The Valkyrie (Rogue Cheney Love Story)

Chapter 54

Vivian's P. O. V:

"Natsu-kun!" I call as Gray and I search for the pinkette. We'd been searching for awhile now, but Gray and I lost his trail. "Where'd he go?"

"Man, this sucks!" Gray mutters. "We can't find him."

I say, "I hope the others are alright."

"They'll be fine," Gray tries to assure me. We continue walking toward a cliff, stopping on it.

I feel an unfamiliar vibration heading in our direction. Gray and I look to see a man walking by. "Hey, you there!" Gray calls.

Upon closer inspection, we see that the man is chubby and has long, pointy fangs that protrude from his bottom jaw, and he has a weird marking around his mouth.

Gray and I jerk back out of shock, our eyes wide at the man's appearance.

"Now, they're just being a nuisance, showing up one at a time," The man grumbles.

"What's with that mouth? It's gigantic," Gray comments.

"No kidding," I say sarcastically, causing Gray to deadpan at me.

The man chuckles as he turns to us and replies, "All the better to eat you with! Oh, yeah!" He opens his mouth and, suddenly, we begin to shrink in size as our clothes fall off. Gray's jacket and bag fall off, leaving only his pants.

Looking down at himself, Gray asks, "No way! What happened to us?!"

My tunic hangs around my shoulders, though just barely. I squeak in embarrassment, wrapping my arms around myself. "I'm tiny! There's no way I can let Rogue-kun see me like this!! He'll dump me for sure!!"

I was unaware of the man climbing up the wall as I see it playing out in my mind.

"Sorry, kid, but I like women that are more filled out," Rogue says as he faces away from my eight year old form, while I hang my head dejectedly.

''NO, NO, NO, NO!! I can't bear for my mate to see my like this! If he does, he'll dump me for sure! I have to change back!' I think desperately, only to hear a loud scream from beside me. I look to see gray crying while clutching his head, a look of terror on his face. "Gray-kun?"

"Reliving old memories?" The man asks as he's appeared before us, hand outstretched to Gray. "You aren't the first person to have flashbacks after Regression, but you might just be the loudest. You're one messed up kid!"

I notice the ice wizard is trembling, a pained expression on his face. "Gray-kun?! Talk to me!" I try to get him to calm down, but it wasn't working.

"But it'll all be over, real soon!"

"No! It's him! Deliora. Help me!" Gray begs, the memories of the past returning.

"I'm the last guy you should ask for help, but I will tell you something before you die," The man says as he grabs on to our heads, ignoring my protests, Gray's boots sliding off. "There's one place here in this world that people should avoid at all costs. And that place is the Gate to the Netherworld! You and your friends came right to it—we're nearly on top of the thing! At least you won't have far to go once you're dead!" He then starts chuckling.

"Get your filthy hands off us!" I yell, seeing Gray look up from my peripheral vision. I struggle but manage to summon my rapier to my hands just as Gray summons his own Ice Magic. I strike the man's hands with Linear as Gray slams his hands down on the enemy, freezing his hands and freeing us in the process.

"You're an ice wizard?!" He exclaims in shock.

"Are you alright, Viv-chan?" Gray asks me in concern. I nod, making sure my tunic stays on.