as he settled her with a small glare,
Had she been hiding this the entire time? Since Hilshine? And she never told anyone?
Moon had told the Guild that something had happened to Frea when she was fighting with Tomaru. Something had gone really, really wrong and she couldn't understand what- but it happened again when fighting Mordren and Chase knew what it was. Pain and Darkness that was slowly swallowing his Old Mentor whole and Frea was struggling so damned hard against it.
Had she been hiding what was wrong for that long without saying anything?
Frea sweatdropped,
"... No... Yes..." She mumbled softly, Chase frowned. "... I thought maybe... Something wasn't right, but I didn't piece it all together until Mordren came along... Until I started to lose..."
"... So how do you know about all of this, then? About Mordren and him no being evil once?" Chase grumbled, "How do you know about any of it? The Magic? How do you know it can't be fixed?"
Fear flashed from Frea again, and those times it was mixed with sadness so deep he shuddered.
"...it's... It's all complicated, Kid..." Frea murmured, "... Mordren and the Forces of Creation, All Magic and the Rite... There's so much crap that's going on and ties into it and its all crazy... Its too much at once." Frea's forehead fell into her hand as her head bowed slightly, "... I'm trying to make it all... Just make sense, and I'm not having any luck..."
Frea sighed,
"... I don't know if I want to just believe all of it, either..." She breathed, almost all to herself.
Of course, she wasn't sure she had much choice on the matter... and she wasn't sure anyone else would believe it if she were to try explaining it all. She wasn't sure Chase would... But maybe...
"... I don't know if you'll even be able to wrap your head around it, Kid... But..." Frea mumbled uncertainly, "... The Forces of Creation, the Magic that Mordren was talking about... Legend or myth or nonsense, whatever... They exist somehow, and with them there are people who... Who are incarnate of those Magics. The most powerful, mortal users of them, each with their own skills, history, whatever..."
"... I am apparently one of them... The incarnate for Energy... and with that comes the whole 'All Magic' and apparently knowing things I really, really shouldn't..." Frea trailed off, Chase's eyes fixed to her and completely still.
"... Mortal incarnate... For Energy... As a Force... Of Creation...?" He mumbled slowly, "... I mean... It did kinda sound... Crazy...at the time, when he was lecturing on and on... But..." Chase sighed, his eyes falling closed a moment as he ran a hand through his hair.
"... So... Say it is true, and you really are... it wouldn't be so much a stretch for me, that you could be the strongest user of Energy Magic, Teach. And given all the crazy things that have been happening... It wouldn't be fair to say none of it has merit, the Forces of Creation or Incarnates... I think I've seen too many impossible things firsthand lately to just write it off." Chase mumbled, his eyes slowly opening to trail toward Frea, who was not looking at him- she looked so tired, so torn.
"... Is being the 'mortal incarnate' of Energy have something to do with what he kept calling you?" He asked quietly, "... Malunafrey..?"
Frea nodded, just once, stiffly even. Chase bit the inside of his cheek,
"... And what you said... Mordren kept on about three Forces of Creation, but you told him he had it wrong. That there are four, not three... Energy, Time, Soul and Death."
"... You heard that?" Frea's soft question caught him off guard a second.
"... I heard all of it... Felt, all of it..." Chase replied lowly. "... I got pretty beat up, but I was never out of it enough not to know what was going on... I knew what happened, even subconsciously. That much Power and..." he shook his head a little. "... Even beat to hell, I was still awake enough to make out and feel all that happened."
Though honestly his consciousness had faded a little in the middle where he couldn't really make out all the words. It all got blurred somewhere in there where he remembered nothing but feeling so much Power coming from her it was like being next to the sun, Power and Magic that was so many colors and types and it was all definitely hers- whether or not it took on flame or air or iron. But he remembered that, even outside his own pain and his own exhaustion- and he would never forget it either.
Frea nodded slightly, her eyes narrowed to slits and tracing along the hand left abandoned in her lap.
"... A part of just 'knowing things I really, really shouldn't' I just know that three was wrong... It was always four, it was always those four... And I realized Mordren had it wrong." Frea mumbled, in itself being a lie- Naraka told her, but she was already discussing things crazy enough without mentioning the fact she had literally held a conversation with a Dragon made of Death Magic... And was Death Magic itself entirely?
Damn it... It's too complicated...
And besides, just like she instinctively knew Mordren was lying through the battle, that maybe he wasn't always bad, among other things she felt and knew just naturally without ever being told. She supposed maybe when he had first set there to be three she knew it was wrong on her own, just faintly.
"... I don't know how to explain it... But there's some things I've always just known, without hearing it somewhere, or being told... It's information that's just... Written in my bones..."
Chase blinked, his eyes narrowing a little as he bit the inside of his cheek slightly.
That? That wasn't a stretch, Frea knowing things that should have been impossible for her to. She'd known plenty of things over the years that left he and other people wondering how she knew, but eventually he'd just accepted it... 'I know more than you guys think I do' was a familiar phrase he had heard from his Old Mentor and was the truth.
"... Alright... But if there are incarnate of the Forces of Creation, ans you're one... Doesn't that mean that there are three more? For Soul, Time and... Death...?"
... He really just glossed over the lack of answer for how I know all of this, didn't he?
Frea cast him a sideways glance for a small second, faintly shocked at how little he hadn't pressed the point and how quickly he had moved on... Does he actually believe all of this? She could see the confusion, and hesitation... But yes, maybe he almost did believe all of the crazy. He trusted her well enough not to just write it off immediately, but she was still a little taken aback.
And maybe a little... Relieved. She almost needed someone who would keep and open mind and level head to just talk through all of this insanity... And while she was sure Laxus would listen, she wasn't sure he'd really wrap his head around it as well as Chase might. Chase was always better at taking things that were abstract and a little out there... Hell, he'd followed along in her teaching him a Magic that at its core made no sense and he hardly ever complained about it.
"... Yeah." She murmured,
"... Those... Those are three Magics that are either so rare I know no one who uses them, or I have never heard of." Chase mumbled, "Death and Time Magic I've seen... But Soul? What the hell is Soul Magic supposed to be?"
"... You actually already know the mortal incarnate for Soul." Frea replied softly, his eyes widened a little in clear surprise. "... Though it seems the name for the Magic has changed over time... To Spirit Magic."
"... Jynx?" Chase breathed, Frea nodded. "... You're kidding..."
"No, I'm serious... You could ask her yourself." Frea replied, "... Though she probably understands little more than I do, at this point..."
"... hmm... yes, but I myself am still a bit behind on the details. So I apologize that I cannot explain further."
Chase sweatdropped a little, his mind flashing to the words and how similar they sounded with what Frea said just then.
He leaned back in his chair with a long sigh, running a hand through his hair again in near exasperation.
"... Ok... So you... And Jynx..." He mumbled, "... But the other two? Any clue who they are?"
Frea shook her head, "No, I have no clue." She sighed,
"... Would Jynx know?" He asked, Frea blinked.
"... I don't know." She mumbled, though she had a feeling that Jynx did indeed know. "... We haven't talked." Frea admitted softly, Chase blinked at that in slight surprise, before he shook his head a little to cast off the thought.
"... Is all this new information why you just know you can't be helped?" He pressed, "You haven't given me a straight answer, Teach."
"I'm corrupted." Was the soft reply. "That evil has... It's stained me, started eating away at my soul. It's latched on and it can't be gotten rid of without..."
"... Without killing you."
Chase and Frea alike jumped at the low, near somber answer that sounded then- as well as the flare of an Energy Signature that appeared on the opposite side of the bed from Chase. There was a small haze of purple for a moment before it left Jynx sitting there, her red eyes flashing slightly as she caught Frea's gaze, before she let her attention rest on Chase instead.
"... What?" Chase asked immediately, Jynx seemed to sigh internally.
"... As you are aware now, my Magic is Soul Magic." Jynx replied evenly, "... It is hard to leave a mark on a Soul, it takes something powerful to do so... What has latched on to Energy Dragon now is... Volatile, powerful. Once it found a place and held on, its become a part of her soul on a level so deep that attempting to remove it- it could not be done without destroying her physical form." Jynx rest her hands lightly in her lap as she glanced down at them.
"... In all honesty, until recently I hadn't thought it possible to cleanse a soul of such evil at all. Trying to do so only ever resulted in destroying the soul entirely, until there is nothing left." Jynx mumbled, her eyes falling closed a moment. "... But as it stands, Energy Dragon is right. There is nothing to be done, not by either of you, and not even by me... Even the Mortal Embodiment of Soul is powerless to fix this... And I am sorry." Frea saw Jynx's hands, now folded together, clasp a bit more tightly in her lap. "... If I could do anything to spare you this, I would... But I don't know of anything... That evil is only going to grow, and you are the only person who can keep it from spreading, though it will be... Unpleasant." Jynx's eyes flickered up toward Frea for the briefest of seconds, Frea nodded, just slightly.
"... I know... It's fine... I'll handle it. I'm going to control it, keep it from making me go... Dark." Frea sighed, she earned a tense look from Chase and Jynx alike at the answer.
"... Are you sure?" Chase asked Jynx less because he was hoping for a better answer and more because... Just how could there be nothing to fix it?
Jynx's solemn nod had him going quiet, his eyes falling as his shoulders stiffened a little.
... She... Teach can't live like that... Its just... Its too much...
He bit the inside of his cheek, hard. His eyes flashed as his hands wrung together tightly,
... That much pain... If it gets worse, could she still fight it? Or wouldn't she just... Want to give in?
He felt a shiver run up his spine.
... Frea can't fall into Darkness all the way, right...? She'd never...
His eyes snapped shut, hating himself for thinking such a thing but be couldn't help it. All of this? Mortal Incarnations, and Forces of Creation- Jynx and Frea and her soul being corrupted, eaten away by something evil...
... When did the world get so complicated? It wasn't even all of that- it was how Frea had fought, her Magic... It was all things about World Sense and All Magic and everything he he wanted to understand- but the more he heard the less he felt he did.
If he was reeling... Hell, he couldn't imagine how Frea felt about it. Or was handling it- she was so exhausted and so tense, and he could see how much strain she was under, and he was sure now a lot of it had to do with all of this...
... And hell if she deserved to have to deal with any of this bullshit. Why was it always her, huh?
Frea's hand fell lightly on top of his head, snapping him from his head and his thoughts as his eyes flitted up toward her in surprise. She'd shifted, leaning forward a little to reach him as she gave him a small, calm little smile, her fingers tangling in his hair.
"I know, Kid." She murmured, "... I know you're worried, I get it... If I had the chance, I would have tried to keep you out of it- just so you wouldn't get so worked up about me like this." He stiffened a little, "... You two, and Mavis are the only people who know about this, and I need it to stay that way, alright?"
She had avoided telling Master and Porlyusica the truth when the prompted her on the subject. As guilty as it made her feel to lie to them- she hadn't a choice. She told them that Mordren had let his Magic latch on to her when they had confronted one another in Hilshine, that a section of his Magic had taken hold of her and that was the reason she had lost to Tomaru- that Mordren was messing with her life and wanted her to lose. She told them he did it again when they were fighting on her mountain, using his Magic to control her as he had before... Some of it held some truth, but the lie came when she assured them that All Magic and Mordren's demise had done away with any and all control his Magic had had on her. That she was free, it wasn't a problem and she would never be bothered by it again... That was lie, and Mavis knew it.
Fairy Tail's First Guild Master was clever, she had already pieced together what had really happened- but she knew enough not to out Frea on the lie right away. She had waited until Master and Porlyusica had gone before confronting Frea about it directly, and Frea admitted it... Only because she had seen the way Mavis looked at her, seen the suspicion, seen her know that she wasn't telling the truth... And that was when Mavis told her that Jynx had explained what happened already.
Mavis promised to say nothing of it to anyone else, upon Frea's soft request... And she wasn't happy about the secret, but Frea had a feeling she was willing to keep it, not just because she asked her to- but because the Guild or anyone else knowing about it would hurt them, worry them- and even Mavis Vermilion had had to accept there was nothing to be done, and no way to fix this... and more than that;
Frea had been asked to keep a secret of Mavis' own, so maybe now they had to keep the things they knew to themselves.
Chase figured must have frowned a little at the words, because Frea rubbed the top of his head with a slightly somber smile,
"... You're gonna have to trust me, Kid. I know you're worried and I am not blaming you for being... Living this way is probably gonna suck, at least some of the time- I won't deny that... But I can take it." She smirked slightly, some fraction of light and mirth appearing in her eyes for a moment- she looked almost like her normal self, she looked freaking calm and his heart ached it.
"Trust me, and that I'll be ok. That I can handle it, whatever happens, yeah?" She asked lightly, his eyes flashed as he simply held her gaze a few moments, before his eyes fell closed.
"... I... I trust you, Teach..." He mumbled quietly, "... I trust you... But I still hate this.." Frea smiled sadly at how unsure he sounded, but she let it be.
I hate this too... More than you realize.
She let out a small breath as she drew her hand back, leaning back in the process as she let her eyes start to trail over toward Jynx. She caught the Ghost Girl's gaze, she looked just as tense as Chase did, and more so uneasy- but she nodded toward Frea once in agreement.
"... Besides, I've been through worse, you should know me better by now... It's gonna take a lot more than this to tear me down." She added lightly, though her voice was a bit more rueful than she had intended. She shook her head at herself, her eyes turned back toward Chase, only to freeze when she realized he wasn't sitting down in the chair anymore.
He had stood up, his hands reaching forward as he caught her in his hold, pulling her closer into him as his arms wrapped gently around her, his head bowing as he rest his chin lightly atop her head. Frea blinked, her hands moving slowly to take hold of his back in response- though honestly she was a little stunned.
"... Ah... Kid...?" She breathed, she wasn't sure he heard her at all.
"... Please... Just don't die on me again, alright, Teach..?" He asked softly, Frea felt her heart skip a beat. "... You can't do that to me again... I want to trust you and I do... I just want to help, I wish I could help... You don't deserve any of the hell that you've been through and you don't deserve to have to live through this either..." Frea stiffened at that,
"... I know you don't want me to worry, but you need to tell me if it gets bad. I might not be able to do anything about it, but I will sure as hell try, even if it's just listening to you trying to piece everything together... You need to trust me too, alright Teach?" He added a bit more firmly then, Frea bit the inside of her cheek.
Frea's breath caught in her throat, her eyes flashing as she felt her heart clench. She could feel his worry, and his pain and fear... And it hurt.
"... Yeah... You got it." She mumbled softly, he hugged her a bit tighter. "... Thanks, Kid... For listening to all the crazy... Even if..."
"... You're not gonna go dark, Teach." Chase grumbled, he pulled back, his hand lifting as he flicked her lightly on the forehead. Her eyes flashed and he growled lowly, "... I know that... I believe in that. You won't."
Jynx smiled sadly at that, though neither Energy Mage saw it.
Damn it, she wished she had that optimism... Frea wished it too.
"... But speaking of crazy, there was something else you said to Mordren." Chase murmured, "... I distinctly remember you telling me Energy Mages can't be made without World Sense." Frea sweatdropped a little as he gestured toward her.
"And yet here is the Mortal Incarnate of Energy, and my Energy Magic Teacher- who apparently doesn't have World Sense at all." He sighed, "... Care to explain that..?"
"... I'm good at breaking rules." Frea sighed, "... Apparently even that one... Though I'm not sure how I did." she relented, "... But what I told you is what Chaitanya told me. To be entirely honest... I don't think she quite knew how I bypassed that rule either. I just did..."
Frea swallowed slightly, her heart clenching painfully at memory of the Dragon, and more so hating how she felt her voice shake ever so slightly just saying her name.
"... To be honest... It probably has something to do with being the Malurey..." Frea added softly, Chase blinked.
"... Malurey?" He mumbled,
"Mortal Incarnate for Energy." Frea replied.
"... Mordren called you Malunafrey." He pointed out,
"... He got the translation a little wrong." Frea explained quietly, he blinked at that.
"Indeed... It seemed he got a great many things wrong." Jynx's voice broke in quietly, earning the eyes of both Energy Mages. Jynx sighed slightly,
"You probably ought to sit down, if you still intend to listen, Chase." Jynx murmured, "There is a lot we need to straighten out... And it will take a bit of time." Chase blinked, before taking a seat again.
"Are you alright to discuss things, Energy Dragon?" Jynx asked gently, Frea sighed internally. Her eyes flashed a little, before she nodded, once.
I knew I couldn't keep avoiding it... But that doesn't make it easier...
Enjoy the chapter! This one and the next one are not too exciting, but there was too much to make into one chapter, so I split them into two.
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