Demon Slayer x Fairy Tail

Chapter 10: The Darkest Hour

The academy grounds were shrouded in an eerie silence as dusk settled over the horizon. They were all given the news that they could only be in groups of three which would be their mission groups, and guild groups permanently. 

Team Hanan and Team Mayari had just finished another grueling day of training, but there was no sense of relief in the air. Instead, a palpable tension hung thick, suffocating the once vibrant atmosphere.

Erza, Gray, and Natsu of Team Hanan sat in their dimly lit quarters, their faces drawn and weary. The weight of their recent assignments pressed down on them like a suffocating blanket, leaving them drained and disheartened. Erza, usually the pillar of strength, could barely muster the energy to lift her head. Gray's normally stoic demeanor was cracked, revealing glimpses of the fear and uncertainty that lurked beneath. Natsu, seemed strangely subdued, his thirst for power dampened by the oppressive atmosphere. "I'm just going to take a walk, I'll be back in a bit," Natsu called over his shoulder, his eyes blank, face devoid of emotion as he left their dormitory.

Across the dormitory, Wendy, Gajeel, and Juvia of Team Mayari huddled together, their expressions mirroring those of their counterparts. The spark of determination that had once burned bright in their eyes had been extinguished, replaced by a haunting emptiness that seemed to swallow them whole. 

Wendy, having wanted to be an optimist, struggled to maintain her composure as the weight of their situation bore down on her. She had been training with 'Coach Lec' as she now had to call him and the only training she had managed to complete was her basic energy level control.

It was a massive wake up call.

She hadn't known how to create a small orb of air, only knowing how to create the largest, most destructive balls of her energy. She wanted to become a master, but it seemed so far out of reach.

Gajeel's gruff exterior had cracked, revealing the vulnerability he had long sought to hide. He had been hiding this since he had joined Phantom Lord.

The instructors and teachers had been happy with his control over his powers so they moved onto hand-to-hand combat and weaponry without his powers. So... they placed power inhibitors on him, causing his appearance to change to one without piercings and smooth hair instead of his armor like hair.

He hadn't seen this version of him in years, only being reminded of his past before ever joining a guild, where he had been captured and tortured to be a weapon for the Alvarez Empire before he escaped. The last he heard of the place was that the emperor had changed since he was there last.

Juvia, usually the picture of unwavering loyalty, found herself plagued by doubt and uncertainty, her faith shaken to its core. Despite her inner turmoils, she knew of the memories Gajeel was going through having been the one who found him and brought him to Phantom Lord after his escape. They had bonded over the fact that their old homes had considered them monsters and sold them to become weapons for guilds or kingdoms.

They had been each other's confidant before they came to Fairy Tail. Having found partners they could love, but not ones they were sure they could share their pasts, the weights on their minds continued to grow. This academy gave them the opportunity to talk to each other and let that weight go without others prying eyes and ears. No worrying over their partners accusing them of loving another as they would all be based in opposite ends of the academy.

As the night wore on, a sense of foreboding settled over the academy grounds like a thick fog, obscuring all sense of direction and leaving the students adrift in a sea of uncertainty. Rumors of dark forces gathering in the shadows grew more ominous by the day, fueling the growing sense of paranoia and distrust that permeated the air. And as whispers of betrayal and treachery spread like wildfire through the halls, it became clear that the peace they had fought so hard to achieve was hanging by a thread.