Phoenix Fire || Fairy Tail [1]

𝐱𝐯𝐢. 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 (𝐩𝐭. 𝐨𝐧𝐞)

"Tell me something... did you really defeat your dragons with that measly power of yours?"

Sting's smirk widened. Rose felt a chill run down her spine. "We didn't just defeat them... we killed our dragons, with our bare hands!"

Rose wondered if that was something to be proud of. Killing your own parents? The person who had raised you? Dragon or not, surely they had some kind of bond? Considering how Natsu and the other dragon slayers at Fairy Tail talked about their dragons, she had thought that the same would be universal... but apparently not.

'I guess there are people like them, too...'

Then again, she couldn't really judge them for killing someone. She'd done far worse than simple murder.

"Didn't you think of them as your parents?" Natsu questioned. Rose felt a few flames stirring on the ground around her. She was beginning to feel impatient. Why were they talking, again? She wanted to fight!

"That's none of your business. But if you losers want to see our dragon-slaying powers, I'll be happy to show it to ya!"

Rose could tell that Sting had a trick up his sleeve. He wouldn't have been acting so cocky otherwise. He was sure that he had something which could defeat her and Natsu. Sting had finally taken a break from monologuing.

"White Drive."

His words triggered a response from the environment. The air around him hissed. Rose could sense the eternano in the atmosphere, tensing like a coiled spring. Energy manifested around him in the form of a blindingly bright light.

"Shadow Drive."

Rogue's spell was much the same, though his abilities were of a darker appearance. Shadows intertwined themselves around his legs, swirling through the air as visible patches of darkness.

Rose backed away slightly. They were out for blood now – she could tell. She'd experienced both ends of that particular state herself. Hopefully, she'd never do so again. Cylene would be disappointed in her, and so would...

The phoenix slayer was broken out of her thoughts by Chapati's loud commentating.

"You can cut the tension in the arena with a butter knife! Who will be the first to make a move?"

It was Sting. Scale-like patterns dancing across his skin, the dragon slayer fired a punch at Natsu. He blocked. "Feel my holy white judgement!" Sting threw another punch, this time hitting Natsu's jaw. Before the salamander could recover, Sting was already upon him.

Rose felt her mind beckoning her in two completely different directions. Either she'd help Natsu, or she'd engage in a fight with Rogue.

The shadow dragon slayer made the choice for her. A fist fired at her stomach. Rose stepped out of the way, feeling his fist skim past her side. She attempted to counterattack, but Rogue was continuously switching between shadow and flesh.

When she pivoted on her heel with a kick aimed at his side, Rogue was suddenly beside her. A kick sent her bounding back a few meters, though she managed to direct the force of the blow away from herself with a hasty block.

"Look at that! No matter how much she tries, Rose just can't seem to get a hit on Rogue's Shadow Drive!"

Rose felt the beginnings of a scowl turning her lips down. This fight was... sort of boring. She couldn't really be bothered wasting energy on a transformation spell like the Sabretooth wizards had.

"Try as you might, you can't catch a shadow..." Rogue suddenly disappeared. The red glow in his eyes was mildly disturbing. Rose set her hands alight.

Rogue was behind her all of a sudden. Rose spun and swiped her arm through the air, flames crackling. His corporeal body flickered when her fist came in contact with it before splitting in half. She gritted her teeth. It was a fake.

The actual Rogue darted towards her, taking a swipe at her jaw while she was distracted.

Sting dealt a kick to Natsu's jaw, forcing the mage to stumble away. His back collided with Rose's.

"You okay?" Rose wiped a few droplets of blood away from her jaw.

"Yeah."

Rose glanced up at the sky, where the two dragon slayers were floating. Since when could they levitate? The spell earlier must have been the cause...

"Your fight is with us, losers! Show some respect!"

"Sure," Rose remarked, "Mr my-ego-is-bigger-than-my-hair."

Sting scowled at the insult. Both dragon slayers rocketed towards the pair of fire mages. They collided with the ground like meteors of sheer stupidity. A cloud of dust swirled up, obstructing the audience's vision. The dust cleared away to reveal four warring figures on the battlefield.

"Didn't anyone tell you it's bad manners to hold back on the battlefield?" Natsu questioned, blocking Sting's attack. The opposing guild member used his arms as a platform, flipping over to deal a kick at Natsu's open back.

"You're one to talk. What's the deal with that pitiful defence, huh? Do you and the phoenix slayer not know how to defend yourselves?" Sting's smirk grew wider.

Meanwhile, Rose was still struggling to get a hit on Rogue. She threw a few fireballs at him, though they went straight through his transparent body.

The twin dragons fought with bared fangs, fighting with renewed energy. Rose found that her regenerative abilities couldn't keep up with the barrage. A cut on her cheek bled crimson. She wiped the blood away with her sleeve.

The phoenix felt that she was beginning to tire. She glanced at Natsu. Sting had used his magic to create a strange glowing rune on his stomach. Natsu burned it off with his flames.

Rogue began to speed up. The time between his attacks was growing shorter.

"In the end, a shadow dragon will always get his prey."

Rose flinched at the sudden intrusion of her personal space. She spun around to face him, flames wreathing her fists. He'd disappeared.

"...you won't even see it coming."

Rogue reached out to attack her. Rose caught his punch. Her flames roared aggressively.

"What—" Rogue was unable to finish his sentence. Flames crept up the arm she was holding, stifling the shadows. With a jerk of her arms and a twisting movement, Rogue was flipped over her and onto the ground. His back hit the ground, hard. Oxygen was forced out of his lungs.

Sting rushed at Natsu. The fire user's arms lit up with red-hot flames at the last second. Natsu lashed out with a fist, forcing Sting back with a bright red fist mark in the middle of his face.

"Argh... you shouldn't be able to move!"

"You're not half bad, I'll give you that," Natsu criticised Sting, "but you'll have to do better."

Sting growled like a caged animal.

"What happened to that confidence from earlier?" Rose smiled at Rogue, who was lying on the ground wheezing. Her hand curled around his leg. With a sudden jerk, he was sent flying into the far wall. Sting followed shortly after, having been thrown by Natsu.

"And just like that, the tide of battle had turned once again!"

Sting got up, using the wall to support his weight. A trickle of blood dripped from his mouth.

"You guys are pretty awesome, alright? No shock there. Looks like we have to give you everything we got."

Published: 19/11/2017

Edited: 17/06/2018