Prologue: As The Ocean Dyes In Red, As The World Fell in Darkness, There's always The Guidance Of The Stars
Red.
The endless color of red stretches as far as the eye can see. The once glamours night sky, filled with tiny jewels and a luminous pearl immersed with smoke and the reflection of crimson.
Smoke filled within the areas, as rumbles and stones topple down from once an exquisite architecture. Sea of flames burns passionately covering the ground, as bodies become one as mountains, reaching high to the illusional heaven, as others fallen down to the face of hell. Swords sheath deep into the bloody soil as it awaits its decaying master. The fire burns, as it continues to consume its victim.
The sky is sleeping as tears have fallen, voices have cried, yet time can't be returned, especially on a battlefield.
A sound of footstep walks through the battlefield. A walking corpse drenched in crimson color, filled with scars and bruises. And most of all, a tattered sleeve covered in red, with the wind blowing harshly as only the sleeve and the flowing blonde hair fly with the wind. The eyes of the corpse lost its light but still continues to wander as it follows the voices of the dead.
"Where are you?" The walking corpse cries in sorrow. "Where are you?"
The walking corpse continues to repeat and wanders through the battlefield.
"Where are you?!" The sorrowful cries shed a crimson tear. "Natsu! Gray! Happy! Levy! Gajeel! Juvia! Wendy! Everyone!"
The echoes vibrant the battlefield. As there's only cries and death can answer the corpses' call. "Natsu!"
The corpse shrieks for one more time, to hear the voice that it wants to hear. But as the time and time again, there's only silence that greets the walking corpse. The crimson tears shed a waterfall, as there's no one answered its call.
"Where are you?!" The corpse continues to wander, as tears continue to shed "Don't..leave me."
Location: Worth Woodsea
The cities continue to cry day after day, night after night. Times passes before anyone knew it.
"Sister!" shouted a girl happily as her tiny hands hold a blue iris flower towards a female with long, blonde hair along with white bandage wrapped around her head, with her fragile back facing the girl sitting on a boulder wearing a black cloak. Along by her side, was a man dressed in black with orange hair, like the color of the sun.
The girl wears a simple pink dress, has deep blue hair tied up in low pigtails, to match her cuteness, as it also portrays her bright, shimmering amber eyes.
Upon hearing a sweet, brimming voice the female turned around. The female turned around, as it shows the white bandage wrapped around her eye area, and showing her pale complex and a scar that runs from the corner of her right cheek that stopped once it almost reached to her bandage. Her body is covered in thick layers of black coat, as her arms were covered, as her feet can be seen, as only wearing open-toed sandals.
The man beside her, also looked towards the direction of the little girl, as it reveals a man wearing a bright red tie to match his outfit and astonishing handsome face, with blue shades covering his eyes. With his spiky orange hair, shooting out every direction, framing his face, as there are pairs of strands sitting on top of his head, being vaguely reminiscent of animal ears.
"Nadia." said the young woman, as her voice was so fragile yet sweet at the same time. "What are you doing here?" The woman slightly tilting her head to the right and have a small smile on her face.
"Here!" said Nadia holding up the flowers towards the woman. "It's for you!"
Even with her sight covered with bandages, the woman let out a smile and sensed Nadia holding a flower in her hands. A sense of a tiny bit of magic in it. She left her left hand and reached towards the mystical flower.
"What flower is this, Nadia?" asked the woman curious.
"Iris!" answered Nadia proudly. "It's a blue iris!"
Upon hearing Nadia's response, the woman once again smiled, as the man in the suit walked towards Nadia bending his knees as his eyes are met with amber eyes. He smiles at Nadia and ruffled her hair as Nadia looked at him with a big smile.
"Thank you, for the gift." said the woman with a very gentle voice, as it almost broke the man in black suit's heart.
After a few minutes of talking with Nadia, Nadia was then called out by a boy who is slightly older than her. Similar feature appearance as Nadia, but he has short spiky hair and just wearing a simple white shirt and pants, waving and shouting at Nadia's name.
Nadia waved goodbye to the two people, with the woman using her left hand as the man used his right. The man watched the two children faded away from his sight, before returning his eyes back to the woman who already has her head turn forward, feeling the gentle breeze rushing towards her face. As her left hand still holds the blue iris.
" Do you know what blue iris symbolize, Loke?" asked the woman, as her voice is as gentle as before.
Loke smiled at the woman and replied, "Iris itself symbolize royalty, faith, wisdom, hope, and valor." He continues, "Yet, when it comes to blue in general, it symbolizes hope."
The woman smiled, "That's correct." Her voice seems almost shattering to Loke's ears. "It symbolizes...hope." As right she finished it, her body trembles. "Hope." Her bandage shows a taint of wetness from her eye area.
Loke saw the woman in front of her breaking down, he quickly acts and embraced her from the front. He wrapped his right hand on her thin waist and the other caressing her smooth, blonde hair. He tightens his brace. " Don't lose hope, Lucy. We are here for you."
With those words, Lucy silently cries in the arms of her beloved friend.
Moments has passed, as Lucy can feel the warmth of the sun dies down. She didn't know how long she was in Loke's arms, as they can only hug in silence.
"Thank you, Loke," Lucy said as she has her head buried in Loke's left shoulder.
"Anytime, princess. Anytime," replied Loke as he gently placed a kiss on Lucy's hair. "Let's go back to the others." Pulling away from the hug, and seeing Lucy nodded her head in a response.
Location: Worth Woodsea (Woodsea Village)
"We don't have a girl name, Lucy!" Shouted an elderly man. "And even if we do, we won't hand her over to you disgusting, bloodthirsty murders!" He slammed his cane, as it makes contact with the dirt.
The crowd behind him angrily agreed.
"You mere humans dare defy us?!" Barked a girl with midnight hair that nearly touches the ground, and two horns appeared on the side of her head, with brimming, sharp crimson eyes.
"Demons or not, gods or not, enemies or not!" The elderly man slammed his cane down once more, "You don't rule over us! And I'll say this again! Even if there is a girl named Lucy, I won't hand you over, as families don't betray their own!"
"Families, huh." said girl as her voice darkens, as she begins to unsheath her swords that was resting beside her right waist, as the blade shines mirroring the crowd. Yet as even when the sword is drawn, the group didn't even quiver a single bit.
"Scare us if you have too, torture us if you have too, kill us if you have too! ." stated the elderly man standing straight and tall, "Our answer is still the same!"
The crowd cheered once more.
Then a laugh is heard, causing the crowd to face their attention to a child boy with short, deep lavender hair and the same crimson eyes, and bat-like wings attached to his tiny back.
"I have never, ever seen this idiotic human before!" said the boy as he smirked, "Enough talking Alice if they don't give us the girl, let's take it by force!" His eyes glow deep red, "Let's play!"
Location: Worth Woodsea (Forest)
Tiny, small footstep is heard, rhythm with beats and motion.
"Loke," Lucy quietly said.
Loke walking beside Lucy hummed in response as his eyes glanced towards Lucy.
"I was wondering if there is a thing called hope." Lucy continues, as her left hand held the blue iris. "Like, does it still exist within the present we are in today?"
Loke let out a silent sigh through his nose and plays a smile on his lips to make his voice sound a bit joyous. "In my opinion, there is." He continues, "Even if the world seems to end, in the darkest day or darkest night there's always light guiding the lost lambs way."
Loke continues as he stares at the night sky, "Just like the stars that are in the sky."
"Stars?"
"That's correct princess." said Loke, "Remember how when the night came along, there will always be the moon and the stars glittering in the sky?"
Lucy nodded in response.
Upon Loke seeing Lucy's response, he continues as he let out a smile. "Well, that's the light. The light that the moon and stars give us, is the hope that shines in the darkness."
Lucy smiled at Loke's response, "Is that so?"
"Are you doubting me, Princess?" questioned Loke
"Maybe," answered Lucy, as she still has a small smile on her lips.
"Hey! I may not be a genius but I am s-" Loke's words were cut off as a scream echoed in the forest.
Lucy and Loke's movement suddenly came to a halt as another thrilling scream echoes as it reaches to their ears.
"That's..!" Without further ado, Lucy starts sprinting into actions, running towards where the screams coming from.
"Lucy!" Shouted Loke chasing after Lucy, as Lucy was then tripped by a rock and fell face down to the dirt ground. Loke quickly acts and rush towards Lucy's side pulling her up.
"That, that voice!" Said, Lucy, as her face showed grief and worry, "That's Sara's voice! "Something is happening within the village!"
Lucy then grip tightly on Loke's hand with her left hand, "Loke!"
Loke already understood what Lucy wants and starts carrying her bridal style. "Hold tight!" With that comment, Lucy's left arm wrapped tightly around Loke's neck as Loke starts making a mad dash towards the scream.
Yet, the closer they got, Lucy felt something inside of her twist and turned as Loke's shoulders became tensed.
"This feeling, Loke its!"
"I know, it's them," replied Loke as he gritted his teeth.
As the feeling that Lucy and Loke felt increased, also the feeling of warmth contacting on their skin came along. Follow by the smell of smoke, and the strong meal lingers in the air.
Lucy's grip around Loke's neck tightens even more as Loke can feel the uneasiness coming from her. And sooner or later, Loke's eyes were filled with a sea of flames as his feet came to a halt.
"Lok-e?" Questioned Lucy with a hint of concern, as she turns her head to the right as she was embraced with a tremendous amount of heat.
"Loke," said Lucy with a hint of anger and anxiety. "Put me down."
Yet, instead of listening to Lucy, he grips his hands tighter on Lucy's body.
"Put me down!" Barked Lucy as her emotions are becoming unstable.
Yet Loke once again didn't obey, as his views were fixed on the crimson sea of his former friends laying on the ground, with the fire devouring everything behind it.
With Loke unable to respond to Lucy's request, Lucy can only pull her away from Loke's chest, which caused her to stumble her landing and fell to her knees.
Loke stumbles a bit back as well. "Lucy!"
The moment Lucy fell to her knees, her left hand made a contact with a substance like water, with a strong smell of metal follows next.
Lucy's left-hand trembles, as she kept touching the substance desperately hoping that her guess was wrong. Until it made contact with a wrinkled, hand, emitting its last warmth.
"No no no no no!" cried Lucy as she scrambled towards the body and held it in her left arms. She held it tightly towards her chest, as she couldn't control her whimpers and sob.
While in Loke's eyes, Lucy was holding an elderly old man, bleeding out from his mouth as he kept the blank stares and unmoving body. Looking ahead of Lucy, was a sea of body drenched in crimson.
Loke then looked at the sky, with tiny jewels shimmering in light starts to fade, as the moon covered in smoke. And before he knew it, a single heart-wrenching scream resonates in the sea of flames.
Seven Months Later
"It's time, Lucy," said Loke with a gentle smile on his lips.
"I'll be going now, everyone," said Lucy as she placed a small smile on her lips, as her right hand reached out, covered in bandages, without letting a single skin exposed as she touched the wooden cross littered with blue iris in front and a stone plate, each engraved with names.
Lucy, now looked more womanly, as her blonde hair is longer with the edges shows the color of crimson. Her eyes are once more bandaged by the white cloth, as scar still remains the same on her face, including the black cloak she's wearing.
Lucy then finally let go of the grave and state, "I'll change everything, I promise."
And with that, Lucy turned around and walked towards Loke. And the moment she did, a gentle breeze came along, as a voice reached towards Lucy's ears, [Good Luck, Lucy!]
Lucy then stopped as she turned around back to the grave, where there stood no one, as there are only the grave and the blue iris. Lucy only smiled and replied, "Thank you."
"Lucy?" Question Loke as he noticed Lucy isn't walking anymore.
Lucy turned and face him as she slightly shakes her head. "It's nothing." And continues to walk towards Loke who waited for her to catch up.
"So, are you ready?" questioned Loke walking beside Lucy, with a hint of concern.
"Same goes to you." said Lucy, "Are you ready though?"
Loke lifts his right hand and ran through his hair, "I am a bit nervous."
Lucy chuckles, "You should be." She continues, "After all, this is the second time we are doing this. And let's pray that it will work." Her voice then dies to concern.
Loke noticed the tone and held Lucy's left hand, which caused her to stop in her track and faced towards Loke, as she tilts her head.
"We'll do fine. I know we can do this," replied Loke with confidence.
Lucy smiled at Loke's remark and squeezed her hand. "Of course, Loke."
And with that conversation, they continued to walk and talk for a while until they reached their destination. A golden grassland.
The gentle breeze blows on the grass as Loke and Lucy step into the mystical land.
"You ready?" Loke asked once again as he grips Lucy's hands tighter.
Lucy squeezed back once more and replied with confidence as she smiled, "As ready as I will ever be!"
"Then let us start." Exclaim Loke as Lucy nodded in agreement.
As Lucy raised both of her hands, and begin to chant:
Ερευνήστε τον Ουρανό, Ανοίξτε τον Ουρανό ...
Όλα τα αστέρια, πολύ μακριά...
Δείξε την εμφάνισή σου ...
Ω Χρόνος ...
Είμαι ο κυβερνήτης του χρόνου ...
Δεσμώτης της ζωής ...
Καθώς όλη η ζωή συναντά το τέλος τους και ξεκινά ένα νέο ...
Γι 'αυτό ανοίγω την κακόφημη πύλη σου με το τίμημα της ζωής μου
Η Πύλη του Χρόνου!
[Survey the Heavens, Open the Heavens...
All the stars, far and wide….
Show me thy appearance...
Oh, Chronos...
I am the ruler of time...
Bound by life...
As all life meets their end and begins a new...
So I open thy malevolent gate by the price of my life
The Gate of Time!]
As soon as Lucy finished, then a giant golden clock forms behind her as the hour hand begins ticking backward.
Ten
"It worked!." said Loke, surprised. "I can't believe that it actually works this time!"
Nine
Lucy can only smile as the hands continue to tick backward, but soon melted off " But the question is, how far am I actually going back?"
Eight
Loke saw the smile disappeared, as he then held Lucy's left hand, causing Lucy to snap her head. "Even if the time went back just a few days, weeks, months, or years, don't forget. Always think positive no matter what happens, as you can always try again."
Seven
"Yeah." Lucy smiled, "I can always try again, and again. Just remember not to lose hope."
Six
"That's my girl." Loke continues, "And even if you lost your hope,"
Five
"Remember to use the guidance of the stars," Lucy said, finishing off Loke's words, and smiled.
Four
Loke smiled at her words, as she still remembers it. Loke squeezes her left hand as his voice soft and gentle rub her finger with his thumb, "The journey will be hard, yet I want you to remember that" His voice almost seems broken, "even if I don't remember, I'll always be by your side."
Three
Hearing Loke's words, Lucy couldn't help and pull him into an embrace and hold him tightly as she could, and replied with a gentleness tone she could use, "I know you will, just like how you always have been."
Two
Loke embraced Lucy back. Embracing the warmth, before pulling away and spoke.
One
"Till we meet again, Lucy!" said Loke as tears were sliding down on his face.
"Till we meet again, my dear friend-Loke!" Lucy replied as she let out, for the first time, a beautiful, genuine smile.
July 2nd X784
Location: Town of Hargeon-Train Station
"Excuse me, Sir…?" Asked a train conductor with a worried face as he lightly touches his hat.
"Natsu, we're here! Hargeon!" Exclaim a blue cat leaning over the very young boy with spiky salmon colored hair, wearing a white, dragon scale like a scarf around his neck, as he is carrying a rolled up comforter on his back, as his face is slammed onto the wooden ground. He gently hit his head, as he repeats, "Get up! Get up!"
"I-is he okay?"Continued the train conductor as he can only sweat drop at the situation.
"Aye!" the blue cat immediately replied, raising its left arm in the air. "He's always got like this."
"I-I can't handle it," said Natsu, with his voice expressing pain and sickness, as tiny sweats forming on his head. "I-I'll never take the train again…." Right after he finished, he felt something twist inside of him, as he puffs out his cheeks, preventing himself to throw up.
"If the info is correct, 'Salamander' should be in this town." The blue cat said as he is already standing at the train door. "Let's go!" As he turns to Natsu, who is hanging on the window.
"L-let me rest for a bit." Answered Natsu.
Meanwhile, inside the train, the furnace opened as a worker holding the shovel tossed several coals into the furnace as it closed. While the other work pulls on the lever as it lets out a roar.
Upon hearing the sound, the black cat turned around, finding himself looking at Natsu who was still inside the train, crying for help, as the figure of the train slowly gets smaller.
"It departed," said the blue cat as he can only watch his friend suffering another hell ride.
Location: Town of Hargeon-Somewhere within the Town
"Eeeh?!" Exclaim a blonde girl, "There's only one magic store in this entire town?" Her tone of voice was filled with shock as if she couldn't believe her ears.
"Yes," said a male shopkeeper as he continues, "This town is more prosperous in fishing than magic, to begin with. Not even tenth of the people in this town uses magic, so this store specializes in selling to traveling wizards."
The blonde girl sigh, as she placed both of her hands on her hips, "I guess this was a total bust, then." Showing a disappointment in her tone.
"Now, now, don't say that. Please, have a look." said the shopkeeper as he starts searching behind his counter to impress the girl. "I have a lot of merchandise, you know."
He then pulled out a pink rectangular device and said, "How about this teleportation device?" He continues, "As long you just need to think of the place, you are immediately teleported there!"
The blonde girl raised an eyebrow and grab the device. "So, how does it work?"
"All you have to do is touch the middle panel while thinking of a place." The shopkeeper explained.
The blonde girl was interested in how it works, as she tried it out. Yet when the shopkeeper saw that, he immediately shouted, "Wait do-"
And before he can do anything, the blonde girl in front of her disappear along with the device, leaving only several keys attached together by a metal hoop where her original place is.
Location: Town of Hargeon- On Top of a Hill.
"It seems...peaceful." said a long, blonde girl wearing a black cloak, as she can hear the birds chirping in delight as the warmth sunlight bathed on her face, as she turned to her left, where she can't sense anyone's presence expect her own and questioned herself "I wonder, how far I went back." As her right hand placed against a nearby tree, as she uses her left hand reaching towards her bandage that wraps around her eyes, as she gently opens them, blinking a few times before her vision adjust her view, revealing deep chocolate eyes.
"This place is, Hargeon." said the girl in a black cloak with a bit of shock, as she held the bandage on her left hand, as a strong wind came along taking away the bandage. The girl was about to retrieve it, as it was out of her reach as it slowly flown towards Hargeon Town.
Location: Town of Hargeon- Somewhere within the Town.
"Damn, I ended up riding the train twice," complained Natsu as he staggers taking a step, along with the blue cat walking in two feet.
"You're so bad with transportation." said the blue cat
"Not to mention I'm starving...," added Natsu
"And we don't have money," added the blue cat.
And just then, something caught Natsu's eyes and grab it, as Natsu stop his track as his right-hand hold a white piece of cloth.
"Cloth?" Questioned Natsu as he tilted his head sideways, same goes for the blue cat.
Next Chapter: As There Is The Guidance of Stars, As There Is Thing Called Fate, It Always Leads To an Encounter That Starts It All