She dreamt of a vast blue sky that swept out across an even bluer ocean, of sea birds dancing in the sky above a great tree, the golden canopy seemingly reaching out to protect all but the far reaches of the island from the fierce midday sun. In the distance she could hear children playing, people going about their everyday business, a busy market fuelled by the success of the local guild. A large book lay across her stomach as she took in the sights and smells of the island, perhaps… she mused, now would not be a bad time for a nap….
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than the world went dark. The sun was gone – replaced by a huge moon, the warmth from the day lingered, all around her crickets chirped to the night sky. A scream shattered the still night, she ran towards the village…. And all around her the world burned...
Her eyes fluttered open to be met with darkness, all around her was still. The soft pallet and herbal smell told her she was in the infirmary of the guild hall, soft breathing could be heard around the room, no doubt others who had been injured in the fighting. She brought a hand up to her throat, it felt like it had been rubbed raw by something, raising her head now she had adjusted to the dim light level a little she found a glass of water beside her. She sighed with contentment as the cool liquid slipped down her throat.
She covered her eyes as light washed in to the room from the corridor, a large hulking figure stood in the door, bright red eyes surveyed the darkness. Heavy boots crossed the room towards her, stopping just short at the person two beds down. Lucy struggled to raise herself a little more to peer at the unexpected visitor and their reason for sulking around Fairy Tail so late. She grinned to herself as a head of blue hair revealed the answer she had been hoping for, Levy had been injured early on in the fighting, rubble had fallen on her leg causing a break and some nasty gashes.
"Gihi…" Gajeels trademark laugh cut through the room and she realised a little too late she had been caught staring. She raised both hands shakily in a gesture of peace to the hulking iron dragon slayer.
"Bunny Girl, didn't know you were awake!" His voice so deep she likened it to a growl in her head.
She shrugged. "How is she?" Her voice waved as she spoke.
"Fine. She was reading most of the past few days…"
"Few days! Hong long have I been asleep!"
"Three days." A new voice supplied "What was my stipulation of you looking in on the brats? You were supposed to check on all of them and let me know if any of them needed attention! Useless human! Now get out I need to check the patient!"
Lucy grinned at the old healers rant. The grin on her face quickly died as Porlyusica's sharp gaze turned to herself, something inside her was overjoyed to see the old woman as cutting as ever. She shook her head to herself as the healer approached her bed.
"Using that much magic, where you trying to kill yourself? I have enough burns to deal with from that dragon without having to heal where your own spell has started to eat at you. You are lucky Wendy was so quick to heal your throat after the power ripped through it, if not you would not be here right now, as it is you will have difficulty talking for quite a time I would imagine. That coupled with the severe deficiency in magic …" The healer sighed heavily. "Did you know?"
Lucy's head quickly supplied her with the full question, had she been aware of how suicidal her actions had been? She nodded once, although she hadn't thought it at the time she had been well aware of the sacrifice her actions may have caused.
"Well congratulations, your actions ripped the dragon to pieces – and a rather large hole in the guild hall roof may I add…" Lucy flinched. "You managed to save your guild mates at least, and none of the rubble fell back inside the building, at least we have that to be grateful for."
Pride at her plan swelled inside her, she blinked, her plan?
"There have been very few casualties because of your quick thinking…" Lucy gagged as her mind took her back to the man she had seen incinerated by dragon fire, the stench of burning flesh and burning wind on her face so clear in her mind that she almost believe she was back there. In a desperate attempt to think of anything else her mind fast forwarded to the end of the battle. Her eyes searched the old healers face as she gathered the will to ask.
"Natsu?"
The healer groaned and rolled her eyes exasperatedly, Lucy just stared – shocked at such a human expression. Her mind supplier her with the fact that the woman had not always been so grumpy. Glossing over the random fact that had entered her mind she waited for a fuller response.
"God help those of us who have to deal with the stupidity of dragon slayers. He is running a fever, trying to burn the room down with his roar too. I have the ice mage on damage control."
A vision of a skeletal dragon ripping apart Magnolia swam to the forefront of her mind, it felt like such a strong memory although she was sure she would have remembered an instance like that before now. Perhaps she had not fully recovered from the stress of hosting Lumen Histoire in her own body, a spike of amusement followed that thought. She frowned, it appeared that her emotions were a little all over the place recently.
Not your emotions, her mind supplied, Ours!
Her thoughts sounded a lot like Mavis she mused, again the wave of amusement washed over her. Lucy's eyes widened in horror, she had absorbed Lumen Historie in order to raise the attack, what if she had collapsed before she had disengaged from Mavis.
"Mavis?" She whispered, her hypothesis was proved correct as a wave of happiness floated from the back of her mind.
"What was that child?" Porlyusica snapped. "Speak up!"
"I think we are still linked, Mavis and myself…"
The healer froze "That's impossible!"
An image of Bixlow floated to the forefront of her thoughts, sending thanks back to what she assumed was the spirit of the first guild master she cleared her throat.
"Perhaps we should ask Bixlow?"
The old healer sighed and stuck her head out of the door. "You! Cat! Stop moping and go fetch me the seith mage!"
"Aye!" Came the distant reply.
AN: I hope you are enjoying the story so far! Perhaps some of you might get the jist of where this is going perhaps... I've tried not to give too much away in the story description so that I don't inadvertently ruin the plot for people!
I'd love to hear where you think this is going!