Ever After

Grand Magic Games: Day Five (Part Two)

*YOUR POV*

We split up and ran towards the next area, the first master's voice a constant stream in my head. I heard her mention Rufus's attack. I waited, ignoring the light like she said, then quickly leaped out of the way, the magic hitting the ground next to me. I hit the ground and continued running. She issued orders to each of us individually, and I positioned myself near Gajeel, where I witnessed him take down Ren from Blue Pegasus. Hibiki turned to run and I met him face to face, freezing him in a glacier, and continuing on. The announcer spoke as I proceeded to area B8. I heard him announce Blue Pegasus's elimination, leaving only four teams. I reached the spot I had been told and went inside the library. Rufus was sitting in a chair, reading. I spoke. "I was told I'd meet you if I came here. Chalk another one up for the first master."

"I almost forgot about you," he said, lowering the book. "Will you help me remember?" I smirked.

"Don't bother racking your brain about it. This is the end of the line for you." I set my face into a grim line; even the first master's calculations said I had no chance. But I had to. I wasn't letting Erza fight him. "Ice Lance!" A massive spear sprung from my hands and hurtled towards Rufus. He leaped out of the way just in time, and when he landed, I already had a spell prepared. "Ice Impact!" A pointed drill appeared and thrust into the ground where Rufus had just been standing; he'd evaded again. He landed and before I could cast another spell, he spoke.

"Memory Make. Sword of Frozen Black Lightning!" Black Lightning exactly like Orga's swept the room, and everywhere it hit the ground, icicles popped up, forcing me back. I realized with a shock that Rufus remembered magic and used it. Any magic he'd seen was now his weapon. "Shrine of the Raging Wind Fang!" Tornadoes covered the room in no time.

"Ice Shield!" A thick, durable shield popped up in front of me to guard against the tornadoes. However, it only lasted a second, because it almost immediately broke into pieces. I looked up at Rufus in horror, realizing that he'd memorized my spell and made me forget it. A tornado swept me up and slammed me into the wall, where I sank to the ground. Slowly, I pushed myself up to my knees. Rufus came closer.

"What's wrong? I thought this was the end of the line for me." Suddenly, he levitated a bunch of nearby books and began reading the titles. I spat as they all fell to the ground.

"This is no time for casual reading!"

"We'll see about that." I forced myself to my feet. "You can still move? Well, if you couldn't... I'll make the most of our time together by letting you have a taste of ancient magic." He cast a spell and ice figures appeared, surrounding him. Soldiers. With a simple gesture, the soldiers shot towards me, but I was ready. Without a word, I flung my hand towards the soldiers, sending icicles at them and shattering several. However, the others hit me at full force, momentarily slamming me to the ground. I quickly pushed myself up, trying to ignore the pain. But Rufus met me again, replacing the soldiers with a powerful and direct hit of lightning, which sent me back to the floor. I then realized how to at least give myself a slight edge. I pressed my hands to the ground, sending out walls of ice that blocked Rufus's access to any of the books. That way, no new magic could come into play. Unfortunately, I was a little too late, and Rufus hit me with combined fire and lightning, blowing a hole through the roof. I crashed into a bookshelf, breaking it in several places, as Rufus spoke. "Remember this. You'll never beat me." I forced myself back up, ready to attack, but Rufus bombarded me with a series of powerful combinations until I was on my back once more. He then cast another spell that began crushing me into the marble floor, which was cracking under me. I was paralyzed under the light. For a moment, I feared losing, but then Erza flashed in my mind. Her face, smiling at me, telling me she believed in me. I slowly pushed myself up, fighting the gravity, much to Rufus's shock. I stood, and my mind drifted to my battle on the second day, when Bacchus bet my wife. I felt frozen fury surge through me at the memory.

"Ice Thrust!" I slammed my hand to the ground, summoning icicles from it that forced Rufus to move or get hurt. He landed a few feet away, and I was ready. We faced off as I let my power wash over the room, causing a light snowfall; I fought better in the cold. I prepared to cast.

"Total Ice..." Rufus got ready to memorize my spell, but I had a prevention method. "Unlimited!" I finished. Waves of razor-sharp ice slammed into him as I made more and more ice. Rufus began to panic, since I was moving far too fast for his memorization magic. In a short time, I'd cased him completely in ice. But even frozen solid, he kept fighting casting a fire spell that melted my ice and surrounded me. However, due to the snow that had continued to fall the whole time, my body was cold enough to walk straight out of the fire and race up to him, casting a spell. "Ice Bringer!" A starburst of ice exploded, hitting Rufus and sending him across the room. He hit the ground and didn't get back up. I heard the announcer.

"Y/N did it! Fairy Tail won! Rufus lost!" I heard the crowd cheering as I took Rufus's feather hat, put it on, and began proceeding to the next point that the first master had specified for me.