Frost rode the wind like smoke.
Ryuji's breath gathered—black-ice and moon-cold—aimed straight at his family. The courtyard stones groaned under rime; torches guttered blue.
Carla bent low over Wendy, ears pressed flat. "Her pulse—faint, but there."
Lucy's hands shook around her keys. "Wendy... please..."
Makarov planted his staff. "Hold formation! No killing blows—stall him!"
Erza slid a half-step forward, blade angled to parry the coming blast. "Shields front. Anchor lines ready."
Gray slammed both palms down. "Ice-Make: Rampart!" A wall rose, thick and white.
Ryuji's pupils narrowed to slits. He turned his head—past them—to Darius.
Darius, one arm sheathed in jagged ruin, grinned through pain. "Yes. Break for me."
Ryuji moved.
Ryuji — Winter Dragon's Talon!
He blurred through the cold, heel scything. Darius met him with a flare of bleeding glyphs—
Darius — Blood Sigil: Bastion!
The sigils cracked; the kick drove him sideways, boots carving trenches. He barked a laugh, half-snarl.
Natsu darted in on instinct. "Ryuji! It's me!"
Natsu — Fire Dragon's Talon!
Claw met claw, flame collided with frost—both men slid back, teeth gritted.
Gray cut across with a low guard. "Focus on me if you have to!"
Gray — Ice-Make: Hammer!
Ryuji slipped it with Frost Step, skating the strike by inches, and snapped his palm out—
Ryuji — Winter Dragon's Claw!
Gajeel caught it on braced forearms, metal skin groaning. "Tch—kid!"
Hairline cracks webbed along Ryuji's cheek and temple, glittering like glass under starlight.
Erza's jaw set. "He's burning himself away."
Makarov's staff thumped. "Buy time!"
Ryuji inhaled again, the world whitening—
Wendy's fingers twitched.
A breath ... then another. Her lashes fluttered. Pain lanced her chest—she forced a whisper. "Ryu...ji..."
Carla's eyes flooded. "Wendy!"
Lucy clapped a hand to her mouth, hope breaking through tears. "She's... she's breathing—!"
Wendy tried to rise. Her legs trembled. She pushed anyway.
"Don't—move," Carla pleaded, catching her shoulder.
"I have to," Wendy said, voice small but steady. She pressed a hand to her ribs, drew a breath, and let the sound out like a thread of light.
In the silence of the night... I once walked alone, no guiding light...
The song slipped across stone and frost, soft as snowfall, clearer than the wind. Ryuji faltered—just a flicker. The gathered Roar bled a shade paler.
Darius's smile thinned. "Sing all you like."
He flung his left hand; glyphs snapped open—
Darius — Blood Sigil: Red Chain!
Hooks of crimson light lashed for Wendy.
Erza flashed in, steel ringing. Requip! Black Wing Armor! A sweeping cut shattered the chain mid-flight; dark feathers scattered like cinders. "Over me!"
Natsu stepped into the line with a low growl. "Nobody touches her." Flame ran up his arm like sunrise.
Wendy kept singing, each step a wince, each note steadier than the last.
Now I see the stars above... a sky of hope, a gift of love...
Ryuji turned toward the sound—toward her. His breath dimmed from killing black to winter-white. He bared his teeth, confused, hurt, feral—and took a staggering step forward.
Gray murmured, "It's working..."
Gajeel rumbled, "Keep the noise down and cover her."
Lucy lifted her head, tears bright. "You can do this, Wendy."
Darius hissed, desperate to break the thread. Blood Sigil: Crown Spear! A lance of burning red formed—
"Not today." Gray's palms hit the stone again. Ice-Make: Shield! The spear shattered on the pane; frost mist rolled.
Wendy closed the last of the distance, swaying. Her voice softened to a whisper meant only for him. "You're not alone anymore."
She reached up with both hands and framed his face, thumbs trembling against cold scales.
"Ryuji," she breathed, eyes shining, "come back."
She rose on her toes and kissed him.
For an instant the cold screamed—then cracked.
Dragon Force splintered like thin ice under spring water. The draconic glaze flashed and fell away in glittering dust. Ryuji sagged forward as if cut loose from a hook.
He caught Wendy, arms wrapping her in a desperate, shaking hold. His forehead pressed to hers; breath hitched, human again.
"Wendy..." His voice broke. "I thought I— I can't—"
She smiled through tears. "I'm here."
Relief rippled through the guild—shoulders loosened, fists lowered, air finally moving in chests that had forgotten how to breathe.
Darius swayed, cradling the ruined stump, fury boiling. "Enough. Get up, dragon. We are not finished."
Ryuji tried to turn—and his knees buckled. The ground rushed up. Wendy slumped with him, strength spent.
Natsu lunged but checked at Makarov's raised staff.
Ryuji forced his head up, eyes finding his family through the blur. "Master... everyone... please," he rasped, a raw, honest plea, "finish this for me. Break these chains... let me move past this."
Makarov's face softened, fierce and proud. "Leave the rest to us, boy."
Erza set her stance, voice ringing like steel. "Fairy Tail—forward."
Natsu cracked his knuckles, fire licking his fists. "We've got this."
Gray rolled his shoulders, cold blooming off his palms. "Count on us."
Gajeel bared his teeth. "He's ours now."
Lucy lifted her key with a steady nod. "Together."
Carla and Lucy eased Wendy against the rampart; Ryuji's hand stayed in hers a heartbeat longer before slipping free as his eyes fluttered closed.
Makarov lifted his staff. "For our children—charge!"
They surged as one, a wall and a spear in the same breath, racing the last yards toward Darius as the winter wind finally softened around the two sleeping in its heart.
To be continued.
Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima/Kodansha. I only own Ryuji Kazuma and this fan story. Non-commercial fan work.