He Makes The Stars Shine Brighter [Sting x Reader] || First Book

12 : Naval Battle ; Day Four of the Games

» edited: 10 • 08 • 2016

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Today marked the fourth day of the Grand Magic Games. As usual, the crowd cheered for their guild of choice, and the eight guilds scattered around the arena accepted the praise gratefully.

The commentators then proceeded to narrate the events for the day; "In just a moment the competition will begin!The name of the competition is: 'Naval Battle'! Any player who leaves the sphere of water is out and the last one to remain is the winner!"

"When it narrows down to two people a special rule will play! When two people are left they have 5 minutes, and the person who leaves the sphere in those five minutes will be put in last place," Chapati said, "Our guest for today is Rabian-san—look! The players are now entering the water!"

Dressed in their swimsuits, the mages ( excluding the poor male from Quatro Pup—Cerberus ) representing their respective guilds all entered the large, floating sphere of water, held together by powerful magic.

The water was cool, and surprisingly easy to navigate through. To the many spectators, the cobalt blue exterior shined against the sun's glare, making it look almost like a crystal ball—a blue one at that.

In the large body of water, everybody was your opponent, and all it would take was a tiny slip-up to fall out of the sphere of water. And once Chapari said those sweet, sweet words, you would have to make sure that you wouldn't do that said slip-up.

"Now—!"

The crowd fell silent for just a moment, their gazes focused solely on the blue crystal ball in anticipation. The participants all eyed each other, calculating their weaknesses and strengths.

"—Let the fourth day begin!" Go.

» time skip

The splashing sound made by a mage who fallen out of the sphere was a beautiful symphony to your ears. It signaled that you were one step closer to emerging victorious, but there was still one last obstacle in your way: Minerva.

The crowd became even more excited, seeing two incredibly powerful mages about to go one-on-one inside the crystal ball. You and Minerva were on opposite sides of the aquatic battlefield, and Minerva remained unmoving.

The crowd's energy pierced through the water and it filled you, renewing your energy as you looked Minerva in the eye, anticipating the definitely entertaining battle that was about to come. Minerva wasn't a pushover; she wasn't going to drop dead like most of the people you've fought in your life.

And the thought made you giddy.

"Only Minerva and (Y/N) remain! Alright, who's going to win this match? Sabertooth or Fairy Tail?! The five minute rule is in play—now!"

As if Chapati's voice had snapped her out of her previous statue-esque state, Minerva smirked darkly, raising her hand, her magic power concentrating around it.

"Withstand this, you pathetic fairy," she said.

Just as the gathering magic suddenly dissipated, white, hot pain shot throughout various parts of your body. Unprepared, you could only manage to scream, enduring it until the very end. When the pain had gone away and your body recovered, it was time, you decided, to counterattack.

"Claw of—shit!" you cursed, the pain returning abruptly, causing you to cancel the attack that was intended to hit Minerva, and make her regret aggravating Fairy Tail. Instead, things played in reverse.

Still in agony, you heard Minerva say: "Maybe it's time for me to throw you out of here, like the piece of trash that you are."

"..the five minutes are up!" Chapati declared, much to your relief. The wave of pain had passed as well, adding to your short-lived comfort.

Minerva's lips twitched before she scowled, glowering at you angrily. Her body was still against the water, and her impatient movements revealed just how eager she was to physically cause you pain.

"You're arrogant, you and your guild," she hissed, "We're Sabertooth—and we're always going to come out on top! That's just how it is!"

With her magic, she manifested behind of you, her hand shooting out and grasping your shoulder firmly, forcing you to turn around; like in the ghost stories; except she was no ghost, and there was no haunted house.

Only a large, blue crystal ball, a crowd driven to the edge of their seats, a Fairy on one side, and a bloodthirsty Tiger relishing in her dominance, eager to eliminate the only thing keeping her from emerging victorious: you.

Two mages, striving for the same goal, fighting to achieve their said goal; and it looked like one of them was winning. Oh, how you wanted to hit Minerva right in her pretty little face-

Your hand grabbed Minerva's forearm, making her pause in shock. Appreciating her moment of vulnerability, your magic eagerly displayed itself to everyone.

"Claw of the Sky Dragon!"

Minerva hissed in pain, quickly recoiling her hand. Proudly, you distanced yourself away from her, wind building around you. Minerva readied herself, obviously not wanting to be caught off-guard like last time.

"Wing Attack of the Sky--mmphf!"

"You really should keep it down," Minerva warned, her gloved hand over your mouth, muffling your voice effectively.

Her other hand held your wrist, squeezing a bit too tightly for comfort. Her dark locks were floating around you and her in clusters, reminding you of those deeper bits in the ocean, where no sane child ever dared to go to.

She chuckled darkly, enjoying the sight of you in front of her, completely at her mercy. Her sharp nails suddenly dug into the delicate skin of your wrist, strong enough to leave crescent-shaped marks, and you cried out, much to her amusement.

"Don't think the battle's switched to your favor," she whispered darkly, "I'm still the one who will emerge victorious."

You felt a blow to your back, sending you forward against the waters of the crystal ball. Again and again, she would appear by your side, leaving yet another mark on your body. Striking for the sole purpose of showing off your bruises, all the while proclaiming just how powerful of a mage she was.

Again and again, you had to endure it. She was ruthless in the way she would beat you, allowing no such time gap in-between her blows. It was a matter of hit-and-teleport, and then do it all over again.

"Now you know what it means to get in Sabertooth's way!" she exclaimed.

Her hands found their way around your neck, and you could hear the splashing noise, signalling that either you or Minerva had exited the sphere. You knew full-well who left the sphere.

You were dangling off of her hands like a forgotten rag doll, revealing the extent of your injuries ( that you had acquired from her ). You let out a small whimper, finding discomfort in the feeling of everybody's eyes on you.

It wasn't the same. The crowd wasn't filled with anticipation, they weren't cheering, all they did was look. And look. You could feel their gazes boring holes into the back of your head, and you slowly hung your head in shame, wanting nothing more than for the pain to end.

One gaze stood out from the rest. This gaze was filled with hatred and malice, and its owner took pleasure in your injured state. And it was that very same owner's hands who were holding onto your neck, slowly depriving you of air.

"And the winner is..Minerva!" Chapati boomed, unsure of what else to say. He, along with the other emcees all watched in shock, awaiting Minerva's next move. It seemed like everyone was frozen still.

Everybody expect for an entire team and a golden-haired Dragon Slayer.

Together, they took action. Exiting the confines of their booth's railings and landing on the arena's battlefield. Together, they called out your name, hoping to get even the most miniature of reactions; anything would have sufficed, if it reassured them that you were still well.

"(Y/N)!!"