Aura IV: The Beginning of Hope

The others sat in shock as Aura disclosed how she came to possess her Dragon Slayer powers. Lucy was the first to stand up and walk towards the young girl. "I'm so sorry Aura, I had no idea you lost your little sister. I can't imagine how hard it was for you to experience that."

"Its fine, don't worry about it." She said quickly trying to hide how much that memory hurt her. She regained her senses and continued her story.

…

After Luana died and my Dragon Slayer abilities awakened I threw myself into training to kill Draven and all of his followers. Wendy taught me how to control my Dragon Slayer magic. Using it in conjunction with my teleportation magic allowed me to use my fire in various ways, but the strain of using them at the same time took a lot out of me. Regardless of the pain I felt I trained harder and harder, but even as I had finally inherited my Father's legacy, I still had no outlet for my anger.

I wanted Draven's blood on my hands so bad I could taste it. I would go to sleep having nightmares of my parents and Luana's deaths and my powerlessness in those dreams only made the anger inside me grow. In time it got to the point where Wendy couldn't handle me anymore on her own…and Kagura had to step in.

…

Wendy sat down on the ground as she tried to catch her breath. Her clothes were slightly scorched and she was missing the right leg of her pants as the trees behind her had almost been burned to cinders. She looked ahead of her to see Aura standing, also tired but not letting it show.

Wendy smiled at the young girl, "Hey Aura how about we take a break okay? I think that's enough training for now."

"No." Aura said defiantly, "I can still keep going. There's no time to rest while Draven is still out there."

Wendy stood up and walked towards the young Dragon. "I know you want to defeat him, but you won't get anywhere if you over exert yourself. We'll get him but you have to be patient."

"I can't be patient anymore! He killed my family, he has to pay." She said clenching her teeth in anger.

"Everyone here has lost something because of Draven, but we're not ready to take him on yet."

"I AM READY!" Aura yelled in anger, "I've been training every day for 2 years. I'm a Dragon Slayer now, I have the power to beat him." She conjured a fire in her palm to show Wendy her resolve, but Wendy was still unfazed.

"I'm a dragon slayer too Aura, as was Gajeel, Laxus, & your father. There were 7 of us, but now only the two of us are left. We have to be smart and plan things out, otherwise we'll be killed as well." She placed her hand on Aura's shoulder but the young girl pushed it off.

"I'm sick of waiting, I'm going to fight Draven on my own you can stay here and be afraid if you want."

Aura walked past Wendy and began to make her way through the forest. "Aura stop! Come back, you're not ready!" Wendy called trying to stop her.

"You're not my mother Wendy, you can't tell me what to do!" She called back, but before she reached the trees Aura felt a gust of wind brush pass by her face, startling her and cutting her cheek. She felt the blood drip from her cheek as she heard a cold voice call to her.

"Wendy told you to stop Aura."

Aura turned around, her eyes filled with anger as she saw Kagura & Jellal standing next to Wendy. "What the hell was that for Kagura?! You could have killed me."

"If I wanted to kill you, you would have already been dead."

"You can't face Draven on your own Aura, you're not ready. You need to accept that." Jellal said sternly as stared at the young girl.

"Are you saying I'm weak?!" She yelled offended.

"That is exactly what he's saying. You are not strong enough to defeat Wendy, much less Draven." Kagura said coldly.

"What? I always defeat Wendy when we spar."

"If you truly think that is Wendy's true power, then you are more foolish then I thought. You're not strong, you're just a child who lashes out with no control."

"Kagura maybe you're going a bit too far." Wendy tried to calm things down but Jellal rebuked her statement.

"No, Aura needs to hear this. She needs something to lash out at, Kagura is giving her the release she needs."

Wendy shifted her gaze from Jellal to Kagura, the gravity wizard's face was like stone, but she could tell that she was also hurting. Kagura never spoke of it much, but the loss of her newfound friends took a toll on her as well. Only Wendy & Millianna knew of the pain she kept hidden from everyone. Perhaps even more than Aura, Luana's death hit her hardest.

Aura clenched her fist, her body shaking with rage at the swordswoman's words. "Kagura you-"Kagura's next words would send Aura over the edge and give the brunette the reaction she was looking for.

"I've battled both your mother & your sister." She tightened her gaze at the young fire dragon, "You don't even possess a fraction of the power or heart that they had. How do expect to succeed where they failed with such measly power?"

Aura's eyes widened in shock as she let Kagura's words sink into her head. Tears of anger began to stream down her face as she thought of her family and their deaths once more. Suddenly she was gone appearing in front Kagura & the others within seconds. Jellal and Wendy jumping back while the two clashed.

"RAGGHHHH!" She yelled as she lunged at Kagura with a flame fist.

BOOM!

Jellal & Wendy shielded their eyes from the debris while the others came running out of the hideout. "What's happening?!" Millianna yelled over the noise.

"Did they find us?" Levy asked worried.

"No." Jellal answered, "Aura & Kagura are fighting."

"Why?" Lyon asked in confusion.

"I can't answer for certain, but this is just as much for Kagura as it is Aura." Jellal answered back.

The dust settled and the group was surprised to see Aura on her knees before Kagura, with the swordswoman unscathed. Aura could feel the pressure on her body as she struggled to move. There was no mistake, this was Kagura's Gravity Manipulation magic.

"Nnggh, Dammit! You're cheating Kagura."

"There are no cheaters in battle, only winners and losers. Do you think Draven will take pity on you in a fight?"

Aura mustered all the strength in her body as she slowly began to stand up, she could feel her body begin to rip apart but she persevered. Kagura's eyes began to widen as she watched Aura stand up, no matter how much pressure she added Aura didn't waiver. She was starting to become impressed. *So this is the depths of her power.*

Aura's body began to cover itself in flames as she stood up. "Agh!" She yelled as the flames spread around her, breaking Kagura's concentration and releasing her from the gravity pull. Kagura jumped back and looked at her opponent.

Aura then clasped her hands together and began to concentrate her flames. Everyone's eyes opened in shock as the flames began to take the shape of a sword that resembled Erza's flame empress blade. *What is this?* Kagura thought to herself. *She can mold her flames?* Lyon thought slightly afraid.

"Aura stop! That's enough!" Levy called to her but to no avail Aura could only focus on Kagura.

Aura smirked, "I've been working on this technique for over a year and it still isn't complete yet. But it should be enough to defeat you AND Draven."

The sword while still not fully formed had enough shape to cause damage. Aura teleported towards Kagura but the young girl wasn't fast enough.

SLASH!

Before she could even think Aura could feel a group of cuts rack her body. Her sword disappeared and she fell to the ground as she bled from her arms and back. Wendy raced to Aura's aid as Kagura looked towards the horizon.

"I told you that you weren't strong enough to defeat me. You're weak Aura and if you don't become stronger you will die. That's the world we live in now. To defeat the strong you have to become stronger, to defeat a god you have to become something beyond a god."

Aura struggled to stand but Wendy held her down, "Don't move Aura. I need to treat your injuries. Millianna bring me some bandages!"

"Right!" Millianna ran inside the hideout and soon came to Wendy & Aura's side with the bandages the sky sorceress requested.

"Dammit!" Aura yelled in frustration as tears streamed down her face. *I am weak, how can I beat Draven like this? I don't know how to be strong.* She could feel her eyes get heavy as she began to pass out, but she could still hear Kagura speaking to her as the swordswoman walked back to the hideout.

"From now on you will be training with me after dinner. Wendy will still teach you how to control your Dragon Slayer powers and I will teach you how to use a sword. Be ready, we start tomorrow." She said sternly as she walked off.

However before Aura passed out she could hear something else coming from Kagura's lips, it was low, akin to a whisper but still clear as the night sky.

"I can't lose you too."

…

After that day I began training with Kagura after dinner, just like she commanded. For the first few months I hated it, Kagura was relentless and my attitude towards her at the time didn't help matters. She always defeated me in swordplay and that's how I got the scars on my back. She forced me to think, to use not just my Dragon Slayer Magic but also my teleportation magic to my advantage in a fight. I had to start out with a kendo stick but eventually I was brought a sword that Millianna managed to buy from a merchant. Within time I was able to fight on equal footing with Kagura even managing to make her draw her sword once, but I still couldn't match her experience.

Despite the time we spent together I still knew little to nothing about Kagura. All the time I had stayed with the resistance, and she was still an utter mystery to me. Luana never talked about her and Wendy always avoided my questions about her origins. Slowly she began to open up to me and eventually I would come to know just about things about her that I would begin to reshape my view of the world.

…

Aura sat down on the ground as her flame sword dissipated. "Huff…huff…huff. I think I finally got the hang of it." She said satisfied as she looked at her hand. Out of breath she looked up to see Kagura still standing, her back turned towards the young girl, her clothes ripped in various places from their sparring. Aura looked at her teacher slightly confused, "Kagura are you alright?"

"Come with me Aura." Kagura said with a serious tone as she made her way back to the hideout. Aura was still drained from training but she managed to stand up and follow the black haired wizard. Once they were inside, Kagura checked to see if anyone was still awake before opening a door in the floor of the kitchen.

"What is this? Has this been here the whole time?" Aura asked intrigued that something had been here this long and she had never known of it. Kagura however, remained silent as the pair descended down the stairs. Once they reached the bottom, Aura could see a faint glow from a nearby door.

She continued to follow Kagura to the door, once they reached it Kagura placed her hand on the handle and looked back at Aura. "Once I show you what lies beyond this door, there is no turning back. Are you ready?"

Aura had no idea what Kagura was talking about, but she nodded her head regardless as she was curious as to what was behind this mysterious door. Kagura accepting her answer, turned the knob and opened the door slowly. Inside the lightly lit room was a chest with a strange blue light emanating from the small opening.

Kagura unlocked the chest and slowly opened it, Aura's eyes opened in amazement as she looked into the chest. Inside of it was a long katana inside of a sheathe and what looked like a glowing blue rock. "What is this stuff?" Aura asked looking at Kagura.

"That rock is called a lacrima, it is infused with energy from a magical weapon called Etherion." She paused as she looked at the other item in the chest. "And the sword…it belonged to your mother."

Aura's eyes widened in astonishment as she looked at the sword again. "My mother?"

Kagura nodded, "Yes that sword is one of the many ones that Erza Scarlet possessed."

"Can I touch it?"

"Of course. It's yours now." Kagura said with a small smile that caught Aura off guard as she grabbed it.

'It is?" Aura asked smiling as she admired the last memento of her mother. "How did you get this?"

"It was a gift from your mother, after our battle."

"You fought my mom?!" Aura asked in amazement as she thought of the epic battle between the two wizards.

"Yes I did, a very long time ago. It was one of the fiercest, most exhilarating fights I've ever had in my life. To be honest I was going to give that sword to Luana but-"Both of them looked down solemnly as they thought of the young girl who had been taken away from them too soon.

"Do you know why I chose to train you and your sister?"

"I thought it was to teach us swordplay."

"It was, but there is another reason as well." Aura looked at Kagura confused as the Gravity wizard began to speak again. "Your mother saved my life a long time ago. When we were children a group of dark wizards came to our village and tried to abduct us to build something called the "Tower of Heaven". Erza managed to hide me away from them, but unfortunately she was taken in my place…along with my brother Simon."

"You had a brother?"

"Yes I did. We weren't the wealthiest, but we still managed to be happy. But after he was taken, I didn't know what to do, I searched all over for him. Eventually I joined the "Mermaid Heel" guild hoping they could help my search but…10 years later I found out he had been killed, by Jellal."

Aura's eyes widened in shock, "Jellal? But why would he do something like that?"

"It wasn't completely his fault he was being manipulated at the time. He was also enslaved in the Tower along with Erza, my brother, and even Millianna. They were all friends, brought together by their bleak situation. Eventually your mother staged a revolt against their captors, but at the price of her mentor Rob. I assume your middle name was given to you to honor his memory." Aura just stood in silence as Kagura continued. "Jellal was also possessed by what he thought was the spirit of an ancient wizard known as Zeref, but that is another story that I feel Jellal should tell you."

Aura was speechless about all the new information she was receiving. Her mother never talked about the Tower of Heaven, but after hearing about what happened she wasn't too surprised.

"Eventually your mother returned to the Tower and faced off against Jellal. Simon died protecting her and your father from one of his attacks. You can only imagine my shock and rage after hearing what Jellal had done to my brother. I wanted him to suffer, I wanted him dead, so much so that I was willing to kill your mother just because of his connection to her. I wanted him dead not just to avenge Simon, but for Millianna as well." Kagura smiled "Your mother showed me the error of my ways, and while I still had hate in my heart for Jellal, my desire to kill him began to fade; and your mother gave me that sword as a memento. I even brought Jellal to the resistance to honor her memory." She then turned around and faced the door way.

"When Draven's attacks began, my entire guild was wiped out. Millianna & I were the only ones who survived. Eventually we came across Wendy and became the first members of her resistance. Then the attack on Fairy Tail happened, I wanted to help your mother & father, I really did but Wendy discouraged it. I didn't understand at the time but she was hurting more than all of us."

"When we picked up you and your sister, I found out that Erza had been killed. It was then I resolved that I would honor her sacrifice by training you so you two could defeat Draven and honor everyone's sacrifice, but when Luana died-"tears began to fall from Kagura's face. "I didn't know what to do, I failed Erza. I let one of her daughters die, I was supposed to train her, but I forgot I was also supposed to protect her. I should have went with her that day, maybe she would still be here."

Aura placed her hand on Kagura's shoulder comforting her. "It's okay Kagura, you did the best you could, I'm sure Luana and my mother both appreciate everything you've done. I appreciate everything you've done for me as well." Kagura turned around to see a smiling Aura and her tears stopped flowing as she smiled back.

Kagura wiped her face as Aura grabbed the rock, "Now why do you have this?" the young dragon asked as she turned it around in her hand, examining it.

"Like I said before, that is called a Lacrima. It's an item that can story magical energy within itself. It currently houses energy from the magical weapon Etherion."

"What are we going to do with it?"

"YOU are going to fix the world with it Aura."

…