Authors Note: This is my first story and any feedback (read: constructive feedback) would be appreciated.

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and its characters are owned by Hiro Mashima

Chapter 1

It had been a peaceful evening in Magnolia the merchants had just closed up shop, the fisherman had come back to shore and the café's had served the last customers of the day. As Lucy walked towards the guild she noticed even Fairy Tail was quiet this evening. As she opened the door to the guild hall, she wasn't greeted by the usual loud chatter instead tonight the mood was subdued. There were only a few groups spread out in the hall: Mira was at her usual post at the bar, Cana was sitting chugging away and there were some other guild members sitting at a table. Lucy noticed Levy and Gajeel sitting at a table in the corner; she waved to these two as she walked by shooting Levy a wink and a teasing smile. Everyone knew those two were in love, in fact the guild had a bet going on when they would finally get together. 'Hmm maybe I should have bet on an earlier date, the ways things are going they could be an item by next week' Lucy thought. She giggled as she walked up to the bar.

"Hi Mira! Where is everyone tonight?"

"Ooohhh Lucy! You're back, are you feeling any better now?"

Lucy had been feeling nauseous earlier and her team had sent her home to rest. She had not taken that well. She cringed as she remembered arguing with them.

Her team had been sitting down at a table when Lucy entered the guild hall that morning. She was looking flushed as she approached their table.

"Lucy are you alright." asked Gray

"I'm fine just a little woozy."

"Lucy, come on you don't look fine maybe you should go rest."

"But I really need the rent money" she whined.

Erza placed her hand over Lucy's forehead "Lucy you have a fever there is no way you are coming with us, you'll only be a danger to yourself and others."

Lucy's shoulders slumped, she turned around to face her best friend her eyes going big and her lips forming a pout "Come on Natsu, please." The way she looked at him made his heart ache, he would do anything for her but he also wanted to keep her safe. "Luce you know I want you there, but I don't want you getting hurt or worse…"

Lucy sighed, " Fine I guess I will go home and get some rest, see you guys later."

She huffed at them and stomped out of the guild.

"Lucy come on don't be like that" Natsu shouted after her. She didn't turn around she just kept walking right out the building grumbling.

"Lucy…LUCY!" Mira was waving her hand in front of Lucy's face; Lucy blinked .

"Haha, I'm sorry Mira I must have spaced out" she said sheepishly.

"Hmm, seems you're not fully recovered yet".

Shaking her head, "No don't worry, I'm fine I think it was just exhaustion from running around with Natsu and Happy all the time" and stress about my rent she thought. " Anyways so what's up? Why is the guild deserted?"

"Oh well we had a lot of new missions go up today, good pay too!"

Lucy groaned and dropped her head to the bar, "Just my luck sick on payday!"

"Ahh Lucy don't look so glum, there are still good missions up on the board and when Natsu gets back he can take you on one." Lucy looked up " I guess your right, it's really just that I hate being sick." She hated it because it made her feel really useless. It really hurt when her team left her here it made her feel even worse. She didn't dare say this out loud though, Mira would get mad at her and an angry Mira was not something she wanted to face. Lucy shuddered remembering Mira's Satan Soul transformation. "You know what you need Lucy?" Lucy jumped and looked up; lucky for her she was smiling.

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief "Ummm I don't know tell me?"

"A strawberry milkshake" she beamed at Lucy. Lucy grinned Mira always knew how to cheer her up.

Suddenly an arm reached out and wrapped around her shoulders, " You know what else you need Lucy?" Cana said. The card mage had finished her barrel and slid down the bar to come talk to her. Lucy looked up at Cana with a puzzled expression.

Cana was grinning down at her " Your fortune told!"

Lucy cringed, " I don't know Cana."

"That's an excellent idea Cana" Mira said as she placed the strawberry milkshake down on the table. "You should do it Lucy, who knows maybe true love is just around the corner."

"What's this about true love Mira" asked Levy walking up to the bar.

"Not you too Levy" Lucy cried.

"Cana just offered to tell Lucy her fortune."

"Ooooo Lu you've got to do it!"

All three girls turned to stare at her willing her to agree to it. Lucy could feel her face starting to heat up under their stares. "Ok fine! You win! Cana tell me my future". Cana grinned and took out her deck of cards. She shuffled them a little bit took a deep breath and began to place them in the proper formation. Once she was done she started picking some of them up. "Well this is a really good fortune so far Lucy. Apparently you are supposed to come into some money soon!"

Mira smirked at Lucy, " See I told you when Natsu gets back you guys will go on a super well paying mission together and maybe fall in love" Mira said her eyes getting dreamy. "Oh no Mira, we are not starting that again."

"Shhh you guys, Cana isn't finished yet stop interrupting her" scolded Levy.

"Thank you Levy, now let's continue" she flipped over some more cards. Cana smirked, " Says here that somebody important that you used to know will come back into your life soon. Is that an ex boyfriend perhaps?"

Lucy blushed, " Who do you think it is Lu?" asked Levy.

"I don't know," she stammered. " We've been gone for seven years it could be anyone." All four girls sighed they had all been trapped on Tenrou Island together. So much had happened while they were gone sometimes it was hard not to feel sad about it. Lucy smiled, "Come on guys cheer up, let's hear what else is in store for me and then Cana can do you guys next." That got there attention slowly the other girls began to smile too, "Right Lu, let's go Cana I want my fortune told too!" said Levy.

Cana nodded and started flipping over cards again but slowly she began to frown, then flipping over the last card she froze. The other three girls stared at her intently waiting for her to start talking. "Cana?" Mira asked. Cana looked up " I'm sorry Lucy but it says that you are about to enter one of the most trying times in your life. The loyalty, strength and will of not only you but those around you will be tested." Cana paused and looked away. "What else does it say Cana" asked Lucy.

"You know it's just a silly fortune you can't take everything as the truth the future is not set in stone, " replied Cana.

"Cana you and I both know your predictions are almost always right."

"What. Did. It. Say?" Lucy said suddenly serious.

"Well it's not what it said, it's more what it implied. You see this last card here the skull on top of the desk next to the fruit bowl and candle. Well the position it was in when I drew it from the deck makes it more of a warning then a prediction."

"What's the warning, "asked Lucy while Levy gasped "Memento Mori".

Lucy turned to Levy and raised an eyebrow "What?"

Levy looked down at the floor " It's a reminder that you will die"

Mira gasped, Cana looked down at her cards frowning while Lucy just stood there in shock " Someone is going to die Levy?".

"Well not necessarily, like Cana said it's more of a warning."

Cana collected her cards and put them back in her pouch, turning to Mira she asked her for another beer. Mira poured a pint for Cana while the other girls remained silent; she handed off the beer to Cana who took a huge swig of it almost downing the whole thing at once. She then put it down on the bar and turning to Lucy she said, " In other words, Watch Out".

LATER

Back at her apartment Lucy flopped onto her bed exhausted.

"I guess I really must have been sick to feel this bad." She rolled on to her back yawning she thought to herself I really should go take a shower but I'm too tired to get up. She couldn't stop thinking about Cana's predictions, the first and second were fine, money and love but the last one had sent chills down her spine and she couldn't help but wonder if all three were part of some packaged deal. It wouldn't surprise her though she could never catch a break. Rolling to her side she curled her knees into her chest, she had been cold since Cana finished telling her fortune and she couldn't seem to warm up. Dammit she thought as her eyes began to close, the one time I wish Natsu would sneak in here, he's not even in town to do so. Sighing she pulled the blanket over her and drifted off to sleep

"Come on, come on just a little bit more" whispered the girl as she ran up the stairs. She was running quickly and quietly up to the study. She wasn't supposed to be in the house today, she had promised to work on her magic and she didn't want to disappoint him but she had forgotten to take a book she'd seen in his study. The girl reached the floor of the study and walked up to the large mahogany double door. She tried the handle and luckily it was unlocked. She quickly opened the door and slipped inside closing the door behind her. The study wasn't one of the largest rooms in the castle but it was big enough. The door opened to the middle of the room, on the right side was a large stone fireplace with a roaring fire inside it. In front of the fireplace there was a large armchair in which she imagined him spending many hours reading all his books. On the left side of the room sat a huge mahogany desk filled with papers and books of all kinds. The girl sighed, "No wonder he's always working how can he get any work done it's so messy" she thought out loud. The girl turned her eyes to the large bookcase on the far side that ran the length of the room, only broken up by two small windows. She walked up to the bookcase and scanned it for the title she wanted. Spotting it she reached forward and grabbed it off the shelf. She whispered the title out loud " Teleportation and Other Forms of Travel". She took the book over to his desk and sat down in his chair. The light filtering in through the windows shone down on her golden hair as she opened the book to the page she needed. She had already mastered short distance teleporting but according to Victor she should be able to open gates to other realms. She sighed remembering the day she arrived here in this weird place.

For some reason she had been lured out of her home that morning but something felt off. For the past couple of months she had woken up with a similar feeling, which she knew was from the fact that Leo hadn't visited her in a long time. Some of the other spirits grouped together and came to visit her on occasion but they always avoided answering her questions. She knew something was wrong but she wasn't able to leave this place in the spirit realm because it was the only part where time passed like Earth Land. She got up, dressed, ate and walked outside to look up at the sky. "Where are you big brother Leo, please be safe" she whispered.

Sighing, "Since I'm up I should go for a run." Leaving the castle she began her run through the forest. The forest around the castle always fascinated her; the trees were so different from the ones she remembered back home. Running through the forest she decided to deviate from her normal route for some reason. She began to pick up speed, her body focused on reaching a target. What am I doing she wondered, where is my body taking me? Suddenly her body came to a stop in a clearing. "What was that, why am I " she stopped, her eyes drawn to the center of the clearing. In the center stood a large pink tree, slowly her body started walking towards it. "What's going on, why can't I stop?" The tree began to glow a bright white, " No stop, STOP!" Everything went bright and she landed with a hard thump on green grass in the middle of a field. As she opened her eyes a hand reached down to help her up.

"Hello Miss, are you alright?" The girl looked up, a tall black haired man was looking down at her.

"Yes, I'm alright. Who are you?" she asked eyeing him suspiciously

"My name is Victor Krauss and welcome to my home, Miss?" he smiled at her.

"Where is this place?" she ignored his question although he didn't seem to notice.

He sighed " This place…this place is my tomb"

"Whaaaat! You've got to be kidding me you expect me to believe that you weirdo! " Victor laughed as she raised an eyebrow at him, something felt off about this man but she couldn't figure out what.

Wiping his eyes he said " My, my it has been a long time since I laughed." He looked up at the sky " A very long time indeed." Clapping his hands together, " Now I propose a deal, I will tell you more about this place if you simply tell me your name." He looked down and smiled at her charmingly. She looked up at his face and into his eyes, they were an icy blue but the look he gave her was not cold. He didn't seem to be an immediate threat and she really needed some answers. Nodding her head in agreement she said, " My name is Lillian, Lillian Heartfilia."

"Well Miss Heartfilia, let's head to my home and get you some food, then I will tell you my story". He extended his hand towards her, "Call me Lily," she said as she took his hand and walked towards the manor.

Snapping back to the present she had found the page she had been looking for, she scanned the page and stopped at the paragraph she had read earlier: "Other realm travel has been speculated by many as possible, although highly unlikely. To do so, one would have to look for the space between worlds and call to it." The next paragraph talked about meditation and becoming one with your world, a step needed to search for the gaps. Suddenly, Lily heard steps and several voices coming from below. She jumped out of her chair and ran to the door cracking it open a little so she could hear better. "Victor we are getting impatient, how is her progress going?" asked a stranger's voice. "Yes what can she do?" asked another. Lily gasped, shut the door and ran back in to the room. Lily ran back to the desk picked the book up and ran back to put it on the shelf. Panicking she looked around the room for somewhere to hide but there was nowhere to hide. She ran to the window and looked out but the edge was too small to balance on. She ran back to the center of the room she could hear them getting closer; she had only seconds to find a place. Out of the corner of her eye something caught her attention, she turned back to the bookcase. On the middle shelf was a black book with no title she didn't know why but she walked up and pulled it off the shelf. She heard a click and the wall behind the desk to the right side of the room opened up. Hearing them arrive on the landing she wasted no time and ran into the room shutting the secret door closed just as Victor entered the study. She left it slightly ajar so she could lay eyes on the visitors. "My friends, I know you have a lot of questions and I will be happy to answer them," Victor said addressing the group of visitors. Assembled before Victor was a group of 5 people, all covered in floor lengths cloaks with large hoods.

"Tell us of the girl," hissed one of them.

"She progresses, today she is out trying to summon a gate to another realm" Victor responded. A chill ran down Lily's spine, as a feeling of dread washed over her.

"Not. Enough. Progress" rasped another.

Victor glared at them, "Are you questioning me? Your Master!" he hissed at them.

"No my lord, we are simply concerned that she may not be up to the task."

"She is."

"But mast-" Victor interrupted them

"Silence. I am aware of your concerns, do you think me stupid enough not to have a back up plan?"

"Care to enlighten us then?"

"Gladly, it's actually really simple. We just reverse the original plan. If the Gatekeeper is unable to fulfill her duty on time then we will invade the Celestial Realm and force them to open a gate to Earth land."

The room was silent; Lily held her breath she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Victor was talking crazy, he wanted to invade the Celestial Realm for God's sake!

The silence was broken by the figure in the middle, "And the girl?"

"She stays with us, she has no idea who I really am and her magic would be beneficial in battle".

The hood on the far left closest to Lily stepped forward " I disagree, if it comes to that we should kill her. Her allegiance lies to the King and his spirits, she will never be fooled in to fighting them… even by you." Victor stepped forward and slapped the figure across the face, the others gasped. "Know your place spirit!" he snarled. Lily's body froze when he said that and she sniffed the air sure enough these people surrounding Victor did not smell normal. They smelled like magic… and something else, something stronger, darker and terrifying. She knew that smell, she had been trained to recognize that smell and her eyes narrowed, they were Dark Spirits for sure.

"If I say we keep her then we keep her. She has no love for the King; in her eyes he left her here rotting away with me for seven years. Before that her mentor the Celestial Dragon Astra abandoned her, courtesy of yours truly or did you forget I did that? Hmm? Did you forget I took down the Dragon High Council on my own? " Laughing he bent down towards the figure's face, pulled down the hood and grabbed their chin. Lily gasped she knew that face; it was Mordred, the Betrayer. "Do not forget who makes the decisions here. I have been trapped here far too long to take any crap from the likes of you. Play your part and you will be rewarded. "Simple no?" Victor released Mordred, turning back to the group he gave them one final look, as if to say 'Anyone else?' the group remained silent, satisfied Victor turned to leave the room "You are dismissed". The figures puffed out in puffs of black smoke and Victor closed the door to the study.

Lily let out a breath of relief, they were all gone she was alone again. She sunk to the floor numb, she could not believe what had just happened. Groaning she rested her head on her knees, how could she be so stupid. He had tricked her! She should have trusted her instincts on that first day; and did he say seven years had past! She slammed her fist into the ground "Dammit!" she whispered. She sat with her back to the wall and looked up to the ceiling as her tears began to fall, "Astra, I am so sorry I failed you." She whispered "So sorry, so sorry, so sorry…" As the guilt washed over her it was too much to bear and she couldn't catch her breath. All she could think about was getting back home, back to where she belonged, back to where she felt safe. As her eyes began to roll back in to her head, she felt a warm light envelop her and then it all went black.