Part 1: Shadows of Magic (Rogue Cheney Love Story)

Chapter 55

Third Person's P. O. V:

"Hey, you guys! Everyone okay?" Natsu asks in concern as he looks around at his teammates, his right eye squinted closed, his body trembling.

"Keep your voice down, will ya?"
Gray groans from nearby, opening his eyes. "I'm trying to sleep here."

"Aye..." Says Happy.

"Me too," Alec adds, his eyes closed as he's sprawled on his back on the floor beside his little sister, who is in the same position.

She groans as she opens her eyes and sits up.

"Are we really this stupid?" Lucy asks, body trembling as she squints through her right eye. "We're in Fairy Tail! I can't accept that we fell for that trap so easily... ow!" She says as she pushes herself up to her knees, only for her head to hit a solid roof of earth.

"Well, we're also dumb enough to get buried alive," Gray mutters.

Lucy asks worriedly, gazing around, "What?! But if that's the case, then where's Jura?"

The female Foster grits her teeth as she glares. "That big dummy!" Everyone glances to her at that. Hope looks at Natsu and says, "Natsu. Help me dig us out of here."

He nods. They combine their magic and start digging out of the ground. When Natsu and Hope break through the roof of the earth dome, they gasp sharply. Jura stands in front of them with his arms held outward, breathing heavily.

"No!" Gray shouts fearfully as he and the others appear behind Natsu and Hope, who is staring at the bald man with wide stunned eyes.

"Are you okay?!" Alec asks worriedly.

Lucy gasps as her hands fly to her mouth, and her eyes widen, "You risked your life to protect us!"

The earth wall he'd set up to block the explosion with disappear. Natsu says firmly, "Pops! Hang in there!"

"Jura-san..." Hope whispers, her purple eyes glimmering with sadness.

Jura turns his head to them and manages to say, his eyes completely white from the strain, "The strength and courage you possess... your guild is a lucky one." Natsu and Hope were gaping at Jura as the others stare at him in shock. "It brings me great relief to know you're still alive."

Jura slowly falls backward, until he hits the ground. Natsu growls in anger and glares, while Lucy and Hope cry. Gray exclaims, "Pops, no!"

"He can't go like this!" Lucy cries.

Happy exclaims, "Please, don't die!"

"JURA!!" Natsu screams angrily, furious that one of his friends is wounded.

They scramble out of the dome and gather around the fallen Wizard Saint. Hope reaches him first, dropping to her knees on his left. Lucy says fearfully, "Oh, man. He looks bad." She looks up at the ether mage. "Hope? Can you heal him?"

Hope looks up at Lucy, sitting on Natsu's left, with him standing in between her and Hope, Gray and Alec kneeling across from them, and shakes her head, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. "I can't," Hope whispers. "This type of wound is beyond my healing spell's capability."

"Oh," The celestial mage mutters sadly.

Hope looks down sadly at Jura and starts sobbing again. "Damn it! I knew he was going to protect us like this. If I'd been faster, then maybe I could've stopped him! I'm so use— ow!" Hope was cut off when she feels something flicking her a little strongly in the side of the head.

She turns to see Natsu with a pouty expression, and his arms crossed over his chest. He says firmly, "Don't you dare finish that sentence. Because you're not useless."