Chapter 9
A flash of light and a pair of small blue creatures stood at her side. "Piri piri?" they asked.
Gasping for breath, Lucy extended her arm toward the spirit. "Are you ready, Gemini?"
A puff of white smoke and an exact copy of Lucy appeared in their place. "Ready Lucy!" she said, reaching out to touch Lucy's hand.
Palms together, the two Lucys lowered their heads and closed their eyes. A large golden magic circle appeared beneath their feet as they began the spell.
Flying as fast as their wings could carry them, the Exceed trio, along with Natsu and Wendy, were quickly approaching Tenrou Island. As the small mass of land finally came into view, Natsu suddenly gasped. Through Warren's telepathy, Lucy's voice reached them.
Survey the Heavens, Open the Heavens...
All the stars, far and wide...
"Oh no," Wendy cried. "She's already started the spell!"
Show me thy appearance...
With such shine.
"Hurry Happy!" Natsu shouted to his friend.
"I'm trying!" he yelled back.
Oh Tetrabiblos...
I am the ruler of the stars...
Natsu's heart began to race. She's really going to use it?!
Aspect become complete...
Open thy malevolent gate.
"We're not going to make it in time!," Lily shouted.
The magical energy swirled about them as Lucy and Gemini recited the incantation. There was no turning back now; Lucy swore to herself that she would put everything she had into this last attack. Win or lose, she would know she did everything she could to protect him.
Meanwhile, the shining light between Zeref's hands grew in intensity, enveloping the area in an eerie golden glow. The Black Wizard was no longer treating this as a mere amusement; she had angered him, and now she would pay dearly for inciting his wrath.
"Oh 88 Stars of the heaven...Shine!"
"This is the end, Lucy Heartfilia!" Zeref shouted menacingly.
Looking up at her opponent, the gold-colored magic circle appeared on Lucy's eye as she and Gemini spoke the last phrase of the spell.
Pressing his palms together as if to pray, he was one word away from sending the celestial wizard to her death.
Urano Metria!
LAW!
The light and force from the explosion was incredibly intense. So strong in fact, that Natsu and the others were forced to shield themselves from the resulting blast. When the wave of energy finally passed, they rushed to the scene of the battle. When they came upon their friend at last, they stood for a moment in shock at the sight that greeted them. All of the grass in the area seemed to be scorched, and the trees were withered and bare. Natsu recognized this from the time he first encountered Zeref on the island, during the S-Class trials. That realization only made him more concerned for his friend. The air was deathly quiet; not even the sound of the breeze could be heard moving through the barren foliage. And at the epicenter, two figures lay motionless face-down on the ground. The five friends were only able to utter one word in their shock.
"LUCY!"
"Natsu..."
Lucy heard his voice just now; she was sure of it. She didn't understand why she felt certain his presence was near; she just had this feeling, and she couldn't shake it...
As she lay on the hard ground, lacking the strength to even raise her head, Lucy struggled to stay conscious. Her ears were pounding with the sound of what she thought was her heartbeat before she realized they were footsteps quickly approaching her. Then she felt herself roll over, as she was now looking up at the cloud-covered sky above her. She thought she heard a voice, but she couldn't understand what it was telling her. Unable to hold on any longer, her vision began to blur. As her eyes slowly closed, the last thing she remembered seeing was the image of her friends' faces looking down at her before she passed out.
Next chapter: The Conclusion to "What Are You Fighting For?"