Phoenix Storm || Fairy Tail [2]

➝ 𝐱𝐢. 𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞

𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜: 𝙜𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙗𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙜 & 𝙧𝙪𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚
❛ 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘹'𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 ❜

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"Loyal subjects! Tonight, let us make merry!" Duke Cream flourished his hands extravagantly, chest puffed out with pride, "to commemorate this occasion, I have gathered the phoenix stones!"

The crowd's screams grew more wild as their gazes were filled with anticipation and curiosity about the legendary firebird. Surely, this would be an event to go down in history. Below the balcony the Duke was standing stood Éclair, bound to a stack of wood with thick ropes, bruised and beaten.

"Stop this!" Éclair cried out, "You cannot let those stones make contact!"

Duke Cream glowered at her, as if his gaze alone was enough to ignite the obstinate woman. "You will be silenced soon enough," he murmured distastefully.

Dyst separated from the shadows and came to stand just behind the Duke, announcing his present lowly. "Your grace."

"Oh, you're in for a real show," Duke Cream told Dyst excitedly, his eyes still fixated upon the cheering crowd. His voice regained its loudness as he declared, "now, to honour Veronica on this sacred year, I shall give her the gift that will sustain her for time without end!"

Below him, the crowd grew even rowdier as the people began to chant.

Éclair thrashed as much as she could with the ropes restraining her, crying out. "This is madness! The phoenix must not be revived!"

"Oh sacred pillar," Duke Cream ignored Éclair, lifting the crimson fragment of the stone from the velvet cushion at his side, "Oh twins so long adrift,"

Holding both halves of the stone above his head, he proclaimed, "Ye shall again be made one!"

"You can do whatever you want with me, but the phoenix stones must not be united!" Éclair screamed, gaze fixated upon the resonating stone, "I beg of you!"

Her words only served to rile up the crowd further, and they watched with sick fascination as a guard lit the pyre she'd been chained to. Flames burst to life at her feet and began to lap at the wood hungrily. Duke Cream grinned sickeningly, his eyes glinting with a malicious light.

Then he pressed the two halves together.

Ignoring the wildfire which had burst to life at her feet, Éclair screamed once more. "Don't do it!"

The differently coloured auras of the two stone merged and combined into a blindingly white light, one which seemed to pulsate like a heartbeat. 

"Loyal subjects! Tonight, let us make merry!" Duke Cream flourished his hands extravagantly, chest puffed out with pride, "to commemorate this occasion, I have gathered the phoenix stones!"

The crowd's screams grew more wild as their gazes were filled with anticipation and curiosity about the legendary firebird. Surely, this would be an event to go down in history. Below the balcony the Duke was standing stood Éclair, bound to a stack of wood with thick ropes, bruised and beaten.

"Stop this!" Éclair cried out, "You cannot let those stones make contact!"

Duke Cream glowered at her, as if his gaze alone was enough to ignite the obstinate woman. "You will be silenced soon enough," he murmured distastefully.

Dyst separated from the shadows and came to stand just behind the Duke, announcing his present lowly. "Your grace."

"Oh, you're in for a real show," Duke Cream told Dyst excitedly, his eyes still fixated upon the cheering crowd. His voice regained its loudness as he declared, "now, to honour Veronica on this sacred year, I shall give her the gift that will sustain her for time without end!"