Chapter 1: A moment too late…
How wonderful is when the guild is together and having fun! Everybody is in such high spirits since Lisanna came back. Everybody is glad to have their family back together once more. And the ones that came after as just as glad making friends with her and hearing the embarrassing stories of their friends' childhood with her.
"And then Natsu told me that he hates Erza because she's so bossy with him." Lisanna giggled, telling the girls gathered at the bar the fire slayer's childhood stories. Lucy, Levy, Wendy and Mira laughed, while Charla smirked slowly, sipping from her cup of tea.
"He was THAT much of an idiot? I bet Erza has hit his head on the walls a whole week!" Lucy laughed.
"She did in fact." Mira agreed, remembering that time. Lucy couldn't believe that as she burst into laugh.
"I'm gonna die of laughing…" She said, holding firm on the table as tears appeared in her eyes.
"Lucy, didn't you have to go on that mission? I remember Erza telling me." Levy asked, changing the subject.
"Oh, that's right. It's already 6. I should go home and pack a little." She said, noticing the time on the clock. "Maybe get a bit of sleeping too… I've been quite tired lately." She yawned, stretching herself.
"Are you alright, Lucy?" Wendy asked, wondering if she could be of help. The blonde waved her hand, giggling.
"It's nothing, I tell you. From time to time it happens. Although it's been gone for a few years. I guess I can't chase it away so easily." She winked, standing up. "Well then, see you in about five days minna!" she said, going back to her home on the usual way near the river. It was a gloomy day and it seemed as if it was going to rain. However, Lucy felt relaxed for a reason or another. She closed her eyes, forgetting that she was near the river and that she could fell in anytime if careless. Without thinking, her legs carried her instinctively. It seemed so natural, as if she was in a dream… As if she was alone in the whole world… with no one else…
"Lucy-chan! You're gonna fall!" somebody shouted and that bought her back to reality, as she shook furiously and looked around. It was as if somebody suddenly woke her from a dream. Her hands and legs trembled suddenly as she breathed heavily. Thanking the man who warned her, she ran back to her house, packing as she had less than two hours to get to the train station. How much she loved when she went on missions with her team… she thought, looking with a smile at the sign on her hand.
"So all we have to do is get rid of a few monsters from the forest, right? Sounds easily…" Lucy inspected the request from the mayor suspiciously as they were walking by the cart through the forest.
"You're overthinking things again, Lucy." Erza smiled, driving the horses from the front seat.
"But~" she pouted, but she then felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked to her right to see Gray.
"Maa, even if there was something… There's no need to worry too much. It's pretty simple for the reward. Even the flame-brain said so before going into that state." Gray said smirking, seeing Natsu purple at face.
"Aye! There's no need to worry Lucy." Happy nodded, happy as always.
"If you say so…" Lucy smiled, getting rid of her worries when Erza suddenly stopped.
"End of the road guys. We're going by foot from here on." She said and the first one outside was, of course, Natsu.
"Finally! Earth!" he shouted, getting excited all of a sudden.
"You really are like a little child…" Lucy sighed, going out as well. It was silent, and the wind was swaying briefly through the branches of the trees. It was fall. The sky was all covered by dark clouds.
"It seems as if a storm is coming. We should hurry up." Gray said and they all nodded.
"Natsu, you lead. Your nose should be useful. The direction is south." Erza ordered and Natsu shouted excited, going ahead.
"It's kind of creepy here…" Lucy said, cautious of her surroundings.
"Yeah.. I know what you say…" Gray agreed.
"Aye…" Happy cried. All of a sudden, a roar was heard, and birds all over the forest fled into the sky, seeking refuge.
""KYA!"" Lucy and Happy hugged each other, crying.
"Yosh! Here he comes!" Natsu announced, but both Erza and Grey already knew.
"Good luck guys!" "You can do it!" the two scared cats of the team cheered, from a few meters back into the bushes, where they considerated to be safe. And there he came, a huge creature, from their point of view, with horns alike a bulls. It charged directly into their group, but slided on Gray's ice floor directly into Erza's hand, or better said, swords…. Finally, a little crisp cooking from Natsu made it into the delicious dish that fell onto the ground.
"That was fast…" Lucy murmured, thinking that it was indeed too easy. She looked around, and what she seen made her doubt her eyes. Even if it was fall… the whole vegetation died… just before her eyes. She quickly stood up, as they all noticed the anomaly.
"That wasn't part of the request, was it?" Grey asked, not knowing what to say.
"Let's check it out." Erza decided and they adventured inside the now dying forest. As they walked further, they just got more confused. Not a single thing was heard, just silence… as if the death came over the forest…
"Nobody told me that we're like…1000 meters above the ground…." Lucy gulped, peeping slowly at the clouds and mist covering the rift.
"If we went further, we would've reached a bridge. It seems that down there is a river going fast to the ocean. Be careful there, Lucy." Erza warned, and as soon as she heard that, Lucy distanced herself from the Great Fall…
"But it sure is strange… where are all the monsters?" Natsu asked, wishing for a fight.
"You tell us, freak." Grey sighed, picking a fight.
"Chase that out." Erza ordered, with venom in her voice.
"Ne… look…" Lucy mumbled… pointing to the forest ahead. They all turned their heads to it once more, and were shocked to see the whole forest returning to its original state, with its still leaves and shiny glass.
"Was that all an illusion then?" Happy asked, wondering.
"There's something strange with this place." Gray said cautious and right then a sharp arrow passed his face and Lucy's with high speed.
"Hiie!" she fell on her butt, startled.
"Stay down!" Erza yelled, pushing Natsu's head into the down as a rain of arrows came from the forest.
"Shit!" Grey cursed, frowning. "Ice Make: Wall!" he chanted and a protective wall was created. When it was destroyed, the rain stopped as well.
"I want to go home…" Happy cried.
"Something is coming." Natsu warned. Fire erupted into the forest, and it seemed to come quickly towards their own location.
"Open! Gate of the Bearer, Aquarius!" Lucy shouted with the key glowing into a pound. The blue haired spirit came just as Natsu intercepted the flames, not noticing the monster that came together with them. It looked just like a golem of stone, covered into red flames.
"I was on a date!" Aquarius shouted, throwing with her pot angry to the monster, that screamed as soon as the water hit his body. "Don't call me again, girly!" the spirit shouted before leaving. The monster screamed in agony, hitting his fists into the ground, causing it to split, making the whole place not steady.
"Get away!" Erza shouted, with two swords in her hands as she raced to the monster, cutting his stone hands.
"This thing is getting too annoying!" Gray shouted, throwing ice arrows into it, searching for a weak point.
"The heck!?" Natsu shouted, feeling himself dragged on the ground. The tree rots grabbed his legs and played with him like with a little toy. When Erza wanted to get away, another set of roots grabbed her, throwing her into the trees. The monster was still screaming, moving chaotically as it had now only his legs to use.
"There!" Lucy shouted, spotting a weak point into his main body, while taking out a key. "Open! Gate of the Archer, Sagittarius!" she screamed, not letting that crumble slip from her eyes.
"Ice make: Chains!" Grey chanted and made the monster fell, struggling to break free. Sagittarius understood immediately from the eyes of his mistress what he was supposed to do and shot without mercy, directly into the crumble that she found near its heart. The monster screamed once more, the earth around him breaking apart and winds stirring with its dying pain. Together with the trees releasing his hostage, Sagittarius faded away, feeling the low stamina his mistress had left from summoning two spirits at once. It was over… the monster died and Lucy sighed, feeling herself weak. But what she hasn't noticed until he screamed her name, was Natsu running desperately towards her, as Grey and Erza, together with Happy widened their eyes, shouting her name. Then… she saw her hair floating ahead of her, and Natsu seemed further as his hand reached to her. Instinctively, she reached out to him, but from 10 cm the distance became greater, as she's seen the ground fell, together with herself…
Just then she realized she's been falling into the rift, feeling the cold air on her skin as she screamed Natsu's name, her own name echoing from above, shouted by him. 'NO!' she mentally screamed, but there was nothing more that could be done. She's fell, feeling the cold water make her loose consciousness. He jumped after her into the clouds, but her figure was nowhere to be seen as he desperately searched. Even as Happy caught him, he struggled, shouting her name over and over again. But she was gone… taken by the torrent…
I've decided to rewrite the story. I hope it turned out better than last time. I am also very sorry for making you all wait this whole time. With luck, I hope you will continue to support this idiot of a writer from now on too.