-Child of the Cosmos-
Lucy blinked in rapid succession.
"Draco?" She squeaked, her voice unsteady. She had heard of Draco. The spirits of this constellation were all massively powerful, and their power had altered their appearance to something more beastly. She untwined her hand from Leo's and scrubbed at her face. This was insane. She never would have thought he would take her to such a place on their first Traverse together. She exhaled slowly, realization hitting her. She felt nothing.
Her head shot up and she surveyed her surroundings with a critical eye. Just like her constellation, Draco floated in the purple myriad of constellations and realms, a gorgeous backdrop to desolate surroundings. The entire scape sparkled with large obsidian rocks, riddled with lacey lines of a glowing red. Heat made the air dance, especially over large gouges in the strange onyx structures. In some places, monoliths jutted to towering heights, spotted with large round areas that were twice as dark as the surrounding rock. As her vision adjusted, Lucy realized these were gargantuan holes.
Ringed by several of these rocks was a Portal, balanced on what looked like large claws carved from the dark matter that made up this place. In all of this she couldn't sense a single spirit. She turned to Leo to find him staring at her. He gave her a small smile.
"It's abandoned?" Her voice questioning. Leo nodded, his mouth pressing into a tight line.
"Dragons keep a very strict hierarchy of power. Draco, the Dragon King, with the blessing of the Spirit King, led all spirits of this constellation on a mission ages ago. No single spirit has occupied this place since. Right underneath the rule of the Dragon King, there were four dragons who ruled the elements. Elemental dragon spirit power is the most volatile, strong and sometimes destructive. This," he cast a quick gaze over the place they had been drawn to, "was the domain of the Fire Dragon King, Igneel." Lucy's astonishment didn't prevent her from noticing the small look of distaste that flicked across Leo's features at the name. Stowing that tidbit away for later contemplation, Lucy turned in a small circle. Her gaze rested again on the Portal a short distance from them.
"It's abandoned." This time, Lucy's voice held realization. With no spirits around, Lucy could be free to practice Viewing! She swelled with excitement so fierce it was almost tangible to Leo. She turned bright eyes on him briefly before bolting to the Portal. Leo chuckled and strolled after the spirit.
"Lucy," he called as she skittered to a stop, hands hovering reverently over the Portal's edges. "Remember your promise, wait for me. And whatever you do," his voice grew sharp at the sight of her fiddling with the ring. "Do not, under any circumstances take that ring off or twist it any way. These will keep us shielded from all other spirits. This constellation is supposed to be vacant, it would not do any good for any neighboring spirits to catch any flashes of power." Lucy nodded along with his logic, but it sparked a disconcerting question.
"Leo," she began hesitantly. "Is….are we allowed to be here?" The Zodiac flushed instantly, reaching up to rub a hand behind his head. A sheepish smile spread across his lips.
"Well, forbidden was not exactly the word used." He shot her a feral grin as Lucy groaned slightly. He shrugged innocently. "We won't harm anything, and I don't smell that bad…no matter what that overgrown salamander says." The last part was muttered grumpily under his breath but Lucy caught it. She cocked her head curiously. What was a salamander? And his smell? Lucy sniffed cautiously, but all she could find was the acrid stench of the surrounding constellation. She frowned slightly, disliking when Leo referenced things she had no understanding of.
The Zodiac was still grumbling to himself in a lower tone when Lucy cleared her throat loudly to bring back his attention.
"Right!" He exclaimed, giving her one of his trademark smug smiles. He rubbed his hands together and stared down at the glassy surface of the Portal. "Ok, first off, don't get discourage, this might take a while. Due to previous circumstances," he snuck a glance up at her, "we will not bond for this, it is too risky right now." A small sad look pulled the corners of Lucy's lips down. "Instead I will talk you through the process."
"Alright!" Lucy eagerly agreed, her voice brimming with determination. "Let's do this!"
A/N: I really appreciate everyone who has taken the time so far to read and keep up with COTC. This started as just a fun project for me and I'm so happy it is bringing enjoyment to others! I will try to update as often as possible! Thank y'all!
xXPumbaXx: Thank you! I try to update as often as I can, I usually have four to five chapters in advance to drop which gives me some leeway sometimes since I'm a college student who is feeling the struggle!
arcadea333: I'm so happy you're enjoying the story! I know it's taking a while to get to the good stuff, but I have *huge* plans for COTC! All I can tell you now is that Lucy will eventually find herself in Earthland, and I'm a huge Nalu, Gale, and Gruvia fan :)