{REIKI'S POV}
I expect to be pulled back to the beginning of the memory and relive it again. Isn't that how Mato-kun said the hallucinogen would kill me?

I'm forcibly dragged away from the memory into a different plane. This space is dark and empty as far as the eye can see. I appear to be walking on water. I don't know how deep it is, but I can't see the bottom. Perhaps it's endless. When I step forward, my foot creates ripples underneath me.

My left leg crumples as searing pain floods my mind, in tidal waves of stabbing needles. I'm no longer inside a hallucination. Where am I then?

"Relax, will you? You're inside your own body."

That awful raspy voice is actually speaking instead of telepathically piercing my mind.

I turn. Just like his voice, the snake is more corporeal now. He's still made of pure magic power. But it's been condensed so far that it's surpassed mist or liquid state and has reached solid state.

"Apophis." Anger flares rather than fear. I'm proud of myself for that.

"Now now, mortal boy. Calm yourself. Is that any way so speak to an old friend?"

"You're no friend of mine."

"How cruel, after we've been through so much together. I had nothing better to do as I broke down your shabby seals, you see. I've been watching this world through your eyes." His tongue flicks. "So many tasty morsels here."

"Why are you here? Why now?"

"Isn't it obvious? All seven seals have fallen." If a snake could smile, I'm sure Apophis does. "I'm free."

I tense, preparing for a rematch. I try, but I can't use magic in this realm. It's my subconscious, I guess.

Apophis laughs, a snarly laugh. "Don't get worked up, mortal boy. I want revenge, but I'll deliver it to you and the mortal girl together, privately."

"I was right. You'd rather fight us alone." I glare at Apophis. "Coward. I'm warning you, we've both gotten a lot stronger. I swear to Mavis that I'm gonna kill you for everything you put Lexi through!"

Apophis hisses angrily. "I'll devour you, then I'll devour everything except the ones you love. They'll be alive to despair for their miserable lives as this world falls apart around them."

I smirk. "But I thought we were little bugs you could easily stomp? You're getting awfully worked up over a couple of worthless insects."

Apophis snarls. "Watch yourself, mortal boy. I was going to save your sorry excuse of a body to extend my fun, but you're trying my patience."

I'm taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"The seven seals have broken." Apophis says slowly, like he thinks I'm stupid. "Not only am I free to run rampant, so is your magic power that's been sealed with me. And it's grown. As you trained, all of your magic power increased, not just the unsealed portion. Additionally, it's been trapped in here with me. Not only has your magic power gained a chaotic attribute, it has grown exponentially faster than your little girlfriend with her magic power source. I'd say your magic power levels are roughly equal now, and they'll increase at the same rate even after I leave. You have become a magic power source."

And all that magic power has been unsealed at once and will expand, likely causing destabilization similar to what happened with Lexi.

Brilliant.

I need to get back. Everyone's probably worried about me, plus I really don't want my heart to explode. I close my eyes and concentrate. I can feel a swell of magic power. Hard to believe it's mine.

"Enough." I mutter. "Enough already!"

{LEXI'S POV}
Reiki is still as a statue, sitting in the center of the arena. The Fear Reapers have been latched to his arms for five minutes and no one has made a peep since. We wait with bated breath.

"Well," Chapati says. "The Fear Reapers have caught him in their hallucinations, which are twice as potent since there are two. This means that Reiki Fernandes has lost to the S-class monster."

People in the audience boo and groan.

"Wait a minute!" I challenge loudly. "Reiki said he's going to overcome the hallucinogen and I believe in Reiki! You gotta give him a chance!"

"Yeah!" Audience members agree.

"We can't risk Reiki's health over something so insubstantial. Without proof that he can indeed overcome the hallucination on his own—"

All over the arena, people gasp. Nero points up and shouts. "What's that then?"

Reiki's eyes are open. And they're blue.

That's the blue I remember. Blue like they were before Reiki's magic power was sealed along with the snake—I can't keep avoiding his name—Apophis, to save my life. A single tear treks down his cheek.

"Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha-What's this?!" Chapati yells incredulously. "I've never seen anything like it! Is Reiki really able to fight off the hallucinations of two Fear Reapers?! He could win it all!"

Reiki's eyes are watery, but no more tears fall. All is silent for the next five minutes. He stares forward, unseeing, and his mouth suddenly begins moving.

"Is he trying to say something?" Chapati wonders. A microphone lacrima whizzes close to Reiki's face so we can hear him struggle to control his vocal folds.

"E-E—" Reiki slowly frowns. A spark of life enters his eyes. "Enough. Enough already!"

What happens next is absolute chaos. A swirling blue birthmark reforms around his right eye as a sphere of pure magic power explodes from Reiki.

The Fear Reapers are obliterated. One second they're latched onto Reiki's arms and the next, not even dust remains. Pandemonium caves in on itself as the roof and everything near the sphere is demolished to dust. We hear a deafening boom as the force field protecting the audience instantly shatters. Everybody is buffeted by tempest whirlwinds.

Nero grabs Diana and shields her, while both Emilia and Rum grab Gianna. They're thrown back as a group. Emilia forms wind barriers around herself and all the other competitors, who are closest and in the most danger from Reiki's rampaging magic.

Our magic power has grown tremendously in the past nine years, so this sphere is far larger than the one that I was trapped in.

Seven heavily damaged symbols orbit Reiki's magic power sphere in a ring. It almost looked like the symbols were forcefully torn through his skin when he woke up. One by one, the characters for the seven deadly sins shatter and disappear completely, causing Reiki's magic power sphere to increase size and spiral further out of his control.

Reiki's eyes and birthmark glow blue with power. He floats in the center of the churning magic sphere.

"This is Reiki's magic power without the seal?" I wonder aloud. I should be scared of it. Hell, I should be running in the opposite direction. But I've never been afraid of Reiki.

His magic power is as beautiful as it is deadly, the same nostalgic blue as his eyes.

I'm worried about Reiki. I want—more so, I need—to be here to help him in the same way he helped me. Reiki writhes in pain, but the sphere shrinks slightly. Then it shrinks more. I have hope that he'll be able to quickly reign in his magic power.

Everything goes completely wrong.

Reiki is badly injured. All those lacerations he got from Pandemonium begin to glow blue and elongate, splitting outward. Within seconds, Reiki's body is terribly cracked and wounded.

He lets out a pained cry as pure magic power is released even faster, exiting his body through the cracks in his skin. It tears through him on its way out. I wince, remembering how much it burned.

Just how much magic did the Seven Sins Seal store? All the blue cracks glow brighter as more magic power leaks out. It's as if he has an endless supply.

Two things are clear to me and the wizards within Domus Flau: 1) the Seven Sins Seal broke and 2) it was actually keeping Reiki alive.

No matter how hard Reiki tries, he'll never be able to condense this much magic into his human shell. It'll break him like my magic threatens to break me.

"Reiki!" I scream, climbing over the railing to reach him. I'm hit with a wave of unstable magic from Reiki and my own magic power destabilizes in response. Starting at the tips of my outstretched fingers that are closest to Reiki, glowing yellow lichtenburg cracks spread up my arm rapidly.

I yowl, almost falling off the railing to the stands thirty feet below, but my focus is on Reiki. Who cares what happens to me?! I need to get to Reiki!

Without warning, I'm picked up and thrown over someone's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Uncle Natsu hauls me towards the exit.

"Get her as far away from here as you can!" Dad orders Uncle Natsu, who nods seriously.

"Happy, Carla!" Uncle Natsu calls on the exceed.

"Come on, Tomcat!"

"Aye sir!" Husband and wife oblige, picking us up. We fly in the wrong direction. No! Reiki is that way!

"Let me go! Reiki! I have to help Reiki!" I shriek desperately. I punch Uncle Natsu with my cracked fist. The cracks multiply, but my leaking magic power surges through Uncle Natsu and the exceed, a numbing shockwave that forces them to drop me. Happy flies into a wall. I race back through the hallways to the Fairy Tail guild box.

Uncle Natsu catches me again by wrapping his arms around me from behind. "You can't help Reiki now. Don't you see your arm? You'll only create more problems if you go back."

"Reiki!" I shriek and bite Uncle Natsu's forearm so hard I draw blood. He jumps, his grip loosening. I weasel out of Uncle Natsu's hold again and sprint back to the guild box where I can see Reiki.

Chaos is in the stands as the audience runs for cover. A shadow falls over the arena. The shadow of a familiar giant snake.

A sliver of ice slides down my spine.

Apophis lifts his shadowy head. Seven glowing circles appear in a ring around Reiki, each containing a character pertaining to one of the cardinal sins. Apophis is casting a Seven Sins Seal on Reiki.

The seven circles fade and Reiki's magic power is sucked back inside him, sealed once more alongside Apophis. His blue eyes morph back to maroon and his blue swirling birthmark, which I now realize is a special benign manifestation of magic power running near the surface of his skin (similar to the glowing cracks but less malignant), fades.

Without any magic power to keep himself afloat, Reiki drops like a rock, fainting from the stress. It takes all of Mom, Aunt Erza, and Uncle Natsu to block me from jumping into the arena to stop him from hitting the rubble of Pandemonium. I think my static magic is activating without my consent and shocking them, but I only care about Reiki right now.

Nero leaps up and catches Reiki for me, thank Mavis. Emilia guides the wind to float them to safety.

We all stare at Reiki's still form anxiously. Then, very slowly, the cracks on his skin begin knitting themselves together. His eyes flutter open.

"Reiki Fernandes has done it! He's actually done it! Against all odds, Reiki beat every monster for a shut out victory! I don't believe my eyes!" Chapati yells.

Everyone celebrates louder than I've ever heard.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
R.I.P Backstory Bunnies, who were born because I needed an S-class monster and I just finished watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail with my dad.

Also, yes I have pilfered the big baddie from Egyptian mythology. Sue me. I blame the Kane Chronicles. Rick Riordan is one of my top favorite authors of all time.