Chapter 17: Tartaros

A/N: A few things to note before we proceed. Try as hard as I could in the last couple of days, I still couldn't figure out a way to make sense of Erza's win over Kyoka. There is simply no reasonable explanation for it, as such I have changed that particular fight a little bit. So I'm adding Canon Divergence tag for it, and also Hurt/Comfort tag for Erza and Lucy's scenes at the end, the rating has been changed to Mature to be on the safe side as well.

If this chapter feels more intense than usual, don't blame me. Blame Hiro Mashima for making this arc so angsty :)

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The news of the Magic Council's destruction reached Fairy Tail two weeks after they got back from the retreat.

In the little time they had, they managed to do some research into E.N.D and its relation to Tartaros. E.N.D was a demon on a whole different level than Deliora or Lullaby and was considered the most powerful creation from the Book of Zeref. Each demon of Zeref had its own summoning book and upon acquiring one of those, any person could perform the ritual to summon the demons. There was a chance Tartaros had gained possession of this E.N.D demon, which posed the question of what they were planning to do with such a weapon in their hands.

Still, their information about Tartaros was too little to be of any use. Even the Council didn't know their whereabouts, nor details about their members either.

Everyone was still recovering from the shock of the death of all Magic Council members when another terrible news reached them. Laxus and the Thunder Legion were severely injured during an encounter with a Demon Gate of Tartaros when they were on a job at Sir Yajima's restaurant.

According to the testimony of Freed, or at least from the bits he could mutter out before falling unconscious, the Demon Gate's body blew up after his defeat and released a copious amount of Bane Particles into the air. The Bane Particles polluted and eradicated the ether-nano within the atmosphere, preventing any mage's magic power from recovering as long as they were trapped inside the anti-ether-nano zone. It also caused Magic Deficiency Syndrome and Bane Sickness, a deadly combination of illnesses for wizards.

But Laxus, the noble, kind-hearted, idiotic man he was, inhaled all the Bane Particles saturated in the air into his body. It was common knowledge that Dragon Slayers had somewhat special lungs, but that did not mean the poison didn't have any effect on his body. The Thunder Legion and Sir Yajima suffered from the venom as well, having come in contact with the lethal substance in just a few seconds. Erza couldn't even begin to fathom how much pain Laxus must be in right now.

Porlyusia said it was a miracle the blond man was even alive, and Erza's heart squeezed painfully inside her chest. No one had the heart to inform Freed that the city was still contaminated with the Bane Particles since the Lightning Dragon Slayer was not able to consume all of those before they spread out to other parts of the city, rendering his sacrifice less effective than what he wholeheartedly believed.

They would get revenge for their family, even if it meant going to war against the most formidable opponent in the dark magic world. Tartaros was even targeting former Council members as well. Even though they still hadn't had any idea what the dark guild's aim was, Fairy Tail would have to be one step ahead of them before they could continue to massacre more wizards and spread disasters in their wake.

The only lead they had on Tartaros right now was the fact that the Demon Gates were hunting down the ex-Councilmen for some unknown reasons. Erza's mind went to Jellal for a second, if that was the case, her old friend was in danger as well. She was naturally worried about him because of that. But Jellal was a survivor like her, too. He was powerful in his own right, and he had mastered the art of staying hidden from everyone's radar for so many years. The redhead had no means of communicating with him, but she was certain Jellal could protect himself and his guild in the face of any evil force. She would have to warn him the next time he decided to check in with her, stochastically as it was.

Based on the information Loke provided, they were able to pinpoint the locations of four other former councilmen. They would start by sending teams to visit each of their homes to protect the ex-Council members from Tartaros and gather as much information as they could about the reason why they were being attacked.

Lucy came to her when they were getting ready. The blonde would go with Natsu, Happy, and Wendy to Sir Michello's house while Erza would stay at the guild as a safeguard in case Tartaros decided to land a surprise attack against Fairy Tail. They had learned their lesson from the last time Fairy Tail declared war against another guild, Phantom Lord.

"I don't have a good feeling about this." The Celestial mage murmured, tucking her head into the side of Erza's neck and taking a deep breath. Erza had started to discard one of her shoulder guards as part of her normal attire just because Lucy loved to do this often.

Erza frowned and placed a quick, reassuring kiss on the girl's temple, "What do you mean?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Just... like something terrible is going to happen."

"About where you are going with Natsu and Wendy?"

"No, about this entire thing with Tartaros..." Lucy mumbled into her skin, and Erza wrapped her arms around her girlfriend in response.

"It will be a tough fight. Tartaros is much more dangerous than any of our previous enemies. We will definitely need to be more cautious than ever before. But I'm sure Fairy Tail will always come out victorious against any manner of darkness in the world and Tartaros is not going to be an exception to that."

Lucy only sighed, the heavy trace of worries still visible in her voice, "You really think so, Erza?"

"I do." And she did. She had always believed in Fairy Tail, believed in the friends she had surrounded herself with, believed that light would always trump darkness no matter how hopeless everything set out to be. They would never lose to the kinds of Tartaros, no matter how powerful or formidable they were.

The blonde just clung to her for the next few minutes, and Erza patted her back gently in hope of calming down Lucy's trepidation, "Do you want me to come with you instead? Maybe I can convince one of them to stay behind in my place."

Lucy shook her head, "You're needed here. It's alright, perhaps the feeling will pass once we know more about the situation. Just... stay like this for a while, please?"

Erza nodded and tightened her hold on the girl in her arms, letting their heartbeats imprint and woven together in a quiet, intimate embrace. There were times Lucy wanted, needed, Erza's unwavering courage, and she would always give it to her. Willingly, readily, deliberately. Just like Erza needed Lucy's steadfast conviction and unyielding radiance every once in a while, too.

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Their teams were too late to protect the ex-Councilmen. Among the four of them, only Sir Michello was still alive since Lucy's group arrived on time before Jackal of Tartaros appeared. Not only were the former members of the Magic Council dead, but the perpetrators had also rampaged through their cities of residence as well and many civilians' lives were lost in the aftermath.

"Sir Michello is safe, but Natsu is seriously hurt during the fight with the enemy." Lucy's distorted voice rang through the communication lacrima at the city they were in, "And there is something you guys need to know."

"Are you alright?" Erza cut in, eyebrows furrowed together. Lucy's eyes softened at the worry on the redhead's face, "I'm fine, Erza. Just a few scratches. Wendy and Carla, too. Natsu and Happy were the ones who took most of the damage. Anyway, I will let Sir Michello explain what he knows about the situation."

They learned about Face, the White Legacy, from Sir Michello. The Face was one of the weapons in the Magic Council's possession, a magic pulse bomb that can eradicate all magic power from the entire continent. Every wizard on the face of Earth would suffer from Magic Deficiency Syndrome while the Tartaros Demons, who used curses instead of magic, would retain their powers in the new world.

That was alarming news, they needed to act fast to find and destroy the Face before Tartaros could activate it. Sir Michello didn't have any information regarding its whereabouts, but from what he could tell them, three former members of the Council had sealed the Face away with a body link spell and only the ex-Chairman knew the identities of those three.

That was why Tartaros had been going around killing the ex-Councilmen, to break their body links and lift the seal on the Face. They were now in a race against time to find the former Chairman before Tartaros could kill the rest of the ex-members and get their hands on the Face.

Laki was the one who found the former Chairman's address, using her contacts in other guilds. Since they were already short on numbers and the enemies had proved to be much more powerful than any of them had initially thought, Master Makarov had no choice but to send both of his aces, Erza and Mirajane, to go protect the man.

"Erza," Lucy called from the lacrima a few feet away, and the redhead stepped closer to hear her girlfriend better, "Please be careful."

Erza nodded, "Yes, I know. The Chairman's place is closer to where you guys are now than to the guild hall, so will you come and meet me there? If Natsu doesn't require immediate medical treatment, that's it."

"Wendy is healing him right now. I think we still need to rest a little bit first, but we'll go there as soon as we can." The unease in Lucy's posture didn't fade, and neither did her deep frown, "Erza, my bad feeling hasn't passed. It gets worse. It feels like we are missing something crucial..."

The Requip mage took a deep breath, "Yeah, I will think more about it on our way. For now, you should rest, Mira and I need to go. Time is of the essence here, after all. I'll meet you there soon enough."

When Erza and Mira reached their destination, the redhead let out a sigh of relief upon seeing the ex-Chairman safe and sound in his house, surprise on his face at the impromptu visit. The former Chairman informed them that he didn't know about the location of the Face, nor the identities of the three members who had sealed it away either. Even though he was the Head of the Magic Council back in the day, those were the kind of information that needed to remain confidential to everyone, including him, to protect the integrity of the magic world as a whole. Even the three members who served as the Face's body links were unaware that they were the keys to unsealing it.

Erza was troubled by this. If even the Chairman didn't know, how would Tartaros expect to find and activate the Face to their advantage? Were they intended to torture every single former member of the Magic Council for information before killing them?

They were in the middle of a discussion when the enemy attacked. Erza and Mira immediately shifted into battle forms. Even though this was their first time fighting together instead of against each other like many instances in the past, Erza couldn't deny they made a great battle duo. Perhaps due to the fact that both of them had been too familiar with each other's movements and fighting styles ever since they were kids.

But something didn't sit right with the redhead, and apparently Mira thought the same thing as well. It was odd that although the Chairman was the most important target for Tartaros, the enemy force sent here was unnaturally weak. They were clearly ordinary soldiers, not even a single one of the Nine Demon Gates made an appearance.

A wave of dizziness hit the Requip mage out of nowhere, and she could only look to her left where a thump was heard, seeing Mirajane's form hit the ground before everything went black.

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When Erza woke up, it was to an unfamiliar face and iron chains around her wrist and ankles.

There was something eerie about the woman in front of her, something unnatural about her presence and power. It felt like she wasn't human, so it was logical to assume she had fallen into the hand of Tartaros's Demon Gates.

"Where is Mira? And the former Chairman?" She needed to know about her friend and the Chairman's safety first before forming any feasible plan of escape.

The bird-like woman's lips curved into an ominous smile, "The Chairman is our comrade. Once our plan succeeds, he'll likely be reinstated as Council Chairman. He set out a trap for you, and the two of you fell for it to become our captive."

Erza was baffled at hearing this. She was so sure the former Chairman was an honest man, he would never turn his back on the magic world and betray them like that.

"What about Mira? What have you done to my guildmate?" Erza growled out, struggling against the magic-blocking restraints in vain.

"I haven't killed her." The demon shook her head, "Rather, I'm about to alter her flesh to make her my servant."

She would kill this bitch if she dare lay a hand on Mirajane! That was a promise.

And Lucy... Lucy's group was on their way to the Chairman's house too. Surely they hadn't been caught as well, right? Erza desperately wanted to ask, but if the blonde hadn't been captured yet, her question would trigger the demon's suspicion and alert their group's presence near the Chairman's house.

And the demon did say 'the two of you' before, so maybe only she and Mirajane...

"I have a question for you," The tight grip on her chin jolted Erza out of her thought, and she had to blink when the demon's face suddenly came into focus, "Where is Jellal?"

Erza couldn't hide her surprise at the name, even though she knew it was not surprising that the demons were looking for him considering they planned to kill every single former member of the Council. She just wasn't sure why the demon was asking her specifically about him since Erza didn't know how her connection with Jellal even reached Tartaros's ears in the first place.

It was not a hidden secret or anything, per se. It was simply not public knowledge. Only members of Fairy Tail and some of her old friends knew about it. The most logical explanation was that Tartaros had learned about it from Oracion Seis as both of them were dark guilds and core pillars of the Baram Alliance.

A part of her couldn't help but feel a little relieved at the question. If Tartaros was asking about where Jellal was, he must still be alive and remain hidden away from their reach then.

Erza didn't know about his location, and even if she did, she would never disclose it to Tartaros, not in a million years! The demon was not satisfied with her uncooperation and planned to torture the supposed information out of her.

The Requip mage gritted her teeth. It was not the first time she had endured tremendous physical pain, this woman clearly got the wrong person to pick on. She would persevere through this!

Little did Erza know how much she underestimated the demon's methods.

Because the woman's power could alter a person's senses, as the demon explained with a menacing grin, she had pushed Erza's perception of pain to the maximum sensitivity.

And it hurt. It hurt so much. So much to the point Erza couldn't control her body's reaction to it anymore, could feel hot tears pooling at the corners of her eyes before falling down her chin in a desperate attempt to escape, could feel each and every scream of agony tore out from her throat furiously, the endless tremors passed through her sweaty body as it convulsed uncontrollably with shocks after shocks of burning fire etching on her bones, the way every single nerve on her skin was scorched alive.

White. Hot. Excruciating pain. Erza could feel the last bits of her sanity start to fall apart, bit by bit.

Memories of childhood flashed through her eyes, and Erza wondered if this was what people who were about to die see, pieces of their lives falling into places only to fade away like fallen leaves in a torrent of dark thunderstorms.

Childhood. Tower of Heaven. Pains and anguish. Torture...

That was right. Safe place! She needed a safe place. That was how she had survived the Tower when everything was too overwhelming for her small, fragile body to handle. Safe place!

Back then, it had been Jellal's first genuine smile and Grandpa Rob's kind eyes. But now, now...

Amidst the demon's repeated questions about Jellal's whereabouts, Erza let her mind retreat into memories of recent past. Of tight grip on her hand and enveloping warmth around her shoulders. Of whispered confession and phantom press of lips. Of hands clinging to her waist and head to the side of her neck. Of lingering touches, gentle and attentive. Of sunshine and constellations and promises and intents.

Of eyes, brighter than any distant stars. Of smiles, tender and so patient. Of voice, making Erza promise to never give up on her life anymore. A sense of peace settled over her soul, impenetrable walls rising around her heart and mind. And Erza knew she wouldn't break now, as long as she still had these memories to hold onto.

The Requip mage didn't know how long she was in that state of mind. Could be minutes, hours, days, months... But when a hand grabbed her shoulder and started shaking her out of it, the pain registered wasn't as unbearable as it was before. Erza groggily opened her eyes, only to meet with Natsu's concerned face and grim expression, "Erza! Erza, wake up!"

"Natsu..." Were you the one who saved me from my demons again, Natsu?

His worried eyes turned into cheerful, excited orbs, so so familiar Erza's heart ached. "Yep, it's me! I'm here now, Erza! Oh, and Lisanna too. We are so gonna kick these bastards' asses!" Through the haze still layering over her sight, the redhead vaguely realized the white-haired girl standing next to him. Lisanna. Mirajane...

The demon, Kyoka as she learned, returned right at that, and thanks to Natsu and Lisanna's surprised ambush, they managed to subdue the demon long enough to threaten the information out from her. Mirajane was in the lab two levels above, Erza had gained back enough strength to order Natsu and Lisanna to go there and save the Take Over mage, leaving the redhead alone with the demon responsible for the new set of scars littering over her body now.

Erza shifted her weight around, feeling her body slowly recover from its weakened state. In the meantime, the demon explained to her more about Tartaros' plan with an ease that Erza found alarmingly suspicious.

The Face had been unsealed, not by Jellal's death but rather via a different method. Tartaros's goal was for them to return to Zeref, having been born as demons from his books. As such, they wanted to resurrect Zeref and reunited with him again.

That didn't explain why Tartaros needed to purge all magic from the continent, Erza knew they must still be hiding something far more sinister. But that was the end of the demon's generosity and the two started to engage in a fight, destroying the room and a large chunk of the castle above it.

She would beat this one up if that was what it took to make the demon elaborate more on their plan and intentions with Zeref.

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The force from Erza's Jousting Lance broke straight through the cube thing they were on and paved the way for other Fairy Tail members to reach Tartaros's headquarters on the opposite side.

Upon setting her eyes on them, Erza was unclear as to how her guildmates were all here with them, but now was not the time to ask such unimportant questions, not with the demon still hovered in front of her. The redhead could only yell out a quick update on Natsu, Lisanna, and Mira's situation from her end before Kyoka required her attention again.

Just for a fleeting second, but Erza could see Lucy in the crowd of mages around her. The blonde didn't look like she was hurt, and the Requip mage secretly breathed out in relief, "Lucy! The Face has been released! Go find a way to stop it!" If anyone could figure out a solution to the impending disaster, it would surely be her smart girlfriend.

In the meantime, she would have to take the brunt of Kyoka's attacks first.

"What is your goal?! Returning to Zeref... What does it mean?" Erza quickly blocked one of the demon's claws with her trusty dual swords.

The maniac glints in her opponent's eyes widened, "Zeref made us, we'll carry out his wishes, to serve our creator. We fight for Zeref's sake."

Erza frowned, that didn't feel any less cryptic than what the demon previously said. But before she could gather more information from Kyoka, the demon suddenly retreated from the fight, leaving Minerva to take her place as Erza's adversary.

The redhead did not expect to encounter Minerva here again, of all places. But in hindsight, Succubus Eye was a subordinate guild of Tartaros so the dark-haired mage's presence made sense enough.

The former Sabertooth member said she had been reborn as a demon with Tartaros's help, shedding any trace of humanity left in her. Erza wouldn't believe that for one second, because no sane person would choose to let go of their existence in the world that easily.

If Minerva was so insistent in her desire to trade blows with Erza again, then fine. She would see their fight to the end this time, sealing away any doubt Minerva still harbored about their supposed rivalry that had started during the Grand Magic Game.

Something happened during her battle with Minerva. Erza couldn't really explain it, but one moment she was parrying the dark-haired mage's magic blasts, the next some red vines started to appear out of nowhere and quickly wrapped themselves all over her body, rendering the Requip mage immobile inside the mess.

Erza supposed whatever magic it was, it made her unconscious during the time she was under its influence as well, because the next second when she opened her eyes, the red mist had disappeared without a trace, leaving only Minerva remained in her line of sight.

The redhead just hoped whatever the magic was, it was used to Fairy Tail's advantage in this war against Tartaros. Since the red vines didn't feel like they had any residual effects on her magic or physical power, Erza simply made a mental note about it to inquire later before getting swept up into the fight with Minerva again.

There were hatred and anger in Minerva's eyes, and her movements were getting sloppy by the second because of it. They could be equally matched if both of them were serious, but in that kind of state, Erza quickly gained the upper hand and delivered a powerful punch to the mage's gut, effectively knocking her back a few feet.

"Just what is it that you that you're fighting me for?!" The redhead gritted out her teeth. This question had been on her mind for a while now, ever since Erza met Minerva again at the Sun Village. There was simply no goal to them fighting each other anymore. If it was just to compare power and skills, Erza would gladly take on Minerva any day, just like she always did with Natsu every single time. But the malice in Minerva's eyes didn't corroborate that hypothesis.

"Strong, I have to be strong..." The woman mumbled from her crouched position, "That... has always been the Sabertooth's way..."

"Open up your eyes!" Erza growled back, "Sabertooth didn't teach you that! Your heartless actions during the Grand Magic Game, I don't agree with them but I do understand them. It was all for Sabertooth, was it not?! Sabertooth means pride and acceptance for you, not an excuse for you to abuse your power against other people just because they are not in Sabertooth like you! That is not how you assert the Sabertooth's way, Minerva!"

The redhead clenched her fists, "My fists weep when they hit you, Minerva... They ask what purpose this fight has... Don't you dare use such a stupid excuse like that again!"

Minerva's entire body slumped back to the concrete piles behind her, posture defeated and smile tired, "I know... That is why I am asking you to kill me with your own hands. I'm weak, that's why I fell to the dark side. I cannot live with this body now..."

Erza shook her head. Just when she had thought no more nonsenses would stumble out of the mage's lips anymore. First Jellal, and now Minerva. People who had fallen to the dark side once did have the tendency to try to atone for their sins with their death, believing it would make up for all the terrible things they did under the darkness's influence.

But that was not how Minerva was supposed to redeem herself. She needed to live and bear the burden. And move forwards one day, when the mage was ready for it.

People would need support on their path of atonement. Jellal had her and his guild now. But for Minerva, Erza knew someone else was eagerly waiting for her to return to them all this time. The woman would never be alone from now, that Erza could be sure of.

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As if her thought was heard, Sting and Rogue appeared just a few seconds after Mard Geer interrupted her conversation with Minerva with a powerful blast. Erza knew she had made the right decision to contact Sabertooth about her concern regarding Minerva after they got back from the Sun Village then.

They learned about the full Face plan from Mard Geer. There were three thousand magic pulse bombs spreading out the entire continent instead of just one as they had initially thought, all of which were set to detonate in one hour and magic would vanish from the world.

The redhead left the Twin Dragon Slayers to deal with the Underworld King, Erza needed to go figure out a way to stop all the Faces before they detonated first. And since Minerva seemed to know more about the structure of Tartaros's castle than any of them, both the Sabertooth's Exceeds and Minerva herself opted to go with Erza.

They came across Lily and Happy on the way, along with one of the defeated Demon Gate. Based on the information gathered from him, they finally reached the control room where the Faces were being prepared for denotation remotely. But Kyoka and Seilah, whom Erza assumed was another one of the Demon Gates, were there first.

Erza didn't know what Seilah's power was, but she was ready to take on both of them should it come to it when Mirajane suddenly jumped down from the ceiling and smashed the demon to the ground before any of them could even react.

"Mira!" The redhead couldn't hide the joy in her voice at seeing her friend again. Erza quickly ran over to the Take Over mage's side, "You had me so worried!"

"Erza," The white-haired mage gave her a weak smile in response, "Likewise. But I think that just used up the last bit of my strength..."

From across the room to them, Seilah seemed like she had the same issue as well. Erza could only make out Kyoka kneeling down beside the demon before the large screen at the center of the room commanded her attention. By the countdown clock displayed on the screen, they only had a few minutes left before the Faces were detonated.

"Slay Kyoka! She is the last of the Demon Gates, and she has nearly all the information. We will know how to stop the Faces then!" Minerva disclaimed as Erza had just come to the same conclusion.

With Mirajane down and Minerva injured from their previous fight, there was only Erza left to battle the last of the Demon Gates. She would prevail, even if it was the last thing she did.

To make matter worse, a sudden chill crept up her back, followed by a terrifying roar spreading out the entire battlefield. Erza had only experienced this magic presence once in her life before, but there was no doubt who was the owner of such malicious magical power.

Why was Acnologia here? Judging by the surprised look on Kyoka's face, the Black Dragon was not a part of Tartaros's plan either.

Erza was even more alarmed by the appearance of another dragon in the sky, with dark red scales covering his body instead of pure black ones like Acnologia's. The new dragon started to go against Acnologia, so Erza assumed he was an ally for now.

Everyone present was stunted into frightened silence as the battle between the dragons unfold in the sky. If the dragons want to destroy every single thing in their paths, humans didn't stand a chance against this strength.

The red dragon breathed out a column of excruciating hot fire. Fire Dragon. Erza's eyes widened. Could it be Igneel? Where was Natsu?

The Salamander had once told her, that the color of his guild mark is the color of his father's scales, which was a perfect match to the red dragon's body high up in the sky over there. And so Erza hoped.

Amidst everyone's trepidation about the aerial battle happening at the moment, Kyoka abruptly took control of the Face's denotation and speeded it up with a body link. The Demon Gate was now one with the Faces' denotation, and that meant if Erza was to kill Kyoka there, the Faces would never be detonated.

Kyoka's power was extremely hard to get around, Erza couldn't find any weakness in it. Besides increasing the sensation of pain, Kyoka had the power to take away all of her other senses as well. Touch. Taste. Smell. Sound. Sight. Leaving her entirely incapacitated to the demon's mercy.

Erza could have continued the fight even without the other four senses, but touch... Touch was crucial to everything of her power, she would never be able to grab hold of a sword or even feel the wind currents indicative of her opponent's movements. The environment around her wouldn't register, and the redhead was powerless to stop her impending fate.

Lucy, I'm sorry. I don't think I can keep that promise to you anymore. This is a fight that I cannot win...

But the mist surrounding her was lifted, somehow, and Erza found all of her senses rushing back in a sudden jumble of simulations. The air, the heat, the burning ashes floating around, the steady stone ground beneath her body, the orange light of dust.

Erza turned her head to see Panther Lily and Minerva standing protectively in front of her, Kyoka's form crouching a few feet away. It seemed like their attacks surprised Kyoka enough for the demon's concentration to break. The redhead quickly pulled herself up to join in the fight. Happy and the other two Exceeds wailed, "Erza! You're not dead!"

Together, the three of them managed to defeat Kyoka, but not in time, even when Minerva used her sword to stab the demon straight through the heart. Everyone watched with horror as the countdown turned to zero, a message saying the Faces were activated displayed on the screen.

However, the fear was short-lived and confusion took its place as the screen turned to 'Signal Lost' just a few seconds after that. That, combined with the fact that Erza could still feel her magic inside her body, made the redhead believe the Faces had been stopped after all. She did not have any idea what happened, but whatever the case, it looked like magic wasn't going to disappear from the world now. Erza met Mirajane's eyes a few feet away, frowning at the white-haired girl's head shake. Nobody here knew exactly what happened, but a victory was still a victory nonetheless.

The only thing left to do now was to regroup with other members of their guild. Hopefully, someone had a full explanation for this entire chain of events.

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The dragon force turned out to be not only Igneel but Metalicana, Grandeeney, Weisslogia, and Skiadrum too. While Igneel was busy fighting with Acnologia at their side, the other dragons spread out through the continent and destroyed all three thousand Faces in just a few minutes.

Upon looking at the powerful creatures in front of her, Erza was in awe of their might, strength, and elegance. The dragons had been inside the Dragon Slayers this entire time, for two reasons. First, to create antibodies inside the Dragon Slayers which would help prevent them from transforming into actual dragons as in the case of Acnologia. Second, to bid their time and wait for a chance to personally eliminate Acnologia, the destructive legacy that they brought upon the world. Igneel was so close to achieving that purpose, but Acnologia tore him apart before the Fire Dragon King could deliver the final blow.

All of the dragons had already perished, in a sense. They all had their spirits torn from their bodies by Acnologia's Dragon Slayer magic a long time ago, and only by residing inside their Dragon Slayers' bodies could their remnants remain to this day. But now that they had left their bodies, there was no way for the dragons to return any more. All that was left for them was to fade away into shadows of the past, never return again this time.

Lucy found her when everyone went to say goodbyes to the dragons. The blonde came up behind Erza and wrapped her arms tight around the redhead's waist. Erza half expected pain to shoot through her body at the contact, a residual effect from Kyoka's spell earlier. But there was only the familiar warmth that enveloped her in the Celestial mage's embrace.

Erza could feel Lucy's forehead resting against her nape, hot, shaky puffs of air left blazing trails down the skin between her shoulder blades. And the tears that followed.

Wet, thick droplets fell on the back of her neck, trailing clammy paths down the contours of Erza's back. Erza was startled at the first sign of sniffles from her girlfriend, but when she made to turn around to gather the blonde in her arms, Lucy's grip on her waist tightened, forcing the Requip mage to remain where she was.

"Lucy? What's wrong?!" Was the blonde crying because of Igneel? That wouldn't be too surprising, Lucy had always had a more gentle heart than anyone she knew. Seeing Natsu lose his father again must have a devastating effect on that compassionate part of her soul.

"Aquarius..." Was all Erza could make out of Lucy's tear-laced, shaky voice. The redhead frowned. What did Aquarius have to do with any of this?

"Gone... Aquarius is gone, Erza..." At this, the redhead forced her way through Lucy's grip and turned back to look at the blonde. Lucy immediately tucked her face into the crook of Erza's neck, and the redhead wrapped both of her arms around the smaller girl shaking with heavy sobs now.

"What do you mean Aquarius is gone? Did someone take your key?" Erza gently patted the girl's back, mind already running with various ideas of what she would do to the culprit if that was indeed the case.

Lucy just shook her head and cried harder, and Erza was getting seriously worried at the blonde's state right now. How the spasms of her body were violent enough to reverberate to Erza's own.

"Lucy, love, tell me what happened, please?" But the Celestial mage was lost in her own mind now. She wouldn't answer anything and Erza set out to wait until the worst of it passed. The redhead leaned down and scooped Lucy into her arms before sitting both of them down on the ground, shifting around a little bit to find a comfortable position with the blonde in her lap.

Lucy's hands didn't leave their places around her neck in the many minutes that followed, but both the shaking and the tears eventually stopped, only the occasional hiccups remained. Erza kept whispering soothing words into the blonde's ears, hoping for them to help calm her down somewhat.

It's alright. I'm here, Lucy. No matter what happened, we will deal with it together.

But the problem was not one Erza could lend her physical strength to Lucy. It was a pain that only her heart could ever hope to share the burden when Lucy had calmed down enough to tell Erza about it. How the blonde had to sacrifice Aquarius's key to summon the Celestial King when the rest of them were trapped inside those red vines during her battle with Minerva.

It felt like someone had knocked the wind out of her, Erza's throat tightened up, heavy lumps clogging her air intake for a second. She couldn't imagine how terrified Lucy must have been in that situation, all alone and surrounded by powerful enemies from all sides. The blonde didn't know why she was the only one not affected by the magic, but she had no other choice. No other choice besides sacrificing the one Celestial Spirit with the strongest bond with her, Aquarius, if she ever hoped to save the rest of them from Tartaros's grasp.

Erza knew how much Aquarius meant to Lucy. The Water Bearer Spirit had been a friend to the blonde ever since she was just a small child, and their relationship only grew stronger with time. Lucy saw Aquarius as a sisterly figure, and as much as Aquarius liked to deny it, the mermaid certainly had a soft spot for her owner as well. The redhead tenderly ran her fingers through golden locks as Lucy grew quiet after she had finished her recount, leaving enough space for the blonde's anguish to flare up and burn out under the Requip mage's gentle touch.

"Hey," Erza started slowly, "Aquarius is not gone yet. She just can't answer your summons anymore, right?" Feeling the tiny nod to the side of her neck, Erza kissed the girl on her temple before continuing, "We can still go see her in the Spirit World sometimes, Lucy. I know for a fact Horologium can help us do that. I'll go with you every time, if that's alright with you?"

Lucy's tense muscles slowly started to uncoil, and a breathy mumble of "Yes" was whispered against her skin. Erza let out a deep sigh and hugged the blonde tighter, closing her eyes at the weary tiredness finally settling over their bones after the event of the day.

It wouldn't be the same, that much Erza knew. Going to the Celestial World from time to time wouldn't be the same as Lucy having Aquarius's key by her side as a constant reminder of the Water Bearer's presence throughout most of her life. It brought the blonde comfort to feel her Spirits close to her, that was the reason Lucy always freaked out whenever her keys were stolen or lost during their missions even though both Loke and Virgo could open their own gates and retrieve the blonde's keys in the end every time.

It would take time for Lucy to recover from this. Erza couldn't believe the Celestial mage had lost another part of her family again. Why must fate keep being so cruel to the purest, most kind-hearted person she knew like this? What did Lucy even do to warrant this kind of misfortune in her life?

Erza vowed to protect the girl in her arms at all costs, banishing away any shadow of pain threatening to loom over her fragile heart with every fiber of her being. To her last dying breath.

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That night, when they made their way back to the blonde's apartment through the shambles around Magnolia, Lucy didn't let go of her hand all the way and Erza figured she should stay over for the night, aware of the blonde's need for physical closeness to ease away her fear without Lucy having to ask out loud.

And when Lucy pressed her down on the bed and trailed fevered kisses along the column of her throat, Erza reveled in the feeling.

Hands stopped at the hem of her shirt. Brown eyes burned with a silent question. Request for permission, and the redhead conceded with a quiet nod.

Touches, in places both familiar and strange at the same time. Whispers, prayers of compulsion left phantom marks everywhere on her skin. There was a sense of urgency in Lucy's movements, her sizzling breaths, and Erza rejoiced in the sheer desire veiled in the blonde's intention.

Tingles ran wild under her fingertips, delicate yet insistent. The redhead yielded to the firm touch, the cajoling demand radiating from everything about her girlfriend at the moment.

"Can I?" Erza was still coherent enough to realize it was a question that required her verbal confirmation this time. A tiny, anxious part of her did wonder whether they were going too fast in this relationship thing. But one look into those familiar brown eyes, now burning with a fire that tugged at the deepest piece of her soul, abolished any lingering doubt.

There was never a right time. Only the right person. Those eyes conveyed a promise of their own. I won't hurt you. I will never hurt you.

I know you won't. Erza tried a small smile to soothe away the blonde's deep frown of concentration. You are Lucy, you can never hurt me in any way.

You are my safe place.

"Yes."

Lucy reached up and kissed her on the forehead first, and Erza's eyes fluttered shut at the gesture. The adoration and devotion. And let the blonde's ministrations everywhere on her body nullify any trace of darkness left behind during her torture at the demon's dungeon yesterday.

"Don't leave me." A desperate whine into her ear. A prayer. A lone, silent tear fell down her neck. Erza was getting lightheaded from the waves of pleasure threatening to drown her entire being. "Erza, don't leave me."

I won't. The redhead gripped one of Lucy's shoulders for support, to clamp down the slight tremors going through her body uncontrollably now. You want me, so I won't go.

All this time. Erza let out quick, desperate puffs of air into the side of Lucy's smooth neck. She could feel sweat start to pool at her collarbones. So much heat. I thought I was the one afraid of you leaving me. But you, my little ray of sunshine, you have lost so much too, haven't you.

Erza's eyes flung shut as whiteness exploded behind her eyelids, heart hammering to a rushed rhythm. Lucy's other hand let go of its hold on the redhead's palm to push up against the bed beneath them, mindful not to settle her entire weight on top of Erza's heaving chest. As long as you keep holding onto me like this, I will never leave. Small kisses started up again at her earlobe, slowly making their way down to her clenched jaw. Now that I have found you, there is nowhere else I would rather be.

Both of them waited a few minutes for Erza to regain her breath. It was different from recovering from physical exhaustion in any of her battles, the redhead absent-mindedly mused before wrapping both her arms around Lucy and tugged the girl down again. The blonde got the hint and easily stretched out on top of her, head coming up to rest on Erza's shoulder.

"Are you alright? Did I hurt you?" The question was laced with unmasked worry, and the redhead smiled at the care interwoven in it.

Erza simply shook her head, "You didn't. And I won't leave you, Lucy, as long as you won't leave me, too."

The Celestial mage nodded into her shoulder, "That's a promise." Before snuggling even closer and closing her eyes in contentment.

Erza weaved her fingers into golden silks of hair at the girl's back, feeling Lucy's breathing slowing down eventually. That must have tired the blonde out faster than she had thought, or all the trauma of the day had finally caught up to Lucy. The Requip mage gently turned her body so both of them were now laid on the bed, Lucy with her face burrowed under the crook of Erza's neck and one hand around her waist.

That was a lie. The redhead draped the blanket up to cover both of them snugly before letting the exhaustion welcome her into a dreamless sleep. I won't leave you even if you leave me, Lucy.

No matter where you go, I will always find the way lead to you.

**********

A/N: I'm baffled at Hiro Mashima for that fight between Erza and Kyoka. I can understand Erza's sixth sense got keener because her other five senses were taken away, but to win against Kyoka? If anyone has a theory about how Erza could overcome such adversaries, feel free to share your thoughts in the comment! It could help me get through this confusing mess right now.

Votes and comments are welcome!