Firefall || Fairy Tail

27 : p o i s o n . a n d . f l a m e s

Wendy landed beside Erza, ready to help out. Demi was still processing the two new opponents, causing her to let out an audible groan of irritation when the next three ran out of one of the entrances. Natsu's eyes immediately locked onto his sister, who was still chained upright in the center of the platform.

"Kia!" He shouted before taking off, not paying any attention to the cautious blonde or Exceed he was leaving behind.

At the sound of her brother's voice, Kia bit at the inside of her cheek. She needed to stay awake. Izai hadn't moved from his place before her, though he had been stealing the occasional glance toward the fighting that was happening around them. Kia forced her neck to turn, the action feeling almost foreign with her body's natural energy flow still under the influence of the chains.

"Natsu..." his name came out barely above a whisper. The Fire Dragon Slayer could see her mouth moving, but was unable to hear her over the magic flying around him. The only thing he knew was that he was scared.

In all the years he could remember being with his sister, Natsu couldn't remember seeing his sister ever look frail. Her periodic issues with time sickness worried him, but for the most part she just looked like she was sleeping. Even when her magic system had imploded during their fight with the dragons, she had looked worn out but it didn't seem like anything that a good night's rest couldn't cure. Now he could see her discomfort. There was a dark stain that covered the lower half of her torso and he didn't need his nose to know that it was dried blood. Her hair was matted from being in Meisha's Storm magic and the preparations for the ritual weren't making things any better.

"Hang on!" Natsu yelled, "I'm coming!"

"I don't think so!"

Laxus turned back to the brunette he had been fighting as the almost feral command left her lips. Demi's eyes were set on the sprinting pink-haired male before she disappeared.

"Natsu!" Laxus yelled, trying to warn him, but there was no way he could slow himself down to do anything about the incoming attack.

But the poison dagger didn't reach him. Instead, Demi appeared beside him, but bounced off the magical wall that materialized in-between her and her target. She followed the magic trail from the spell, her eyes finding the panting female who was standing about ten feet behind the blonde male she had just been fighting. Demi's rage grew. There was no reason for any of this. She would just have to take care of everything herself. Her aura grew darker as the courtyard itself dimmed.

Overheard, the moon had just begun passing in front of the sun. The solar eclipse was beginning.

"Sis!" Over the shock from Demi's attempted attack and Amber's arrival, Natsu resumed his charge for the platform.

Izai lifted his arms out beside him, palms to the sky as the magic circle below him and Kia began to glow brighter. Just as Natsu jumped to land on the platform, a shimmering white wall rose from the outer ring of the circle. A light groan escaped him as Natsu rolled backward across the ashen ground. His onyx eyes snapped up his sister again before he rammed into the newly formed barrier.

"The time is nearly upon us." Izai finally spoke, everyone pausing to hear what the man had to say. "Demi, Nikolai, don't let me down."

The dark-haired male wiped some of the blood from his brow, "Yes, Master."

"I won't fail, Izai." Demi's wicked grin returned as she vanished again. Laxus wasted no time flaring up his lightning as Amber reactivated her Blood Guard spell. Lucy fell into place next to Erza and Wendy, a golden key already in hand.

"Happy!"

The blue Exceed flew over to his buddy as Natsu continued beating against the magic keeping him away from his sister. He didn't even look up as he continued, "I need you to go and find Levy. She might know how to take down this barrier."