Frozen Heart
Chapter 40
Jack felt trapped, like a fly in a spider’s web.
The shadows wrapped around her body, digging their claws deeper and pinning Jack despite every struggle she put up.
Panic was welling up in her chest, mind racing as the silence rang heavily in her ears.
Oh God, this can’t be happening, I need to get out of here, let me out let me out let me out-
“Lies!”
The voice echoed, familiar enough to soothe her hysteria.
Makarov…?
“Jack Frost is of Fairy Tail, and we don’t give in so easily!”
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Jack closed her eyes against tears as other voices filled the silence, echoing encouragement and praise that strengthened her resolve.
She wouldn’t let him hurt her family.
Pulling against the shadows, Jack clenched her jaw as they curled tighter, pain flaring across every nerve.
Not…yet…
The claws slipped just enough, giving her a glimpse of the light, before the shadows surged back up.
Twisting in their hold, Jack winced at the pinpricks all along her arms and legs.
Shit…
“Damn it, Snowie!”
His voice reached her, even through the pressing silence, and she shoved against her binds.
Gajeel…
“You’re tougher than this! Snap out of it!”
Clenching her jaw, she shoved harder.
I’m not weak! I can do this!
The shadows thinned, just the slightest bit, and she took the opening.
Reaching through the veil, she felt a rush of her magic going outward and yanked it back.
Control slipped through her fingers again, but Jack was not deterred.
“Gonna just let him push you around like that? Since when do you let a punk like him tell you what to do?”
I don’t, she thought firmly. Not anymore.
Tearing at her prison, Jack felt her senses return and managed to grab control long enough to throw off her own aim.
“That’s it, Snowie! Just like that!”
The shadows practically hissed as they grappled, but she refused to go down, pulling her magic back and shoving her spells wide.
But no matter what she did, the shadows refused to let go.
All the scratching and kicking and biting did nothing to loosen her prison, and the Winter Spirit knew better than to think she could fight like this forever…
“Jack!”
Levy’s voice rang in her ears, a bit breathless and frightened, and Jack surged up out of her prison with new strength.
Whatever was going on, she needed to stop it right now.
Grasping the first tendrils of control, the winter-girl pulled, taking the handful of moments back in her body to slow her staff and release it.
Just a few more moments, a little more time to break-
Then the shadows dug in, and Jack screamed at the electric fire tearing through her as the darkness returned.
Oh God, it hurt, everything hurt so much, why did everything hurt-
“Jack…”
Levy’s voice was only a weak reverberation, lost in the shadows and the suffocating silence, and she whimpered as every nerve flared with pain.
Can’t…move…
“Jack…”
Her name was clearer, and Jack tried to move, biting back a whine.
Everything hurt, but that didn’t matter anymore.
The spell shifted, just enough for her to see, and Jack’s heart twisted.
Levy, dazed on the ground, pinned and helpless, the spear’s tip raised high to pierce her chest-
Big hazel eyes swimming with tears, lower lip trembling, dots of red in blue hair-
“I’m sorry.”
Jack was blinded by pain and grief as the spear swung down, her entire heart surging forward.
NO!
And then everything was red.
The shadows wrapped around her body, digging their claws deeper and pinning Jack despite every struggle she put up.
Panic was welling up in her chest, mind racing as the silence rang heavily in her ears.
Oh God, this can’t be happening, I need to get out of here, let me out let me out let me out-
“Lies!”
The voice echoed, familiar enough to soothe her hysteria.
Makarov…?
“Jack Frost is of Fairy Tail, and we don’t give in so easily!”
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Jack closed her eyes against tears as other voices filled the silence, echoing encouragement and praise that strengthened her resolve.
She wouldn’t let him hurt her family.
Pulling against the shadows, Jack clenched her jaw as they curled tighter, pain flaring across every nerve.
Not…yet…
The claws slipped just enough, giving her a glimpse of the light, before the shadows surged back up.
Twisting in their hold, Jack winced at the pinpricks all along her arms and legs.
Shit…
“Damn it, Snowie!”
His voice reached her, even through the pressing silence, and she shoved against her binds.
Gajeel…
“You’re tougher than this! Snap out of it!”
Clenching her jaw, she shoved harder.
I’m not weak! I can do this!
The shadows thinned, just the slightest bit, and she took the opening.
Reaching through the veil, she felt a rush of her magic going outward and yanked it back.
Control slipped through her fingers again, but Jack was not deterred.
“Gonna just let him push you around like that? Since when do you let a punk like him tell you what to do?”
I don’t, she thought firmly. Not anymore.
Tearing at her prison, Jack felt her senses return and managed to grab control long enough to throw off her own aim.
“That’s it, Snowie! Just like that!”
The shadows practically hissed as they grappled, but she refused to go down, pulling her magic back and shoving her spells wide.
But no matter what she did, the shadows refused to let go.
All the scratching and kicking and biting did nothing to loosen her prison, and the Winter Spirit knew better than to think she could fight like this forever…
“Jack!”
Levy’s voice rang in her ears, a bit breathless and frightened, and Jack surged up out of her prison with new strength.
Whatever was going on, she needed to stop it right now.
Grasping the first tendrils of control, the winter-girl pulled, taking the handful of moments back in her body to slow her staff and release it.
Just a few more moments, a little more time to break-
Then the shadows dug in, and Jack screamed at the electric fire tearing through her as the darkness returned.
Oh God, it hurt, everything hurt so much, why did everything hurt-
“Jack…”
Levy’s voice was only a weak reverberation, lost in the shadows and the suffocating silence, and she whimpered as every nerve flared with pain.
Can’t…move…
“Jack…”
Her name was clearer, and Jack tried to move, biting back a whine.
Everything hurt, but that didn’t matter anymore.
The spell shifted, just enough for her to see, and Jack’s heart twisted.
Levy, dazed on the ground, pinned and helpless, the spear’s tip raised high to pierce her chest-
Big hazel eyes swimming with tears, lower lip trembling, dots of red in blue hair-
“I’m sorry.”
Jack was blinded by pain and grief as the spear swung down, her entire heart surging forward.
NO!
And then everything was red.