Prophecy Unguided - Chapter 3
Sooo, it took a long time. I'm really sorry about that, but that's how it is when you have a writer's block. In itself I know where to go and I have already finished writing some scenes. I hope, however, that you will still be happy about this chapter.
And don't worry, this story will definitely end, no matter how long it takes. And for everyone who was looking forward to Jerza, here you definitely get Jerza
.
Greets Z <3
.
.
.
Chapter 3
.
.
.
Thousands of colourful ribbons decorated the garlands and columns on the large square covered with marble slabs. The corridor between the stone benches was festively decorated with flowers, music filled the warm air and the humming of the conversations and the chirping of the birds of the forest around the temple complex were still audible despite the music. The high witch priestess stood together with the bridesmaids and the witnesses under a magic canopy. Flowers formed a magical dome, butterflies fluttered from blossom to blossom, bees and bumble bees also tumbled around and literally played through the numerous blossoms.
Erza was nervous. And at the same time she was incredibly looking forward to this day. Her day. Finally they would connect, tie the bond of souls, start a family. She stepped out of the shade of the temple building into the sunlight onto the large festival square. The music changed and the conversations of the guests stopped. A tremble ran through her hands, but she closed her eyes for a moment, breathed in deeply. Her shoulders relaxed, she rolled them and the broad radiance on her features grew even wider. Her heartbeat began to race, accelerating with every step she took. Since her parents had fallen more than 200 years ago in the last great battle against the dark god Hades, she would walk this walk to the altar alone. And as much as it hurt her that her two circle sisters Levy and Lucy weren't here, she was happy that they finally held this ceremony. She had so longed for it. Jellal had always been hesitant, uncertain. He had already done many bad things in his life and it had taken her a lot of time and effort to take the old guilt from him. She walked safely along the long corridor decorated with flowers, birds escorting her, flying behind her and carrying the delicate veil of lace.
Her gaze glided over her mate. Her big love. He wore a floor-length white robe whose hem was embroidered with golden, blue and red tendrils, flowers and trees. His fingertips were dyed red, while hers had been dyed blue. Love shimmered in his dark soul mirrors and she stepped beside him, grabbing her dress so as not to stumble over the small stone step. Jellal took her hands as they stood in front of each other. The music finally fell silent and silence lay over the present witch society. Erza and looked up radiantly at Jellal, who returned the broad smile on her face. Then they looked at the high witch priestess who would marry them. She looked at them and waited patiently until she had her attention. She wore a black, floor-length robe, the hem of which was embroidered with countless silver tendrils. The wide trumpet sleeves reached down to the floor. Her skin shimmered golden and radiated pure magic. The white-blond hair and the bright turquoise irides also shimmered with magic.
"We have gathered here today to unite these two witch children, these two soul mates in the holy covenant of soul bonding before the ancient gods. If anyone knows a reason why these two should not be bound to each other, let them speak now, or be silent forever," she began. She held a thick book in her hands, but never looked down on the pages. Silence was spreading over the guests. No one raised any objections and the priestess nodded.
"Well then, since no one wants to separate these two, we'll start with -"
"HELP! HELP! HELP US," an elemental spirit rushed to the square and interrupted the priestess words. Erza's head whirled around, her eyes directed at the spirit that was disturbing the ceremony. Anger was boiling in her. How dare it be? Whispering rose among the guests. But when she saw which elemental spirit had just burst into the bonding ceremony and in what condition it was, she became ice-cold. A tremor ran through her body. A weakly shimmering fox stood trembling and with bleeding fur on the square. Golden and red blood dripped onto the marble plates and the smell of dark, impure magic, death, smoke and burnt flesh rose from his fur. The beast's eyes were wide open in panic and fear. This elemental spirit belonged to the northern temple. The temple where Lucy and Levy lived and practiced. She rushed, without hesitation, to the Elemental Spirit, feeling tears rising in her eyes. Fear crept up in her as she passed the meters to the trembling creature in seconds. With trembling hands, she sat down next to him on the floor, began to weave spells, channel her magic, and stroked through the bloody fur. Wordlessly, she cast healing spells. She was more versed in offensive magic and less in healing magic, so it took her a while and she needed more magic to heal his wounds.
"What Happened", Jellal knelt beside her on the ground, drawing healing runes in the air to support her. The fox sniffed, tears formed in his golden eyes, dripping on the stone floor.
"They ... gods have attacked us," he whimpered and you could see the fear in him. It surrounded him in a slightly black glimmer. Fearful and confused scraps of words penetrated Erza's ears and she felt her throat closing. Her heart beat anxiously against her ribs. If these assholes had done anything to their sisters!
"And then what? How many dead, wounded?" asked Jellal and Erza pressed her lips tightly together. She tried to soothe the spirit by stroking its fur, but her hands trembled even more than before.
"I ... Half of the witches in the temple are dead, the other half kidnapped," he said and his ears sank even deeper. Erza flinched sharply and a deep rumble rolled up Jellal's throat. He knew exactly what that meant and she could feel his magic boil up furiously inside him.
"Please tell me ... Levy and Lucy ... they are ...", her voice failed and the heart beat her painfully fast against the ribs. Fear clasped her heart, her soul, her magic. The elemental spirit leaned against Erza.
"They were alive, they were kidnapped and since Mistress Lucy had just finished meditating, she could not defend herself properly," he said and lowered the gaze shamefully to the floor. Erza understood why. Her fingers dug into his fur and she leaned her forehead against his.
"Shhh. It's not your fault. You rushed here knowing that you would get help here," she said and swallowed easily. A whimpering escaped the creature before it began to cry. Erza felt the fear in her release and was replaced by anger. Anger at the damage done to her family in the north, anger at the injury to this beautiful creature, and anger at the interruption of her marriage ceremony. This also explained why Lucy and Levy hadn't arrived yet. She carefully detached herself from the fox, rose. Her hands clenched to fists. Her gaze glided over the witches and sorcerers present. Silence lay over the company. There were about 500 war witches here. Erza whirled around and marched with rapid steps to the pedestal, where they had stood just a few minutes ago and actually wanted to be connected in love. Magic enveloped her and the floor-length white dress slowly disintegrated. The sweeping wide skirt disappeared. Erza summoned up her armor. A silver armour, which covered almost her entire body, offered ultimate protection, but was as light as a feather due to the numerous spells in the metal.
"My brothers and sisters! Again gods have dared to attack ours! So far we have always remained silent, either because we were too late or because they were outnumbered. But this time they have gone too far! They have Lucy from the house Heartfilia! They have stolen our blessed ones, our chosen ones! They have killed sisters and brothers in the north," she called and with every word the aura of her power continued to grow. The other warriors present rose and magic unfolded. Little by little they summoned up their war armour and rage filled the air. Jellal had also exchanged his festive robe for a deep black armour. Anger and murder were clearly written on his face.
" THEY SHOULD EXPERIENCE WHAT IT MEANS, TO MESS WITH THE PEOPLE OF THE WITCHES," she yelled, pulling out her sword from the scabbard. The air was filled with approving shouts and the sound of war horns. The ground vibrated under the thundering roar of the horns.
"THONA WHAHAR," she shouted and her call to war was answered by hundreds of voices.
Birds rose from the trees in shock. Erza set herself in motion, Jellal at her side. The witches of the south would go to war!
.
.
.
Lucy leaned against the stone balustrade. Her gaze glided over the wide inner courtyard, over the roughly hewn walls. The roar of low voices as well as the clang from colliding metals. The men of the southern dragon clan trained together. Either directly in close combat, or with weapons and light armour. Wind came up and despite the fact that it was a warm climate in which the dragons lived, cold shivers crept over her skin.
She was now at her dragon's castle for a good three days. Wind plucked her hair and her fingers cramped as she thought of Natsu. Her heartbeat accelerated and she bit her lower lip. Lucy felt her flaming redness creeping into her cheeks. She would lie if she said she didn't find him attractive. Quite the contrary. His nature, his smell, his warmth, these beautiful eyes. Everything attracted her magically. And yet she could not give in to him. Lost in thought she touched her lips and closed her eyes. Heat crept through her body like liquid lava. She sensed how heat clenched in her stomach, felt how everything in her seemed to contract. Feel the treacherous tingling between her thighs.
She swallowed slightly and bit her lower lip, shaking her head as she remembered her mate's hunger and longing for her. She knew perfectly well that dragons were very possessive, caring lovers. But she also knew what her mission was. Lucy wasn't stupid, she knew that Natsu would die if she gave in to him. If she would let her enter into the bond of souls with him. Only very few survived the death of their bonded soul mate. Her father had not recovered from her mother's death and had died of a broken heart. She did not want that for Natsu. And she wanted to spare herself the illusion of a love she was not allowed to have. Even if she longed to get closer to him. Her heart hurt at the thought and she could feel the whimpering of her soul. Lucy took a trembling breath and she felt the treacherous burning of unweeping tears in her eyes.
"Are you feeling all right?" A deep voice penetrated her ears and she jerked up, looking to the side. Ignia stood in the corridor, looking at her with a frowned forehead. Like most of the people here, he wore the typical clothes of the country. Pluder pants, fur-trimmed belts. Natsu often wore a vest, which was open. Ignia simply left that out. Countless magical tattoos adorned his skin. She lowered her eyes again to the warriors in the inner courtyard.
"It's all right," she said. She would certainly not cry in front of another dragon. She didn't even cry in front of Natsu.
"Well ... I smell that you're about to cry," Natsus's older brother grumbled and she stiffend convulsively. She somehow didn't like him. There was something intimidating about him and it always seemed like he was treating her like a little child. Or don't take her very seriously. She didn't know why. Silence spread between the two of them. Under no circumstances would she answer him to his last words.
"Do you still want anything from me, Prince Ignia? Or are you just here to make me feel tiny small?" she asked after a while when she couldn't stand this mood. The silence between them was oppressive, heavy. The smell of hot spices and smoke hung in the air. A smell that clearly came from Natsu's brother. She forced herself to look at him and stared with narrowed eyes at this dragon, which towered over her by a good two heads. Which was no wonder. All the dragons loosely towered over her by at least one head. Natsu was no exception. Even Ignias mate was no exception. Even if the slender, beautiful dragon only exceeded her by half a head.
His deep red soul mirrors lay on her and his eyes narrowed as a threatening growl rolled up his throat. His gaze became gloomy, the air between them seemed to charge with magic. Lucy became even more tense, but she didn't step back from him. He was about to say something, as two narrow arms snaked around his shoulders and two long, slender legs around his waist.
"Igy-chan, my darling", Miyuki, Ignias mate had apparently sneaked up on him again and jumped at him from behind. Lucy had already seen that several times that the dragoness liked to do such a thing. She had braided the long pastel pink hair to several narrow braids and finally tied them together to a high pony. Golden pearls and metal rings shimmered in the sunlight. The ruby red eyes shimmered full of love for Ignia. Lucy's lips twitched slightly as she suppressed the laughter that threatened to roll over her lips.
"What is it, woman?" he asked and his features became a little less threatening. It was always amazing how Miyuki worked on Ignia, or generally how a mate worked on her dragon. Because the dragon warriors here were rough, brutal. If you couldn't avoid them fast enough, you would get hurt. But in the face of their own mate, raging dragon warriors became tender, gentle lambs.
"You know you shouldn't get on Lucy's back. Leave her alone or you will sleep on the floor. Or in the barn by the horses, choose it", Miyuki seemed strict while she looked at her husband and Ignia sighed annoyed, put his head to his neck.
"My goodness, you're all annoying. Women," he growled and Miyuki laughed quietly. And then Lucy felt it. A wave of magic rolled through the land. Her eyes widened and her head jerked in the direction of the source. Her heartbeat speeded up, agitation and restlessness filled her senses. The narrow brows contracted. Could that be? Her breathing accelerated, cold shivers crept over her skin. She closed her eyes and concentrated, blinding the squabbling couple next to her out. She hummed a tone, laid her palms flat on the stone of the balustrade and sucked the air around her deep into her lungs. Magic flared up and she checked every presence within a 10 kilometre radius. Sweat beads stepped on her forehead and for a moment she was confused. She knew the people approaching them.
However, she also knew the kind of beings they were riding on. And they had only been bred for war purposes. Her eyes widdend in panic and Lucy stared in that direction. She swallowed. Erza was approaching. She loved her witch sister, but why was she prepared for war? She bit her lower lip and her gaze glided over the training warriors, over the servants doing their job, over a group of children playing with dogs and cats. She didn't know why Erza was moving equipped to war here, because the time had not yet come. But she knew one thing, if she came here with war intentions, then even the strong dragons would not be able to defend themselves against her. She had felt the anger of Erzas.
"Damned, dirty shit ...", she interrupted herself and anger flared up in her. She could not allow anything to happen to these people here and summoned up a light armour.
"Woa what ...", Ignia and Miyuki seemed startled by her sudden action. Lucy cast a floating spell and rose into the air, flew over to the outermost castle wall. Her heart was beating up to her neck. She knew that she was stronger in herself than Erza but in a long run? She stretched her arms to the side and activated a spell that she had woven into the walls while here. A protective barrier that would stop every spell, every curse. Magic filled the air, she felt how the dragons in the inner courtyard had stopped fighting and looked at her. Magic symbols filled the air and the magic of the barrier made it shimmer golden, forming a truly glowing dome over the castle. Wind came up and swirled her long hair. She could already see the army of the southern temple. And then the thundering roar of Erzas behemoth filled the air. The earth trembled, she heard the fearful screams of the children, the panic screams of the horses in the stables. Warriors rushed to the castle wall, armed, ready to fight.
"Who is that, Lucy?" Natsu's voice reached her ears, but she didn't look at him.
"This is Erza from the house of Belserion," she said. Her witch sister's army was now a good half a kilometre outside the gates of the Dragon Castle. With Erza at her head. She could feel the hatred and anger of the other witches and swallowed lightly. Her sister in spirit sat on a behemoth. A mighty creature that exceeded the 30 meter high castle wall by another 20 meters. It had a thick, hard shell of black scales. Sharp claws, which she estimated to be about 5 meters long. Huge fangs shimmered in the sunlight. Erza stood on the head of her war animal. And although this monster had huge, long horns, she didn't drown in her armour. Two horns bent around behemoth's head to protect it, reaching up to his mouth. Four more protruded backward and bent backward in varying lengths.
"GIVE US OUR CHOSEN ONE BACK, YOUR DEFORMED LIZARDS," Erza yelled.
"What the hell ..." Natsu began and blinked. Lucy scrutinized him out of the corner of his eye. She could feel the dragons around her getting angry at this insult. Dragons were proud persons. Warning growls filled the air as the warriors pulled out their weapons. She had no choice but to act.
"ERZA YOU STUPID TOAD! WHAT THE FUCKING HELL?" Lucy yelled back and silence sank over the impending battle. She floated a little higher, put her hands on her hips and looked at her witch sister.
"Lucy", Erza was confused, you could see her when she recognized her beloved witch sister.
"WHAT THE FUCK? DID ALL OF YOU GONE INSANE, OR WHAT?" Lucy yelled angrily. She summoned up a little ball of light and threw it to the bewildered Erza's head. Which didn't even fight back, got the energy ball to her head and fell on her butt.
"But you ...", began the still very confused Erza.
"WE HAVE AN ALLIANCE WITH THE DRAGONS, YOU STUPID IDIOTS! HOW DO YOU PLEASE COME TO THIS ABSOLUT IDIOTIC IDEA, TO MARCH HERE?" she shouted and her voice became louder and louder through magic.
Erza began "Uh...the gods have," but was immediately interrupted by Lucy.
"AH, THE GODS, YES? OFF YOU SADDLE YOUR IDIOTIC MORONS! EVERYONE, OR YOU LEARN TO KNOW ME FROM AN OTHER SIDE," Lucy screamed and magic pulsated around her. With astonishment all the dragon warriors watched as this small but impressive army of witches and magicians saddled off and how little children stared shamefaced on the ground while a raging Lucy floated in the air. Even the behemoth pressed himself to the ground. He had put his huge paws over his head and trembled slightly.
.
.
.
Natsu just watched the whole thing confused. He had clearly not expected that. Apart from the potential attack of the witches. Nobody had expected that either. But the fact that his mate, who was destined for him, just put the whole pack down and ended it with words was unbelievable. He felt his brother Zeref step beside him.
"And this is the one for you?" he asked quietly and Natsu nodded, looked to the side. His brother seemed amused and his mouth corners twitched slightly.
"Well then have fun, brother," he laughed and Natsu snorted slightly.
"Yes, thank you, asshole," he growled back. He was filled with admiration and awe as he watched Lucy fold the angry witches together. It was as if she was an angry mother who was scolding children's. That's what she looked like. An amused grin covered his lips.