The poll on my profile is now officially closed! 'Fairy Tail's Night Terror' received 8 votes out of 27 and gaining 29% of the total poll. Thanks to everybody who voted!
Here's the next chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it.
Guest - That's great to hear. Thank you so…wait a minute, 32? What about this chapter!?
BIRD0FHERMES - Aha! I quite agree. I have to make sure they go on more solo dates. Thanks so much and I hope you'll enjoy this journey.
djinn - Thanks so much. Yep, he sure is, but Bickslow deserves it. I guess that Laxus told them they can achieve greatness if they joined the Thunder Legion. Plus, I think they were childhood friends so that's a factor. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.
FoxFire573 - Muchas gracias. Tienes razón. Pobre Virgo. Estoy seguro de que algún día será castigada... Lo cual es algo extraño de escribir. De todos modos, es bueno que el resto de Fairy Tail confiara en Night. Realmente demuestra cuánto se preocupan y se aman el uno al otro.
wellingonlucas282 - No problem, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well.
Guest - If seems like quite a few people like that as well. Ah well, too bad! I like harem fics XD Ahem…anyway, thank you much, I'm glad that you like the battle. They are two of the strongest fighters so they should have an epic battle. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.
Guest - Ah, thank you actually mentioning this. I've been using an online source when writing the story and it appears the the translations are not the same as the official version. I only noticed this a couple of chapters in so I decided to go for it for now, but I'll write a note when Wendy is introduced. Thanks again.
MDM11 - Thanks so much, I'm glad you like the fight scenes. They're not really my speciality, but I still enjoy them nonetheless. I'll try my best to fit in your suggestions as usual, so I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.
GodsReader15 - Aww, thanks!
Daniel Zamri - Yep, the ships are coming…wait, ships? Plural? Yeah, ships lol.
Guest - Thanks :D
Allluuu - Thank you so much, that's so wonderful to hear. It's reviews like yours that really encourages to write on, so thank you. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter just as much.
Guest - Thank you so much! The current harem list is Lucy, Mirajane, Erza, Levy, Cana, Juvia, Ur, Virgo, Aries, Millianna, Muireall (post-redemption arc) and Hisui (Post-time skip). I did plan on having Flare after the time skip (I thought I needed to underline that last part for obvious reasons) but I do see your point. Who knows. I could change my mind. We still have a long way to go before anything like that happens.
Thanks for reviewing :)
Chapter 31: Shadow, Lightning, Fire And Steel
Medical Ward, Fairy Tail Guild
Porlyusica had arrived not too long after Levy had unlocked Freed's Enchantment Magic over the Guild Hall and they couldn't have been more relieved. Naturally, the elderly woman ignored them and headed straight up to the medical ward where Makarov was resting and tended to him. The Guild Master took ill after Laxus had established the Thunder Palac. Makarov had fainted from the fact that his own flesh and blood would do something so horrific and he was taken up to rest in the medical ward.
Levy and Flare watched Porlyusica work from the far corner of the ward, being sure to keep very quiet to not disturb the miserable healer. After a while, Porlyusica leaned back up, sighed and shook her head sadly.
"This is bad. This is very bad."
"What's bad?" Flare questioned urgently.
"Is it about Master Makarov? What's wrong Porlyusica?"
The elderly woman looked back at them with a scathing look, "Oh, you two brats still here?"
"We've been here the whole time!"
She narrowed her eyes at them, "What was that!?"
"…sorry," they nervously apologised.
Porlyusica turned her head back and closed her eyes, "Bring that idiot here," she commanded in a strained voice, "Laxus, that brat thinks he can be ignorant of his own grandfather's critical condition. Bring him here at once."
The colour drained away from the faces when she said that.
"C-critical condition," Flare uttered in horror, "Surely, you don't mean-"
"We don't have time!" Porlyusica snapped as she tried to hold back tears, "He doesn't have long to live."
Kardia Cathedral
Sat on the alter steps, Laxus counted the seconds one at a time. He stared down at the smashed communication lacrima at his feet and gritted his teeth in rage; not only had his lost his control over Night Terror, but the Phobos was on his way. He could be there at any second...he could even be already there and Laxus wouldn't have realised.
He took a deep breath and centred himself; he needed to focus. He needed all his strength.
The large oak doors of the cathedral opened up and he flicked his eyes towards them, hoping to see the shadowy figure step inside, but he was surprised to see that it wasn't Night Terror. Mystogan, the unknown mage and one of the strongest in Fairy Tail, stepped inside and calmly walked over the stone slabbed floors towards him. He had one of his staffs in his hand, a long one with a stretched out fan at the end of it, ready to be used at any moment while his other staffs of various shapes, colours and designs were in his reach if needed be.
Laxus grinned and rose to his feet before he walked calmly towards him before they both stopped at the centre against each other.
"Well, this is a surprise," Laxus said as he furrowed his brows at the mysterious mage, "I never dreamed you'd actually decide to take part in my little game..."
Mystogan said nothing at first and allowed the silence to float in the air. Eventually, he tightened his grip on his staff, and spoke in a cool, dark voice.
"Deactivate the Thunder Palace immediately and you may still be able to pass this off as mere addition to the festivities," he warned.
Laxus, however, laughed, "This must be my lucky day!" he barked, "I'm sure you know, right? The rumours are flying left and right...about who's the strongest in Fairy Tail. Me...you...or Night Terror."
"I have little interest in such things," Mystogan calmly replied, "But I would propose Gildarts, perhaps."
"Eh, he's no use. He ain't coming back. Erza's showing a lot of promise and all...but she's still weak."
"Erza? Weak?" Mystogan said, a hint of anger in his tone, "You must be as good as blind."
"Now, now children. Let us not argue," a familiar dark voice called out, "We are all part of the same guild. Should we not be comrades?"
Laxus whipped his head back and snarled when he saw Night Terror seeping out of the shadows of one of the cathedral's columns. He glided gracefully across the floor before he stood a few meters behind Laxus, his claw hands were out of his cloak and stretched on either side of him. Looking over Laxus, Night Terror nodded towards Mystogan in greeting.
"Mister Mystogan. How necessary to meet you."
"Night Terror," Mystogan replied with his own polite nod, "I had not realised you will be here as well. Shall I take my leave?"
"No, please stay. You were here first."
Mystogan gave a small sigh, "I have to warn you. My magic does not play well when fighting with allies."
"I will be sure to sidestep then. Thank you for the warning."
A roar of laughter came from Laxus, snapping them both out of their conversation. The Lightning Mage reared his head back as he gave a gleeful cackle, making the other mages growl in anger.
"You think this is funny, Laxus?"
"This not the time for your theatrics! You have to vanquish the Thunder Palace immediately!"
"Ha! Lighten up you two!" Laxus yelled sinisterly, "Don't you realise what this is!? It's a battle between the three strongest mages in the entire guild! A good old fashioned brawl!" he laughed, "Let's settle this now! Me versus the Phobos versus the mysterious mage Mystogan..." he said before he grinned at him, "Or should I say...another..."
Mystogan's eyes narrowed at what he was about to say and flicked his staff towards him, shooting a beam of magic energy towards him. Laxus responded by stretching out both hands, one pointed at Mystogan and the other Night Terror, and shooting lightning from his fingertips. Forced into the battle, Night Terror conjured a pillar of shadows and sent it hurtling towards Laxus, hitting the the lightning attack head on.
BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!
An explosion of magical energy erupted from within the cathedral as three attacks met each other head on. The building tremored, the stained glass windows smashed into pieces and every object not tired down was sent crashing into the walls. Once the light died down, the destruction was revealed; dust and debris swirled around them, there were deep cracks in the stone pillars and pieces of the roof were falling all around them. However, all three were still standing. None of them were going to be taken down that easily.
Night Terror flexed his claws and glared at Laxus intensely, "Mister Mystogan. It is clear that we will have to work together. Shall we battle?"
"I see no other choice," Mystogan said as he lifted his staff in front of him, "Laxus, you will regret this. You are about to witness a form of magic you have never seen before."
Laxus snarled fiercely, "Bring it on! PROVE YOURSELVES THAT YOU ARE WORTHY OF BEING A MAGE!"
Mystogan reacted first. He took out all of his staffs and stuck them into the ground in front of him and conjured a purple magical seal in front of him.
"SKYSCRAPER!" he bellowed.
Suddenly, to Laxus' shock, the floor beneath him bubbled and erupted under his feet, hurling him into the air. A mighty explosion followed which tore through the cathedral and ripped it apart, sending stone blocks hurtling everywhere; the explosion rippled through Magnolia and made several hundred buildings shatter and break until they became nothing. Laxus continued to climb higher and higher into the sky as he was forced to watch the entire town destroyed beneath him. He muttered something in confusion, but he focused on the fact that his climb was not stopping for a second until he reached the edge of Earthland's atmosphere. He floated there in space for a few seconds before he saw a hole appear in space. Two monstrous claws ripped into the fragment of cosmos and a terrifying climbed into existence, ready to swallow him up in one gulp...
...that was when Laxus regained his composure and tore himself out of Mystogan's illusion.
He was back in the cathedral and standing triumphantly in front of Mystogan, smirking proudly at him.
"Ha! You think a stupid illusion would stop me!" he roared, "That crap won't work on me!"
Impressive," Mystogan mused, "But aren't you forgetting something?"
Laxus frowned in confusion before he heard a loud hissing noise from above him. He looked up and his eyes widened as he saw a monstrous shadow serpent looming over her; it's forked tongue flickering out of its jaws and its narrow eyes glaring down at him.
"BÌDEADH NATHAIR!" the shadow serpent hissed before it opened its fanged jaws and stuck downwards towards Laxus.
Laxus roared as he flew his hands up and released a giant thunderbolt of electricity at the serpent which struck its open mouth. The serpent head was lifted up by the blast, but it fought it and pushed down harder. Laxus tried his best to hold the monster off, but he was not in the right position. With a pained grunt, Laxus used his magic to turn into a bolt of electricity and zipped away before the serpent could smash into him. The serpent's jaws sunk into the stone floor, but, since it didn't catch its target, shrunk back in on itself until Night Terror stood where it had been.
The Phobos looked around for him when he felt a jolt of electricity hit his back, causing him to grit his teeth. Luckily, his armour managed to deflect most of it and so he turned around and swiped away another jolt of electricity that was sent at him with his claw. The deflected jolt hit a nearby pillar instead, making it explode into a shower of stone on impact.
He saw Laxus, his body half-turned into electricity, buzzing in the air above. He reared back his fist which began to gather sparks of golden yellow electricity, and hurled it towards him. The electricity took the form of a giant fist aimed directly at him. However, Night Terror sank into his shadow before it could hit him and moved as a shadow around the inside of the cathedral, darting left and right in order to confuse him. He then leapt from a nearby shadow and swung his metal claws at his back. Sensing the attack, Laxus swung his arm back and blocked the swipes, but that when Mystogan shot up and swung one of his staffs, powered by magical energy, at his head. He deflected the attack once again, but, in a single moment of being distracted, was swiped by one Night Terror's claws, sending him hurtling to the ground.
Laxus caught himself and landed on both feet; he glared up at the two with a savage look before he opened his mouth wide and roared.
"LIGHTNING DRAGON ROOOOAAAAARRRR!" he bellowed as a large bolt of electricity zapped and crackled towards them; it was so large that in engulfed the cathedral in blinding golden light.
Night Terror created a shield from his shadows and mixed it with his Fear Magic while Mystogan placed his staff in front of him and protected himself with a magic. The Lightning Roar crashed into the defences with a mighty clash which pushed them back a few feet, but they held strong and waited for the attack to be over.
Soon enough, the attack disappeared and they dropped their shields to see Laxus bent over slightly. His breathing was deep and the was sweat building on his brow, but he was far from done. He clenched his fists tightly and flashed them a savage smirk.
"What's wrong, you pieces of crap!? Tired already!?"
"Mister Laxus, you cannot win against us!" Night Terror growled, "You are outnumbered. To continue this charade is futile!"
"Charade!?" Laxus roared, "You damn Phobos! I guess I have to hammer into that thick skull of yours how serious I am!"
They got into a battle stance, expecting another battle to rage on, when the cathedral doors once again opened and two people ran in.
"Laxus!" Natsu cried as he raised his fists in the air, "I finally found you, you bastard!"
Following after him was Erza who glanced around the destroyed cathedral before setting her sights on the three men, "Laxus…Night…Mystogan?" she uttered.
"Mystogan?" Natsu muttered before he looked at the mage, "Oh, so that's what you look like. A lot of mysterious people at our guild, huh? Are you two related, Night?"
"I assure we are not, Mister Natsu."
Mystogan glanced back at Erza and frowned from behind his mask, however, those brief seconds was all it took for Laxus to react. He stretched out his hand and conjured a ball of lightning around it as he gave a deadly smirk.
"You're wide open!" he cackled as he fired the bolt of electricity at him.
Mystogan barely had time to look around before he was hit in the face by the bolt, making him stumble back a few feet; the cloth in front his face burned and turned into dust in seconds, much to everyone's shock. However, as the smoke died down, they all saw his true face, for Natsu and Erza, it would be the very first time. They're eyes widened in disbelief and they jaws dropped in utter shock as they saw that Mystogan was none of then the spitting image of Jallel Fernandez. Same spiky blue hair, same pointed chin, same sharp eyes and the same blue tattoo over his left eye. Erza was especially astonished. Jallel had died at the Tower of Heaven. Surely it can't be him.
"J-Jellal?" Erza uttered in absolute confusion, "Y-you're alive?"
"No way," Natsu whispered as he gritted his teeth, "You can't be here."
Night Terror frowned spas he saw Mystogan turn his sights away from Erza. He knew that he didn't want to reveal his identity. Night had known for a few years now. Mystogan's magic signature was different to anything he has ever encountered before and, on one late night in a isolated place, confronted him. If he was a threat to Fairy Tail then he needed to know the entire truth. After some argument and threats, Mystogan eventually revealed his face to him and he was surprised by his uncanny resemblance to Siegrain of the Magic Council. He assured him that they weren't the same person, but he couldn't tell him who he really was or where he had come from. Night Terror decided to drop the investigation for now, but he did keep an eye on the mysterious mage ever since. Mystogan didn't seem to mind too much; just as long as Erza never knew.
'Mister Mystogan,' he thought sadly, 'I am sorry that this happened to you,' he thought before he turned towards Erza, "Miss Erza, please, this is not the Mister Jellal you know. His magical signature is not the same."
"W-what do you mean?" Erza uttered while Natsu fumed in anger.
"WHAT THE HELL! THAT'S TOTALLY JELLAL!" he cried out in anger as he pointed angrily at Mystogan.
Mystogan gave a weary sigh and turned away from all of them, "I didn't want this to happen. Not now," he muttered, "I leave this up to you to solve. I'm sorry I have to go," he said before he suddenly disappeared into mist.
"Mister Mystogan! Wait!" Night Terror yelled out, but it was too late, he had vanished into thin air, "Damn it!" he snapped before he sensed a danger hurtling towards him.
Before he could react, he was struck by a powerful lightning attack that caused him to stumble a few feet back. He held his arm up as he fought against the beam of electricity, trying his best to fight it back. Night Terror stumbled slightly from the onslaught. He was exhausted; not only did he have to fight the Misery and then Mira and Take Over Magic form but now he had to fight Laxus of all people. The Lightning Mage, however, kept up the assault and didn't allow Night Terror to recover for a second. Just a little more power and he knew he could get him to his knees.
Suddenly, however, he sensed somebody coming at him and ducked underneath Erza's sword swing. She yelled out as she attacked him again, but Laxus, while still attacking Night, grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up off her feet.
"Attacking with my back turned. That ain't heroic," Laxus chuckled.
Erza growled and broke free from his grasp and pointed her sword at him, "And neither is attacking your own guild," she snarled, "Now let my friend go!"
Her entire body burst into bright light as she used Requip. She turned her normal armour into a blue and golden armour consisting of a breastplate with thin plates that went around her neck. Four white oval-shaped cloths covered her lower half from her lower breastplate to her knees to form a battle skirt and on her shoulder were large epaulettes with spikes on them and legs were covered by high boots. Her hair was done up in a long braided ponytail with two yellow bows in her hair and in her hand was a long spear with a sharp point at the end with a yellow shield covering where it was attached.
She charged forwards with her spear and took an electric attack that Laxus shot at her. She deflected it without any damage and swiped the spear at Laxus' head. He snarled angrily and leapt back before it could hit him, causing him to stop his attack against Night Terror.
The Phobos sighed in relief as the attack stopped and looked up to see Erza continuing to attack Laxus with all she's got, but a powerful kick from Laxus knocked her back a few feet. Night Terror caught her before she could fall and straightened her back up, earning an appreciate nod from her.
"Ready, Night?" she said as she pointed her spear towards Laxus.
"As ready as you are, Miss Erza," he replied back before he readied to attack.
However, before either of them could pounce, Laxus sent them a sinister grin and clicked his fingers. Suddenly, a magical countdown appeared above his head showing the time counting down from two minutes.
"Ah, ah, see this," he said, pointing at the countdown, "When that reaches zero than the entire Thunder Palace will erupt and Magnolia will be destroyed. If you stand any chance of earning my approval than you have to try harder. Don't think you can hang around all day."
"Thunder Palace?" Erza muttered, "Does he mean the balls of lacrima surrounding the town."
"I believe so," Night Terror said as he narrowed his eyes at him, "This is mass murder. How does this prove your strength, Mister Laxus!?"
"Sometimes you need to be strong to make tough decisions," he chuckled with a shrug, "As well as to make a few sacrifices."
Erza's snarled furiously, "You bastard!"
She would have charged towards him, but Night Terror held her back by her shoulder.
"Stop, Miss Erza. This is exactly what he wants us to do," Night Terror said before he sighed, "Mister Natsu, can you deal with Mister Laxus. Miss Erza please come with me outside."
Erza gave him an odd look but gave a nod nonetheless while Natsu roared joyfully.
"Now that's an order I can follow!" he bellowed as he enrobed his fists in flame and leapt towards Laxus.
Laxus blocked his attacks and knocked him away easily before turning to Night Terror in anger, "Where the hell do you think you're going!?" he yelled, "Come back here!"
He tried to run after them before they could escape through the cathedral door but Natsu attacked him before he could, distracting him by getting him involved in a fight.
Meanwhile, Night Terror and Erza had made outside and stood in front of the towering cathedral. They looked up at the hundreds of lacrima crystals hanging in the air threateningly and narrowed their eyes at them. Erza tsked in anger before looking towards Night Terror.
"What's the plan, Night?"
"We are going to destroy them before they are set off," the Phobos explained as he studied the lacrimas high above before he tutted in annoyance, "I should have known. He has used Organic Link Magic on them as well. Even at this distance, we will be electrocuted. I can not even use my Fear magic."
Erza frowned at him, "What are you going to do then?"
Night sighed and conjured several hundred tendrils from his cloak, "If that is what it takes then so be it. I can take it."
The red haired mage looked at him for a few seconds before she requiped into a new suit of armour. It seemed to be made of a silvery metal with the upper part of the armour consisting of a small breastplate that resembled bird wings and her biceps are covered by metal straps and a pair of very large plated gauntlets which also resembled feathers. On her lower half is a set of plates over a long skirt as well as boots, a neck guard and a winged tiara. On her back were two large pairs of metal wings made of metal feathers which gleamed in the afternoon sun prettily. Night Terror looked at her in confusion at the costume change.
"Why did you change?" he asked, "Your last armour allowed you to take electrical attacks easily. Would that not be more appropriate?"
Erza responded by conjuring several swords, of various shapes and colours, around her, "My Heaven's Wheel Armour allows me to produce more swords. It'll be better if we can take them out one at a time. Besides…" she offered him a dazzling smile which made him blush a little, "It wouldn't be right to let you suffer on your own. We're friends. Your pain is my pain. Let's do this together."
The Phobos blinked in surprise before he gave a nod in agreement, "If you insist. Let us do it together," he said, "How many swords can you conjure up in one go?"
"Two hundred. That should be around half of the lacrima in the sky.
"Right, then I will also take the rest," he said as he produced two hundred tendrils from his shadows, "Are you ready?"
"Yes," Erza confirmed as she readied her swords, "3.."
"…2…"
"…1…"
"…now!"
At the same time, Night Terror shot all his shadow tendrils out and Erza ordered her swords to fly through the air; all of them aimed at one lacrima each. They all collided as smashed through each lacrima simultaneously, causing them all to explode and shatter in an instant. The people of Magnolia looked up in surprised at what happened, but they all passed it off as fireworks that were set off far too early. Seeing that all the lacrimas have been destroyed, they both gave a sigh in relief…
…until…
BZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTT!
They grunted in pain as several hundred volts of electricity racked up and down their bodies. The muscles spasmed, their nerves ebbed in agony and their bones felt as if they were going to snap by the sheer force. They're minds began to cloud over as seconds turned into minutes. They're tortured seemed to never end. Destroying one lacrima was able to knock out a person for a few hours, so multiplying that by two hundred would probably kill somebody…luckily, neither Night Terror nor Erza were just somebody. They were one of the strongest mages in Fairy Tail and perhaps in this side of Fiore. They will not allow themselves to be killed like this.
Eventually, the electrocution did cease and they stumbled slightly. Their vision was blurry, their minds were dazed and their bodies still buzzed and shrieked in pain, but they didn't fall over.
Even when they blacked out, they would not fall over.
"Night! Night! Are you alright!?"
The Phobos heard something as he began to regain consciousness. It sounded like they were talking to him from a long distance away and their voice was nothing but an faint echo.
"Wake up! Please!"
It sounded familiar. Yes. He definitely recognised the voice. It was become louder and clearer by the second.
"Night! Please! I need you to stop Laxus before it's too late!"
His eyes flickered open and he saw the blurry image of a young woman with wild blue hair looking up at him desperately. He felt a sharp pain in his head as he slowly wore up which was followed by the rest of his body aching all over.
'What…what happened?' he thought dizzily, 'I…I destroyed something with Miss Erza…The Thunder Palace, of course!' he thought as he looked up at the sky to see that all the yellow lacrimas had disappeared, 'Magnolia is safe…but Miss Erza…' he looked around and saw the mage lying on her back with his eyes closed and immediately thought the worse, '…oh no…'
However, his attention was caught when the person in front of him tapped his chest. He looked around and, now that his vision had returned, now realised that it was Levy.
"Night!" she cried out in relief as he saw him move, 'Thank goodness. When I saw you two standing there I… never mind that. We need your help," she said before noticing him looking at Erza in concern, "Don't worry. Erza's fine. I checked on her and she's still breathing."
"I-I understand," he uttered before he focused his attention on Levy, "What is going on, Miss Levy?"
She pointed at the cathedral behind her. It was only then that he noticed the explosions and yells coming from within as if a battle was taken place.
"Natsu and Gejeel are fighting Laxus," she told him, "We need to get them to stop and bring Laxus to the guild."
"To the guild?"
"Yes," she said as tears appeared in her eyes, "It's the master…he's dying, Night."
Night Terror's eyes widened in shock. He felt his heart sink in his chest and his stomach churn in horror.
"What?"
That was all he could say. Something like this was impossible. This can't happen. Makarov can't die.
'No…no…' he thought in dread, 'I will not allow it…I cannot lose him like I did with grandfather. Not like this!'
Finding his strength, he straightened himself up and marched across the square, up the stairs and swung open the doors to the cathedral, quickly followed by Levy. The inside of the cathedral looked like a war zone; massive chunks of the walls, the floor and the ceiling have been blasted away, everything inside was either burnt or smashed to pieces and there was heavy scent of ozone in the air like the smell of incoming storm. The three causes of the church's destruction were inside as well; Natsu and Gajeel were lying on the floor with severe injuries while Laxus stood proudly before them. It was clear that all of them were exhausted, but all of them, especially Laxus, were still eager to fight on. Night Terror growled in anger as another bout of fighting looked to break out and decided to step in.
"ENOUGH!" he roared across the cathedral, making them freeze up and look back at them. Night Terror glared straight at Laxus and pointed a claw at him, "Mister Laxus, this has gone on for too long. You are coming with me back to the guild!"
Laxus spat in anger, "As if I would do that! In fact, I'm just getting started!"
He gritted his teeth, took a deep breath before he held out in front of him; suddenly, within his arms, a spark of bright magic came into existence. It grew and grew and grew until it became so big that it engulfed the entire cathedral in brilliant blinding light. Night Terror recognised what he was doing, he had only seen it once in an emergency, but he didn't think he would be so desperate.
"What the hell is he doing?" Gajeel growled as he tried to push himself off the floor, "Another lightning attack."
"No," Night Terror uttered as he narrowed his eyes at Laxus, "He is using Fairy Law."
Gajeel grimaced at the name while Natsu frowned in confusion.
"Fairy Law?" he questioned.
"I heard about this," Gajeel uttered as he sharp eyes narrowed, "From Master Jose Porla back at Phantom Lord. That…just shouldn't be allowed! An attack that only targets the everyone the user recognises as an enemy! Is he insane!"
"His desperate to prove himself, that moron!" Night Terror snapped, "Mister Laxus, this is the height of stupidity! STOP THIS NOW!"
If Laxus heard him then he didn't show it. He snarled fiercely as he continued to build the magic in his arms, allowing it to get bigger and bigger until it began to crackle and fizz powerfully. Laxus was completely lost to the world.
Levy, not wanting this to continue, stepped before Night Terror and yelled at him, "Stop Laxus! The master is…no, your grandfather…he's dying Laxus!" she cried out, making Natsu look at her in utter shock, "JUST STOP THIS NOW! YOU NEED TO GO AND SEE HIM!"
A flicker of concern crossed Laxus' face when she yelled that and for a brief moment, Night Terror thought that she finally got through to him. But they were disappointed when Laxus grinned manically; his eyes widening in insanity.
"Well…that suits me just great," he darkly said, "Looks like my chances of becoming master just went up again!"
They were in utter disbelief with what he said. Natsu growled and bared his teeth, Gajeel looked at him as if he was mad, Levy clasped a hand over her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes and Night Terror clenched his fists in anger. Most of them had known Laxus for years and they knew how vain he was…but this was just too cruel.
"Damn it, Laxus! What the hell!?" Natsu shouted.
"You don't mean that!" Levy yelled as tears flowed from her eyes.
She felt Night Terror's hand in her shoulder pull her back and wrap around her comfortingly, "Let him do this."
"W-what?"
"If he wants to dig his own grave then let him. If that is what it takes."
Levy looked at Night Terror in shock before she felt a wave of magical power wash over as Laxus continued to power up Fairy Law. The ball of magic was nearly bursting out of his grasp now; his face contorted into a mixture of fury and pain as he glared at them with a sinister smirk.
"I'LL BUILD YOU UP FROM SCRATCH! A GUILD THAT WILL NEVER LOSE! THAT'LL MAKE EVERYONE TREMBLE IN FEAR! I'LL MAKE THE ULTIMATE GUILD!" he roared as he raised the ball of magic over his head, "FAIRY LAW! ACTIVATE!"
Suddenly, Fairy Law was released and the entire building was filled with blinding light.
There was no sound, smell or anything. Just the light that swallowed the cathedral and then the nearby houses and then the rest of Magnolia; nothing seemed to escape its power. Laxus didn't know how long it lasted. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Whatever it was, it felt like an eternity. Eventually, the light began to die down and Laxus was able to see again; the destroyed cathedral, the clouds of dust that floated in the air and finally him. The only one left after Fairy Law's activation…
…that was until…
"Cough! Cough! Hack!'
His ears picked up a sound from across the hall and he turned his sharp eyes towards it. As the dust died down, Laxus gasped in shock when he saw Natsu and Gajeel. They were still on the floor and, most importantly, still alive.
"W-what?" he uttered in disbelief, as he looked around and saw Night with Levy still held protectively in his arms, "But how…Fairy Law should have killed you all!" he bellowed in rage, "HOW DID YOU SURVIVE! WHY DIDN'T IT WORK!"
"It worked," Night Terror said seriously as he released Levy and took a step forwards, "You were able to conjure Fairy Law…but it did not give you the results you wanted. You really thought that you would be able to kill so easily."
"How the hell would you know!" Laxus yelled in anger, "I must have done something wrong."
The Phobos sighed in frustration, "I know because I understand how Maighstir Makarov's magic works. You did not just inherit your power and your magic from him…but also his heart," he told him, making him flinch, "It is a heart that cares for his fellow guild member. Fairy Law is designed to attack those that the user perceives as an enemy in order to protect the ones they care about. It does this by looking into the depths of your heart and finding who you truly think is the enemy."
"So…if we weren't killed…" Levy uttered in realisation, "…that must mean you don't think of us as the enemy," she said, making Laxus' eye twitched in fury.
"Correct, Miss Levy," Night Terror confirmed, "Mister Laxus…you can lie to us, you can lie to yourself, but you can't lie to your own magic. This is how you truly feel about us," he slowly said, causing the mage to growl, "Now, stop this and come with us back to the guild. Your grandfather needs you."
Laxus gritted his teeth together and glared at the floor in absolute fury, "No…" he snarled, making Night Terror frown wearily, "Anybody who gets in my way is an enemy! You're all enemies!"
"Just give it up!" Gajeel yelled at him, "This is getting pathetic!"
"After all of that! You still think that's true!"
"Laxus, please, Makarov needs you!" Levy begged.
Laxus didn't listen. Instead, his whole body sparkled and crackled with electricity; his sharp eyes began to glow with power; and his teeth was bared like a wild animal.
"I DON'T CARE! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU PIECES OF SCUM! I'M NOT MY GRANDFATHER! I…AM…LAXUS!" he bellowed thunderously.
Night Terror gave an angry sigh and fixed the mage with a serious look, "Fine, if you will not listen to reason, then we will have to force you."
Natsu staggered onto his feet and smirked eagerly, "I like the sound of that! Bring it on, you asshole!"
The Fire Dragon Slayer gave a roar as he charged at Laxus with all his might; ignoring the pain and the injuries he already sustained. His fists burst into flames and, as soon as he was close enough, leapt and swung his fists at Laxus' face. Laxus, however, dodged the punch and knocked him back with a fist enrobed with electricity, sending him hurtling back and skidding across the floor. Laxus pounced on him as soon as he stopped, raised a fist in the air and prepared to smash it down on his head…
..but it was caught by metal claw.
Laxus twisted around to meet his captor, but was met with a punch from Night Terror right across his face. Night Terror used his shadows to grab his wrist turned around and lifted him up into the air before he slammed him down on the hard floor, causing him to cry out in pain as he made a deep impact in the stone flooring.
Sensing an opportunity, Gajeel leapt up and turned his fists into two metal poles and raised it above his head, intending to smash them onto a downed Laxus. But Laxus opened his eyes and shot a large thunderbolt at Gajeel before he could come closer, making him fly across the room.
Laxus growled and leapt onto his feet; he spotted Night Terror and immediately charged at him with as much strength he could muster. He raised a fist covered in electricity and aimed a punch at his torso, but hissed when it merely went through as if he just punched a shadow. Night tightened his fist and slammed into Laxus' face and then punched his stomach, making him fold in half by the force and cough up some blood. Night Terror than sank into the shadows before appearing before Laxus and used the shadows to wrap his body tightly so he wouldn't escape. Natsu leapt over to them and began hammering his fists into Laxus' face over and over again, using the opportunity Night Terror was giving him to his advantage. However, with a might growl, Laxus released a wave of electricity that knocked both of them back and Night Terror accidentally released him from his bindings.
Laxus gave a terrifying bellow before he raised both of his arms above his head and created a giant ball of sparking electricity, "LIGHTNING DRAGON: HEAVENWARD HALBRED!" he roared as he threw the electricity at Natsu which then morphed into a golden yellow trident.
The point of the lightning trident was aimed directly at Natsu. He had no time to dodge. He had to take the hit. But, before that could happen, the attack diverted to the right at a sharp angle and pointed in another direction. They turned and saw, to their shock, Gajeel had turned his arm into a giant metal pole which he used as lightning rod and took the attack instead. He yelled out at the electricity shocked through his body before he fell flat on his back, completely knocked out.
"Gajeel!" Natsu cried out before he narrowed his eyes at Laxus, "THAT DOES IT!" he roared as his entire body burst into flame.
He charged towards him and swung his fiery arms in a wide arc, creating large explosions as he rocketed towards Laxus. Laxus snarled and raised his arms to ward off the attack but found that his limbs were trapped by several shadowy tendrils. He glanced back and saw Night Terror controlling the shadows with a wave of his hand. The Phobos glared at him darkly, his metal skull mask shimmering in the light.
"It ends here, Mister Laxus," he said in a deadly tone as Natsu shot towards him.
"EXPLODING…FLAME…BLADDDEEEEE!" Natsu bellowed as he struck Laxus with the powerful attack,
The Lightning Mage shrieked as his body was covered in flames before he was knocked back a few meters across the cathedral, landing painfully on the stone floor with a mighty crash. As he laid in the impact zone, his head dripping with his blood and his eyes wide in agony, he tried to lift his head up and get back into the fight…but he soon fell limp, falling into unconsciousness in seconds. Natsu, despite his injuries and the pain, lifted his head and roared triumphantly.
He had done it. He had defeated Laxus.
Night Terror sighed and fell to his knees in exhaustion. In the distance, he heard Levy ran over to them to check if they were alright, but he could barely lift his head. However, he did have enough strength to wave his hand and control the shadows to wrap around Laxus and pull him into the darkness where he will be contained.
"There…" he whispered, "…we have beaten you at your own game."
Guild Hall
Night Terror felt a mixture of worry and relief as he looked around the crowded Guild Hall. All the members were there and they all seemed happy, but some of them were very injured. However, as soon as he, Levy and Erza stepped into the guild, whilst carrying Natsu and Gajeel by two shadow tendrils, Night Terror was immediately ambushed by Flare who slammed into him and hugged him tightly.
"Night! You're back!" she cried out as she pressed her face against his leg, "You're not hurt, are you?"
The Phobos gave a pained smile beneath his mask and patted her head gently, "I am perfect well, Miss Flare. If anybody who we should be worried about it should be Mister Gajeel and Mister Natsu."
"Hey! Pick us up, you bastard!"
Night looked around and saw that he accidentally allowed the shadow tendrils to lower themselves so that both Natsu's and Grey's head were pressed against the ground. He lifted the tendrils and passed them over to two other guild members who would heal their wounds.
"Oh, my apologies," he said before he looked down at Flare once again, "You are not harmed, are you?" he asked in concern as he saw her bandaged shoulder, "I have heard of your battle with Mister Bickslow."
"Yeah," she sighed, thinking he was about to scold her for fighting, "Grey was protecting me when he ambushed us. Night, I'm really sorry for-"
"You have no need to apologies, Miss Flare. You had no choice in your fate," he kindly told her as he patted her head again, "I must commend your bravery, Miss Flare."
"Night! Erza! Levy!"
They were suddenly surrounded by all his friends; Lucy, Happy, Grey, Mira, Elfman, Lisanna Juvia, Ur and Cana flocked them. They were soon followed by the rest of the guild that were able to stand who knew of their battle with Laxus.
"You're alright!" Happy cried out in relief.
"You really had us worried there," Lisanna added.
"Juvia is-ow! Sorry, Juvia is also relieved that you're- ow!"
Ur gently placed a hand on Juvia's shoulder and began leading her back to the seat she had been previously sat on, "Juvia, you're still injured. Take it easy."
"But Juvia wants to talk to Night," Juvia moaned as she limped away.
"Night," Lucy said as she looked up at him with tears in her eyes, "Thank goodness you're back to normal."
"Of course," Night coughed guiltily, "My apologies, Miss Lucy. I did not want to-"
She cut him by poking his chest, "I know you didn't want to fight me, you big dummy," she giggled, "I know my friends would never hurt me. Especially not you," he told him softly, causing him to smile happily under his mask, "Although, Loke might not be too pleased with you. But I'll talk to him later and make sure it cools off."
"Naturally."
"And…" she gave a weary sigh, "…Virgo wants you stop teasing her and punish her already."
"…I have no idea how to respond to that."
"I think it's for the best to let that slide," Levy said as she patted him reassuringly.
"Hey! Night! I've got a bone to pick with you," Elfman snapped as he jabbed his finger at him, "You think you can just fight my sister and get away with it!" he growled as flames flicked in his eyes, "I'm going to have to show you a thing or two with how we do things in the Strauss family! Come on and fight-"
WHAM!
He was immediately knocked to the ground by an annoyed Mira, his lower jaw smoking by how powerful the hit was while his eyeballs swirled around in his eye sockets.
"Elfman," she sighed with a pout while her fist was still raised upward, "I can fight my own battles, thank you."
"So, that's how they do things in the Strauss family, huh?" Grey hummed.
"Looks like it," Cana added.
Lisanna got in front of them and waved her hands up in defence, "This is a bad representation of us. We're not usually this thuggish."
Night Terror cleared his throat, "Now, if you would excuse me, I have somebody to deliver to the Maighstir Makarov," he told them as he walked past them all, "Laxus' injuries are minor so he should be well enough to meet him."
"HEY! WHAT DO YOU MEAN MINOR!?" Natsu yelled from where he was being treated, "I PUNCHED HIS-"
Before he could yell anymore, Erza gave him a punch to the back of his head, knocking him out almost instantly, "You're making your injuries worse," she cooly said.
"You're making his injuries worse!" everyone shouted at her.
Before Night Terror could get any further to the infirmary, however, he was stopped in his path by what remained of the Thunder Legion. Evergreen and Bickslow seemed to cower slightly underneath his dark glare while Freed, whose head was completely shaved off, remained stoic as he looked down at the floor. Each of them had also been treated for the injuries that had suffered during the battle with Bickslow, for some reason, covered in a little bit of ice.
"Hey, hey Night Terror buddy," Bickslow greeted nervously, "Nice to meet you it's been a long time."
"I-it sure has," Evergreen stuttered with a gulp, "H-how are…how are you doing?"
Night Terror leaned forwards and loomed over them, "Oh, it's you three," he hummed, "I presume you are apologising to every guild member here since it's the least you can do."
Bickslow shook his head, "Actually-"
Evergreen swiftly kicked him on the shin, causing him to yelp in pain. She then got in front of him and offered him a nervous grin.
"O-of course we are. We just in the middle of doing that."
"We are?"
She kicked Bickslow in the leg again, "We are," she hissed at him, "After all, they were so kind to treat our injuries and everything, haha!" she anxiously chuckled.
"Evergreen is right," Freed sighed as he bowed his head, "As you can see, I have shaven my head as penance for my heinous actions."
"Indeed…you look like a tennis ball."
"Urk!" Freed uttered as if he was punched in the stomach.
"So, anyway, we leaned our lesson and…well, there's no hard feelings…right?" Evergreen said, giving him a flirty look in desperate attempt to make her look appealing.
"Yeah, let's call it a draw," Bickslow said, "Oh, and you're not mad about me attacking that little gir- err…I mean your apprentice, right?" he chuckled nervously, earning a deadly glare from the Phobos, "We're cool, aren't we?"
SLAM! CRASH!
Faster than anybody could realise what was happening, Night reared his his fist and slammed it into Bickslow's face. He was knocked off his feet, flew across the guild and smashed through a nearby wall, creating a large mage-shaped hole. Night lowered his hand and glared down at a speechless and wide-eyed Freed and Evergreen. The two mages gulped in fear and shivered under his intense glare the bore into them.
"Don't. Do. It. AGAIN!" he snarled fiercely.
They nodded lamely in reply.
"Good," he said as he walked past them, "Now we are cool."
Medical Ward
Night Terror was greeted by the sight of Porlyusica packing up her equipment as soon as he stepped into the ward. She picked up her bag medical bag, turned away from the bed Makarov was lying on and headed towards the door; but stopped right beside the Phobos.
"How is he?" Night calmly asked, although there was a hint of concern in his tone.
"He's going to be fine," she muttered tiredly, "Give him some time to rest and he'll be upright in no time. Did you bring that idiot?"
Night responded by waving his hand and manipulating the shadows to release Laxus onto the floor. Night's guess was correct; he was awake now with very few injuries except for some damage to his face. The mage grumbled miserably and propped himself up with a single arm and lumbered up onto his feet before he looked towards the bed where his grandfather was; a deep frown etched itself onto his face as he saw how unwell he looked, but it was clear he didn't want to show concern or sympathy. Porlyusica snorted and shuffled out of the room
"Little bastard," she muttered angrily.
"May I help you with your bag," Night offered, earning a sharp look from the elderly woman.
"Don't you dare, boy."
He chuckled at that despite the situation.
As soon as she closed the door behind her, Makarov gave a weary sigh and raised his head from the pillow, "Night, good to have you back," he muttered, "You mind hanging around for a little longer. I might need a witness to what I'm about to say."
Night Terror bowed his head respectfully, "Of course not," he said before he grabbed Laxus' shoulder and pushed him forwards to the bed, "Listen well, Mister Laxus."
Makarov rose from his bed, swung his legs over the edge and looked at his grandson seriously. There was no hint of sympathy in his eyes.
"Laxus," he finally said after a few seconds, "Do you understand what you have done here?"
Laxus remained silent and looked away from his piercing glare.
"Look me in the eyes," Makarov ordered, forcing the mage to look back at him, "You know what this guild is? It's a gathering place for comrades-in-arms. It's an agency for missions. To some kids who don't have families, it's even their home," he said. At the last part, Night Terror sighed and looked down at the ground, "It does not belong to you. This guild was built upon the trust and honour of each individual member. And that is his we formed stronger and firmer bonds than you'll find anywhere else. You have violated that honour and put your comrades' lives in danger. This is not a crime that I can forgive."
Laxus closed his eyes and looked down at floor, "I understand…I just…" he tightened his fists, "…I just wanted to make this guild…stronger…"
Silence fell over the room as soon as he said that. Makarov stared at him with a unreadable expression while Night Terror waited for something to happen. He didn't feel like he was free to interject between their conversation.
"Honestly…" Makarov sighed as he leapt off the bed and took a few steps towards him, "…you really are a clumsy sort of man. Let some of that tension out of your shoulders, would you?" he tutted, making his grandson look away, "If you do, you may just find yourself seeing things you've missed up to now. Hearing words that you never heard before. Life is to be enjoyed you know," he told him, offering a small, wise smile, "You know…watching you grow up was my reason for living. I didn't need you to be strong or smart…all I wanted was for you to be happy. That was enough for me."
Laxus closed his eyes and tensed his jaw at that before he remembered his childhood with his grandfather. They were so close back then. They almost did everything together…it was the greatest thing to happen to him. Coming back to reality, Laxus bowed his head and didn't utter a single word. Nothing he could say right now would help his case, at this lack of response, Makarov gave a hesitant deep breath.
"Laxus…" he said before he swiped his hand in front of him, "You are hereby excommunicated from this guild," he declared.
Laxus' eyes widened in shock. Even Night raised his head at how unexpected it was. As long as he has been at the guild, Makarov had not banished a single member from the guild before. He never thought he would have it in him to do something like it…until just then. Laxus stayed silent for a few seconds before he swiftly turned and headed to the door.
"I…I understand," he said, making sure to keep his head lowered so Night Terror couldn't see his face. Before he could take his leave, he tilted his head towards Night Terror, "Make sure you to take care of gramps," he told him, "He always preferred you anyway," he said as he opened the door and left the room.
Night Terror, in surprise, turned to follow him, "Mister Laxus-"
"Let him go, leanabh," Makarov said as he tuned his back to him, "He dug his own grave."
"But-" he stammered before he gave a weary sigh, "Of course, maighstir."
He saw the master bow his head to the floor and grumble something under his breath. It was something to with somebody called Ivan. Eventually he lifted his head and wiped his eyes, alerting Night Terror that he was crying.
"My apologies, Maighstir," Night Terror solemnly said, "I know that it was hard for you."
Makarov sighed, "You…you think I did the right thing there?"
"I…do not believe it is my place to comment. But I feel that it was better that you did acted before the Magic Council heard wind of this. They have become…stricter ever since they reformed. We are lucky to not have suffered any fatalities and events could have become much worse…but Mister Laxus…" he sighed, "…perhaps he can find peace now."
"Perhaps," Makarov repeated drearily before he climbed back into his bed and laid his head down on the pillow, "Tell the others that I'm going to be fine. I just need some rest."
Night Terror nodded is head in understand, "I will, Maighstir."
As Makarov closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, Night immediately went over to spare bed and brought another figure out the shadows and laid him down on the bed. Sho was half-asleep; haven woken up a little while ago. He looked around with bleary eyes before they settled onto Night Terror; he raised his tired hand up lazily as if he was reaching for him, but the Phobos pushed his arm down gently.
"Please, Mister Sho, rest."
"Can't…Simon…the…goat…"
"I know, but there is nothing you can do at the moment. Rest and regain your strength," he gently said, "I will inform Miss Erza of your presence and will contact Mister Wally and Miss Millianna. I do not doubt that they are worried about you."
"B-but…" Sho uttered before he closed his eyes and fell unconscious once again.
Capricorn's possession obviously took a toll on his body. There was nothing he could do whilst he was in this state.
Streets Of Magnolia
Despite the setbacks, the Harvest Festival was in full swing.
Hundreds of people, either locals from Magnolia or visitors from other towns, flocked the streets and enjoyed the lavish festivities being held. The night had ushered in a cloudless sky that was filled with sparkling stars and fireworks that boomed and exploded into a number of brilliant colours. There were games, plenty of food stalls, dancing, music and, of course, the guilds great parade that took place down the main road. The parade was about to start in five minutes and the guild members were just adding on the final touches to their parade floats. Levy, Bisca, and Cana, who wore shimmering cheerleader-style dress, were putting on make-up, Elfman, Lisanna and Mira were working on a routine that would involve their Take Over Magic, Mira was dressed in her armour on her float and Makarov, who had thankfully recovered after his talk with Laxus, was now dressed in his cat costume…yeah, none of the other guild members knew why he choose the costume, but it was funny.
After a evening of fun festivities, it was time for Flare to take her place on Erza's float. She was helped by Night Terror, who was untangling strands of her hair, while Lucy and Ur helped sew on the final touches to the blood red dress she was wearing. Lucy had straightened the hem of her dress and brushed out of the wrinkles before standing up and giving the young girl a thumbs up.
"You're good to go, Flare. You're going to look spectacular," she told her.
Flare nodded nervously and glanced back to see Erza waiting for her on her float, "I…I don't know about this. What if I do something wrong. I could lose control of my hair or-"
"Miss Flare, you have nothing to worry about," Night Terror reassured her, "Trust in your magic. You have been practising really hard and I am sure you will do just fine."
"Besides," Ur said as she placed a hand on her shoulder, "We'll be in the crowd supporting you, kid. Look out for Night and I, okay? We'll make sure to stand out…well, I'm sure Night would stand out."
"Yep, if you spot him then you'll find us," Lucy agreed.
"I do not stand out that much do I?" he mumbled questioningly.
Flare took a deep breath before she frowned in determination, "I'll do my best!"
"That's what I like to hear," Ur chuckled as she rubbed her head, "Show everybody those cute hair puppy you made earlier."
"A puppy? Aww, that sounds cute," Lucy cooed.
"I quite agree. Very adorable."
"It's not a puppy! It's a wolf!" Flare snapped before she turned and stomped away towards the float, "I'll show you all!"
They all gave a short chuckle at her reaction. Lucy sighed and shook her head with a small smile on her lips.
"This is nice. Flare has a chance to show off her talent for everybody," she mused before she turned to Ur, "You know it's strange. You kind of sound…motherly to Flare, Ur."
"Huh?" the older woman hummed.
"Err…I don't mean that in a insulting way," Lucy nervously explained, "It's just that I never noticed that before. It's as if you know how to look after children, you know?"
Ur blinked in surprise before a wide smile appeared on her face and her cheeks turned a little rosy, "Really…well, thanks Lucy. I take that as a compliment," she said, causing Night Terror to smile underneath his mask.
That's when he noticed, down a dark alleyway nearby, Laxus watching the preparations from the shadows. He was dressed in his long coat, his newly dressed bandages wrapped tightly around his head and a simple brown bag slung over his shoulder. He was there for a few moments before he turned away and disappeared down the alleyway.
"Pardon me," Night Terror excused himself to his friends before he allowed himself to be swallowed by his shadows and appeared in the alleyway right behind Laxus. He cleared his throat to catch his attention, making him turn around to look at him, "Are you not staying for the festivities?"
Laxus gave a rough grunt before he looked away from him, "I'm not exactly welcome, aren't I? I'm banished, remember."
"I do," he sighed, "But take your leave tomorrow morning, Mister Laxus. The other members of the Thunder Legion are."
"The Thunder Legion has been dissolved. It no longer exists."
"They are still your friends, nonetheless."
Laxus snorted and offered a small sad smile, "Yeah…friends," he muttered before he shook his head, "I can't. I have to get out of this damn town. It's suffocating to be stuck here for so long."
"I…I understand," Night Terror murmured, "Well, I bid you farewell to…wherever you decide to go to, Mister Laxus."
"Thanks," he muttered before he took a few steps forward. However, he stopped suddenly and, without turning around, called out to him, "Hey, Night. Out of interest, if you didn't insist in doing solo missions…would there be chance you would have joined the Thunder Legion? Even a little bit."
The Phobos sighed and shook his head, "Mister Laxus…the reason I did not join you wasn't just because I only did solo missions," he told him, "The main reason would be…I just would not work well. I would not live up to your expectations."
Laxus raised an eyebrow curiously and looked back, "What do you mean by that."
Night Terror raised his hand and clenched his claws tightly, "I believe you have the wrong idea for what Fear Magic is. It is not supposed to be used as a weapon or to be used for any acts of aggression. It is far too powerful for that. It is supposed to be used to protect those who who are afraid and to inspire those who cannot defend themselves. People are that their bravest when they know that there is always somebody supporting them and if they believe in the person who cares for them then they can believe in themselves to never give up, to fight and to win who wish to do evil," he casted a look back at the Fairy Tail guild and smiled warmly, "The Mages here are all powerful in their own way, but they can be better knowing that I am there looking after them," he said as he looked back at Laxus, "I do not belong on the Legion, Mister Laxus. I never did. I belong here amongst my fellow clansmen."
Laxus stared at him with an unreadable expression on his face before he sighed and looked away, "I see. Damn. Should have seen that one coming," he sighed before he waved over his shoulder to him, "Do me a favour and look after Bickslow, Freed and Evergreen for me, would you? They'll need the guild more than ever now."
"I promise," Night Terror honestly said before Laxus walked off down the alleyway and into the darkness, disappearing almost instantly into the night. Night Terror sighed and shook his head, "I wish you well, Mister Laxus. May you find peace."
And, with that, he turned and headed back to the festival as he tried to get rid of his concerned thoughts.
Not too soon after, the parade was in full swing. Lucy had joined her fellow female guild members on the float and performed a routine on the stage, Natsu, despite his injuries, was showing of his magic by spewing flames into all shapes and patterns, Grey had conjured a miniature castle made of pure ice as he wore a prince costume. When Erza and Flare's float came by, Night and Ur watched as Erza made several swords appear and fly through the air while Flare did tricks with her long hair, much to the enjoyment of the crowds. She tried making a hair wolf once again…but she could only manage a hair puppy once again, making the crowd coo at it. She wasn't too pleased with that, but she did spot Night and then Ur and waved to them. They responded with their own waves as the float passed by.
"She's sure grown a lot since she arrived," Ur told Night, "she's no longer the frail, girl she once was. Thanks to you."
"Not just me, Miss Ur. It's everybody in the guild. I should know," he told her, "On the subject of Miss Flare. Do you mind if I ask you a favour? Sometimes, when I am not around to tutor her or help her practise her her magic, would you be able to take over?"
Ur raised her eyebrows in fascination before she grinned happily, "Sure. I don't mind at all…only if you stop calling me miss!" she shouted at him,
"I physically cannot," he insisted
"What does that even mean!?"
"Night! Meow! Night!"
"Night Terror! Over here!"
As the sound of two familiar cries, they turned around to see two figures coming through the crowd as quickly as they could. The first, to his surprise, was Millianna; who was wearing another feline-inspired costume; and the other…was a giant cat plushie that was following her. They stopped right next to them and looked up at him urgently.
"Thank goodness, meow! We're finally here!"
"Miss Millianna?" he said before looking over at the purple cat plushie, "Mr…cat?"
"It's me, skull face," the plushie said as it turned around to reveal that it was Wally doing his best to carry the giant cat, "We would've got here faster if I didn't carry this darn thing."
"Aww, but I wanted the kitty kitty," she moaned dramatically, "And it ain't dandy to refuse a dame's request."
Wally was about to say something before he sighed, "I guess it ain't dandy. Darn it."
Ur gave them an odd look, "Who are these people?"
"They are friends of Miss Erza," Night explained before he turned back to them, "I assume you are here for Mr Sho."
"We sure are. Is he alright? He disappeared on us this morning and we've been worried sick."
"That's right!" Millianna mewed with a nod of her head, "If you hadn't called us that he's here then we'll still be looking for him, meow!"
"Mr Sho is perfectly well. He is currently resting at the guild," he reassured them, causing them to sigh in relief, "However, there is something rather pressing I need to discuss with all of you. It is about Mister Simon."
Wally's cuboid eyebrows furrowed in worry, "First Sho, now Simon. What the hell's going on?"
"I will explain later once Miss Erza has finished," he said as he glanced over at her float, "I would think that she would want to know as well," he told them as the festivities continued all around them.
Faceless One's Lair, Unknown Location
Meanwhile, in a dark, cold room, Faceless One was brooding miserably as she sat on her chair; staring into space as she fiddled with her pocket watch in her hand. The dark veins across her face pulsated and bulged beneath her mask and her teeth were ground so tightly that they might crack if she used more force. She didn't feel like experimenting that night nor did she want to be disturbed by her private army; she even didn't want to send back a report on how her Misery project was progressing back to headquarters. She didn't care about authority or duty at that moment and reclined in her chair in silence.
She just wanted to be alone and forget the world she was forced to live in.
Unfortunately, she was interrupted from her thoughts by a knock at the door, causing her to growl in anger. She didn't bother looking around and leaned her back against the back rest and shut her eyes tight.
"Go away!" she snapped towards the door, "Don't you dare disturb me!"
"My apologies, master," the nervous voice of a Nobody called out, "But we need orders."
"Tell Lord Hades that he'll have his report later. I'm busy," she hissed before she laid her head on her hand, "I can't get any peace even in my own abode."
"Actually, master," the Nobody called out again, "We need orders on what to do with our prisoner."
Faceless One frowned in confusion. She put the pocket watch back into her pocket, stood up and marched to the door before throwing it open, startling the Nobody.
"What prisoner? I don't accept prisoners; just test subjects," she snarled dangerously, "Did you bring in a filthy daonna into my household!"
"It was Master Capricorn, Master. He brought back the hostage he stole from the hospital in order to lure the Night Terror," the Nobody explained, "He said that he didn't want him in case they try tacking him down."
"That stupid goat," she muttered furiously, "Get rid of him. Kill him if you must. Just get him out of my…" she trailed off slightly when she remembered something, "…actually, this daonna, what's that thing called?"
"Simon, Master. He was a former member of the group that worked under Jallel at the Tower of Heaven."
'Yes…I recall him using a form of Darkness Magic, but I never paid enough attention to it. He was also the brother of that Kagura brat, the one I gave that sword to,' she thought in her head as a wicked smiled appeared underneath her mask, "On second thoughts, bring the daonna to a secure room. Give the thing whatever it needs to survive. Water, food, hay for bedding; just make sure he's still alive. I need him that way," she ordered.
"Yes, Master."
She slammed the doors in the Nobody's face and went back to her chair and hummed thoughtfully. Her sour mood had disappeared and her mind was now clear and filled with new ideas. She knew what she had to do now.
"That mage from that dark guild. He can use Shadow Magic, can't he?" she murmured before she released a dark chuckle, "Yes, I suppose we have to break him out of prison and bring him here as well. He and that Simon creature will be perfect for my next line of Nobodys."
And that's it for now, I hope you enjoyed it.
Next chapter will be a filler and then we'll go straight into the Oracion Seis arc. Hopefully, by then, I would have figured out how to stop my autocorrect from changing 'Oracion' into 'Oration' by then. It's… taken me a few goes at writing the last sentence.
Thanks for reading :)