The Keys of Fate and the Celestial Empress!
Part 3 of Keys of Fate Series
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Fairy Tail franchise. I do not own any of the characters depicted apart from my own original characters, nor do I share any of the beliefs the characters in this story express. I am not profiting financially from the creation and publication of this story.
Team A
Lucy Heartfilia
Wendy Marvell
Erza Scarlett
Levy McGarden
Gray Fullbuster
Team B
Laxus Dreyar
Rogue (Ryos) Cheney
Jellal (Mystogan) Fernandez
Gajeel Redfox
Juvia Lockser
Setting: The Grand Magic Games Navel Battle!
Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail A Team, and Juvia Lockser of Fairy Tail B Team both volunteered for the Navel Battle competition on the Fourth Day of the Grand Magic Games. Their guild screamed encouragements down on them, while the crowd of spectators roared enthusiastically. They were still rowdy from Lucy's magnificent win against Raven Tails Flare.
They'd been locked away in time for years, yet the guild still loved Team Fate with all its heart. They were their strongest team after all. Mavis grinned while the Master rubbed his chin worriedly. One of the conditions about having two teams in the games was the two teams couldn't assist each other. And while he thought he did a good job separating lovers and mates, Juvia and Lucy had a whole different bond all together. Makarov had wanted to have FemaleVsMale Fairy Tail teams, but the rules said they needed at least one different gender on each team. And a certain silver haired demon had smiled and said she'd get angry.
Lucy and Juvia walked up to the sphere together, Lucy grinning and Juvia looking determined. As the presenter explained the rules Lucy blew a kiss to her mate, Laxus Dreyar the Lightening Dragon, who smirked ferally at her with possession as the crowd thundered and got hearts in their eyes.
"Dragon Boy's watching, and so your Gray. Let's win this thing Juvia!" Lucy beamed at her friend when she turned to face Gray with a small blush on her face. Juvia held back for so long her feelings for him, insisting it would get in the way of her love for Lucy-sama. But when Lucy saw the Ice Mage looking at Juvia with the same interest she sat her best friend down and explained that there are different types of love. Like how she adored her Lightning Dragon and yet also was completely devoted to her team.
Their first date was the S-Class exams, and by god was it an intense first date.
Lucy couldn't help but be in a good mood despite the worry. Last night she'd gone completely insane. She'd lost control, hearing the Celestial Mage Yukino's plight. And she'd taken her fury straight to Sabretooths door.
Lucy was worried about revenge for the damage, but the truth is she was just glad Yukino was now under their temporary protection, and the Games official's hadn't said anything about her one person vs an entire guild brawl.
As the mages dropped into the sphere of water, the presenter was introducing Lahar, Head Captain of the Custody Enforcement Unit. Lucy was familiar with him, since the whole thing with Jellal Fernandez. Even after using her magic to unpossess Jellal at the Tower of Heaven, and using her magic to make sure he never again hurt another person with evil in his heart, the Council still took issue with him. But Jellal disguised himself as a new Fairy Tail mage Mystogan, and was finally free to be with Erza. Her heart hurt for Erza just imagining that if it hadn't worked out between them he might never have been frozen in time with them at Tenrou Island. Team Fate had grown in numbers since they joined Fairy Tail, but the original bonds of devotion and loyalty were practices they still retained despite the new and old joining together as one.
With a determined glance Juvia and Lucy moved to opposite ends of the water. They knew they couldn't help each other, so they had to move away or they'd fall back into familiar patterns instinctively. With one last explanation of the rules, the bell rang.
It's been minutes since the battle started. But already it was a fierce fight. Minerva of Sabretooth, Juvia and Lucy had focused on the smaller prey first. One by one the other's screamed in surprised as they fell out. But it was as Lucy was dealing with the final weaker player that something so suddenly went wrong. Lucy didn't even turn around in time to see it, but her eyes widened as blood suddenly entered the water. Eyes stricken she had just enough time to see Juvia being kicked from her place suddenly at Lucy's back to out of the sphere. The entire arena held its breath as Lucy stared at her friend, and the Sabretooth bitch suddenly laughed.
"Silly girl. That was for you"
Lucy's eyes were hidden by her bangs as loud, worried yells from Fairy Tail tried to rouse the bloodied Juvia. Lucy could see a large, deep gash at her side. Blood oozed steadily, and the Celestial Mage was sure she could see bone. Gray was pounding on the barrier Master had in place in both teams area's to keep worried lovers and territorial mates from their loved ones battles.
Minerva laughed as she licked the blood from her hand, some sort of magical blade in her palm.
"Stupid little girls shouldn't get in the way. Pathetic trash"
The arena was as quiet as the grave as Lucy started to glow, the water in the sphere suddenly bubbling as the Celestial Mage screamed:
I am the Celestial Empress,
The Conquer of Fate,
The Light in the Dark,
I am the Ruler of Stars,
Open, the Gate of Vengeance! Cetus!
Shrieks of terror from around the arena as unexpectedly a hideous, enormous deep sea predator appeared. Teeth as big as Lucy herself. It curled around its Master comfortingly before it descended on Minerva. There were cries of fear everywhere, Fairy Tail pale as Lucy unleashed her most dangerous, and secret, Celestial Spirit. Cetus almost filled the entire sphere with his eel like body and multiple fins. And as suddenly as he struck, Minerva was screaming and falling out of the sphere.
But it was as the announcer was yelling Lucy was the winner, with Sabretooth getting zero, that Minerva's screams of pain turned to ear-piecing wails of terror. Nobody in the arena so much as breathed as Minerva, with unseeing eyes clutched her arm as she went totally ballistic, seemingly in unbearable, terrible pain. Healers and officials, as well as Sabretooth's team tried to reach her but she was completely wild, violently twisting in agony.
"Explain this!" one such enemy team member yelled up to Lucy as she hovered still in the water, her Cetus wrapped around her and hissing in malicious laughter. She said nothing. Just stared at Minerva with cold, unfeeling eyes.
Lahar suddenly spoke up, still in absolute shock, his words coming out in a rush "it's been hundreds of years since a Celestial Mage held the Keys of Fate, but from our history books it tells of a Spirit that's saliva, even touching his massive fangs, can cause hallucinations of unbearable anguish of the body being dissolved alive by acid".
Cries of horror, as everyone looked at the Celestial Mage who so suddenly seemed so dangerous. Lucy dismissed Cetus after one more comforting rub against his scales, people watching flinching back in revulsion at how she could pet something so malicious, so hideous with calm affection, completely unafraid.
She exited the sphere, looking like the queen that she is and stood watching Minerva before she reached down and lifted the still unconscious and bleeding Juvia gently into her arms as the Fairy Tail teams suddenly converged on her location to stand at her back supportively.
The camera lacrima abruptly focused on her face as she looked at it coldly, her power still illuminating her from the inside out "nobody gets away with hurting my Nakama".
One by one mages around the country watching the games took one look into her eyes and vowed never to cross the mages of Fairy Tail.