"What the hell happened?" I snapped as we all rushed back to where the man who shot me was supposed to have been held.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I do not know. It happened a few hours ago while I was out on patrol."
"Damn," I growled. Without him, it's going to be harder to track down who is trying to kill me! And, I'll never know his connection to that symbol. "That's it!"
"What's it?" Natsu asked, frowning.
"He must have been murdered by whoever stuck me with that syringe. Since it had the same symbol, maybe whoever hired them sent the new guy in to kill the other one so he wouldn't get the chance to talk!"
"I'm glad we got what we could out of him before that, though," Natsu sighed.
"You two still need to tell me what you found out from him," I reminded them.
"Later," Lily nodded. Once we reached Era, Lily immediately gathered his guards and directed them to search the area for anyone suspicious.
"Tch," I hissed, covering my nose as we neared his cell. "What's that smell?"
Natsu, having a dragon slayer nose like me, covered his as well, coughing a little. "That's the same smell the other guy had when he died from that new poison. I'm guessing you're theory about the syringe guy killing him was right."
I nodded, peering into the cell at the dead man. From the looks of him, it had most definitely been poison that killed him, confirming my suspicions. Damn, this really isn't good. If they can sneak into Era, who knows what they're capable of? I mean, they did manage to stick a syringe in my neck in the middle of the street, and I didn't even notice. Whoever this group is, I can tell they're going to be a problem…
"Lily," I said, hearing him finally catch up to us after finishing with his guards.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Go back to the hospital and stay with Levy and Silas. We left that bastard Darrick there, and I don't want him being alone with them for very long."
"You still don't trust him?" He frowned.
"Of course not!" I spat. "For all we know, he could be the other guy trying to kill me. It's just too damn convenient that he showed up now."
"Are you sure it's just because you might be jealous of him?" Natsu smirked.
"Why the hell would I be jealous of him?"
"Because he's good-looking, and Levy noticed," he grinned.
"You—"
"And, he did save her twice now, so that could be it, too."
"You tryin' to pick a fight, Salamander?" I growled.
"Enough," Lily told us, shaking his head as if we were bickering children. "I'll go back to the hospital. Natsu, stop picking a fight. Gajeel, stop letting him get to you. My guards should be returning within the hour, so I'll have to come back when they get here."
I nodded, grumbling under my breath about getting scolded by a damned cat. "I'll finish up quickly here, then go back. I'm sure the doctor is having a fit that I left, anyways."
Lily nodded before leaving Natsu and I. "Come on, Salamander. Let's see what we can find."
~Levy~
"I wonder who could have snuck into Era," Darrick frowned, pacing the length of my hospital room.
"I don't know." From what I had heard, Era was incredibly secure, so it would have been incredibly difficult for someone to sneak into.
"Maybe it was another Shadow Dweller," Lucy pondered allowed.
"There are anti-demon charms all over the place," Darrick sighed. "If any tried to get in without the proper clearance, they would be killed immediately."
"Didn't you say Gajeel was poisoned again?" I asked, looking up at Lucy.
She nodded. "Apparently, somebody stuck a syringe in his neck while he was fighting that Shadow Dweller."
"It's probably the same person who killed the prisoner," I murmured. "Whoever this organization is, they're after Gajeel. I don't know why, but it looks like they're going to go to some extreme lengths until they get him, too."
"Mommy," Silas said from his place on the floor where he was playing with Aiden, "is daddy going to be okay?"
"Don't you worry about him," I chuckled, "it's going to take a lot more than that to hurt your daddy."
"Aye!" Aiden cheered, causing all of us to laugh. Well, all of us except Darrick. He had stopped his pacing, but was staring out the window with a frown on his face.
"What is it?" I asked.
"It's quite possible there is a rat in the council. Or at least in the guards stationed inside of Era. How else would that group be getting so much information about Gajeel's whereabouts? And, that would explain how they were able to gain access to the prisoner."
"I think you're right," I nodded. "That certainly would explain a lot. Now we just need to figure out who this group is, and why they're after Gajeel. If Org or Michello did join forces with a demon, we need to find them as quickly as possible."
"May I speak to you—alone?" Darrick suddenly asked, his gold eyes meeting mine.
"Uh…" I looked to Lucy, who shrugged. "Sure."
"Come on, you three. Let's go into the hallway," Lucy said, carrying Silas out of the room as Happy and Aiden flew behind her.
When the door shut, I looked at Darrick. "What did you want to talk about?"
"I understand that you're concerned about everything happening with Gajeel, but I think you should be focusing on your own problems, too," he said, getting straight to the point. "Your mark suddenly turned red—the color of a normal mark—and yesterday you had some sort of episode and passed out for several hours. Not to mention the fact that less than an hour ago you were possessed by something."
"I appreciate you being concerned, but I need to worry about Gajeel's problem first," I smiled. "I'll just drive myself crazy worrying about my mark and what happened when I passed out."
"Wait a minute," he frowned, pacing at the foot of my bed.
"What?"
"I don't think that Shadow Dweller that Gajeel and Lily killed came here after Gajeel," he said.
"Why not?" I frowned.
"I believe it was after you." He stopped pacing, and met my eyes.
"What?" I gasped. "Why would it be after me?"
"I don't know," he admitted with a sigh. "But, you were attacked in Magnolia, and then one showed up here right after you passed out. What if it had something to do with you passing out? It could have done something to you and you might not have even realized it."
"I thought they killed it outside the hospital," I frowned.
"They did," he murmured, nodding. "But, what if they just caught it after it had already been inside? Because they are usually nocturnal, and you were attacked in the day, it could have gone into hiding until it got dark. Then, because it was weakened from coming out in the daytime to attack you, it sought out food—the woman Gajeel and Lily saved."
"Speaking of that woman," I frowned, "is it possible that she is the one who injected the poison into Gajeel?"
"Actually, she seems to be the most likely candidate right now. I'll—"
"Sorry for the interruption," Lily said, coming into the room. "Gajeel made me come back here."
I sighed. "He didn't want me to be alone with Darrick?"
With a chuckle, he nodded. "You know how he is."
"I do, but Darrick isn't—"
"It's fine," Darrick smiled. "Gajeel is doing what he feels is right for his family. I can't blame him for that. And, anyways, Lily showed up at the perfect time."
"I did?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Do you remember what the woman you and Gajeel saved from the Shadow Dweller looked like?"
"I do," he nodded.
"Levy and I thought that perhaps she was the one who poisoned Gajeel the second time. And, she would be in town, so she would have access to the prisoner."
"Some of my men are out searching for her now," Lily said. "I had a similar thought on the way to Era, so I sent a few of my men after her."
Both men looked at me when I got out of the bed, grabbing onto the railing when my legs threatened to give out.
"What are you doing?" Darrick asked, rushing over to me.
"I'm going to get out of this bed and help," I told him. "My books are in Gajeel's room, so I'm going to walk there and get them."
"I can—"
"Darrick, I'm fine. I can't stay here doing nothing any longer. Gajeel is injured and he's doing what he can, so I will too."
"And you can," he chuckled, "but let me go get the books and bring them to you in here. You went through a lot, so—"
"How would you know?" I snapped, knowing I was being unfair by getting mad at him. "Hell, I don't even know what I went through, so how can we be so sure it wasn't just nothing?"
"Someone who screamed like that wasn't going through nothing," Lily said, quietly.
"I feel fine."
"Levy, please, at least let me help you," Darrick urged.
"Fine," I sighed, allowing him to take my arm. "I'm a grown woman," I grumbled angrily as we walked down the hallway, "so it's ridiculous that you have to help me walk like some old lady."
"Not all grown women go through what you just did in twenty-four hours, either," he chuckled.
"Well, I'm not going to worry about it until we get Gajeel's problem solved," I said.
He frowned. "I for one am going to worry. If there are Shadow Dwellers after you, then you should too."
"You think they're after Levy?" Lily asked. Darrick filled him in on his theory, and Lily's face fell into a grim expression. "That makes sense," he nodded, "but why are they after her?"
"It could have something to do with her mark," Darrick said.
"If that's true, why did it attack Juvia and Laxus, though?"
"It's common knowledge that Shadow Dwellers aren't the most intelligent species of demon," Darrick began, "so, maybe they confused them with Levy."
"How?" I frowned. Juvia was understandable because she had blue hair, but Laxus was a blonde-haired man.
"They could have been given instructions to attack a blue-haired woman by whoever is controlling them. When they attacked Juvia, perhaps they were then told that you smelled like a dragon slayer—because you're always around Gajeel."
"Laxus told Master that he had been wearing a cloak when he was attacked, so the Shadow Dweller probably didn't see him before it attacked."
"Well, that could explain why it didn't kill them. Once it realized it had the wrong target, it ran away," I nodded.
"Do you know of anyone who would want you dead?" Darrick asked.
"I've been away for six years, so I can't think of anyone."
"Away?"
"I left Fairy Tail six years ago, and only recently came back. A few days ago, actually."
"It must be someone from your past, then," he murmured.
"I don't know," I sighed. "Like I said, let's focus on Gajeel's problem first. Then I'll—"
"Tell me," Darrick said, "what did you see while you were possessed earlier?"
"I don't remember," I lied, occupying myself with picking up the bag of books as we reached Gajeel's room.
He took it from me and slung it over his shoulder before meeting my eyes. "Please, Levy. It may be helpful."
"Let's go back to the room first," I told him, wanting to put it off.
"Fine." He helped me back to my room and placed the bag of books on the bed after I had sat down. "So, what did you see?" He and Lily both looked at me expectantly, and I knew there was no getting out of it.
I took a deep breath and stared down at my bare feet. "Astaroth."
"What?!" Gajeel exclaimed, gaping at me from the doorway. "You saw Astaroth when you were possessed?"
"But it isn't a big deal," I said, hurriedly. Crap! I didn't want Gajeel to know about my vision. Astaroth is dead and gone, so there's no need to worry about it.
"Why didn't you tell me that as soon as you woke up?" He snapped.
"Because it isn't—"
"Don't tell me it isn't a big deal! That bastard nearly killed us both the last time he showed up, so it's actually a really big deal, Levy!" I knew from the use of my name that he was angry.
"This is why I didn't tell you," I sighed, "I knew you would worry. But he's dead, you saw him turn to dust, remember?"
"That doesn't change the fact that you saw him while being possessed by something. What if he was the one possessing you?"
"He's dead, Gajeel!" I snapped.
"He—"
"I think it's time to tell her," Darrick said, quietly, causing all of us to fall silent.
I looked to Gajeel. "Tell me what?"
"Would you shut the hell up?" Gajeel growled at Darrick. "Stay out of this."
"I'm a member of Fairy Tail now, so if you two are in trouble it affects me too. Tell her."
"No."
"Tell me what?" I asked.
"Gajeel, I think Darrick is right," Lily nodded. "We should tell her."
"We're not telling her!" He snapped.
"Tell me what?!" I asked again, loud enough to get their attention.
"Astaroth's followers are on the rise," Darrick said while Gajeel cursed at him.
"How do you know?" I asked.
He looked to Gajeel, and I followed his gaze. I met Gajeel's eyes and refused to look away.
"Damn it," he grumbled, pulling something out of his pocket.
"What's that?"
He handed it to me. "This is the bullet I was shot with. For the last year I have come across the symbol on that a few times. It was also on the syringe that contained the poison I was injected with yesterday."
"This is Astaroth's symbol," I said, barely above a whisper. I remembered it from the books I had read about him. Several different cults had worshipped him over the years, and each group had used that symbol to represent themselves. Demons who followed Astaroth usually had that symbol branded into their skin as well, showing that they were his servants.
"A demon attacked me a while ago and had that symbol on them. Then, I got a letter, and then I was shot with that bullet. Next was the syringe."
"Why are Astaroth's followers after you?"
"In the official report, we told the old council that Gajeel killed Astaroth," Lily said. "Because you left, and we knew you wouldn't want the attention that would surely come from killing such a famous demon, we told the pubic that it had been Gajeel to finish him."
"Why did they wait six years before coming after him, though?"
"Man power, most likely," Lily shrugged. "We have been monitoring the activity of these cults, and they seem to have been growing in numbers, especially recently. If Org or Michello had joined with such a group in order to take down Gajeel, that could explain their recent rise and sudden movement."
"That's why your vision of Astaroth is so important," Darrick said. "I'm not sure what it means, but I'd bet it's bad."
"Well, shit," I breathed.
"Shit's right," Gajeel agreed.
"You idiot!" I suddenly snapped, causing them to jump. "Why didn't you tell me this before now? Maybe I could have been a little more concerned when I saw Astaroth in a vision."
"I think we both need to be a little more open with each other," he frowned, pointedly.
I couldn't help but smile. "Probably."
"Levy?" Lucy asked, coming back into the room with Silas, Happy, and Aiden. "Sorry, Silas was asking for you."
"Sorry to have kept you waiting so long," I smiled, pulling Silas into my lap and hugging him.
"When can we go home?" He whined, leaning against me.
"Tomorrow morning," I told him. "You're going to have a sleepover with Aunt Lucy and the girls for tonight, and I'll come back to Magnolia on the first train, alright?"
"I get to stay at Layla's?" He asked, perking up.
Lucy giggled. "She had the same reaction.
"I want to come!" Aiden shouted, flying above us.
"Happy?" Lucy asked.
"We'll ask Carla when we get home," he nodded.
"Aye!" Aiden cried.
"Gajeel, my men should be returning soon, so I should be at the council when they arrive," Lily said.
Gajeel nodded. "There are a few things I have to take care of, too. Shrimp, will you be alright for a few hours?"
"Go," I smiled, "I'll be fine."
"We should get home as well," Lucy sighed. She hugged me, then followed the others.
"I'll see you tomorrow," I told Silas, giving him another hug. "I love you."
"Love you too," he said, running after Lucy.
"Should you be heading back?" I asked Darrick once everyone was gone.
He shook his head, taking a seat in the chair beside my bed. "I thought you might want some help with those books," he smiled.
"Thanks," I told him, smiling back.
It grew quiet as we began reading, but I found myself unable to focus on the books at all. Astaroth's followers are after Gajeel, and I saw Astaroth in a vision while being possessed. Are the shadow dwellers also connected to Astaroth, or are they under someone else's control entirely?
There were still so many unanswered questions, and we still seemed so far away from discovering the truth about any of them. They must be connected in some way. But how?
