linea d'ombra
I
thaumaturgy (from the Greek words θαῦμα thaûma, meaning "miracle" or "marvel" and ἔργον érgon, meaning "work") is the capability of a magician or a saint to work magic or miracles.
.
.
.
.
.
Old Porlyusica was a woman of few words, bitter and lanky as a willow, who owned a little and quaint shop in the suburbs.
There were some rumours regarding her and her granddaughter: some people whispered they were witches or banshees, others suggested they ate children in the night and traded with the devil in the shadows.
Someone even stated they kept a living dragon in the cellar but, obviously, no one was brave enough to check.
"So, Cana" drawled Lucy, grimacing at the dull pain in her forehead which was likely the beginning of a lousy headache "could you remind me why the hell I accepted to come here with you? Really, why?"
"Oh, don't tell me you're getting cold feet all of a sudden?" Cana squeezed her shoulder with a cocky smile and her eyes crinkled in amusement "Scared, aren't you? You can go home, if you want. I guess I'll just tease you do the rest of your life"
She shrugged and winked at her pouting friend, patiently waiting for her to give up. She and Lucy had been friends since kindergarten and Cana knew her well enough
to be sure she couldn't refuse.
No, she wouldn't definitely say 'no' to her best friend.
Finally Lucy sighed, hiding a cold chill running down her spine. She had never liked the wet and chilly climate climate of Edinburgh: humidity seeped through the clothes and the chilly wind could easily sneak under her heavy jacket, sticking cold needles into her pale flesh.
And, although she would never admit it, she was a little afraid. To tell the truth, the place was quite creepy: the wooden door was old and swollen by humidity, and the whole building looked ramshackle and ready to crumble at any moment. The name of the shop was basically unreadable and Lucy had to squint hard to recognise the letters 'Grandineey' etched into the wood.
The showcase was grimy and partly concealed by the thick, almost unnatural fog, which smudged the angles and made her view blurry.
However Lucy could still distinguish something in the bitter light of the lampposts: some books, few scaffoldings ridden with uncanny, dusty objects which she could not name nor recognise.
She frowned, unsure. It looked like the beginning of a horror novel and Lucy didn't feel particularly enticed by the shop.
Hell, she would have rather curled under the blankets with a mug of boiling chocolate and a book.
"Ha, very amusing, Cana. It's a terrible idea, though" Lucy placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head "And come on, magic? Don't tell me you really believe in those things"
Cana was the most superstitious person Lucy knew. In the morning, at school, she always used her tarot cards to foresee the future, giving advice to all the girls in their class, and muttered prayers to strange gods to get good marks ー which weren't really effective, to be honest.
"Oh, don't be like that. You said the same when I made you join the theatre club, and it wasn't that awful, was it?" well, 'not that awful' was an understatement, since, during the Romeo and Juliet play, (Lucy had to play the part of a tree in the background) Sting Eucliffe (the main character) had almost broken his leg because of her. And, needless to say, Sting hadn't been happy about that.
"Cana, that was hideous" Lucy rolled her eyes "Let's go back. The curfew... I wouldn't want toー"
"Hmph, what a crybaby" Cana snorted in annoyance, twirling a strand of mahogany hair in her fingers, pretending to be offended "You can stay here all alone, Lucy. I'll go inside and check"
She raked a hand through her soft, dark curls and swiftly walked past her, into that uncanny shop, her willowy figure disappearing behind the small, dirty door.
Lucy stood there, speechless and confused in the dim light, surrounded by shadows, mist and silence.
Well, standing in that deserted, eerie street all alone wasn't really enticing either. Shrugging hopelessly, Lucy followed her friend into the shop.
"Woah, Lucy! Look at this!" Cana pointed at a small bottle containing some kind of... coloured sand? Someone had scribbled some indistinguishable words on the label in a spidery and frumpy writing. Lucy squinted in the dim candlelight. Love Sand.
Uh-oh.
Lucy adjusted her scarf with a sudden, nervous motion, shaking her head while intently gawking a her surroundings: well, that certainly wasn't your average shoddy Magic Shop filled with an astounding amount of cheap tricks and shabby stuff to pull dumb pranks to your friends.
The shelves were messy but clean, ridden with incredibly thick and old tomes with strange titles: Necromancy for Beginners, the 72 Pillars of Hell, obscure Meanings of Celtic Runes...
Lucy felt a chill running down her spine, like a cold, ghostly hand stroking her back. It gave her the creeps.
Other shelves displayed a bunch of haphazard, strange stuff, which seemed directly coming from a horror movie about exorcisms: incense candles which looked like grimy, grinning skulls, holy water, eerie bracelets with strange, geometrical etchings, tarot cards sets, vases, lucky charms, creepy tasteless paintings...
She couldn't avert her eyes from the uncanny, ominous goods stocked in the shop: it was a morbid pull, a visceral curiosity which curled inside her chest, nagging at her, whispering arcane words into her head.
Holding her breath, Lucy tapped the backs of the books, inhaling their soft, dusty scent. She had always been mesmerised by words and literature, as witnessed by the several sleepless nights she had spent curled under the blankets, secretly awake, lost into worlds of ink and imagination. In her childhood she had wanted to become an author.
Well, at least before the accident.
Her shoulders slumped sadly as she tossed Cana a nervous glance. Cana
"See, my stubborn friend, it's not that bad, is it? You should trust me more often. Come on, I'll show you around" she nudged her, beaming flamboyantly and pointing at the strangest pieces of junk crowding the shelves. Her chest swelled with pride as she acted like a chaperon "You see, that's an athame, a ceremonial knife used to channel direct psychic energy. And over there there's a censer. You can... uhm, dispense incense with that. Right. Can you see that bulky pot in the corner? I'm sure even you know how it's called"
Lucy peered dubiously at the cumbersome, grimy object, a confused look plastered on her pretty face.
"A magic pot?"
Cana giggled, vigorously shaking her head in mockery. She clapped her hands and Lucy blushed, embarrassed for her lack of knowledge on the matter.
"You really are clueless, aren't you? It's a cauldron. I wonder if they really use it to eat children... have you heard the rumours?"
"Well, actually" a frigid, hoarse voice made Lucy's hairs stand "we use it to make brews or to hold candles. I don't particularly fancy children, but from time to time I enjoy cooking nosy, overly-confident brats like you, if you know what I mean"
Cana turned around, staring speechlessly at the old cranky lady who had suddenly appeared out of thin air, next to her. Her light red hair were tied into an achingly tight knot and she was wearing a dark cloak on her frail shoulders.
She gazed down at them, a fleck of annoyance into her half-lidded icy eyes and her mouth pressed into a thin, grim like.
"Oh, old Porlyusica" Cana waved primly, unfazed and obviously not concerned by the sudden creepy appearance of the owner of the shop. Lucy paled, cringing under that stark and unwavering stare, trying to hide behind her friend "It's been a while. I didn't hear you coming"
She spread her arms in an eloquent gesture and smiled sheepishly at the old woman.
Polyurisca snorted, vexed, but the shadow of a thin smile stretched on her lips. Her forehead creased as she rolled her eyes in disbelief.
"You again, girl? I see this time you brought a friend with you. What do you want now? A love potion? If you want to buy something you'd better do it quickly. We are about to close"
"Oh no" Cana shook her head, amused at the idea "a little lucky charm will be enough. Do you still have those coloured ones with scented feathers?"
"Let me check" the old woman turned around brusquely, beckoning Cana to follow. The girl winked at Lucy and followed the owned, disappearing behind a small door almost hidden behind the shelves.
Lucy sighed, placing her hands on her hips. Stupid, she thought bitterly.
Why had she even accepted to come in the first place? Perhaps a tiny part of her had hoped to find some miraculous magic to improve her shitty life, but just now she realised how foolish she had been.
People couldn't magically come back to life just by pronouncing some supposedly powerful words and a wooden wand. It just didn't happen.
Not in the real world, at least.
Lucy smiled wryly, biting her lip. Poor little naive girl.
She tiredly trudged across the shop, patiently waiting for her friend to come back.
Her fingers lingered on the dusty covers of the heavy books, as if trying to feel the warmth of the hands which had written them.
It was so soothing and relaxing...
"Ah" Lucy withdrew her pale hand, brows knitted together as she rubbed her injured digits. Was it just her or that book had just given off a shock?
She squinted, the pain fading into a dull throb. Had she imagined it?
She carefully touched the back of the incriminated book, suddenly curious and scared at the same time. Lucy flinched. No pain this time, but the girl could definitely feel that something was wrong with that book.
Very wrong.
She blinked, appalled: it was like that large dark tome was pulsating in a very ominous, very unexplainable way. Like it wasーLucy felt her stomach churning in disgustーalive.
She stared at the object, aghast and antsy as her fingers almost moved on their own. They slid the book out of the shelf and suddenly, Lucy was blankly staring at the cover.
Breath in. Breath out.
It was a simple, black book: it had no book mark and the title was almost too ruined to be readable, however Lucy managed to decrypt the elegant and pompous writing.
Tartaros.
The name made her shiver subtly under the several layers of clothes. There was something dark about that book, something she felt was not entirely human.
And it wanted her to open it.
A sudden feeling of anxiety and unease seeped into her stomach. She gulped, fighting off the urge to pry the Ancient tome open: if there was something she had learned by reading Lovecraft's and Poe's tales, it was 'never trust old, possibly cursed books'. As she was about to stack the book again on the shelf, she definitely felt somethingーsomething real, this timeーtickling her ankles.
A soft mew caused her to furrow her eyebrows: what was a kitten doing in a place like that?
"It seems like Charle is quite fond of you" Lucy blinked, astonished: next to her there was a child, twelve if not thirteen at best, but nevertheless a child. The little girl was smiling amiably at her, her long dark hair tied in two high ponytails, as she scooped the little white cat into her arms, tenderly cradling her while humming.
"Ah, uhm, hi" Lucy muttered awkwardly, squeezing hard the book as if afraid the little girl would take it away from her "Ahem, that's nice to hear. Actually, I'm not really lucky with pets. Especially cats. They always try to scratch me or bite me"
Well, it was true. Happyーthat hellish grumpy demon disguised as a cat, belonging to Natsu Dagneelーwould always hiss at her whenever he was around.
On the other hand, Charle looked genuinely glad to see her as she blithely purred and mewled into the girls' arms.
"That's too bad" the child tilted her head "But you should feel lucky. She is usually more reserved when there are customers in the shop"
"Oh, thanks Charle" Lucy patted the kitten's head with her free hand, feeling the softness of the white fur. She mirrored the girl smile, more at ease now.
"My name is Wendy, by the way. I'm the owner's granddaughter. I've never seen you here, miss...?"
"Lucy. Just Lucy is enough" Lucy shrugged "It's the first time, actually. A friend of mine comes here regularly and I just tagged along because I was curious about... this"
She pointed at the room and faked a thin-lipped smile, trying to hide the embarrassment.
It's not like I believe in magic, she mused.
"Sure" Wendy looked very serious, now. She glared at the book in Lucy's grip with an unreadable expression "I hope you found something you like. Would you like to buy that book?"
Lucy tossed a quick glance at the object and nervously tucked a strand of her golden hair behind her hear.
"Oh, this... I just... I don't even know why I picked it up in the first place" she blurted out, slightly blushing.
"Maybe it beckoned you" Wendy explained simply.
"Uhm, excuse me?"
"The book" Wendy pointed at it with the same strange expression from before "It called you because it wanted to be picked up. It's a magical book, after all"
Okay, if the old hag was a bit bonkers, the granddaughter was definitely off her rocker.
Lucy opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Wendy.
"'Tartaros'? If I recall correctly, it's a powerful book" she muttered, quietly.
"Oh, really?" Lucy's remark sounded way more sarcastic than she had intended "And what does it do? Does it make you fly? Can it turn objects into gold?"
"It's Black Magic" Wendy answered leisurely, almost afraid to utter those words "I'm not sure, but I think it can grant wishes. Any wish in the world. But if you're not carefulー"
"Oh, Lucy, there you were" Cana's shrill squeak made Lucy flinch. She swiftly turned around, trying to hide the book, but Cana had already spotted it "Found something you like? Oh, hi, Wendy"
Wendy coyly greeted her overly-talkative friend, but Lucy wasn't really listening, her mind lost in the labyrinth of her musings and hopes.
Wishes.
Wishes.
That book could grant wishes.
What if she could bring back her parents...?
Her fingers glided on the old cover perceiving the steady, unnatural throb. Her heart was hammering in her chest.
Even if it was not scientifically possible, a sliver of her soul wanted to believe it so badly.
Hope blossomed inside her chest, sweet and tempting and naive like a scented, enticing.
What do I have to lose?, she thought, tightly pursing her lips.
I've already lost everything.
"Uh, Earth to Lucy? Are listening to me? Look at these lucky charms. Aren't they cute?"
"Y-yeah" Lucy grinned at her friend "I also want to buy something"
"A book, huh?" Cana sighed theatrically "Why am I not surprised at all? Let's go. The curfew is at nine and I'm not fond of sleeping out in the fog"
She dragged Lucy to the register, idly blabbing about some cute new guy called Bacchus, but Lucy's thoughts were spinning into her head. She could feel Wendy's worried gaze on her back, but she ignored her.
The fear she had felt before had left her giddy and excited.
The uncanny throb inside the book had quickened its pace and now it sounded like an heartbeat.
Perhaps the book was enthusiast, too. Lucy stifled a hysterical giggle.
"I'll take this" she handed the book to the old Porlyusica with a dandy grin while she fished the little leather wallet into her bag "How much?"
The woman stared at her, a conflicted expression plastered on her wrinkly visage. Her eyes were as narrow as slits while she clutched the book, so tight that her knuckles blanched.
"I'm sorry, but it's not for sale"
"Excuse me?" Lucy's heart sank. She blinked rapidly, cocking her eyebrow in surprise.
"I'm not selling this book to you, girl" replied the owner, dryly "Is it not clear enough?"
Lucy gaped at her, the wallet still in her right hand.
"How come?! I can pay for it"
"I'm not changing my mind, and besides, it's not your business. I'm sorry. It's not safe"
"What's all this fuss about?" Cana tilted her head leering at the tome with barely-contained curiosity.
"Please. I need it" pleaded Lucy, lowering her head "Please. It's important. Really important"
"Listenー" the old woman started to rub her temples, shaking her head.
"I just... please" mumbled Lucy with huge, puppy eyes.
Porlyusica tossed a quick glance at the clock and sighed heavily.
"Okay. Okay, you can have the book if you want it so badly. A common human like you can't do much with it, anyways. Most likely, you won't even be able to pry it open" she pointed a lanky finger at Lucy's face "But don't take it too lightly. It's Black Magic, after all"
"So, how much is it?" Lucy asked impatiently, ignoring the woman's witty remarks.
"It's free" Porlyusica shrugged "Really, it's useless in the hands of someone like you. You can keep it a few days, but I assure you that you'll quickly get bored with it. It doesn't work"
"Then I'll make it work" Lucy replied readily, mustering the strength to curl her lips into a not-very-convincing bold smile.
"Good luck then, Lucy Heartphilia"
When Lucy and Cana came out of the shop, the moon was slowly crawling over the horizon, a pale, shimmering eye morbidly staring at the two figures walking in the cold evening. Lucy firmly clutched the book and sighed, exhausted, as Cana hummed a soft tune, briskly strolling beside her.
Then, an eerie thought suddenly hit her.
She had never told her name to the old woman.
nota d'autrice:
01 . 07 . 2015 ー this turned out to be waaay longer than i had expected, but, oh, well. this is an old idea of mine which has been swirling in my mind for weeks and i've *finally* managed to publish it. i actually wanted to write it in italian, but then i changed my mind. the italian fandom is pretty strict regarding pairings, so here i am with my crazy crack ship(?) and an even crazier plot in my mind i should be studying, grrr.
i'm not a huge fan of Lucy, but i think she fits well as main character for this story, what do you think? and, well, Mard is just too fabulous(?). don't worry about him, he'll appear soon enough :D
maybe you're still confused about Lucy's past, but no worries, it'll be explained soon enough :) soooo, thank you for reading this short *cough* first chapter!
opinions and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated, since english is not my mother tongue (unfortunately). i'm not exactly the embodiment of punctuality, so don't expect a quick update ;-;
well, we'll see!
see you!
~ lineality
p.s. the title literally means 'shadow line' in italian :)