Relentless..crude...heartless. Those were the things that usually came to Mikoto's mind now when she thought of death. Perhaps it was because she had watched many disgusting heartless enemies do just that, killing just for the fun of it, characters like Zancrow, Diablo, and Night Reveler..
And now, she had killed. For the first time in her life, she had taken a human life. It wasn't as if she thought she was a bad person...She had witnessed her Edolas self, somebody broken by death and relentless killing, turn back into a kind hearted girl who merely missed her mother. But there was still a little bit of Mikoto inside that felt tainted...dismantled...broken. With both the effects of the Mental Intrusion and blood of death on her hands...she thought she might be falling apart...like an old computer stuffed with so much viral software.
"I don't know what I am anymore." Mikoto whispered to herself as she put her hands over her head.
Mikoto was currently sharing a three person tent with Lucy and Natsu. Happy and Elli also stayed in here thanks to their small size making them able to convieniently fit into any small or large tent. Right now, for about the 3rd night in a row, Mikoto couldn't sleep. She sat up awake in her sleeping bag next to the snoring Natsu.
One thing both Mikoto and Lucy had learned to get used to after about several jobs, was the snore of Natsu Dragneel. Sleeping next to Natsu was like literally sleeping next to a dragon, you could just imagine the mountains shaking and the motorcycles pouring out of the massive lizard's jaws.
But Mikoto had managed to get used to it...but now it was her ever growing anxiety that kept her awake.
Next to Mikoto's other side..the sleeping Elli murmured something about Mikoto buying her icecream (She alway's had the cutest dreams in Mikoto's opinion.) And right next to Elli, Happy murmured something about Lucy being too heavy. (A weird dreamer that one.)
As Mikoto watched all her friends sleep peacefully, she decided that she needed some air. She stood up and opened the tent flap, walking out into the brisk nighttime forest, careful not to make a noise as she moved in between the tents and men on night watch.
"Out for a stroll?"
Mikoto's heart nearly jumped out of her mouth and did backflips. She turned around to find Erza standing there in her usual full armor. "Erza! Shouldn't you get some sleep?"
Erza shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. And neither, I'm guessing, could you."
Mikoto sighed. "Yeah...you're right...I couldn't sleep. I guess I just feel.."
"Broken, damaged, like you did something that will change you forever?" Erza finished.
Mikoto felt a little stunned. "Er...yeah...how did you know all that?"
"I've gone through the same thing." said Erza. "That first time you kill someone...and you look straight into their eyes...whether they're good or evil, it's never an easy thing...But you shouldn't think of yourself as damaged...this is war not murder. Either we kill them, or they kill us."
"Erza, how do you do it?" asked Mikoto. "You know...like not feel anything when you kill?"
"You can't do it.." Erza murmured. "It always comes back eventually. The important thing is that you fight through it. Talking about it like we are now tends to help a lot. Have you communicated with Touma lately?"
"I haven't been on the communication's tent in a while.." said Mikoto. Touma, like many other of the Academy City students were currently being urged by their parents to come home. There were many who felt that with World War 5 now underway, it was best that families stick together and prepare for the storm...after the news about Dravis came out, many were calling it the end of the world, both worlds to be exact.
Touma was one of the 55 percent of students who had fought to stay in Academy City. Most decided to stay because they knew that Academy City provided the best security and most up to date news on the situatioon of the world. Touma however, wanted to stay because he felt the closer he was to the Rainbow Gateway, the closer he was to Mikoto...and he had told her so before she and most of Fairy Tail's strongest had gone off to fight.
"Even if they don't let me fight with you..I'll find some way to help you..You can count on it.."Touma had said. "Heck, we've been together for more then a month now...long distance relationships are no problem to me as long as the distance eventually get's shorter."
Mikoto's parents had been a little bit more hysterical though. Her mother, Misuzu Misaka, had begged her to come home with her,even offering to take in many of her friends from Fairy Tail. But soon after she had recieved a letter that had been sent straight from the island from Fulmen...a letter from Thundaarix, Mikoto's dragon mother...Mikoto had never found out what it said...but Misuzu had become solemn after that, saying that she could not deny Mikoto her destiny, however much both she and Thundaarix loved her.3
"Maybe it's time I talked to all of them.." Mikoto said. "Between being attacked nearly every day of the week, I guess I might have been afraid to tell them all how much danger has been around here."
"Understandable...but I think they'd be less worried if they weren't in the dark." said Erza.
Mikoto nodded. "I guess I'll just..." she began before Erza held out an arm to silence her.
"Mikoto...do you notice it's a bit too still?" said Erza.
Mikoto looked around. Normally their would be armed people patrolling the tents...but, everything was eirly silent. The only movement she could make out were the flickering flames of the lanterns.
Mikoto peered through the dimly lit darkness and saw the shapes of several unconscious men.. "Erza..."
Erza nodded in acknowledgement and drew out a sword. "Don't activate your powers yet...whoever's moving around in here is pretty good at hiding...we don't want to spook him...or her...."
"Or it.." Mikoto muttered.
Suddenly there was a chilling wind...all the lamps went out and Mikoto and Erza were left staring into the cold darkness.
Mikoto suddenly saw a gliding black hooded figure moving through the darkness. A dim purple flame floated in mid air in front of the hooded figure. As it moved closer, Mikoto began to make out features.
The dark hood and robe the thing wore was ragged and dark black. It's moth eaten edges fluttered in a nonexistant wind much like Diablo Etwatia's cloak.. It carried a large oaken scythe. The oak handle was large and twisted while the blade shined and looked sharper then even one of Erza's swords.
However the frightening thing about the thing soon became apparent once the creature looked up from beneath it's hood. There was no flesh no organs...nothing but bare white skeleton. It was as if the Grim Reaper himself was walking through the camp.
Erza pointed her sword at the creature. "Who are you? State your business."
The hooded skelton clacked his jaw slowly and deliberately, as if considering Erza. "The night is almost up...soon I must return to my slumber..." the creature whispered. "But before I sleep once more..."
The creature pointed at Mikoto with a boney finger. "You...my master's wish for your death..."
Mikoto immediately activated her wings with a bursting spark. The Thunder Dragon wings lit up the entire area with it's bluish white light.
The hooded skeleton hissed and backed away. "The light...that accursed light."
"If you want to kill me.." said Mikoto. "You'll have to bring more then a stupid scythe."
"I am mereley the messenger." said the creature. "Dead by day...undead by night...I am Ghost Slumberer...50th of Hydra Head...I am always the messenger...the messenger of death...I assure you...death will soon follow my message like a plague. The Hydra's 3 assassins have you marked...prepare for the final funeral march..."
As Ghost Slumberer said this, he backed away further into the shadows and dissapeared in a breath of spine chilling wind.
Mikoto deactivated her wings and shivered as the lamps all came back on. All over the camp, soldiers started coming to, looking confused at why they were sleeping on the ground.
"Looks like Hydra Head has there eyes on us."
Suddenly there was a scream, and Happy came bursting out of the tent looking panicked. Mikoto whirled around. "Happy! What's wrong!?"
"I had the most horrible nightmare! I went to a lake...and I brought out my fishing pole....BUT THERE WASN'T ANY FISH!!"
Mikoto and Erza just stared at Happy for a bit.
"Go back to sleep Happy." said Mikoto.3
Far in the forest...in the darkest shadows, Slither lurked next to a tree, tasting the air with his flikering forked tongue. "Hmmm....ol's Ghosty's late..."
Suddenly, in a breeze of chilling wind, Ghost Slumberer appeared. "News...the Railgun continues to move north with her friends...as scheduled. Master Hades and Black Whisper will not be dissapointed..."
"Good." said Slither. "We'll be able to devise a more effective assasination strategy on the road...are there any towns in their path?"
"A small village called Rastule.." said Ghost Slumberer.
"Plasmoid will take care of the village.." said Slither. "He's always been quite explosive."
"Railgun has overcome impossible threats before..." hissed Ghost Slumberer. "What if she manages to overcome us? We cannot be sure we'll succeed..."
"Then Zeref will deal with her..." said Slither. "And I doubt anyone will ever walk out of that. Hmmm...it's almost dawn."
"Yes...my sleep is almost upon me once more.." said Ghost Slumberer. "Wake me when the darkness returns..."
As the first rays of orange sunlight peeked through the trees, Ghost Slumberer's cloak twisted and morphed into a large black coffin with rib and bone designs all over the obsidian front.
"Plasmoid..." said Slither. "I'm sure you've been listening?"
There was a spark near a tree and the nuclear energy being floated into view. "Heh...how annoying, that I can't be near ol' Ghosty just because my body is too bright.."
"Are you familiar with the village of Rastule?" asked Slither.
"No...but it sounds fun.." said Plasmoid cackling. "I'll be sure to make a pretty big boom. Though I'll leave the village partially in tact...can't have the bodies not visible can we? Hehehehehehehe..."
"Jeez...you're such a sadist.." grumbled Slither. "Fine...just make sure we're ready for them when they get there. I hate putting up a show not fully prepared. As far as we know, you're the one among us most suited to fighting that Railgun....I'll deal with those other pathetic fairies."
"Ooooohh." said Plasmoid excitedly. "This is going to be fun..."
( Information on Ghost Slumberer, Plasmoid, and Slither
The Hydra Assasins consist of the members 48, 49, and 50. In reality, unlike the other members of Hydra Head, the ranking isn't due to their actual strength but because the low ranking tends to let enemies underestimate them. Truthfully, the Hydra Assasins are more powerful then most members. Diablo Etwatia himself is impressed with them, calling them perfect demons in their own rights
Interestingly enough, unless one counts Ghost Slumberer, the Hydra Assasins actually found their origins in the world of science.
Slither, used to be two seperate life forms...an anaconda and a wild alien creature that had found itself stranded on Earthland. Seeing potential, Aleister Crowley extended his reach into Earthland and combined the two creatures and installed within it a tremendous intelligence, it's energy sensitive body allowing it to use magic. Slither's poison is even more corrosive then that of Cobra, one drop can melt away stone in seconds. His average speed is over 789 miles per hour usually, however rumors say that he can go way faster when he get's serious. He is also extremely slippery, making him a hard snake to catch.
Plasmoid was one of Fiore's first attempts at science. A secret organization was trying to develope a way to harness energy without magic, when they accidentally merged a magic lacrima with a special nuclear energy they were trying to develope. The result was Plasmoid, a super intelligent magic radioactive intelligence. Plasmoid's control over energy is astonishingly dangerous. His powers make him more like a force of nature then just a powerful mage.
Ghost Slumberer is said to be Death reincarnate, due to his Grim Reaper like appearance. In reality he is a demon from the book of Zeref that has fused with a human soul. Ghost Slumberer can only prowl in darkness...automatically falling asleep when sunlight arrives. His powers are shrouded in mystery...however, Ghost Slumberer is widely known for his ability to hide and wait, and act as a spy without even being seen)..