Surprise folks!
So the good news are, here is the new chapter! The bad: Tomorrow I will go on a two weeks long vacation. I will stay at a house with no internet. So please bare with two weeks of no updates. To lighten up the mood I forced myself yesterday to type the next chapter, so that before I go you got at least another chapter.
The background music for this chapter is "Miles to Go" from Stateless.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or the mentioned song.
"Breath in and out." Astrael's melodic voice instructed me, while Lucy was sitting cross-legged with her hands connected. Her eyes were closed.
"First, I want you to feel your surroundings." Lucy took a deep breath and focused.
On her face she could feel the soft breeze caressing her skin like a soft touch.
Under her legs she sensed the softness of the grass she was sitting on.
She heared how the wind got caught in the leaves of the willow she was sitting under and how it moved the grass all around her. It was only distrurbed by the breathing sounds her patrem made.
The garden of her temporary house in the spirit world was a pieceful place.
"Good. Now push everything aside and only concentrate on yourself."
As commanded Lucy shifted her attention to herself. Everything around her became still. She imagined herself into a void, with only her existing in it. Only feeling the blood pumping steadily in her veins, as well as hearing the breaths her lungs automaticaly took, she knew she was succesful.
"Very good, little star. From now on we will focus on how you will enter your own mind, when meditaiting. You can open your eyes now." Her patrem praised her.
Slowly she opened her eyes and saw him sitting in front of her, in the same position. The two sat under the willow which provided shadows for the both. The sun was standing high in the sky, indicating it was midday. The few sun rays the leaves didn't filtered shone on Astrael's golden hair. They let the strands shone brightly and casted a glow around him, which she believed followed him around.
"Are you hungry? Virgo made a soup for us." he said while smiling brightly. He gave off a comforting and calm aura, as always. He never lost his smile since he was training her. Lucy couldn't feel it, but she knew she held him dear in her heart, like all of her friends.
She nodded, and they stood up and made their way to the house. She was here for two weeks now, living with Astrael in the little cottage, her spirits gave her. It was located away from the palace the spirit king lived. The area was similar like Earthland, and if she wouldn't know she was in the spirit world, she would think she was back home in Magnolia.
Her spirits visted her daily. While everday someone else came over, Loke and Virgo were here the most.
The training until now only consisted of meditating. She knew it was necessary to get a control of her different blood, but one day she had to go back to Earthland and fight demons. Still she hadn't learned any fighting.
"When we will get to the fighting part?" she asked him once they were inside the kitchen.
The inside of the cottage was mostly arranged with wooden furniture. Bright colors were dominant and in total it had and comfortable and lovely feeling.
"Once you can control your demon blood." he explained while he put the pot with the soup on the stove.
"Why only the demon blood? What is with the angel type?" Lucy sat herself down at the table.
Astrael finished putting the soup in bowls and set one in front of her, while he sat down, too.
"Our blood can't cause any harm. It is only strengthen by positive feelings. The demonic one is powered by negative ones. While in the state you are now it doesn't matter in your heart and soul, the rest of your body still reacts with feelings. Anger or sadness will strenghten the dark blood, and your litlle demon gains control over you. You have to train to use it, because it strenghten you, but to not let it dominate you. You understand?" After he finished he continued with eating.
Lucy didn't say any more. She got it. The wall around her heart will hinder her from feeling anything, but her body still does. It was natural for the human body to react to feelings. In case you are afraid it produces adrenaline so you can wether run or fight.
The demon blood reacts to the negative types. Should her body react to anger or sadness, her dark blood will thicken and gain control, as well as the demon which nested herself in her mind.
"Thats right, Missy. So what are you waiting for? Just gave in, so you don't have to worry about anything."
Lucy, in the middle of bringing her bowl to the sink, let the porcelain slip from her finger. It landed with a loud crash and cracked in many parts.
This was the second time that taunting female voice in her head spoke.
She didn't notice she was kneeling down on the ground, when Astrael was crouched in front of her. He hold her cheeks, while the worry was clear in his eyes.
Slowly she heard what he said, but muted, as if she was underwater.
"Lucy! Wake up! Wake up!"
"Lucy, wake up!"
She opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that she was lying in a bed. Then her mind registered that she was in Kardon. A dream? No, a flashback. She thought.
She lift herself up so she was in a sitting position. She regocnized the room as her hotelroom. Beside her bed was a grumpy looking blonde man, who apparently was the one who woke her up.
"Finally you're awake. I was nearly afraid I had to shock you back to life." he darkly joked. But she could see the relief in his eyes.
"How long was I asleep?" she asked, while looking through the window. It was morning.
"You slept through the whole afternoon and night. But I had to wake you up. The others are in the next room discussing about what to do next. Apparently you have to leave the hotel today." Laxus explained.
"Right. I'll take a shower and change clothes. It won't take long." She stood up and went to the bathroom with a clean set of clothes. Laxus watched her, till she closed the door, then sighed.
Apparently Lucy was right, when she said the job wouldn't be any fun. Yesterday proved that. If the angel hadn't interfered they would be dust now. Laxus never felt such magic pressure before. Both, the golden haired dude and that other angel, were on an entire different level. He thought that even Gildarts would get a problem if he had to battle them.
Laxus winced as the picture of Lucy being brutally smashed into the ground appeared in his mind. It pained him to see her getting beaten, when he couldn't do anything. Talk about pathetic.
Frustrated he closed his eyes and leaned back. So far he was failing at his mission. Was all the training for nothing? The same guilt and fear rushed through his system as when he woke up at the infimary after the war with Tartaros. If he could, he would laugh about himself. Before Fantasia he thought he was the strongest. Arrogantly he dismissed everyone else weaker than him as pathetic. Thought he was undeaftable.
Karma was a rightfull bitch to him. Natsu, Hades and that demon taught him that he was a human like everyone else.
All of that was the reason he traveled to Tenrou Jima aiming to get stronger, so he woud be able to protect the most important thing to him. His family.
Grunting Laxus let himself fall on the ground. He could feel the sweat falling from his face and the path it took on his bare chest. Panting he lay there while trying to slow down his frantic heartbeat. The wind blowed over his figure, and offered him a soothing cooling for his heated skin.
He just finished his training for the day.
For three months he was now on the guild's sacred ground for improving. Everday he had worked on his magic abilities as well as his physical strength. Laxus already noticed changes which indicated his success, but it wasn't nearly enough to satisfie him.
Slowly he lifted himself back on his feet and began to walk back to his camp, which exists of a tent and a selfmade fireplace. He brought enough food for week when he arrived. Then he started hunting his meals. He bathed in the lakes or the waterfalls. The island provided him really with everything he needed.
Tired and hungry he didn't noticed a presence sitting on the log around the firepit.
"How was training?" a melodic and feminine voice asked him.
"Good, I …. Wait! Mavis?!" he stoped in his step, and looked at the first maser bewildered.
She just giggled and smiled. Laxus was confused. Since he arrived here, he never saw another living being. That Mavis appeared out of the blue surprised him, but at the same time not. After all the island was her home.
"It's a pleasure to see one of the youngster's here!" she stood up. To hear that from a woman with the body of a little girl seemed unrealistic, but this was just her body. Her ghost was much older.
"So, I heard of the disbanding, but why are you here, Laxus?" she asked, and the happy smile turned into a downcast expression.
"I was too weak to protect my family. I have to train in order to protect what is dear to me." the answer came easy from his lips. It was the mantra he told himself everyday.
"Well, I think all you need is to see what's in your heart. The strong bond of comrades will surpass everything." Mavis said softly.
Laxus remained silent. He thought about that statement. Instinctively he know she was right, but someday they would meet a challenge they couldn't beat. Only if he was strong enough.
Suddenly he realized what he thought. Tightly he gripped his hair. He still thought that power and strenght was more important than bonds. He hadn't changed at all.
Mavis could see the distress on the Dragon Slayer's face and intuitively knew what was running through his mind.
"Don't let yourself down. You're heart is full with pure intentions. You want to protect your family. While of course you want to get stronger, you also have to trust you're heart. Love can do wonders, if you just let it happen." Mavis explained with an encouraging smile on her lips.
Laxus watched her. She believed so fully on what she said. Maybe he should start to believe as well.
"Thanks, First. I lost myself for a minute." he smiled for the first time since his fight with the demon.
"Great! But that wasn't the reason I wanted to talk to you." she giggled again, but pleased that she could convince him. Laxus rose an eyebrow. He was silently waiting for her to continue.
"You see, my fairies went ahead on their journeys, but one of them seemed to lost her way. She was enduring a hard time, and while she is safe for now, I fear of what will happen in her future." Mavis began to tell him.
"Who?" Laxus only asked.
"Lucy."she answered with a frown.
Laxus gasped. Lucy? She endured a hard time? What does that mean?
"Right now she is in a state, which you can call numb. But I'm afraid someone is out there to harm her. In the state she is now, this could be very dangerous for her.
That's why I personaly give you the quest of protecting her." Mavis declared with an determined expression.
Again Laxus was baffeled. She wants what from him? Protecting Lucy?
"Why me? And how long should I do this?" he asked bewildered.
"You are the only one I deem capable of the task. And you should do it until she can protect herself again." the first instructed.
"And what is with my training? I can't just leave and..." he was interrupted.
"This will be your training. Once you accomplish the quest, you will have gained more strenght than you could have recieved here." she said with unmoving eyes. Laxus knew that expression. Talking to him now was Mavis the tactician.
"When do I start?" he asked, implying his agreement.
The sound of the water from the shower being stopped snapped Laxus out of his flashback.
He heard her shuffeling in the bathroom. She would be out any minute. His attention shifted to the living room, where the others were waiting for them. Only talking about uninterresting things, to distract them from the real problem, Laxus could feel the tension even in the next room. Everyone one of them had his own problem to think about.
Even he thought about what was do to next. Obviously he would accompany Lucy, wherever she went from here. Jellal and Meredy probably, too. Lucy's old team was the only unknown factor. The mission from the council they took, would force them to go back to Crocus. He had to admit he was nervous about their next steps. Would they sell Lucy out? He knew they loved her too much for that, but with an strict Erza, now a temporary agent, and the council's ways of getting what their want sometimes, he wasn't sure how they would act.
A sudden feeling flared in him up, similar to what he felt about his team, but way stronger. The need to protect Lucy. He wondered why he felt such things. She clearly wasn't in need of that with her new powers, but even if he reminded himself that, the feeling remained.
He just hoped Mavis was right and he would be strong enough for the upcoming challenges.
The door to the bathroom opened and Lucy entered the room with fresh, unripped clothing and wet hair. Now she wore a white tanktop, with black tight pants. Around her neck she wore a golden necklace, but the pendant was hidden under her top. On her hands were fingerless leather gloves and on her right wrist her golden bracelet.
Laxus looked up ther shoulder were she had been injured, to find her her skin bare and healed. There was no trace left of the cut the fallen inflicted.
"How does your shoulder healed that fast?" he asked bewildered.
"The angel blood grants a faster healing rate." was the short explaination, with a indifferent shrug of her shoulders.
"Sure comes in handy." he admitted while he stood up.
The two entered the living room. The group were settled on the couches around the coffe table. Gray and Juvia shared the smaller one and Jella and Erza the other, with Meredy sitting on the armrest. Natsu and Happy were sitting on the ground with pillows.
Laxus gathered two chairs from the dining table, for him and Lucy to sit.
Once everyone was settled Jellal was the first to break the silence.
"So, who was this person?" he asked Lucy.
"I've never met him before, but he is a fallen angel. Called himself Tertius." she answered.
"And that woman? Your patrem called her Nocturna's daughter." he further interrogated.
"The same. Never met her. But I had strange visions when I saw her, so maybe she is an angel, too." Lucy said, while holding her chin.
"Either way we have to gather more information about the two. He said he wants to kill me, and that I stand in his way. Also he mentioned to Astrael something about Azurra's light." the blonde woman crossed her arms.
"You two couldn't follow his scent?" Erza looked at the two Dragon Slayers.
"No. He smelled weird. And I mean a bad weird, but as soon as he dissapeared his scent was completely gone, like he vanished." Natsu growled. He hated the fact his nose could be fooled.
"Flame-tard is right. When the chick covered them both with her coat, both of their scents dissapeared. So I think the creepy piece of clothing is enchanted, or a magic tool." Laxus added in a grumpy voice. He, too, was not happy that his senses didn't work.
"So we don't have a clue where they are. This is bad." Gray concluded with a frown.
"But even when we encounter them again, he is insanley strong. If Lucy's angel hadn't stopped him, we would be dead by now. I even doubt that all of us together can take him." Jellal deadpanned with a serious voice.
Lucy stared at the ground, while she pushed the anger in herself down. If she only could balance her blood out, she might be strong enough to beat him. But as long as her soul was incomplete, she couldn't achieve that. But she also knew that in order to work on that she had to repair her soul, which she couldn't risk.
"Can't you just contact your patrem and ask him about the fallen?" Gray asked.
Lucy shook her head. "No. Himmelsjäger have to work on their own. Only in situations of great danger they speak to us, or appear to help." she explained.
The group was silent while all of them thought about a solution. Jellal wondered how much the fallen affected Lucy, and in which way she hindered his plan. Does that mean he has something to do with demons?
Laxus was balling his fist. The new enemy was way to powerful for him. How could he protect Lucy now? Mavis's words ran through his mind. But he didn't notice any change since he was here, so how could his bonds make him stronger?
Suddenly Erza hold her hand up.
"Maybe we don't have to fight him by brute force. If we find more information about him or his plans we discover a weak point. But where we can get such infos?" Erza mentioned, and thought about a place.
"The magic library!" Meredy shouted happily.
"That's right. The library possesses data about the world since the first day of history. This is the best chance." Jellal agreed. Everyone else nodded except Lucy.
"The library is in Fiore. While I agree on going there, we don't know where Tertius is. He could be still in Caelum. What if he want to fullfill his plan here?" the Demon Slayer argued.
"So the best way is to split up. Some of us will stay here, while the rest travels back to Fiore." Jellal suggested. Again they nodded.
"Ok, but who will go and who will stay?" Meredy asked.
"Lucy knows the most about the angels. She will go, because she can differ between usefull and unhelpfull information. Laxus obviously travels, too. Natsu and Erza I want that you go with Lucy. Gray and Juvia will stay here with Meredy and I." Jellal declared.
"What?! Why should Gray stay here?" Natsu asked. Meanwhile Juvia was happy that she could stay with her Gray-sama.
"Tertius could have something to do with demons. While we don't know where the other Himmelsjägers are or who they are, I think is best that another Demon Slayer remains here, for the case that demons appear." the blue haired man said, so the others could understand.
Erza agreed, but couldn't help to feel hurt. Why wanted Jellal that she seperates from him?
"Is that a good idea? If I travel back the council will most likely contact me." Erza argumented and tried hard not to let her feelings shone trough.
"Exactly that's why. If they demand your report you tell them that you could not find her. Because you found a clue that the "mysterious woman" moved back to Fiore, your team splitted up. Gray and Juvia continue to search her, while you and Natsu follow the clue." Jellal created their cover-story. Erza crossed her arms. She understood the reasoning, but that didn't mean she was happy with it.
"But what will they say when they see the "woman" with us?" Natsu made quotation marks with his hand as he looked at Lucy.
"I will no longer wear any disguise. Besides, I can hide my magic away. They will not find any similarities, as long as I don't destroy any demons or dark guilds. If any demons show up while I am researching, I can use Geminis power to disguise myself, or let him appear as myself somewhere plain visible. That should keep the counsil off my track." the blonde woman arranged her tactic.
"But how do you know a demon showed up?" Laxus was the one who asked. Once again he was amazed. Lucy came off with a stragety in seconds, which indicates her intelligence, and cleverness.
"When I was in the spirit world a few spirits offered a contract to me. One of them was Aquila, the eagle. He is a silver gate key with the speciality on surveillance. He can observe wide areas from the sky and deliver exact details on anything within it. If I give specific targets, he can cover the continent in one day." she answered. Laxus, Erza, Gray and Juvia were impressed, while Natsu thought the spirit was boring because of the unability to combat.
"So the eagle will inform you when he sees a demon?" Jellal asked. Lucy nodded.
"If I may ask, but where are you keys?" Gray asked, after he saw the lack of keys at her hips. If he remembered correctly, he hadn't saw them on her other outfit either.
Lucy tensed up a little. Only Laxus and Natsu saw it, but Gray could feel a tiny flicker of her magic flare up, before it vanished.
"I thaught myself re-quip magic. While it isn't in the dimension Erza can use it, it is enough to store my keys safely." While she explained the blonde looked at the ground. She didn't show any emotions, but all of her friends could see, that this matter affected her somehow.
"Why don't you bring them out to fight, anymore?" Natsu asked. Laxus glared at the Fire Dragon Slayer for his insensitive question.
Lucy was still for a minute. Her head sank even lower and her bangs covered her eyes. All these questions about her spirits were creating sadness and pain. The both feelings pushed heavily on her mind wall and it took a great effort to steel her wall. Nothing caused such reaction since she left the spirit world. The loss of Aquarius was one of the worst tragedies she had to encounter. Astrael warned her that the unresolved scars in her could be one of the things which could bring her "cor obice" down. She took a deep breath. After she was sure she got it under control, she answered.
"I don't let them fight my battles anymore. I am strong enough on my own, so I don't risk them to get hurt."
After this statement it was silent again. Jellal and Meredy knew what exactly triggered that decision. While they understood it, they weren't happy with it. Lucy only delayed to deal with this emotional scar, but they couldn't do anything against it, because of the threat that her mind wall will shatter once she did. Erza and Gray wanted to ask her why she thought so, but they noticed that the matter was affecting her, so they remained silent. Laxus wondered about the reason Lucy din't use her spirits anymore. He remembered how Mira told him about the war with Tartaros, while he and his team was out. She said they were somehow trapped inside the gigantic cube, when they suddenly were released. She had heard that Gajeel mentioned that Lucy had saved them. Laxus didn't know why but he believed this could somehow be related to the issue.
"Well, I think we have a plan." Jellal finished the discussion.
The ship was steadily sealing through the ocean, which was tinted the same dark color the night sky was. The strong wind of the sea pushed the sails, and with it the ship, forward. Beside the sound of creaking wood and soft waves crashing against the ship, it was silent.
Lucy appreciated the silence after the long discussion. She came out on the deck to meditate while the rest of her team was sleeping. But after half an hour she had to accept, that her jambled thoughts wouldn't let her.
She gave up her meditation pose and layed down flat on her back.
How can she save the world, when she even can't save herself? Her new enemy was on an entirely different level. After all her hard training and all the efford to save her soul for 18 months. Anger and frustration weighed themselves on her wall, but she could handle it. More important was now to get stronger, so she had a chance against the fallen.
"Without me you won't stand a chance."
The whisper of the demon slightered through her mind like a snake. Over the time she learned to ignore her demon blood, but she noticed how it appeared more frequently since she came in contact with her friends again. Not only that, but with their arrival her emotions gained strenght. It took more effort to push them back down. Lucy knew it was a bad idea to let them come with her, but like Laxus said, there was no point in running away. If she didn't learn to handle her feelings, how could she believe she was strong enough against demons or fallen angels? Maybe this was a opportunity to get stronger.
While she thought about how difficult it could get to maintain perfect control of her feeling, the horizon light up with the sun, announcing a new day.
This was just the beginning.
Hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review!
And of course I like to thank all the awesome people who left a review or hit the follow/ favorite button.
Till next time (sadly in two weeks),
Kitty