Shadows Return: Sequel to The Unbroken Spirit

Felix vs Keira

Felix's face was contorted in a crazed grin,

"Thought I was dead didn't you?" He jeered, "Thanks to the ol' king here I faked my death so good even you didn't suspect anything." Felix laughed. Keira remembered the day they found Felix's body along with his second commander. Now that Keira thought back she realized Felix's body showed no signs of death.

"And I've been waiting for this day when we get to fight again, it's better now that you don't have that sword." He smirked, his green eyes glinting with amusement. He took a pace towards Keira and Gildarts, dark shadows gathering at his hands. Keira stepped in front of him and Gildarts.

"Keira! You don't honestly think you can beat your old teacher!" Gildarts exclaimed. Keira scoffed,

"He's no different from anyone else I've fought." A huge ball of shadows narrowly missed the two quarreling wizards and blew a part of the wall out, the outside world peeking in. Keira turned to be hit in the face with a fistful of shadows. She tumbled out of the room but caught the edge with her left hand.

Keira felt a large rumble and saw someone fly out of the hole in the wall above her head. She looked up to be face to face with Felix.

"It's funny how I thought that you would lead the Guardians to our Golden Age and avenge my death, but it seems I was wrong. Your feelings as a Dragon Slayer masked the true Guardian inside you. It's a shame that you did what you did and now, I get the privilege to kill you." He smiled coldly, his hot breath blowing on Keira's face.

Keira struggled to hold on, her shoulders burned and she was sure her arm muscles were pulled.

"If I'm going to die, I'm taking you with me!" Keira grabbed his arm and both fell towards the hard ground. When they landed Keira stunned herself when her head slammed into the ground. Her vision blurred and her head throbbed. A firm hand met her shoulder and Keira was thrust to the ground. Felix pinned her down and sat on top of her, a scratch on his cheek dripping blood onto Keira's face.

"Fool! You can't kill me, you already promised yourself that you won't kill anymore, right?" Felix sneered, baring his yellow teeth that were stained with blood. Keira struggled for breath,

"h-how do you know th-that?" She choked out,

"You saw their graves. Honestly, you're so predictable. You loved those kids so much I almost thought you weren't ever going to let them go." Keira struggled, her chest heaving for air but Felix's grip only got tighter with each feeble attempt to move.

"You can't escape, you're like a little bird trapped in a cage." Felix snickered with delight. Keira swallowed a mouthful of blood,

"No, you're the one who's trapped, coward. I can hear your shaky breaths and I can feel your fingers trembling. I can't help but wonder, why?" Felix stayed silent, his cold green gaze fixed onto Keira. She winced as his knee dug deeper into her abdomen. Then, something clicked inside Keira.

"I know why. You wrote that book, or part of it." Felix curled his hand around her throat,

"How have you come to be in the possession of my sister's book?" He snarled, Keira's vision was slowly turning black as blood wasn't able to reach her brain.

"You had that sword..And used the 'Forbidden Curse', didn't you?" Keira barely whispered out. Felix released her throat,

"But so have you" he said lowly.

"that's why you said it was good that I didn't have the sword, because you can't beat it." Keira took deep breaths, her vision slowly coming back. Felix punched her in the nose,

"Shut up! That sword and your skill are unstoppable, I only gave it to you because I trusted you! Then you went and betrayed me, so I'll be taking it back and i will rebuild the Guardians and restore them to their rightful place. On the throne." Felix said with ferocity.

"So you can be King? Never! I'll never bow down to you again! Their screams do not haunt me! They give me the strength and resolve to keep on living! To do the right thing!" Keira screamed and threw Felix off of her and got to her wobbly feet. Both stood in front of each other, dark clouds gathering in the darkening sky. Waves of magic energy rolled off of both powerful wizards.

Shadows gathered around the two,

"You don't have the power to kill me" Felix growled, Keira grinned,

"Of course I do." Her pitch black shadows turned a brilliant white. The Forbidden Curse swallowed up Felix faster than he could blink. His screams of pure terror and agony pierced Keira's ears but it was a comforting noise to her. The explosion that followed caused the King's Palace to fall, along with the King.

Keira fell to her knee's, watching the world around her burn as the dark clouds above her opened up into a torrent of rain. Surrounding her was death, like an old friend. the bloody and lifeless face of Gildarts stood out against the warm glow of the fire that hissed against the rain.

Large pieces of rubble landed around Keira. She painfully got to her feet and started to stumble away when a piece of the destroyed building fell onto her crushing her right arm and throwing her head into the ground.

Back at the prison battlefield the wizards, with the help of Keira's starry army, overthrew the soldiers. Erza pulled the black rapier out of the ground, the starry warriors dissipating into the air. Large drops of rain started to come down. Erza turned to everyone else,

"Where is she?"

"I saw her and Gildarts going towards the King's Palace." Said Jura, a former 10 Wizard Saint. The refugees looked towards where the Palace should be standing but nothing stood there. Natsu's fine tuned ears barely caught the sound of crackling fire against the thrumming rain.

"Come on!" Natsu called to everyone, running off towards the Palace. Erza, Gray, Wendy, Jura, and Happy came upon the war zone that was a battlefield not but a few minutes ago. Happy flew over the wreckage, calling out for Keira.

The others scoured the ground the fires casting long shadows in the waning sun.

"Here!" Everyone heard Happy's shrill cry. They ran towards him and saw a glimpse of Hell. Keira lay, motionless, under a ginormous piece of the Palace.

"Stand aside, I'll get her out." Jura said taking a deep, steady breath. With one punch the rock crumbled into dust. Keira's right arm was completely black and purple with bruises and caked in dried blood. Natsu kneeled next to her head,

"Don't you dare give up now." He whispered, bending over he heard her heartbeat, however it was faint. Gray and Natsu picked up Keira's limp body and made their way into town, in search for a hospital while Wendy and Cheria did all they could to keep the Dragon Slayer alive.

The other refugee's helped in their search, they all owed their freedom to her. Because she came back.