Chapter 58
Malurey
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, only my own OC's, Energy Magic, and Ideas
"At last! The great Energy Dragon Slayer has fallen!"
Mordren raised his arms about him, his head tilting back as he called the words up to the sky, a wide smile spreading across his face as he stood in the destruction, among the wailing and the crying of those still trapped over his head.
His dull grey eyes glinted, his smile narrowed and twisted in utter delight as his face turned toward the center of the destroyed island, walking easily across the rubble and never losing his wide grin.
".... And light has fallen with her, and the balance of this world will reign in favor of the dark." He smirked, "After thousands of years of waiting, so much time... and now I can witness the new age." He breathed in deeply,
"... oh, that feeling. The feel of an Energy Signature being destroyed, ripped away from the world all in an instant.... It is the most addicting thing."
Everyone's heads fell, tears dripping from their eyes as low moans and hisses of pain rumbled in their throats. Chase held his face in his hand, his shoulders hunched and in his body the most agonizing numbness, feeling a sudden strike of sheer pain as the words were spoken aloud.
The sky overhead turned darker, the clouds rumbling and swirling faster now, more violent, stretching out across the horizon as the mass began to consume not just this kingdom, but moved toward the other nations in the world. The air was cold, throbbing with a dark, choking sense of pure evil that even the likes of regular mages could almost taste on the air. They felt chills run down their backs and pits of cold fear settle in the bottom of their stomachs, almost like the air around them was closing in, suffocating, slowly.
Pure evil was rising on the air, and still they stood, trapped, hardly able to breathe as their hearts fell into pieces with every tear and wrenching cry they let out.
Freed hissed, his head and eyes falling a moment, feeling his heart shatter more painfully than he could have imagined. Bixlow beside him had lost all of his usual childish and cheerful behavior, behind his mask there was a face twisted in pain, and his tiki dolls fell the floor around him, limp.
Freed's eyes moved to his left, glinting as his gaze settled on the form of Laxus, his heart dropping and jumping all at once as he saw his usually fearless and stony leader hunched. Laxus was bent over, his arms and clenched fists resting against the wall of Mordren's Magic, his shoulder hunched and his head bowed to the ground, hidden from view, not saying a thing, and not even seeming to be breathing at all.
Freed blinked, his eyes widening slightly as he stared at the blonde, his mind lost on all train of thought at what was quite the unusual stance for the Lightning Dragon Slayer, and yet maybe... maybe he wasn't surprised, and his heart clenched painfully.
Freed stiffened, his eyes widening more as his heart stopped altogether, his eyes locking toward the floor to catch sight of the glittering drop of moisture fall at Laxus' feet, the blonde's fist shaking as they tightened.
L-Laxus....
Mordren stalked forward still, his grey eyes glinting madly as he smiled, his lips twisted and wicked.
He stopped there, his eyes glinting in malice, locked onto the silent, unmoving form at his feet.
"..... light falls with the Energy Dragon. And now the strongest of the three Forces of Creation, has decided the fate of this world."
.:+:.
"You...... you can't..." He stammered, his voice wispy as he stepped forward, hesitantly, the water rippling out with every step upon it. His blue eyes glistened, sadness pulling at his features, his heart sinking.
He knew this feeling... there was only one way this was even possible, but he didn't want to believe it.
His hands reached forward, tentatively and shaking slightly as he lightly let them rest on their shoulders, feeling the cold against his skin instantly as he swallowed hard.
"..... you... you shouldn't..... why...?" He hissed, those dull eyes just looked back, he knew well he was probably nothing more than a ghost to them, there was no recognition, no awareness.... Just empty. He still searched though, hoping against all that he knew better, that maybe, just maybe, there would be some shred left. Some little clue as to the person he knew in those heart-achingly dull silver eyes.
"...... what happened...?"
He blinked, his eyes wide and his focus shattered when something suddenly clinked him hard against the shoulder, sending him immediately falling to the side and losing his footing. He sweatdropped, eyes whited out at the entirely unexpected, there shouldn't be anything or anyone here, let alone her, and let alone whatever it was that suddenly knocked him over.
W-Wha?!
"You are quite sappy for someone with such powerful control over my Magic."
He stumbled, regaining his footing as the sudden low rumble echoed over the dark, the water bouncing slightly at the sheer force of it's tenor. The air seemed to move all around him in that instant, throbbing slightly but no longer spinning, it had all settled, and great washes of power hung on the air, moving toward him in rhythm.
He froze, his heart leaping as he halted, not daring for a minute to turn toward the voice, that deep, gravelly voice that struck through his core.
He swore... he knew that voice...
"N-no.... no way..." He stammered, slowly daring to turn his head.
"..... Though given what she did with you, being so emotional is a given. Regardless, you will not be needed to Reap this one today, there are other plans in the works, human."
.:+:.
"It's almost a shame." Mordren murmured, is dull gaze glinting as he bent over, his finger curling into her hair as he lift her by the handful of dirty, bloodstained blonde pieces, the silver faded and without its usual shine.
He brought her up roughly, not a care in the world as she dangled limply in his cruel grip, his lips twisted as he pulled her face in toward his, shaking her a bit, as if she were nothing but a toy.
"If she had only given into the darkness, she may have lived." Mordren smirked, "She would have made quite the delightful Dark Mage with her power, and that deep propensity for cruelty she kept hidden..." His eyes slowly scanned up and down her torn, bloodied, and cold form, glinting slightly, his tongue pulled across his lips a moment. His other hand reached forward, his thumb tracing the gash in her stomach, slowly trailing up under her nearly destroyed shirt. "..... such a pretty thing too."
"STOP IT!!!!" Natsu yelled, his eyes flashing furiously despite his tears. The guilds around them yelled out, sending tear-filled glares toward the man, their anger flaring despite their pain,
"How dare you?!" Gray and Gajeel snapped instantaneously,
"BASTARD!!"
Mordren smirked, seemingly amused by the outbursts, though he didn't give them the pleasure of looking their way. He simply sighed, tossing her away by her hair and letting her hit the ground with a sickening thump, her body, hair and limbs sprawled, still.
"Hehe..... So much time waiting, so much power and energy spent to lead to this day, this fated day where I met the one, the Malunafrey." Mordren smiled, taking in a deep breath. ".... I never liked the prophecies of half-wit Mages too weak to fight for themselves, and it's amusing to see how senseless they are in the end."
His eyes trailed toward her, dull and glinting darkly.
"The great and terrible Malunafrey...... the one who would be responsible for bringing the world into Light, or fail and bring Darkness.... nothing more than a foolish, cowardly little girl with too much self-hatred and empathy for what she perceives as 'friends' and 'family'. Too foolish to see the real truth of Magic, and the sheer truth of Light and Dark." He paused, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"...... I find it odd still, that it was this girl.... Why this girl?" Mordren mumbled under his breath, his eyes narrowing to slits. "... a small, weak little girl, too ordinary to even bother with, Magic-less in the beginning.... A soul stripped, broken, separated, and bombarded with demons... and a girl who has now doomed the world." He huffed a little,
"Malunafrey.... What a ridiculous tale." He growled, before shaking his head and smiling again. He lift his gaze to those watching over his head, the sky rowing darker and heavier by the minute as he smiled toward them wickedly, his hand raising slightly.
"Well, now as the world is slowly consumed by the dark, I think I will take a moment to have a bit more fun of my own." Mordren called, "You'll live long enough to see your world fall apart... and long enough to watch yourselves kill every person you care for."
.:+:.
Jynx hadn't moved, she couldn't bring herself to, she sat there, shaking and sobbing as she held the small orb t her chest, her heart breaking into millions more pieces as she fought to delay what she knew was inevitable, and unavoidable.
She didn't think she could do it... how could she even imagine...?
"... this wasn't... I am so s-sorry..." She hiccupped, "...Of all.... I can't.... I s-shouldn't.... have to...."
"I'm so... s-so..... s-sorry..."
She's never felt this broken, she'd never sobbed like this... never... and now, she couldn't stop.
"You've never wavered before now."
Jynx's heart leapt to her throat, her head snapping upward and her tears hitting the air as she stared, holding the orb to her chest a bit more tightly as she faced something huge, something ethereal suddenly in the great, vast emptiness. Something there with her, where she had always ever been here alone.
She trembled, her mouth falling and moving slightly as she struggled to fathom.... H-how...? W....why...?
"....Y-you...." She stammered, "Y-You've... n-never..."
"Calm yourself, Little Master." The voice was low, floating so lightly and so softly as if it was nothing but the softest breeze, and yet it struck her core so deeply and so clearly it was almost deafening in her heart. It moved, slowly, lazily, as suddenly behind it shone the faintest outlines of two more.... Red and pale blue.
"... There is time."
.:+:.
Mordren snapped his fingers, his wandering gaze locking to Natsu, who looked back, motionless as he felt all free will of his own body suddenly snatched away, his and the hearts of everyone else rising in panic at the man's words.
"Y-you.... You can't win!" Moon snapped, "The world isn't just gonna bow down to you!"
"We're still here, and we'll sure as hell kick your ass for what you've done!" Gray joined in,
"We'll not bend to you, regardless of your Power, or your ridiculous 'rite'!" Erza snapped angrily,
"You ain't gonna take the rest of us down!" Gajeel snapped,
"We'll fight you with everything we have!"
"You're not gonna take the world!!"
"You're gonna pay!!"
"We're not giving up, never!!!"
There was a sudden uproar of angry insults and shouts sent out, indignation flaring as they were all suddenly faced with the very real possibility that the world would be consumed as they knew it, and all they knew was going to be shattered... more than it already had. They were faced with something too big, too big to beat, and yet they couldn't simply give up, they couldn't... they had to try, they had to fight until they couldn't.
Frea knew that...
"Energy God Slayer or whatever, we won't let you win!"
"What gets you off, acting so high and mighty? So what if you're older than Zeref? That doesn't change a damn thing!!"
"Just because you can jabber on about 'Forces of Creation' and all that nonsense doesn't mean a thing!!"
"No one is unbeatable, and you're gonna find that out the hard way!!"
Lucy blinked, her eyes slowly tracing toward Natsu, who was still, unnaturally so, and hadn't said anything, not even as the insults and shouting grey more fervent. She sweatdropped, beside her Happy looking worried suddenly too.
"N-Natsu...?" the blonde mumbled,
Mordren's eyes fell closed, his lip twitched upward a moment as the rabble overhead grew louder, and more futile, they were still trapped, they knew that, and he could feel their fear, he knew they were just lying to themselves, but their ignorance made a flash of agitation rise inside of him.
"You insolate fools!" He boomed, his eyes washing over the lot of them. "You know nothing of your own history! And you certainly know nothing of Magic!" He smirked darkly, his jaw clenched slightly. "The true nature of Magic runs as deep as the true Nature of Reality itself, as plain as the air you breathe, and the land under your feet, Magic resides in all life, in all existence. And in Magic, Magic exists only by the will of the Three true Powers of this world, and all worlds." He swept his arm out around them, slowly and surely, several more people found themselves suddenly unable to move.
"You may see your Magic as power, but it is nothing compared the sheer power of Existence that is created by those three Forces. All Magic, all life, and all existence spans from those, those Forces of Creation. You're pathetic parlor tricks you call Magic cannot begin to compare to what the Forces bring." He smiled wickedly, his hand falling to his chest. "Those Powers allow life, they allow worlds to live, creatures and humans to exist. They control the inner workings of everything tangible and intangible, and those Powers give rise and birth to anything, and everything there is in any world. You're 'Magic' exists only because of these Forces, you exist only because of them."
"You dare think you can stand against me? The one true Master of one of those Forces of Creation? The most powerful Force of the Three?" Mordren laughed, his eyes glinting widely. "I have spent centuries longer than any of you, mastering every secret there is to be had in the deepest Powers of this world, I watched civilizations rise and fall, I watched as the Dragons and ruled, and as they were slaughtered. I stood and watched as the 'Legendary' Black Wizard came to be, and laughed as he toiled away with Powers he knew only the faintest about!" He threw his head back, his face twisted as he laughed, his voice rising in vigor.
"I? The God? He who is responsible for the destruction of an entire race of the most Powerful Wizards on the Planet? I single-handedly saw to the destruction of the Energy Mages, who in their prime ruled this world! I rose above them all, and mastered the Force of Creation, I mastered Energy itself- and thus mastered life with it!"
Chase's eyes widened, his heart dropping at the words. He knew this, he knew that Energy Mages were extinct, he knew they all disappeared, anyone who knew Frea knew that... but the reason they vanished?
Mordren.... he slaughtered them all....?!
A... A whole generation of Mages... killed by one person....
Mordren swept his hand out, his eyes landing on Mavis, who stiffened, her body shaking as she lost all control of herself.
"How else could I control not just humans, but ghosts as well?' Mordren smirked, "I am in complete control of every living thing on the planet. Everything that has Energy, the Land itself, the people, the air, Magic, all of it is under my direction." His hand closed, Mavis hissed as she felt herself be forced to walk forward a few paces, the Guild, all of them frozen now in Mordren's Magical grasp, watched helplessly.
"And now, I have control of the country. With the great Malunafrey fallen, I can claim that Power." Mordren growled, "That combined Power of the Forces of Creation she sealed away, twice it's been denied to me... but now I have killed the True Sealer, and the One Power will be mine."
One... One Power...?!
He didn't mean... what was trapped away in Nvindorr, did he?!
It couldn't be... the fabled One Magic..?! And what does he mean 'twice denied'?!
"And soon, I will take control of this world, and all the rest. Be it Spirit, or Human, it will not matter." Mordren chuckled,
"Now, shall I start with the Parent?" Mordren smiled, his eyes landing to Master Makarov. "He who loves and protects his band of children? Shall I force you to slaughter them all with your own hands?" Mordren's attention snapped around again, "Or shall I make the children murder the parent?" He smiled wickedly, his fingers snapping as the Guild began to move in around Master Makarov, their faces twisted in pain and fear as they struggled and failed to stop their bodies from moving on their own.
Mordren's eyes moved across the crowd of struggling bodies, his eyes landing to a blonde who was stalking forward closely, and to whom he felt, more than anyone else, the sharpest, most painful rage and hurt. Mordren blinked, suddenly catching he murderous aqua blue gaze of the man,
... he who is most angry.
"W-We.. have... to... s-stop..." Erza hissed through gritted teeth,
"I... I can't... c..control..." Mira hissed,
"...N-no.... I won't be forced.... To..." Moon stammered,
".... F...fuck..." Chase hissed, his body a wash of pain as he was forced to stand again,
"... I won't... I can't..." Natsu growled, there was nothing to do. Even the Mages in Lamia, SaberTooth, Pegasus, Mermaid, and Cerberus began to move toward each other, Mordren's control over them growing more absolute by the second, and still the air grew thicker, and darker.
The world was turning black.
"There is nothing for you to do, I am Mordren, true Master of the Force of Creation, Energy." Mordren smiled, "And soon to be Master of all Three Forces in turn."
Mordren froze, a cold drip of sweat falling down his back as some feeling suddenly rammed into him, something sudden, something small, something he dared not believe was there. All movement from the Guilds ceased as his concentration on them shattered, his eyes wide and glinting as he stood still.
His face twisted, something between rage and sheer disbelief as his jaw clenched hard enough to crack a tooth, he felt his heart jump for the first time in thousands of years.
.:+:.
"Y... you can't have been... serious....? When you said...?" The man mumbled breathlessly, his blue eyes wide and looking bewildered, and disbelieving.
"I thought I told you to leave, Kala."
".... This is insane..." He mumbled, his mind spinning too much to even register the command, or the sudden strange and unknown title he had been addressed with so suddenly. (Or was it an insult? He hadn't a clue.....) "All this time, and it was you? How in the hell could it have been you?"
"You know so little, how did you even master my Magic?"
"I didn't learn it! I was always able to use it, shouldn't you know this already?" The man huffed a little hotly, "Mr. 'Lord of Death' know-it-all?"
"Most people wouldn't dare speak to me like this. Or disregard my orders."
"I didn't bring myself here, you did!" He snapped back, "I don't come here on my own, I'm just called, and you're the only one who could call me, right?"
"I did not." The man stiffened, his eyes widening slightly at the unexpected answer. That large body waved toward the still form of her, still standing there, still unseeing of the both of them. "She did."
"... she...?" He stammered, "... but how... could she?"
"She did not do so consciously, you were brought here as she was, because and only because of who the both of you are." The man blinked, "As she entered this place, the invisible line that spans between the both of you, that has kept you connected far longer than you realize, or could understand, that pulled you in after her as she stepped foot here." There was a grim look, the green eyes locked to the blonde Mage.
"Here where she has been more than any human should ever be."
The man stared, his mind whirling and unable to grasp what cryptic words those were, he didn't understand any of this... what line? What was it about the both of them that could bring them together without consciously choosing to? And what the hell did he mean by 'who the both of you are'?
He sweatdropped, his blue gaze narrowed as she frowned slightly.
".... You're entirely unhelpful." He muttered, earning a low laugh in response.
"It's not in my nature to be helpful." He laughed lowly, his voice echoing over the space, making the water shake. He smiled wryly, fangs flashing in the dim as he looked away from the man, ".... However, this once, I will not have a choice.... And I expect I have some things to explain. But for now, I have nothing for your ears, Kala. So I will allow you to leave, you've been called too soon."
"What the hell do you mean?" The man growled, "And what the hell is 'Kala' anyway?"
"That is who you are. The true you... the Manifestation in the mortal realm of Me." He replied, smirking slightly. "You, as she is, you are the manifestations of our Power that walk in the mortal realms. You represent our power, as there have been others to serve that purpose since the beginning." The man blinked, sweatdropping a little more.
"And eventually, you all will have work to do."
Rified hadn't time to ask anything more, the darkness around them suddenly moved to sweep him up in it's quake, pulling him away into deep nothing as he felt himself sink. For a small instant, his eyes moved to catch hers, and she blinked.
..... Manifestations..... of 'our' power?
... who the hell... is our?
He was plunged under the water, dragged down relentlessly as he felt his consciousness waning, he was being pushed out, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. Soon he'd be awake in the world he knew well... the mortal realm, in his words he supposed.
He never made it there, something else pulled him, pulled him a direction he had never been, backward.
Everything was gray, there was no color in a solemn, silent and greyscale world. His world... but there was no life, and he air itself swirled in a wash of gray that almost seemed like water, and yet he couldn't feel it. This place seemed so still, and yet all at once it seemed to move.
He stared, turning around, his eyes washing over the empty, silent buildings that hardly seemed to be there, unsure of where this was, or how in the hell he ended up here.
"I would send you back, but I think it best not to allow the Black God to have you."
Rified spun around, the voice low and lacking all emotion, as if it was bored. He looked about quickly, trying to pinpoint where it came from, and yet still there was no one.
".... First she's there, and then him, and now this..?" He mumbled, "... what the hell is going on...?"
"The Manifestation of the Mortal Realm for Energy, is dead." Rified stiffened, sweatdropping. "The Malurey, is dead."
"... I know." He mumbled, "I know she's.... wait, Malurey?"
"She is the Malurey. You are the Kala. That small child is the Seleyn." The voice repeated easily,
Rified stiffened, his ears catching to the sudden sound in the silence of footsteps behind him. He turned slowly, his blue eyes narrowed, sweatdropping and head continuing to spin all the more.
"And I am the Fealorr."
.:+:.
It was dark, and cold. Everything was moving, slowly, sluggishly, the air sliding past her on all sides as if it was water.... Maybe it was, she was so numb, she could hardly tell, her mind wasn't working, it was all... a jumble.
Somewhere, in the base of her core... there was something, some feeling, and it was faintly like that of something she had forgotten.... She couldn't place where she had been, or even why she was here. Let alone... what was I doing... before now...?
I can't.... feel anything.... I can't.... remember anything....
"W...What's going..... on...?" She breathed, her voice barely above a whisper, her lips wouldn't move, her body wouldn't budge... she hadn't the strength to. She felt her eyelids dropping, not that there was anything to see, it was all black, and she couldn't keep herself up much longer, she felt herself sinker deeper, losing herself... to nothing.
".... What.... Is this... place..?"
"You've been here many times before, Enogora Dragair Slajur."
She gasped slightly, her lungs filling with chill air after suddenly finding she needed to breathe, where she hadn't been. She huffed, her chest heaving as suddenly a wash of pain rammed into her all at once, something deep and settled heavily in her very center, though no external wound could be seen there- hard to believe with the level of agony that suddenly rammed into her like a train. Her body shook, her legs trembling violently as she struggled to keep standing, her head spinning and eyes locked to the floor... to see it rippling with every shake of her own body.
Am I... standing on water...?
"Though I suspect your memory of this place is nearly null, humans are not meant to be here more than twice."
Frea froze, her mind derailing away from the pain and her heaving chest, and even the fact she was standing on water, as suddenly the sound of the voice managed to work its way through the haze in her mind. A bead of sweat fell from her forehead, her body rigid as she slowly dared to turn around, she could feel something massive behind her, and she smelled the sickly sweet smell....
Her eyes went wide, her silver eyes glinting in the dim as her gaze fell on the massive, colossal form. The scales a pure black color, muscles rippling under the scaly skin, massive claws poking under the floor of water below them both. It's tail stretched out behind it, the top littered with black razor sharp spikes, it head long, narrow, ripped and torn ears stretching down on either side of the head. Its yellow stained teeth poked out from underneath the lips slightly, black spikes stretched down from the forehead, down the short neck, the back, and toward the tail.
Massive wings hung around its body like black curtains, ripped and frayed at the bottom with numerous holes and tears. The edges brushed against the surface of the water, causing more ripples as his head shifted down, looking her way as her silver eyes met his deep green ones.
"It's been some time, Enogora Dragair Slajur." He rumbled, his voice low and echoing in the dark emptiness around them, his lips pulling back in a small, almost amused smile. She swallowed slightly, sweatdropping a little more as she stood still, her eyes narrowed slightly.
"... Naraka." She murmured lowly, blinking a few times.
"You remember me then?" The Dragon murmured, looking amused slightly. Frea frowned a little,
".... You tried to kill me back in Crocus, when the Eclipse Gate opened." Frea replied lowly, Naraka laughed.
"Ah, I do faintly recall that." He chuckled lowly, "Though, as it happens, past events are slightly jumbled for me. The version of myself you came into contact with then was..... Hehe, a less enjoyable version." Naraka chuckled,
"... so you trying to kill me, I'm supposed to understand it was because you... weren't you?" Frea mumbled,
"How hard would that be for you to understand?" Naraka hummed, "You already know someone who had managed such a change, and that change was owed unto you, as I understand." Frea's head tilted slightly, Naraka took a seat on his haunches, shaking his head slightly. "... There is so much you don't understand, and I do not have enough time to tell you all of it."
".... What is going on Naraka? Why are you here?" Frea grumbled, "... Where is here?" Naraka's green eyes glinted slightly, simply looking at her for a few brief seconds in silence.
"You are dead."
What heartbeat there was left in her chest suddenly stopped altogether, those three simple words stealing her breath away and making her freeze.
The sudden feeling that suddenly ran through her wasn't fear, nor really even surprise- what hit her in that next instant was guilt, regret, sadness.
She'd been expecting.... But..... she couldn't imagine what the Guild.....
Her eyes fell, her fists clenching at her sides as she sweatdropped.
"You are not surprised." Naraka nearly purred the words, almost amused. "Then it is true, you knew you were that you stood no chance against Mordren." Naraka shifted slightly, one claw trailing across the water lightly.
"... Great, Black God of Energy. Great bane of this Bealorr Greiin." Frea glanced up, blinking.
".... What do you mean, Bealorr Greiin...?" She mumbled, easily recognizing the language of the Dragons.
" 'Shattered Mirror'." Naraka murmured, "It is the term used to describe the separate worlds in which events happen in different ways, and different people exist." Frea sweatdropped, Naraka dipped his head. "... it is speculated, and most do not believe such a thing. But there is dozens, hundreds, and perhaps infinite number of worlds lost in separate corners of all creation itself. They mirror the world you know, but remain different. Perhaps only slightly, and perhaps drastically so... 'Edolas', you have seen. That is one of the many Bealorr Greiin out there, that world was drastically different. In not only events, but Magic, and the people who lived there. In yours, the Bealorr Greiin you know and exist in, Mordren exists only here."
"... most are unable to perceive the different Greiin. There is no way to know how many there are, or how they differentiate. Very few know of them, or what they hold." Naraka trailed off a moment, shaking his head and smiling wryly. "This is idle chatter however, I have so much I could tell you, and yet that would take more time than I can allow." Frea blinked, her eyes narrowing slightly as she felt a sudden flash of emotion come from Naraka.... Is that sadness?
Wait, is he saying he's on some sort of time table right now?
"... I suppose I did not answer you're initial questions, did I?" Naraka murmured, smiling slightly. He glanced sideways, "For those, I think there is time.... And I am sure there may be time afterwards." He didn't continue the trail of thought, nor did he give her time to ask.
"You are in the Reach. Humans refer to this place as..... the closest would be 'Purgatory', or perhaps the 'Afterlife'." Naraka murmured, "This is where all come to die, for good." He dipped a claw into the water.
"Everything falls beneath the water, and becomes nothing. To fall into sheer emptiness, that it was it means to die." Naraka murmured. Frea blinked, her eyes slowly moving to the water under her feet,
"... I not... falling.." She mumbled, he dipped his head slightly but didn't give in to her comment just yet.
"I am here, because I am the Master of the Reach. Master, of this realm of death." Naraka murmured, "It was not a fancy title I gave myself when I called myself 'Lord of Death'. But I think I do prefer simply my title, and true name; Retheata." Frea sweatdropped, her ears ringing slightly as she felt her heart jump, immediately her thoughts clicking together to recognize the one word in that enigmatic language that had caused her so much grief lately.
".... Death." Frea mumbled, "Your true name.... is Death...?"
"Indeed. I embody Death itself, as do my brethren." Naraka murmured, "We all embody one of those 'Forces of Creation' Mordren prattles on about. We hold dominion over our own planes, we live and breathe as our Magic, we are the Magic.... We take the form of any powerful creatures we wish and live lives as those versions of ourselves, before we start anew. Or, we simply take no form at all, and just exist, never changing." Naraka went on, "Together we make up the basis of reality and life as you know it, without us there would be no existence, no life, no creation... there would be nothing, without us."
Her head was spinning, trying so hard to keep up with what she was being told, because how the hell was she supposed to believe all of this?!
And yet there was that feeling, that deepset feeling of familiarity, truth.
... without.... How could there just be nothing? And how could there be Magics that decide it all...?
"The four, the great four, where everything begins and ends. In Life there is Energy, in Existence there is Soul. In Reality, there is always time. And in everything, there is always Death." Naraka went on, seemingly almost wistful, yet amused as he smiled slightly down at her, the words rung through her core though, and she shivered. "My brethren and I were here when reality and life, where everything came into being, and we will remain long after worlds fall, over and over again. We are constant. We watch everything, keep forces moving, keep balance between one another. Rarely we meddle, and when we do, it is cause for concern." Naraka smiled wryly, his green eyes glinting as Frea continued to only stare, she was frozen.
"I do not like to interfere more than my duty demands, I did so once, and regretted it more than I like." Naraka explained, "My sister, however, meddles freely, and often pays the price over and over again... as is what is happening now." Frea blinked, her eyes narrowing.
Sister....?
"Your Foster Mother, the great and wise Chaitanya. Energy Dragon, and embodiment of Energy itself." Naraka announced easily, Frea felt her heart leap at the very mention of the name. "She has a soft spot for Humans, and has helped where she managed... and often times it has ended her lives, in an endless cycle, she is forced to die and be reborn in another form... and today," Naraka paused slightly, seemingly to take in a breath, "..... today the Energy Dragon you know, will be no more. And she will do this, to save you, her daughter."
Frea felt a cold sweat fall down her back, her heart dropping from her throat to the bottom of her feet, her breath catching in her throat. She felt herself shaking, her body trembling as a race of panic and utter fear rammed into her full force. Her mouth fell open slightly, shaking her head a little,
"...w...what....?" She barely managed to stammer the words, before she swallowed hard. "W-What?!" She snapped frightfully, her silver eyes glistening. She stepped forward quickly, her heart racing in panic suddenly. "Y-you can't...!?"
"Recall I said you have been here many times before, Enogora Dragair Slajur." Naraka cut off her rising panic instantly, shaking his head firmly. He lift a claw, tapping the end of it against her shoulder and making her take a step back, "And recall, how many times I said humans are meant to be here, in the Reach?"
Frea found herself hissing as he pushed her back, she suddenly wanted to lash out of him as her panic set in faster, she hardly cared for his rambling.
"Twice." Naraka murmured, "Humans are given one chance to save themselves from Me. At a time in which they find themselves plunged into the dark waters, I hold off long enough to allow them chance to break the surface, to swim to the top and save themselves from the fall." Frea's jaw clenched, her eyes narrowed to slits. "If a human wishes to live badly enough, they will. They have their chance, and they live, until the next time they find themselves in the Reach- for the second time. And on the second time, they fall completely, and never return."
"You, you have been plunged under the water on numerous occasion, and still you have not drowned. For this, that is owed to the meddling and the power of Chaitanya herself." Naraka shifted again, his claws making the water ripple more. "You have been kept from falling time and time again because she has sacrificed her own Power and Life to do it, she has chipped away what life energy she has to save you, to keep you alive, and now, she is finally spent. You have no chance left after this, Enogora Dragair Slajur. With this last sacrifice, you will go back, in hope perhaps... you will beat the Black God."
Frea hissed, her fists clenching at her sides.
"She can't do that!" She snapped, "I'm not going to let her die for me, Naraka!"
"There is nothing you can do to change this." Naraka mumbled lowly. Frea's head fell, her body trembling violently as she felt her legs shaking, her entire form felt cold and suddenly numb, she couldn't believe she was staying standing.
"... I c-can't......" Frea stammered, ".... I can't let anyone.... I can't let her.... Not for me...."
"It is done."
Frea's legs buckled, her body hunching as her hands hit the surface of the water to catch herself. The water rippled, the moisture cold against her skin but she felt numb to it. It was too much, all of this all at once... all the ridiculously crazy notions, the ancient powers, forces that are responsible for... everything in itself. Creatures that embody the four forces of all creation, Energy one of them... Chaitanya...
... and the certainty, the truth. All of it, in her core, it was true... she hated so much it was true.
She felt it then too, nearly the minute those lasts words left Naraka's lips. Her core shattered, her heart, her soul, all of it. She felt it rip away, the candle went out, the brightest light..... the life that had saved her own, taught her, raised her, nurtured her. Loved her, more than she could describe.
Frea looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears, her core filled with pain and loss of the like she had never felt, too much, like the world and all it's pain and agony had crashed down over her head.
"..... please..." She gasped, her words broken and hushed. ".... I don't..... I can't take it.... Losing her..."
Naraka blinked, silent as he looked down at her, his body still and nothing moving around them outside from the water rippling as her tears hit the surface. For a minute, his amused and detached exterior shifted slightly, and for a small moment, he looked somber, sympathetic, and even pained.
"........ You may be losing her, Enogora Dragiar Slajur. I know it is painful, the loss of a parent to a child who was loved so... I wouldn't wish it on you, or any other child." Naraka murmured, his voice low, and soft suddenly, gentle. "You may have lost a mother, but there are many more in the living who love you still, and who you love in return. Right now, they are about to be consumed by the Black God. Those you have fought for time and time again, will be slaughtered at his hand, and the world will fall soon after."
Frea's head fell, her fingers curling into the water as she shut her eyes tight, her jaw clenched as she hissed.
"You have a chance, your last chance, you – the Mortal Embodiment of Energy itself, the most powerful User of the Element alive in the world today. You, you are Malurey." Naraka went on, Frea stiffened.
"... he killed me, Naraka." Frea growled, "... how can you even say that? Most powerful user of Energy?" She glanced up, her eyes glinting as she frowned at him, her expression still utterly pained. "He's centuries old, he has more Power than I have ever seen in anyone in all my life, maybe even more than Zeref. I'm a half-baked Dragon Slayer whose Element is Energy, and who doesn't have the very ability required to make real Energy Mages in the first place. The only thing I'm good at is making shit up, being royally stubborn, hot-headed and getting lucky.... Mordren's had centuries to learn, to master, he knows more about Magic than I ever could.... How the hell could you even suggest I'm stronger than that..?"
"..... For someone so clever, you seem to have missed something crucial." Naraka murmured, smiling slightly again. Frea blinked, "Yes, Mordren is old, he has studied the inner depths of Magic and gained control over Energy that no Energy Mage before has managed. He is the sole responsible for the destruction of all Energy Mages so long ago, he alone is responsible for making the line of Mages nearly extinct. He has broken barriers no mortal should to gain the power he has, the power to destroy worlds. He is, in almost every sense of the word, a true God." Naraka waved a claw her way, "You have improved faster than anyone should in a short amount of time, you have tripled your power, several times over. But yes, he killed you, for all your effort, you still did not reach the level you needed to win."
".... Is this supposed to be empowering..?" Frea grumbled, Naraka chuckled.
"Malurey." He smiled, "Do not write off my words like that, they are important. And I do know what I am talking about." Frea blinked once, "You are the Mortal Embodiment of Energy itself, as Chaitanya was the true, immortal Embodiment. There is only ever one, of each Force. You are the Malurey, that is no lie, you are more powerful than Mordren, for all his power, for all your shortfalls. Where Mordren has had centuries, you have years stolen away where you may have reached the Power, the true extent of the Power inside of you. That loss of time at the hands of Acnologia ensured your growth was stunted, you didn't have time. But that does not make who you are any less true."
"Naraka..." Frea mumbled, this was going nowhere, and quickly she was finding she was too exhausted to even care, and his riddles and rambling were doing nothing to help.
If he was right, then? If she was more powerful than Mordren... or could have been, what did it matter? He already said she hadn't time to reach the level she needed, Tenrou ensured it. She certainly had no more time now, not unless Naraka was about to spout some nonsense about his 'brother Time' and magically rewind time, or add a few years to allow her time to become as powerful as he seemed to think she was..... maybe even the same sort of powerful Jynx had always thought she was.....
Frea paused, blinking a moment as her eyes fell to her hands, sweatdropping.
"Mordren, for all his boasts, does not understand anything at all." Naraka smirked, "Mordren, is still mortal. And all mortals, regardless of power, skill- they all bow to one thing."
"Four Pillars meant to hold the base, a Fifth that threatens to break the Form. Balance of Four, the Creation of One. Force of Destruction, the Product of Four."
"That ability you lack, the one you fear is required to make a true Energy Mage, and without it makes you lesser?" Naraka smirked, his green eyes glinting in amusement as he watched the thoughts begin to click in her head. " 'World Sense'. You learned a Magic incapable of being learned without, without World Sense Energy Mages cannot be made... and yet here you are. You, who is not bound by the laws of the Magic you embody, and you- who has been touched, and connected with all powers, Celestial in heart and those that create everything around you. The Sun and the Moon bow to you. To you the laws of the Spirit Realm matter not. Nor have the laws of Time mattered, you have fallen past that. And in soul, you've healed the broken and darkened souls of those around you, banished the ones that would do harm, and held to the ones bound within you with more control than should be allowed. You have done the impossible and by passed laws of Magic without even realizing you have done so. No Mage before, not Energy, nor any other, has been so free of the laws and shackles that Magic comes with. Mordren is bound by these laws, but you are not."
Frea stared, her eyes wide as Naraka rose to his feet, his wings rising around him as she felt the Reach begin to spin around them, the water thumping.
"You rule above the laws of your Magic, but all the rest. For you, there may be no limits, you simply must find the power inside of you." Naraka smiled, "And now, you will for a time, rule above the laws of even Me." His green eyes flashed red a moment, "Chaitanya's power and life was enough to save you the choice, but not this time, Malurey. Her sacrifice has made it possible so that this day, you had the chance to make the decision yourself. You will go back, and it will be on your choice." Frea stiffened, sweatdropping heavily.
"Go back and face the Black God, and do so knowing you are not bound by the laws of any Magic, and that they all, including Death, bow to you this day." Naraka let out a laugh, his head falling to place itself inches from her own as she stood up, her tears stilling. "Go back, knowing that Death itself cannot hold you once you make your choice."
Frea swallowed, her eyes flashing slightly.
.:+:.
Solana and Aisha stared, their eyes locking with those red ones of the small Little Ghost, the three of them alone in the expanse of the White Plane. The world around them and the image of the Guilds slowly being turned on one another vanished, they found themselves whisked away here, and yet somehow they still knew their physical bodies remained under the control of Mordren... yet their minds wandered.
Jynx looked up, her expression stunned as both Solana and Aisha's eyes locked to the glowing orb in her hand, their hearts clenching to see her tears, and quite stunned themselves.
"Why in the hell....?" Solana mumbled,
"The bridge between you has fallen."
Aisha and Solana stiffened, looking around wildly at the sudden wisp of a voice speaking all around them.
"You've felt it break, but it is not lost forever."
Jynx blinked, her jaw dropping slightly.
"... you... d-don't mean...?" Jynx stammered,
"This is a rare day... and a day where it is asked the Sun and the Moon relinquish their rule, to the only one who can stand above them." The voice went on, not pausing for even a moment. "For this day only, the power of the Sun and the Moon will rule in one host."
Solana and Aisha sweatdropped, their eyes wide as their attention snapped down toward their hands, eyes glinting as those same silver marks that had shattered not minute before, suddenly blazed brightly upon their skin. Jynx stared, frozen, before she felt the orb in her hands shift, and fade from her hands entirely, gone.
"..... S-she...?" Jynx, Aisha and Solana stammered in unison, hardly daring to think.
.:+:.
Rified stared, sweatdropping slightly as he stared into the eyes of the new arrival, and that neutral, almost off-handed stare he received in return from such yellow eyes.
"This is a fixed point in the current, and one long coming." The stranger murmured, "The circumstances shifted and varied, and yet it all has fallen into place... and one thing is certain."
The stranger lift a hand, his fingers falling into the colorless streams moving around them as if it was weightless, touchless water. Rified swallowed slightly,
"Today, All Magic will bow to One."
.:+:.
His green eyes met on silver, fangs flashing in a small smirk as his words strung on the air, and the water began to rise around them.
"Choose to stand and fight."
.:+:.
No one moved, no one breathed. Every body, every thought, all of it, suddenly still. Completely and utterly still, no fear, no panic, just silence, even the wind could be heard, if there was any, even the air had stopped.
Every gaze moved to one point, all hearts still and jaws dropped, all thoughts derailed in an instants time.
They couldn't...
Mordren hissed, his eyes giving away from the dull to small inklings of fear, and true and utter disbelief. He knew that feeling, he had stalked it for months, he felt it, right there.... but it had been gone!
"I-Impossible!"