Chapter 1: A Red Box
AN: When you start reading Belias' parts try placing it with the voice of Hughes from Fullmetal Alchemist.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Final Fantasy. Those belong respectively to Hiro Mashima and Square Enix.
July 21st, 777
It was raining again. It always felt like it was raining without her here. His beloved wife gone. Damn her magic, damn her family and those foolish instructions. Then that woman had the gall to show up seven days late. He had only barely restrained himself from strangling the woman. Grammi was fortunate that she had a daughter of her own. Promises to Layla or not, nothing less than the thought of leaving another small child without her mother kept him from killing the woman himself.
Jude Heartfilia was truly unfamiliar with this feeling of loss. The years since leaving Love and Lucky had been nothing but amazing for the man. Good fortune seemed to follow every venture that Jude and Layla sought to accomplish. At times it felt like opportunities just fell from the sky. They had quickly become one of the wealthiest businesses in all of Fiore. Yet all of that success was shadowed by this loss. To have Layla back he would give it all back, all the wealth, all the success and prestige they had earned. They had earned this life together and it all felt so worthless without her here.
Glancing out the window to the grounds below Jude spotted his young daughter in the garden. It appeared she was screaming at her doll. Lucy had been inconsolable for the past two weeks. She had lashed out at almost everyone. No one wanted to explain why her mother had left her. The poor girl felt betrayed. Jude loved his daughter and Lucy loved her father but everyone knew that Lucy was closer to her mother than anyone else. Seeing his daughter with her eyes puffy and red, crying in the rain was just another dagger in his already shredded heart. Seeing Lucy leave the doll and stomp back in from the rain, Jude decided to see if there was anything he could do.
Lucy was so angry and tired. She had spent the whole day doing her best to get someone to explain why her mother had died. No one had been able to look her in the eyes and she knew they were lying. Mommy always said that lying was wrong but everyone seemed to be doing it. Lucy missed her, missed her so much. Mommy always helped her with anything she needed, she taught Lucy everything she knew, and she always tucked her in at night. Oh Spetto made sure she had anything she needed but it wasn't the same.
"I just want mommy. But she's gone and I want her so bad. Mommy always read me stories and told me about her spirits and made everyone happy. Why did she have to leave me?"
Lucy rubbed at her eyes as fresh tears began to fall down them. They were raw at this point and sore. Lucy wanted so badly for her mother to come around the corner and tell her everything would be alright.
*sniffle* "I wish someone would hold me, I don't wanna walk, I'm tired and hungry and I just want … just want mommy."
Breaking into a sobbing fit Lucy fell onto her knees and cried. She sat there in the hallway holding onto herself as she shook. Before long a worried Spetto found the poor child and picked her up. Holding the despondent little girl close Spetto carried the young mistress back to her room. Placing Lucy into bed and tucking her in Spetto rubbed the poor girl's back as she cried herself to sleep.
After a few moments Spetto walked out of the room to retrieve some ointment for the poor girl's eyes and some soup for when she woke up. Not even halfway down the hall she was stopped as Master Heartfilia came around the corner.
"Is she awake?" Jude was a practical man but he loved his wife and daughter. Now Lucy was all that he had left of Layla and he would try to show he cared.
"Not at the moment Master Heartfilia. I was on my way to get some food for little Lucy for when she wakes up."
Spetto knew her Master wasn't an adept family man but it was obvious he was trying even as he did his best to cope with his own feelings of loss. It seemed to be an uphill struggle to the staff. Lucy had lost her mother and would occasionally lash out as her frustration and sadness could not be held back any longer. Jude was completely out of his depth and it was obvious. Layla had been the one to sooth any tears or help Lucy work through her problems.
"Ah good… good. I'm just going to check on her until you get back." Spetto gave a bow as Jude walked by and continued making her way back to the kitchen.
On her way Spetto contemplated the final task her late mistress had set her. The keys weighed heavily in her pocket with every step she took. She knew that Miss Layla had spent so much time with Lucy telling her about the spirits and explaining the magic behind them.
Lucy loved hearing about the spirits, about the magic that let a wizard bring friends from another world. Of course Miss Layla made everything sound so wonderful to her daughter. She had of course informed Lucy of the dangers associated with summoning the spirits but the smile on Miss Layla's face and the warmth that flowed from her when she talked about her spirits left such an impression on young Lucy.
But …. was it right to give little Lucy the keys after all that had happened. After seeing the state that Miss Layla's magic reduced her to Spetto was reluctant to give her daughter access to the same kind of power. Oh she knew that it was important to Miss Layla and that Miss Lucy had been looking forward to learning how to be just like her mother but Spetto didn't want to lose another loved one to something that she just didn't understand. Magic could be wonderful, making lives easier, bringing dreams to fruition, and safeguarding the kingdom. But it could also be ugly, dark guilds committed crimes using their magical skills, monsters made from black arts in days long past occasionally awoke and wreaked havoc before they could be dispatched, and cults worshipping old gods would seek out those with magical power for who knows what.
All of this could be found from simply reading a newspaper every once in a while. Who knew what really awaited an upcoming wizard out in the wide world. Miss Lucy would undoubtedly leave the estate someday seeking to live out her own tales of wonder to match those of her mother's.
"But do I want that sweet girl to brave that world? Do I have that right? I love the girl but she isn't my daughter. Giving Lucy these keys would be setting her on a path that would undoubtedly see her in dangerous situations. Her head is so full of the stories her mother told her that I don't doubt that she would run headfirst towards trouble." The grim thoughts swirled around in Spetto's mind as she filled a small bowl with soup.
Jude Heartfilia looked at his daughter with sorrow. She was almost the spitting image of her mother. He brushed her hair as she slept, a small frown crossed his face. It was painful looking at anything that reminded him of Layla. Unfair as it was his own daughter just made him want to cry. The dampness in the corner of his eyes made it clear to him that he had stayed log enough. Standing Jude looked around the room. So many things in here had the touch of Layla. A blanket on the chair, a brush by the mirror, the book on the dresser. So many reminders of the wonderful woman that had left them behind. It was suffocating. He had work to do anyways.
"I have work to do. I can't be stuck crying in my daughter's room. I will keep this estate in working order. That's what I can do for Layla and for Lucy." Jude left the room intending to return to his study.
Coming down the hall Spetto spotted Master Jude. She stopped a moment in the hallway waiting for a moment for her Master to meet with her.
"Yes Spetto what is it?" Jude was looking at the concerned expression on his servant's face.
"Master Jude I have given it some thought and I feel like I should tell you that Mistress Layla gave me a final request that I feel conflicted over." Spetto wrung her hands frowning as she began her uncertain discussion.
"Why exactly would you feel conflicted over ANY request my late wife gave you?" Jude was rather irate. He was already rather emotional from his time with Lucy and the fact that one of his servants had the gall to ignore a request of Layla was infuriating.
"It was not my intention to disobey but I feel that her instructions might hurt Lady Lucy." Spetto was shaking. She didn't want to anger Master Jude any further.
"Mistress Layla asked me to give Lady Lucy these to her when she had passed." Spetto pulled out two golden keys. One held a smooth urn like shape with what looked like two u's at its base and the other had a rounder base with segments and a symbol resembling the number sixty nine.
Jude's anger vanished and was quickly replaced with horror. He recognized the keys in her hand. Two of Layla's most used Zodiac Keys, Aquarius and Cancer. It filled him with dread just looking at those keys. Those two keys had played a part in Layla's passing. How much he was unsure of but he knew that they played a part.
"Layla wanted to give those awful things to Lucy! Why? Why would she possibly want to burden our child with those monsters!?" The tables had turned as now it was Jude that was shaking.
He wasn't certain what to do. To give the keys to Lucy would mean to allow magic into her, knowing full well that it was the cause of her mother's death. Undoubtedly she would love the things as much as her mother. He couldn't keep her safe in that world and he refused to lose his daughter to the same thing as his wife.
"I will take those. Lucy will not suffer the same end as her mother. I will see to it that these keys find new homes far from here." Taking the keys Jude turned to return to his study. It seemed he had an important task to accomplish before he returned to his work.
"Oh and Spetto let all the servants know that anything of Layla's and anything related to magic are to be boxed and placed in the attic or into the basement."
"What of Bero, Master Jude?" Spetto was worried about her old friend. She hadn't intended to cause trouble, she just wanted to keep Lady Lucy safe.
"….. He has been a hard working servant of the Heartfilia estate and his efforts will not go unrewarded. Tell Bero that he has one month to find a new place to live he will be given a monthly allowance for six months. Should he wish to continue working for the Heartfilia estate I will see to it that he is employed appropriately. But I will not allow him to continue to live here and give Lucy more tutelage and hope for a life that I refuse to see come to pass." With that he walked away to work on keeping these things out of his daughter's grasp.
As Jude rounded the corner Spetto held her hands together and prayed that Lady Layla would forgive her. She needed to find Aed and ask him to have his nephews help her move the necessary things to the attic and cellar but for now she would check on the young mistress.
A few weeks passed and things had grown more solemn in the Heartfilia estate. Bero had not taken kindly to the dismissal and had been furious with Spetto. The fact that she had given Miss Layla's keys to Master Jude was what really sent him into a fit. Last she had seen he had already packed his things and left claiming he would stay with family. Spetto felt bad about that but she couldn't help what had been done. For now the effort to pack up all of Miss Layla's things was ongoing. It seemed like every time they thought they had put away all of her things they would find more tucked away somewhere.
"Miss Layla always was a little bit of a hoarder. It was always at such odds with all of her inherent grace and kindness that no one ever complained though." Spetto thought to herself as she moved another box to the attic.
Lady Lucy had been silent for a while after she had asked why Beros had left. On top of that she didn't appreciate her mother's things being taken to the attic and cellar to be locked away. She stopped talking to Spetto and the other servants that helped to move away all of her mother's things.
Spetto sighed. "I do hope she'll forgive me."
Lucy Heartfilia was not having a good day. Mister Beros had left, her favorite books had been taken away, it was raining outside again, and all of the servants were busy. A number of them were even taking away Mommy's stuff. She was not happy with any of them for that. It felt like everyone was trying to forget her mother and made her so angry. Even all of the books on celestial magic were missing.
"Those were MY books! Mommy said so. She said that I was a celestial wizard and that I had to study hard to be a good friend to my spirits. Mister Bero is gone and now all of my books are gone as well. I can't find Mommy's keys either and no one wants to tell me where they are!" Lucy stomped through the halls getting angrier as she thought about her situation.
"I'm gonna go ask Daddy where Mommy's stuff is and where the keys are. He'll know, Daddy always knows how to get things." Lucy started her way towards her father's study.
Lucy hadn't spoken with her father for quite some time. He was always busy in his study now. Lucy wasn't supposed to go in when he was working but she hadn't seen her father in weeks. It shouldn't be a problem for her to pop in for a little while.
Opening the door to the study Lucy saw her father working at his desk. He was so absorbed in his work he didn't even notice her come in. She strode to the desk, a little happiness returning to her at seeing her father again.
"Daddy where's Mommy's stuff?" Lucy's voice startled the man before her. He had been busy trying to figure out how best to move some merchandise from one of the eastern fringes of Fiore to the capital.
Looking down at his daughter he frowned deeply. This was a discussion he had been hoping to avoid.
"Your mother's things are being placed into storage until they are needed further. Leaving them out takes up that much more room and makes more work for the servants." A flimsy excuse at best he hoped that Lucy would let the matter drop. As he turned back down to his work.
"Oh…. ok Daddy. Well do you think I could have the books on magic and mommy's keys? I need them to be a wizard like mommy right?" Lucy was a little confused. It shouldn't take that much more time to clean Mommy's things and the books that were missing were supposed to be hers.
Jude was beginning to become irritated. He was busy with important work and his daughter was bringing up issues that he felt no longer needed attention.
"No you don't need those books any longer. You are not going to be a wizard. You are the heiress to the Heartfilia estate. You don't have time to waste on foolish tricks. You will be a lady of nobility someday and you must learn to behave like one. Now I have work to do so you will have to find something else to do." The grip on his pen strengthening the longer the conversation went.
"Bu-but those are MY books! Mommy said I was born to be a wizard and that I could have her keys someday." Lucy was beginning to panic. She felt like her dreams were being crushed with every word her father spoke.
Jude rose to his feet in response to her outburst. "Young lady you will mind your voice while speaking to me! AM I UNDERSTOOD!?" Jude's voice raised in anger left Lucy trembling.
Father had never shouted at her before. Even when she came in while he was working he would just get up pat her on the head and walk her out. It was scary. He was scary. Even as he composed himself and sat back down
"That life is behind you. You had your fun with Master Bero. Now it is time to learn how to be a lady. Next week a tutor will arrive to educate you in everything you must know to survive in the world of Fiore's social elite. You will follow every instruction they give and you will not complain."
"But what about the keys, Mommy said I would make friends with –"
"THOSE DEMONS ARE NOT YOUR FRIENDS! THEY WEREN'T LAYLA'S FRIENDS EITHER!" Jude standing at his full height once more the now cracked pen leaked ink between his fingers.
Reaching for the handkerchief in his pocket he wiped his hand as best he could eyeing his now crying daughter as she sat on the floor shaking. He didn't have time for this.
"I have seen to it that you will never get your hands on those gods forsaken things. They have been sold to some wealthy collectors. We will never speak of them again. Now leave and do not enter my study unless there is an emergency." With that he returned to his work, ignoring the heartbroken girl leaving the room in tears.
Lucy ran from that awful room. From that awful man. That wasn't her father that was someone else. It had to be. Her father had never been so cruel. He would've never done those terrible things. She ran through the hallways, shaking, doing her best to breathe through the tears as she rushed to her place of solace.
The sunroom was small with shelves built on either side of the window. The view was high enough from the mansion to see far to the edges of the garden half of the estate. It was the place that Lucy loved most in the whole mansion. She remembered sitting here with her mother. Reading the books and talking about anything and everything. Dozing off in the sunlight in her mother's arms. So many wonderful memories were made in this room. Falling onto the small daybed in the room, Lucy clutched a pillow to her crying eyes.
"Why mommy? Why did he do that? I'm supposed to be a wizard. You were a wizard. You told me that I have magic in me. That I had to use my magic for the good of everyone. All the things I was supposed to see and places I was supposed to go. I wanted to be just like you. But now … *sniff* now I'll never be able to do any of that!" the pillow growing damp with the tears and snot of the little girl.
Having locked the door behind her Lucy didn't care who heard as she screamed into the pillow. She bit and thrashed as she cried to the heavens above and the rain that beat ever harder seemed to be in response. As the rain beat harder and Lucy threw her fit an ethereal glow spread around the young girl's body. It spread and filled the room, lighting every nook and cranny. Lucy was drawing in magic so quickly that it was almost solid. Her fists hitting the pillow over and over as the loss of her future dawned on her. AS her hands crashed over and over on the pillow her little knuckles swung an inch to far and grazed the hard wall behind the daybed. Pulling her hand back she hissed at her now bloody hand.
In that moment all of that magic drawn in by the young girl rushed to that small bit of blood on the stone wall. It spread like ink into shapes across the wall. Lucy watched as the wall before her was covered with symbols before collapsing into a shape. A door stood there, red with a small silver knob. Lucy had never seen this door and stood there in shock. Her mother had never said anything about a door.
But there it stood and she was curious. The door had opened with magic and blood. They hadn't managed to cover all of it before he left but Master Bero had made it very clear that any magic that included blood in its use was dangerous and powerful. Why was it here in her favorite place? The only other person that came in her was … her mother. Did mommy make this door? She had to know what was in there. Walking up to the door she pulled the handle and the door swung open without any resistance.
Inside she found a small room. A wooden desk with a small chair in front of it seemed to be the only furniture in place. On the desk lay three objects. A small book, a pen, and a red box. Climbing onto the chair, Lucy went for the book first. It was handwritten from the looks of it.
April 14th, 758
This journal is the property of Layla Heartfilia, written to cover my knowledge of the dangerous entity that I have uncovered and the terrifying possibilities its presence implies.
In my travels I came upon an ancient city. As I walked towards its center I came to a grand structure. I believe it was at one point a central structure for the governing body of the city. When I approached the gate to this structure a great heat fell upon me. I jumped back quickly and managed to avoid a great spell of fire.
The creature was so very strange and yet something felt familiar. Two sets of arms, one much larger than the other, a great mane of red hair, a large pole style weapon, and a mask with two faces and great curling horns on either side. It was fearsome in both appearance and in the abundant power it gave out.
I summoned both Capricorn and Aquarius immediately. I was not willing to take any chances with this creature. Poor Aquarius was out of her element or the following battle might have been easier. As it was it took the better part of an hour and destroying half the city, before we were able to push the creature into one of the waterways. It was at that point that Aquarius was able to drown the creature. When it began to dissipate into a dark mist I thought the battle was done.
But I could still feel the creature's presence lingering there. It felt angry, hurt, and lost. There was still that familiar feeling coming from the creature though. Reaching out on a hunch I pressed raw celestial magic into the creature itself. It responded immediately. The dark mist swirled around the magic offered to it wrapping itself in my celestial magic and after a few moments collapsed smaller and smaller until it became a form I was so familiar with that it took me a moment to comprehend what was right in front of me.
A celestial key. Pitch black and at its base the shape of two horns curling into each other and a small red symbol that any celestial wizard would recognize. The symbol of the ram, Aries. What was this creature? Where had it come from? And why was its key marked with one of the twelve symbols of the zodiac?
These were answers I desperately needed but at the time I could not open the gate in order to summon the creature forth. The key merely gave off a tired feeling whenever I tried to open it. It would be a whole week before I would be able to summon the creature forth and learn anything from it. The esper of fire and pain, Belias the Gigas.
Lucy shook as she read the first entry in the book. This was her mother's journal. After having everything of her mother's taken away to hold something of her mother's once more was pure joy. The tears rushing down her face anew contrasted with the bright smile that spread across her face. She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear them as she looked at her mother's words.
"Mom was awesome. She never told me about espers before though. What's an esper?"
Leaving the book for a moment Lucy turned to the red box. It was nothing exceptional. Just a small wooden box painted red with a little latch on the front. Pulling it closer she opened the latch and swung the chest open. Her eyes grew wide and her breath hitched at the sole occupant of the chest.
"It's the same key. It's the one from the book. Mom was right it does feel weird. But it's a celestial key. I have a celestial key! I can still be a celestial wizard now! Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!"
Lucy was dancing in place, hopping up and down. Well until the wobbling chair she was on went a little too far and she was suddenly balancing on two of its legs. A squeak was all she was able to give out before she fell to the ground.
"Oww. Well maybe dancing on a chair wasn't such a good idea. Hehe I'm gonna be a celestial wizard, though. I'll make you proud Mom."
Laying on the floor a small blond girl held a black key over her head. Her grin was blinding and her hands tightened into little fists were held strong. She wouldn't let her father keep her from being the only thing she had ever wanted to be. A wizard with the power to write her own stories. She would show all of Fiore how awesome a wizard she was and this key was the first step.
"As soon as it stops raining we're gonna go outside and you and I are going to be great friends!" Smiling at the key in her hands, Lucy giggled a little when the key seemed to warm in response.
Lucy's plans were sadly put on a rain check for a few days. The summer showers were abnormally heavy this year and the grounds were becoming rather muddy. Lucy had even heard some of the servants talking about calling in a wizard to try and keep the roads from becoming damaged. Thankfully they ended before that was necessary. Now with the rains finally having stopped and the roads having dried up Lucy was going to go and summon her first spirit.
After leaving the hidden room a few days ago, the door had quickly disappeared as soon as she shut it behind her. Lucy had come to the conclusion that with some blood and magic she could probably open it again but she didn't really feel like making herself bleed to open the door. Besides she had her Mother's journal, the black ram key, and she had even taken the pen. She didn't want to part with anything else of her mother's even if it was just a pen. She kept them with her wherever she went. The key was always tucked in a pocket while the book and pen were tucked into a satchel she had taken to carrying with her.
Lucy was currently rushing through the halls to go outside. She had no intention of being anywhere near the mansion when she summoned her first spirit. No one would take her first friend from her. Smiling wide she couldn't help but run a little faster to go outside. Passing by Aed the cook she called out to him.
"I'm going outside Mr. Aed! It's too pretty to be inside today." A little laughter creeping into her voice.
"Alright but don't go too far and be careful. Don't climb any trees today, don't wanna get stuck out there again do ya?" A quick laugh of his own following.
"That was one time Mr. Aed!" Blushing at the memory she ran past.
As she left the mansion she headed towards the forest that covered so much of the land behind the mansion. Slowing down to a walk once she entered she made sure to head for the area that wouldn't be seen from even the highest window facing this way. Her mother and Mr. Bero had both told her that some spirits could be rather eccentric and she didn't want a light show to bring out some of the servants.
Reaching her destination Lucy nodded her head in approval of her own brilliance. The trees here were tall and there was river nearby that drowned out a lot of noise. So even if the spirit was really loud no one back at the house would hear it. She was shaking with anticipation. It was time to summon her first spirit.
"Ok so I have to hold the key, channel the magic, and say the incantation. Umm but what's the incantation for this key? Ahhh I didn't think about that! I was just so excited to get a new friend. Well maybe if I use the incantation for the Aries key it'll work."
Having taken a deep breath to relax herself after the short freak out, Lucy took a stance and held the key in front of herself.
"Open Gate of the White Ram! Aries!"
The wind blowing by and the sound of the river were all that answered her though.
"Ahhhhhh why didn't it work?! How are we supposed to be friends if I cant even summon you." Huffing she dropped to the ground.
"Wait maybe Mom wrote how to open it. I haven't even had the chance to look over her journal with my lessons lately."
Opening the book she skimmed through its pages looking for the answer she sought. Only glances were given to the pages inside. If it did not obviously have the answer she flipped to the next page. On around the seventh page she found what she was looking for.
Making sure to memorize it Lucy stood once more. It was very odd so she wanted to make sure it was correct. Holding the key forward she readied herself. This was it. The first step towards adventure.
"Release the Chains of the Fallen Guardian! Belias the Gigas!"
This time there was an immediate response as a deep gong filled the air. Magic rushed from Lucy to the key in her hand at an astonishing rate. A great dark mist formed in front of her before taking shape and then bursting into flames. The creature that appeared was just as her mother described. It was exceptionally large. Lucy was a little intimidated but this was her first spirit and she wanted them to be friends. Remembering her manners she knew she was supposed to make a contract with the spirit.
"Umm hi there, I'm Lucy Heartfilia and I was hoping we could be friends. I promise to be the very best summoner. So what would you need to sign a contract with me?"
The creature with its twin masks merely stared at the small girl that was speaking to it with such care. A rumble seemed to fill the air. Slowly at first and then louder and louder. Lucy began to be a little frightened. The sound changed suddenly and Lucy could finally recognize what it was. This spirit was laughing at her! Then in a brief moment the spirit had picked her up and was …. Was cuddling her!?
"Oh my goodness you are just about the most precious thing I've ever seen! Lucy was it? Well I would be pleased as ever to be your friend my sweet little angel! I'm Belias and you can call on me any time you need me darling and I'll be there." Just about every other word the spirit spoke was accompanied with a brush of her hair or a pinch of her cheeks.
The spirit's voice was warm and a little odd. It sounded like a man. But besides the sheer embarrassment of being picked up and coddled like a baby he didn't feel like a bad person. Her cheeks were beginning to feel like they were on fire as they blushed scarlet.
"Mr. Belias this is kind of embarrassing, could you put me down please?" the pleading tone she used seem to do the trick.
"Oh of course my sweet little pumpkin and no mister, it's just Belias." Belias placed her back on her feet. "Now what can I do for you today sweetheart?"
The blush on her cheeks was just barely beginning to recede. She hoped Belias would stop calling her things like that. It made her feel like a little kid. Maybe she was but she didn't need to be reminded of it. But still it was obvious that he was very friendly so this was great! She had her first spirit and even better her first friend.
"Well I really just wanted to summon you and get to know you a little bit. If that's alright of course?" Lucy shuffled her feet back and forth, a little unsure of herself now that she had actually made the contract.
"Of course sweetheart. I would be delighted to get to know you. But first I have a question for you. You look quite a bit like my last summoner. Layla Heartfilia was her name, any relation?"
Lucy froze, it had been almost two months now but the pain hadn't gone away. Trying to push down the feeling of that loss, it was all she could do to keep herself from crying. But it wasn't enough she started to sniffle and the tears came out anyways.
"No, no more crying. Today you're a celestial wizard Lucy. You can't cry. You're one more step closer to showing the world how strong you are. Even if you wanted to summon your first spirit with Mom and even if no one else wants to help you, you can't … *sniffle* you can't cry. It's not fair. Today is supposed to be a good day. You're not supposed to cry on good days."
Sitting on the ground with tears coming down her eyes. She just couldn't stop. Once more the sensation of being picked up surprised her for a moment.
"It's alright Lucy. You can cry when someone is gone. It's alright to miss them."
The warmth in his words and the warmth that came from that fiery red hair was too much. Lucy wrapped her arms as far they would go around her spirit and cried into that soothing red hair. Belias stroked her back and just let her cry herself to the point of exhaustion.
Later when Lucy woke up from her short nap she found herself still laying in Belias' arms with himself sitting against a tree. She smiled up at him and even if she couldn't see it she knew he was smiling back. Taking a breath Lucy knew she could talk about it now.
"Mom is gone. She passed away two months ago. Everything is going wrong lately and when I found you and my Mom's journal I felt like I might be able to get things back to what they were supposed to be. Mom always said that I was a celestial wizard and that I could have my own adventures just like her. I want that so bad, I wanna be a wizard that would make her proud."
Belias with his odd smiling glow looked at this little girl and couldn't help but feel respect for someone so young that wanted to follow in the footsteps of her mother. From his interactions with Layla Heartfilia, Belias knew that wasn't an easy task. But he would help her be the person she so desperately wanted to be.
"Well sweetheart, why don't you tell me about yourself and all these problems? I promise that I'll help you make your mother proud and we'll see you become that amazing wizard in no time."
Lucy looked at Belias and couldn't help but smile at her friend. He was more than she could have asked for. It was in that moment with spirit and wizard looking at each other that a decision was made in the mind of that ten year old girl. Holding out one of her small hands she placed in one of Belias'.
"And I promise I'll make you and all my other spirits proud too Belias! Someday they'll write books about us and our adventures!"
"It's a deal sweetheart."
Legends start somewhere. For Lucy Heartfilia it started with a handshake. But for now she had a friend and that was the best part.
END CHAPTER 1
AN: So this is my first fic that I'll have posted. I really don't know what I'm doing here but I hoped you enjoyed the read and I'll try and get out another chapter as soon as I can. In the future they likely wont be this long but we'll have to see.