Seeking Forgiveness (Jellal x Reader)

Chapter 20 - Part One

People were laying on top of one another, some even had a few rocks covering them as they groaned in pain. Their identities remained hidden as they were shrouded in the darkness of the large room.

Through the swirling smoke and dust a silhouette stepped forward. His footsteps echoed through the underground cave. Louder than the groans and whimpers of the crowd that once surrounded your cage.

The dust started to clear.

A flash of blue broke through the dust first.

A flash of a cape.

Someone stepped through the dust.

Jellal stepped forward, followed by the other members of the Crime Sorcière.

The crowd that was sprawled across the floor glanced up at him before shuffling away in fear. Suddenly more interested in their lives then their pain. But, nevertheless, the still managed to move swiftly out of Jellal's way.

His eyes were burning with a fury they'd never seen before. Some of the members of the guild might compare it to Natsu's flames, but kept their thoughts to themselves. They were on a mission of sorts, after all.

But Jellal wasn't focused on them. He had a bigger goal that made the spectators, of the 'event' about to take place beforehand, nothing more than dirt under his shoe. Nothing more than a nuisance in his way as he and the others made their way towards the stage. One that fuelled his magic with an anger that he had never felt before. The emotions coursing through him seemed to slow time and made his vision blurry. But he was focused on one thing.

You.

The cage around you was still intact, much to his chagrin. Everything around it though was crumbling. The ceiling had caved, littering the area from small rocks to large boulders. The top of the cage caving in under the extra weight.

The people that had once been scattered across the floor had disappeared down the many tunnels that lined the room. Large balconies continued to collapse to the ground with a loud boom every so often, sending more dust into the air, blocking off a few of the many exits, but people still managed to escape. Those on the balconies though, seemed to vanish.

But Jellal didn't care about them. He cared about two things. Getting you out and getting revenge.

Those two things were fuelling his anger. He didn't have you safe in his arms and the unfinished business he had with someone he never met. The very person that bought you like a possession, and had thrown you into a cage to fight like an animal. To fight for your life.

But the moment the dust cleared and he saw you in the ring, his anger increased tenfold. He oozed it. So much so that it influenced every thought. Each step powered by it. He became it. You looked helpless, sitting up from the floor. But still, despite everything, a small smile graced your lips at the sight of him. One that made him want to see it again. Made his resolve to fight waver as the need to run and grab you first grew stronger. To hold you in his arms, and never let you go. But he couldn't, not while the people here were still a threat to magic users. Were still a threat to you.

His eyes never left yours in the ring, the light in them pulling him closer.

The members of crime sorcière reached a certain point before stopping in a line. They could feel people approaching them, the guards of the place, all magic users with questionable morals. All of them answered to him. Surrounding them with immense magical power that made their presence known before they stepped into the room. But their power was not a match for the members of your guild.

There were hundreds of them vs. your seven friends and guildmembers. But, they could easily beat them without breaking a sweat. You'd seen them do it. The sheer number of the guards would not be enough to stop them. So far, nothing ever had. Not that you were aware of anyway.