Episode 4: The Return of the Titania


It was quite the hot sunny day when I went out of my apartment. The sun's rays felt like fire on my long-time unexposed skin, and I had to squint my eyes to adjust my vision due to the immense brightness of the day.

I flinched inwardly as the burning sensation seemed to increase every time I took a step. I probed through my mind for past memories, searching for a particular scene in which Mama had mentioned something about being able to change the phenomenon through her own desire and will. But instead, I found blurry scenes and muted voices.

Some help my memory is.

"I wonder why it's so hot, though," I muttered, producing a sliver key from space. "The weather, even if it's mostly sunny, always feels so cool…"

I concentrated my magic power to the key in my hand and chanted, "Open, Gate of the Producer, Triangulum!"

Almost instantly, a triangle-shaped Spirit with silvery metallic features and dark, shadowy edges appeared, giving me an emotionless smile as he bowed his head in acknowledgement.

"Triangulum, you don't really have to be so formal with me," I said with a smile, trying to make him become casual and friendly with me, not polite and aloof.

But he said nothing. He never did.

I sighed. Well, it was worth a shot. "Triangulum, would you mind transforming into an umbrella?"

He was silent as he slowly regrouped into bits of metal and assembled into a sturdy metallic umbrella.

"Thank you," I told him warmly with a smile on my face.

As expected, he didn't reply.

I didn't expect him to, anyway.

As I held the umbrella while walking towards the guild, I thought of all the friends I'd made so far and all of the jobs that I'd gone to. The people in Fairy Tail were a crazy bunch, that was for sure, but they were also very friendly, warm, and welcoming. They'd opened the door to a brand new world to me in which I looked forward to for a better tomorrow. Sure, they were rowdy, they were invading my privacy often (especially two particular individuals), they were a bit gossipy (not too much, though), and they often went overboard with every little fight they partake in, but strangely enough, I felt content just as long as they were always with me.

They may not be perfect, but for me, they're the best friends any person could ever hope to have.

While I was drowned in my own thoughts, I didn't notice that I was already nearing the guild. The realization was snapped into me when I bumped my head on the door. Hard.

"Ow…" I said, rubbing my forehead in pain.

'Are you feeling all right, hime?' a voice asked as I felt one of my gold keys shine brightly.

I smiled. "It's nothing, Virgo. Thank you for worrying about me."

'All right. Be careful next time, hime.' And the light faded.

Still smiling, I hurriedly thanked Triangulum and he disappeared into the Spirit Realm quite instantly. Then I opened the doors to Fairy Tail.

And then a table smacked headfirst on my face.

That's weird… I thought rather calmly. Did I just praise them earlier? Oh, no, no, I can't remember such an impossible thing!

"Uh, sorry," a voice apologized sheepishly.

I turned to the source with my face obviously as red as hell and saw a guy about a year older than me with spiky dark hair that was tousled a bit, bottomless pools of onyx eyes, attractive features, and—

Wait a second. He was freakin' half-naked, too.

My face turned redder than it was before and I instantly produced a baseball bat out of nowhere and smacked the stranger with it so hard that he was thrown off.

"Wear some clothes!" I yelled at him.

He looked spellbound for a moment before picking up his clothing that was sprawled on the floor, his face tinged pink.

"Uh, right, sorry about that…" he said quietly.

I was a bit stunned by his response, but nevertheless extended my hand towards him, my cheeks turning red in embarrassment.

"S—Sorry..." I said, not making direct eye-contact with him. "I—I get a little flustered and overboard like this sometimes… So, um, nice to meet you."

He looked surprised for a moment, then he smiled warmly, shaking my hand. "Nice to meet you, too…" He left his sentence hanging in the air.

"Lucy," I supplied. "My name is Lucy."

"Ah, the newbie." He let go of my hand and began to put on his clothes. "I'm Gray."

Feeling a sense of comfort with him, I began to attempt to initiate a conversation with him when he was suddenly knocked out of the way, and my eyes almost bulged out of its sockets when his clothes were gone simultaneously.

Oh my…

Then a boy with brown hair and blue-tinted sunglasses appeared in front of me… and are those sparkles enveloping him?

"Hello there, beautiful," he said charmingly. "What's your name?"

I hesitated. "I'm Lucy—"

"Ack! Lucy? The Celestial Spirit mage who helped defeat Bora of Prominence and also the one who got the legendary red key of Draco? You're that Lucy?!" he said in astonishment.

I was bewildered by his reaction and words. "Uh, yeah?" It came out as a question rather than a statement.

His eyes widened as he took a step backwards. "Uh, this is the end of our love! I'm sorry. Goodbye!" And he ran off like the devil himself was after him.

"But there was never an 'us' in the first place…" I muttered to myself.

That guy's magic seems a bit queer… I thought, watching as the playboy got out of the guild in a flash. And why did he react like that when he found about me?

At that moment, a chair flew towards me (courtesy of… Natsu) and I barely dodged the object.

"Natsu, what's the big idea of thro—" I started to say when aforementioned person was suddenly punched out of the way by a large man with hair the same colour as Mira's.

"MAN!" he declared, pumping his fists into the air.

I sweatdropped. Oh boy…

"Gray," a woman about a year older than me who was sitting on a table drinking a barrel of ale said flatly, her long brown hair let loose behind her back. "Your clothes."

"Ack!" Gray scrambled for his clothes in haste.

Mira noticed the expression on my face and giggled softly. "That one there is my younger brother, Elfman, and those respectively are Macao, Wakaba, Romeo, Cana, and Gray. The one who fled out of the guild is Loke." She smiled at me. "I hope you aren't too bothered."

"Oh, it's okay. Um, are they always fighting like this? I mean, ever since I joined, all I've been seeing is the usual brawl… but now, it seems so intense..."

"Yes, unfortunately. But there is no bad blood here in Fairy Tail. They are merely expressing a form of friendship." The gentle smile on Mira's face never faded…

…even when she was hit straight on the head with a huge table.

"ACK! Mira-san!" I cried in a state of internal panic.

"Besides," she continued as if nothing happened, "it's more fun this way, don't you think?" before she passed out.

"Mi—Mira-san!" I said in horror.

Suddenly the doors swooshed open, revealing a female with long, vibrant scarlet hair and stern brown eyes carrying what seemed to be a wide cart full of luggage.

"E—Erza-san!" Macao exclaimed, dropping his glass of beer to the ground.

"Erza-sama!" Wakaba said at the same time with fear in his voice.

Cana choked on her alcohol. "Erza?"

"I—It's Erza!" Natsu exclaimed, looking horrified.

"Oh, Erza, you're back," Mira greeted with a sweet smile, miraculously conscious with blood oozing down from her head.

"Mira?" Erza questioned. "You have a bit of a wound there. Who did that to you?"

One particular person flinched in the background and I had to cover my mouth to stifle the laughter that was threatening to come out.

Typical Natsu, I thought amusedly.

Erza's hawk-like eyes set on to me and I froze instantly, wishing that I hadn't made a sound.

"And who might you be?" she asked with a bit of curiosity etched in her voice.

"Lucy," I answered almost shakily. "I'm a newcomer here."

The scarlet-haired woman scrutinized me for a quick moment before a warm, friendly smile graced her lips. "I see. Welcome to Fairy Tail then, Lucy." She turned to Natsu, then to Gray. "Oi, you two. Come here," she commanded.

They obeyed, coming in front of her.

Erza had a serious expression on her face. "I need you two to help me with something," she said. "It concerns a matter so important that I cannot let it go."

Natsu and Gray stared at her in shock. So did the whole guild.

"Oh my," Mira exclaimed, placing a hand on her mouth in surprise. "Erza seeking help? And teaming up with Natsu and Gray?"

I turned to look at her questioningly, and she caught my glance.

"Lucy," she said with stars in her eyes, "this may just be the strongest team of Fairy Tail!"


—×ו××—


I had absolutely no idea why I was here in the train station with Natsu and Gray who were squabbling with each other to their heart's content and also Happy who was cheerfully munching on his face without a care in the world. And I had absolutely no idea why I was being tagged along with Fairy Tail's strongest team when I should have been in my cozy little apartment writing the latest chapter of my novel.

Maybe it was because of Natsu's persistence, Gray's imploring and encouraging look, and Erza's agreement to the idea.

Natsu was the first one to suggest it, actually, just when I was one step away from walking out the guild doors. While I was frozen in shock, Natsu began claiming that he and I worked well together and that my magic was awesome and all that. Then Gray piped in by saying that I seemed like a good mediator and that I was a girl, so Erza could have someone she could really talk to. The latter, having been easily persuaded and satisfied with the fact that Natsu and Gray had agreed on the same idea, asked—or rather, forced—me to come with them.

I sighed. Life just wouldn't let me relax just yet.

"Oi, Luigi, the train's gonna go now! Though I feel sick already…" Natsu turned a dark shade of purple at the last statement that came out of his mouth.

"Don't get motion sickness by just thinking about it!" Gray said with a note of exasperation in his face.

I turned to said person with a slightly surprised look on my face. Gray was fully clothed, with pants and a dark shirt covered by a white coat which complemented the dark colours of his hair and eyes and the somewhat calm, cool demeanour he showed off.

He was actually good-looking.

The thought alone made me blush slightly, but it faded once I walked over to them, emitting a casual aura and giving a warm smile as I entwined my arms into theirs in a nonchalant manner.

Natsu responded to the touch with a friendly grin while Gray gave me a cordial smile.

"What about Erza? She's not here yet," I asked them. Then, remembering something, I added, frowning, "And my name is Lucy, Natsu..."

The latter just grinned at me cheekily and I gave up, smiling.

"Erza's Erza," Gray said. "She'll come."

"Yeah!" Natsu agreed. "She's probably just late."

"I see..." I said in understanding.


—×ו××—


Just as Gray said, Erza arrived just as the train began to depart; she barely made it, but she looked calm as always while talking to—or rather, reprimanding—the driver of the train on his impatience of waiting for a passenger.

I sweatdropped while looking away from the window. So that's the Titania Erza? She's scary…

Inside the train, (Erza's scolding voice could be heard very, very clearly) I was seated next to Gray, and across me was Happy, who was still eating his fish, and Natsu, who looked like he wanted to puke right then and there.

"Oi, Flame Brain, the train hasn't even begun moving yet," Gray said in annoyance.

"Sh—Shut up, Ice Prick," Natsu choked out.

Gray smirked. "Can't let out any steam, huh?"

"Stupid Popsicle," Natsu shot indignantly.

I smiled nervously. "Guys, knock it off. We're in public transportation right now and currently attracting unwanted attention."

Erza suddenly materialized beside Natsu, looking satisfied. "Lucy is right. Were you boys fighting again?" There was a note of a threat laced in her voice.

Natsu and Gray sweated profusely. "N—No, ma'am!"

I giggled. They sure are scared of Erza…

"Ne, Lucy, do you know what kind of magic Erza uses?" Happy asked me.

"No," I replied curiously. "Why?"

"Well, Erza's magic is awesome!"

I turned to aforementioned person. "Really? Can you show me, Erza-san?" I knew that Erza was one of the strongest mages in Fairy Tail, but I didn't know what her magic was.

"Oh, please, call me Erza. And I think that Gray's magic is pretty. Even prettier than mine," Erza said modestly.

"Really?" I said for the second time, turning to Gray expectantly.

He turned to me, stuck out his hand, and slammed a fist on it. After that, a magic circle appeared, and also a beautiful Fairy Tail insignia made of ice.

"Wow, it is pretty," I gushed. "It surprisingly suits you."

He smiled at me softly. "Thanks, I guess."

At that moment, Natsu emitted a moan, which unfortunately did not go unnoticed by Erza. She grabbed him by the neck and slammed him onto her armour, rendering him instantly unconscious.

Gray and I stared at the scene, horrified.

She looked over at us with a casual smile on her face. "He won't feel any pain now."

"..."

"..."

"What is the matter?"

"N—Nothing! Nothing at all!"


—×ו××—


After Erza explained to us about the case of Eisenwald and Lullaby, I immediately voiced out my knowledge of the latter, and after the realization dawned into them that the dreaded flute was indeed very dangerous, we made a plan of action to stop Eisenwald from using it. But then a series of mishaps occurred, and after some time, we practically came to the point where we went inside the Oshibana Station where Eisenwald was said to be in. Erigor, the ace of the guild who said that he was called Shinigami Erigor, explained his plan to Erza; he wanted to broadcast the Lullaby in order to punish everyone hearing it because of their sin of not knowing that there were people not having the same rights and safety they had. It seemed that he was referring to the excommunications of the Dark Guilds.

"If you do it in this way, you won't get your rights back," I argued.

Erigor shrugged. "I do not want rights anymore. I want power, and those with power are able to rewrite history and rule the future."

Kageyama, one of the elites of their guild, said smugly, "What a pity for you little flies... to die without getting a glimpse of the dark age!" He then proceeded to attack me using Shadow magic.

However, I had already expected that kind of action and got out of the way.

"Fast, aren't you? Well, take this!" He was about to throw another attack at me when a burst of flames suddenly stung his skin.

"Oi, you!" Natsu said, grinning. "I'll be your opponent."

"Hmph… They've fallen right into my trap…" Erigor said, leaving the place.

Erza noticed this. "Natsu! Gray! Don't let Erigor get away! He's got the Lullaby with him!"

"What? With him?" Natsu exclaimed.

"Yes. Do you have a problem with that, Natsu?" Erza said threateningly.

"N—N—No, ma'am!" Natsu said immediately.

"Good. Now go, the two of you! Lucy and I will take it from here," Erza commanded.

The two went on their way, but not before giving us a glance that meant they understood. Happy followed after Natsu, intent on accompanying him.

Kageyama and a member named Rayule went after them, but I knew that Natsu and Gray could handle them.

They were strong, after all.

I turned to Erza. "Do we really have to fight them?" I asked, a bit hesitant.

"Of course," she said sternly. "From what you told me, Lullaby is very dangerous and it cannot exist in this world. Therefore, these people who have found that flute and planned to use it must be punished accordingly. Also, they blatantly refuse to tell us their real plan. I did not expect Erigor to treat me like a damned fool." Anger coloured her voice, and I backed away, afraid. "That is why we will beat it out of them."

"W—What a firm strategy you have…"

Erza narrowed her eyes. "Requip! Heaven's Wheel Armor!"

All of a sudden, a blinding red light enveloped her body, and in a flash, she was wearing armour in which almost every part of it was seemingly made of silver metal. The upper part of the armour only consists of a small breastplate that was composed of feather-shaped plates pointing upwards with a large metal flower on the front which extended along her hips. Her biceps were covered by metal straps and her very large plated gauntlets sported feather-shaped plates at the edges. Her waist was circled by large, decorated plates reminiscent of feathers that lay on a long skirt. She wore a pair of plated boots which was partially hidden under her skirt, each sporting metal ornaments shaped like wings. She also wore a neck guard made of feather-like plates and a tiara with prominent metal wings. The armor also sported two pairs of large metal wings which adorned Erza's back, composed of metal feathers which got longer and larger at the edges.

I was left gaping at my position as she steadily wiped out a significantly large group of people in one strike.

Erza's… scary… all right…

"Lucy!" she yelled suddenly. "Look out!"

I turned just in time to see a flurry of knives coming after me. I stared at them in grim fascination, slightly amazed by the large numbers and the flash of speed it harboured.

"Why are you looking at them?! Move!" Erza's angry, almost-desperate cry made me flinch.

But I didn't move.

After what seemed like an eternity, the knives were then blocked by an invisible barrier and promptly fell to the ground in a heap before they could pierce my body.

Erza stared at the scene, wide-eyed. "How—?" She didn't get to finish her sentence as she parried her opponent's attack.

"Shield Magic," I covered up.

I wasn't about to tell her that weapons didn't work on me. She'd be suspicious of the extent of my magic power, and I wasn't about to let my secret slip out in this world.

"Ah, I see. Impressive." She dodged an attack to her collarbone and retaliated by sending a massive attack to the perpetrators. "But you could have just told me, you know."

I laughed nervously. "Well, uh… I guess I was a bit dazed out there." Producing an ivory key from space, I then chanted, "Open, Angel of Daylight, Jessica!"

A soft white light enveloped the key in my hand, and then Jessica appeared, an angel with long brown hair two shades lighter cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall. Her warm gentian-blue eyes shone with intelligence as she gazed at me, and I felt a bit awkward standing behind her who is a deity from the Heavens.

"You called for me, Lucy-sama?" Her voice was just as soft as her smile.

"Yes, Jessica," I said, smiling despite my awkwardness. Jessica was an offensive-type Spirit; she was the second strongest angel at my disposal. But the reason why I felt like this whenever she was around was because she could reach into people's souls (not literally, of course). Every angel could do it, but Jessica almost excelled at it—emphasis on the almost—because the strongest of the angels had mastered this skill, unlike her.

Which was why I always hesitated on summoning that particular Spirit out.

"Please take care of them for me," I told Jessica.

She nodded in understanding.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them a second later, she sent out waves of magical energy from her fingertips. The rays of light coalesced, forming into a massive burst of explosions in the area.

Numerous members collapsed to the ground from the impact.

"Sh—She's strong!"

"The red-haired one's no joke, either!"

Erza looked impressed. "Celestial Spirit mages that can summon keys other than the gold and silver ones? That race is extremely rare. In fact, only one person in this world had been able to do that, and that was about 50 years ago. She was branded as a Legendary Celestial Spirit mage because of her exploits and achievements. I commend you, Lucy." She then skillfully dodged a swipe to her neck.

The person you're talking about is my mother. "Thank you, Erza. Your magic is amazing, by the way."

She winked at me. "Not as amazing as yours."

I blushed in embarrassment. "Thanks, but I still think that yours is better." I took out my whip from space and brandished it.

"You fight, too?" Erza's voice held a tone of surprise.

"Yeah, I do." I channeled a bit of magic power into the whip and it instantly enveloped in flames. I then struck at an unsuspecting opponent, and after a few seconds, I'd already cleaned out half of the large group in my side.

"I think it's time to end this. None of them are talking, anyway." Erza requipped swords and had them circle around them. "Dance, my blades!" The swords then began spinning rapidly around her and she sent them flying towards the opponents in a disc formation at first and upon impact the swords separated and flew in different directions, dealing great damage. In a flash, all of them were knocked unconscious just as Jessica finished with the ones on our side.

"We did it," I said, smiling triumphantly. "Arigatou, Jessica. You can go now."

My Spirit's smile diffused warmth. "Anytime, Lucy-sama." And she promptly disappeared back to her world.

Erza turned to give me a pat on the head. "Good work, Lucy. Now let's go find Erigor."

I hummed my agreement.


END of EPISODE 4

Next time: Episode 5—Lullaby


A/N: I guess the description of Erza's armour was a bit too long… But all of you can skip the description of it. And, since I'd already started it, then I guess I'm going to have to describe every type of armour she will wear in the later chapters. Also, were the fight scenes good? Or were they bad? I'm still practicing on getting better with action scenes, and I don't know if I'm doing well or not. Lastly, I just want to ask you all if you like Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy, because they're going to have a role in this story that requires them to be a bit into the spotlight. I hope you don't mind.