Chapter 19: The Reaper and the Dragon
The inside of the station was eerily silent, a stark contrast to the raging storm outside. The only sound was the faint, sinister hum of Erigor's magic. Natsu and I moved quickly through the empty halls, following the oppressive feeling of dark wind magic towards the broadcast room.
We burst through the doors to find him. Erigor stood before a large, old-fashioned microphone, the three-eyed skull flute held loosely in his hand. He wasn't preparing to play it yet; he was simply admiring it, a twisted smile on his skeletal face. He turned as we entered, his eyes showing no surprise, only amusement.
"The Dragon Slayer," he said, his voice a dry rasp. "And the guild's strange pet. You actually made it through my Wind Wall. Impressive. But you are too late."
"It's not too late until I've kicked your butt!" Natsu roared, his fists already wreathed in flame. "Give me that flute!"
"Why would I do that?" Erigor chuckled, a sound like dry leaves skittering across pavement. "This flute is a key. It will unlock true freedom for all those pathetic wizards who live shackled by the rules of their guilds and the Magic Council. They live in fear, but Lullaby will grant them the ultimate release. It will grant them the freedom of death."
Natsu's fire flared brighter, his anger palpable. "You don't know the first thing about freedom!" he yelled, his voice echoing in the room. "Freedom isn't being dead! Freedom is having a place to come home to! It's having friends who've got your back, even when you're being an idiot! It's getting to choose who you fight for!"
He pointed a flaming fist at Erigor. "You took that away from your own guild! You left them to die! A guy like you has no right to even say the word 'freedom'!"
That's it, Natsu, I thought, feeling a surge of pride. That's the heart of Fairy Tail. Simple, honest, and true.
Erigor's smile faltered, replaced by a sneer of contempt. "Such childish sentimentality. I will teach you the truth."
He raised his scythe, and the air in the room exploded. A cyclone of razor-sharp wind erupted around him, aimed directly at Natsu.
Natsu charged straight into it. "FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"
A torrent of fire met the gale of wind, and the two forces collided in a chaotic explosion of heat and pressure that shattered every window in the room.
This was a bad matchup. Erigor's wind was fueling and scattering Natsu's flames, making his attacks less focused. Natsu was fighting with pure power, but Erigor was fighting with cunning, using the very air as his weapon.
He needs an opening. A moment of stillness.
As Erigor summoned another blast of wind, I focused my psychic energy. I didn't try to stop the wind; I couldn't match that much raw power head-on. Instead, I targeted the air directly in front of Erigor, creating a small, instantaneous vacuum—a pocket of absolute nothingness.
For a split second, the wind that fueled his magic had nowhere to go. The spell faltered, the raging cyclone flickering for a bare instant.
It was all the time Natsu needed.
"FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!"
Exploiting the momentary lapse in Erigor's defense, Natsu shot through the gap. His flame-engulfed fist slammed squarely into the Reaper's chest. The force of the blow was immense, sending Erigor flying backward, crashing into the broadcast console. Sparks flew, and the Lullaby flute clattered across the floor, sliding to a stop near the doorway.
Erigor slumped to the ground, defeated.
Natsu stood over him, breathing heavily, his fist still smoking. "That's for messing with my guild."
He turned and grinned at me, a triumphant, toothy smile. "We did it!" He walked over and picked up the Lullaby flute, holding it like a trophy. "See? Piece of cake!"
But as he celebrated, I felt a sudden, sharp spike of conflicting emotions from outside the room—desperation, ambition, and a terrible, tempting greed.
A shadowy figure blurred past the doorway, snatching the flute from Natsu's unsuspecting hand. It was Kageyama, his eyes wide with a desperate, crazed light. He clutched the flute to his chest and took off running down the hall.
"This power... it should be mine!" he yelled, his voice filled with a mad hope. "I'll show them all! I'll show them what a real wizard can do!"
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