Our Idiots

Chapter 27 // What is this Magic?

Chapter 27- What is this Magic?
Jellal' POV
For a few seconds I stood watching Gray and Juvia take the deep, leisurely breaths of dreamers, but Lucy's voice pulled me from my thoughts.
"So I guess we just go back upstairs right?" she asked nervously.
"Let's just pray it's that simple. Even so, there were no other ways to go except from up at that junction... I wonder if Natsu and Wendy are okay," Mira worried, her eyes downcast as she worried about the sweet young girl in particular.
"Natsu... Happy..." Lucy murmured, leaning helplessly against the wall.
"There's no point in staying here worrying- let's head back up," Erza suggested- though the words were more like the command of a general to us, as we trusted her to get them out of the mess.
"Yeah, Natsu's always jollying us along and keeping our spirits up, and just because he isn't here it doesn't mean we just mope about! We're Fairy Tail wizards, and Fairy Tail wizards never give up!" exclaimed Lucy, standing tall and grinning round at us. Her little speech was met with  a cheer from Mira and a grin from Laxus, and they set off up the stairs two at a time. I felt a little awkward, stood there amongst their guild pride like a duck amongst swans.
Sensing my discomfort, Erza wrapped her hand firmly around my wrist and gave me a warm smile, saying simply;
"Come on, honorary fairy; we have comrades to save. And when the battle's over, there's something I need to say."
She set off, pulling me along behind her as I stumbled along with my mouth hanging open. What did she have to say? Could she... No... But still...
"Oy slow coaches! Get up here- we found the exit but, um, you'll see," Laxus's voice echoed down the stair case, pulling me from my day dreams and adding purpose to my movement. We ran up the last twenty stairs and arrived at the top only to find the others stood facing a brick wall where the exit had been.
"No problem; move aside." Erza shoved past the others, re-equipped into a set of platinum armour with a huge metal hammer, and smashed the wall with all her might. The wall put up little resistance against the great Titania, and with a mighty crash the bricks collapsed to the floor leaving a gaping hole in the wall which revealed...
"This isn't where we came from," I muttered, my chest filling with uneasiness as I joined Erza and peered through into the huge dark cavern. The walls were hung with tapestries made visible by the flickering light of candles dispersed around the edges of the room in rusty metal holders. At the end furthest away from us, I noticed four grand wooden chairs- thrones- that looked ornate and well made, though I couldn't make out much from such a distance. Looking up, I was unable to see the ceiling due to an unnatural dark fog that twisted and shifted as if it were alive.
Erza didn't let go of my hand.
"What is this magic?" Laxus muttered, cautiously reaching a hand through the gaping hole in the wall. It passed with no problem, and though Mira reached out a hand as if to stop him Laxus stepped through the gap and into the cavernous room beyond.

Erza's POV
I didn't want to admit to my own fear- we all replied on each others strength in order to keep going- so I straightened my back, let go of Jellal and followed Laxus iand Mira nto the room.
"What about Gray and Juvia? They're still on the staircase," Lucy asked, looking over her shoulder down the spiral staircase.
"Can you and Jellal go and get them? Jellal, you can carry Gray and Lucy you take Juvia, then bring them up to this entrance and we'll report back on what we find," I instructed, though I hated the idea of Jellal leaving me. Why was it that in the face of danger I was suddenly so dependant upon him? Wasn't I Titania? Wasn't I brave and strong and capable? I allowed myself to take one quick look at him, I allowed myself to gaze into his eyes with my own for just a moment, and in that moment I knew for sure.
After we'd found the others, after the battle that I felt fast approaching, then I would talk to him.
"Will you guys be okay? I hate to leave you here alone, there's something really off about all this," Lucy worried, insecurely wrapping her arms around her waist.
"We aren't alone- we have each other," I smiled reassuringly, more trying to convince myself than anyone else.
"Go find those two love birds," Mira winked, cocking her head and placing a hand on her hip in such a way that it was impossible not to laugh.
"Okay, you're right..." Lucy began, finally smiling agein, but halfway through the sentence she trailed off to silence and raised a shaking finger to point at something behind our heads, her expression one of pure disgust and horror.
My breath catching in my throat, my hand on the hilt of my sword, I slowly turned around, Laxus and Mira echoing my movements, and I was met with a sight unlike any I'd ever faced before.
The creature hung suspended like a chandelier, a thin thread of black fog supporting it's weight as it's legs splayed out and flailed in the air. It was something of an insect- though I'd never seen any insect like it- with thin, translucent grey wings beating aggressively, a black slightly fury body, and huge shiny black eyes. Six of it's eight legs seemed arm like- thin, hooked things ending with needle thin claws- contrasting against the two hind legs which where thick, short and powerful, and in the place of talons these legs ended in huge matte hooves.
But more disturbing than anything else was the large, gaping hole in it's blubbery neck, opening and closing to reveal razor shard fangs and drooling thick, red blood like goo; it's mouth seemed to be some sort of hideous cave, snapping at the air as if searching for something...
"Oh Mavis..." Mira whispered, raising a shaking hand to cover her mouth.
I heard pounding coming from behind us and dared glance away from the monster and over my shoulder.
Jellal was hitting at the gap in the bricks with clenched fists, his mouth open as if he were yelling but making no sound. Forgetting that the real danger lay in front of my, I turned and placed my hands on the shimmering force field which had materialised across the gap.
"Jellal!" I screamed as he stopped pounding at the shimmering wall and rested his forehead against it in defeat. I closed the distance between us, resting my head against the force field, almost against his. We were so close, yet suddenly so distant.
A tear stung in my right eye, and just that once I let it fall. I let myself be weak- I let myself fail.
The monsters sudden scream, filled the room and I heard a horrifying, earth shattering crash which could only be it falling to the earth.
I turned and looked into it's ravenous, blood thirsty eyes; merciless, cold, blind with fury.
We were trapped.