Master Makarov had just finished making an announcement at the guildhall. It was an especially important announcement, that took many of the guild members by surprise. The topic: The Oracion Seis. They are a powerful dark guild that is a part of the "Balam Alliance", alongside two other dark guilds known as Grimoire Heart and Tartaros. Makarov had informed his "children" that they, along with a coalition of other guilds, had been tasked with putting an end to the Oracion Seis once and for all. The mages were now left to discuss this turn of events amongst themselves.
Currently, Mirajane was helping to answer any questions people might have. "They only have six members, but are one of the most powerful dark guilds in the land." Mirajane explained. Lucy, who was still considered a relative newcomer compared to many of the other members here, had been trying to follow this crash course on what is apparently one of the biggest threats to Fairy Tail, and Fiore in general. Most of the other mages already knew the score, and were talking about what to do in the immediate future, instead of history lessons. "We're gonna show them what it means to be a man!" Elfman exclaimed. Cana, who was standing nearby, said "What about us women?"
"You can show them how to be a man too!" he answered. Cana rolled her eyes, while Mirajane giggled at her brother's dopey enthusiasm.
"So, do we know who's going to take care of this? I mean, we need a team, so who's the master sending?" The query came from Gray, who was standing across from the others. Mirajane furrowed her brow. "I'm not sure. Ordinarily, I'm sure you and your old team would have gone. But with the way things are now, I don't know. The master said he's going to need time to think about that." Gray seemed less than pleased with this response, but nodded slowly to indicate he understood. Gray wanted to go on this mission. He was getting tired of scrounging through small time jobs, and wanted something bigger and more significant. He was still fairly sure Makarov would pick him, but even the possibility of being left out bugged him.
Lucy, who had already asked the questions she wanted, turned, and began to walk away. As she walked down the hall, she noticed Levy, with some books as per usual, waving at her. "Hey Lucy, you got a minute? I've got some information you might want to hear." Lucy, curious, walked over to where Levy was sitting. "What's up?" Lucy asked. Levy held out a book with some pictures. It appeared to be a book about wildlife. "You know those strange beasts you encountered on that one job?" Levy asked.
"Yeah, kind of hard to forget that." Lucy said.
"Well, I looked into it based on your description, and I think I know what they were. Actually, maybe we should call Gray over. He might want to hear this too." Lucy wasn't sure how interested Gray would actually be. She still had trouble figuring him out. But she called him over all the same. After Gray walked over, he looked at Levy's book, seemingly half interested. "Okay, so what is it?" he said.
"Alright, so you described those big green birds, and that scaly creature in the cave. I think I know what they were. Or at least what they sound like. The birds are most likely Clippers, an aggressive species of bird which is often seen around Tenrou Island. And the other creature sounds like a Rollodillo, also from Tenrou." Gray and Lucy both exchanged a puzzled glance.
"So, they're from Tenrue? Then how did they get here to the mainland?" Gray said.
"Well, I'm not sure about that. The information I've seen says they're found on Tenrue Island, but its possible they can be found in other places too. Maybe somewhere outside Fiore. Animals aren't my specialty, so I'd have to look into it more." Levy explained.
"Outside Fiore?" Lucy asked.
"Sure. I mean, you said there were cages, so maybe they were transported there somehow?" Levy added. Lucy looked closely at the images and rubbed her chin. "The beasts we saw looked different from this. I mean, they do look similar, but… the things we saw were scarier looking, and kind of deformed too." Lucy said.
Levy drummed her fingers on the page of the book. "Yeah, about that. The rest of the creatures were eventually hunted down. They think they got them all, but who knows for sure. Anyway, the beasts were examined, and from what I've heard, the conclusion that they came to is that the creatures were magically altered."
"What do you mean altered?" Gray asked.
"Well, they're definitely not natural. Even if they were diseased, that still wouldn't explain some of the changes from how they would normally be." Levy said.
Gray thought about this. "I guess that would explain why those things seemed so freakishly strong. But what kind of magic would do that?" Levy held up her hands. "Honestly, I don't know. There are many forms of magic, so its not surprising that there's at least one that can affect animals like that. Kind of scary though. Imagine if someone used that on people instead of animals." Lucy couldn't help but shudder at the thought. She'd hate to encounter people that had been changed like that.
"That's not all though." Levy continued. "Apparently, they managed to take a couple of the creatures alive for study. They ended up being put down, but they found something disturbing. It seems that some of these creatures were missing some vital organs, even before death. One didn't have a heart." Lucy and Gray looked disturbed. "What are you saying?" Gray asked. Levy hesitated. "I think… these animals might have been reanimated. Brought back from the dead." A silence fallowed this statement. For a moment, no one said anything.
"Well, that sounds creepy as hell." Gray finally said. Lucy looked over at Levy apprehensively. "Levy, are you sure about this? Because that sounds pretty damn serious." Levy looked hesitant, and started rubbing her arm. "I can't confirm it. Keep in mind, this is mostly second and third hand information I'm going on here."
"Who did you say was investigating this?" Gray asked.
"Hmm. It was initially local authorities and investigators. But then, the magic council got involved, and they've taken over the investigation. They've gotten pretty tight lipped about it at this point. So, we're probably not going to be getting new information on this for a while, if ever." Levy finished.
Gray folded his arms. "Let's just hope it was some lone nut doing experiments, and not something worse. We don't need more trouble right now. We've already got to deal with the Seis as it is." Lucy nodded in agreement. "By the way, thanks for looking into this, Levy." Lucy said.
Levy smiled. "Hey, no problem. I wanted to research it anyway. I love learning new stuff, and this sounded pretty intriguing. A little darker than I was expecting though." Gray started shifting on his feet. "Alright, thanks for the info. I'm gonna get going though. I want to see if I can talk to the master about this Oracion Seis stuff."
"Good luck." Levy said earnestly. Gray turned and walked off. Lucy and Levy were left alone at the table. It was getting quiet in the guild now. Many of the mages had taken off after Makarov's announcement. The ones that were left were murmuring about the upcoming guild war. Lucy looked like she was getting ready to leave as well. But Levy turned to Lucy and said, "So Lucy, it looks like Gray wants to go on that mission. How about you?" Lucy wasn't expecting this question. She looked unsure. After a moment, Lucy said, "I'm not sure. Part of me wants to go, but part of me feels like I'm not ready."
"Not ready? In what way?" Levy asked.
Lucy stood silent a moment. Levy was surprised at how serious she looked. "I guess it doesn't matter. We're not ready for a lot of things. I'll just have to deal with things as they come." Levy was taken aback by this. Partly because it sounded so unlike Lucy, and also because of how dour she sounded. Levy was, frankly, a little weirded out by it. "Um, okay Lucy. I guess I'll talk to you later then." Lucy looked back to Levy. "Yeah. Thanks again. See you later." Lucy gave a small but warm smile, which made Levy feel a little better. Lucy then walked off gradually.
Later that day, Mirajane was out taking a walk by herself. She was just at the entrance of Magnolia Park. It was a bit of a walk from the guild, but she decided that the exercise would be good. She rarely came here by herself though, and hadn't been here at all in a while. As she walked through the park, she noticed how vibrant everything looked. A multitude of warm colors in the foliage, appropriate for this time of year. Of course, that also meant that everything would be bare soon, as winter loomed on the horizon. Realizing this made Mirajane wish that she had brought a jacket. It was warm enough right now, but it would be getter colder by the time she got back to the guild.
After a few minutes, she had walked close to the center of the park, and stopped. She stood and looked around. There were a few other people around, but otherwise there wasn't much activity right now. Nonetheless, she continued scanning the area. Mirajane had actually had another reason for coming to the park today. She was, in fact, looking for someone in particular. After looking for a minute, and seeing nothing, she decided she should probably move on. But she suddenly heard a voice behind her. "Hi Mirajane." the voice said. Mirajane turned around. Standing there was Seraiisa, the little girl that Mirajane and Elfman had met at the market before. Mirajane had actually run into Seraiisa a few times since then. She was always friendly, outgoing, and curious. At first, Mirajane was mostly just being nice to the girl. But she found that she was starting to genuinely like Seraiisa, and enjoy talking to her. Seraiisa had mentioned before that she and her father would be at the park today. She also said that it would be "cool" if she ran into Mirajane there. Mirajane took the hint, and decided to stop by. She enjoyed Seraiisa's company, and was curious about her family.
"Hi Seraiisa. Imagine running into you here." Mirajane said with a smile. "Yeah, imagine." Seraiisa smiled back.
"Beautiful day, huh?" Mirajane said.
"Yup. Magnolia's a nice town. Crowded, but nice." Seraiisa said. She was wearing different clothes then the first time they met. She was wearing a loose-fitting yellow shirt with a long black skirt. The outfit still had some of the same symbols on it though. Mirajane kept meaning to ask about that, but hadn't gotten around to it.
"So, your dad is here with you?" Mirajane asked. Seraiisa nodded. "He's around." It was a vague response. Mirajane noticed that the girl often tended to give vague or cryptic responses to questions. It was the one thing about her that Mirajane found a little off putting. Seraiisa sat down on a nearby bench. She looked up at Mirajane. "So, what's been going on with Fairy Tail? Anything exciting?"
Mirajane considered this a moment. "Well, we do have this important mission coming up. Dangerous stuff. I'm not going of course. But what have you been up to?"
"Not much. Just getting adjusted. Making new friends. But what about this 'dangerous mission'? I want to hear about that. If that's okay."
Mirajane shrugged. "Its grown up stuff. Nothing you need to worry about." Seraiisa pouted slightly. "Come on Mirajane, I can handle it. Please?" Mirajane thought it over. She looked unsure. "I don't know. Would your father be okay with me telling you that stuff? I feel like maybe I should ask him first?" Seraiisa looked at the ground. Seraiisa had mentioned her family a few times, but never wanted to talk about them. Mirajane really seemed to want to meet at least one of them though. It was partly out of curiosity, but also partly because Mirajane wanted to make sure that Seraiisa really did have someone to take care of her. She's just a little girl, after all. Seraiisa sat there, appearing to think things over, while Mirajane waited. Finally, the child looked up again and said, "Okay. I'll take you to see my dad. He's at another entrance nearby. And then we can talk about this mission some more, okay?" She looked at Mirajane hopefully.
"You really want to hear about that stuff, huh? Okay, it's a deal. I'm ready to meet your dad. Is he nice?" Mirajane said. Seraiisa nodded. "Definitely. I know he wants to meet you too. Follow me." Seraiisa waved in a certain direction, and began walking. Mirajane followed closely behind. They walked for several minutes through the park, until they came to an entrance. As they walked up to the entrance, Mirajane noticed a man standing there. He was wearing a robe similar to the one Seraiisa wore when Mirajane first met her, only more drab looking. That has to be him, Mirajane thought.
The man turned around, and smiled as he saw Seraiisa. He then noticed Mirajane following behind, and stopped smiling. He didn't look upset or angry. Just surprised, and maybe curious. "Hi daddy!" Seraiisa said. She walked up to the man and hugged him, which he returned. Mirajane smiled. They seemed to have a good relationship. She observed the man. He appeared to be an ordinary, unassuming looking man. Average build, greying hair, plain features. She wasn't sure what she was expecting.
The man put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Back so soon?" he asked. She nodded. He then turned to Mirajane. "And you must be Mirajane Strauss." She looked a little surprised that the man knew her name. "Seraiisa has told me a lot about you." Of course, that makes sense, she thought. The man walked up to her and extended a hand. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nikodias Vannbar." Mirajane shook his hand. His name sounded just as strange to her as Seraiisa's did.
"Vannbar. Seraiisa never told me her last name. I was starting to think she didn't have one." Mirajane said. Nikodias chuckled at this, and Seraiisa smirked. "Seraiisa can be secretive about things. But I don't blame her. She's been through a lot. We lost our home, and she lost friends. And now we find ourselves in this strange new place, trying to start a new life. Naturally, she has some trouble trusting people." the man finished explaining. Mirajane looked taken aback. "Oh. I… didn't realize. I'm sorry." Nikodias held up a hand. "Its okay. I choose not to dwell on the past. Its better to focus on the present, and the future. Right?" He looked at Seraiisa with this last part. She nodded in agreement.
"So Mirajane, you were going to tell us about this special mission that Fairy Tail is doing?" Seraiisa inquired. Mirajane had almost forgotten about that. "Oh, yeah. Are you sure your father wants to hear about that?" she said, as she looked at the man uncertainly. "I would definitely like to hear about it. I want to learn as much as I can about this country, and what's going on. I'd also like to learn more about your guild. I had thought that maybe it could be a place for us, from what I've heard." He confirmed.
Mirajane decided there was no harm in telling them. "Alright. Well, it involves this powerful guild called the Oracion Seis." As soon as Mirajane said that, the man's expression became more serious. Mirajane noticed this. "Have you heard of them?" she asked.
"Yes, I have. They're a dark guild. They control other, smaller dark guilds too." he said.
"It sounds like you already know a lot. Anyway, our guild is sending a team to deal with them. Part of a coalition of teams from several guilds actually." Mirajane said. The man and his daughter exchanged a look. "That does sound dangerous. When is this going to be? I was hoping we could stop by your guild soon. We may need to adjust our plans." He said.
"It should be in the next few days, actually. I'll still be there at the guild though, and so will the master." Nikodias considered this. "I see." He said simply.
Seraiisa's father appeared to reflect on this information. But something suddenly occurred to Mirajane. "You know, I still don't know anything about your magic. Your daughter told me a little about your powers, and how its different from our magic. She didn't go into detail though." Nikodias looked at Mirajane, taking a second to register what she said. "Hmm. Well, I could tell you about that. But maybe it would be easier to just show you."
Mirajane was surprised by his. She wasn't expecting an actual demonstration. "Really? I have to admit, I'm pretty curious. I'd love to see what you can do."
"Actually…" Nikodias began. He then turned to Seraiisa. "Seraiisa? How would you like to give her a little display of what you can do?" Seraiisa seemed caught off guard by this. She clearly wasn't expecting him to say that. "Are you sure?" she said.
"Yes, its okay." Her father confirmed. She seemed a little hesitant, but nodded. She then turned to Mirajane. "Alright, this might take a few minutes. It'll be cool though. Just wait."
"Um, ok." Mirajane said, not sure what to expect. The girl then began walking in the opposite direction, out of the park. "Where is she going?" Mirajane asked the father. "Its fine. This is part of the setup. Just wait." He reassured her. Mirajane watched as Seraiisa continued walking, out into the residential area, and then turned behind some buildings. And they waited. Mirajane listened to the birds chirping, and the leaves rustling. Which was relaxing, but didn't stop her from wondering what was going to happen and how long it would take. The whole thing seemed strange to her. She looked over at Nikodias, who was just standing there with his eyes closed and hands folded, patiently waiting for his daughter to do whatever it is she was going to do.
After waiting for several minutes, Mirajane suddenly felt like leaving. In fact, she felt the urge to start walking in the same direction Seraiisa had gone. She knew she still had to wait though, so she stayed. But it was like something was gently tugging at her. Then she heard a voice. "Mirajane?" it said. Mirajane turned to look, but there was no one there. She thought it sounded like Seraiisa, except it was like a whisper in the back of her mind. "Mirajane, can you hear me? Its me, Seraiisa." The whisper said.
"Seraiisa? Where are you?" Mirajane asked.
"I can't hear you, but you should be able to hear me. I'm still behind those houses you saw me walk to. I'm coming back to you now." The whisper faded, and Nikodias opened his eyes. He smiled, seemingly with pride at his daughter's power. Mirajane watched as Seraiisa came back down the street and reentered the park area. As she walked up to Mirajane, she said "Cool or what?"
Mirajane looked impressed. "Yeah, its cool. Just like you said it would be. You're a telepath then. Actually, we have someone like that in our guild. It's a useful ability though. Having two people who can do that would come in handy."
Nikodias interjected. "Its not exactly accurate to say that. Telepathy is a part of her power, but its more than that. There is also a physical component to it. She can attract and repel things as well." He explained.
Attract and repel? Mirajane thought. She quickly realized that that must have been the tugging sensation she felt. "Yeah, I think I felt that." Mirajane said. Seraiisa looked pleased at this. "Just so you know, my power works better with stronger mages. The stronger their magic, the more clearly they can hear me." Seraiisa said.
"Really? That's… unusual. Your power is dependent on other mages' power?" Mirajane said.
"Not totally. I can still use my magic with non-mages, but not as well. But if there's a powerful mage around, then they should be able to hear me loud and clear, even from a mile away." She explained. She thought for a moment. "Actually, you could probably hear me from across the country if you were powerful enough, and I prepared myself. It would be hard though."
Mirajane was skeptical about this. "Across the country? That's really far. Are you sure?" Seraiisa didn't say anything, just smiled. Cryptic again. "Well, I just hope you're using those powers responsibly. That sort of thing can cause problems if you're not careful."
Seraiisa looked serious. "I wouldn't use these powers if I didn't have a good reason. I promise."
Mirajane held up her hands. "Okay, I believe you. I guess I'm just a little worried, since you're so young. But I know you're responsible." Seraiisa appeared to lighten at this.
Mirajane turned back to Seraiisa's father. "So, what can you do, as far as magic?" Mirajane asked Nikodias. He smiled. "My power is different from hers'. But we've found a way for our powers to complement each other."
"I understand. My siblings had different, but similar powers, and we were on a team together." Mirajane said.
"You don't say? At any rate, I'd love to show you my magic, but I have to get going. We both do." He turned to his daughter. She looked displeased. "Sorry Mirajane, looks like I have to go now." She said. But Mirajane just smiled. "That's okay. We'll see each other again next time."
"…Yeah. Next time." Seraiisa said. Mirajane could tell that she didn't want to leave yet. But they all had their own lives. The girl and her father both started to walk off. "It was nice meeting you Mr. Vannbar. I hope we'll see you at the guild soon." Mirajane said. Nikodias turned and said, "I'm sure you will." Seraiisa briefly turned, but didn't say anything. Mirajane watched them both walk off into the distance.
Now, it was time to head back. As expected, it was now getting colder out, and Mirajane was missing her jacket. Nonetheless, she felt better after spending some time with Seraiisa and her father. She began the long walk back to Fairy Tail.
A giant axe swung forth at Cana, which she narrowly dodged. She jumped out of the way, falling to the ground on her side. Before the opponent could take advantage, she pulled two magic cards and threw them. They created an explosion of fire and ice at the target, bringing him to his knees. Cana got to her feet. She pulled another card, and threw it at her opponent's head. After a second, a regular explosion went off, knocking him to the ground. Cana stood over him.
"Come on Taurus, get up!" Lucy shouted. But Taurus had been hurt by the series of attacks, and was struggling to stand back up. Cana pulled another card. Before she could use it, Taurus swung his axe low to sweep her feet. Cana was almost caught off guard by this. She managed to jump in time, but still stumbled onto her back. Taurus got up and smiled at this reversal of fortune. He raised his axe. He wouldn't seriously hurt her of course, but he knew he had to beat her. He prepared to hit her with the blunt part. Cana launched the card she had still been holding onto. It hit Taurus square in the chest. A bolt of lightning shocked him, knocking him down again. He disappeared in front of Cana and Lucy. Cana then stood up, victorious.
"Damn it!" Lucy cried. Cana turned and smiled at Lucy. "That's three out of four Lucy. I win again." Lucy stood there a moment. She chuckled. "Guess I'll have to try harder. I'll get you next time though!" She said this in a half joking way. She even pouted a little. But internally, this bothered her more than she let on. Its not that she felt the need to compete with others, or be a "badass". Unlike her former teammates, she never particularly cared about that stuff (not that she would complain if someone thought she was badass). But she felt that this was something she needed to do. Partially for herself, so that she can be more independent, and not have to rely on others all the time. And partially for the guild as a whole, which had lost several powerful members, and would possibly be losing even more members soon with the way things have been going. Lucy knew she couldn't turn things around for the guild by herself. But she could help. Or at least try.
The two of them were currently in a grassy area behind the Fairy Hills dorm. They chose this area because it was a relatively private place, where they wouldn't have the distractions of onlookers around. Truthfully, it was more for Lucy's benefit. Cana didn't especially care if others saw, but Lucy was a little self-conscious about it.
Cana was stretching after the last fight, while Lucy was examining her keys, trying to figure out where she went wrong. Cana looked over at Lucy. "So, Lucy… did you tell anyone about the other day? You know, in the dorm?" Lucy looked uncomfortable. "I said I wouldn't. I guess its no one's business. Including mine." Cana cocked her head. "You know, I realize I've never seen you with a boyfriend. Is there a reason? Or, are you into… girls?" Lucy looked even more uncomfortable, and a little embarrassed. "No, I'm not into girls, I just… Since when do you care so much about my… love life?" Lucy said. Lucy didn't like thinking about that incident. It was mortifying for her. And yet, she had thought about it a few times since, despite herself. Not because she wanted to imagine her friend "getting laid". Actually, she wasn't entirely sure why she was thinking about it. Sex had always seemed taboo to her. Something you don't talk about, and definitely don't do, at least until marriage. Lucy had always felt that was a sensible attitude. Obviously, Cana feels differently. Lucy wasn't sure how to feel about that. Part of her was put off by Cana's brazen sexuality. But another part of her was a little jealous. Not that she would ever admit that.
"Hey, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. Its just that lately you've seemed lonely. And kinda frustrated." Cana replied.
Lucy looked at Cana with an unsure expression. "Lonely and frustrated? Me? No. I have Fairy Tail. I have my spirits."
"Yeah. But Fairy Tail has changed. A lot of things have changed. Not always for the better. Its not exactly the same guild you first walked into months ago." Cana finished, and Lucy absorbed her words. To Cana's surprise, Lucy just shrugged and said, "Yeah, and? That's just the way life is sometimes." She didn't say this sadly, or bitterly. Just matter-of-factly. Cana raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe you're changing too. Not saying it's a bad thing." Cana said. Lucy said nothing. "Look, my point was just that sometimes its good to have a release of sorts, you know?" Cana stated. Lucy looked at her again.
"You mean the kind of 'release' you get with your… boyfriends?" Lucy said, still slightly uncomfortable with the subject. Cana noticed the use of plurality, but it didn't bother her. She shrugged. "Sex can help with that, sometimes. But there are other ways. Actually, I think that might be part of the reason you're so gung-ho to fight lately. Its another type of release." Lucy looked dubiously at Cana.
"Cana, I told you why I want to do this. I'm not a fight junkie like Natsu." Cana held up her hands. "I didn't say you were. I'm just saying, when a lot of bad shit happens, and you have no control over it, sometimes you just want to hit something. At least, I feel that way sometimes. But maybe you're different. In fact, forget I brought it up." Cana looked away from Lucy, suddenly feeling that she might not be the best person to give advice.
Lucy walked closer to Cana. "No, its fine. I know you're just trying to help. And… maybe you did have a point in there." Cana looked back at Lucy. "Look, I know what its like to want to get better, and stronger. To want to improve yourself. That's something I've struggled with." Cana said.
"Oh yeah?" Lucy said, interested.
"Yeah. As a matter of fact, I always…" Cana trailed off. She suddenly looked unsure. "Actually, I'm not sure I want to talk about this right now. Its pretty personal. Maybe some other time. Sorry." Lucy looked a little disappointed, but smiled. "Its okay. You can tell me when you're ready."
Cana smiled back. "I will." The mood lightened a little, even if there was still an undercurrent of unease. The two of them stood there for a moment. Cana put her hands on her hips. "So, are we done for today?" In response, Lucy shook her head, and held up her index finger. "One more, Cana. I'm not done yet."
"Suit yourself." Cana said. Cana moved back further into a good position to start. Lucy moved into position as well. Cana reached for her cards, and Lucy for her keys. Cana pulled a card, but Lucy grabbed her key first. She summoned Cancer the Crab, wielding his scissors. Cana smirked. "You gonna give me a haircut?" She said.
"Maybe." Lucy replied. "Go for a frontal attack!" Lucy ordered. The crab man hesitated for just a second, which was enough time for Cana to launch a card at the ground, which caused the ground near the two of them to erupt, knocking Lucy back. Cancer dodged it though, and charged at Cana. His blades grew considerably larger. Cana summoned a wall of cards to protect herself. Cancer tried to slash through them, though they were magically reinforced. Cana drew three more cards, which would blow him away. Before she could use them, something kicked her leg out from under her, and she fell. When she looked up, she saw Leo/Loke. Lucy had apparently summoned him while Cana was distracted. "I don't like fighting women, but Lucy said she needed me." He explained. "How noble." Cana replied. She then threw the three cars she was holding at Cancer, causing a big, fiery blast in his face. He flew back, and vanished. It was still tough for Lucy to have two spirits at once, and maintaining Cancer after an attack like that while Leo was also there was apparently too much for her. Leo put up his fists, readying an attack. Cana rolled, and quickly gathered another handful of cards. He rushed her. She raised her hand to attack, but he grabbed it. But one card activated anyway, blasting both Cana and Leo with an electric shock. They both fell to the ground.
Lucy looked on, concerned. "Cana, are you badly hurt?" Cana didn't respond. Lucy ran over to check on her. She looked down at Cana, and Leo backed up a little to give her some room. "Cana?" Lucy said. Without warning, Cana tossed a card into the air, which exploded into a blast of ice. Lucy yelped in surprise. Leo rushed to protect Lucy, but forgot to protect himself, getting a blast in the face. He fell. Lucy slowly got up onto one knee. Leo disappeared, while Cana still lay on the ground. Cana turned to look at Lucy. "I might need a minute. Let's call that one a draw." Lucy smiled wearily. "Sure." It was obvious that Lucy wasn't going to get better overnight. But it was a start.
End Notes: I was unsure of how to use Lucy's spirits in this story. I want this story to have a more serious tone than the canon. However, Lucy's spirits often tend to be pretty silly, which made using them in this story difficult without wrecking the tone I'm going for. I eventually decided to tone down the silliness of some of them (like Virgo), and in some cases just not have them talk at that Taurus and Cancer had no dialogue. That was deliberate.