Chapter 9: Shadow Versus Storm

Guild Hall – The Night Before~

The Fairy Tail guild hall buzzed with laughter and clinking mugs. Mirajane approached Yume, her voice gentle but with a note of real concern.

"Yume, could you help Erza with her mission tomorrow? Natsu and Gray are going with her, and I'd feel better if you kept an eye on them. Things can get out of hand with those three."

Yume hesitated, gaze flicking away. [She means well, but I can't risk interfering too much. The last time I did, things nearly went wrong.]

He shook his head. "Sorry, Mira. I've got a mission of my own. There's trouble with a dark guild near Oshibana, and I need to check it out. Besides, Erza's more than capable, and Natsu and Gray… well, they'll be fine."

Mirajane's smile faltered, her worry showing.

"Just be careful, okay? And please, Yume, promise me you won't push yourself too hard. We all worry about you, you know."

He managed a small, grateful smile. "I promise."

Mirajane reluctantly stamped his mission flyer and watched him leave, her eyes lingering on his back as he slipped into the night. [I have to do this. Alone.]

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Magnolia Station – The Next Morning~

Yume arrived at the station just as the train to Oshibana pulled away, the whistle fading into the distance. [Great. Missed it by seconds. That's just perfect.] He cursed under his breath, pulling a folded map from his inventory. The way he summoned it drew whispers about "requip magic."

[Fiore's geography is still a mess in my head. I need to get my bearings before I get caught up in something bigger than I can handle.]

With a resigned shrug, Yume stepped away from the platform. Mirage—his sleek, dragon-like shikigami—materialized before him, drawing awed looks from passersby. He mounted up, feeling the rush of wind whip past his ears, carrying the sharp scent of distant pine and the metallic tang of coming rain. [No matter how fast I go, it feels like fate is always waiting around the next bend.]

They sped off, the countryside blurring beneath them.

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Oshibana Station: A Whirlwind of Chaos~

Black smoke billowed from the train station as Yume landed Mirage a safe distance away. A large crowd had gathered outside, with railway staff desperately trying to calm the situation.

"Please leave the premises immediately! This station is currently closed due to a train derailment!" a staff member pleaded.

"A derailment, are you serious?" someone in the crowd muttered.

"I heard some guys from a dark guild have taken over the station!" another whispered.

The staff repeated their plea, but the crowd only grew more restless—until a sudden, amplified voice cut through the commotion.

Yume looked up to see Erza, standing atop the steps with a megaphone in hand, her presence commanding instant attention.

"If you value your life, leave this place now! The station has been taken over by evil mages, and they are about to unleash a magic that will destroy everyone here. Evacuate as far away as possible!" Erza's voice rang out.

Panic rippled through the crowd. In an instant, people scattered, running so fast Yume couldn't help but smirk. [At this speed, even a cheetah would be ashamed.]

A staff member beside Erza went pale, voice trembling. "But… but why would you incite such a panic?! People are terrified!"

Erza's response was calm but firm. "It's better than having countless casualties, isn't it? You two should evacuate quickly as well!"

Yume watched from a distance as the last of the crowd vanished. The wind picked up, tugging at his coat. He turned just in time to see the station, which had looked almost normal a moment ago, now encircled by a swirling vortex—a wind barrier, forming a dome that sealed off the entire building.

Above, Erigor hovered, cloak snapping in the gale.

"I wanted to fight the queen at least once, but it's a shame," Erigor called down.

"I don't have time to deal with you right now,"

With a flick of his hand, Erigor cast a spatial spell, sending Erza hurtling inside the wind wall. She tried to break free, but the barrier's razor winds slammed her back, leaving a gash on her arm.

"Stop it! This wind wall only allows passage from the outside in. If you try to exit from the inside, the wind will cut your body to pieces. What is the meaning of this?!" Erigor stated.

"You've already wasted enough of my time! I'll be taking my leave now!" Erigor declared.

"Where are you going?!" Erza demanded.

"I wasted enough time on you fairy tail pests but now i don't have any mood!" Erigor said as he flew away.

Yume stood quietly, taking in the chaos, the wind, the magic—piecing together what had just happened. [Dammit. Looks like I'm already caught. Our missions are intertwined, like it or not. This time, I won't just stand by.]

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Clover Canyon~

Yume raced across the countryside on Mirage, the wind stinging his face. As he neared the canyon, he dismissed Mirage and moved on foot, blending into the rocky shadows. He spotted Erigor flying low, heading for the Guild Masters' meeting. [This is it. If I don't stop him here, people will die. No more hesitation. I have to be the wall he can't pass.]

He stepped out onto a narrow ledge, directly in Erigor's path. The Reaper slowed, eyes narrowing.

"Who are you supposed to be? Some lost brat? Or just another fool who wants to die?"

Yume stood his ground, cloak snapping, eight Pandora Orbs swirling around him like miniature black suns. His voice was calm, unwavering.

"Yume of Fairy Tail. And I'm here to hunt Eisenwald."

Erigor's lips curled into a mocking smile. "You? Hunt us? Don't make me laugh!"

Yume's eyes didn't flinch. His resolve was absolute, burning quietly beneath the surface. [It doesn't matter how strong his wind is. I have a dream, and I'll carve my own path—no matter who stands in my way.]

With a flick of his wrist, the Pandora Orbs materialized, orbiting him in perfect silence—each a sphere of absolute darkness, absorbing the light.

Erigor's scythe spun, wind gathering in a deadly cyclone.

"Then die with your dream, Fairy Tail brat! Storm Shred!"

Blades of wind screamed down. Yume watched, expression unreadable, then moved—precise, minimal, efficient. Darkness magic surged through his body, amplifying his strength and speed. He sidestepped, letting the wind slice stone, not flesh. One orb shifted into a shield, absorbing a blade with a hiss; another became a pistol, firing a darkness round that dispersed a second blade in a burst of shadow.

Erigor hovered higher, summoning his cyclone armor.

"Wind Mail!"

A wall of slicing wind encased him.

Yume's lips twitched, almost a smirk. "A barrier of wind? Predictable."

He vanished into the canyon's shadows, every movement silent and calculated. He circled, analyzing Erigor's rhythm, tracking every twitch and gust. [You're loud. Predictable. I only need one opening.]

Erigor's voice echoed, mocking. "You can't hide forever! Storm Bringer!"

A vortex of wind tore through the canyon, uprooting stones and sending debris flying. Yume's mind raced, calculating angles and force. He fired a grappling line—one orb morphing into a hook—swinging up and over the vortex, landing on a ledge behind Erigor.

He transformed two orbs into twin gun-swords, their edges gleaming with darkness, barrels humming with suppressed power. He fired at Erigor's back. The bullet struck the Wind Mail, causing a ripple but not breaking through. Erigor turned, grinning.

"Pathetic. You'll never break my wind armor!"

Yume's reply was a single, cold word as he advanced, gun-swords drawn:

"Silence."

Sand grated under his boots as he shifted his stance. The air crackled with the metallic tang of ozone, each spell leaving a bitter taste on his tongue.

He darted forward, darkness magic flooding his muscles. He feinted left, rolled right, firing a darkness round at the ground. The resulting shadow cloud obscured him. Erigor slashed with his scythe, sending a gust to clear the smoke—just as Yume launched upward, gun-swords crossing in an X.

He slashed, darkness amplifying his strength. The blades scraped Wind Mail, sparks and wind flying. Erigor staggered, surprised.

Yume landed, immediately shifting the orbs—one became a sniper rifle, another a flashbang. He fired the flashbang into the air; it exploded in a burst of darkness, momentarily blinding Erigor.

"Tricks! You're nothing but a coward!" Erigor snarled.

Yume's eyes narrowed, voice flat. "Your voice fades. Mine remains."

Erigor, enraged, unleashed Emera Baram—a colossal, focused blast of wind magic. Yume braced, darkness magic reinforcing his body. All eight orbs formed a barrier before him. The wind slammed into the shield, shrieking and tearing, but the Pandora Orbs held, their indestructible darkness absorbing the force. The ground cracked beneath Yume's feet, but he stood firm, muscles burning with dark energy.

[He's powerful. But I'm not backing down. Not now, not ever.]

As the wind faded, Yume sprinted forward, darkness magic making him a blur. The orbs shifted back into dual gun-swords. He fired at Erigor's legs, darkness-infused rounds piercing through the weakened Wind Mail and dropping the Reaper from the sky.

Erigor crashed to the canyon floor, scrambling to rise. Yume was already there, moving with silent, predatory grace. He shot both of Erigor's arms, pinning him to the ground.

Erigor gasped, pain and disbelief on his face. "No… I am the Reaper…!"

Yume stood over him, eyes cold, the Pandora Orbs swirling protectively. "Not today." He spun the gun-swords, crossing them over Erigor's chest. With a final, precise strike, he knocked the scythe away and pressed a darkness-forged blade to Erigor's throat.

Yume (quiet, resolute): "Your wind dies here."

Erigor's eyes widened, the last flicker of defiance fading. "Why… why do you fight like this?"

Yume's gaze was like steel, unwavering. "Because I decided I would. And nothing—not your wind, not fear, not even fate—will stop me."

Erigor slipped into unconsciousness, the wind around him dissipating into silence.

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Aftermath~

Yume stood tall amid the battered canyon, the metallic tang of magic still sharp in the air, dust swirling around his boots. The Pandora Orbs retreated into silence, their glow fading as the echoes of battle died away.

He drew a slow, steady breath, feeling the ache in his limbs and the sting of shallow cuts—reminders of the trial he had chosen. Yet in his eyes burned a new certainty, fierce and unyielding.

"Resolve—that is the essence of true strength. It is not merely to endure, but to carve your destined path through the darkest of wastes, shaping fate itself by your own will. I faced Erigor alone, not out of recklessness, but to awaken the power that lies dormant within me. This is only the beginning. With every step, every fight, I will forge myself anew—my shikigami not a crutch, but an extension of my resolve. The path ahead may be shadowed, but I will illuminate it with the fire of my own becoming."

The world was hushed, save for the distant echo of approaching footsteps. Yume remained, framed by the devastation he had survived—not as a shadow, but as a mage who had claimed his victory, and was forever changed by it.

End of Chapter 9