Part 2: Shadows of Magic (Rogue Cheney X OC)

Chapter 19

Hope's P. O. V:

"So... how are we doing this again?" Asks Sting as he walks up the Ether Stepping Stones behind me.

"Magic," I tell him simply. We were walking about twenty or so metres into the air in the hope we could find Endymion sooner.

"We could've just flown up here," Says the Eucliffe.

"Not all of us can fly, Sting-kun," I reply flippantly, glancing pointedly at Lucy and Gray.

"Oh, right."

Lucy muses, "You know, I'm surprised that Endymion guy was able to manipulate ethernano."

"Yeah, I thought only Hope could do that," Agrees Gray, glancing to me.

Alec explains, "While there are some mages who can manipulate ethernano a manner similar to Hope, they can't do it to the extent she can. It's like a lesser powerful version, and there's nobody else in Earthland who can transform their whole body into ether like she can." He glances to me pointedly and Sting gazes at me with awe in his cerulean blue eyes.

"Can we please focus on what's important?" Asks Rogue in exasperation as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

Alec asks teasingly, glancing at him, "You don't think what we're standing on is important?"

Here, we all look down at the stepping stone beneath our feet, about twenty metres above the ground. It was a long drop if I were to lose my concentration.

I scold my brother in exaggeration, throwing him a frown, "Stop teasing him, Alec." I then look around, frown gone. "This should be high enough. Do any of you see Endymion Magecrown anywhere?"

We gaze around for a few minutes, trying to pick out the white haired demigod.

"No, not ye—" Gray begins, only to be cut off when there's a roar and an explosion, startling us, but I manage to keep calm enough to hold up the platform.

"... You were saying?" Alec asks with a raised eyebrow.

"That's him. Come on!" I say before I manipulate the platform in the direction of the explosion, causing my friends to wobble a little (except for Erza), and some of them decide it's safer to sit than stand.

The Dragon Slayers immediately get overtaken by motion sickness.

"Uh oh! Hope-chan!" Happy cries.

"Just try to hang in there. We'll be there in a minute," I respond without looking, mentally cursing as I momentarily forgot about their motion sickness.

After making a few sharp turns through the streets and narrowly avoiding crashing against a lamppost, hearing Lucy squeal about Natsu nearly vomiting on her, we arrive at the scene, only to gasp.

Before us is what looks to be a huge creature that has the form a kitsune with nine eight tails that looks like a clown with colours of black and purple, white face and gold metallic claws.

It roars as it lashes its nine tails through portals and damages the nearby buildings.

"Enough, stop this at once!" Erza exclaims as she gracefully leaps off my platform and brandishes her Heart Cruz sword. "Surrender, Endymion!"

The red eyed man turns and smiles at her. "Ah, I was hoping you'd get to see the spectacle I put on for The Queen of Magic," He says as Alec and Gray join the redhead on the ground.

Wendy was working fast on the Dragon Slayers while I gently lower the platform to the ground and it flickers out of existence. I glare at the demigod.

"Whoa, what kind of freaky creature is that?" Gray breathes, eyeing said kitsune wearily as I go over to them.