I walk through town with a mask on my face. Not an actual mask, and emotional one. I don't want to look broken again, not after getting back on track. I hear greetings being shouted at me as I walk back to the guild. I can hear the ruckus from a mile away, they have no idea that I'm back. I sprint to the guild, which looks like a castle, by the time I stop, the noise is almost annoying. Obviously Sting is causing havoc, like normal. I creep up to the doors before standing up and kicking the double doors with full force.
"I'M BACK!" everyone become quiet before cheers erupt the building, I simply smirk and stare down Sting, whose face looks like he's about to cower in fear of getting his butt kicked by me personally. He greets me nervously.
"H-Hey Lucy, welcome back." Sting might be master but I'm SS-Class, speaking of which, I just came back from an SS-class mission, which usually take as little as a few months to a few years. I walk up to the bar counter where Yukino is waiting for me.
"Hey Lucy! What'cha bring home this time?" She asks curiously. I pull out black and blue patterned scales from my pocket and Yukino stares at me in disbelief. "No way… scales from Acnologia. How?"
"I didn't defeat Acnologia, that's impossible, but I managed to chip a few scales off him, I'm just lucky I didn't lose a limb to that thing." At the mention of Acnologia, my gut wrenches, I had already faced him twice before the mission, back in Fairy Tail, before it disbanded. I lose my cheery attitude and head home, which is just around the corner. I smash the small wooden door open and rush to my closet, find my white-checked scarf and hug it. It looks so much like his scarf that I can't bear to let it go. I look in the mirror after my crying frenzy, I'm a mess. I must have lost my mask when I was running home from the guild. I just stare at myself, my left arm is covered in marks, tattoos to be precise. My shoulder bears Aquarius' zodiac sign, underneath it an urn. These tattoos are surrounded by wave patterns tattooed around them. The waves lead down to my magic mark. I've had it since I last saw Levy a few months ago. The mark consists of three stars forming a half-bullet shape, underneath the first star is a short line, next to that is a longer line and a short line again.
Flashback:
I was in my bed with the curtains shut, there was eerily cold throughout the whole apartment. I hadn't eaten or left the apartment in days, I didn't want to, I didn't want people to pity me when they saw my face just because the guild disbanded. I knew what it was, this thing that I had. Depression. But I welcomed it with open arms, letting my despair overtake my body. I simply lost interest in the world outside my room.
"Lu-Chan!?" I heard a familiar voice yell. I heard the door creak open and a shocked scream. I felt warm, petite arms hug me, sobbing in my ear.
"Levy-Chan? Is that you?" I asked croakily.
"Yes Lucy! It's me, oh thank god! You look almost dead!" Levy helped me out of bed and out of my apartment. The ends of my pyjama pants dragged on the ground as Levy walked me to the hospital. I saw stares of worry and pity at me. In the distance I saw pink hair and blue fur.
Flashback end.
Flashback:
I woke up in hospital, a young nurse walked in and gave me a paper.
Patient: Lucy Heartfillia,
Miss Heartfillia, we have done a blood test and he results were temporary magic deficiency disease, that was a few days ago and the cause was your depression. We have cured you but you seem to have acquired a new magic in the process, Miss McGarden has come to us with information that concludes that you not only have Summoning magic but Celestial Devil Slayer magic. You are to be discharged from Magnolia hospital tonight.
Regards
Dr Monton.
I looked at the mark on my left forearm.
"Celestial Devil slayer, huh?"
Flashback end.
I come back to reality and stare at myself in the mirror again. I had cut my hair short, neck short, like Wendy when she cut hers. I also wear a royal blue headband and matching crop top. I fumble with Aquarius' broken key on my neck. I wear black shorts and lace up boot-shoes. This is me. Lucy Heartfillia, SS-Class mage, also known as Sabertooth's Princess.