2/2

He collapsed back to the ground once more, almost losing all his focus. This was too hard. He couldn't do it. He didn't have the energy, especially not when he had never done this alone before.

What could he do? The Gates were meaningless alone. They all needed to be there to complete the barrier.

Damn it. If only he had a bit more Magic. He could cast the last Spell and-

Flames shot across the sky, Toushirou's eyes going wide as he saw them form a ring in the area the last Gate would go. From the flames descending many red planks of wood, not one of them being burned despite the intense flames they were being created from. In the middle of where the planks began descending, a white obelisk held the two sides. With the last plank created, the flames vanished and the two sides of wood slowly closed in towards each other till the ends of each side joined each other.

Toushirou couldn't believe his eyes. "Houyoku no Joumon…"

That was the last Gate needed. But who had cast it? Was it Ichigo? Or perhaps Shinji had seen the process and had decided to lend a hand. Both knew the Spell after all.

There was no time to waste. Forcing himself to stand, he brought one hand up to his chest, his index and middle fingers pointed upwards. He did the same with his other hand but instead raised it to the sky before swiping down. "Shijuu no Saimon!"

From all four Gates shot dark green light, extending their sides before bending at right angles towards each other and any other sides. When the last piece connected, Toushirou dropped back to his feet before letting out a sigh of relief. "I did it…"

A small smile slowly appeared on Toushirou's face before it grew as big as it could. "I DID IT!" He almost wanted to jump to joy if he had the energy to do so.

"So it looks like I made it out in time then."

And then the joy vanished as he saw the form of Brain and a group of Mages behind him, not one of them trapped with Nirvana inside the barrier.

"Well then, I think it will be in your best interests to take down that barrier young boy."

What did he do? This was the leader of Oración Seis, and he had at least thirty Mages with him, maybe more. He was low on Magic too, and any spare had to go towards the upkeep of the barrier so it would hold. So he did the only thing he could think of in that situation.

He ran.

Protector Of The Fairies

Cobra smiled happily as he and Cubellios landed on Nirvana's peak, the bat like wings on Cubellios's back vanishing as he stepped off his friend. In one hand he held Brain's staff, preparing to do his job as a delivery boy. It was demeaning but he'd put up with it. They were so close now.

He could always take control for himself. Brain wouldn't be able to stop him here, and then it would all be his. So much power… So much he cou-

He cut off his thoughts, shaking his head roughly. He was getting caught up here. The Magic was almost intoxicating. It was something he had never felt before, and was stronger than anything up at the peak. He couldn't give in to temptation, especially since Brain was the only one who knew how to control Nirvana. He wouldn't even know where to start if he tried.

Was this all there was to the peak though? This was where Nirvana was commanded from? There was very little there, an enclosed dome above his head with regal pillars holding it up. And they looked strong too. He wondered how much damage they could take before they would shatter.

Runes covered the grounds, all dulled and faded. Perhaps they would start up once more when Brain reactivated Nirvana completely. Perhaps they shielded the peak? Or maybe they sent signals to the Magic of Nirvana itself?

What was strange to him though was the solitary throne, resting in the middle of the dome. He had to admit, it had a decent view from what he could see. And there would likely be some kind of command system that could be moved to the throne too for the old King.

The throne was odd. It wasn't anything fancy. It was elegant, yet basic, looking to be more of wood and stone than anything else. Yet he felt something from that chair. He moved a bit closer before he found himself stopping.

Why? Why did he stop? He was trying to reach the throne. He took another step only to get the same result. He wasn't moving towards it.

What was that throne? He couldn't reach it properly. It was like there was something telling him to stop. An instinctual command that he couldn't comprehend saying to leave.

It had to be his mind playing tricks on him. After all, why would he be afraid to sit on a chair? It was always a possibility that the last King had been imposing enough to have left some kind of residual image and he was sensing the remains of that. Nirvana would have been in status for four hundred years after all.

It was still imposing being in this area. Brain had called it the 'King's Summit', and there had been a bit of awe in the man's voice. He had heard the rough thoughts Brain had about it. And Brain barely understood much about it too to his surprise. Most of what they knew about this area came from their 'Benefactor'.

"Hurry up already."

Cobra sighed before leaving the throne alone, walking over to where the front of the room was, if the throne's direction was to be assumed correct. Raising Brain's staff, strange screens burst into existence, surrounding the entirety of the summit. They looked a lot like Archive screens for some reason, yet that couldn't be. Archive Magic was new. So what was this Magic?

In front of the throne, a small pedestal rose, and even from a distance he could sense the energy inside the small little orb resting on the top. It looked a lot like a Lacrima to him, but then it could be anything.

In the centre of the summit suddenly appeared a golden symbol, a circle inside another circle that then extended upwards and downwards with two pairs of wing like protrusions. At the top of the outer circle was a harp like design, with a smaller version of the harp below the outer circle. Inside the inner circle was a smaller filled circle, two arched stripes around it.

Was this a symbol that represented Nirvana? It looked like the central controls of some sort. Taking the staff Brain had given him, he rested it in front of the symbol before leaving, jumping back onto Cubellios and taking to the skies. He was just in time as no sooner had he left had Nirvana began to move. It was quite annoying being a Dragon Slayer at times. Even as a second generation version, he was still not safe from that motion sickness weakness. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as some had it but it could be distracting if he stayed there for too long.

No matter. With Brain's staff now in place, Nirvana could act. That staff was strange, especially since it could speak and had a mind of its own. But it was loyal to Brain. It was too afraid to betray him since it was so easy to destroy if it did so.

"Let's go girl," Cobra muttered to Cubellios. "Time to-"

His eyes widened as he forced Cubellios to the side, a blade passing by his head. He felt the wind cut as it swung past, some of his hair falling away from being caught by the blade.

He spun round, seeing the murderous look of his attacker. He recognised that man. He was the Shinigami that had turned up after they had defeated Ichigo.

"So you are the one who's been tracking me. I wondered who it was, but I thought it might have been you. You were the one who looked the most murderous thinking back."

"Stay still," Shinji muttered, his voice expressing nothing but pure rage and anger. "I'm going to tear you apart."

Cobra couldn't help but shake slightly. Those eyes. They were dangerous. But one thing bothered them. Why was one of them yellow? And why was the sclera black?

Cobra brought up his fists, his Magic already shifting them as his Dragon Slayer Magic activated. Fingers became scaled and nails became claws. He smirked, his mind already hearing all the moves Shinji would make. "Bring it on."

Protector Of The Fairies

Hoteye winced, slowly forcing himself to his feet. He had underestimated Erza when he fought her. She truly had been a worthy opponent. He couldn't understand it, but he felt different now. Was it because he lost? Or was it because of Nirvana.

Why had he had these fears about when Nirvana would be released? Brain had told them all that if their minds wavered from their correct path then misfortune would find them. They would lose the path they had been walking on in the darkness and would find themselves believing in the light.

They had all scoffed at such an idea, yet he had doubts up to the moment when Nirvana had been released. And when he saw that light, they vanished.

Oh they came true, but they no longer worried him anymore. In so long, he felt free.

Had he been walking the wrong path for so long? He'd been so desperate to find his brother that he had committed hundreds of crimes, all in the aim of money to continue his search. Why did he go down this path? Hadn't he once believed that he would keep searching no matter what, even if he had no money? Why had money become so important over the years?

Maybe he had used it to cope and throw himself further into the darkness. Everyone needed something to keep hold onto when they dove into desperation. Perhaps it had been money that had acted as his life line as it was the only link he could think of towards his brother.

But now, he had been saved. He was pulled from that abyss, and could finally see what he should have done. What was the point of finding his brother after so long if he would become a man that his brother would be disgusted to look at? He could barely look at himself, so ashamed of his actions.

How funny that his Heaven's Eye could see everything, even through solid objects and over vast distances, yet he missed the things right in front of him. He had once believed that the Magic would allow him to find his brother more easily. It had been a tool of hope. How had he transformed it into a weapon?

Erza Scarlet. The determination she had to sever her own arm to keep moving amazed him. Cobra said that he had heard stuff from her mind. And, thinking back, he remembered once seeing a red haired girl back in his childhood at the Tower Of Heaven. She had been so quiet back then, and he remembered a young version of Jellal being so protective of her.

It was funny that only now did they realise that not all of the people from the Tower Of Heaven had fallen into darkness. Erza, despite all she must have suffered, had risen above it, never letting herself submit to the darkness.

She could have been so strong if she had done so. The power the darkness could give to people was immense when fuelled correctly. All the pain and suffering she had endured would have made her go far in that world. Yet she had clung to the light, reaching towards faint bits of that light and bringing them towards her until she shone as bright as the sun.

It was no surprise someone like that had won and had then left him alive. She shone so bright, too much to be able to kill him. And he was thankful of that. Because of that mercy, he could finally escape like she had done.

But what would he do now? He could see Nirvana breaking free, and as much as he wished there was hope, he couldn't see any.

His eyes picked up a small trace of energy in the distance and he stared at it, watching as it slowly formed a massive Gate. Two more appeared not too long after as he gleefully observed their designs. They were incredible feats of Magic. So this was a barrier Kidou.

A final Gate appeared far above him, the entire area enclosed by the Gates becoming nothing more than a cube cage.

Incredible. Truly incredible. It was something like this that would have given him hope.

However it still didn't. Because if the barrier was up, Brain would be outside it. Which meant Cobra would be heading to the King's Summit right now, ready with Brain's staff for a remote control of Nirvana.

The crushing defeat of the Light, the Shinigami's falling, the hunt happening, it was all as the plan said. Of course some things were wrong. They hadn't expected to be defeated, he would admit that. They hadn't crushed them as much as they were meant to at the start. They had gotten overconfident.

But even when overconfident, Brain still had his mind. This still followed the plan. Everything that had happened this day was leading to one final moment. And now that he was on the side of the Light, he could see what a terrifying moment it would be.

Why had that man come to them with that plan all those weeks ago? What had been the man's objective? What had been the advantage to gain for him? The man had been vague for the short time they had all met, and he didn't like it. Everything was happening just as the man said. Which meant it was only a matter of time.

His Heaven's Eye cast its glaze into the distance, rapidly searching the area for anyone he could find. He saw the odd Dark Guild roaming around, searching for easy prey. They were nothing to focus on. They had been part of the original plan after all.

In the distance was that airship Blue Pegasus had. Christina Angel had said. A magnificent sight to behold, even as it rained death on the foolish Dark Guilds that chose to attack it. He could try and reach it, but he would likely be treated as an enemy the moment they saw him. He wouldn't get a chance to speak, not if they couldn't risk taking any chances.

That left anyone on the ground. Far away, Midnight was fighting. He could see the two Mages, but he couldn't go help them. The fight would sure to be over by the time he reached them, and he couldn't afford to waste the time trying to find them with what was at stake.

Erza. She had to be the one to find. She would at least listen to him, and possibly take his words under consideration. She might be able to help stop what was going to happen if he made it in time.

But where was she? His eye couldn't see her, at least not yet. It was taking too long. He needed to find her now.

A flash of light caught his eye, even if it wasn't able to be seen normally at his distance. It was far away but he could see the person in the light. Jellal.

The flight pattern suggested he was rushing somewhere, but only had a vague idea of where to go. And considering Jellal's past, and his recent incident with the Tower Of Heaven, there was likely a chance he was rushing to Erza.

Would that be good or bad? Jellal didn't like people taking his things, and the man frightened him quite frankly. Even Brain was wary of the man somewhat. And if he was going to kill Erza instead, then she would be in trouble.

He rushed off, following the man's direction as he jumped into the ground, allowing the liquid earth around him to speed him through and not get left behind too much by Jellal. He had to hurry. If he didn't get there soon, all hope would be lost.

Nirvana could not be fired. Under any circumstances.

Protector Of The Fairies

Well I got very bored this past week. Boredom + too much free time + urge to write = Massive amounts of work done. I've written up to chapter 45 now, which means I did about 3-5 chapters I think in a week. On the plus side, I finished the arc and started on the new one. I've already got good ideas going for it and ways to make it good.

So what did you guys think about this chapter? A bit of a hold out on Gray and Lyon's battle but we'll get there soon. Just needed to help set the stage a bit more. And if any of you remember back when Shinji first appeared, it was maybe a chapter later that I hinted on some of Hacchi's work being used. If I didn't hint it, well that's strange of me since I planned to use this barrier for a while and to have credited it to him.

Had a few little things here too, like Cobra being slightly affected by movement, but not much. He's similar to Gajeel in that regard really, or at least early stage Gajeel. And Hoteye got to reappear. If I don't kill a guy off, it either means I don't want to, couldn't be bothered to, or have a plan for him or her. Sometimes all three at once.

Quickly with the manga, Bleach was pretty good and I want to see more of it soon. As for Fairy Tail… 4 full length chapters in one weekend. I was in heaven. And that Dragon Force. I've got a good grip on how it works I believe. And for how it ended, some people probably saw it but I'm not afraid to say I wanted to cheer when Doranbolt appeared. I wonder how I'll write him when he eventually turns up, especially as we have seen him before with Ichigo.

Anyway, till the next time. I've been Takei. Thanks for reading.