"I see. Do you have somewhere you have to be?" Erza didn't actually hear their conversation, but she was just trying to get rid of Amber. Surprisingly, she hit the mark.
"Yes, I do. But it can wait until I finish my dinner. It's not for another 2 hours anyway." Amber dropped her formal tone, as if to tell Erza that she couldn't get rid of her that easy, and that she wasn't one to back down.
"Good for you. Then, pleasure meeting you here, but we'll be finding our seats now. Good luck then," Amber didn't know why, but she felt an ominous chill run down her spine when Erza said that last part. It wasn't what she said, it was how she said it. Surprisingly, Natsu didn't notice this because he was stuffing himself with food already.
"Shall we go, Natsu?" Erza gently pushed him, her hand on his lower back so as to not catch him off-balance.
"Wait, what. Why don't we ask her to join us?" Natsu exclaimed, as Erza pushed him further away from Amber.
"Let's not keep her." Erza attempted to silence Natsu by brandishing her own line of reasoning against him, but Natsu's insistence on eating with Amber persisted until they were out of Amber's line of sight.
Amber let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. Was the Titania that scary? But she seemed harmless and pleasant to be with earlier in the tour, even joining in on Natsu and her jokes to keep the tour group lively. But now, seeing this side of Erza honestly scared her a little. At first, she had honestly planned on making a move on Natsu because she was confident in herself. After all, there hasn't been any man in her life that she's failed to snag. But she wasn't that type of woman, she was just a hopeless romantic and she followed her heart more than she let on. To her, she would shoot her shot with any man she fancies, and Natsu was no different. She felt that there was a reason why she met Natsu today.
But then when she felt that ominous vibe from Erza, her resolve crumbled. She felt genuine fear, and it was not the kind of fear where she felt lesser than Erza as a woman. She felt real, unadulterated fear, the type of fear where her gut was telling her to steer clear of Erza for her own safety.
It's a good thing she held herself back earlier, God knows what angering Erza would bring her.
Amber ate her meal with her fellow tour guides instead and went on with her night.
…
"Ahhhh! Gray!" Juvia shouted out in ecstasy, her eyes rolling back with pleasure, sitting on Gray's manhood.
"Juvia!" Gray shouted in bliss too, folding the skin around Juvia's hips with his deep hold on them.
After a few seconds, Juvia passed out, her body falling on her husband and her head laying on the pillow next to Gray.
Gray was catching his breath from their intense love-making. After a minute, he gently hugged Juvia's body that lay on top of him, and rolled it to her side of the bed. He used the blanket to wipe some sweat off Juvia so she wouldn't get sick, and then made sure to cover her up properly so she wouldn't be too cold in her sleep.
While looking at Juvia's resting face, Gray involuntarily gave off a warm smile. How could he have been so lucky to get a perfect woman like her? Despite brushing her off all this time, he couldn't help but feel extremely lucky that she stayed loyal to him until he finally wised up and realized his feelings for her.
After a while, Gray put on his boxers and a bathrobe, and opened the balcony doors of their hotel room and relaxed his elbows on the railing of the balcony. He breathed in the fresh air, and started thinking to himself with more purpose this time, away from the stress of taking on missions and being a father.
With the knots in his mind having come undone, he could think more clearly now.
"Why was I so obsessed with taking missions? We've already more than made up for all the money we lost during Juvia's pregnancy, and it's not like the missions I take don't pay enough. Juvia's right, I just need to get ahold of myself and relax…"
And then, his twins flashed in his mind, "...but I couldn't help it, I love my kids so much. I can't stand the thought of not being able to provide for them."
And then briefly glancing at his sleeping wife on the bed, "We should have enough money saved up right now for me to relax for a long time." And then he chuckled "I've been thinking too much of the kids that I forgot about my own wife. Hm, from now on, as long as she's happy, I'm happy."
Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he realized how beautiful the scenery from their hotel room was. He could even see The Clover Forest in the distance. Looking down at the city, he smiled at how lively it still was at this time of night. Compared to Magnolia's peaceful nights, this place seemed like it didn't have an off-switch.
As he scoured the city, he spotted two familiar figures walking together, arm-in-arm (well, it was more like the woman was dragging the man along, and he was just following).
"What are Natsu and Erza doing here? Are they seriously still..?" Gray thought to himself out loud, having a strong idea why they were here. Besides the historical significance of Druid Island, it's a well-known romantic spot for couples. Gray thought they couldn't be on a mission, so he put two and two together, and came to a conclusion.
"Was Erza always like that with Natsu? I knew they were close, but not like that. That bastard, he better not be cheating on Mira." Gray grumbled in his head.
Looking at his sleeping wife one last time, he decided to confront them face-to-face.
"You guys better not be doing what I think you're doing." He thought again.
And with that, he dressed up and left to find Natsu and Erza.
…
"Let's go to the carnival, I wanna play some games." Erza jovially suggested, still holding onto Natsu's arm while they were walking around the city.
"Pass." Natsu said bluntly.
"What, why not?! The night's still young, it would be a waste to not make the full use of our trip." Erza tried convincing Natsu.
"Nah, I'm tired. I wanna dip in the hot springs for a little bit and call it a night. If you wanna go, you can go ahead." Natsu made it clear he wasn't going to budge. To be honest, because he's just forcing himself to be with Erza now, he had zero reason to go out of his way to make her happy.
"Oh fine, I guess I'll just join you then." Erza sadly gave up.
"And I'm not going on the mixed bath. If you're gonna go on the hot spring with me, you're gonna have to go the females-only area." Natsu made it clear that he didn't want any funny business with Erza anymore. He just wanted to soak in the springs and relax his tired muscles, and then relax in his room for the night (they weren't going to the famous Dagda Hot Springs, and were instead going to the hot springs located in their hotel).
Ever since the day Natsu tried to break things off with Erza didn't go well, he made it a point to at least minimize his intimacy with her if he was going to force himself to be with her.
But there were still times when he would be so pent-up that he couldn't help but give in to his male instincts. At those times, Erza would let him use her body without complaints, and let him do her as long as he wanted to and as rough as he could get to satisfy himself. It was at those times that Erza knew she could still use Natsu's primal instincts to her advantage.
Natsu fucked her like a dragon, and he could get so vicious at times that to be honest, there were times when she would wonder when it would end, and if he could be a little gentler with her.
There was even a time when Natsu was especially vicious with her, and went at her for 3 straight days nonstop, not even stopping to eat and drink, still going at it even when they had to go to the bathroom (he would use her ass if she had to go to pee, and use her mouth if she had to go number 2. Likewise, Erza would still be riding him if he had to use the bathroom, and when he had to pee, he would either do it inside her or make her drink it). But it was partially her fault, because she accidentally used a mild aphrodasiac when she cooked for them (got confused with the labels). But to add to that, she could tell Natsu was especially pent-up that time too because they hadn't done it for a week. He was way rougher than usual and revealed more fetishes that Erza didn't know he had. He actually began to frighten her that time, and she honestly began to think Natsu was out to hurt her. It was to the point that she could say with confidence that if she was a normal woman, she would've suffered a serious injury at least, and if she was more fragile than most women, there was a very real possibility that she could've died. Even she of all people, walked out of that intense session with a few bruises and scratches, and very sore muscles. Her ribs kinda hurt a little, but when she checked it out, she was glad to know it wasn't broken. Her nipples and lips were also numb for a few days after that, not that Natsu cared because he still had his way with her despite her not yet fully recovering.
And this wasn't unintentional. Natsu was purposefully fucking Erza harder on purpose because he thought that eventually, she would get tired of it and leave him of his own accord (ironically, Erza's closet pervertedness translated to her being the masochist to Natsu's sadist, so while she does admit that Natsu's been so rough lately to the point that she actually has to find ways to recover quickly after one of their sessions, a part of her liked it too). He still thought of getting Erza the help she needs, but if he was also being brutally honest with himself, he had so much sexual energy that he was using this opportunity to let it all out of himself.
Tonight was no exception. Natsu was feeling really pent-up, but he didn't want to bother the hotel guests and staff, knowing how hard he would go at Erza if he allows himself to cave in to his lust now. He would probably end up breaking a one too many things at the room, and with how loud Erza moaned when she reached her peak, he knew that it would bother the rooms next to them.
"I just have to wait until we get back. Can't let loose now."
Just as Erza's mind has degraded into a twisted version of herself, Natsu has also become a shadow of himself. Without realizing it, despite all the things he's been able to admit to himself, he failed to admit that he was also treading the wrong path. He kept on making excuses to satisfy his desires, and Erza became his prey. She's become his victim as much as he was her victim.
"I see, fine then." Erza pouted, not that Natsu cared.
While walking back to the hotel, they were ambushed by Gray's appearance.
"Gray?" Natsu was caught off-guard.
On the other hand, Erza somehow wasn't that surprised to see Gray. She simply untangled her hold on Natsu's arm. Something Gray caught but chose to ignore for now.
"What brings you here?" Erza bluntly asked.
"I could ask you guys the same thing. Does Mira know you're here?" Erza bluntly asked.
"Why does that matter?" Erza asked with a hostile tone.
"What are you guys even doing here?" Gray was surprised by Erza's response, but continued to prod anyway.
"…" Natsu struggled to come up with an excuse. He didn't want Gray to spread the rumors about him and Erza, and he knew that Gray's not the type of guy to let something like cheating go. As far as everybody else knew, Mira and Natsu just had a fight. No one else but Irene knew that they took a break from their relationship… and of Natsu's relationship with Erza.
"Is there a problem?" Erza said defensively, disliking Gray's interrogative tone.
"If I didn't know any better, it looked like you guys were on a date just now." Gray implied knowingly, trying to get a reaction out of them to confirm his suspicions. At first glance, seeing Erza hold onto Natsu like that was just an innocent gesture between friends. But it aroused Gray's suspicions nonetheless.
First of all, in all the years he's known Erza, he never saw her do that with anybody, bar Jellal , and even then it was just once. He's known her since childhood, and he knew that she wasn't the traditionally feminine type of woman to show her affection for a man like that, unlike his wife (Juvia).
And then there was the fact that he sensed Erza's hostile tone as defensiveness, as if she's trying to hide something. In his mind, Erza had no reason to be defensive if they weren't doing anything wrong.
And truthfully, he's already had his suspicions regarding Natsu and Erza even before today. Erza's mysterious break-up with Jellal, Mira and Natsu's sudden distant relationship, the frequency of Natsu and Erz's duo missions. It may not seem like it, but Gray was very observant.
He knew that it was none of his business, but he felt angry - he was angry at the possibility that Natsu was betraying Mira like this. Frankly, it had less to do with how he loved Mira as family, and more a reflection of his respect for Natsu and Mira's relationship.
When he saw how Natsu and Mira genuinely loved each other, how unconditional, selfless, and sincere their love was, to be honest, he was jealous. It was what ultimately inspired him to tie the knot with Juvia. But don't be mistaken, he did really love Juvia and planned to eventually marry her anyway, but watching Natsu and Mira made him see all the possibilities for happiness when he saw the little things that they did for each other.
All the nuances in their relationship compounded over time that earned his respect, such as Natsu subtly drinking Mira's terrible-tasting drink for her, or Mira
So really, the reason why Gray was so mad is because he feels like Natsu is betraying his respect.
"What's that supposed to mean, Gray?" Erza continued.
"..." Gray continued to look at Erza inquisitively, mirroring her energy.
"Calm down you two." Natsu attempted to de-escalate the situation.
Gray turned his attention to Natsu, "Be honest with me. All those duo missions, you and Mira ignoring each other lately, and now this. What's really going on between you guys?" (because Druid Island is a well-known vacation spot for couples and families, and coupled with Gray's previous suspicions, his suspicions are aroused).
"..." Natsu had nothing to say. In his mind, did Gray know about them too? Since when? And he couldn't lie, he was too ashamed of himself to do that.
"It just so happened that we ended up here together, don't read too much into it." Erza interjected, distracting Gray from his pressing questions.
"Is that so?" Gray dismissively asked.
Erza ignored Gray's tone, "Yeah, so if you don't mind, we're going to our room now" She said evasively. Gray's eye sharpened in realization.
"Hey Natsu, I bet my room's better than yours." Gray playfully teased, catching back Natsu's attention.
"Shut yer trap, ice face. We'll see whose room is better."
Erza watched them with a deadpan look, finding it reminiscent of the old days when Gray would still childishly look for fights with Natsu. Why did he suddenly want to see Natsu's room? That was rather random.
She exchanged glances with Gray. Gray had the faintest hint of a smirk in the corner of his lips.
A wave of realization hit her.
"Enough of that. We'll have plenty of time for that tomorrow, let's call it a night." Erza flusteredly came up with, on the spot.
She misspoke earlier. It slipped her mind when referring to their room in the singular tense. She basically said they had the same room. Normally, they could easily come up with an excuse, but Erza was the one who always said that while skinship between friends is fine, girls and boys should never sleep in the same room unless they were siblings or a couple. She was the one who enforced this principle, and there was no reason for them to be sleeping in the same room anyway. It would definitely be confirming Gray's suspicions if they admitted they were sleeping in the same room.
Gray's sudden provocation implied that he caught on.
"Natsu will just show me his room, you can go ahead and get some shut-eye in your room." Gray waited for Erza's reaction, knowing he had them cornered, not that Natsu was catching up to the quiet battle Erza and he was having, yet.
"Very well then…" Erza said, surprising Natsu and Gray. It just now dawned on Natsu that if Gray finds out he and Erza have the same room, it was basically them confirming their relationship.
Was she about to reveal their relationship?
"...but I think I'll go to the hot springs before sleeping tonight, I don't think I can go to sleep feeling this dirty. Well then, good night." Erza quickly thought.
"Oh yeah… good night."
Well, Erza was planning on going to the hot springs anyway, so it wasn't like she was lying.
…
The hot spring in the hotel wasn't bad. It was moderately big, and it had 3 areas: the mixed baths, male, and the female area. Erza was planning on going to the mixed baths with Natsu, but with Gray around, her plans were spoiled.
"He was definitely baiting me earlier," Erza thought to herself, her eyes emotionless as she looked off into the distance, "This is getting damned tiring, everyone's getting in the way. Why can't I just be with Natsu without every single thing bothering us." Erza looked detached on the outside but on the inside, she was on fire. She had a burning rage, and she felt wronged - wronged that she couldn't be with Natsu without having to look at her back all the time, afraid that they would get caught.
"Who cares at this point, I just have to eliminate everything in our way." Erza now had an ominous expression on her face, one of bloodthirst and a firm resolve.
In her mind, what was she doing that was so wrong? Natsu and Mira's relationship is undecided right now, and so she only did what was logical and did what she had to do to be happy. It was Natsu who approached her and stopped her from ending it. He made his choice, so why is she the one being punished for it?
Why is he so cold towards her?
Why couldn't she just feel the warmth of a true relationship?
Why did she have to hide her feelings? She was a woman too, who she loved was her right as a person. She may have stolen Natsu from Mira, but wasn't he the same guy who gave everybody a second chance, even their fiercest enemies? So why not her? They were childhood friends too, so doesn't she have more of a right to have that privilege (Natsu's forgiveness) than those pieces of trash?
Why did her own happiness come attached with strings?
Why couldn't anybody understand how pure and unyielding her feelings for Natsu were? Even her own blood, her mother?
Why couldn't anybody see the loneliness inside her?
Why couldn't she just be happy without consequences?
All her rumination drove her insane. Each night she went to sleep unsure of what to do, it compounded into this moment.
The moment she finally snapped and decided.
Screw her morals, screw her principles, and screw her fear. She was just grabbing her happiness, why would she allow anybody to stop her from doing so? She was the great Titania of Fairy Tail, she was no pushover.
When they get back to the guild, she would tell everybody the truth then. No more holding something over Natsu's head, no more hiding, no more lying. She would say the truth, and she will make sure Natsu chooses her over Mira. However everybody reacts is up to them. Whatever happens, happens.
If anybody tries to stop them, she would deal with the "obstacles" accordingly. She was damn exhausted and frustrated of this mess. Her moral inhibitions won't stop her anymore.
And she knew just where to start.
After all, her happiness is her responsibility.
…
"...and that concludes our tour for tonight. I'm Amber, and once again, thank you for listening" Amber bowed respectfully to her crowd, earning her cheers and applause. She truly lived up to her reputation as a famous tour guide.
Amber took a shower, bid goodbye to her colleagues, and proceeded to go home.
The streets were not as lively as it was earlier. It was a cold and peaceful night, perfect for a stroll.
"I wonder what Dad would like for his birthday?" She thought out loud. In one week, her dad would have his 70th birthday, and she wanted to make it special.
Just then, she felt an ominous chill. On instinct, she looked around frantically. She Requipped (she also knows Requip magic) her magical spear on instinct, sensing the need to defend herself.
She whipped her head to her side, having sensed the shadow hiding behind the tree, "Who's there?!" She exclaimed flusteredly, her intuition telling her there was a definite threat nearby.
Amber was a psychic mage whose intuition has been classified as magic because of her 100% accuracy in predicting outcomes. It wasn't that she could see the future, she just had the power to automatically connect with the "right answer". For example, she won't exactly know or see what the winning lottery numbers are, but her psychic abilities will automatically guide her towards the winning combination of numbers (something she didn't do because of her moral compass).
On top of that, she was an expert combatant and highly intelligent mage who used to be in the Special Forces, which is why she learned Requip magic (she has mastered almost every weapon and virtually every fighting style). While the Special Forces of Guiltina was known to the other continents for its strength, it paled in comparison to a legendary mage like Erza.
But something people didn't know about her was that her father used to be a well-known S-Rank Mage, and her mother was a relatively obscured (compared to the other famous Wizard Saints of her era, such as Jose Porla and Master Makarov) former Wizard Saint who now works as a Councilwoman of the Magic Council. Her gift as a highly competent combat mage was predetermined the moment she was born. She came from two legendary mages in their own right, so it wasn't like she stood zero chance against Erza.
The reason why she went on a big tangent and settled on being a famous tour guide instead of being an S-Rank mage in a top-tier guild was because she learned to dislike fighting, having grown sick of it after all the lives she took as a member of the Special Forces. This was the one secret she kept from her colleagues and fans, because she didn't want them to be scared of her.
"I underestimated your ability as a mage, to be honest," Erza slowly revealed herself from her hiding spot behind a tree, "And here I thought you were just another pretty face who passes herself off as some wannabe mage"
Erza hid her presence well, masking her magical signature and making sure she was at just the right distance to catch anybody off-guard. What she didn't expect was that Amber was an veteran combatant and an experienced psychic mage who could detect threats from far away.
"Erza-san?" Amber exclaimed, "Why were you hiding there?"
"You're not asking me the right question~" Erza playfully hinted, catching Amber off-guard at the sudden change in her personality.
"What are you talking about?" Amber asked, genuinely confused.
"*sigh* Do you really have to make me say it?" Erza said in a faux child-like way, mimicking a child who didn't want to do something tedious but was nagged by their parents to do so.
At that moment, Amber braced herself in a fighting position, sensing the unmistakable danger in front of her "Why did it feel like Erza Scarlet was about to attack her? Why was she doing this?"
"You should've asked me why I'm about to kill you right now." Erza arrogantly proclaimed, prompting Amber to gasp in surprise.
At that moment, Erza charged at Amber at breakneck speed, slashing her Ataraxia sword at Amber's neck.
Good thing Amber had veteran fighting experience, and out of muscle memory, she was able to reflexively dodge backwards at a hair's breadth.
"Stop it, Erza-san! What are you doing?"
"Tsk tsk tsk, again Amber, that's the wrong question." Erza said as she delivered a flurry of slashes again. Amber parried all of them but one, which sent her tumbling backwards, clutching her arm left forearm which had a deep cut.
As Amber put pressure on it to alleviate some auxiliary pain from the chilly evening wind blowing at her wound, she winced in pain "Tch, then why are you trying to kill me? You have no reason to, so why?"
Erza looked at Amber mockingly, "You tried to take something that was the most precious to me."
"Huh? I just met you earlier." Amber reasoned.
"Fine then, let me be specific: you tried to take someone very precious from me."
Immediately, Natsu flashed in Amber's mind.
"I think you got the wrong idea. We were just being friendly earlier, you're reading too much into it."
"I know what I saw, you won't talk yourself out of this"
Without giving Amber a chance to defend herself, Erza Requipped into her Flight Armor and charged at Amber faster this time. But unlike last time, Amber's defensive instincts were fully awake. With incredible agility and reflex, she was able to parry Erza's strike and kick her in the ribs, sending Erza flying to a tree.
Knowing that Erza couldn't be reasoned with in her current state, Amber didn't hesitate to come at Erza with the intent of injuring her just enough to buy her time to ask for help. She knew that despite her experience and expertise as a veteran fighter, there was a slim chance she could actually beat the Titania of Fairy Tail.
Not having the luxury of giving Erza the chance to get back on her feet, Amber quickly kicked Erza with so much force that the tree behind Erza broke. For good measure, Amber hit Erza with with considerable force using her Nuclear Gloves, gloves she got from the Special Forces. Essentially, Nuclear Gloves explode and release a considerable amount of energy on impact, similar to the impact of a strong missile.
She didn't look back anymore and ran as fast as she could.
"I didn't know Erza Scarlet was freaking crazy." She exclaimed as she ran.
Just then, swords landed in front of her, stopping her from running and prompting her to dodge the incoming onslaught of swords.
When the sword barrage stopped, she looked behind her to see Erza wearing the Heaven's Wheel Armor. Seems like Erza was able to Requip the Adamantine Shield from her Adamantine Armor last second when she punched her with the Nuclear Gloves. She was in such a rush to run away she didn't check to see if it actually hit Erza.
"Looks like I can't just leave after all, I have to find a way to take you down." She provoked Erza with a smirk, letting her know she wasn't afraid.
She quickled wrapped her handkerchief around the incision Erza made on her left forearm to stop the bleeding and regulate the pain, if but momentarily.
But on the inside, her mind was running frantically. Besides her daily training to keep herself sharp, she hadn't seriously fought anybody in a long time.
This time, she didn't just Requip weapons. She Requipped her battle uniform from her time in the Special Forces:
She had on a green and brown full lightweight body armor that simultaneously provided protection from all sorts of physical harm,
2 magical pistols holstered on her hips,
5 poisonous knives holstered on her forearms, which also acted as protective gauntlets,
Spikes on the tongue of her combat boots (so her kicks can deal more vital blows),
And a sturdy-looking yet light helmet that also gave defense to her head.
Erza Requipped into her Black Wing Armor and charged at her once again, Requipping into her Purgatory Armor last second to deal a heavier strike (because the Purgatory Armor's sword is heavier than the Purgatory Armor. Furthermore, Erza didn't use the Flight Armor to give her strike more momentum because seeing Amber's heavy gear, Erza had to balance a burst of speed for momentum with some defense).
The last-second adjustment of Erza made it difficult to parry the blow "Guh, it's heavy", sending her backwards while Erza pushed her back. After being blown back several steps, Amber was able to gain back her footing in the orthodox position.
A flash of light enveloped Erza again.
"Kuh, what now?" She was barely holding back the Purgatory Armor, what other trick did Erza have up her sleeve?
She was slashed on her shoulder and thighs. Immediately, she jumped back to create distance between them.
Erza Requipped into The Thousand Arms Armor.
"To be honest, I knew you were a mage, but I didn't expect you to give me this much trouble. Not bad…" Erza Requipped into her Clear Heart Clothing for offense, seeing as how Amber was running low on fumes, "...but unfortunately, it's not enough." With that, Erza charged at her with astonishing speed and swordsmanship.
Amber had a hard time parrying, the strength of Erza's blows starting to penetrate Amber's armor.
Amber had no opening to use her nuclear gloves or take out her poisonous knives, not with Erza's relentless attacks.
Amber saw an opening, then tried to kick Erza with a roundhouse kick, planning to incapacitate her with the spikes in her boots. After all, the Clear Heart Clothing had a lot of openings as it wasn't a defensive armor, and Erza used it with offense in mind.
Unfortunately for her, Erza expected her to use her boots.
She slashed at Amber's calves in one quick but powerful motion, and with Amber's right calves immobilized, Erza Requipped into her Giant Armor and punched Amber as strong as she could. With the arm strength of the Giant Armor, it sent Amber through several trees.
Now on the ground, weak from Erza's super-punch, Amber propped her body up with one arm while clutching her ribs, and coughed up blood. That punch really did a number on her.
There was a big deep cut on her calves, deep enough that she could see the faintest signs of bone.
Erza's relentless flurry of strikes sapped her of energy. She was exhausted.
She was losing a lot of blood in her right leg, and Erza's heavy strikes left her arms exhausted.
Looking at her poison blades and pistols, she knew those were her last resorts. She couldn't lift her legs enough to make a significant impact on Erza even if one of her spiked kicks would hit. And with Erza heating up now, landing a clear punch on her with the nuclear gloves was out of the question.
She sat herself up and leaned on the tree behind her, two pistols in hand, anticipating Erza's arrival.
And just as she expected, Erza showed up. With no time to hesitate, she shot her pistols at Erza, causing Erza to dodge back, some shots grazing her. She Requipped into the Adamantine Armor again to defend herself from the magical bullets.
Amber overestimated the strength of her pistols, thinking that if she just fired at Erza's armor, it would penetrate. She was out of bullets, pulling the trigger several more times as if to check if there would be more bullets.
Frustrated at her predicament, she threw the pistols away "Damn it!" She cursed.
Erza Requipped into her Nakagami Armor to finish her off.
"So that's your strongest armor, huh? I've heard of that haha" Amber said resignedly, seemingly coming to terms that it was over for her.
"Not gonna use your poisoned blades?" Erza knew the blades around her forearms were poisoned because she smelled almonds every time she exchanged blows with Amber earlier.
"Heh, what's the point? You're faster than me."
"Who knows, you might have a chance. This armor makes me slower, after all." Erza continued to bait Amber in her sadistic game.
Amber was seriously considering it, slowly reaching for her poisoned blades, but was quickly struck by Erza's Nakagami Armor, taking her entire left arm and helmet off, also injuring the left side of her head "GAAAHHHHHHH!" Amber exclaimed in pain, clutching the spot where her missing left arm was, tears pooling from her eyes because of the pain. The left side of her eye produced red tears, just like in Dagda's story, from the blood.
"Oh? It just took your arm out. Your durability is impressive."
Amber shouted in pain again, clutching her missing left arm fiercely, in an attempt to minimize the pain.
"Honestly, I only needed one Requip to beat you, but I couldn't take any chances. I had to show you that nothing you do will throw me off guard. That way, you can feel the fear I felt when you were about to take Natsu away from me. " Erza clutched her spear with both arms in a stabbing motion…
"I got a bit carried away, sorry about that. Let me get rid of your pain." With that, she let loose her spear in a stabbing motion.
.
.
"Ice Sentry!"
A thick wall of purple ice protected amber, the strength of the Nakagami Spear almost penetrating through the unbreakable ice.
"What are you doing, Erza!" Gray shouted, "Get away from her!"
Gray launched a torrent of ice at Erza, which she defended with the Nakagami Armor Spear, the attack sending her backwards.
"Gray-san" Amber weakly called out.
Gray gasped in shock when he saw the state Amber was in: her helmet was destroyed and the left side of her face was full of blood, her armor was ripped for the most part, she was missing her left arm, and she had a lot of cuts on her body, most notably the big one on her calf. She also had blood coming out of her mouth, and looking at her abdominal area, she probably had a few broken ribs. Gray had his experiences with death before, and he knew that even if he rushes Amber to the hospital now, she would live the rest of her days half alive.
What has Erza done?
Out of anger, Gray turned to Erza "What the hell have you done, Erza!" He shouted in anger as he launched an Ice Make move at Erza, which she countered with a fire-powered lunge of her sword. Her magical reserves might have grown exponentially the past few years, but the Nakagami Armor still depleted a lot of her magical reserves. She had to conserve her magic for her new, tougher "opponent".
"What are you doing here, Gray?" Erza asked nonchalantly, as if detached from reality of the terrible situation in front of her.
"I followed you. After you let it slip that you shared the same room with Natsu, I had to confirm my suspicions one last time before I made my judgment about you. But this, I never would've imagined you doing this. Why are you doing this, Erza? I now know you also like Natsu, but there are lines you should never cross."
"You of all people wouldn't understand. You don't know what it's like to be on the giving end of love."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean just look at how long you strung Juvia along before you made it official with her." Gray glared at Erza.
"Did that strike a nerve? But it's not like I said anything untrue, right?" Erza smirked at her provocation of Gray. She was pissed that Gray would dare try to lecture her about love when he coldly ignored Juvia all those years. In her mind, he especially wasn't qualified to give her advice about her relationship with Natsu, given how he was used to be on the receiving end of it. He wouldn't understand the desperation, the intense longing and despair, the coldness. He had the audacity to lecture her about right and wrong without even having an inkling into what she felt. What gave him the right to be the measure of what's right and wrong in this situation?
"As I thought, you're not right in the head anymore. The only way to get you to stop is to take you down." Gray activated his Ice Devil Slayer mode, enhancing his Ice Devil Slayer powers.
Erza smirked again, "And who's gonna do that? You?"
Gray launched a purple beam of ice towards Erza, which she countered with a swing of the Flame Empress Armor, which didn't work as her attack only served to weaken the blow from Gray's attack, and still knocked her back because of the strength of Gray's Ice Devil Slaying magic.
She Requipped into her strongest armor besides the Nakagami Armor that will help her conserve some magic, the repaired stronger Armadura Fairy Armor.
"You finally taking me seriously?" Gray quipped.
"Careful what you wish for." Erza lunged at Gray. Gray created some distance between them with an Ice Wall, then released countless spikes from the Ice Wall, giving Erza a lot of effort to parry it.
While Erza was busy parrying the spikes from Gray's Ice Wall, he quickly went around the Ice Wall and to the right of Erza, and released an Ice Dragon at her.
"GAH!" Erza exclaimed. His combination of Ice Make magic and his Ice Devil Slaying powers made his attacks that much more potent.
Gray didn't give her a chance to get up, and continued to bombard her with ice attacks.
"Ice Monkey"
"Ice Hailstorm"
"Ice Beam"
Erza had to go on the defensive and create an opening for her to escape Gray's barrage.
While Gray was readying for his next move, Erza Requipped into her Morning Star Armor and blinded him temporarily.
Gray covered his eyes with his arm. By the time the overpowering luminescence was stripped away, Erza was out of Gray's sight.
"Damn it, where did she go?"
He was suddenly hit by a barrage of swords that electrified him.
Erza had Requipped back into her Ataraxia Armor, realizing that she needed to turn this into a long-range fight to beat Gray. She needed the flexibility of controlling her swords.
She hit Gray in one direction, prompting him to parry, only to hit him in another direction. This went on for quite some time before Gray found a solution to counter her misdirection tactic.
Gray formed an Ice Dome around him to stop the ongoing sword barrage.
Now that head some defense, he revealed his next card.
"Ice Blizzard!" He shouted from inside the protective dome. The peaceful night sky was suddenly draped by grey clouds, and the winds intensified.
Those in Druid Island who were still outside wondered what was going on.
"What's happening?"
"Is there gonna be a typhoon?"
"Why are the winds so strong?"
Erza looked up at the clouds and had an idea what Gray was gonna do next.
She Requipped into her Adamantine Armor and braced herself for impact.
"Ice Storm!" Gray shouted.
It started drizzling with ice pellets, then suddenly evolved into bigger ice shards.
A snowy blizzard also accompanied this sudden weather phenomena.
The ones still outside took shelter in the nearest buildings, with the guards of Druid Island shielding those who were slower to take shelter.
"What's going on?!" One of the guards shouted to his companion.
"No idea. This has never happened before."
"Could this be… magic?"
Since the hotel they stayed at had an invisible protective shield, Juvia and Natsu remained oblivious to what was happening outside.
"Will you hurt innocent people just to beat me? You're not any better than I am."
"If that's what it takes to stop you, then I have to keep this going for a while. I'm sure the people will be protected."
"Are you really willing to bet on that?"
Gray's Ice Storm was actually genius on his part. With the Water Magic he learned from Juvia, one of the basics was to change the form of water and control it as he wishes-he can even control water to waterbend. He used the surrounding sea around Druid Island to his advantage. He made water droplets out of the large body of water, and then launched them into the atmosphere, where he then used his ice devil slaying magic to superfreeze the droplets of water, creating ice pellets at first and then evolving into bigger ice shards. And since it only took a micro amount of magic to create the water droplets and turn it into ice shards, he could keep it going almost infinitely. It just took concentration and precision, a testament to his legendary abilities as an ice mage.
"Will you shield yourself forever? This will only end if I use my magic to stop it, or if I die. This'll go on as long as it needs to." Gray ignored Erza, provoking her into Exquipping her Adamantine Armor and going on the attack.
Erza recognized that what Gray said wasn't just bait. She knew that sooner or later, she would exhaust herself with the heavy weight and magical toll of the Adamantine Shield.
"Well, I only really need one arm to defend myself."
She Requipped into her Wind God Armor, her right arm holding the sword and her left holding up the Adamantine Shield.
"Isn't your Ice Dome made from the same ice as your Ice Storm?"
"What about it?"
Erza used the Wind God Blade to redirect all the ice shards at Gray's Ice Dome.
Gray's eyes widened. It took him a minute to realize what Erza was trying to say.
"This isn't good, my Ice Dome is gonna break." Gray realized that he had to stop the Ice Storm to prevent being killed by his own ice shards. But if he did, he'd risk going into a melee battle with Erza again. It was a game he wouldn't win.
"I can't beat Erza in a melee battle. But if I don't stop the Ice Storm, I'll get impaled by my ice shards."
Seeing the cracks in his Ice Dome and sensing it was about to break, he thought of a plan to throw Erza off-guard "Tch, I have no choice."
Slowly, the Ice Storm stopped.
Sensing this, Erza took her opportunity and wasted no time to charge at Gray.
Anticipating Erza's attack, Gray combusted his Ice Dome and sent the projectiles hurtling at Erza, which she easily blocked with the Adamantine Shield.
After getting through the ice shards' barrage, she was stopped in her tracks when she saw that Gray wasn't there. Her eyes widened when she realized that Gray jumped up and was right behind her, mid-air.
Seeing his golden opportunity, Gray unleashed his most powerful attack, even more powerful than the Ice Storm.
"BOREAS LYSSA!"
Erza couldn't bring her Adamantine Shield up in time and was hit by the powerful torrential beam of Ice Devil Slaying magic.
"GAHHHH!" The attack was so powerful that the surrounding 2 km of forest was caught in the crossfire.
Taking deep breaths from the strain of his big attack, he walked over to Erza's beat-up, defeated and tattered form.
The trees around him was either frozen with ice or broken.
"It's over, Erza."
Erza refused to give up. She brought her body up, even with her arms straining hard to support her weight.
"I can't let him win. He'll tell Natsu what I did and destroy what little love Natsu still has for me."
Realizing the consequences of losing to Gray now, Erza absolutely refused to give up, even if she died trying. If she'll lose Natsu anyway, she might as well be dead.
"Don't get ahead of yourself," She Requipped into the Nakagami Armor "Don't go deciding it's over!"
Erza charged at Gray. Gray was still in his Ice Devil Slayer form, but was feeling his magic running on fumes. Boreas Lyssa was Gray's magnum opus and was meant to be a last resort after all, needing more magic than even Ul's Iced Shell.
"I have to finish this before I run out of magic." Gray's mind was in overdrive, finding a way to beat Erza now.
To parry Erza's attack, Gray launched a beam of ice at her, and wrapped himself in the unbreakable layer of Ice Devil Slaying magic.
"Heh, you may have protected yourself, but you sacrificed your mobility for defense. How would you keep up with me?" Erza smirked, seeing the flaw in Gray's plan.
"Who says I have to keep up with you? I can just slow you down."
"Ice Blizzard!" An intense blizzard engulfed Druid Island.
"It'll be cold, but not enough to hurt the people. Unlike you, they won't feel the full effect of the blizzard." Gray explained. Gray used Ice Blizzard by supercooling the atmosphere 500 m above him (the bigger the radius, the more magic required). The cold winds would spread outwards from the heart of the supercooled clouds, creating a blizzard. The heart of the blizzard made it dangerously cold to anyone who didn't have the biology of an ice or fire mage.
Gray wrapped Amber in a protective dome already, so he was more worried about wrapping up the fight with Erza so he could get some help.
Erza used the magic of the Nakagami Armor to hit gray with a slashing force of magic, it sent Gray backwards but with his protective ice armor, he didn't suffer injuries.
"Ice Make: Ice Castle"
Erza was sent hurtling upwards, "Kuhh!"
"Ice Slash" Gray sent flying ice saucers at Erza, which she was able to parry mid-air. Out of anger, she destroyed Gray's Ice Castle on the way down.
She lunged at Gray and with one big swing, swung at him at point-blank range.
Gray knew that no matter how unbreakable his ice was, the Nakagami Armor was no joke either. He didn't know the full potential of the Nakagami Armor, so without taking any chances, Gray still conjured an ice shield.
Gray's eyes widened. The Nakagami Armor was able to break his ice shield and parts of his "unbreakable" ice armor.
"Impossible!"
Gray jumped back to create distance between him and Erza.
The reason why, even though he was primarily a ranged fighter, he was afraid that it would end in a melee fight with Erza, was because Erza's speed far outmatched his. No matter how many ranged attacks he would send her way, he knew Erza would find a way to catch up to him and close the distance between them.
Gray froze Erza's feet, and then charged at her with ice swords.
"You're done for, Erza!"
A strong surge of magic surrounded Erza and in one swift motion, she slashed Gray with a strong swing of the Nakagami Armor.
Blood gushed out from Gray's chest.
The Nakagami Wave also helped Erza break out of Gray's unbreakable ice.
This was it. Erza was going to go all-out and use all of her magic. Hopefully, Gray wouldn't outlast her.
It was a good thing Gray's unbreakable ice armor helped shield some of the damage from Erza's slash. He did get cut across the chest, but it wasn't that deep, fortunately.
He looked at Erza sweat-droppingly.
Pure magic was emanating from her, and she glared at Gray with murderous intent.
"Then I'll go all-out too. This is it, Erza." Gray prepared for his final duel with Erza.
Devil Slaying marks started consuming his whole body.
The blizzard got stronger.
Erza's body involuntarily tensed up, sensing a primal threat.
"What is that?"
Finally, he released a surge of dark-purple colored magic.
He revealed his final form, the ultimate form of Devil Slayers.
Gray had purple eyes, and his whole body was covered in black, with white tribal markings in his torso and arms (his legs also had markings, but were covered by his pants). His hair was wildly styled up, resembling Natsu's hair now. His hands and toes had sharp claws. Even his whole body got bigger.
Erza looked at Gray surprisedly.
"Is this really what you want, Erza?" Gray also revealed his sharpened teeth.
Right now, he looked like a demon befitting a member of Tartaros.
"I don't know what that is, but unless you can keep your mouth shut, I don't have a choice."
Gray exchanged one last look with Erza, both of them knowing that only one of them will leave this fight alive. Never in Gray's wildest imagination did he think that Erza's obsession with Natsu went this far. He thought they just went behind Mira's back, but he had no idea Erza went this far.
"Why did things have to go this far? I never knew it was this bad, it all happened so fast." Gray tried to reason with Erza one last time, refusing to accept that he had to take her down for real to stop her.
"You got me there. To be honest, by the time I knew it, I've gone too far to stop."
"Don't go deciding that just yet. I can still help you make things right."
"..." Erza paused, as if thinking about it. Gray looked at Erza expectantly, her bangs shadowing her eyes. The roar of the blizzard heard louder with the newfound silence.
"No, I can't lose Natsu no matter what. After all we've been through, the next time would mean losing him forever."
Erza got into her battle stance, her last reserves of magic surging outward.
"I know you're just trying to help, but I don't need it. Unfortunately, I've already made up my mind. The two of you have to die for me to live." Erza would kill herself if Natsu abandoned her forever. As long as she still had a chance, even if that was just 1%, she never gave up hope that she still had her shot.
"I see… then there really is no other way." Gray's magic also began to surge outwards. The blizzard got even stronger.
"My Ultimus Devil form rivals Dragon Force. I'll pass out for a few days afterwards, but I'll win." Gray declared confidently.
Gray made ice blades and charged at Erza.
Erza parried his ice slashes with her Nakagami Spear.
"I can't push him off." Erza struggled to exchange blows with Gray, even with the full might of her Nakagami Armor. He was now way faster and stronger.
Erza bent the space around Gray's shoulder, prompting Gray to evade. Then, Erza followed up with a powerful punch that sent enormous shockwaves Gray's way.
"What was that?!" Gray exclaimed, blocking Erza's attack with his arms "You still have that much magic left?" He also noticed that Erza's attack didn't need her spear to deal heavy damage to him.
"Hm, seems like I haven't explored the full might of the Nakagami Armor yet. I should be thanking you for this opportunity."
Now it was Gray who donned a surprised look on his face.
Erza released even more magic? That was impossible, because the strain of the Nakagami Armor should be enough to almost deplete her magic by now.
Besides the space-cutting strength of the Nakagami Armor, Erza can also bend space to her will (which was how she momentarily bent the space around Gray's shoulder to halt his attacks. Think of One Piece Whitebeard's "Shima Yurashi"). With the naturally elevated magic power of the Nakagami Armor, Erza can also manipulate pure Ethernano and make it a lethal force with the power of the Nakagami Armor.
"Doesn't matter. I'll just have to take you down before you get stronger." Gray hasn't figured out how Erza tapped into new reserves of magic, but the sooner he takes her out, the better. He wasn't dangerously running low on magic yet like Erza earlier, but he couldn't drag the fight out that long either.
Gray charged at Erza, beginning another onslaught of blows.
They viciously traded blows again, neither of them refusing to let the other catch a break. They continued giving and taking hits, both of them dealing more injuries.
After an hour of fighting, Erza was once again brought to her knees. She was on one knee, holding her spear for support with her free hand resting on her propped up leg. She was breathing heavily, heavy wounds all around her.
Gray wasn't faring too well either. He was clutching a deep wound on the left side of his abdomen, both knees on the ground with one arm holding him up.
Erza mustered the strength to charge at Gray again. Fortunately for Gray, he was able to parry on time again.
They were evenly matched now. The magic Erza wasted on Amber was catching up to her as the fight went on. The fact that Gray also got that much stronger made it very difficult for her. If she had fought Gray in 100% condition, she was confident that she can win, albeit with a high degree of difficulty still.
One of her legs gave in, and Gray wasted no time to unleash a powerful beam of ice at her, which she barely blocked with the Nakagami Spear.
Erza was now on the ground, Gray standing over her.
"As I said earlier, it's over." Gray's Ice Devil Slaying powers gave him unbelievable strength, the heightened temperament of Devil Slaying magic fueling his arrogance.
"This damn snow…" After fighting in Gray's blizzard for more than an hour, the intensely cool temperatures have finally begun to affect her body. She could feel her limbs tensing up and getting weaker compared to earlier. A weaker mage, like somebody on Lucy's level, wouldn't survive 10 minutes in Gray's strong blizzard storm. Considering the strength of Gray's magic, they would freeze to death that fast, no matter how much magic they used to warm their bodies up.
It was actually incredible that Erza was able to keep up with Gray's Ultimus Devil form while simultaneously dealing with the adverse effects of Gray's blizzard, which far surpassed Invel's from all those years ago. Not to mention she was fighting under the heart of the blizzard, making her more susceptible to its strength.
Gray couldn't hesitate anymore. He knew that if he let his emotions and morality get in the way, Erza will just use that opportunity to take him down. Seeing how deranged Erza was, he knew that she would stab him in the back (literally) if he lets her off now.
Even if he lets her live and turn her over to the authorities, he knew that no prison on Earthland can hold someone of Erza's caliber (as of now, she has already exceeded the strength of the Wizard Saints, joining the elite ranks of her mother, Natsu, Gildarts, Laxus,and Jellal).
Erza would stop at nothing to be with Natsu, killing anyone and everyone who gets in her way.
No matter how painful it was, he begrudgingly had to accept the fact that the only way to "stop" Erza now was to kill her.
"I'm sorry, Erza." Gray muttered under his breath, crafting a sharp blade of ice around his arm (just like one of the frost giants from the 1st Thor movie did), and without hesitation, he struck.
.
.
.
The sound of sliced flesh and blood gushing out could be heard.
Gray was on both of his knees, one arm propping him up and the other holding his throat tightly, applying pressure to it.
"Krrrl…" Gray throat had been sliced open, blood pooling in his throat now.
To make matters worse, a large amount of magic surrounded Erza. Gray looked at Erza with both eyes open, mirroring his despair.
"You have no idea how I gained more magic all of a sudden, do you?" Erza taunted Gray, "My Nakagami Armor also allows me to control Ethernano. This whole island is full of it, I've never been more powerful."
Magical waves from around the island went towards Erza, just like when Edolas was about to be destroyed and magical waves was floating across the sky.
The sky of Druid Island added to its spectacle, the blizzard and Erza's Ethernano waves making it look similar to Aurora Borealis.
A beam of magic emanated from Erza, surging outward. She could feel her own magical threshold getting stronger (her overall magical reserves, meaning she's receiving a permanent magic boost thanks to the Ethernano of Druid Island and the full potential of her Nakagami Armor. It's basically like a Second Origin Release).
Erza Requipped into her Piercing Armor "Any last words?"
Gray slowly reverted back to his normal form, his hands still clutching his throat in a last-ditch effort to avoid death.
"Ju-vi-a… my kids… at least… look… aft-" Gray vomited blood.
"I will. Sorry it had to come to this, Gray. I'll make sure nothing happens to them, not as long as I'm around."
Flashes of their memories together flooded her mind.
Her looking after a younger Gray like an older sister would.
Her "disciplining" Gray and Natsu.
Their lighthearted sparring sessions.
Her memory with Gray by the riverbank when he consoled her when she was crying.
Erza broke character for a moment, looking at Gray sadly, "I'll make it quick."
Clutching her lance tightly, "I'm sorry, Gray."
Erza charged at Gray with the full might of the Piercing Armor, stabbing him in the heart and ending his life instantly.
The blizzard stopped, and the waves of magic disappeared.
The moment Erza pierced Gray in the heart, Juvia woke up, still on their bed in their hotel room.
Looking at the spot beside her, she called out to Gray affectionately, "Honey?"
She received no response. She had the strangest feeling something bad happened to Gray.
Where did he go?
…
"What are you doing out here? You do know I have a spare bed already made for you, right?"
"Ultear"
Jellal visited Ultear's house. Ever since Erza broke up with him, he spent more time with Ultear.
Jellal patted the space next to him, inviting Ultear to sit. They both looked at the night sky together.
Ultear and her mother lived in a quiet village, both of them introverted and finding bliss in their moments of solitude away from the business and energy of the big towns and cities, miraculously reunited by the members of Team Natsu.
As it so happened, Jellal and Ultear had their introversion and reflective natures in common. Had unfortunate events not led them to be dark mages, they would have gotten close with each other anyway, had they been acquainted in more fortunate circumstances.
The only sound that could be heard tonight was the fireflie' buzzsaw sound, and the breeze of the evening air blowing the trees and grass.
"You did always like staring at the stars. Is it because of your magic?" Ultear smiled, her dangerous beauty creating the illusion of a femme fatale's seduction.
"There's that too. When I look up, I get reminded of how small my problems are compared to the grand scheme of things."
Ultear was taken aback for a second, surprised at Jellal's unexpected answer….
"Pfft…" Then, she started laughing.
"What's so funny?!" Jellal asked her, comically angry with a tick mark on his head.
"Hahaha… the grand scheme of things… hahahahaha" Ultear kept laughing. Jellal could only sweatdrop at her.
Looking at her laughing, Jellal smiled warmly. This was one of the things he loved about her–her down-to-earth nature when she was alone with people she trusted, a stark contrast to her dignified poise in public.
There was once a time when he thought he wasn't worthy of love and would die without it, and he was so happy now that he could live his life to the fullest. His commitment to repentance makes him what some people call a "doormat".
He didn't defend himself unless there was a real threat. He was fine being the butt of jokes in his pursuit of harmony.
He helped struggling people when others wouldn't even bat an eye at them.
Ironically, he would defend people from bullying when he wouldn't even do himself the same favor.
He had a habit of doing things for others behind-the-scenes, not needing an audience to be moved to act. He didn't need to posture or show that he was kind, he just was actually kind.
At the risk of being ignored or facing backlash, he would still strike conversation with people who looked like they could use somebody.
He was more sensitive to indignation, and would stick up for people regardless of how it made him look. Because of this, he was still misunderstood.
He was a really sweet and empathetic soul. Just the most genuinely sincere guy you could meet. His character was a true class act.
Flashback
The forest was still, save for the occasional crackle of firelight and the soft hoot of an owl overhead. Jellal sat by the campfire, eyes closed, head tilted slightly toward the stars. The flames danced in reflection across the mark in his eye.
Ultear approached quietly, a kettle in her hand.
"I made tea," she said, gently placing a cup beside him. "It's… probably too bitter. I'm not exactly nurturing."
Jellal opened his eyes and offered a rare, warm smile. "Thank you."
She sat beside him, close—but not too close. There was always that distance. Not from fear, but from fear of hope.
"Do you ever think about it?" she asked.
He turned toward her. "About what?"
Ultear didn't meet his eyes. Instead, she stared into the fire. "What we'd be like if we hadn't fallen. If we hadn't… become what we became."
The question lingered, soft and painful in the cool air. Jellal didn't answer at first. He looked at her—not as the former enemy, not as a comrade in guilt—but simply as Ultear.
"I do," he said finally. "More than I should."
Ultear exhaled slowly, a mix of relief and sadness. "In another life, I think I would have loved you."
Jellal's gaze softened. "You say that like you don't already."
She blinked, startled, then scoffed softly. "You're more perceptive than I give you credit for."
"I've spent years pretending I didn't feel anything. For Erza… for anyone. It was easier to believe I wasn't human. But you—you remind me I still am."
Ultear's eyes shimmered in the firelight, her voice a whisper. "Then maybe… let's stop pretending. Just for tonight."
There were no grand gestures, no desperate kisses. Just a hand, gently placed over another. Fingers laced in quiet understanding. Two broken souls, not fixed—but no longer alone.
In another life, maybe.
But for tonight, this was enough.
…
Two victims lay dead in the park. One had a huge hole where his heart was supposed to be, and an ice dome was broken with large traces of blood around the opening where it was fractured, suggesting that what was inside it had met a more gruesome fate.
Erza had blood splattered all over her.
Her shadow grew bigger, the silhouette of the Purgatory Armor painting a mortifying scene.
Realizing her shadow got bigger, she turned around. Looking up at the moon emotionlessly, she came to terms with the fact that she's already crossed the point of no return.
"I did all this for us, Natsu..." Erza whispered into the night, "...I won't let anything take you from me. You're mine, and I am yours."