Well. It's been what, a month? I've been caught up with school work, so I'm very sorry for the wait. Also, thanks for the lovely reviews! It always makes me happy to receive and read them!
Enjoy!
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Kaelys, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Happy, Erik, Macbeth, Wendy, Carla and Michelle were now all standing before the Heartfilia mansion. For the original members of Team Natsu, not much had changed despite the seven years that had passed.
Erik whistled lowly. "Not too shabby."
"I'm surprised it is still abandoned," mused Macbeth.
"The administrator or the estate says they haven't been able to find a buyer," informed Lucy with a shrug.
"Probably because it's too luxurious," pointed out Gray.
"This brings back memories," sighed fondly Michelle. "I used to think of this as a castle back then, and it hasn't changed…"
"Michelle, you've been here before?" blinked Lucy, surprised.
Instantly, the girl started bawling her eyes out, obviously appalled that Lucy forgot yet another thing about their supposed past relationship. Kaelys simple rolled her eyes at the reaction, though. Did she have to cry all of the time? It was getting rather tiresome.
"We used to play a lot together… Nee-san, you used to make clothes for me!" cried Michelle.
"Right, right… I may have…?" relented the blonde, trying to calm her down.
"Lucy-nee, you know how to make clothes?" wondered Kaelys. "I never heard of that before…"
"Although the clothes were made with colored construction paper and flowers…" mumbled Michelle under her breath.
"Eh!?"
"Wait, how do you make clothes with construction paper and flowers?" asked Natsu, confused.
"Well…"
Gray and Natsu exchanged sick grins at that. Erik shuddered violently as the two perverts' thoughts creeped on him.
Without wasting a moment, he harshly kicked them away. "Stop imagining things!"
As they flew in the distance, Kaelys ignored the vein popping on his forehead and placed an hand on his arm to get his attention.
"It's weird," she muttered, low enough so that only he could hear. "Wouldn't someone remember if they made clothes, of all things? And such weird ones…"
"I guess, but Sunshine's cousin isn't lying," sighed the Poison Dragon Slayer, pinching the bridge of his nose. "So either Sunshine actually forgot everything, either Michelle actually believes what she's saying."
The teen's eyes narrowed. "Someone messing with her mind?"
"Maybe. One way or another, I can't hear her, so we'll simply have to be on guards for now," he shrugged.
"Copy that."
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Everyone had spread out in teams to search for some clues. Erza and Gray, Natsu and Happy, Wendy and Carla… Lucy and Michelle. Kaelys had cursed under her breath when the two of them left together, before shaking it off. They both knew the mansion better than anyone else, so them teaming up wasn't that much of a surprise. They'd probably get more done together. So, pushing down her feelings, she went with Erik and Macbeth.
It felt more like she was babysitting, though.
"Don't touch that! You don't know how much it costs!"
"Beth, don't sleep there! The table's gonna break!"
"Erik I swear to God…"
"DON'T YOU DARE STEP FOOT IN THAT KITCHEN!"
So… yeah. They didn't really find any clue.
Kaelys ended up looking for clues on her own. Macbeth headed outside and fell asleep near the fountain, and Erik went to look for some cleaning products for a light snack.
The teen sighed heavily as she closed the door of yet another dusty room, having found nothing of interest.
"Ne, Shiro? Would you know anything about that clock hand?"
'Nope, doesn't ring any bell. Though, frankly, I don't like the idea of us being here. Doesn't it feel like we're playing right in the hands of the enemy?'
"What do you mean?"
'Come on, brat, that's like, the oldest trick in the book! You know, make your enemies look for what you need and when they find it, you snatch it from right under their noses. It's a classic!'
"And a cliché," snorted the purple-eyed mage, crossing her arms behind her head. "I doubt they'd use such means. I mean, how could they be certain that we'd be able to find whatever they're looking for? I think of it as a race: we're both trying to outrun each other and we're currently ahead—"
At that very moment, there was a distant explosion. She stiffened, hand flying to her knife's handle.
"What was that?"
'Below. I guess you're not that much ahead after all, uh?'
As Shirokage cackled, Kaelys cursed and started flying, hoping she'd get there in time. As she quickly made her way to the source of the explosion, many more followed, along with a few exclamations. Accelerating, she finally reached what seemed to be a library. The doors had been blown off their hinges, and she could hear her friends' voices inside.
"Dan, that girl has the book."
"The book? Here it is! Steal it if you can!"
The ground shook a little, and there was a scream.
"That was Lucy!" panicked Kaelys.
Not hesitating any longer, the black-haired girl rushed inside, ready to throw her knife at the first opponent she'd find. However, she was stopped dead in her tracks as she found a weirdo kneeling before Lucy, spouting nonsense about 'throbs' and whatnot. Natsu, Erza, Gray, Wendy, Michelle, Carla and Happy were also present, but seemed dumbstruck, and Lucy… Well, she wasn't in that much of different state.
"I can't stand it, I can't stand it! She crushed me!" cried the weirdo, who was wearing an armor. He grabbed Lucy's hand. "By the way, what is your name?"
"Lucy…?"
"Lucy!? I can't stand it! Lu! Cy!" There were hearts in his eyes as he chanted her name. "You've touched me to the quick! Can I call you Lu-tan? Lu-chan? Lu-pi? Lun-lun?"
"Whatever…?"
"Whatever!?" he echoed, spinning in place. "That voice! Those eyes! That mouth! That hair! That chest! That waist! Those legs! All of it makes my Fibonacci sequence chirp! It spells out… L! O! V! E! That's love!"
"W- what are you talking about!?" protested the blonde.
"Love—"
"Shut up!"
Dan was sent crashing into a wall by none other than Erik. The Poison Dragon Slayer snarled at the Knight, who had collapsed on the floor with a groan.
"I swear to fucking God, if I have to hear you think one more god damn thing about Sunshine, I'll rip out your fucking eyeballs!" he swore, obviously angry. His fists were clenched tightly, a vein popping on his forehead. "Fucking nutjob, spouting crap 'bout love..."
"Erik… you okay?" sweatdropped Kaelys.
"Do you have any idea what's going on in his head!?" he protested. "If I have to go see a fucking therapist for this, I'm making you pay, Sunshine!"
"Why should I be the one paying!?" she gaped.
"'Cause he's gone mad because of you in the first place!"
"Don't…" The Knight suddenly rose to his feet, shaking. He lifted his head, eyes wide with anger. "Don't get in the way!"
"Go, Lucy, Michelle," ordered Erza, Requiping into her feline armor. "We'll hold them off. We can't let them take that book!"
"Right!"
"Everyone else, I'll need you on support—"
"Fuck no. I'll take care of the madman, you take the damn cat," grunted Erik, cracking his knuckles. "They're giving me such a headache, you have no idea…"
"Oh? How very confident," mused the Exceed, who Kaelys hadn't notice until then.
"You'd do well not to underestimate us," added the Knight, taking a defensive stance.
"Says the guy who just got smashed into a wall," snorted Kaelys. She crossed her arms over her chest, standing as tall as she could. "If you wanna get to Lucy-nee, you'll have to get through me first! You're not getting your dirty hands on her!"
"Kae… They're actually after the book," chuckled nervously Lucy, showing to the book she was holding.
Kaelys stared at her for a few seconds, confused. "Oh… So he's not fighting for your hand or something like that?"
"What? No!"
'Kid, where did that idea even come from?'
"I think I read a book about this once…" she mumbled.
"Lucy, run!" suddenly ordered Erza.
At first startled, the blonde then did as told and started running towards the exit, along with Michelle. Their escape was covered by Erik, Natsu and Gray, who occupied the Knight, while Kaelys and Wendy went after them to protect the girls' backs. They were soon joined by the boys as they left Erza to deal with the whacko.
They didn't make it far before the whole building shook violently on its foundations, making them stop in their tracks.
"What was that?" tensed the Ice Make mage.
"It was from the study!" exclaimed Wendy.
"Erza…" Natsu clenched his fist.
"That crazy guy beat her," announced Erik, gritting his teeth. "Damn, he makes it look easy…"
"That guy beat Erza!?" gaped Kaelys. "That's crazy!"
"Yeah, well, he's crazy in love with Sunshine, so it kind of drives him right now," grunted the maroon-haired man, rubbing his temples. His eyes suddenly widened as he spun on his heels. "Fuck! When did you show up!?"
"Who are you talking…" Kaelys trailed off, only now noticing the Exceed from earlier, who was now standing in their way. "Say, who's that?"
"Samuel, the leader of Legion," answered Gray, clenching his fists. "Or so he said."
"Just as I predicted. The answer came forth simply, based on your mental state and the structure of this abode," stated the bespectacled cat.
'Ugh, he talks big despite being a shrimp.'
"… Isn't he a cat?"
'God damn it I hate you so much.'
Somewhat confused, Kaelys was however snapped out of it as Natsu darted forward, fists flaming. Samuel however easily evaded his attacks and, before anyone could move, the pink-haired boy was suddenly blasted through one of the windows by none other than the Knight from earlier.
"He already caught up to us!?"
"You bastard!" A cold air rose around Gray.
"How dare you do that to Natsu-san?" snapped Wendy.
Before any of them could attack, though, the ceiling suddenly broke, and none other than Erza fell through, along with loads of gigantic books. Kaelys, reacting on instinct, managed to catch the red-haired woman before she could hit the floor, and gently lowered her down. She seemed dizzy, but uninjured.
"There's that, at least," sighed the teen. She then faced the cat. "I don't take well to people hurting my friends. Get lost."
With a single move of her hand, she sent him fly back. Using his Aera Magic, he managed to stop himself before he could pass through the wall, but she still managed to catch him by surprise, which was already a plus.
Or at least, she thought so.
"I knew you'd do that," he merely stated. "Dan?"
"You're wide open!" exclaimed the Knight… right behind her.
"Shield!"
His spear connected with her mental shield. There was a violent crackle of magical energy, making her pale as her heartbeat quickened. The burns on her arms started itching as a cold sweat ran down her spine.
"Fuck off!" She managed to blast him away as her shield vanished. Dan landed back on his feet, eyes narrowed at her. "Don't touch me!"
She lifted her hand, trying to grab his spear with her Telekinesis. However, much like the magical tools from Edolas, she couldn't take a hold of it.
"And I can't use Magic, since he's going to deflect it with his shield…" She grabbed her knife, twirling it in her hand. "Well, let's work this out the old way!"
But just as she took the first step, the Knight's attention was forced away by Erik, who tried to take him by surprise with his Dragon Fist.
"Oi, Loudmouth! You okay?" he called, grunting as Dan managed to block him.
"I'm fine!" she barked, ignoring the itching of her burns. "Just take care of him! I'll go and help Lucy and the others!"
"Got it!"
Knowing he could take care of himself, the teen flew outside using the broken window. When she got there, though, it was only to find them facing Samuel.
"Holy fuck!" That was Erik's voice-
The Dragon Slayer was suddenly thrown out of the window, almost crashing into her. She slowed down his descent, though he still landed rather harshly, a cloud of dust rising around him. The teen cursed under her breath as Dan soon followed, quickly joining his Exceed companion.
"I don't like to do things Mary's way," stated Samuel, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I would prefer to avoid having to get even rougher on you."
"Happy!" Lucy suddenly threw the book high in the air. "Get the book and escape!"
"Aye sir!"
The blue cat quickly caught the book, and instantly started flying away. However, the ruse was of no use, as Samuel completely ignored them and lifted Michelle's skirt to get the real book, which was hidden under it.
"Not clever by half," he mused.
Not really thinking, Kaelys took a hold of the book and instantly pulled it out of the Exceed's grasp. She caught it, drawing everyone's attention.
"Way to go, Lys!" cheered Natsu… who had suddenly become small? He was standing on Happy's head, no taller than her open hand. "Ah, take that, glasses bastard!"
"Reacting on instinct is all well and good," sighed Samuel, turning to her. "But quite easy to predict thanks to my intellect."
And then… he pulled out the book. Startled, Kaelys looked down at the one she was holding, only to realize it wasn't the real one.
"He took one in the library while we weren't looking," she understood. She threw it aside. "Damn it!"
Samuel was already memorizing the contents of the real book, though. They were too late. Understanding the fight was over, or at least for now, Kaelys quickly returned to her friends' side, angry at herself.
"Everything is cause and effect. I can read the calculations," stated the bespectacled cat, quickly reading the book. "That's why I can see through everything that you people do. Now, you can have the book back, since I have memorized its contents."
He carelessly threw it back to Kaelys, who easily caught it. She had to refrain the urge to slam a tree into him as he started flying away, taking Dan with him.
'He's a clever pest, uh? Let's crush his wings!'
"While I wish I could, I won't risk letting you out," muttered the teen.
'What? What are you—"
"Not now."
At that, the Demon fell uncharacteristically silent. With a scowl, the black-haired teen looked at the book she was holding.
"He left it here…?" wondered Wendy, frowning.
"Meaning he doesn't see us as any kind of threat," pointed out Carla.
"Condescending bastard…" muttered Gray.
"I swear I'll get them back," promised Erza, angry.
"Turn me back to normal!" exclaimed angrily a still-tiny Natsu.
Lucy didn't say anything, simply glancing back to her mansion with a bit of sorrow in her eyes. What was going on? What was her father trying to tell her?
"What happened…?"
Everyone startled, turning to the newcomer… only to find Macbeth. He was rubbing the back of his head, staring in confusion at the partially destroyed mansion.
"You mean to say… You've been asleep the whole time!?" protested Kaelys. "What the hell, Beth!?"
The boy simply shrugged, making her slump in despair. She however quickly returned to normal as she realized something.
"Wait, where's Erik?"
"I'm here."
She heard him, but she couldn't see him. Looking around, she only found her friends, who seemed as lost as her.
"Down here!"
The teen looked down… and snorted. Her hand flew to her mouth to stifle her laughter, much in vain. At her feet was a very, very tiny Cobra, the same height as Natsu. He was obviously annoyed, his eye twitching violently as he did his best to stay calm.
"Don't you fucking laugh, Loudmouth."
"I…" Unable to hold it in any longer, she ignored his warning and started laughing. "Ah ah ah! This is precious! You're so cute!"
"Don't call me that!" he snarled. "Find a way to change me back, damn it!"
"We'll do what we can, Erik," replied Erza, though her lips were twisting in a small smile. "We should head back to the Guild for now, though. We are no longer safe here."
"Wait, wasn't I supposed to, you know, get away from the Guild?" pointed Kaelys.
"We obviously can't hide from them," shrugged Gray, poking tiny-Natsu and ignoring his angry shouts. "As long as we don't leave you alone, it should be fine."
"Makes sense… Well, let's go back then! I'd rather not be out on the road when night comes," remarked the purple-eyed girl.
"Agreed," nodded Erza. "Let's go, everyone. And Kaelys, would you mind keeping the book for now?"
"Sure."
The teen Requiped it away. Then, once they made sure they weren't forgetting anything, the group started heading back for Magnolia.
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They made it back to the city just as the sun started setting down. Deciding to deal with everything the next day, once everyone was well rested, they all went their separated ways for the night.
Kaelys was now in her room, standing in front of the mirror and trying to brush the black mess that had become her hair.
'So, what was up with your comment from earlier? Why do you think I'd be able to get out if you used your powers?'
"You think I'm stupid?" snorted the girl, cringing when her hairbrush got stuck in a nasty knot. "Each time I give in to my emotions, each time I hurt people… you gain more power. I grow more vulnerable to your influence." She let out a bitter laugh. "Why do you think I didn't break their bones already? Or crushed their limbs to stop them from getting in the way?"
'So you're still holding back, uh? Wow, you're determined, gotta give you that. But tell me, brat, how long do you think it'll take before this damn rune finally breaks? How much longer do you think you'll be able to hold on before I finally get the upper hand?'
"For as long as it'll take," she replied firmly, setting down the hairbrush. "Plus… I don't want to use my powers like that anymore. I've come to realize that I can hurt people… very easily. Too easily. I don't want to do that, not unless there's nothing else to do." She glared at her reflection, the yellow eye staring back at her with malice. "I don't want to become what you want me to be. I won't."
'Fine, do it your way. We'll see if that determination stands strong once you face that friend of yours. The Doctor, right?'
"He's not my friend!" she snarled, hitting her fist against the mirror. It cracked a little under the strength of the blow. "And I won't need you to defeat him, you hear me? I'm strong enough to defeat him without your cursed help!"
'Oh, because now you've developed some sense of self-worth?'
"I don't need you—" She stiffened as something hit her window. "What was that?"
'Don't know. Take a look, would you?'
She stared at her window for a moment, unsure of what to do, until another rock hit it; harder, this time. Frowning, the black-haired mage used her Telekinesis to grab her dagger, which she had left on her nightstand, before slowly moving towards the window. A third rock hit it as she finally reached it, this time leaving a small dent into it.
She peered outside. "What the hell…"
Her whole mind went blank as she froze in place. Her heart stopped beating, she couldn't breath, couldn't think.
The Doctor grinned lazily her way, offering a cheery wave. Then, he got swallowed up in one of his black holes, his eye never leaving hers until he fully disappeared. As soon as he was gone, her knees buckled and she harshly hit the floor, panting harshly. A small wind was picking up, a few papers and small objects already flying around.
"Kaelys?" called Lucy on the other side of the door. "Is everything okay—"
"I'm fine!" the girl snapped, hands gripping her hair as she recoiled against her bed, her breathing uneven. "Don't come in!"
"Kae—"
"I SAID I'M FINE!"
There was a moment of silence, before the Celestial mage sighed. Kaelys heard her walk away and, as soon as she was gone, the black-haired girl let out choked gasp.
'Fuck, kid, breathe already!"
"T- trying…" She was, she really was.
There suddenly was a flash of light to her right. A strangled scream clawed out of her throat as she backed away, relaxing only slightly when realizing it was Corvus.
"Kae? Kae, you need to breathe, okay?" He kneeled before her, placing his hands on her cheeks to force her to look at him. Purple clashed with red. "Breathe in, and out, okay? You're fine, just breathe deeply…"
Forcing herself to listen, the girl followed his instructions. After a minute or so, she finally managed to regulate her breathing, and exhaled shakily. However, she couldn't get the image of the Doctor out of her head.
He had been smiling.
He had been there.
A sob escaped her as she tried to muffle it, much in vain. "He was here…"
"Oh, Kae…" Not really knowing was to do, the Spirit simply wrapped his arms around her. She tensed, but he didn't let go. "You're fine. Everything's gonna be fine, okay? I swear it'll be okay."
The teen didn't want to cry. She had enough, she wasn't like that damn crybaby! She was stronger than that. So, pushing back the tears that kept on trying to come out, she simply leaned into her friend's embrace. He was warm, comforting.
He pushed her aside a little so that he could sit behind her, and she ended up between his legs, her face pressed against his chest and her legs wrapped around his waist as he hugged her once more. She breathed in deeply, the familiar scent of leather stronger now that she was so close.
"Get some rest, Kaelys," he proposed softly. "You need it."
"Don't leave me," she pleaded, her voice almost too low to be heard.
"Never. I'm not going anywhere. I won't ever leave you, Kae."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
The black-haired girl nodded, closing her eyes. She simply listened as he kept on murmuring comforting words and rubbing circles in her back. A wave of dizziness washed over her as her exhaustion suddenly caught up to her.
A few seconds later, she fell asleep.
After a while, someone oppened the door. "Is she all right?"
Corvus looked up at Macbeth, who was leaning against the doorframe. He was frowning, obviously deep in thoughts.
"She'll be fine," replied the boy. He tried not to move too much, not wanting to wake the girl sleeping in his arms. "She said the Doctor was there."
"Ugh, feared as much," grunted the black-haired boy, rubbing his temples. "But it's not like we can put protections around the whole city either…"
"He's taunting her," spat the Spirit. The girl shifted at that, and he instantly lowered his tone. "He's trying to drive her mad with paranoia. She won't be able to rest until he's either back behind bars or dead. You know that, right?"
"Aa. Right now, though… We can't do anything about it. We can't get a hold of him, and we don't know where to find him," sighed the Reflector Mage. "All we can do is keep our guard up and watch her back." He ran an hand through his hair, shaking his head. "Anyway, will you be going back soon? I can ask Lucy to summon her dog to take over."
But Corvus simply shook his head. "I promised I wouldn't leave her."
"Suit yourself, then."
With a nonchalant wave, Macbeth then closed the door behind him. With a small sigh, Corvus reported his attention on Kaelys. Going the whole night would put a strain, he wouldn't be able to pop out of the Celestial World on his own again for a while.
But… she seemed awfully peaceful, as if she hadn't just gone through a panic attack. Calm. He remembered her telling him once how she couldn't sleep alone, else she'd have nightmares.
Well, if I can keep those away and give her at least one night of peace…
It was worth it. He'd deal with the drain on his Magic later. For now… for now, Kaelys was his priority.
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Kaelys couldn't remember the last time she slept so well. She hadn't dreamt, and her neck was hurting a little, but everything was so warm…
'Brat, wake up.'
"Don't wanna…" she mumbled, shifting in place.
'Look, I know you like your boyfriend, but this is starting to get old.'
"Boy… friend…?" A little drowsy, it took her a few seconds to realize there was a weight on her head and on her back. "What…"
It took her a few more seconds to realize it was Corvus who was holding her. He had apparently fallen asleep, his head lying on hers as his grip tightened a little when he unconsciously realized the girl had pulled away somewhat. Frowning, the black-haired teen tried to remember why they were in such a position… and gasped sharply as the memories came back.
Corvus instantly woke up, eyes wide with worry.
"Kae! Are you okay? What is it? Do you need anything? What's going—"
She slapped her hand over his mouth to stop his rant. The last remnants of sleep vanished as the boy offered her a sheepish grin. She smiled a little at that, letting him go. Rising up, she then helped him back on his feet.
"Thanks for staying with me, Corvus. I… I needed that."
"Hey, I promised, didn't I?" he remarked, readjusting his jacket.
"Yeah. Though, do you…" She trailed off, only then noticing how pale he was. "Are you alright?"
"Uh? Oh, yeah, don't worry," he chuckled sheepishly. "I just need some rest, what with extending my stay in the mortal realm using my own Magic…"
"That was reckless," she scolded.
"But I promised you!" he whined.
"Ugh, I know. Just… go back. Like, now," she pressed, making a shooing motion with her hands. "And come back to say hi once you feel better, 'kay?"
"Will do," he grinned, offering her a military salute. "Later!"
On which he vanished in a burst of light and sparkles.
After a few seconds, Kaelys shook her head and went to get some new clothes to freshen up. Yesterday had been a shock, but she needed to get over it and move on. She couldn't loose it again like that. There was no way the Doctor would stop antagonizing her, but there was also no way she'd fall for it again. That monster took pleasure in her fear, and se refused to give him that satisfaction.
'Says the girl who literally had a panic attack just 'cause the guy showed up for a few seconds.'
"He took me by surprise!" retorted angrily the girl, quickly changing. "I had fooled myself into believing I was safe, that he wouldn't come, but it was stupid. I shouldn't have hoped for so much. But now? Now, I know. I know that, for as long as he'll be around, I'll never be safe." Her eyes hardened as she stared into her reflection for a second, the yellow eye seeming to mock her. She then covered it with her eyepatch. "So I'll find him. I'll find him, and I'll settle things once and for all."
'That's cute. Though, better hope you don't have another attack before the fight begins. That would be kind of unhelpful.'
"Oh, shut up."
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Kaelys headed back to the Guild with Macbeth, learning Lucy and Erik had already gone ahead. The black-haired boy didn't mention yesterday, something for which she was thankful. She knew that, if needed, she could talk to him, but that he wouldn't be the one prying. It was a good thing, considering she'd rather not talk about whatever happened the day before.
So, the walk to the Guild was silent, but comfortable. When they arrived, though, their peace and quiet quickly became a memory, for Fairy Tail wasn't exactly known for being calm. Everyone was talking loudly, mostly laughing at both Natsu and Erik, whom had been shrunk to the size of an opened hand.
The two concerned didn't find it as funny, though.
"WHO'RE YOU CALLING CUTE, YA DEMON BARMAID!?"
While Gray bullied Natsu relentlessly, Erik was forced to face Mirajane, Cana and a few of the other girls. Numerous veins were bulging on his forehead, showing how pissed off he truly was. Despite that, though, Kaelys couldn't help but agree.
"No offense, Erik," she mused, crouching next to him. "But you are cute. Death threats really won't get you anywhere in that size."
"Poison Dragon Ro—!"
Macbeth picked him up by his collar, cutting the attack short. Both stared at each other for a few seconds, unmoving, before the red-eyed boy's lips twitched into a smirk.
"We should take a picture."
Erik instantly paled. "No. No. Don't you fucking dare!"
He started struggling to try and escape his friend's grasp. Seeing this, the others simply started laughing. Seeing the mighty Dragon Slayer reduced to this state simply hilarious.
"Everyone, shut up already!" then exclaimed Lucy, annoyed. "I can't concentrate…"
She trailed off, her eyes lingering on the page she was reading. Ever since they returned home with the book, she hadn't been able to tear her eyes off of it, and had been searching for a clue since the early lights of the day.
Though, it seemed like she finally got her hands onto something worth mentioning.
"I found out a lot," she announced, finally turning to face them. "My father followed the contents of this book."
"What do you mean?" frowned Erza, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Key of the Starry Heavens is about a little girl who's told she'll become happy if she can gather six special keys, so she goes off to look for them. But, in the end, the people around her become unhappy."
"That's kind of a dark ending, isn't it?" mused Kaelys. "I don't really get it, though."
"Well, we obviously won't understand anything if you keep butting in!" retorted snappily Carla.
"Sorry…"
"So then? What of it?" wondered Macbeth.
"It says: The First Key goes on a journey."
"How can a key go on a journey!?" protested Natsu, confused.
"It's just a metaphor, you dumbass," grunted Erik.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Tche, how more dense can you be?" sighed Gray. "Look: where did Legion attack first?"
After a few seconds, understanding dawned on Natsu.
"Ooh! So that means…"
"Exactly," confirmed Lucy. "The clock hand was brought here. In other words, it went on a journey. That's when all of the attacks started." Lucy showed them the book. "The little girl goes on a journey to find the remaining five keys, and she finds them in various places. In the end, she arrives at a church and finds the sixth key there."
"A church…" Erza's eyes widened. "Don't tell me…"
"No, it isn't Kardia Cathedral in this town. It's much farther away," assured Lucy, making most sigh in relief.
They didn't what they were getting into, after all. Better know the whole story before getting even more involved than they already were.
"How do you know that, Lucy-nee?" then inquired Kaelys, curious.
"Well… I loved this story when I was a child," admitted the blonde. "And so I researched it quite a bit. So, I found out the places in Key of the Starry Heavens were modeled on real locations. I… I think my father scattered the five remaining pieces of the clock, hiding one in each place." She then turned to Michelle. "You didn't know about any of this?"
"No, not really…" Michelle lowered her head, thinking deeply. "Shortly before he passed away, he didn't speak much."
Kaelys forced herself to refrain from groaning in annoyance as a few tears rolled down the crybaby's cheeks. Couldn't the girl just stop fucking crying already?
"Anyway, if we go to the places Key of the Starry Heavens was based on on, I'm positive we'll be able to obtain the remaining parts," then announced the Celestial Mage. "I don't know why Legion is after those clock parts, but I can't let them succeed after seeing the prophecy about 'chaos descending'! I'm… I'm going to look for the parts!"
"Alone?" wondered Natsu, jumping down from Happy's head to face her fully despite his current size.
"Yes. The Master told me to leave it alone, but I simply can't stop thinking about it," answered Lucy, determined.
"And besides, Natsu and Erik are no good to us if they stay like this," added Happy.
"Shut it, cat!" snarled the Poison Dragon Slayer.
He was however held back by the collar by a half-asleep Macbeth.
"So, what are we gonna do?" then wondered Gray. "Legion has probably already figured out the same thing. And, if I'm right, this becomes a race against time."
Silence took over as the Fairies carefully thought over their options. Much was still uncertain, and there was no way to know for certain what they were getting into.
"When the remaining parts are all gathered, it isn't certain what will happen," then stated Makarov, startling many by his sudden appearance. "However, 'chaos upon the world' must be avoided."
'That's basically giving you guys the go, then, isn't it?'
"Yeah, pretty much," confirmed Kaelys with a shrug. "I guess the adventure has only begun, uh?"
"Let's split up into groups," then proposed Erza. "Each group can head to a different location to try and find the clock parts. Gray is right: this is a race against time. We must recover those parts before Legion does."
"But we still don't know what those clock parts are all about," then protested Kaelys, her guts churning a little. She had a bad feeling about the whole situation. "We need to act carefully. For all we know, gathering all of the parts together is what'll lead us to our downfall, to this 'chaos upon the world'. They're magical items, aren't they? Then maybe gathering all of the parts in a single place isn't the best of ideas."
"So what, we should just let Legion get their hands on them?" retorted Natsu, unconvinced.
The teen's eyes widened. "No! Absolutely not! Look, all I'm saying is that we need to be wary. In the end, it might be a race against time, but if we manage to get our hands on a single one of those artifacts, then maybe we can relocate it to a safer place until we know what to do with it. I think- I think we should simply avoid trying to bring all the parts back here, or at least until we know more about what we're doing. Because, let's face it: we're going completely blind into this."
"… Kaelys has a point," admitted Erza, nodding. "For now, though, we should merely focus on finding those parts. Legion must already be on its way. As soon as a group manages to get their hands on one of the parts, contact the others with a Lacrima."
At that, the rest nodded in agreement. Kaelys allowed herself to relax somehow. As long as they were careful, things shouldn't go too badly.
Though, then again, they were Fairy Tail: things were bound to go south.
Hope you liked this chapter! Things will be going a tad (or a lot, depending on your point of view) off canon starting next chapter, so better brace yourselves for the incoming storm!
Little question, for curiosity's sake: who do you think the antagonist(s) of this Arc is(are)?