Chapter Thirteen - Blue & Black
Its a curious thing, Love.
They say, love makes you do crazy things. It makes you do things on impulse, without thinking. Once someone touches your heart so deeply, the footprints will stay forever. Ever since her first encounter with the assumed womaniser named Loke, Lucy Heartfilia was always attracted to him. Sure he was a playboy, and even sometimes annoying and a bit of a pervert, but there was a side to him that she absolutely adored. A side that only she knew.
The moment you feel the strings holding your love all together, begin to fray, do you realise how powerful your emotions really are. You can't sleep because when you're with the one you love, reality is better than your dreams.
Lucy had never loved someone like this before, but now he was gone...
Lucy rose to her feet, her eyes red and puffy. She quietly walked back up the hill, everyone had their eyes on her.
She stood in front of Levy and talked to the ground.
"Were you able to figure out what kind of Lacroma we're dealing with?" Lucy said with a dull, colourless tone.
Levy stared at her blankly. She knew her friend was in pain.
"Uhm yes...It seems the darker one is a Lacroma of Zeref, and the lighter one is of Mavis, that's why they-"
Lucy brushed past Levy, that was all she needed to hear. She bent down, picking up a large light Lacroma, and without hesitation, drove it right into arm.
"Aaaghh!" It was painful, and she didn't know how it would affect her, but she didn't even care. It had to make her powerful. She was tired of being weak. If she was stronger she could have saved Loke. Lucy was sick of losing everyone she loved.
Gray tried to stop her as she pushed it in deeper, she could already feel her power growing stronger.
"Lucy what the hell are you doing?!" asked the ice mage, frantically.
"I couldn't save him...So now...aggghh..I have to...ngggh...fight for him." A light aura grew around Lucy as the Lacroma set it all the way.
"I figured if the dark Lacroma caused people to be like Zeref...then this one would give me strength like Mavis."
She turned to her guild mates, tears still welled up in her eyes. "I made him a promise, and I'm not giving up."
Erza stepped forward amazed by the power that was coming off of Lucy.
"How is it already working? Shouldn't the zeref Lacroma have affected you?"
"It wasn't as deep...so I made sure this one was..."
The light grew brighter, blinding everyone. Lucy spoke once more.
"I have to do this on my own, for him.." Then Lucy was gone. She had vanished right before their eyes.
Lucy traveled through some kind if other world. Everything was peaceful. Cherry blossoms fluttered around her. A soft voice spoke to her.
"To use these powers you mustn't use them out of hate, nor will you be able to kill."
"Mavis?" Lucy floated through the dimension, the voice echoed from all around her. "Be careful Lucy, for the sake of your friends, and your spirit, Leo."
She ended up in front of a large building in the woods, miles and miles away from her friends. Her attire was different. She wore a pearl white corset that had a golden ruffle trim around the top.
The bottom flowed out into a golden ruffled skirt that match her trim. Long white elbow length gloves covered her arms, ruby red buckled flats, and cloud white thigh high leggings. She looked like she hadn't fallen down that hill, or stabbed herself with Lacroma. Her body was completely healed and she felt better than she ever had.
Lucy glanced down at Loke's ring. It was dull, lifeless, and she still didn't feel him. He was gone wasn't he? The light aura still surrounded her. Lucy strolled to the building doors and pushed them open gracefully.
Ashton sat in a large throne, to match his tryanic ego. But that isn't what caught Lucy's eyes. Lilith was perched on the arm of the throne next to him. How was she not destroyed by the blast? They raised their eyes to Lucy who casually walked towards them, calm as can be.
"Ashton...Lilith.." She said, bluntly.
Ashton rose to his feet, Lilith followed, both had a devilish grin on their face.
"Well well well. That wassss mighty quick." Lilith hissed at Lucy, walking down the steps, her eyes glowing. "I ssssee you've come to avenge the death of you lover..." Her lips curled into a deadly smirk.
"It's not revenge, it's me keeping a promise to myself." Lucy's aura grew stronger, causing Lilith to hesitant for a moment.
"Come on Medusa, let's go." She stood her ground, one foot behind the other. Ready for Lilith to strike.
Ashton put his hand out, stopping Lilith. "Don't waste your strength my love." His voice had a sour tone to it.
She glanced at him and nodded.
Ashton stood up, a dark aura surrounding his hands.
"Rise."
Out of the ground, 4 large decaying bodies dug themselves out and groaned at Lucy. They had battered Armour and staffs in their bony hands.
"Let's have some fun first... Get her."
The draugs went for Lucy all at once, frothing at their half rotten mouths. Ashton sat back down with Lilith, watching the fight from his throne.
There was a black toga around Lilith, she had reverted back to a more scaled form. Was she concealing an injury? In fact her neck was covered too. The reality of the matter was that she was a banished spirit, unable to heal by simply going back to the spirit world, she had to live off her remaining life force.
Loke had done more to Lilith than met the eye. She gripped the edge of the seat angrily, her hands shaking.
Lilith's eyes narrowed, the snake glared at Lucy, with hatred. She gritted her fangs remembering exactly what Loke did to her.
The explosion tore them both apart, the tree branches and shards of lacroma impaled her perfect body, her neck was shredded and her flesh was burned off.
The human form of Lilith was nothing but a severed mess. Ashton luckily dragged her out of there and was keeping his new love alive like some sick puppet.
As she was being dragged away, she looked at what was left of the lion.
He clung to life like a desperate kitten. His vision was hazed by blood and pain, but he kept glaring at her angrily. Things were starting to go dark. He couldn't move.
"WOOL BOMB!" A blast of pink magic struck Lilith in the face out of no where. The little lamb stood over Loke, shaking her little legs angrily. Time to repay the favor.
"Aries!?" She managed to spit, causing blood to exit her lips at the same time. She couldn't see anything, Ashton turned and cleared the magic out the way but by that time both Aries and Leo were gone, leaving only his shades and tie on the ground.
Lucy quickly dodged out of the way of a draug, and glared up at Ashton and Lilith.
"Your love? How interesting...and I thought you were in love with Karen." Lucy growled.
This triggered a sore spot for Ashton. He raised his hand, sending a blast of black magic towards Lucy, knocking her down as the draugs grew closer.
"You keep her name out of your mouth, Bitch!" Ashton let out a evil laugh as he walked down the steps below the throne.
Lucy stood back up, surprisingly unharmed.
"If my former lover was still alive, then so would your beloved lion.." Ashton growled.
"You don't know what you're talking about Ashton! It wasn't Loke's fault!" She leaped into the air as the decaying bodies clashed into each other. Lucy landed on her feet, astonished by her powers. She had never done anything like that before.
Two of the draugs were struggling to get back up, while the other two hobbled towards Lucy. She quickly reacted, grabbing her whip and slinging it around one of their necks, throwing it past Ashton and Lilith, and into a wall. The other came close to grabbing her, but Lucy swooped down, sliding her leg across the ground and knocked it's let's out from underneath itself.
"RISE!" 6 more draugs rose from the ground. 8 of them now surrounding Lucy.
Meanwhile, Natsu and the others were sprinting through the woods in search for where Lucy might be. "Damn it! Where could she be?" He grit his teeth, thinking to himself. 'If I wasn't such an idiot this wouldn't have happened! I should have made sure they were behind me!'
Erza was ahead of everyone with Natsu. "What happened with trying to find Ichyia?" She pushed forward, worried about her friend.
"I left them behind without knowing and kept going until I heard the blast. This is all my fault."
"NATSU! Don't say that. You didn't kno-"
"Yes it is! If I would have been with them this wouldn't have happened!" Natsu stopped, his feet skidding across the ground. "Wait..." Everyone halted. "That smell.. Its..-"
"MEEEEEEENNN!" Ichiya jumped down from the tree tops, wearing an all black suit, which was definitely a bad sign. Hibiki followed behind him, also wearing an all black suit.
"Ichiya? Hibiki?" Erza knew something was different about them. They were definitely affected by the Zeref Lacroma.
"What a surprise! It's been way too long...the smell of your parfume is…" He narrowed his eyes and gave her a devilish smile, "Delicious..."
Erza sighed deeply. Although she couldn't stand the creep, she still cared.
"REEQUIP! HEAVENS WHEEL ARMOR!"
"I'm going to hate having to destroy such a beautiful young girl like you."
She stared at him. It nearly broke her heart the way he looked at her. It was the same way Jellal had looked at her during the tower of heaven.
"Natsu! Go find Lucy! The rest of us will stay and fight."
"I can't just leave yo-"
"NOW NATSU!" she gave him a mother like stare.
He nodded, and headed off, following the faint smell of Lucy.
Gajeel leaped next to Erza, his fist already large iron pillars.
"These two seem extremely powerful." He spat, standing in a battle ready stance.
"I know, that's why I need you all. This isn't going to be easy." The two shared a look before rocketing into battle.
Lucy staggered backwards as one of the draugs pulled her down.
She elbowed it, it's jaw flew off as she barely escaped. "You got to be kidding me?" There were at least 12 of these freaks now. Lucy didn't know what to do. She didn't know what kind of powers she was given by Mavis's Lacroma.
'Stupid me! Acting before thinking!' Lucy realized she was in some deep shit, but she couldn't give up. She knew Loke wouldn't approve of her giving up, including this easily. This had only just begun.
Back in the forest, Erza shot up into the air. "REEQUIP! LIGHTENING EMPRESS ARMOR!"
Ichiya pulled out a tube of his perfume magic.
"Take a wiff of my sleep parfume!" The magic floated across the guild members, only knocking out Levy.
"Shrimp!" Gajeel whipped around and grabbed onto her before she hit the ground. "You'll pay for that you creep!"
But before he could do anything, Erza made a move. "Just keep her safe Gajeel!"
She shot down bolts of lightening that headed straight for Ichya. "Master!" Hibiki dove across and knocked him out of the way, taking the strike.
"I got this!" Gray, who earlier, had inhaled some of Ichiya's "endless pain" perfume, clasped his hands together. Though he was in pain, he wouldn't give up.
"Ice make prison!" A ice cage fell over Ichyia and Hibiki.
"Alright! Ngghh.." He fell to his knees from pain, and his magic running low. Juvia, of course, rushed to his aid. "Are you okay my beloved?"
"Yeah, nnggh, I'll be okay.." He hobbled to his feet, shooting a glance up at Erza.
"What the...What is it Erza?"
She had a bad feeling in her gut. A great amount of black magic energy was rapidly rising in the distance.
"Not again..." Erza looked down at her guild mates.
"Gajeel, make sure these two don't escape, Juvia, keep an eye on Gray and Levy. Protect your family!"
They nodded as she returned to the ground, running off into the distance.
'I should have remembered!' She thought back to when they first dealt with Nirvana. 'Anyone with a negative mind set can be effected by it and turned from good to bad, or vice versa.' She pushed harder, that power she felt was the same feeling she had during Nirvana, and Natsu had blamed himself for what happened to Loke and Lucy. She had to get to him before Nirvana was resurrected!
Lucy had done pretty well without her spirits for a short period, but she couldn't last much longer without them.
She reached for her keys, only to realize they weren't there anymore.
"What the?"
Lilith raised her arm, dangling Lucy's keys in her hands.
"Looking for thessssse blondie?" She jingled them, laughing hysterically.
'Damn, I don't know how much longer I can last.' Lucy wasn't used to this new power, so she didn't know how to make it last. She skidded against the ground, hitting the wall behind her.
"Oooft!" Ashton ordered 8 more draugs to rise, this time, these were much bigger. Where were they all coming from!?
"Just my luck..." They charged at Lucy. She tried to get up, but she couldn't.
"Nggh, come on!"
All of a sudden, the ground gave out underneath her, Lucy fell into the hole. Someone caught her as she almost hit the ground.
"Mmm?"
It was Virgo. "Virgo what are you doing here?!" She had the same emotionless face, and looked down at Lucy.
"Are you okay princess? I made a hole in the ground to save you. Would you like to punish me now?"
"Uhh yea-...no thanks. I'm fine."
"Princess, we must get you out of here, you need to build your strength back up."
"What?! No I can't leave." Lucy protested.
"I'll be taking you to Leo now." The maid said, calmly.