Retreat to Fiore (Fairy Tail)

5 - A New Option

The current atmosphere in Fairy Tail's group was a strange mixture of tension, determination and hope. Resolve and concentration could be seen on each face within the group.

Elrion has just finished his work on the first scar and had switched over to the second one. Lucy was altering her eyes between looking at Erza's treatment, and her own hand resting on top of Elrion's and Gray's. The sensation of mana leaving her body through her hand was odd and little unpleasant, but it was nothing she would complain about given what was at stake here. She even tried to relax to ensure that her mana could flow freely in case Elrion needs more of it.

Next to her, Gray was completely ignoring the sensation of mana leaving him and was looking vigilantly around the train. Despite his curiosity about the process, he was frustrated that he could not do anything else but provide some of his magic power. Therefore, he was on the self-appointed lookout for any idiot of a passenger who might interrupt the healing process, whether on purpose or by accident. His eyes moved silently across the train, and anyone's interruption would be dealt with, first with a request, followed by stern warning to back off, followed by turning offender into a popsicle until the treatment was over.

Usually the first to throw inappropriate comments around, Happy was dead silent. He was also making a list of things he would say later on though, if Erza is not disappointed by the results. But, after seeing improvement upon the first scar, he was confident she would be glad and give him some maneuvering room to say whatever he wanted for the rest of the day.

Next to the window, Natsu felt as if the whole world was spinning around him and his lunch was also curious to see what was happening. Still, he was determined not to make a single sound or moan while Erza was being treated. Since he could not help, he would at least make sure that he did not do anything even remotely detrimental. It was all he could do for now.

With both of her hands free and unable to see anything happening behind her, Erza was nervously fiddling and playing with the end of her braided hair and purple clasp ball holding it together. She was doing her best to distract herself from sharp and piercing pain crawling across her back.

Elrion was currently in a tough position. The magic he was using was at the edge of his skills, and the result would be as good as the effort he managed to put in. He had to simultaneously hold the spell on his right hand, tend to the scars, drain mana from Lucy and Gray with his left hand, and convert their mana into his own within his body. While this setup severely increased complexity for him, he was grateful that Gray and Lucy were there. If he had to rely on his own magic reserves for what he was doing, he would be drained from full to zero in half a minute, and would not manage to replace even a quarter of one scar. This way he would be able to complete the whole process at once, instead of doing it over dozens of sessions, as he would be forced to in a normal case. However, he was also unnerved with Erza's reaction to his scar treatment, or better to say, lack of thereof.

"This should feel as if I am going over her back with a knife, deep enough to reach and tear flesh. Yet, forget making a sound, she is not even flinching . . . Lucy-san might be a mini-monster when compared to the average girl, but this woman is in a dimension of her own." Briefly admonishing himself for allowing his thoughts to wonder, Elrion re-focused on the task at hand, determined to get the best possible outcome his skills and this situation allowed.

Unknown to Elrion, Lucy was mentally kicking herself. When she remembered how she was making a 'scene' over her bruise, while Erza was enduring reworking of such scars she carried for years, she wanted to sink into the earth. If he was aware of these thoughts, Elrion would give her a piece of his mind. Her endurance of pain resulting from cracked rib and a nasty bruise was anything but praiseworthy, while Erza's silent suffering through razor sharp pain from her back was borderline unnatural.

Meanwhile, Erza was perfectly still. During the process, her body barely moved a millimeter. Even when train moved around the tracks or made a turn, she made sure to cancel any movements due to inertia by using the opposing muscles. She knew she probably does not have to be so still, yet it was the only thing she could think of to assist Elrion. Therefore, she became like an immovable part of a train, moving perfectly in sync along with the rest of it. However, her mind was anything but still.