"I know you're surprised to see me again…" Lucy sighed, seeing how the woman in front of her looked at her with her eyes widened, shock written on her face. It was normal. After all, in front of her stood the one that she had killed with her own hands, not even a sign of what happened being visible on the ghost's body.
However, she quickly regained herself, looking at her with only uncertainty.
"I see… So this is the reason why you were chosen by the emperor." Brandish said, looking at the undead through the bars of the prison she found herself into. Lucy nodded sorrowfully, her bangs covering her eyes for a moment.
"You could say that, yes… It's because… I can walk the same path as him."
Truth to be said, Brandish felt that she spoke the truth. While not as dark as His Majesty, Lucy certainly gave off the same immortal aura, just like him. Even as she was dressed now, as if she just got out of bed, she still looked divine, the mere sight of her making you want to shiver.
The blonde was certainly dressed in a haste, having only a white nightgown on her, the material showing her curves as it swayed around her body. She was barefoot, but not caring for the cold stone ground of the dungeon they were in. And her hair, long, reaching to her knees, was braided messily, locks falling out of it.
The reason for this was that she, as soon as resurrected, took the first thing she could find to dress and hasted back to this world, a whole night having had passed in these few minutes she spend in the celestial world.
And during this night, Brandish had been caught and put in the dungeons for the crime she committed, Zeref raging when he, as owner of the key of Aquarius, felt that the spirit had died in this world.
"You're lucky you haven't been killed yet…" Lucy murmured, glad to have made it in time to save her from Zeref's wrath.
"What do you even care… I already killed you once."
"You cannot kill what is undead, Brandish."
"Just why are you here? To torment me for what I've tried? Or do you want to hear more about your treacherous mother? You're wasting your time for any of them. I will not give you any satisfaction…" And saying that, while laying down on the cold ground behind the bars, chained by the wall, she turned away her face from Lucy. But Lucy only shook her head, showing a pained look.
"I'm here for neither. The reason for which I've come is… To tell you the truth." And at that moment, she had a look of determination, her words making Brandish look at her again.
"The truth? As if I would listen to anything you're saying. You're blinded by the love for your mother. Of course you would take her side and choose your own truth."
"No, Brandish… You're right that I was blinded by the love for my mother. This is why I decided to find out the real truth. I don't know whether what you said is true or not. And you don't know whether what I said is true or not either. This is why, let us find together. Let us find out what happened that day, directly from the source. Better said, let me show you…" Lucy said, her eyes shining brightly as universes were reflected in their colour, the ground itself shining in resonance with them, as were their two bodies.
Before she knew it, Brandish was taken to some place strange to her, where she floated in darkness, but lights surrounded her from all sides. And then, startled as she tried to move about, she saw that her legs were gone, replaced by a mermaid tail.
"W-What!?" She slowly panicked, but then Lucy appeared from a shape of water bubbles, smiling at her as she grabbed her hand.
"Calm down. It's alright." She told her, Brandish quickly taking her hand away.
"Where did you bring me?" She glared at her, causing Lucy to smile bitterly as she turned around to meet this strange universe where the stars surrounded them.
"This place is called The Memory of Stars. An archive of memories woven by celestial spirits for generations. Think of it as a dream, but know that everything here is the absolute truth."
"What…?" Brandish couldn't believe it, that she would be in the world of celestial spirits, brought by her. "Wait a second… Are you not a celestial spirit mage?" She asked, having thought that all this time, since she was her mother's daughter. However, Lucy didn't look at her as she spoke, only showing her back. The reason for that was her grief, for the power she had lost, for the humanity that was lost with it…
"Just… What are you…?" The question was posed again.
"The princess' current name would be Aquarius, the Water Bearer. Although we spirits that have been in contract with her have been asked to continue calling her like we have used to before her ascension."
"Virgo… That explanation was… unnecessary…" Lucy sorrowfully said as she looked at the maid over her shoulder, the pink haired spirit having had appeared just behind Brandish, the visitor.
"I apologize, princess." She said and bowed down. "Is it punishment time?"
"Aquarius…?" Brandish's eyes wavered, looking in disbelief to her, finally recognizing the aura of the Aquarius she knew in the shadow of the one in front of her. It was the same essence of the divine, belonging to the Heavens. "H-how…?"
"That's right… You did say your mother held on the key of Aquarius… Then, you have meet her as well…" Lucy painfully murmured, feeling a terrible pain in her heart, remembering the one that sacrificed herself for her and her guild, which she now came to betray.
"The ancient laws require a replacement when one of the zodiac spirits disappear. With Aquarius' choice of destroying her key in order to summon the Spirit King, the princess was forced to accept becoming the new Aquarius." Virgo took over, addressing to Brandish, knowing how it would be hard for Lucy to announce that herself.
Brandish was speechless, Aquarius having been her friend as she was a child. And seeing that stupefaction, she carried on.
"I have been tasked to guiding you through the Memory of the Stars by the king, princess. It is your first time here, after all. You desired to know the story between your mothers, Layla Heartfilia and Grami, am I right? Well then, for that we need to go to the very beginning of this story… 400 years ago… Please, follow me, both of you."
And saying this, Virgo went ahead of them, floating through the sea of stars and darkness.
"Wait, Virgo… 400 years ago?" Lucy asked as she and Brandish followed, not understanding how could that which they wanted to know be found in that faraway past.
"It is time for you to know, I believe, princess. Just look ahead and you will understand." The maid said as they stopped, images pouring down from the archives as they reached a certain star.
"There's… a person…" Brandish noticed as in the middle of a field somewhere, a blonde woman came into view, holding proudly a golden key in her hands, the one that recorded the meeting between her and the mastermind of all the following events.
"This woman is Anna Heartfilia, the princess' ancestor and possibly, the greatest celestial spirit mage to have ever lived…" Virgo explained to them, surprising Lucy with that. But even more surprising was the person she was meeting with, her eyes, as well as Brandish's, widening in shock.
"Zeref!?" She exclaimed, having never heard of this from him.
"It was 400 years ago. The black wizard, the dragons and the celestial spirit mages collaboratively set a great plan in motion. A plan to send powerful warriors to the future to, one day, defeat Acnologia."
Was this another secret he kept from her? But… What was the reason? She knew about his history with Acnologia, and also the reason they feared each other, but she had never heard a thing about this plan.
"The celestial spirit mages sent them on their journey to the future using the Door of Eclipse. As you know, it is a form of celestial spirit magic. Anna opened that door before. And for generations, the Heartfilia family watched over and protected the other door to which it lead, in the future. And, at long last, the door was opened in Layla Heartfilia's generation." Virgo continued, the story being showed to them.
Lucy couldn't help but tear as she saw her mother's face again, together with the duty she fulfilled.
"However, in order to finally open the door, all of the 12 keys of the Zodiac were required. Layla has contacted celestial spirit mages all over the world in order to gather the keys and fulfill the duty of the Heartfilias, but 1 key was missing. Unable to contact Grami, who had left to the continent of Arakitashia, the key of Aquarius couldn't be added to the plan.
To compensate, Layla decided to use her own life force to make up for the magic power contained in the missing key. As a result… although she was successful, she, who had been born with a frail body to begin with, had fallen ill with magic deficiency disease."
Lucy gasped, this being the first time she had heard about this story, about the fate that lead her mother to death.
"It was not until seven days later that Grami heard of this and came to see Layla…"
"I'm no longer worthy of possessing this key, miss Layla…" Grami said as she cried by the side of her bed. "Please, take it into your hands once more…"
"Alas, in this state, I can no longer wield celestial spirits…" Layla, suffering, kept on a smile on her face for the sake of her friend. She knew she was dying.
"Then, please, allow me to give it to Miss Lucy. She will surely become a magnificent celestial spirit mage in your place!"
They kept on talking, hoping for a better future, for their daughters to be friends as well, which saddened both girls carrying the curses of their mothers.
And as Grami left the manor, they could then see… It was not Layla that robbed her of her life…
"Z…Zoldio…" Grami gasped as she felt herself pierced, a knife slowly killing her.
"It's all your fault… Miss Layla is dying because of you…!" He cried bitter tears, wishing only for revenge.
"Indeed… you're right… It's my fault. This is… what I… deserve… I beg of you, Zoldio… My daughter, Brandish, please… spare her…"
"Motheeeer!" Brandish sobbed as she called for her mother, Lucy quickly dispersing this whole reality as took Brandish in her arms, embracing her as they fell down on their knees, the walls of the dungeon prison surrounding them once again.
"It may be late for this, Brandish but… We can still be friends, like our mothers had wanted…" Lucy said, letting her cry her heart out. However, Brandish quickly stopped, getting herself out of Lucy's embrance.
"I have no intention of becoming your friend of confidant, so I would appreciate it if you would leave me alone." She said and refused to look to her, causing Lucy to be sad.
"I understand… My mother may be innocent but… That does not make me innocent… That does not change the fact that I killed Aquarius, your friend…" She murmured, Brandish only trembling as she heard her words. Lucy grabbed Brandish' hands, much to her surprise, and using water, unlocked the magic restraint cuffs on her wrists, freeing her.
"Do you realise I could kill you again just now? Do you know what you're doing?" Brandish asked, glaring at her, not understanding what was in that naïve head of hers. Lucy however just smiled to her.
"I would let you kill me a hundred times if that calmed your heart but… I'm afraid you cannot kill me even once…"
"The reason why my magic didn't work on you before… Was it because you're a spirit…?"
"Yes…" Lucy nodded. "You can freely manipulate matter, as long as it's part of this world. I, however, am just part of an overlay, a world that meets another at some point in space. I'm ethereal in truth, only capable to touch everything because of the temporary starlight gates…I am dead… And also, undead…" She sighed, unable to contain herself. Then, she looked to the bars and with a wave of her hand, slices them with water, causing them to fall down and echo through the dungeon.
"Go now. I wish you will not be involved in this war."
"You're really too naïve for your own good… Freeing me just after I killed you once… I wonder how can you survive like this… But as you wish, I will leave. I have no reason to stay anymore. Will you… be alright? With the emperor, I mean…" Brandish looked at her as she stood up, unsure what to think. He wouldn't allow her to escape just like that after that offence, after all.
"Yeah… Are you per chance worried for me? How cute. But I'll be fine. Zeref is… My key's owner, after all," she said with a smile, only then Brandish realising how they met after all. And without warning, she turned away and left, only stopping at the first stair once.
"Goodbye, Lucy… And about Aquarius… It was her choice, from what I came to understand. And… She once told me that when mermaids die… They become angels… I wonder if that's true, after all."
And so, Lucy was left alone, only the steps of Brandish leaving echoing now in this coldness.
"When mermaids die they become angels…? Ha! How I wish that was true…"
She repeated slowly with a bitter smile, always remembering her sin. But she closed her eyes, finding herself in the Memory of the Stars once more, alone, this time. There was something that really bothered her here, about that story Virgo told her. What was Zeref's real plan, after all?
She found herself in the scene she first saw him, speaking with Anna, looking just as she knew him, never aging a day.
"To send warriors to the future, you say…? Are you sure they would be able to defeat the dark dragon?" Anna asked, hesitant.
"I am sure," he smiled, nodding his head with certainty.
"You seem certain. Were these warriors not just children, after all? Igneel told me about these kids before, when you first went to him. Who exactly are you sending there, to be so sure of success?"
That was the first time Lucy's eyes widened, hearing the dragon's name.
"I'm going to send all 5 dragon slayers… I'm going to bet the future on Natsu, my little brother."
The last thing she saw was his confident smile, before she woke up beck in the dungeons. Without her realising, tears rolled down on her face as she saw his face in her memories.
"They're… brothers…!?"
