σcєαη ѕℓαуєr / / / [fairy tail x reader]

cнαρтεя тωσ

The former fugitive felt fuzzy when she arose, triggered by the sounds of low voices and the rhythms of nature. She groaned lowly for a while, simultaneously disgusted and intrigued by the familiarly musty smell of the cave she was in. She quickly bolted awake, remembering the previous night under the moon in the forest, and for a quick moment, believed that she was still there and that being in the cave was simply a nightmare. She frowned, disillusioned when she heard the metallic clanging of chains: her chains. It was, in fact, the other way around.

Nevertheless, her eyes darted around the area, desperate for a clue to contradict the harsh reality in front of her. It was the same old familiar sight: three men waiting and relaxing in a disgusting cave. Sometimes, there'd be a woman in there; sometimes there would people other than the three men in cave. Regardless, it was three of the same six people who imprisoned her for an unknown stretch of time. The former fugitive held back tears at the sight. She really wasn't in the forest and she really wasn't in the outside world. If there was any chance of her escaping to it yesterday, it disappeared today.

The short taste of freedom she was injected with had already infested her bloodstream. She had experienced a high and was going through withdrawal within 24 hours. Freedom was a drug that powerful to her. She pressed her head on the back of the rock wall that was nearby, slowly, careful not to make a sound and anger the older tan man, scanning the area once more in dismay. As she found nothing better to do, so she closed her eyes, attempting to get some more rest.

Alas, even her subconscious failed her. All she could see when she closed her eyes was the memory of the forest at night, the feeling of being one with nature and using her own magic to its full extent for the first time in possibly months. The former fugitive, now just a captive, held back a groan. She longed to go back there, even if it was just for 10 minutes. She longed to be anywhere except where she currently was. It seemed that as the days passed, the "purpose" for her captivity dwindled away. What really was the point of these handcuffs?

"We already told you, pipsqueak. You have healing magic. We need you to heal someone. Is that so hard to understand? Or did some gnats eat what's left of your brain cells when you went outside?"

The captive's frown seemed to cement on her face as she recognized the voice of one of the three men. She knew him to be Eri — Cobra, she meant. She flinched at his response; she had forgotten that he could read her thoughts. She slumped over, defeated. The taste of freedom she had diminished faster than she received it. They now had the power to beat her just for thinking the wrong thing.

What kind of life was that, sitting in chains and ridiculed, malnourished and constantly tired, watching those who had the freedom she so greatly desired use it to harm others?

She turned away from the three men, facing the wall. She couldn't let them see the tears rolling down her cheeks even if they knew they were there. They were truly horrible people. They had all the power they could, all of the choices they could make, all the time they could use and they chose to wreak havoc on the weak and ruin other's lives. Diabolical.

Erik— Cobra, she meant again— was the worst one of them all, in her perspective. She knew for a fact there was no point in his past behavior towards her. To lie to her, tell her things, to make her believe she had a friend, to turn around and deceive and cheat her just because he wanted her to starve in a nasty cave? It would have been much faster to just knock her out in the middle of the night and drag her there.

What was the need to pretend to care about her, only to bound her up in chains and throw her away?

"I have to say, [Name]. You had us fooled for a moment. We almost couldn't find you," said another man. He was older and had odd tattoos all over his body. She knew him to be Brain, the boss of whatever operation she was caught in the middle of. "But then again, you were dumb enough to cast a spell when you were not even a mile away." The man snorted. Er— Cobra snickered. The captive, [Name], did her best not to let the words sink in. She knew they were just trying to get her upset, they did it all the time. [Name] lied down, continuing to face the wall, preparing to go back to sleep. Her eyes shot open, her heart pulsed when she heard what he said next: