Firefall || Fairy Tail

34 : a l e g r i a

"What an unexpected visitor." Mard Geer leaned onto his free arm, his fist resting against his cheek. "Though I didn't think you would come to see me first."

Kia clenched her fists, "Why bother with your puppets when I know you're the one pulling their strings?"

He smirked, "I see no strings."

"Sorry, you prefer the natural approach, so vines."

Mard Geer's expression still read as though this was all a game to him, "But that doesn't explain why you have walked into this chamber under your own power."

Kia knew there was little chance of this working right away, but at the very least, it could be the segway to learning what Tartaros was truly planning. "Because I'm only going to say this nicely once: Stand down."

"And why would I do that?" His smirk widened, "There is nothing you can do about the situation. Even with the full forces of the Fairy Tail guild, you will not be able to stop our plans."

"And what would that be?" She tried to suppress the growl in the base of her throat, "What are you hoping to gain by using this Face?"

The Underworld King knew exactly what the Phoenix Slayer was trying to accomplish, but that didn't deter him. "Once the magic on this continent has been dealt with, Master E.N.D. will be among us again."

Her heart skipped.

"Then we'll be able to return to Lord Zeref to complete our purpose together." He sat up, his hand resting lazily on the arm of his throne, "And I believe it will relieve you of that seal you had placed on yourself, little phoenix."

The look in Mard Geer's eyes pulled Kia back. She instantly felt like she was five again, dressed in tattered clothes as she waited to know which of the demons she would be shadowing right then, which of them would get to use her to test out their curse powers for that day.

"I might say that you could stand a chance if you weren't hiding behind that facade."

Before she could do anything to stop it, the growl finally escaped from Kia's throat. "I'm not wearing any facade." Rage burned in her onyx eyes, "You don't know a thing about me."

"If that is what you believe."

"You also don't know a thing about what you are doing. You will fail."

Mard Geer raised a brow, "And why is that?"

"Because Face won't lead you to E.N.D.," Kia wanted to bite her tongue, but she knew she had his attention now. "Face will actually take you further from your goal. It won't make that book give you a single thing."

An old emotion sparked in the Underworld King, but he pushed it back. It would do nothing but prolong this conversation.

"Lord Mard Geer."

The voice behind Kia brought a new wave of tension, causing her to turn and peer over her shoulder. The female Etherious stepped into the room, pausing when she noticed their guest. The two stared each other in the eyes, neither wavering.

But that gave Mard Geer the perfect opportunity to move things along.

Vines emerged from the ceiling above them, pinning Kia's arms to her sides as she was unceremoniously yanked into the air. Another growl escaped her, frustrated that she had let her guard down at all. Flames licked up her arms and legs, biting at the thorns that gripped her tightly.

"Be a good little phoenix." At his words, the vines coiled tighter, triggering a gasp from the pink-haired female. Her flames shrank out of existence as she was forced to concentrate on getting air to and from her lungs.