"Wendy..."

Dealana continued to struggle against the earth that imprisoned half of her body. She vaguely heard Cobra ask Brain, "Do you know her?"

"No doubt about it," Brain replied staring at Wendy, who remained quivering behind the boulder. Carla and Happy stood nearby with expressions that were a blend of glaring and nervousness. "That's Wendy, the Maiden of the Sky."

This revelation seemed to mean something to the rest of the Oración Seis, and the quick glances between Dealana and Wendy were unnerving.

"What? Maiden of the Sky?" Gray echoed from where he lay defeated near Hibiki.

Wendy ducked completely behind the boulder clutching her head, "What does that mean?" she wanted to know. She had tears building in her eyes.

"I was going to ask you that!" Happy told her, not really helping the situation, but he didn't really know any better at this point.

"To think we stumbled upon her here," Brain spoke up, "We've made quite a find, my friends, and with the Tempest as well." Dealana didn't like where this was going. "Grab her!" he ordered extending his staff forward, a dark purple magic seal appearing. Green wisps shot forward to grab Wendy at the same time the earth suddenly shook in great magnitude.

The green magic formed a hand as it reached behind the boulder, only to be blocked by a pair of storm-covered hands. Dealana's sudden protective instinct, paired with her anger, caused a momentary earthquake allowing her to escape and appear in front of the boulder Wendy was hiding behind. A swirl of harsh wind and ice encasing her hands, a deep, uncharacteristic growl sounding from the girl as her heterochromatic eyes flashed gold for only a second before it was gone.

"Don't touch her!" Dealana snarled. Cobra's eyes widened for only a second before he hid his surprise. He hadn't heard what she had been planning. The only thing he could hear was the constant storms and a single word, protect.

Brain only smirked, pushing harder with his magic until the hand grew larger. Dealana struggled to keep it from Wendy, she didn't know that Brain wanted them both. The Storm Dragon Slayer was soon overpowered and she yelled out in surprise when she the burning magic coiling around her moving quickly to entangle Wendy in the mix lifting them off the ground.

"Wendy! Dealana!" Happy and Carla shouted before the white cat began chasing them calling out, "Unhand them right now!"

"Help us!" Wendy called back. Dealana wanted to do something, anything but her body wouldn't move. She felt exhausted. She hadn't used enough magic power to feel weighed down like this.

'What's...happening...was it the earthquake spell?' Dealana wondered. Earthquakes were a complex spell for Dealana, they were on the border of storm and disaster. She recalled only ever being able to create small, harmless ones before growing extremely weak from lack of magic power. The one she had just created was of a magnitude Dealana never dreamed of even trying.

"Striking while we're down? That isn't fair!" Natsu exclaimed struggling to push himself off the ground.

"All is fair in money and war!" Hoteye told them. The money-loving man moved his blocky hand in the direction of the remaining Allied Forces. A brown magic seal appeared before they were sent flying as he softened the earth and manipulated it to form dangerous points. It only added to the aftershock of Dealana's earthquake that hit the area with a violent rumble.

"Grab my paw!" Dealana could vaguely hear Carla call before Happy yelped in surprise. Wendy had grabbed Happy's paw by mistake. "Natsu!" Happy screamed for his best friend before Wendy, Dealana and Happy were sucked into a green magic vortex, disappearing with a 'pop'.

➵

Happy, Wendy and a magically drained Dealana were tossed to the cave floor in what they could assume was the Oración Seis' temporary base. Fighting the fatigue, Dealana pushed herself up into a sitting position, seeing both Wendy and Happy next to her.

"Hey! Don't be so rough, she's just a little girl you know!" Happy shouted, waving his paw in a threatening manner. Hearing this, Dealana glanced back to see Wendy holding her upper arm, grimacing in pain. Brain reached out to snatch Happy, but Dealana scooted herself in front of the two grabbing Brain's wrist before it reached the blue cat.

"Don't touch him either," she met Brain's gaze with a glare. Brain nearly moved his arm to send her back to the ground with a small cry. Without enough magic power, it was much harder to protect her friends.

"Dealana!" Wendy exclaimed before looking to Brain begging, "Please don't hurt her!"

"Dealana, are you okay?" Happy questioned as he helped Dealana sit up again. She had a few scratches here and there. Her lightning lacrima gloves were cracked with no lightning inside, meaning she couldn't use them to get a boost in her magic power.

"I'm fine," she uttered, "we need to find a way out of here." she murmured, keeping Wendy and Happy behind her as the rest of the Oración Seis were gathered nearby, watching them.

"What's the deal? I don't get why these girls are so important." Racer remarked from where he sat, leaning against the rocky walls.

"Do they have something to do with Nirvana?" Cobra questioned.

"The one with dark-blue doesn't seem all that special to me," Angel commented.

"Is she worth money?" Hoteye asked excitedly, "You're going to sell her to the highest bidder, right? Oh, yeah!"

"You realize that cash isn't the answer to everything?" Cobra told him.

"Well I think it is because money can buy everything, even love!" Hoteye replied holding a hand over his heart.

Cobra scoffed rolling his eyes, "Oh, give me a break,"

"Wendy uses what's called sky magic. It gives her the power to heal others." Brain explained, looking over his shoulder at the other five.

"How's that even possible?" Racer gasped.

"Isn't it a lost magic?" Angel questioned.

"One of many practices forgotten long ago," Cobra realized. Hoteye looked over to the girls saying, "Oh, yeah! I can practically smell the money."

Dealana's jaw clenched, trying to hide Wendy behind her better as she could only produce a small spurt of icy mist before her magic sizzled out. She hated this feeling of not being able to do anything.

"Heh, what good is a healer to us? Not to mention the other one." Cobra questioned before he must've heard Brain's thoughts, "Wait? You don't mean––"

Brain raised his arm and the sound of his cloak flapping silencing Cobra. "They are the keys. With Wendy's power, we shall revive him!" he declared.

Him? Dealana observed the different expressions on the faces of the Oración Seis. Whatever was coming, whomever he was, probably wouldn't be a good thing for the Allied Forces. "Who are you talking about?" Dealana spoke up angrily.

"Look, if you're asking me to help you," Wendy spoke up in a brave voice, "Forget it! I'd never do anything for jerks like you!"

"Yes you will," Brain told her, "there's no doubt."

"No she won't," Dealana snapped back at him. She refused to let Wendy's power fall into their hands. Dealana was tired, confused, and overall angry at the situation, but she couldn't do anything but hope her anger would be enough to call upon a storm. She knew that her guildmates would recognize a storm of her doing, hopefully being able to follow it here.

"Once you find out who it is, you'll be happy to help," Brain said, ignoring Dealana as she grit her teeth. "Racer, bring him to me at once."

"Will do, boss. But it's so far that it'll take me an hour to get there and back." he informed.

"No matter," Brain told him.

"I see," Cobra began, "once he's revived, we'll be able to find Nirvana in no time. You're doing your name proud, sir. But I don't quite get the weather girl." he told the leader smirking at Dealana. He could hear her trying to formulate various escape plans.

"The power of the Tempest is great," Brain replied, "once found, she is capable of unlocking Nirvana's magic."

"Like I'd do that for you," Dealana growled, but her angry comments went ignored by Brain again.

"Cobra, Hoteye, Angel I want you to continue the search for Nirvana." Brain instructed.

"But why?" Angel inquired, her voice sickeningly soft. "It's a waste of time. We should begin the search after he's been revived."

"Any of you jerks want to tell us who he is?" Dealana questioned, "Who the hell are you trying to bring back? Don't tell me you guys used to be Oración Siete."

Cobra almost laughed. This brat was certainly feisty, even when she had no physical strength. She figured she could make them angry enough with her in order to keep them away from Wendy and the cat, Happy.

"I would prefer to air on the side of caution," Brain told Angel, "Midnight and I will remain here."

"Something tells me he won't make very good company," Hoteye remarked.

"Alright you guys, guess we better get going," Cobra said scratching underneath Cubellios' head.

"Take the Tempest with you, Cobra." Brain said suddenly making Dealana move closer to Wendy and Happy immediately saying, "That ain't going to happen, bud!"

"Yeah, I'm not so sure I want to babysit a brat." Cobra agreed.

"It'll be more incentive for Wendy to help us, and if any of you happen to locate Nirvana, she'll be able to grant us its power quicker." Brain explained. "Her emotions can summon storms, no doubt she has already begun trying to use that to reveal our location to her allies."

"And her on the move keeps them away," Cobra finished with a smirk.

"You're forgetting the part where I said I wouldn't help you." Dealana snapped.

"You're forgetting the part where you don't have a choice," Cobra retorted before Angel yanked the girl's forearm and shoved her in Cobra's direction. She stumbled before standing up with clenched fists, her movement limited. She turned around to face Brain with an important question.

"At least tell me what does Nirvana do," Dealana said to Brain looking at him straight in the eyes with a stormy glare. Dealana felt a shiver down her spine at the evil gleam in Brain's eyes.

"It's incredibly powerful. It swaps light for darkness." he revealed causing Dealana's eyes to widen. She met Happy and Wendy's fearful gazes saying, "Don't do anything for them. Happy, keep her safe!"

Cobra scoffed and grabbed the hood of her maroon hoodie and proceeded to drag her out of the cave, her warnings to Wendy and Happy being lost in the sound of rushing water.

Let me go, ya jerk!" Dealana huffed, trying to tug herself out of Cobra's grasp. Cubellios hissed in her direction and Dealana hissed back. She wasn't afraid of the purple snake, she was raised by a dragon with the power of storms not many reptiles scared her. She also knew Cobra wouldn't have his snake companion poison her until they unlocked Nirvana and were ready to get rid of her.

Cobra released Dealana's hood and she almost tripped before managing to catch herself with a huff. The sky was a dark grey, storm clouds brewing in the sky. However, Dealana's limbs felt like lead and she wanted nothing more than to take a nap with how drained her magic energy was. Her anger towards the Oración Seis wouldn't be enough to overpower her exhaustion meaning it would take longer for her storms to take shape.

Focusing instead on trudging alongside Cobra and Cubellios, Dealana began to figure out any ideas as to what she could do in this kind of situation, besides hoping that Wendy wouldn't be forced to do what Brain wanted.

Cobra smirked, listening to all the useless plans the Storm Dragon Slayer tried coming up with. It was amusing to him that she believed the Allied Forces still had a chance against them. Her stormy mind was a whirlwind of emotion, thoughts, and memories both good and bad. Not to mention she had snark. Cobra figured he would almost feel guilty over killing her when Nirvana was finally theres. At least that what he was starting to think until she began singing the same song on repeat in her head.

"Sho - be - do - bap!"

➵

That last bit? Couldn't help myself. Anyways, this was shorter than the previous Oración Seis arc chapters, but it begins the dynamic between Cobra and Dealana as well as continues the Wendy Protection Squad stuff. Any theories?

Also, because I think too much about things sometimes, I happened to remember that the Daphne Arc is next. Granted, the Oración Seis arc is far from over with Dealana, heck, we've only gotten started, I was just wondering about how I could completely ruin Dealana's life with that arc. I mean, Gray betrays them, unintentionally handing Dealana over to a mad scientist lady and we know what happens when Dealana loses control over her emotions. And maybe she goes on a blind rampage or something and the Magic Council gets involved...there's so much to explore...or I could just like, not...what do y'al think?