Author's Note
Hello Universe! Palkia's back here with Chapter 6! Yee! Thank you to all of you who favorited and followed this story! It means a lot! Now let's get into it!
I do not own Fairy Tail.
Chapter 6
Claws of Forbidden Wishes
Time ran forth at an alarming rate. So much so that Loke couldn't entirely keep up with it. Though who could blame the lion spirit? Especially since he was in constant pain, both physically and mentally. By this point however, the lion spirit was sure that at least two months had passed. Meaning that he had been stuck in Earthland for that amount of time.
At least Loke had a feeling that his master knew that he was missing. But the question was, could she even find him? Of course, Karen most likely made it literally impossible for anyone to find this place, even for the other spirits. Yet Loke had to hold onto some sort of hope that his family and friends would be able to locate him.
These past few weeks however, had dwindled his hope little by little. Joseph still came by every week to give him another dosage of whatever was in that needle. At some points, Loke no longer felt like himself at a variety of times. Not only did he have the features that he obtained from the past few weeks, but there were some new ones as well.
It happened one night when the cell was dark. He had woken up from one of his nightmares again. Surprisingly, the lion spirit felt warm. So much so that he started sweating a little. Maybe Karen had decided to torture him with the heating system or something like that. So in order to cool himself down, Loke unbuttoned his dirty suit jacket, took off his tie, and unbuttoned his white collared shirt.
But when he felt his chest, something was different. The lion spirit did not feel skin, but rather fur. He sent whatever magic was allowed to in his hand, making a small but bright Lion Brilliance. His eyes widened at the sight.
Golden fur plated his entire chest. Loke put his hand on it, feeling an odd sensation go up his spine. Fear flooded his system, and to his surprise, the fur on his chest stood on end. His tail was raised up as well. Thankfully, that was the only place where the golden fur was at the moment.
The second time was the week after that. A few hours after Joseph gave him a dosage, the lion spirit's feet began to hurt. Deciding to figure out what was wrong, Loke began to take off his shoes. Only to have some trouble. He tugged at his right shoe, and eventually it came flying off, and soon was able to get the other one off as well. It was then that Loke realized that his feet were, well, no longer feet.
There were no more peach colored feet, but instead tan colored ones with fur. The toes were closer together and thicker. He walked a little, feeling an odd sensation as his feet touched the ground. There were now black paw pads at the bottom of them. Finally, just like his hands, there were now claws.
It was then that he realized that whatever Joseph was giving him was starting to kick in fully. Loke had these strange urges all of a sudden. When some men came in to give him more raw meat (which unfortunately for him, was beginning to enjoy the taste of) the lion spirit snarled, baring his teeth which were sharper and fang-like. The men grew fearful, and in terror dropped the box filled with meat.
His faith began to dwindle as each agonizing day went by. Loke no longer felt normal, yet he wanted everything to go back to the way things used to be. The guild and its antics. The jobs and the chaos that soon followed afterward. His friends and his master. His master…Lucy…
She reminded him of someone. But at the same time Lucy was different. She was the first in a very long time to treat him as an equal. He hadn't had that sort of treatment since...since who again? Was even his memory leaving him as well? That was the last thing he wanted to happen.
As of the moment, Loke was lying on the floor, exhaustion plaguing his system. His jacket and shirt unbuttoned, the fur on his chest visible. He was sweating, and didn't feel like moving. The sound of a door opening was heard. His ears twitched towards the sound, and he knew what it was.
Loke didn't feel like moving. There was no point in it. The lion spirit knew it was Joseph with another dosage. He could never escape the scientist, so there wasn't any point trying to get up.
"Good morning Leo," the scientist's voice echoed through the cell. The lion spirit didn't move.
"Don't worry, today's not another dosage of that magnificent serum." His ears perked up at this, and Loke lifted his head. There wasn't going to be a dosage today? Then why was he here then?
"No...dosage?" Loke whispered. He was very exhausted, and just wanted to sleep. Joseph shook his head.
"Oh no, but instead you get to experience something even better," the man grinned. The lion spirit didn't like the sound of it.
"Better…?" he whispered.
"Oh yes," Joseph said. "I get to learn more about you today." He pulled out a syringe, a smirk forming across his face.
"For now, you're just going to take a nice long nap. And while you are doing that, well…" he trailed off.
"Let's just say that I'm going to operate on you…"
Immediately, Loke sprang to his feet...paws? The lion spirit shot up quickly, ready to defend himself. Yet his eyes were filled with fear. He was going to get surgery done on him?! For what?! Why?! His ears were pinned back, teeth bared, claws unsheathed.
"My, that certainly got a reaction out of you," Joseph said.
"You...are not...operating on me!" he snarled. To this, the scientist only had a smile on his face.
"You do not have much of a choice Leo," he answered. "Lady Karen wishes to know more about you, and what ties you to Lucy. And she will get her answers!"
The lion spirit froze when he heard his master's name. What tied him to Lucy? What did he mean by that? Yet when this second of astonishment occurred, Joseph attacked. Thankfully Loke came to his senses, and thus moved swiftly as he could, even though there were chains on his wrists and ankles.
Loke managed to grab Joseph's wrists, stopping the scientist from injecting him. His eyes were wild with anger, hair untamed. Even through the glasses he wore, the hatred radiated from those eyes. Joseph seemed to be surprised.
"It appears that the serum is working wonders on your body," the scientist exclaimed aloud, impressed. "You've finally managed to catch me, like a lion catching its prey. Oh, but isn't that what you are? A fierce and dangerous lion ready to tear me apart, or any human for that matter?" The cynical look in Joseph's eyes grew as he taunted the spirit.
"Don't compare me to that!" Loke bared his fangs, pupils becoming slits. His tail swished back and forth violently.
"My name is Loke! Leader of the Zodiac spirits! I am not a monster! Nor will I ever be!"
The rage in his system flowed like a raging river. Never in his existence had he ever been so full of anger and hatred towards anyone, except for one time. All the lion spirit wanted to do was leave and go back to the life he once had. In truth, he was scared, afraid, terrified. Loke didn't want to be here.
Despite holding Joseph down, he felt a slight prick on his arm. His eyes moved to the source, and for a split second Loke saw the needle before his strength went slack.
'How...did he reach me…?' the lion spirit thought. Loke's eyes felt heavy, and began to sway.
'No! I've got to...I've got to…'
Yet he could not resist the pull of the sedative. He fell to the ground, chains clanking loudly. His eyes closing fast, the world falling into darkness around him. The last thing he saw was Joseph staring at him, a smirk on his face.
'I have to...get up...can't let him...oper..at..e…'
Consciousness faded from him. Joseph was pleased at this. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a set of keys. The scientist unlocked the locks that were around Loke's wrists and ankles. A few other men dressed in surgical outfits came in with a stretcher and an IV with a special liquid to keep the lion spirit unconscious.
"Get him to the operating room," Joseph commanded. "And make sure that the IV is secure. Even though for now he's sedated, the serum has made him more powerful than before. There's no telling when he will wake up."
They nodded, and thus got to work. One of them picked up the lion spirit, who surprisingly had gotten thinner because of the lack of food besides the raw meat he was given. Loke was placed in the stretcher gently, the IV then inserted into his right arm.
The spirit moaned quietly, feeling the needle pierce his skin. But once the liquid inside the bag flowed into him, he was pulled deeper into unconsciousness.
"Alright, now get moving!" the head scientist yelled.
With that, the stretcher that held the poor lion spirit was rolled away into the operating room. Joseph opened up his phone, calling a certain someone of the most recent details.
"I've secured him for now, Lady Karen," he began. He walked out of the dark, cold cell and in the direction of where the stretcher went.
"Leo put up a fight this time, yet he was still no match for me. The surgery will begin soon. Give me about two to three hours and I shall give you my answers."
"Good, then I will leave you to it," was all she said, and he hung up.
Joseph walked through the halls, until he came upon a room that was painted a light grey color. The operating room. Some of his men were already there, hooking up various machines to the spirit. The head scientist grabbed some surgical gloves and put them on.
"We have to get this done as quickly as possible," Joseph stated. "I wish to know the reason why the serum isn't progressing as it should. Lady Karen needs this to be done as quickly as possible. Our time window is approximately one month until she plans to get rid of Leo once and for all."
"In order to do such a thing, our job is to find out why this case is not continuing as it should. And this requires a feat in which has never been done before; performing surgery on a Celestial Spirit, a type of being known to be immortal."
"Such an act is most likely forbidden in regards to Celestial Law, and thus, if this is ever found out by the Celestial Spirit King, all of us will most definitely die. If not, then we'll suffer the harshest consequences the universe and all the stars have to offer to us. This is something that no normal human would ever want to do."
"However, this is a rare and invaluable opportunity. To pass something up like this would be a grave mistake. It is a chance for us to learn what a Celestial Spirit truly holds within them. All the secrets of immortality are right in front of us! I do not wish to let this chance slip from me!"
"Yet, if there are those who wish to opt out of this, remember...This is not just for the sake of science. We are doing this for Lady Karen. To leave now would mean going against her. Do you understand?"
No one responded to him. They just stood still and silent. Not one of them intended on leaving anyway. The head scientist smirked, then turned his attention to the unconscious spirit on the medical table. His eyes were full of curiosity, yet they bore a cynical nature as well.
"Gentlemen, let us cut open this lion."
Loke was surrounded in darkness. He couldn't tell where he was. But the pain made it impossible to move, or even lift himself off of the ground.
'Where...am I?' He thought to himself.
Loke felt warm for some reason despite it being dark. The lion spirit could not contain his questions, as the place he was in was vastly unfamiliar. He panted, attempting to keep his mind off of the pain.
'Why…? Why is there so much of it?'
At times, he began to feel foreign sensations penetrate his body. Near his stomach area and his chest. Loke just wanted it to stop. Yet nothing could be done about it since he couldn't move. What was happening to begin with?
He opened his eyes, only to still see darkness in front of him. The lion spirit raised his hand up and examined it. It looked somewhat normal. After this, he put his hand down. Loke turned his head to the side, grimacing in pain. He wanted it to end so badly.
'Make it stop…'
"You'll get through this my friend..." a young, male voice echoed.
The lion spirit's eyes widened. He knew that voice. It wasn't anyone from the guild. But it was someone who he knew very well. The area around him lightened a little, becoming a soft grey instead of pitch black. While Loke couldn't stand up, or couldn't do anything else for that matter, he decided to answer the voice.
"Who...are you…?" he asked. Loke knew this voice. He really did. But… "Can't...remember…"
With all the pain and torture he'd experience, his mind slipped away at some points. He knew he should know this voice somehow. It wasn't from Fairy Tail, that was one thing Loke was sure of. Yet…
Suddenly the lion spirit felt something, or rather someone, feeling his chest, right where the golden fur was. This eventually turned into scratching. Whoever was doing it wasn't visible however. Loke groaned, taking in the pleasure from it. Then to his horror, a low vibrating came from his throat. A purr. He froze, and the entity that was scratching him also stopped as well.
"It seems that you've changed a lot, huh?" the voice said. Loke let his head fall back, his eyes closing.
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised you don't remember me. It's been a long time since we've seen each other, hasn't it?" Loke didn't answer him. He just listened. While he could hear someone, the lion spirit couldn't see who he was.
Another sensation was felt between the cat ears on his head. He didn't resist it, feeling the touch of a hand on his head. He leaned into it, another purr resonating from his throat. This time however, Loke let it continue, not even trying to stop it from happening. His tail swished from side to side as well.
"It's already started…" the mysterious voice whispered. "You're losing yourself…" The voice sounded sad.
Loke perked up at this, and his purring stopped. Looking around, there was still no one there. What did the voice mean? "Losing...myself…?" the spirit asked.
"Hai," the voice said. Loke felt his head being scratched again, and a purr came from his throat. "Your pain is only going to increase from here. As we speak, there are humans currently performing surgery on you. That is why you are feeling the pain throughout parts of your body."
At this, Loke stood up quickly, trying to ignore the pain shooting up his body. But he couldn't handle it, and thus doubled over in pain.
"You shouldn't be standing up!" the voice frantically spoke.
The lion spirit felt himself being pushed down, yet he couldn't resist it as his strength wasn't enough. He was placed into a sitting position.
"Why are you…" Loke began, but then was cut off abruptly.
"Please, listen to me," the voice stated. The spirit's eyes widened. "Loke, my friend, you must hear what I have to say. The life that you once knew will cease to exist if you don't listen now."
"Many horrible and terrible events will happen in the future if you lose yourself. There will come a time where they will try to break you. You must not break. If you do, the Celestial Spirit World will turn to turmoil."
"I know your hope has dwindled, but Lucy is looking for you," he finished. Loke almost sat up.
"Lucy…?" The lion spirit asked. "How...do you know Lucy?"
The voice wanted to tell him everything. But his time was becoming very limited. He knew he would have to leave soon.
"That is not important," the voice added. "What you must remember is that Lucy knows that you're missing. They're looking for you. That is what you can hold onto. At least until you make it out of here. Believe me…" The voice began to fade slightly.
"I must go for now. My time is very limited. Actually, I really shouldn't be here to begin with…" But Loke didn't want him to go.
"Wait…" His strength was becoming weak, and he fell back to whatever the ground was below him. The lion spirit's eyes felt heavy.
"How do you...know me?" was Loke's last question.
He felt drowsy, and wanted to sleep away the pain that was occurring around him. To his surprise, the voice responded in a more happier tone.
"We're friends! I was the one who gave you the name Loke!"
In that instant, some sort of shock ran through his brain like a thunderbolt. But the exhaustion and pain overtook him, dragging him into the darker depths of unconsciousness. Darkness clouded his mind, and the voice was gone.
"Joseph sir!" a voice echoed through his mind. "Joseph sir! Leo is waking up sooner than expected!"
"Restrain him immediately!" another voice said. It was one that Loke knew all too well. Joseph. If he said to restrain him, then that meant…
Without another thought, the lion spirit sprang up blindly, having absolutely no idea what was going on. His brain eventually registered the events around him. For some reason he was in a stretcher with his clothes on, his chest area bandaged up. Loke's right arm was also bandaged as well. Not only that, but there were a few men dressed in white coats with masks on, one of them he recognized as Joseph. But the most important thing he noticed was that the gold chains weren't on him.
He didn't give himself a second to breathe. Loke sprang off of the stretcher and ran as fast as he could.
"Stop him!" he heard the head scientist yell.
But the lion spirit would not stop for anything. This would probably be his only chance at freedom. So Loke sprinted down the long hallway desperate to get away.
A surge of hope flowed through his body, as the possibility of getting out of this place increased tenfold. Loke could return to the Celestial Spirit World and, hopefully, get rid of these unwanted additions that were given to him via serum. How he wished to see his fellow spirits, and not to mention Zodiacs and the Spirit King himself.
Even more so, the lion spirit wished to see the guild. To visit all of his friends. Most importantly, to see his master and the love of his life which he would protect with his life. Loke wanted her. He needed her. Someone to give him comfort from all the tortures of this prison. Lucy would be the one to do it.
An alarm then rang throughout the entire area, almost like there was a storm coming.
"Attention all personnel," an unknown person through a loudspeaker spoke. "Our main inhabitant, Leo the Lion, has escaped from his restraints and is now somewhere in this building. Be on alert. His magic is no longer contained, and he is considered a danger. Capturing him is of the utmost importance. Because if he escapes, all of our efforts for Lady Karen will be in vain."
Nevertheless, Loke continued to run, ignoring the constant blaring of the alarm. His eyes went back and forth between the walls, searching for any signs that would lead him out of there. It was then that he noticed a sign for an emergency exit, so the spirit took a right and headed down another hallway.
"There he is!" a voice shouted behind him. His breath hitched, and Loke continued to run faster.
'Please,' he pleaded. 'Just let me leave here! I want to go back to Lucy!'
The spirit passed another door, then another, and another. His heart raced faster. The pain in his chest throbbed. His arm stung. He himself feeling slightly woozy.
Finally, he went down another hallway and found a door at the end of it. "EXIT" it said.
'Yes!' Loke thought in triumph.
His legs moved faster, and the lion spirit reached the door. Frantically, he used as much strength as he could to open it. The door clicked, and once it moved, Loke sprinted out.
The sunlight of midday hit his body. It was noticeably warmer outside now than it was two months ago, when Loke believed he was first captured. But the lion spirit shielded his eyes from the light, since his eyes were used to the amount of light that was left in that cold, dark cell. Once his eyes adjusted, Loke removed his right arm from his head.
It was like he had stepped into a whole new dimension. All the colors of the outside world popped out at him, unlike the gray and black dinginess of his cell. Hundreds of different smells invaded his senses, and Loke realized that his sense of smell was never this acute. They felt a little bit overwhelming, causing him to get a slight headache. Yet it eventually went away, and he became used to these bright surroundings.
Loke looked around, now taking in the sight of the environment. It appeared that it was some sort of forest, with towering pine trees and green grass. The wind blew softly through his hair, and the new fur on his body felt the sensation as well. Then he realized that he could see the changes that happened to him over the past two months.
'Wow…' the lion spirit thought.
In truth, he hadn't really got to see his full appearance since it was dark in where he was held. Now, Loke could see the differences. He wrapped his hand around his arm, which seemed to be bulkier and have more muscle. His feet, or rather his back paws, felt the grass and dirt beneath him. There were so many new sensations that the lion spirit was experiencing that it overwhelmed him.
This feeling...Loke wanted to run out into the forest and not care about anything. He wanted more of these sensations that were so foreign to him before the lion spirit was taken prisoner. Loke wanted it. Needed it. The spirit felt this need for...for what? What was the word for it?
'Freedom…?'
Yes, that was the word for it. Freedom. It was something Loke never had in his life, ever. Spirits were always tied to a master, and even if they weren't, it wasn't like they could live on Earthland. So the only thing to really do was to stay in the Celestial Spirit World. But, he had a necklace that made him not lose his energy while he was here, so did that mean…
'I...I could be free?' Loke thought. He never thought he could have it. 'No more masters? No more pain? No more…'
His thoughts went into a state of turmoil. Yet a smile of joy appeared on his face. The lion spirit could do whatever he wanted without a care! Oh he couldn't wait to tell…
'What am I doing?' he asked himself. 'Lucy is my master. I would never run away from her. Why was I thinking about doing that? I would never…'
Yet he knew he thought of it. Loke felt ashamed of himself. He promised he wouldn't leave her side. And here the lion spirit was, wanting freedom from masters in general. The thought of freedom made him feel giddy and happy inside. But he had to remember who he was. A celestial spirit. Someone who serves their master. No matter who it was.
Then, pain began to course along his back, the sound of a whip being struck. Loke fell to the ground, grasping his shoulder in agony. He gritted his teeth, a low growl emanating from his throat. Unfortunately the lion spirit had an idea who did this, but he was too afraid to turn around to confirm his answer. Yet the sound of a whip being tapped against something told him everything.
"You thought you could get away from me that easily didn't you?" Karen's voice echoed behind him. A swift kick sent the lion spirit off of his hands and knees and onto his stomach. He winced.
"I thought you knew already Leo," she continued. "You can't escape from me. And besides, even if you did there is absolutely nowhere for you to go. This area here is outside of Fiore, far away from Ishgar itself even. Lucy isn't around to steal you away from me!"
Loke coughed, pain increasing. The recent surgery hadn't helped him at all, and he was still mostly recovering from the sedatives that were meant to keep him under. Yet he got up slowly, wincing a couple of times from the shocks that ran through his system. The lion spirit had to face her, no matter how tired he was. Loke wouldn't be able to get away unless she wasn't there.
Hazel eyes glared at brown, showing the inner fury and hatred hidden within. He unintentionally unsheathed his newly formed claws, ready to attack. Tail swishing violently back and forth. Hair becoming wild and untamed. Fangs flashing. Eyes becoming slits.
He attacked.
The lion spirit readied a Regulus Impact, prepared to hit the woman in front of him. He didn't even care if she was a Celestial Spirit Mage. He didn't care if she was his former master. Nor did the lion spirit even care about the consequences that could befall him when he returned to the Spirit World.
Unbeknownst to him, his magic was out of control, wild even. This Regulus Impact looked much, much different. It was almost as if it was darker than usual. Nevertheless, the lion spirit charged forth, ready to land a blow.
But Loke couldn't even strike her, or even close to her, as Karen's whip slashed him across his right side. He fell to the ground, consciousness beginning to fade again. He looked up at Karen, who could see the pain in his eyes clearly. She smirked at this, knowing that she had some control over him now.
"If you try to escape again Leo, then perhaps I should do what I did to you to one of your friends," Karen threatened.
"You...you wouldn't!" Loke growled.
"Then don't even think about leaving ever again!" she told him. "If not, then you can say goodbye to one of your companions from that guild that you oh so love."
"No…" the lion spirit hissed.
He gripped the grass harder than he did before, trying to push himself up. Yet the lion spirit just ended up falling back onto the ground. He breathed heavily, suddenly feeling warmer than before. Loke wanted to sleep. He wanted to lie down on the grass and curl up, letting the sun rays warm him. Never did the lion spirit want to think about going back to that cold dark cell.
Unfortunately he would get his wish partially, and Loke began to slip into unconsciousness once more. He didn't force himself to stay awake. The lion spirit let himself slip into the darkness, and the comfort it held.
Karen stood over him, a smirk on her face. It was then that she heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind her. Joseph and a few other scientists were coming towards her, and at a fast rate.
"Lady Karen!" the young, blond haired man spoke. "Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine Joseph," she answered with no emotion whatsoever.
The head scientist looked down and saw an unconscious lion spirit. He gestured to the men behind him to pick him up. They did so, and gently picked Loke up.
"Take him back to his cell," he ordered. "Make sure his bandages are wrapped as well. And don't forget to put his chains back on too! Unless you want a raging feline escaping the premises again."
They nodded, and took the lion spirit back to his cell. Joseph let out a sigh, relaxing slightly, knowing that their highly valuable specimen hadn't escaped. He turned back to Karen.
"I must apologize, Lady Karen," he began, bowing. "We did not anticipate Leo to awaken from the surgery that quickly. And he managed to elude us for quite some time. I must ask for your forgiveness."
The two walked back into the building, shutting the door behind them. But to the scientist's surprise, Karen took it in a completely different way than he expected.
"I was planning on meeting with him in a few days anyway," she explained. "Plus, it crushed a little bit of the hope he had of escaping me. I got to see his pain. His fear. That is what I've been wanting to see for a while now."
She stopped walking for a moment. "How is Project Arcane?"
"Very well," he answered. "They should be ready within a week."
"And the surgery?"
"We found a few interesting things, Lady Karen," Joseph began. "The most important being why he hasn't progressed further with the serum and as to why he seems noticeably weaker than usual."
"When the surgery was performed, we discovered a special type of organ that only forms when a spirit is contracted to a master. It is also partially there when a spirit isn't contracted, making it so that it can form whenever a contract is made. In other words, it is like an organ made of magic."
"It specifically looks like a lock and chains. Hence why I named it, 'the Lock.' It specifically wraps around a celestial spirit's heart, making it so that whenever the spirit forms a contract with a mage, it binds the spirit with their owner. This in turn can sometimes lead the spirit to feel their master's emotions, whenever their life is in danger, and of course, their master's death. The Lock opens if that happens."
"This also ties the spirit to summoning. They'll feel a pang in their heart, which is actually the chain tightening around it, as the mage is asking them to come to their side. In order to stop this pang, the spirit goes through their gate to meet their master, thus stopping the chain from tightening further."
"What does it have to do with Leo?" Karen asked.
"He has two."
"I'm not exactly following what you are telling me Joseph," she stated.
"Allow me," he began. "When Leo was operated on, there were two Locks around his heart. The first one being a golden color, and the second being a blue color. If a spirit has a contract with a Celestial Spirit mage then the golden colored Lock will appear, which is what we theorized. However, the blue Lock on top of the golden one confused us. Why was it there? How did Leo get it in the first place?"
They continued to walk. "It was then that I realized that it had something to do with what you told me a while back. You said that you never broke your contract with him?"
"No," Karen stated. "And I never did despite the times he tried to get me to give it up."
"Then you confirmed my theory then," Joseph answered.
"Your theory?"
"Yes. If what you say is true, then that means Leo's contract with you is still intact, despite not using Celestial Magic for almost ten years. Your contract represents the golden Lock. And the blue Lock…"
"Is Lucy Heartifilia's contract," Karen finished.
"Indeed. Which means that this is possibly the first time that a spirit ever had two contracts and two masters. While this may seem like a good thing, in actuality it diverts his magic between both you and Lucy Heartifilia."
"What this means that if she were to summon Leo, the spirit would only be able to use about half the strength he can muster. The same if you were to summon him. However, if the two of you fought side by side, he would be able to use one hundred percent of his power."
"The Lock not only answered that question, but it answered another one as well. In regards to the lion serum, because there are two Locks, they block some of the arteries that allow magic to flow into his heart. Now of course this would be fatal to any human, but because he is a spirit, Leo is able to survive this effect. However, the serum cannot progress because of this."
"In both of our best interests, we should try to remove these Locks. And there are two ways to do so. One is to have Leo's key in your possession. Hence why a Celestial Spirit mage needs a key to begin with. It is not to open their gate but rather to hold the key to their heart in a sense. In this way, we operate on him again, put the key into the Locks which will deactivate them, and then surgically remove the Locks."
There was silence for a moment, and Karen gestured for him to continue.
"Of course, we don't have Leo's key," he mentioned. "And it would be impossible to even get close to obtaining it, as Lucy Heartifilia is very close with her spirits and so forth. Grabbing a key from her would be next to impossible."
"Our second option would be much easier to do, however I am not sure how you would feel about it, so I am asking you."
"What does it involve?" Karen asked.
"You would have to give up your contract with Leo," Joseph stated.
She unfortunately didn't like the sound of that. Having to get rid of a little bit of her hold over Leo wasn't going to be the greatest thing in the world. It meant that he would have a little freedom. Yet she supposed it wouldn't hinder anything. Karen didn't have his key anymore, so she couldn't control him that much.
"By giving up your contract, Lady Karen," he started. "The golden Lock around his heart will disappear. When that happens, we of course will remove it via surgery. However, that would still leave the blue Lock, which symbolizes Lucy Heartifillia's contract with Leo."
"It is most definitely impossible to get those two to break it, after all that we have heard about the Celestial Spirit mage. She is very protective of her spirits, not wanting any of them to be treated as tools or to be thought of as non-living objects meant to be used. This is especially the case for Leo, as Lucy Heartifilia was often pictured with him in news articles."
"But from what you have said to me about Leo, there is a slight chance that we could get him to break his contract all on his own. If what you stated about him earlier is true, then it just might work. He did speak of how there are some things that only he could do that the others cannot, correct? Then if my theories are true, then Leo possesses the ability to break his contract with his master."
"Yet if that were the case, why was he trying to get you to release both his and Aries' contracts?" he finished.
Karen scoffed at this. "He always felt pity for that poor ram," she began. "Aries never had the spine to do anything. She was so timid, that I had to force her to actually do something. Then Leo wanted me to break off both of their contracts."
"It would have been pointless to break his own and leave her with me. I would still have her, and not him. Sure, this would've been one attempt to spite me, but if Leo did that, I would still have Aries."
Both were silent for a moment. They continued their walk down the hallway, until they reached the main control room for the facility. Karen began to think. How could she get Leo to break his own contract with that Lucy Heartifilia?
Suddenly, an idea came into her head. "Joseph," she said. "I want you to make something for me."
The young scientist bowed to her. "What is it that you desire from me?"
"I want you to make...a golden key."
Author's Note
And that's the end of Chapter 6! Yee!
I liked going to depth with how summoning and contracts between Celestial Spirits and their masters. While Fairy Tail only shows it as, key and gate and spirit will serve you, it felt like there had to be so much more to it than that. After all, how else would spirits feel whether or not their master were in danger? And so, the organ known as "the Lock" was created. How this was created will be explained later in this story.
Oooo what is this Project Arcane? Okay you'll find out more about it next chapter. It's a little theory that I came up with. And the strange voice that spoke with Loke? You'll find out about him later.
Anyways, that's all I'm going to say. Tell me what you guys think! I love reviews! They keep me going and let me know you guys enjoy this story!
Until next time, See Ya Universe!
Palkia
