Chapter 2

Lucille stared solemnly at the star filled sky as Naberius flew towards the darker areas of Magnolia city. The dark raven had flown this path many times before, bringing her deeper into the crime centrals. Below her, the other humans carried on with their days, not knowing and not caring about anything but themselves. That's what she thought was wrong with this world. Everyone only cared about themselves. And about making money. In this messed up world, money was apparently the be-all and end-all of everything.

Her father was one of those people. Completely obsessed with making money. After her mother had died when she was young, her father had completely changed. Focusing all of his attention on his company, her father had abandoned her to be attended to by the servants. As if the enormous mansion and countless cars and cottages weren't enough, her father continued strive for more. One could never have enough money he said. But, he soon ran out of resources to continue all his ventures. So he did what all the other desperate business men did.

The high profile corporates of society all knew how to play the game. On the forefront, they put on innocent face, basking in all their fame and fortune. But behind closed doors, almost all of them were tied to dark underworld.

And thus, tied to the Baram Alliance.

The Baram Alliance was a tense non-aggression pact between the three prominent mafia present in Fiore consisting of Oracion Seis, Grimore Heart and the most secretive, Tartaros. Only the most prominent businessmen had access to one of the big three; the others simply dealt with their child organizations.

Jude Heartfilia, as one of the richest men in Fiore, had the pleasure of dealing directly with one of the great mafia from the Baram Alliance. And for a while, things went well. Business was booming and the money flowed in…except for when payment was finally due. And of course, like expected, interest was steep. So much so, that like all the others before him, her father was eventually unable to pay them back. So what did he do instead?

He sold off his own daughter. To the most malicious one of them all.

Tartaros.

Naberius flew closer to the ground as they neared the massive estate. Lucille gazed over the seemingly endless plot of land that hosted an enormous Victorian style castle. The front entrance was decorated with a large round stone fountain and was blocked off by a dark looming gate. Like always, the fountain gargoyle seemed to be watching her as she arrived.

Lucille hopped off her large raven right in front the double doors that led into the castle. The two hooded guards silently opened the doors for her, signaling for her to enter. Naberius disappeared in a wisp of dark shadow as she ventured warily into the mansion.

Almost immediately she was greeted by a loud cackle.

"Heard you messed up today sis!"

A muscular young man greeted the blonde with a dark toothy grin that revealed his sharp canines. On top of his head lay two prominent cat-like ears that matched the colour of his dark blonde hair. Though, she would never say that straight to his face. She was pretty sure that he would kill anyone that even mentioned that his features seemed feline in nature. But despite that, his long fluffy tail definitely reminded her of a cat's.

Lucille snarled back. "Shut up, Jackal." Jackal's inhuman appearance was a nice reminder that she wasn't the only one messed up in this world. That she wasn't entirely crazy for having a curse like hers. She tried to make her way past the demon, but his clawed hand immediately grabbed hold of her arm.

"Mard Geer is expecting you," Jackal said with a sly grin. He quickly noted her slightly frazzled appearance and the missing hooded jacket that she always wore on her missions. Something or rather someone must have messed with her job today. And judging from the slightly fried state of her clothes, it was a mage of some sort.

That wasn't good. Mard Geer wouldn't appreciate any interaction between his precious pet and any mages.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course he is." She allowed herself to be led to the self-proclaimed Underworld King's throne room. Why someone still had a throne room in this day and age she didn't know, but the 'King' was a rather traditional man. Or well demon if she wanted to be particular about the details.

The throne room consisted of a large mostly empty hall with an actual throne situated at one end. Mard Geer's throne was a rather disturbing affair, complete with vine like arms and a back with screaming skulls as decorations. It was freakishly medieval if someone had asked her.

The Underworld King himself was quite a character of his own. Today he was dressed with a frilled black v-neck shirt with light coloured pants and long black jacket. His long wavy black hair was styled in a high ponytail with his bangs covering one of his eyes as his head rested on a closed fist that was situated on one of the arms of his throne.

The other eye was open and looking down at her with a calculating stare. She quickly bowed her head and placed her hands neatly in front of her as she waited for his instruction.

"Lucille," Mard Gard said. His voice dark and silky as he called out her name.

"Hai Master," Lucille replied, emotionless. Despite the fact that she was scared to the bone, there was no advantage in appearing weak to her Master. That would only infuriate him more.

"Tell me. What happened tonight?" The King's voice was calm, but she knew better than to assume that he wasn't angry with her. She could hear Jackal's snickering from behind her, but she wouldn't dare turn around to send him a glare.

Lucille began to recall what happened. "I was interrupted by a man. He was just like me." Her voice paused for a moment. "Cursed." Her voice dripped with acid over that one word.

She dared to glance up at the demon's face, only to notice his deep set frown.

"And what was his curse my pet?" Mard Geer asked her gently. It amused the demon that his little pet still referred to her magic as a curse. of course, she had no idea how truly powerful real curses were. Curses employed by his own demons of the Underworld.

Her brows furrowed as she tried to explain what she had saw. "He controlled the lightning from sky. It enveloped his body like a cloak. He attacked Cerberus and I before we could get to the target."

"Were you hurt?" The King inquired. Lucille never understood why he always asked this question. He was never concerned for her safety whenever he was the one dealing out the punishment.

Her eyes stayed locked on to the demon's onyx coloured eyes, too afraid to look away. "No. Just stunned."

The next question frightened her to the core. "Did he see your face? Our mark?" Given her currently state of dress, she figured that the King already knew this answer. And yet, she knew he found pleasure in making her squirm in fear.

She finally broke eye contact as she turned her head back towards the floor.

"Yes." The word came out in a whisper.

"Why didn't you kill him?" His voice was starting to take on a darker tone. Her breathing slowly picked up in anticipation of the punishment that was almost certain to come.

"I couldn't. I was…too weak. I didn't have enough blood to summon Cerberus again after the man had forced him back the first time," she confessed reluctantly, her head turned to the side in shame.

Her Master paused for longer than she had expected. She stood there, eyes glued to the floor as she awaited her punishment. Mard Geer hated it when she was weak. He often told her that he had no use for pets that were weak. Those that lacked power were almost always 'disposed' of.

His voice returned to its gentle form, which only served to frighten her even more. "Then my pet, I have a gift for you." A gift? Why was she receiving a gift when she had messed up? Her head snapped upwards as she searched her Master's face for answers. But all she was graced with was that demented smile of his.

Suddenly a crimson red sphere materialized in Mard Geer's right hand. Its contents swirled gently inside in a thick and fluid motion.

She couldn't help but ask. "W-What is that?"

He gave her another sly smile, "This my dear pet, is a blood lacrima."

Lacrima...? What's a lacrima?

Before she could get in anymore questions, her Master signalled to Jackal who was still standing behind her. Suddenly she felt the demon's clawed hands pushing down on her shoulders as she was forced down onto her knees.

"Master, what's going on?!" Lucille asked, her panic and fear finally showing. Her eyes darted around for any indication of escape, but she knew that if she tried, Jackal would have her blown into pieces before she could even take a step.

She watched with her eyes wide in fright as Mard Geer stepped off his throne to stand before her with the 'Blood Lacrima'.

"Why my dear, Mard Geer is going to give you your gift." His deranged smile never left his face as he held the crimson sphere in front of her left breast, right over her heart. "This gift will make you stronger. In fact, you will never run out of blood again."

What the hell did he mean?! That's impossible! There's only so much blood her body can handl-

Lucille's ear piercing screams suddenly filled the air as Mard Geer plunged the blood lacrima straight into her heart. Immediately, she felt pain shooting throughout her entire body while her heart seized and spasmed. She thrashed uncontrollably as she tried to accommodate the sudden rush of an unexplained force into her body. If Jackal wasn't now holding her arms behind her, she was sure she would've tried to claw the thing back out of her.

She didn't know how long she was in pain for. It came in waves, crashing over her body and receding slightly, only to return twice as strong. She was stuck in this state for what felt like forever until finally it lessened. In its place was a feeling that she didn't quite understand. But whatever it was, it enveloped her and made her feel…strong.

Alive.

She vaguely heard words being spoken as she collapsed to the floor in a sweaty heap. "Jackal, take her to her room."

Her heavy breathing finally returned to normal as the rest of the pain subsided, leaving her gasping softly in Jackal's arms. She could feel his clawed hands tighten around her body each time it spasmed from the residual energy still lingering within her. She attempted to curl up further into herself as she laid her head against his chest.

She could feel the light growl emanating from his chest.

"Jackal…" She flinched as her voice came out hoarse. Must have been from all the screaming. "What happened?"

Jackal spoke through gritted teeth, "I don't know." As much as he disliked to admit, he had grown fond of the human girl ever since her arrival more than ten years ago. She was like a sister to him. He hated it whenever that heartless demon messed with Lucille like this. Even more so, since the poor girl had no idea what it was that Mard Geer was doing to her in the first place. Hell, she didn't know anything outside of her life at Tartaros. She had basically grown up here.

In this demented guild full of demons.

But seeing as Mard Geer was their 'King' he couldn't refuse his orders, nor could he show that he cared. And so, just like all the other times, her screams had practically pierced through his sensitive ears as he was forced to watch.

Mard Geer's obsession with the blonde had started ever since her magic settled in many years ago and he had discovered his little 'pet' had the ability to summon demons. True demons. Not the false ones like they were. After realizing her powers, Mard Geer had been training her to kill. In no time, she had become his personal assassination machine.

But both Jackal and Mard Geer knew she was limited. There was only so much blood a human could lose when summoning demons. And boy were they greedy. That's why the Underworld King had their resident scientist Lamy scrounge up that blood lacrima. With that in her system now, she should have no trouble summoning Greater demons. Hell, if she got strong enough, she may even be able to summon the true Nine Demon Gates of hell.

She was already able to summon their gate keeper, Cerberus.

Lucille had fallen asleep in his arms by the time they had reached her room. Jackal placed her down gently on her large medieval styled four poster bed. He gently brushed away a sweat covered bang from her forehead as he took in her soft features illuminated by the moonlight shining in from her large window.

Jackal snarled when he noticed the dark, crimson coloured scar that now curled around the side of her left breast in the shape of two intertwined vines of thorns.

She wasn't going to like that one.

Laxus stormed angrily into his grandfather's office when he returned to the guild, slamming the door shut. He couldn't believe that he let a simple woman slip through his fingers. If he wasn't so stunned by her guild affiliation and her innocent face she'd be caught by now. A girl like that definitely didn't look like she belonged to a guild like Tartaros.

Makarov looked up from his paper work, taking note of the frustrated state his grandson was in. "Did you find the culprit?"

Laxus grunted, as he plopped down into an arm chair "Ya. It was a mage alright."

it was as he suspected. Makarov sat in thought for a moment before asking, "What sort of magic did he use?"

"She," Laxus stressed. "-used some sort of summoning magic that not even I've seen before."

"She?" Makarov hadn't expected that the perpetrator of such violent murders would be a woman.

Laxus rolled his eyes, "I think I'd know a woman when I see one Gramps."

Something didn't add up, Makarov thought to himself. "How did she get inside those offices without getting caught?"

"Like I said, Gramps. She used some form of summoning magic." Laxus replied. "She didn't need to be in those offices. She sent her hound in."

"Her hound?"

Laxus growled as he recalled his earlier fight with the woman. If he could even call it that. "The woman summoned a goddamn demon hell-hound out of thin air." He watched as his grandfather's eyebrows shot towards the roof. "If I wasn't there to hear her chant the incantations I never would've believed it myself either."

"That's impossible," Makarov's expression grew serious. "There hasn't been a mage that could summon a demon that easily in ages. Demon summonings are extremely dark rituals that require an incredible amount of blood."

"There was blood involved," Laxus interjected. "Except it was her own blood. I could smell it in the air." By the end of the fight, the scent of her blood practically cloaked the entire roof-top. He wouldn't forget that scent even if he tried to.

"Summoning a demon with just one mage's blood?!" Makarov shouted, standing up from his seat. That's practically unheard of.

"I'm not lying Gramps. That girl even mentioned something to do with demon gates," Laxus said.

"Demon gates..." Makarov sat back down in deep thought. The opposite to celestial magic that could open the celestial gates, demon summoning magic could open up the gates to hell. This was some seriously dark magic. Bordering on the black arts…

Laxus continued. "Gramps." He waited until he had his grandfather's full attention. "I haven't even gotten to the best part yet."

Makarov froze. There was more?

"That girl. She belongs to Tartaros." Laxus wouldn't mistake that guild mark anywhere.

"What?!" Makarov bellowed.

Tartaros. One of the dark guilds from the Baram Alliance. One so shrouded in mystery that there was practically no information surrounding it. Now they have a dark mage who was capable of summoning demons?!

This was getting more serious than he thought.

"There's one last thing that bothered me," Laxus said. Mararov wasn't sure he could take anymore. "The way the girl spoke about her magic…she said it was a curse. Hell, she even called my magic a curse."

"This girl Laxus," Makarov said, his voice laced with slight concern. "How old was she?"

"Not one hundred percent sure, but based on her looks alone she seemed a couple years younger than me," Laxus answered. "Probably around Natsu's age." Except those eyes of hers. Those were eyes that had seen too much.

Makarov's brows furrowed. "This girl is young. She may not even be aware that she is wielding magic. In fact, if things are as you say, Laxus, then she might not even know about the existence of magic at all. If she has been sheltered by a dark guild, then she wouldn't have had any formal education about magic." For all light guilds, it was mandatory that all magic borne children attend a magic academy from a very young age in order to properly control and learn about their magic. If this child hasn't been properly informed, she could potentially be extremely dangerous.

Not just to others, but to herself as well.

"Laxus," Makarov said seriously as he looked to his grandson. "We need to bring her in."

Laxus raised his brow. Bring her in...to Fairy Tail? "Why don't you just let the Council take care of her?"

Makarov shook his head, "No. I'm afraid they would be too harsh on the girl. From what you said, this child knows nothing about our world. If she calls her magic a curse, then may fear it. And no one should fear their magic. She needs someone to guide her with a gentle hand."

The dragon slayer swept a hand through his blonde hair. "And…that gentle hand just happens to be Fairy Tail?" Leave it to his grandfather to try and rehabilitate a criminal.

"Yes."

Laxus sighed, "Very well." His guild was already filled with freaks...what's one more.

How hard can it be to bring in a teenaged girl?

Lucille tossed and turned in her sleep as the moon shone in through her window.

Another nightmare.

This time, all she could see behind her closed eyes were crimson flames that surrounded her entire being. It felt so real that she could practically feel the blazing heat as the fire engulfed her.

Ojou-chan...

Who's there?

Ojou-chan...

What do you want?

Summon me...

Summon you...who are you?

My name is...

Suddenly she could make out a towering gate within the blazing flames.

Ifrit.

A/N: Glad to already see some interest in my second fanfic that was based solely on this one random thought I had! Thanks to those who have already reviewed, faved and followed!

Until next chapter!