The clock ticked slowly towards midnight. In the silent, dark night, the train station was restless quiet as all eyes watched the clock hand move with agonisingly slow speed. The building was so quiet that each tick of the clockwork sounded like a sledgehammer.
The ticket officer was pacing. Magnolia's train station was mostly deserted, with only him, the conductor, and the night manager still on the premises. Still, the walls reeked of wrecked nerves and unspoken fear.
The man glanced towards the clock. It was now four minutes past twelve at the dead of night. In the last decade, the train station had had their fair share of delays, yet never seven in a row.
"Perhaps there's wreckage on the track," the night manager suggested with forced optimism.
"Then why haven't they called it?" The ticket officer said darkly, narrowing his eyes as he stared down the tracks. The communication lines had been eerily silent all evening. The station was as quiet as the grave.
The manager opened his mouth a few times to try and think of a reason. Finally, he settled for a lame, "I'm sure it'll be fine."
The minutes clicked by in painful silence. They were all twitching and nervous as the night seemed to grow even more ominous. The only sound was the frantic breathing as the night manager puffed cigarette after cigarette. It was nearly one by the time they all recognised the familiar rumble of the locomotive driving down the tracks.
The manager nearly collapsed in relief. All three men realised a breath they hadn't realised they were holding. "Thank god," he muttered in relief. "That'll be the 11.56 from Clover."
The rumbling became louder, but it was too dark to make out any details as the dark shape rolled along the tracks. It was the conductor who realized it first. Even in the gloom, he knew every train that passed through Magnolia by its engine alone.
The heavyset man shook his head in quiet dread. "That's not the 11.56," he muttered in terror. "That's the wrong bloody train…"
They all turned and stared. That was when the music began.
It started as softly as a breath of wind, like a giant animal exhaling gently in the night, but it grew in tempo slowly as the rhythm hit them. It was slow, raw, and steady, like the heartbeat of a monster, resonating gently in the wind. The noise carried a power that cut straight through the walls and into their skin. It was dark, mellow and rumbling.
If they had been in any condition to listen, then they would have recognised the sound as laughter. Instead, the men were too busy screaming as their souls were ripped out their bodies from the melody. Even the blood curdling screams were drowned out by the low rumble of that tune.
Above the town of Magnolia, the clouds churned and the wind became fierce while the train docked at the station with a tremendous groan.
Wooden feet shaped like talons touched the platform as Erigor calmly exited the train. The demon cast only a cursory glance at the men screaming in terror as he stared out into the gloom of the town.
"So this Magnolia…" Erigor muttered in a raspy voice. "What a nice place to catch some flies…"
Whatever shred of humanity there had been was soaked away as the Mage morphed further with Lullaby. He didn't even look remotely human any more. His body was made out of gnarly wood twisted into sharp edges, while two huge horns jutted outwards from Erigor's skull. His eyes were purple and almost bird-like, and his forehead was dominated by a third eye that gleamed with unnatural energy. His right arm was mangled and bent into the shape of a jutting scythe, and there was a gaping hole in the centre of his chest where his heart should have been.
With every breath, Erigor exhaled through the holes over his body, producing a shroud of dark wind that coated his skin, and the dark melody echoed around him. The very air seemed to shudder from the demonic tune.
The three men weren't screaming anymore. They were rolling on the ground; their faces red and their bodies twisted in nightmarish pain. Their ears were bleeding. Erigor barely even glanced at the ticket manager as he walked by, idli using his scythe arm to split his skull. The blood splattered over the ground.
The demon smirked as he turned to face the conductor, still sitting in his booth. Erigor took a large breath and inhaled, while the melody reached a nightmarish peak. The conductor gasped one final time just as his soul was yanked from its vessel, being sucked into Erigor's gaping mouth like a vacuum.
Erigor spat with disgust as he swallowed the soul. "Pathetic," he sneered in a demonic voice. "I'm sick of eating the souls of such weaklings. I want strong souls. I want souls soaking in Magical energy."
The doors of the train clicked open. Slowly, the lumbering shapes of the former Eisenwald members staggered out of the carriages. They were humanoid, more or less, but their eyes were vacant and empty while their skin had a rough, gnarly texture almost like bark.
A body that once belonged to Kageyama stumbled by him, and the demonspawn growled hungrily as it saw the thrashing body of the night manager. Erigor glanced at the only remaining human bemusedly, before holding up to halt Kageyama. The terrible melody paused and the air turned quiet.
The man shuddered as the song stopped and suddenly he could think again. He took one look at Erigor and the army of demons departing the train, before turning and running frantically towards the town. The terrified screams echoed through the night, even louder than the howling wind. Erigor just grinned as he watched the sleeping town slowly start to wake.
"Let's give them some warning that we have arrived," Erigor said with a hungry smile, running a tongue across jagged teeth. "All that fear and adrenaline—it makes the soul so nice and juicy ."
The demonspawn didn't respond. They were just husks, after all, with no personality remaining. They were just dead bodies animated by the Lullaby still echoing through their skulls. Erigor looked at his former guildmates with mild contempt, before reaching a decision.
"You lot attack first," he ordered, causing the demonspawn to shamble towards the town. "Soften them up for me. I want them to be terrified."
The monsters lurched slowly down the stones towards the exit of the building, filing through the ticket machines. Erigor never had high expectations of them, but he might as well make them useful. They were all expendable.
Across Magnolia, the wind roared like a beast, slowly swirling into a huge typhoon circling the town. An enormous wall of wind completely sealed the town. Erigor chuckled, causing the melody to thunder off the walls as he watched the demons descend.
"Come on, flies…" He growled hungrily, focusing on the lights of the Fairy Tail guild hall in the distance. Even as a demon, his hatred of the legal Guilds never faded. "…Let's make a feast out of this!"
***
The wind was so strong it shook the roof. Makarov looked worried, but stayed quiet. The guild was as lively as ever, even in the dead of night.
"Whoa," Levy commented quietly. "The storm's really picking up out of there."
Lucy nodded as she sat back down at the bar. Despite the laughter, there was a hint of concern in the eyes of some of the Mages. Natsu met Lucy with a wide grin, gingerly kissing her on the lips. She grinned brightly, and the casual intimacy was still so foreign it made her giggle. Next to her, Mira smirked and Elfman roared in approval. No one noticed that Erza was missing.
"Hey, where did you disappear to?" Natsu asked quietly.
Lucy hesitated, thinking back to the somewhat tense conversation with Loke. It felt like betrayal to tell his secret so casually. "I'll tell you later," she said with a meaningful glance. "It's… complicated."
"Oh," Natsu said in confusion, but he didn't press the issue. "Anyways, me and Happy were about to head off now, so, um, are you going…"
His voice trailed off into a mumble. Lucy smirked. "Are you inviting me back to your place?"
"Would you like to come?" He asked cautiously.
She hesitated only for a second, brushing her blonde hair backwards. Natsu's shirt was unfastened, revealing an extremely well-toned chest, and that was one hell of a motivator. "Alright," Lucy replied quietly. "Let me finish my drink."
He nodded. Sitting on the stool next to Lucy, Cana smirked mischievously, with a sparkle in her eyes. "Play safe, you two," the brunette teased, deliberately loud enough that every one could hear, while taking a large gulp from a keg. "And remember, the oil-based lubricants are always better!"
Lucy blushed madly. Natsu blinked repeatedly. Nearby, Levy just looked confused. "Lubricants?" The petite Mage asked blankly. "What would they use lubricants for?"
Cana just patted Levy on the shoulder. "Oh, sweetie," Cana said kindly, pointing to the other two members of team Shadow Gear. "Why don't you go ask Jet and Droy that question?"
Lucy decided quickly to skip the drink and leave before the conversation became anymore embarrassing. Still, everyone was chatting or arguing friendlily, and Lucy couldn't help but grin as Natsu took her hand in his.
They were just about to leave when they suddenly a thick, musky scent hit Lucy's nostrils. She stopped and shivered. "Wait…" Lucy murmured sniffing the air. "Do you smell that?"
Natsu frowned, nose crinkled. "Yeah, I do," he muttered, his face contorting with the disgusting scent. For a moment, everything turned quiet. "Huh, what is tha—"
A dull, loud thud resonated through the hall. Everybody looked towards the door in surprise. Nobody ever knocked in the guild. The Mages would always just barge through the doors/windows. Frowning curiously, Gray stood up to answer the door.
The wind nearly tore the heavy wooden doors off their hinges, causing the half-naked ice Mage to flinch. In the doorway, small figure the size of a child stood, body cloaked in a large green hood. A dozen Mages stared at the small figure perplexedly. The wind seemed to rumble in the distance.
"Trick or treat," the figure chanted in a hoarse voice.
Gray just frowned in confusion. "You're a bit late for Halloween," he said sarcastically.
"Yeah…" the figure muttered, pushing down his hood. Gray's eyes widened in shock as he glimpsed greyish skin, a snake-like nose, pointed ears and sharp teeth. "That's the trick!"
The Magic pulsed. Gray barely had time to forge a shield of crystal like ice just as an explosion of sand took him straight off his feet. Everything halted just as Gray was sent skidding across the wooden floor.
Every Mage was on their feet in seconds. Elfman roared as his fist transformed into that of a scaly monster, while Cana flourished glowing cards. Lucy dropped into a fighting stance, but Natsu was way ahead of her. As soon as the goblin-like creature took a step into the guild, Natsu was already there and lashing out with a fist of burning flame.
"Bastard!" Natsu roared in fury, his eyes blazing. "No one hurts Gray but me!"
The sand swirled even as fire tore up the floor and the intruder had to skirt to the side. The goblin was laughing furiously, but its eyes were cold. There was a distinctly inhuman scent to it, like rotting flesh. It was outnumbered a hundred to one and surrounded by angry Mages, but somehow it was still laughing.
"You dare to attack here?! " A thunderous voice bellowed. Lucy barely even recognised Makarov anymore as suddenly the Guild Master expanded to a hundred times his normal size. He moved with blinding speed as a massive fist slammed the intruder into the ground. The floorboards shattered. "You dare to attack my children!?"
The goblin didn't stop laughing. They all heard the crunch as bones were broken from the impact, but the creature didn't even seem to feel pain. Its voice was throaty and quiet.
"Oh, we're not attacking you," It muttered venomously, even as Makarov pressed down on him harder. "That comes later. This, this is just a warning."
Outside, the wind was howling like mad. This was unnatural weather, Lucy realised in shock. The sound of that unnerving, maniacal laughter just became louder. The roof trembled under gale-force winds. There was barely time to react.
In an instant, the wind tore the roof straight off. The howl was deafening as suddenly the hall was flooded with typhoon gales. Lucy glimpsed the walls being torn down as the debris scattered everywhere. Between the roar and the dust, she couldn't even glimpse Natsu anymore.
And then she managed to focus on the town. The streets were screaming. Blazing fires tore through the houses. Dark shapes roamed the rooftops. The dread hit quickly as she absorbed the situation quickly.
They weren't attacking the guild at all. They were going after the townspeople. The goblin's laughter was inhuman.
"Shoo, little flies," it crowed maniacally. "You want to save the town, don't you? You'd better hurry !"
The wind was howling like a roar in her skull. In the gloom, she never even noticed the dark shadow flickering over her right until a hand of darkness shot up out of the ground and snatched a dozen Mages away. The disgusting stench was everywhere. Unnatural Magic polluted the night. Lucy felt a cold dread seep through her skin.
Still gripped in Makarov's iron grip, the goblin just kept on laughing even as its bones were pulverised. For a moment, the Guild Master looked uncertain.
"Run!" The goblin screeched madly. "Now the game is on!"
***
The screams and the wind were deafening. Makarov felt a shiver run down his spine as he glimpsed at the state of the town. This Magic isn't natural, the old man thought as he clenched his fists. This Magic is demonic…
Makarov stood in his titan form, as large as a giant. His fists were as large as trucks and the ground rumbled with every step, but it was so dark and gloomy that he could hardly even recognise the shapes that were scattering around underfoot. Debris and dust scattered all around him as the guild building shattered to pieces into the storm. A small pang of fury hit him as he looked at the ruins of the headquarters, but honestly Makarov didn't really care.
He was far too busy worrying about the Mages, and about the townspeople.
"Everyone form up!" Makarov screamed loudly, but his bellow was drowned out in the wind. Men and women were scattering around, running madly in the panicked confusion. "Keep together!"
Dark shadows launched at him from all sides. Makarov felt sharp blades sting at his heels and Magic spells bounce off his skin, but then he slammed his foot down so hard that nearby houses collapsed from the tremor. He was one of the Ten Wizard Saints, after all, and his opponents could hardly hope to match him. A furious bellow burst from his throat as the Guild Master sent a dozen of the attackers flying with a furious swipe.
But still, they just kept coming, clawing and launching themselves with no regard for their own safety. These… creatures… aren't human, Makarov realised. They didn't feel pain, or fear.
The wind roared. In the flicker flames, Makarov glimpsed Mages racing in all directions, and the dread hit him. There was coordination to this assault. This wasn't a mindless attack. The demonspawn were taking advantage of the darkness and the confusion. They were trying to cause panic, and split the guild apart.
Around him, the walls of the building continued to collapse as the doubt gnawed at Makarov's confidence. He wasn't a young man anymore. He had no idea how many of his children might be trapped in the rumble. With every step of his titan form, he could be endangering his own precious people.
My children come first. Everyone with the Fairy Tail mark was family. Makarov couldn't risk their safety. " Fairy Tail! " Makarov bellowed, struggling to be heard over the wind. " Stick together! Hunt for survivo—"
He flinched as suddenly a dark shadow flickered towards him. Makarov slammed his hand downwards, just as the shadowy tendrils took the form of snakes and tried to entangle his legs. Shadow Magic, mixed with demonic energy. A dark haired man with a greased spiky hair, a white high-collared shirt, and cold dead eyes appeared at Makarov's feet, weaving the shadows around him.
"Erigor demands your death," the demonspawn chanted monotonously, in a voice that was chillingly polite. Erigor, Makarov thought darkly. Eisenwald.
Erza's report came rushing back to him. Could they have Lullaby as well? Was that the source of this demonic power? If so, then the whole town was in danger. They had to get out of range as soon as possible. Makarov gritted his teeth as he focused his Magic with renewed determination. The air shimmered as his body expanded to monstrous size.
I WILL CRUSH YOU ALL BEFORE I LET YOU HURT MY GUILD, Makarov promised with thunderous rage. The Guild Master grew so large his shadow loomed over everything. His eyes were white with rage. That Shadow Mage never even lasted a second before Makarov crushed him like a bug.
From his new height, he could see across the entire town. Magnolia was burning. The wind buffered him furiously, threatening to knock him over, but Makarov remained steady. The whole town was caged by a hurricane of razor sharp wind, but Makarov grit his teeth. A Wind Wall. That was quite high level Wind Magic, but it didn't matter. Makarov could break through it. There were very few things on the planet that could stop an enraged Wizard Saint.
Before he could even move, there was a rumble of thunder from below. Makarov glimpsed down just to glimpse his grandson, angrily walking from the rumble and firing powerful lightning strikes that burned through the air. Makarov could almost see the look of disdain on Laxus's face as he fired lightning indiscriminately into the night, scorching through the ruins.
"Laxus! Stop!" Makarov screamed in alarm, but the wind overpowered everything. At this point, confusion and darkness were their biggest enemies. At this rate, Laxus would do more damage to their own side than to the enemy—Laxus was just blasting everything around him blindly. His grandson wasn't the most compassionate soul.
The Guild Master screamed as lunged downwards to stop Laxus, but the arrogant blond just scoffed. "Stay out of my way, old man!" Laxus roared, unleashing a barrage of blindingly powerful blasts and Makarov, not even the old man could shrug that attack off easily.
His body shuddered. Suddenly, Makarov felt his huge feet collide against something solid. Apparently that Shadow Mage wasn't as dead as he thought. The demonspawn was alive enough to weave shadowy ropes around Makarov's feet. Between the wind, the lightning and the panic, it was enough to make the Guild Master lose his balance. Physics took care of the rest.
Not even Makarov could fight gravity. His heart was pounding madly as the ground rushed up to meet him.
I'm an old man, Makarov thought with instant regret, just before he hit the ground. The resulting earthquake could be felt for miles.
Laxus and half the guild were almost crushed by Makarov's huge body, and the tidal wave of force buried them all in dust and debris. Makarov's eyes widened in alarm as he tripped headfirst into the wall of wind, feeling his body scream in agony as razor sharp gales tore at his flesh.
He would have been embarrassed by his defeat if it hadn't been swallowed by the ice cold dread of despair. I'm an old man…
***
Lucy's heart pounded and her head spun as she charged into the night. With the terrified screams and burning buildings, the town looked like something out of a horror movie. She gritted her teeth as she channelled her Magic.
"Aquarius!" Lucy screamed, opening the Gate just enough to pull Aquarius's Water Magic out. She felt the power bulge through her body as even from the Spirit World, Aquarius supplied her strength. Lucy slammed her hands forward, causing a surge of water to dowse against a nearby fire.
Suddenly, a dark shape launched itself from the rooftops, crashing down with a glowing sword. Lucy blocked and sent the man flying with a whip of water, but he just got up again and charged madly.
"You belong to Erigor!" The man screamed, and Lucy could smell the stink of demonic Magic all over him. She growled as she launched a jet of water that took him off his feet.
More demonspawn charged towards her. Instantly, Lucy realised the mistake she'd made. They attacked the guild and lured the Mages into the town by going after the townspeople. Now they were picking Fairy Tail Mages off one by one.
This wasn't an attack. It was a hunt. Her heart pounded in terror as she launched herself at the demonspawns, tendrils of water cutting through men with ease.
Lucy moved fluidly, striking out and dancing between the blows. Every action was smooth, every attack was precise and devastating, but they just kept on coming. They never even knew what fear was. Around her, it was dark and people were screaming in terror. It was enough to unsettle her, making her reactions sluggish.
Suddenly, the ground bulged. Lucy barely had time to react just as a large, fat man with green hair launched himself out of the ground using Earth Magic, grabbing for Lucy's feet just as others tried to tackle her to the floor. Her eyes bulged in terror and she never even had time to click her fingers.
"Virgo!" She screamed, as the air glowed and the Celestial Spirit appeared in front of her. The previous, hulking gorilla woman was gone, replaced by a slender, pink haired young girl in a maid's outfit, with broken chains around her wrists. Lucy never had time to be surprised by the new appearance.
Virgo tackled two demonspawn to the ground with ease. The fat man tried to phase through the ground to escape, but Virgo was faster. She dropped through the earth and yanked him out of the floor, just for Lucy to incapacitate him with a quick, sharp kick.
Still, the demonspawn got up again. It was like anything short of complete decapication just couldn't stop them. Lucy was already panting with exhaustion. The strain of channelling Aquarius's Magic and summoning Virgo was already getting to her, and this looked like it was transforming into a long fight. She had to dismiss Virgo quickly just preserve her strength. Lucy had so many different keys, but never had the stamina to use them properly. She could have screamed in fury.
"Let's end this now!" She roared, focusing on Taurus's energy. The Water Magic disappeared, replaced by a sudden brute strength that pulsed through her muscles. She moved lightning fist, her fists suddenly so strong they sent the demonspawn scattering like bowling pins.
The hideous stench was getting stronger. It was coming from the other side of town. Lucy clenched her fists as she charged towards the source. "Let's end this…" She murmured as her legs pounded furiously through the streets.
***
Natsu was a blaze of fire and fury as he burned through the night. His fists crashed through buildings, demolishing everything in his path as he hunted the enemies furiously. They were everywhere, swarming the town and hunting him from the shadows.
"How dare you hurt Fairy Tail! " Natsu roared furiously, spitting fire as he tore through demon after demon. They were doing everything they could to keep him disorientated. He'd lost track of everyone else in the absolute chaos, and the demonic scent overpowered his smell. He had even lost track of Happy when the building collapsed.
Still, he was too angry to look for them. There were enemies in the town and he would destroy them. His skin and eyes blazed with fire as he tore through the streets.
A cry in the night alerted him to Elfman, fighting valiantly even as demonspawn attacked from all sides and wore him down. Natsu's blood roared in anger as he charged.
"Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!" He shouted, igniting a stream of fire from his elbow to propel his fist in a blindingly fast attack. A dozen demonspawn were sent flying from the unconscious Elfman.
"You want fire?" A voice muttered from his side, and Natsu turned to see a large, yellow figure wearing blue overalls. Dead beady eyes stared at him and red hair glowed in the flames.
I'm fighting a giant demonic chicken, Natsu realised in shock, just as the creature drew a wooden staff and summoned fire from the end of it. A fireball launched the staff and blazed through the air.
"As if that'll work…" Natsu muttered, catching the fireball in his mouth instinctively, before instantly regretting the decision.
The taste was beyond terrible. The fire was worse even than the fake Salamanders. It was fire tainted by demonic Magic. Natsu's face turned blue as he collapsed to the ground on his knees, spewing out molten puke onto the cobblestones. His whole body revolted at the taste.
The demon chicken launched itself at Natsu, joined by at tall, slim man that was wielding a purple crystal ball as an awkward weapon. There was no victory in their eyes; just an empty gaze like puppets following orders.
"I see your future…" The slim man muttered as he slammed the glowing crystal ball at Natsu. "… I see women, swords and… strawberry cheesecake…"
Natsu never paid the mumblings any attention. He dodged the man and slammed his fist through the crystal ball, burying his knuckles in the man's face as the orb shattered. The chicken lunged with its staff, yet Natsu's knee slammed into its body as and sent the chicken crashing through the houses. Natsu was growling with rage as he stood up, but the demonspawn were everyway.
Suspicion dawned slowly. These guys were persistent and annoying, but weak. This was a well coordinate attack, but more like a suicide mission for the demonspawn. They were simply drones.
Natsu had to find the leader if he wanted to finish this. He glanced darky around the street, before sniffing the air for the strongest scent.
***
Half a dozen blades shot from Erza's fingertips, glowing with light as they burst through the air. The demonspawn tried to dodge, but the Magical blades twisted in direction and cut them down. Erza wore her Heaven's Wheel Armour, the silver plated armour flashing through the night as the demons fell quickly under her ferocious onslaught. Metal wings of blades plumed from her back, cutting down anyone that dared to come near.
Still, they just kept on coming. The demonspawn attacked with crazed fury, even as Erza slashed through by the dozens.
The redhead scowled in displeasure as she tried to get her bearings. The guild was in ruins and the town was burning. There were just so many that needed her help, but she couldn't be everywhere. A flicker of indecision passed by her as she tried to focus on the most urgent situations.
Mages were falling like flies. The master was out cold, and Cana was trying to organise a defence around the wreckage of the Guild Hall. Laxus had been squashed by Makarov, and Gildarts and Mystogan were out on missions. Mirajane had been lost in the debris, but she couldn't fight anymore anyways. Erza was the only S-Class Mage fighting. It was all up to her.
But this is just chaos, Erza realised angrily. Fairy Tail was confused and disorientated, but the townspeople needed them. Too many Mages had rushed off by on their own, only to be ambushed by superior numbers. The demonspawn fought with an unnerving coordination, sacrificing their own members ruthlessly for maximum devastation.
Somebody must be controlling them, Erza thought coldly, tightening her grip on her swords.
There was a scream from a nearby street, followed by a pulse of Magic. Erza moved quickly, using her wings to glide through the air at blurring speeds. She got their just in time to see Gray struggling against a crowd of demonspawn. One of them wore a striped pharaoh hood and attacked mercilessly with black cables whipping from his fingertips. The other had stripes like whiskers across his face and he launch blasts of Light Magic from his hands.
Gray's Ice-Make was flawlessly fast. The Mage's hands span as he generated shields and weapons of solid ice, but even despite his speed he was still being pushed onto the defensive by the suicidal ferocity of the onslaught. Erza's eyes widened in shock as one of them finally managed to get in a solid strike, stabbing Gray in the shoulder with a black cable as hard as iron.
"Black Wing Armour!" Erza cried, as the plate mail stripped from her body in a glowing light. The air shimmered as new armour Requiped on to her smoothly. Black armour with silver trimmings coated her body, with a breastplate flanking down to her hips and heavy plating over her shoulders and legs, leaving her cleavage and chest bare.
She didn't even pause as two large wings burst from her shoulders, shooting through the air with furious speed. Her hair was as crimson as blood as her blade shot through the crowd.
They never stood a chance. Erza didn't spare the demonspawn a second glance as she stepped over their bodies to tend to the injured Gray.
"You got them…" He muttered, wincing at his wound. "They just wouldn't stay down whenever I hit them."
"They don't feel pain," Erza explained with a shrug as she wiped the blood from her sword. "Brute force isn't so good. You've got to cut through muscles and ligaments if you want to stop them."
Gray bit his lip as he slammed his hand over the wound to freeze it shut. His body trembled in pain, but his eyes were determined. "We've got to stop them," he said firmly. "We can't let them overrun the town."
"No," Erza ordered sternly. Gray's eyes widened in anger, and Erza's gaze softened. "They're after us. They're trying to spilt us up," she explained. "We've got to stick together and stay calm. You're injured, let's get back to the others."
He shook his head. "It's not that simple. These are guys are Eisenwald," he said coldly. Alarms flared in Erza's mind at the words.
"Eisenwald…" she muttered in shock. "You think they managed to get a hold of Lullaby?"
"I think Lullaby got a hold of them," Gray said coolly, pulling himself to his feet. "They're not human anymore, that's for sure."
"If Lullaby is here, then everyone in this town is in grave danger," Erza murmured, frowning as her mind whirred back to everything she knew about Lullaby.
Gray nodded. The screams still echoed through the air. "We've got to stop Lullaby right now," he said, staggering forward.
Erza hesitated for a moment, before holding out her hand. "No, I'll handle it." Gray looked like he was about to argue, but then he saw the dangerous glint in Erza's eyes. "You're injured. If you want to help, gather up survivors and start evacuating. Lullaby is all mine."
His hands clenched for half a second, but then he relented. "Fine," Gray spat, cast a dark look at the burning town. "But just make sure the bastard responsible suffers for what they've done to the guild."
She cracked her knuckles. The killing intent could have cut through glass. "Oh, I will," Erza promised coldly, and for a moment Gray almost felt sorry for the bastard. Almost, but not quite.
Eraza gathered up her strength as she shot into the air, soaring with Magic as she hovered over the town. The wind nearly tore her apart as she surveyed the burning town from above.
If Eisenwald is responsible, then this wind must be Erigor's doing, she thought darkly. And that means he's in the town somewhere.
Makarov's words rushed back to her. Trains had been disappearing. Realisation struck. Eisenwald would have had to arrive somehow.
"The train station…" she muttered, digging her heels in as she shot downwards. The wings helped keep her steady, but she used Magic to power her through the air as she dropped into the ground. Her swords were singing for blood.
The sound of screaming was delicious. Erigor sat lazily on the steps of station, laughing at the music of suffering. He could feel Lullaby inside him, like someone whispering at the front of his mind. The demon wanted to feed. The demon wanted to play its tune and be done with it.
Erigor personally preferred to torture his victims first. His hatred refused to let the damned legal Guilds get away with a quiet murder. They had to suffer pain and misery first. In the end, the demon and the murderer had compromised and agreed to play with the food a bit before mealtime. The two of them were getting along quite well, really.
Erigor still couldn't tell if the demon was possessing or if he was possessing Lullaby, but it didn't really matter. So long as their enemies died they were both happy.
It was a glorious feeling to be completely and utterly free from all emotion, empathy, and compassion. It felt like being unchained. Erigor had never felt so bloodthirsty in his life, and that was really saying something.
He felt like a monster. It was brilliant.
There was a crash from a nearby house. Erigor turned with mild amusement just to see a pink haired brat climb from the wreckage, casually dropping one of his demonspawn behind. Natsu glared at the gargoyle shape of Erigor furiously.
"You!" Natsu roared, showing no sign of fear at Erigor's monstrous appearance. "Are you responsible for this?!"
Erigor shrugged. "Yes, I suppose I a-"
Natsu had no need to hear anything after the first syllable. His body glowed with an aura of flames as he burst towards Erigor. A scream of utter fury burst from his lips as the fireball lit up the sky. Nearby trees caught flames. Erigor just smirked.
The demon's hand moved at impossible speeds. Natsu couldn't even react as the wooden fingernails wrapped around his neck and squeezed tightly. His eyes bulged. The fire was extinguished from lack of oxygen.
"Pathetic little fly," Erigor sneered smugly, raising his scythe hand. "I am beyond mortal now."
The wooden blade slashed downwards. In an instant, there was a huge shape in front of Natsu, grunting as the figure blocked the scythe with a large axe. Natsu collapsed out of Erigor's grip.
"Natsu!" Lucy screamed, shaking Natsu from his shock. The Celestial Dragon Slayer charged towards him with concern, while Taurus was busy trying to hold back Erigor. Taurus' muscles were bulging from effort. Erigor didn't even look like he was exerting himself.
"I'm sorry, Lucy," Taurus grunted sorrowfully, just as Erigor's scythe hand cut through the metal axe and slashed into Taurus. The Celestial Spirit returned to the Spirit World in a flash of light.
"Fools," Erigor said arrogantly, approaching with slow, casual strides. He only managed three steps before suddenly a blade stabbed itself through his back, protruding out of his shoulder. Erigor just looked mildly annoyed.
"And what was that meant to do?" He muttered, just as his neck twisted around a hundred and eighty degrees with a creepy creak. He smirked at Erza, standing behind him and looking shocked. He barely appeared to notice the sword sticking out of his body.
Lucy, Natsu and Erza glanced at each other in alarm, surrounding Erigor cautiously. No one moved.
"What is that thing?" Lucy muttered in breathless horror, eyes wide. "Is it monster?"
"Why, yes," Erigor grinned. "Yes, I am."
Around them, the screams roared through the air. The wind howled like a beast. There was insanity in Erigor's three eyes. Lullaby demanded souls. His grin was maniacal.
"You flies don't seem understand," he sneered. "I could have killed you all whenever I wanted. I was just playing around a bit first. But now… Now it's time see how tasty your souls are."
Erigor took a deep breath. From the holes in his body, a faint melody slowly started to ring through the air. The sound distorted everything with darkness. Erigor laughed with bloodlust as Lullaby started to resonate.
"Now it's time to sing!"