Author's Note: Alright, so it's obviously June 4th and not the 8th, but there's been a minor change in plans concerning updates. I thought it beneficial to go ahead and post this a few days early to be able to explain a little. Again, I have chapters written in advance- no big deal, right? Well, I still haven't had time to actually, fully work on the last handful. Keep in mind there are approximately 10 chapters left. Roundabout, anyway. (I'm planning on having this end around chapter 30-31.)

I recently got a new job and it's left me absolutely exhausted, yadda yadda, me complaining, blah blah blah. Essentially, instead of posting 4 times a month (i.e. once a week), I'm looking at 2 times a month. Every other week. I don't want to get into a position where I've caught up on the chapters posted and have nothing else to offer for a while when I finish writing them.

It's just too much work and stresses me out to not have things lined up right, so please forgive me for that.

HOWEVER!

In response, I'm posting this chapter early in hopes this will help a little. I would absolutely love it if you guys left reviews with your ideas, concerns, and any questions you may have. (insert a heart emoji here) I adore reading your reviews, ideas, and responses! Hopefully you'll see chapter 22 come not next monday but the monday after that- if all goes well. I love you all, and again, thank you for keeping with this story!

The Prophet

"Cassiopeia…" Yukino murmured, her eyes widening at her mate's observation. Her world tilted just a little, confusion setting in over her face. "Lucy! Sting's onto something!" she shouted, jumping from her seat to race into the kitchen, leaving the blond slayer watching after her.

He wasn't sure, since he didn't… Really know how to spell either name, but with how his mate was reacting, it must have made sense. Somehow, someway, his brain managed to put two and two together in the best way. He could hear them talking in the other room, writing down the two names to double check, and even hear them get Levy on the line.

Still, he couldn't bring himself to move from the chair.

Instead, he leaned forward. His elbows rested on his knees and his head was placed in his hands. He didn't get it. Eclipse was the only bad thing he could think that involved his mate… He even kept her away from the brunt of Tartaros. He was a protector, as were most slayers. Yet here his mate was, out of his hands, in some sort of otherworldly trouble that he couldn't fix.

It was maddening.

Not only was she sucked into it, but she was also called weaker than Lucy. To be fair, his mate did have a ways to go to catch up with the blonde, but she was working hard. Sting was helping her with her confidence the only ways he knew how. He was afraid this would set her back. He was afraid they wouldn't be able to measure up to the King's expectations.

He was worried it would all fail and they'd lose one another before it was time for them to pass. Not to mention it looked as though there would be five Sabers to, he estimated, fifty Fairies. Sure, they were sister guilds and they would help whenever needed… But it didn't ease his worries any. Fairy Tail seemed at the center of every major catastrophe, no matter if it ended favorably or not. That alone was enough to fuel his fear.

But Yukino… He didn't sense fear from her.

A sense of duty. Honor. Even nervousness… But no fear.

A sad smile wrote over his features and he exhaled, trying to rid himself of his thoughts. She was truly a rock to him, whenever he needed. He wasn't even sure she knew it. He leaned back again, only to meet Orga's worried eyes.

"Everythin' alright?"

The blond shook his head, knowing lying wouldn't help anything. "Worried mostly. I still have to manage a guild, manage a crisis and somehow juggle training and research in there, too. It's stressful, is all."

The teal haired man nodded in understanding. He, however, soon leaned forward. "Don't think too hard on it, alright?"

A blond brow rose. "The hell do you mean? I have to think about it."

Orga shook his head. "Not what I meant. You ain't the one that's managing this. Lucy, Yukino and Levy seem to be doing a good job at that. You ain't gotta stress about the guild. Rufus is home, and we'll be headed back eventually. Hell, Mini and I will head back first if that helps."

Blue eyes widened, and the realization dawned on him. It wasn't that he was alone, bearing too much responsibility on his shoulders, but rather that he was isolating himself. By doing so, he was putting more stress and worry where there should be close to none. He had a whole damned network to rely on. His mate would support him, his guild family would help with anything should he just ask, and the slayers would jump at the opportunity to hold a favor over his head. He had people to rely on, and that's what the god slayer meant.

His pride tended to get in the way of him actually asking, but that was a totally different thing. There were people around him who would help within a moment's notice.

He smiled to the larger man. "Thanks, man. We'll worry about that later, though. I'm damned ready for a nap."

The god slayer chuckled heartily at that but nodded. "A lotta shit happened before lunch even came. I don't blame ya. I think I'll take Mini out to town for a bit, though."

Sting nodded. "If Yuki doesn't want a nap, she'll probably glue herself to Lucy and start training soon."

Rogue had wandered back into the living room at that point, nodding his agreement. "Yeah, that's what they were talking about. Levy was told about your observation and they talked about training with Capricorn." He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "Orga's right, you know. You're not alone."

Sting nodded, sending a grateful smile to his longest and dearest friend. "Yeah, I get that now. I… Really need that nap, though."

The shadow slayer nodded, a smile gracing his own features in response. "I'll let Yukino know and I'll watch over them while they train. They're talking about working with Minerva and Erza, so I'll be sure to step in if needed."

The guildmaster sighed and stood. "Tell Blondie I'm stealing her bed?"

"Babe!" Rogue hollered, not bothering to look back. "Sting's taking your bed!"

"BOY, YOU BETTER WASH THE SHEETS WHEN YOU TWO GET DONE!"

Everyone laughed at her response, save for the wholly embarrassed blond slayer. Yukino peeked out, a sparkle in her eye and a quivering smile on her face just showing how much she was trying to hold in her laughter. "...Really? You want to have sex here at Lucy's?"

"NO!" Sting shouted, his red face only getting redder when more laughs were heard. "I want to take a nap! Not bang my mate!"

"Oh, so you don't want to have sex with me."

Lucy and Minerva went strangely quiet. Well, at least until everyone heard them gasping for air. The two were laughing so hard they couldn't even breathe. Minerva bolted past, holding her gut and running as fast as she could, barely wheezing out that she needed to pee as she sped past.

Sting groaned and covered his face with his hands before walking towards Lucy's bedroom, flipping the other occupants off as he stomped out.

Lucy eventually managed a slow waddle in, holding her own gut the same way Minerva was earlier. Her gut ached with how hard she laughed, but she didn't make any other comments yet. Orga, however, turned an eye to the two celestial mages. "Ya can't have Mini today. I'm gonna take her out."

The two blinked and looked at each other curiously. Lucy eventually sighed and nodded. "All right, all right. I'll see if Erza wouldn't mind working with someone else to help train us."

Rogue tilted his head. "Why would you need two?"

Lucy shrugged. "It has to do with what we need over what we want."

The lightning mage grew even more curious at this. "Explain?"

Yukino continued where Lucy left off. "I sorely need magic expansion training, but I also need to work on honing my hand-to-hand. Lucy needs pointers in control and a little magic expansion, but she needs someone who will push her past just that. We planned on magic expansion, then fighting. Me with Erza and Lucy with Minerva."

Rogue nodded and thought it over. "So you need someone who will push you, but push you in a good way and give pointers."

Lucy nodded and then promptly shrugged. "We just… Need help. That's the long and short of it. You and Sting- and the other Slayers for that matter- would go too easy on us and wouldn't dare hurt us. So we were trying to brainstorm on who would be willing to help. Minerva agreed, but if we can't steal her from the Walking Flesh Tank, then we'll have to look elsewhere."

Said man only shrugged. "I wanna take my girl out and pamper her. Can ya blame me?"

"Nope!" Yukino agreed.

The blonde lass smiled. "Nah, Mini deserves it."

"I deserve what?" Minerva asked as she sauntered back in.

Lucy waved her off nonchalantly. "Don't worry about it! Just have fun with your man and I'll have guest beds set up when you get home later!~"

"What-"

"Come on," Orga said as he slipped his hand into hers and tugged her along.

Lucy and Yukino sat on one end of the field, talking about meditation and various little things Capricorn has schooled her on before. The two were so engrossed in their own conversation that they didn't immediately notice when another group of mages made their way towards them.

"Lu!" Meredy shouted, running at the blonde woman.

Her head snapped over to the voice, completely cutting off her own statement midway through. Excitement rushed through her and she jumped up to her feet, running towards the pink haired lass in return. Just as everyone anticipated, they collided harshly, tumbling over and erupting into giggles as they held one another in a hugging embrace.

"Mare! I'm so happy to see you!"

"Alright, Pink Demon, get your ass up," Cobra scowled, lifting both women with his hands grabbing the back of their shirts to get them standing again.

There was a scowl on his face, but Lucy could easily see the merriment hiding beneath the 'aggravation' in his deep violet eye. She giggled at him and shook her head, looking over at the others here. Jellal, Bickslow and Erza were all there, speaking amongst themselves as they eased up to their group at a much slower pace.

Lucy tilted her head and looked up at the poison slayer. He would push her past her limits and give her tips in the form of get it right or get poisoned… But she didn't think he would be one to offer his assistance when training. In fact, without Kinana here, she wasn't even sure he told her. To be fair, though, Kina was more likely to tell him to not do it than to push him towards helping. No matter what angle she looked at it, she was still confused.

The slayer snorted and rolled his eye. "No, I'm not here to help. I'm here to see Kina."

Lucy nodded at this and smiled. "Well, thanks for coming to see us anyway."

He waved a nonchalant hand, turning away to head back into the guild. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get so mushy with me, Toots."

"Wouldn't count on it, snake breath."

"You love my excessive bleach, don't lie."

"I'd love to bleach you, if that's what you mean," the blonde snipped back sweetly.

He let out a small laugh and shook his head but didn't press any further.

"Lucy," Erza greeted. She held a gauntlet covered hand down to Yukino to help her up. "I'm glad you asked me to help."

She nodded and smiled to the others. "I guess she let you in on what we need?" They all nodded and she smiled wider. "Good! So what's going on?"

Erza smiled and shrugged. "We're splitting up. Bickslow, Meredy and I will be training Yukino. You'll work with Jellal."

Lucy blinked at this, stunned. "Wait, me? ...Hold on, what?"

"Luly, listen." Bickslow slung an arm around her shoulders. "You know what to expect with me and 'Zaza. We wouldn't do you any good to train with. Ya ain't know shit about working with Tattoo or Pinky here, but Pinky helps a lot with magic shit. Yoo needs help with that more than you do."

"Furthermore," Jellal started with a small but formal smile, "I've heard you've equipped yourself with a few celestial spells targeting the human body. Being that I use Heavenly Body Magic, I can probably help you hone those to the best of anyone's ability- just outside of your own spirits."

Lucy nodded, excitement flooding her system. Jellal was once a Wizard Saint, putting him leagues above herself. He would be able to help her without the shadow of a doubt. She gave a last hug to Bickslow and Meredy both before hugging Erza. "Well… We'll head to the second field. See you all in an hour?"

"Make it two," Meredy said as she reached for Yukino's hand. "We have to check where she currently is before starting anything, so it'll take a little longer today."

"Alright!"

Lucy and Jellal began walking away from the others, talking easily amongst each other. He didn't seem invasive with his questions, but rather inquisitive and awkward. She didn't think he had ever trained someone before, but wouldn't actually say it aloud.

Once they had wandered more than a hundred feet off, he asked the golden question. "So, can you explain how you use your magic when performing those spells?"

Bingo.

Lucy shrugged, trying to think about it. "It's… It's like opening a gate that has no spirit attached to it, and using the magic leaking from inside." Her brows furrowed and she sighed. "It doesn't make sense… I guess that's why I can't use them very well."

"We'll work on that," he said, offering a smile. "So you're using the magic leaking out of the gate?"

"Something like that, yeah…"

"Well that's your first problem," he admitted, turning a critical eye to her. "As a holder mage, you shouldn't even have spells outside of your keys. The only caster spell for Celestial Spirit Mages known to history was Urano Metria, which took up such immense magic energy compared to what they were used to that it was known to kill the user. Magic depletion and all."

The blonde blinked and furrowed her brows. "You did your research… I honestly didn't know that…"

A small shrug was her response. "I keep my allies' magic in mind. Urano Metria is a spell designed to wipe out the magic containers. A holder should never have an ability spell of that level, and the Celestial Realm is very sacred and works differently than out realm. The magic they drew on and activated took everything they had to balance it out. The more celestial magic you draw on, the more your own magic needs to shove it out. Using Gemini as an assistant was the only way I thought it possible to use that spell without dying afterwards. The fact that you can use it on your own is astounding to me."

Lucy's brows went up and she blushed slightly at the… Pseudo-complement. "So the spell gets stronger the more magic power I have… That explains a lot." There was something about that very statement that confused her greatly though… If it was designed to kill the user, why was she alive? The thought was pushed aside, to be fretted over more at a later date. "Next question, maybe? I don't… Want to think too hard about it."

Jellal nodded his agreement. "Tell me more about your star dresses."

Lucy smiled, thankful for the distraction, and immediately held up a key- Cancer's. Her outfit changed to her kimono, the twin blades coming to form in her hands. "This is Cancer's star dress. What it does is give me a filter of sorts."

The blue haired man looked over her critically and he nodded. "Can you summon Cancer?"

"Of course," she nodded. As soon as the words left her, said spirit emerged and bowed to the man who was supposed to be training her.

Looking between spirit and mage, Jellal could only assess what was seen. "The blades come from his choice of scissors, yes?"

"Yes -ebi," the spirit replied.

"What else does this dress do?"

The lass blinked but shrugged. "Cancer's one of the fastest, if not the fastest, of my spirits. I can move a lot faster with this dress, and that's one thing… I haven't really… Explored his dress much."

The blue haired man nodded and thought for a moment. He knew the two he studied felt awkward under his judgemental eye, but he was only trying to assess what was presented. "When you say filter, you mean that the dresses allow you to use caster magic without wiping yourself out?"

The two nodded in unison.

"Were you in a star dress the last time you used Urano Metria?" he asked.

Lucy couldn't help but be shocked. Her eyes went wide and she looked at her spirit, who only smiled to her. She was wearing Aquarius' star dress. "Y-Yeah, I was…"

The heavenly body mage smiled, finally. "This is starting to make more sense. That's likely the reason why you didn't get killed using it without Gemini with you. Using a filter to allow you to use caster abilities would prevent completely draining your magic containers to the point of no return. With it being a filter in the form of a Celestial Spirit… That might be the safest way to use it outside of Gemini."

Cancer bowed once more. "Am I still needed -ebi?"

"No. Thank you for showing up, Cancer," Jellal replied.

Lucy smiled and hugged her spirit, who stiffened awkwardly but hugged back before vanishing. Her clothes returned back to the black jeans and dark blue t-shirt she had on previously. "Is there anything else you need to know..?"

"One more thing. What do you do with your magic to take on the dress?"

Well, that was a question she hadn't been asked before. There were a lot of factors playing into it that Lucy understood, but getting someone else to understand was another thing entirely. Her brain started going ninety kilometers a second trying to figure the best way to explain it.

"So, uh… Okay, trust. That's the first part. Without trust between spirit and key holder, it can't be done. The spirit allows me to… Oh stars, how do I put it…" Her brown eyes narrowed on a patch of grass in the distance.

Luckily, Jellal was eons more patient than most others she knew, so he wasn't bothered by having to wait for her to figure out how to speak about it.

A solid three minutes of silence had Lucy looking back to him. "Stop me if this doesn't make sense. Essentially, each spirit has a magic core in their beings. Think of it like… Like a Lacrima. It's different than our magic containers, but weirdly the same… uh… OH! Body Link Magic!"

Okay, that last part made zero sense.

"...What does that have to do with it..?"

Lucy blinked twice and shook her head to get out of her reverie. "Their magic core works a little like Body Link Lacrima. It ties to the magic pool of the summoner, which is why the spirit gets stronger when the mage gets stronger. The more magic power I have, the more they can let loose."

His brows went up and he nodded to show he understood.

"Okay so, that magic core is in their own person. So to be able to use their magic means I have to have their trust to be able to use it. Um… I guess the best way to put it is like a Magic Transfer. How Natsu can use Laxus' lightning because of a previous transfer. But-"

"Hold that thought," Jellal interrupted. "So instead of a true magic transfer, if they trust their holder enough they will open themselves up enough for you to access that magic core."

She nodded.

"To access this core, you…?"

"Crack the gate."

His brows furrowed in further confusion.

The lass shrugged. "You know, like… A kid peeking through a door to see what's going on in the other room."

His head jerked up in sudden understanding. "Oh. I thought, initially, like you would crack it as in a shatter."

Her eyes widened and she laughed a little. "No, no no no. I just need to crack the doorway and extend my magic to them. They meet me in the middle and let the magic flow through."

Jellal motioned to the ground, where he eventually took a seat. She followed soon after. He had a feeling that they'd be talking for the most part of their two hours, just getting to a place where he understood her magic enough to know how to help in the best way possible.

They went through the basics after that. Yes, she did have to keep the magic flow to keep their gate cracked. Yes, it took less effort to keep the dress on if the spirit was present. Yes, it took more magic to summon the spirit without the incantation, she was just too lazy to say it more often than not. Yes, she still had access to Aquarius' star dress. No, it wasn't the same as wearing the other's.

They went through a myriad of questions together, just fleshing out exactly how her magic worked and working through various nuances together. She never had someone grill her so intently about the ins and outs of her magic. It made her very happy to be able to talk about it so thoroughly with someone who seemed genuinely curious- even if it was only for training.

Almost fifty minutes into the interview, Jellal finally stood. "I have a few theories we can put to the test. But first, I have to ask you to explain this just as thoroughly to Yukino."

Lucy tilted her head at this. "Why so? She's a celestial spirit mage, she gets it."

He shook his head. "You're trying to teach her how to use the star dresses, yes?"

She nodded.

"You're assuming she knows how to use her magic to tap into that instead of explaining how to do it. She could very well be using her magic in a more complex way to attain it, which means she's probably wasting a lot of magic she could be using elsewise."

The blonde felt her eyes widen at this, having never thought of that. "Oh, shit."

He only laughed at her. "So, theories."

"Right." Lucy stood up and readied herself for his suggestions.

"First, you're still trying to use your magic like a holder instead of a caster when you use those spells." He lifted his hands, holding them in preparation for a spell. "As a caster, you rely on your own magic, drawing it from within. To do this with a filter will be more complicated, but can still be done. Equip a star dress, one from a spirit that you have extremely deep trust in, and try to use one of the easier spells on me."

She quickly changed to Leo's dress. "...Are you sure about this..?"

He nodded. "No matter how strong you are, I'm quite resilient and can move fast enough to dodge."

Lucy shrugged and dropped to a fighting stance. "Should I try to use my magic differently..?"

The blue haired mage nodded, stepping back from her a few paces, but he never dropped his hands. "Instead of reaching out to a new gate that has no spirit tied to it, try reaching out through their core. Their magic is already tied to their realm, so it should be easier for you to do it that way instead of holding two gates open."

The lass nodded. "Loke," she whispered, summoning her trusted Lion spirit. He smiled but stood a few paces behind her.

"I'm ready, princess."

"Here I come, Jellal!"

Over the course of the next few days, Lucy and Yukino trained diligently with their respective partners. It seemed like every night they trained, they were coming home absolutely wiped and in need of care from their mates. Small things suddenly became large acts; a back rub, running and getting things the women needed, helping them to the bathroom, and so forth. It was strenuous, and neither of their training regimes were kind, for lack of a better term.

Lucy had explained to Yukino exactly what Jellal suggested she explain, and as it turned out, Yukino was trying to over-complicate things. By doing as what was suggested, the pale haired woman eased into using Libra's star dress- even going as far as being able to use Pisces'. The blonde desperately wanted to see it, but neither had the energy nor the time to be able to casually do something of the sort.

Meredy came along every morning and every night to help the women concentrate on meditation and magic expansion. The kind hearted and peppy girl suddenly seemed like a militia general in strictness, but it helped nonetheless. Bickslow came alone in the mornings, as well, though an hour later than when Meredy came. While mostly concentrating on Yukino's training, he also didn't mind helping with Lucy's. He was mostly there for balance training, stretches, and various subtle things that would help greatly in the long run.

Erza and Jellal were insane to train with, to put it politely. Yukino nor Lucy could ever really get the one-up on them, no matter how hard they tried. And holy shit did they try. The bright side was that they were near-emptying their magic containers on such a regular basis that their bodies got used to it. Their containers were growing larger, slowly but surely, and they were replenishing magic a little faster too.

Levy had almost solely holed herself up in the guild's library, researching everything she could get her knowledge-greedy hands on. Everything from Oasei Pisca's works to ancient tomes surrounding the cursed author and celestial spirit books. Lucy had helped greatly by getting various approved books from Crux for the blue haired lass, which she could only be happier about.

Gajeel seemed to be okay with this, even though it seemed like she was lacking in training where everyone else in their little group seemed to be getting stronger. It wasn't until the third day after this, when Lucy asked about why that is, that he finally talked.

He quickly admitted to knowing about how her magic works. Behind the scenes, when she went home with Gajeel, they worked on various spells until she didn't have much magic energy left. The more she emptied her magic containers, the more it would grow. Just like with Lucy and Yukino. Furthermore, the more knowledge she had and the more words she knew and understood, the more her magic worked. The better equipped she was to handle herself. Yes, she was slacking in the physical fighting aspect, but that was something easy to catch up on later, unlike everything else.

This made Lucy smile.

Other than training, Lucy was rarely seen at the guild.

Cana had, however, broke into her apartment and was waiting on her to get back from training one night. She had drawn Lucy a bath, added a small amount of a healing balm to it, and waited for her to come home.

Lucy entered, leaning very heavily on Rogue, with Sting and Yukino trailing behind them. Orga looked up from where he sat on the loveseat, Minerva sleeping with her head on his lap. "Shortstack," he whispered to not wake his love. "You got someone waiting on ya. She wouldn't leave no matter what I said."

Her exhausted brown eyes only showed confusion, but Rogue's features twisted in mild anger. "It's the drunk. She doesn't… Smell drunk though," he whispered to his mate.

Lucy felt her heart clench and panic rise in her throat. Rogue's presence next to her helped calm that down, though not by much. Sting and Yukino walked around them and to their little bed (courtesy of Virgo, since Lucy had been far too exhausted that first night to set up the guest beds). Rogue hoisted her up into his arms, carefully avoiding the areas she was sore at, and nuzzled his nose against the top of her head.

"Do you want me to ask her to leave..?"

Lucy paused but shook her head. "Um… Just… Just stay by me..?"

"Always," he answered almost immediately.

The shadow slayer carried his mate off to the bathroom, where the brunette was waiting. Cana was simply sitting there on the edge of the filled bathtub and motioned to it upon seeing the couple. "I… Got a healing balm from Porly. If you want to put her here, go ahead… It'll help," she said to Rogue.

He nodded, not moving his nose from the crown of the blonde's head. Upon seeing her once dear friend, so peacefully in her mate's arms, the drunkard sighed heavily. After standing, Cana wiped the non-existent dust from her capris. It was obvious she wasn't welcome here and she wasn't going to push her luck. There were so many Sabers here, where Cana hadn't necessarily expected Lucy to be so close with Orga and Minerva. There wasn't exactly any stopping it. The blonde was just one of those people who so easily accepted and forgive anyone.

It was part of her charm, part of what drew Cana back to her.

Just as she was about to leave, walk past the couple, Lucy spoke. "Cana, wait."

The brunette paused, not having taken more than one step.

Lucy's brown eyes drew her in. She could see the sadness, the pain, and the panic within… But she also saw a little hope. The brunette smiled a real, but sad, smile at her in return.

"...Wash my hair..? We can, uh, talk… If you want."

The card mage sighed but agreed.

"I would offer to share a bath like old times… But Rogue is gonna stay in here with us just in case I panic… And I don't think you want him to see you naked," Lucy admitted.

Cana laughed for the first time since she heard about Aquarius. "More like you don't want him seeing me naked."

At the teasing statement, warmth blossomed in Lucy's chest. Things were going to be okay. A snort left her, but she smirked at the lass. "Of course. I'm a bit of a jealous bitch, ya know."

"Oh, trust me girl, I know~"

The two laughed, together.

Their brown eyes met, both having tears lining them, and they knew. It wouldn't go back to how it was, but they'd be okay. They'd survive, they'd be friends, and they'd move on together. Rogue cleared his throat a bit awkwardly and moved to set Lucy on her feet. He helped her undress, getting snarky comments from the card mage as he did so… But they made Lucy laugh. He could still feel the small panic lingering, the small amount of anxiety she had, but it was mostly replaced with hope and happiness.

Even if he was a little uncomfortable, his discomfort was easily brushed off considering how big of a step this was for his mate. Eventually, he helped her into the bathtub and let Cana sit herself on the back of it, Lucy leaning against the back of the tub between her legs. Rogue sat himself on the closed toilet, watching the two carefully.

Cana smiled warmly as she poured some of Lucy's strawberry-mango scented shampoo into her hands, waiting for Lucy to wet her hair before working her fingers through the blonde tresses. "I… Should start with an apology."

Lucy stiffened a little, hoping like hell this wasn't about to go south. "Wh-What for..?"

The brunette sighed but kept working the shampoo through her hair. "For one, not noticing… But mostly for treating you like an ass when you came back. I know how you are…" She swallowed heavily, trying to stop her voice from wavering. "I know it was why you panicked that first day… And I'm so, so sorry for treating you like anything other than my sister."

Lucy smiled, her own smile a little shaky. The panic and anxiety grew a little, but was still small enough not to make too much of a difference. She could see her mate watching her carefully, looking for the first sign of discomfort. "...I forgive you. I'd… I'd die without you in my life, honestly. You're like the sister I never really had."

Cana laughed breathily, a sniffle coming from her. "Thank you, Lu. Gods, girl, I missed you."

Lucy nodded. "I missed you too," she admitted. A second passed and she gathered enough courage to ask an important question. "Why aren't you two barrels deep by now?"

The brunette barked a laugh. "Trust me, I'm tempted to leave out and hit the cellar up… I just thought it would mean more to you, to apologize when sober… As gross as being sober feels."

That answer, finally, made all of the anxiety leave. Cana was back, the very girl she loved so dearly was back and they'd be okay again.

"Rinse up, Lu," Cana whispered.

Lucy nodded and dunked back under the water to get the shampoo out. When she lifted back up, Cana already had her conditioner in hand just waiting for the blonde to relax back. Once her back connected with the back of the tub, the brunette's fingers were once again working magic on her scalp. The balm in the water was causing her aches, pains and soreness to slowly yet surely leave her.

"You have anymore of that balm?" she asked. "Yuki definitely needs some, too."

"Second drawer down, right row. It's in there," the brunette answered. "But enough of that! You owe me some deets, girl!"

Okay, yes, Cana was definitely back.

Smirking, the blonde looked over at her mate who looked to be getting more and more awkward as seconds ticked by. "What do you want to know?"

"Um? Start with how you got with mister Dark and Delicious over there~"

"I'm out," Rogue said, standing up with bright pink cheeks.

The two women laughed at his embarrassment but Lucy blew a kiss at him through her giggles. "Love you!"

He looked back at his mate and smiled warmly. "Love you too. I'll tell Yukino about the balm." He started to walk out but stopped, lingering in the doorway. After a tense, awkward few seconds, he looked over his shoulder at her. "I'm only a word away, alright?"

Her heart filled yet again, her smile turning gentle. "Yeah. Thank you, babe."

Rogue nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

"Girl, he is so smitten," the brunette teased. "Tell me everything!"

"So.. Should I start with the letters..?"

"Yes!"

The two sat, talking and relaxing while Lucy enjoyed her bath. It took her a damn long time to finally move her ass around, as she was incredibly sore, but eventually she made it. The blonde had been sitting in the tub for forty five minutes and Cana left soon after helping Lucy into one of Rogue's shirts. The brunette congratulated the blonde on her catch of a man before exiting through her window.

That one little action that Lucy watched filled her with such longing and sadness. She could see Gray leaving without his shirt, Natsu coming in despite it being well after midnight, Erza barging in whenever she got excited about something… A small sting of pain scraped her heart. That would never happen again. That part of her life was over, a new chapter had begun… And some things were better left in the past.

She felt his presence before he touched her, his arms wrapping around her waist. He pulled her so that her back was flush against his front. She leaned her head back on his shoulder, smiling warmly when Rogue trailed kisses up her neck to her cheek.

She turned her face towards his and their lips met. A hum of appreciation left her and she turned in his embrace. Even though so little time had passed, it felt like an eternity had. And yet, she still got excited by his kiss. Still felt the butterflies, the warmth, the toe-curling love he pushed into the simple action.

They pulled apart, his forehead resting against hers.

For a long time (Lucy would later estimate it was thirty minutes, but in reality it was only ten) all they did was sit there, wrapped in one another's arms, love shining in their eyes. Words weren't needed. They just felt… Unnecessary. Everything they needed was in each other. The world could end, but they'd still manage on their love alone. It was the kind of moment you spend with someone because of how in love with them you are.

"I love you," he eventually whispered.

She leaned against him more. "I love you too."

Rogue sighed heavily. "I don't like this."

Lucy's brows furrowed, scared and confused. "Huh?"

"We have so many temporary roommates. Maybe I want to make love to you."

"Ryos, we can't…"

"I know, just let me get my complaining out of the way."

"You mean your pouting?"

"I don't pout."

Lucy rolled her eyes, kissing the corner of his lips. "You totally do. Come on, let's go to bed."

He waggled his brows at her. "Oh, are you gonna stay quiet?"

She gave him the deadpan stare before laughing a little. "As if.. But I'll treat you when we get back to your house."

"...Promise?"

"Promise."

Everything happens in five days.

Bickslow groaned, rubbing his forehead. Currently seated in front of Levy, who seemed absolutely frustrated at the text in front of her, he could only try to deal with his own growing headache. Gajeel was out, talking to one of his contacts, and Levy didn't seem to want to leave the library. The iron slayer made a point to threaten the sieth before leaving the safety of his mate in his hands. This, obviously, meant that Bickslow wasn't to leave her side until he returned.

"I don't understand!"

The sudden yell of the script mage startled Bickslow.

"If everything happens in five day intervals, that means the start of everything happened during the recent eclipse. Day ten would be when the King showed up, right?"

Bickslow nodded, understanding that agreeing with her was the only way to get her to calm down. Years of dealing with Freed prepare him for this.

"That means today is day fifteen. Something should happen today to further things, but we're no closer to figuring anything out!"

He sighed and leaned against the table. "Levster, calm down a little. Pin Cushion is getting more books for you. Not to mention, Red said not to rush because time will flow at its own."

The blue lass only groaned and slammed her head down on the table, absolutely frustrated with her lack of finding anything. He at least partially understood her exasperation, as his own mind seemed tumultuous in its own right. He could only hope that after this, the consistent headache he had would leave. Another two minutes passed and Levy hadn't moved her head… But it soon snapped up towards the door.

Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, Gajeel came through the library doors.

"Babe," he started. "Gotcha this. Seems pretty damn important to me."

After passing a very, very old scroll over to her, she squealed and threw her arms around his neck. It was awkward for the sieth to sit there while she showered him in light kisses and praise. The slayer also seemed a little awkward, though it only showed in the form of the faint pink on his cheeks.

"Mira has some ore for you," she said before placing a final kiss to his lips. "Go get some before you throw a fit."

He grumbled a little, nodded to Bickslow to continue watching over his mate, and left the library. The script mage seemed absolutely excited to jump into the scroll and grabbed her own stack of parchment to take notes with. Everything seemed wholly decent, normal as could be in their situation, until she gasped.

"Hm?" he asked.

She pointed at the scroll, looking up at him with wide eyes. "This is what we were looking for."

His brows furrowed and he looked over. The scroll was written in ancient text, a language he couldn't decipher, but more than that the words… The letters themselves were shaking, vibrating, and glowing an off-red shade. Unease settled in his stomach.

"This is called The Fifth Moment," she started, reading through the letters as though it wasn't giving off a strange energy of its own. "It even starts with an ancient way of saying Everything corresponds to the fifth moment."

Bickslow groaned loudly, rubbing his eyes with his hands under his visor. She looked up at him, concerned for his well being.

"Are you okay?"

He refused to look at her or the scroll she was looking at. "Do you not see that?"

Levy's brows furrowed, looking back at the text and shook her head. "Nothing's wrong with it, I don't think. I mean, it's in black ink on yellowish parchment because it's so old but nothing's wrong…"

The sieth felt unease wash over him fully. His jaw clenched and he shook his head. "Call Gajeel in here."

She looked up at the tall man and nodded, not questioning his judgement. "Gaj! Hurry down here!" she shouted.

The rapid thumping of the upstairs footsteps could be heard as the iron slayer quite literally ran downstairs and threw the doors open. His wide, red eyes went back and forth between the two, confused and concerned. "Wha's goin on?"

"Look at that," Bix said as he pointed at the offending scroll. "What do you see?"

The man slowly stepped forward, now fully concerned that he brought a cursed object back for his mate to see. However, upon looking at the scroll, he didn't see anything wrong with it. "...Just written in some garbled shit of a language. Why?"

The sieth sighed. "To me, the letters are shaking and glowing a faint red."

Levy jerked her head up, looking up at the man with a determined stare. Gajeel looked down at his mate, confused but worried. "It's enchanted."

Pierced brows furrowed. "But I can't see it either?"

"It's enchanted for the worthy one to see it. But he can't decipher anything because he doesn't know the language," she explained, rolling the rather short scroll out completely. "Is the whole thing doing that?"

Taking another quick look at it, the sieth nodded.

The voice came back.

When the Prophet awakens, you must ignore the Warrior and stay by her side to assist your Princess.

He groaned louder, holding his head between his hands fully now.

Gajeel stepped towards the man. "Ya hearin' it again..?"

Bickslow nodded. "Something about the prophet awakening."

Panic nearly choked the iron slayer, his stomach dropping to his feet. The Prophet wasn't someone outside of their group, The Prophet was his mate. Levy. Looking down at the little script mage with worried eyes, she seemed to come to the same conclusion… But unlike him, she didn't seem scared or worried or anything of the like. She seemed ready, excited even. This was the moment they were all waiting for. This was it. Gajeel was about to argue, to bring up the point of her safety and her well being…

But one glare from his mate let him know everything he needed to know. She was ready to do this, she wanted to do this.

"Bickslow, use your magic on it."

He looked up at her, startled by her demand.

Glancing to Gajeel, he shook his head. "No, we don't know what will happen-"

"This is what we've been waiting on, Bix. Use your magic on it."

Gajeel looked at his mate sadly but then nodded his agreement to the sieth. The taller man took a deep breath, only to exhale a sigh. "If anything happens, go get Laxus and Luly immediately."

The iron slayer nodded, his eyes hardening.

Bickslow took his visor off, casting an apologetic look to the slayer. He seemed grateful for the look, but still looked away from it, deeply unsettled by the turn of events. This wasn't what he had in mind. He wanted nothing more to steal his mate, to hold her and shelter her from the happenings, but he knew he couldn't do that. This was her calling. This was something he couldn't get in the way of, punch his way out of. And that stung more than anything. Even still, he couldn't bring himself to leave.

The sieth didn't know what exactly to do in this situation, but activated his figure eyes nonetheless. Levy made a point to keep her eyes on the scroll and not on the sieth mage to keep from falling under his spell. She gasped when she started to see what he did. The letters were shaking violently now, glowing a bright blood red, and lifting off the script. The sieth did nothing but keep his magic on the scroll itself, but his mind suddenly cleared. The headache was gone.

Protect her. Gather inky waters in dishes. Light ten candles. Stop the warrior from preventing her awakening.

"Gajeel," Bickslow spoke, his voice suddenly very low. "Go tell Mira we need ten candles, ink and a bowl of water, now."

The slayer hesitated, looking back at the floating letters with great trepidation.

"NOW!"

The shout pulled him out of his wary gaze and he bolted out of the room, leaving the doors wide open for him to be able to come back in when he got what was needed. As soon as he left, the words glowed brighter, shifting eerily from red to green to match the color of his activated eyes. While they were unaware of what was happening upstairs, they could clearly hear Gajeel scream for Laxus and Rogue- the latter of which to grab Lucy from her training with Jellal.

They could hear the thumping of footsteps, the frantic rushing of the iron and lightning mages both. Slightly annoyed by the sudden gathering of the two he told the slayer to get, Bickslow was tempted to stop now.. But he couldn't. His magic almost felt out of control, doing its own thing, but he knew it was under his control. It only felt out of control. He didn't know what he was doing, only moving on instinct and gut feelings.

Gajeel and Laxus came in, armed with a bottle of water, a bowl, a well of ink, the candles and matches. Laxus' jaw dropped at the sight of the letters, which now started to move in a very slow circle. He was about to stop the sieth when Bickslow's mouth moved.

His mouth moved, showing that he was the one speaking…

But the voice that came out wasn't his.

It was a woman's voice, the very same that they both saw at the docks.

"Place the candles in pyramid formation. Light them," the woman spoke through the sieth.

Laxus felt his body move without his permission. At first, he suspected sieth magic getting out of control, but he knew what it felt like to be possessed by his long-time brother. It wasn't the same feeling. Instead of his head feeling light, too full, his body fighting the motions, he moved with purpose and his head felt crystal clear. He was following the instructions of the woman, even if he mentally didn't want to.

Once they were set out, he lit them, still not in full control of his actions.

"Now," the woman said, "Fill the dish with water and ink. Two parts water to one part ink."

Gajeel was the one to move this time. At first, he wanted to snap at the sieth for controlling him, but the look in Laxus's stormy blue eyes stopped him from doing so. This wasn't Bickslow's doing. This was something else, and all they could do was listen to the voice. Trust in it.

Bullshit, neither of them trusted what was happening.

Still, Gajeel filled the dish about halfway with water and put half the amount of ink in it as well, setting it to the left of the scroll that hadn't moved from the table. The letters started moving faster, almost akin to a tornado. A handful left the circle, striking and knocking out all of the lacrima lights. The flames of the candles, eerily enough, weren't even moving even though all hair was being swept up by the small winds being brought about by the cycling letters.

Then, they turned white.

"Leave."

Laxus left, following instruction even if he didn't necessarily want to. Gajeel, however, stayed stubbornly. "I'm not leaving her!" he shouted.

"LEAVE!" the voice bellowed, even though Bickslow didn't move his face to make it look like he was yelling.

Laxus came back just long enough to grab the iron slayer and literally drag him out. He was kicking, fighting, chomping on the lightning slayer's arm… He wasn't about to be ripped away from his mate! Who knew what would happen to her? But the door shut. Nobody touched it, but it slammed shut violently. They could hear the subtle noise of the lock turning. They could see the faint, green glow that took over the door.

Gajeel roared indignantly, his arm turning to a large sword. Laxus barely let him go before he tried to slice at the library doors. The green glow pulsed and knocked the black haired man back, slamming him against the far wall with incredulous force. His red eyes filled with fear and tears "LEVY!"

Laxus had to grab the man once again before he flung himself at the barrier and only hurt himself more, pain written over his own features. Sure, the little script mage didn't mean to him what she meant to the man he was holding back, but he considered her part of his family. Part of the people he trusted. Still yet, he also trusted Bickslow with his life. "Gaj, relax. Bix won't let anything happen to her."

"BULLSHIT!" He shouted, once again fighting the older man for freedom to go after his mate. "YOU SAW HIM! THAT WASN'T HIS VOICE! WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN!"

As much as Laxus wanted to agree, he couldn't. First and foremost was getting the slayer to calm the hell down, which meant siding with his brother who seemed trapped on the inside. "That may not have been his voice, but he'd never put her at risk!"

"What's going on?" Lucy asked, running down the stairs with Meredy and Rogue close behind her.

Gajeel growled threateningly, still trying his damndest to fight against Laxus' hold. "They got her in there!"

Rogue's brows furrowed. "They?"

Laxus eventually picked the iron mage up off the ground and gave him enough of an electrical shock to knock him out. Once his flailing limbs went limp, the blond sat him against the wall he made a huge, cracking dent in when he was thrown back. "Gaj got Levy this new scroll by that person you all were talking about. Apparently, it was enchanted for the worthy to uncode. Bickslow used his magic on it and it locked him and Levy inside."

Meredy ran up to the door, placing a gentle hand on the green, pulsating door. It shocked her just a little, but not enough to make her remove her hand. No ill intent was sensed, only concern, leaving her able to touch the door and try to open it. When her hand hit the doorknob, though, it shocked her hard enough for her to jerk away. "The magic unleashed doesn't want anyone else in."

Lucy nodded, looking at the doors in worry. "She'll be fine.. Levy's tougher than people give her credit for."

"I assume this means she's The Prophet?" Rogue asked.

Laxus blinked, thinking back to the time on the pier. His eyes widened and he nodded. "Looks like it."

Meredy sighed and sat just in front of the door. She clasped her hands together in front of her heart and reached out with her magic, ignoring the faint pink glow on her person. "Let me in," she whispered to nobody in particular. "Let me know they're alright."

Her magic seeped through the underside of the door, through the crack there, and slithered toward whoever she could reach first. This happened to be Bickslow. She felt his confusion, his worry, but most of all she felt his sense of duty to protect the woman inside with him. Carefully, Meredy exhaled in a calculated manner, sensing her magic brand her wrist "Leave me here with Gajeel," she spoke as her eyes closed. "I can link him with Bickslow and Levy both, he can sense and feel that they'll be alright."

Lucy nodded and leaned down to hug the woman from behind. She didn't expect anything in response, though, since she figured her hands had to stay clasped together. "Alright. Call us if anything happens, alright?"

The pink haired lass nodded her consent.

Laxus sighed and patted her head. "I'll grab Poison Dick. We'll sit by the entrance here. If Gajeel goes off again, we'll be down to stop him from hurting you, okay?"

Again, she nodded.

Inside the doors, however, it wasn't exactly as calm.

Levy watched with wide, hazel eyes as the letters formed words in the air just barely a foot away from her. Carefully, she read the words over and over, yet they did nothing. They stopped moving. Just floating, dancing in her line of vision, the words seemed calm. They shimmied, reminding her that they were there- as though she had magically forgotten all of a sudden. That's when it dawned on her- she had to read them aloud.

She cleared her throat. "Delo elitevhorp egleom," she started, watching in wonder as the words spoken already tuned green once spoken, "Amlis tadnamlok amo atsiom. Damlis amo ava. Telav dleek. Edot igaar."

The sentences turned green, as did her eyes. Their glow kept getting brighter and brighter, until they began turning white again, one letter at a time.

Once the words turned white, their glow going from green to black, the letters re-jumbled themselves and rocketed towards Levy. She did nothing to stop this, allowing them into her chest. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, the green to her eyes gone, and she slumped forward. Her hands barely caught the table to keep from falling completely. Eyes still wide open, though now facing the floor, she felt the letters leave her once more and catapult into the scroll.

It wiggled, jostled, and turned as they went back- this time, in a whole new order. It took the short woman some time to gather her senses and realize that, yes, her feet were still on solid ground. The other works by Pisca were also rearranging, the letters lifting before resettling on the pages. It took a solid four minutes to regain her sense of consciousness, now feeling a lot better than she did even earlier this morning. It felt like a weight was lifted from her shoulder, her mind was opened to new things…

Her hazel eyes turned to Bickslow, who now no longer had a glow to his eyes. Whatever that was had completed itself. He carefully approached her, a hand resting on her shoulder as he eyed her over.

"You alright, Levster..?"

She smiled at him and nodded. "I… Feel great, actually."

He offered his own smile, though it was still shaky with nerves. He didn't know what just happened or even why it happened, but it was over. At first, he figured they needed to get out of here and get her checked over by Wendy to make sure nothing huge happened, but… He felt compelled to stay. To watch over her, no matter what she chose to do. His hand fell from her shoulder and he took a step back.

The room was now only lighted by the glow of the candles.

It was weird to be here with Levy of all people.

She looked over at the candles and then down at the scroll. A loud gasp left her as she just realized the words were rearranged. Her bottom lip was brought between her teeth and she quickly took her seat again. "Everything changed," she whispered, her eyes racing over the text.

Bickslow took a seat across from her. "What's goin on now?"

Hazel depths continued racing down the scroll and she shook her head. "This is… Some sort of timetable," she stated. "But it cuts off right after… Wait a second…"

She grabbed her stack of parchment and her pen, instantly working on translating the text. It would take a little time, since the syntax didn't quite flow with the language it was in. For an ancient language, it still seemed like it was written by someone who didn't know that language very well. She had to rotate and flip numerics, rearrange words, correct misspellings and then translate them. But once she did, it was easier to see. Easier to realize that she wasn't just looking at any time table. Her eyes scanned the translated work and narrowed.

"Things are missing from this…"

"How can ya tell?" Bickslow asked, not bothering to look at the work. If she was anything like Freed, an unfinished research project meant no looking.

Levy shook her head. "Listen to this; From eons of sleep comes birth of new blood from that tainted. Upon given age, she should marry to a king of greed, an empire built from the seed of nothing. Burned, shall the empire fall, leaving the king in ruin with nothing but his princess to rely on. Yet the princess shan't be home."

He groaned and flung his head back. "Why does everythin' gotta be all cryptic and shit."

"I don't know," the lass replied. "But I have a feeling this is Lucy."

His brows drew and he leaned forward. "Why do you say that?"

"Here," she pointed at her translation, "says; The four seasons pass seven turns before the princess unfreezes, unshaken and dispelled from time's grasp." She tucked a loose strand of her hair back behind her ear. "Those seven years we were held by Mavis' Fairy Sphere. That's what I think it's describing."

He nodded and leaned forward. "So Luly is the princess from that cryptic chick's forecast."

Levy laughed a little but nodded. "It looks like it. It describes the fall of her dad's business, her mother passing after she opened the Eclipse Gate, and a few other things. It even tells about the fall of the celestial mermaid in use for saving the world." Levy continued to scrawl on the papers, making marks and correcting some of the grammar. "It's still unfinished and I still have to get everything in line… But I think I can do it within a few days. This wasn't written by someone who natively spoke Ancient Elevitian."

A deep inhale came through his nose, taking in the near-overpowering scent of vanilla. If Bickslow thought the candles smelled too strongly, he didn't think a slayer would willingly waltz in. But the short woman seemed wholly unphased by it.

"Do ya need me t' leave, Levster?"

She looked up at him only for half a second before returning to her work. "No," she answered honestly. "You need to stay here. If anything happens to these texts or something, I'll need you to help me fix them again."

His gut jumped to his throat and he nodded. Whatever happened greatly unsettled the sieth and he desperately didn't want to do it again, but he knew. He knew that she was right. That if something should happen, he needed to help. No, he didn't like it. Yes, it made him nervous and anxious, but he needed to stay. "Alright."

She offered a small smile but never once looked up from her translating. In fact, she seemed hyper-focused on it. For a few minutes, Bickslow found himself focused on the movements of her pen, the rhythmic tapping and scrawling drawing him to feel more comfortable. The overpowering scent of vanilla only added to the comfort and, eventually, he found himself nodding off.

Levy was mapping everything out, from the timeline looking more like an actual timeline to the various random letters that looked tossed in for no reason. After all, time was spelled as gea when spelled correctly, but there was a c in it. Geca. Every time this happened, which was surprisingly frequent, the script mage would pull the letter and put it on a separate piece of parchment.

It took over an hour for her to get through the scroll alone. Events were scattered all over the place, the scroll ending on the battle between warriors and phantoms- that Levy placed on the timeline around the time Phantom Lord attacked Fairy Tail. It was scattered, all over the place, but still cognizant. It predicted every move they made, up to the unfreezing. That, alone, was in the timeline as the last place, as nothing was said about anything happening after that.

It was eery, the accuracy of it all.

The Iron Warrior's beating of his chosen, beating the princess, yet still turning a new leaf. The overtaking of the town by the Thunder Warrior and the Knight with two allies, failing, yet again both turning a new leaf. It even went as far as to show the Dragon of Destruction falling upon their home, causing the freeze.

Levy still wasn't sure what this meant, but she was damned sure that scholars were very wrong about Pisca's work having no meaning to it.

Looking over to the paper holding the letters randomly placed in words, she couldn't make heads nor tails of it. If anything, it just looked like a child was told to pick random letters from various languages and just throw them all onto a paper. No matter how many times the letters turned over in her head, she still couldn't make heads or tails of it. Something, though she wasn't exactly sure what, was missing.

It was annoying.

She rewrote it a good twelve times and was on the verge of yelling, screaming, crying in frustration and just giving up when Bickslow spoke- waking from his little power nap.

"Whassup, Levster..?"

His sleep laden voice made her calm down. There was no reason to yell at him. He did nothing wrong. "This… This… Clusterfuck of letters is driving me insane!"

He jumped at her curse, but eased into a chuckle nonetheless. At his laugh, Levy looked up and glared at him. His hands went up in surrender. "Well, where did they come from?" An off handed comment, nothing more and nothing less.

But enough to make her eyes widen.

"YOU GENIUS!" she shouted.

His head tilted but he didn't say anything more.

Returning to the scroll, she mapped out the various letters. Placing two pieces of parchment over it, she copied the wrong letter and where they were located on the scroll. Then, she took her time to look over where it lead her from here. Her eyes scanned the letters, confused about the amount of V's, S's and C's. Bickslow's hands suddenly came into view and, just before she could stab his hand with her pen, he turned the whole shebang sideways.

Then, it was so very, very obvious.

Hazel met red and he nodded at her.

"It's a map of the Kingdom."