Enjoy! Announcement at the end

CHAPTER 16

All was silent in the forest except for the hulking iron dragon slayer making his way towards the little cottage in the woods.

Over his shoulder he carried a rather sullen looking fire dragon slayer.

'Can't believe I'm doin' this. Bunny Girl you owe me big time.'

As Gajeel walked under a low hanging tree, he hiked Natsu up higher onto his shoulder and got the slightest satisfaction when he heard Natsu's back scrape across the rough bark of the branches.

Still, outside of a small grunt, the despondent slayer showed no reaction.

Even more irritated now, Gajeel lumbered forward quickly, relieved to see Natsu's home appear through the thick foliage up ahead.

He made his way inside and his nose curled at the stench and clutter. 'Seriously, how the hell did this idiot get two babes like Lucy and Lisanna to fall for him?!' he thought to himself.

Slightly disgusted, he proceeded to drop the slayer onto his hammock where it swung precariously close to dropping the miserable boy onto the floor.

Gajeel took a seat on one of the only clean spots on the sofa and faced his guildmate.

Silence filled the space between them as Natsu simply stared at the ceiling and Gajeel simply stared at Natsu.

Annoyed and ultimately fed up with the whole situation, Gajeel broke the silence with a deep growl.

"Will ya quit mopin' already?!"

When he got no answer, Gajeel stood and began to make his way to the door. He didn't have time for this. He had better things to do. Like go and find Levy.

"What if you're right?" Natsu's raspy whisper stopped him right as he reached the door, and he turned to find Natsu's eyes on him.

"Like you said. She could be dead right now. And it would be all my…" Natsu's jaw clenched, his eyes slammed shut. The words hurt, and he couldn't seem to get them out.

'It's all my fault'

"Why'd you do it." Gajeel countered.

Natsu opened his eyes again. "Do what?"

"Why'd you abandon her?"

"I would never abandon Lucy." he growled.

Gajeel crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"Except you did." he retorted.

"You stopped bein' her friend. And I wanna know why."

Natsu grew quiet. He knew why. But to tell someone else, Gajeel of all people...

But, he was so tired. And looking at lug nuts, under his angry and somewhat guarded expression, he could see he was tired too. He didn't understand why the normally closed off man cared so much, but he didn't have the energy to bluff anymore. Lucy wasn't there anymore. 'What's the point?'

"I was…scared."

If Gajeel was surprised, he didn't show it. He simply remained quiet and let him get his thoughts together.

Natsu swallowed hard. He figured he may as well tell him what went down in Clover Town.

"Do you remember when Lis got hurt on that mission with Lucy a while ago?" Man, that felt like a lifetime ago now. 'And I didn't notice she was gone all that time'. Looking up he noticed Gajeel nodding his head.

"Well, I said some pretty mean things to Luce…" Natsu felt his gut twist painfully.

"F-fuck. That's an understatement. I let all my anger out on her. I-I told her she was weak. I told her she was a failure."

Natsu grabbed his hair and let out a groan.

"But I was just so angry. I was angry a-at myself for letting them get hurt-I shoulda been there Gajeel! I shoulda protected them. But I didn't and Lis almost died cuz of it."

"And I was angry at Lucy for leavin' the team. She didn't even talk to me about it first! I thought I was her partner! But she just…she just gave it all up!"

Natsu's heated eyes flashed amber for the briefest moment and Gajeel's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"How could she do that!? How could she just throw our friendship away like it was nothing?! How could she leave us?!" he shouted.

"Cool it Salamander." Gajeel snapped.

"So what if she didn't wanna be partners anymore? You're an idiot if you thought that meant she wanted to stop being your friend." Gajeel retorted.

Natsu looked away. The strange glow was gone as quickly as it came, and his eyes were back to the dark onyx chips they usually were as he fumed silently.

"It's not the same." he growled.

"Natsu, how do you really feel about Lucy?"

"And none of that she was my best friend bullshit." he added on quickly.

Natsu looked at him, stumped.

"But she is…er..w-was my best friend." he winced at the correction.

Gajeel let out a sigh, annoyed.

"Okay, well what about your dragon? How does he feel about Bunny Girl?"

"…eh?" Natsu looked at Gajeel, confused.

"Don't play stupid with me Salamander. Your dragon." he snapped.

"…"

"You're shitting me, right?" Gajeel chuckled humorlessly, equal parts amazed and annoyed.

"You're telling me Igneel never talked to you about your dragon?! That's a load of bull!"

Somewhat defensive, Natsu thought really hard back to his time with Igneel. Along with the usual longing and grief that now accompanied those memories, he vaguely remembered Igneel explaining what Natsu had deemed at the time, the 'boring' aspect of dragon slayer magic. Can you blame him though? He was only like ten.

"He told me…my magic would come from a certain part of me. That everything about me would change so I could use dragon magic. And that that part of me would be more dragon than human" he said slowly.

"So, he….mighta mentioned it." Natsu finished sheepishly.

"But I didn't know it had feelings. I thought it was just my dragon instincts and stuff. What's it matter anyways?!"

"Because you idiot, I think your dragon chose Bunny Girl!" Gajeel snapped.

"Eh? Chose Lucy for what?"

Gajeel closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I cannot believe I gotta be the one to have this talk with you." he groaned.

'If I ever meet you Igneel, I swear to the gods...' Gajeel threatened silently.

He took a deep breath before jumping into the lesson Igneel should've taught his pupil.

"When we became dragon slayers, almost everything about us changed. Our skin, our teeth, our senses...even our souls." Gajeel said gravely.

"The soul is the most important thing though. Dragon slayer magic forces it to split and form two separate but connected pieces. It's a small piece, we're born human after all, but still, it's there."

Natsu nodded slowly.

"I think that's what Igneel told me. But I still don't get what that's got to do with Lucy." he frowned.

"Calm down, I'm getting to that." he grumbled.

"Look, I don't know how much Igneel told you about this, but, when dragons reach full maturity, they'll go out and find a mate during breeding season."

Natsu nodded.

"There's nothin' really special about it, instincts lead dragons to choose mates that are compatible and will produce even stronger offspring. Sometimes mates form a bond and stay together or, once their hatchlings are born, they could separate and choose new mates during the next breeding cycle."

Gajeel hesitated.

"But it's different for us."

"Metallicana didn't really go into a whole lotta details, but basically, our human side makes shit more complicated. We don't get mates. We get beloveds. Our dragon side can choose a partner, but unless our human side completely agrees with the choice, we won't claim them. The same goes for our dragon, if the human side of us chooses somebody that our dragon doesn't agree with, our dragon'll fight us every step of the way."

Natsu's head tilted to the side.

"Claim?" Natsu asked curiously.

At that, Gajeel's eartips tinged an adorable red. Thankfully covered by his this mane of hair. 'Seriously, why me?' he thought.

"Ya know, relationships and all that. Kids, a future together, stuff like that." he rambled.

That was as deep as the iron slayer was willing to go. Natsu was just gonna have to figure out how deep that bond went for himself...

"Oh, and once you claim a beloved, you won't be able to move on to somebody else until that person dies." Gajeel added on.

Natsu grew quiet and Gajeel could almost see the old cogs in the flame idiot's mind slowly grinding away as he thought about everything he said.

"So…"

His eyes widened and it would've been comical if not for the dire circumstances.
"You think…y-you think that my dragon picked Lucy to be my beloved!?"

Gajeel snorted.

"Whaddya know, there is a brain up there."

Natsu ignored the snide remark, too shocked by Gajeel's outlandish theory.

"B-but that's crazy! This is Lucy we're talkin' about!"

Gajeel's eyebrow arched.

"And? She's smokin' hot, smart, kind, and willingly put up with your annoying ass. If you ask me, she was too good for you anyway." Gajeel sneered, offended for his sister at the disbelieving tone Natsu was using.

Natsu flinched.

"You think I don't know that?" he snapped.

Gajeel blinked in surprise.

"She was nakama, s-she couldn't be my mate, or beloved or whatever!"

"And I know Lucy. She wants a guy like in those books she's always reading. She wants prince charming you know? Not…me." Natsu finished quietly. He didn't know why, but he felt immensely uncomfortable thinking about this, damn near motion sickness kinda bad.

Before Gajeel could respond, there was a timid knock at the door.

Thankful for the distraction, Natsu brought his nose to the air and picked up the scent of jasmine, mint and just a hint of vanilla. He stiffened before letting out a small sigh.

"C'mon in Wendy."

The door opened and in walked the little sky dragon slayer. Natsu watched her approach wearily. He was in no shape to fight her if she decided to attack him again.

So he was surprised when she marched up to him and wrapped her arms around his torso before burying her face in his chest. Shocked, he felt his muscles lock into place, unsure how to go about her new attitude and scared he might say or do the wrong thing again.

"I-I'm so sorry Natsu!" she wailed.

He blinked a couple times in disbelief before slowly unfreezing. His muscles relaxed in her hold as he brought a hand up to pat her gently on the head. Jeez, this kid…she was something.

"There's nothin' to be sorry about. Hell, I should be thanking you for telling me the truth when no one else would." he laughed shakily.

But she shook her head viciously and he smiled a little when one of her ponytails brushed across his chin.

"No! Even if I'm mad at you, I shouldn't have attacked you like that! I should've just talked to you." she sniffled. He felt his chest grow wet as her tears finally fell, and he frowned.

"S-seeing you fight Gray and Erza and Gajeel w-was terrible a-and it w-was all my f-f-fault!" she continued to sob.

When he finally made out what the poor girl was saying through all her crying, he felt fresh guilt tossed onto the pile of a seemingly endless heap of regret and sorrow.

He frowned as he wrapped his arm around her in a brotherly hug.

"No Wendy. No one's to blame for that except me. I definitely shoulda handled that better. Don't you dare blame yourself, ya hear?"

It took a minute, but her sobs gradually slowed to sniffles and he gave her another pat on the head in comfort.

"Really, it's okay. I know how important Luce is-" he coughed before correcting himself.

"Er, was to you."

Natsu swallowed hard. He didn't think he'd ever get used to the acknowledgement that Lucy was no longer his guildmate.

Wendy pulled back to look at him in confusion.

"What do you mean was? I'll always care for her! A-and Lucy's gonna come back! She wouldn't just leave us for good." she stated.

The little dragonette looked him head on with tear tracks down her cheeks and determination shining in her puffy, red-rimmed eyes. It reminded him so much of himself when Igneel left, absolute certainty he would see him again. But…

Natsu looked away.

"I don't know about that." he murmured.

"I didn't think she'd ever leave in the first place, but here we are…" he mumbled darkly.

Tears forgotten, Wendy tore herself out of his arms.

"Don't say that!" she yelled.

"Wendy, I-"

"How can you just give up on her so easily!? Y-you're supposed to be her best friend! You're supposed to look out for her!"

"…"

"I'm just, I'm so tired. I'm tired of everyone I care about leaving. She didn't even come to me Wen. She just…left."

A small iron club came down on his head and he grunted in pain before bending over, his head still pounding from his earlier injuries.

"Natsu!" Wendy shouted, worry clear in her voice. She turned to pout at the iron dragon slayer before turning back to the pinkette.

"Here, at least let me start healing your wounds." Her hands began to glow, but her words went practically unheard as Natsu and Gajeel continued to shout over her.

"What the hell was that for rust bucket?!"

"I just told you that girl might be your beloved and you got the nerve to doubt her?! Have some faith in her for cryin' out loud! That's one of the reasons she left ain't it?" Gajeel snapped.

At his words, Natsu hung his head in shame. He really was a failure. Even now, he continued to let Lucy down.

Wendy gasped. "So, it's true?! Lucy is your beloved?"

"No!" Natsu snapped. He saw her recoil from him slightly, and he gentled his tone apologetically.

"No. I didn't…I don't like Lucy like that." he said.

Gajeel snorted before Natsu turned his glare back to him.

"I don't!"

"Then why are you so mad she left?"
"She's family!"

"You burned. Down. The guildhall."

Natsu flinched again. "And?"

"Gihi. Well, ya didn't set the guild on fire when Laxus left. He's family too ain't he?"

"It's not the same." he snarled.

"And why not?"

"It just isn't okay!" he roared.

"….."

It was deathly quiet then. A little embarrassed at his outburst, Natsu looked away from the shit-eating grin on that smug bastard's face.

"You can deny it all you want Salamander, but-"

"There's nothing to deny." he said firmly.

Gajeel let out a growl of frustration at his stubbornness.

"Then reject her." he snapped. He'd had it up to here with the attitude, and clearly the flame brain only responded to threats.

Natsu leaned back, eyes guarded.

"Whaddya mean?"
"I told you earlier. I'm almost certain your dragon chose Lucy. It might even explain your crazy outburst at the guild." he shrugged before his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"So, if you really don't care about Lucy that way, then tell your dragon you reject its choice." he growled.

Natsu opened his mouth to do just that.

"Once you do, there's no going back. You won't be able to choose her again. Ever. Your dragon won't let you. You'll be forced to find somebody else. Understand?" Gajeel rumbled.

And like that, his jaw slammed shut with a resounding click. Natsu clenched his teeth. His mind instantly shrunk away from the idea.

But why?

Sure, he knew Lucy was special to him. He didn't need his so-called 'dragon' to tell him that. After everything they went through together in just the short time they'd known each other and all the times he fought to keep her safe, of course he cared for her.

But he didn't wanna be with her. Not like that…right?

The concept was too strange. Too…unbelievable. Especially now when he knew how much his words must've hurt her. But the thought of losing her for good, it made his chest ache and his gut twist.

He let out a growl before flopping back on his hammock.

"Exactly." Gajeel said smugly.

Before Natsu could respond, Wendy let out a quick sigh.

"There. All done. How do you feel Natsu?"

Natsu blinked in surprise. He was so caught up in his thoughts and the annoying fucktard that was Gajeel, that he didn't even realize his aches and pains had all but melted away.

"Whoa, Wendy. That was super-fast!"

She giggled. "Well then, I guess Mrs. Porlyusica's training paid off." she said happily.

Her eyes suddenly cast downward and a frown tugged at her lips.

"Natsu, are you gonna try to find Lucy?"

He baulked.

Its like all his fears from the past few months chose that exact moment to bombard him. 'Does she want to be found? What if she rejects us? What if she hates us?What if she's already...' His racing thoughts came to a grinding halt. He refused to finish that last one.

So, as hard as it was, he forced all his worries to the back of his mind. None of it was doing him any good now anyways.

Should he try to find her?

Everything in him screamed YES. The empty feeling that formed in his chest that morning commanded it. Like he'd told her before she left, she was Lucy of Fairy Tail, and the guild was clearly suffering without her. He needed to bring her home, the sooner the better. Beloved or not, he needed to go after her and keep her safe. And for a second, he almost felt like his old self again, determined and ready to face any danger head on to protect his nakama. He turned to Wendy, and he could feel the beginning of his signature grin starting to take over his face.

"Ye-"

"NO." Gajeel boomed.

Both Natsu and Wendy turned to look at the dark man as if he had a screw loose.

"Whaddya mean no?! Of course, I'm gonna go find her! I gotta bring her home metal mouth!"

"This ain't about you or what you want, it's about her."

His words wiped the grin right off of Natsu's face.

"And if she wanted you to follow her, she wouldn't have left the way she did. She woulda told you. Or left you a note. Or somethin'." Gajeel continued

"I don't know why you suddenly care so much about Lucy, especially after what you did to her in the past, but you don't know her like I do!" Natsu shouted.

His words hit Gajeel like a blow and Natsu immediately regretted them at the twinge of hurt on his fellow slayer's face, but he was too angry to take the words back.

"I'm goin' after her and you can't stop me." he growled.

Natsu turned to the little sky dragonette.

"You comin' with me Wendy?"

She looked between the two male wizards she probably admired more than anyone else. They were like her older brothers. They watched out for her and she knew she could go to either of them if she ever had questions about her magic or the physical changes that came with it.

Grandeeney never told her much about beloveds, just that one day, she might find somebody that both her human side and her dragon side would want to be with and that she should treasure that person.

She looked to Gajeel. Under the little girl's steady gaze, he felt his eyes soften slightly.

"Gajeel, you know how important beloveds are. If you really think Lucy could be Natsu's then, I owe it to him to help find her. Plus, Lucy's like a sister to me and I-I miss her so much."

"But she doesn't want this Wendy." Gajeel replied. "You said it yourself earlier. Lucy will come back. We just gotta be patient." he rumbled.

"You said she might already be dead." Natsu interjected bluntly even as he winced at his own words, and Gajeel and Wendy stiffened.

Gajeel turned toward the pinkette with a heated glare.

"I didn't mean that! I just needed somethin' to get through your thick skull." he countered.

He looked at Natsu with distrust in his eyes. "And I wanted you to hurt for what you've done to her." he snapped back.

Natsu's eyes hardened.

"Well...it worked. So, I can't rest until I know that she's somewhere safe."

"No, I'm calling bullshit. This has got nothin' to do with Bunny's safety. If it did, you would already be out searching for her, not sitting here lookin' miserable. No, this is because you're scared. You're scared that she won't want to come back. That she's abandoned you. And you wanna drag her back here just so you can feel better."

Natsu growled low in his throat.

"Quit actin' like you know anything, because you don't! Of course, I care if Lucy's safe! I need her to be safe." Gajeel watched his eyes take on that glow again and it only pissed him off more because he knew there was nothing, he could really do to stop him.

"You know what? Fine. Try to go looking for her. She's been gone for months. You have no trail. No leads. Nothin'. But Wendy stay's here."

"But I-" Wendy tried to interrupt.

"No but's. You've been away for months and the guild's missed ya like crazy. You really wanna leave them again? Or do you wanna actually have a little faith in your nakama and let Bunny Girl come back in her own time?"

Conflicted, Wendy stared between the two. Both made good points. And she cared for both of them deeply. 'This isn't fair!' she thought sadly.

Natsu broke the tense silence.

"It's okay Wendy. Gajeel's right. You've been gone for too long and the guild's missed you a lot. Plus, Lucy'd never forgive me if I let you get hurt lookin' for her." He cracked a strained smile and Wendy could practically read his thoughts. 'Lucy might not forgive him regardless.'

Whimpering, she couldn't help but run back over to the fire mage and wrap him up in another hug.

"She'll forgive you Natsu. I have no doubt in my mind that she will."

Natsu hugged her back and buried his face in her dark blue hair. The smell of medicinal mint and jasmine tickled his nose, but he couldn't bring himself to move away.

"Thanks Wendy."

She pulled away slightly to look up at him with a rather stern expression. "But don't you ever hurt her like this again. Beloved or not. Promise me."

Caught off guard, Natsu stuttered. "I-I promise."

Gajeel let out another snort.

"Whatever. I'm done here. You got a lotta thinkin' to do Salamander and I'm sure Makarov and the rest of the guild are just itchin' to get their hands on you. Gihi. Guess I'll see you at the guild tomorrow."

He turned to leave but paused right as he got to the door.

"Oh, and if I were you, I'd try to reach out to my dragon side. He could probably tell you a thing or two. See ya."

Wendy finally released him to follow the iron dragon slayer out.

"Promise you won't leave before coming to the guild tomorrow?"

He frowned but knew it had to be done. "I promise. Will you watch Happy for me tonight?" Wendy gave a sad smile and nodded. "Bye Natsu!" she called out before running after Gajeel.

And with that, the two slayers left Natsu alone in his empty cottage with nothing but his clutter and his depressing thoughts.

IN THE DOMUS CAELESTIS

"C'mooonn! We've gone over the incantation a million times already. When do I actually get to try it?"

"Soon Lucy, but we have to be cautious."

It's been a couple days since Loke agreed to let me try the Grand Celestial Spells. And after my morning meditation session, I felt ready to finally try it. But for whatever the reason, he was refusing.

"Urano Metria is arguably the strongest Grand Celestial Spell. Even casting it here in the Domus Caelestis could drain all your magic power. You'll pass out from magic depletion and-"

"And possibly lose months in the real world. I know, I know, but I'm ready Loke! I can feel it!" I unleash the saddest puppy dog eyes I have in my arsenal and watch as his resolve begins to crumble. 'Hehehe' my evil self-cackles in victory.

He looks torn. 'Now's my chance. I almost have him! I-'

Water dumps over my head.

I let out a screech of surprise before leaping away from the wet sensation. My surprise soon morphs into anger as I glare at the beautiful mermaid responsible.

"Stop whining brat."

"What the hell-?!"

"If Loke says you're not ready, you're not ready." Aquarius snaps, cutting off my complaint.

I look over at her in surprise. Since when does she agree with anything Loke has to say?

Reluctantly, I turn back to my lion spirit. Seeing the worry clear on his face, I begin to feel the tiniest inkling of guilt.

"I-I'm sorry." I pout.

"I know I need to be careful. I just…I'm ready to learn more. And I get the risks. So, what's the hold up?"

For a moment he is silent, before his shoulders hunch in defeat and Loke lets out a massive sigh.

"That's the problem. There isn't any hold up."

I look at him confused.

"…eh?"

"It's only been a few days and you've already perfected the incantation! You've mastered the Star Dresses faster than practically every other celestial mage to date! And you're not the first to learn them in the Domus Caelestis either. I'm worried you're learning too fast. I-"

He looked away.

"I don't want you to burn out because I pushed you too far or I didn't notice the signs…"

I'm shocked. I knew the Star Dresses had come to me relatively easy but all I really did was focus on the unique relationships I share with all my spirits. Not to mention the Domus Caelestis allowing me to train way more efficiently than I would ever be able to on Earthland.

And I figured I picked up the Urano Metria incantation because I'd already had it subconsciously downloaded into my brain thanks to Hibiki. Still…

"I'll make you a deal."

Loke looks back up at me.

"If I blackout from the spell…I'll leave the Domus Caelestis. I'll let you take me back to Earthland."

His eyes widen.

"BUT." I quickly add.

"IF I succeed, no more doubting me. No more holding me back. I came here to train my ass off and that's what I'm gonna do!"

He looks at the blonde in front of him. Like, really looks at her and he feels his chest tighten.

Beneath the forever night sky, her wet blonde locks appear almost silver under the vibrant starlight. He finds the gleam of confidence lighting up her dark eyes suits her well. Her chin is thrust forward defiantly, her stance strong. She looked radiant. She looked…happy.

"Well? Do we have a deal Loke?" I ask, impatient for his response.

The slightly irked tone of my voice is what seems to snap him out of his trance. His fluffy orange ears lower in embarrassment at his rather uncouth gawking.

"O-okay." he stutters.

He clears his throat and tries to ignore the knowing look in that damned mermaid's eyes. He holds his hand out and I grasp it firmly.

"You've got a deal Princess."

I look over at Aquarius and although her features are scrunched up with disdain, I see the tiniest glimmer of pride in her eyes before she's gone in a flash of light and stardust.

"Why' d she leave?"

Loke shrugs. "Why does Aquarius do anything?"

I nod my head in agreement. Point taken.

Little did they know, Aquarius was quite confident Lucy would pull the spell off and she was slightly worried the blonde would seek revenge and aim it at her, especially after dumping water over her head. So, she bailed. She refused to give the brat the satisfaction.

"Go ahead and get in position."

I look down at my soaked clothes and I pout.

Pulling out a key, I hold it to my chest.

"Star Dress: Leo!"

I look down at the fancy cocktail dress, and using a small amount of Regulus power, I quickly dry the water from my skin. I reach up and pull the fancy bun down and allow my hair to fall loosely around my shoulders. The wet strands stick to my skin, but I decide not to waste anymore magic on trying to dry them. For a brief second, I can't help but think of a certain pinkette with a goofy smile, and how he could dry himself instantly with his flames. The reciprocating pain in my chest is more than enough to get me to push the thought away and I look up to see Loke staring at me intently.

"You sure about this Lucy?"

"Loke." I said warningly.

He sighs again. "Fine."

He squints off into the distance before pointing. "I want you to use that tree as your target."

I look to where his finger is indicating and nod at the large tree. It's not hard to miss. It was ginormous, its branches towering over the other trees surrounding it, but it was still a good half a mile away.

"Okay, this is it. Go ahead whenever you're ready. I'll be right behind you if you need me."

I begin to close my eyes.

"A-and Princess?"

With a jolt, I turn to look at him.

"I do believe in you. You got this."

The warmth in his eyes pulls forth a little bubble of happiness in my chest and some of the weight I'd been carrying lifts off my shoulders. 'So he does have faith in me…' I think to myself joyfully. It was exactly what I needed to hear.

I turn around again, feeling twice as determined to pull this off.

Allowing my eyes to close once more, I reach for my magic and a small smirk tugs my lips as it responds almost eagerly to my summons. As I allow it to build under my fingertips, I can't help but notice how much it's grown since I first arrived. What used to be paltry strands of golden thread now simply feels like I'm being showered in golden light.

And I can feel it. This is my power.

The Domus Caelestis may help me replenish it after I cast the spell, but I knew if I left this realm today, I would have just as much magic power at my disposal back in Earthland.

It's exhilarating! Damn near intoxicating.

My nerves practically sing at the unbelievable feeling of my magic continuing to build and flow around me.

Still, despite how amazing it all feels, I force myself to take a deep breath and focus, before beginning to recite the ancient incantation.

Survey the Heaven, Open the Heaven...
All the stars, far and wide...

My eyes remain closed but somehow, I can feel the planets in the night sky beginning to shift. I don't need Loke to tell me that the stars have begun to pulse. The thrilling sensation of their icy heat races through my body every time they grow brighter.

Show me thy appearance...
With such shine.

The stars begin to move, sucked in by the force of the orbiting planets, they shoot off across the sky, as if fired from a cannon, each one blazing a sparkling path through the night. All the while, I can feel a tremendous pressure begin to build in the air.

O Tetrabiblos...
I am the ruler of the stars...
Aspect became complete...

Building and building…

The brilliance of the universe, it presses down on me as I continue to force it all to converge onto one spot…

Open thy malevolent gate.
O 88 Stars of the heaven...

Finally, I open my eyes and zero in on the enormous tree before me. The pressure has reached its peak.

Shine!
Urano Metria!

It's like a dam breaking. Better yet, like a volcano erupting.

The all-encompassing pressure and my newfound magic leave me in one tumultuous rush and all I can do is watch as the celestial bodies of the starry sky begin to fall upon the tree and engulf the world in blinding light. I can feel my body succumbing to the telltale signs of magic depletion as my vision goes blurry and my head spins.

'I did it…' is my last thought before everything suddenly goes dark.

AN: I know, this chapter took forever, but I'm at a point in the story where I have multiple paths I can take and picking one has been super hard for me. Also, classes have started again with a vengeance and I've been crazy busy. Im taking over 20 credits this semester so I expect my schedule to be pretty packed. Still, with every chapter I just love this story more and more and i don't see myself stopping anytime soon, even if it takes me a while to update. I hope you all understand and I can't thank you guys enough for all of your support and encouragement up to this point.

So what did you guys think? I'm dying to get your thoughts on Gajeel and Natsu's chat as well as Lucy's progress. I look forward to reading all of your critiques and theories. Expect for things to pick up by the next chapter. I had originally planned for a confrontation between two characters in this chapter but decided to push it back. Sorry don't hate me! And no, I can't say between who lol. Also, if the concept of beloveds is confusing to anyone, let me know in the review section and I'll try to clear up any questions about it.

I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe and I hope my story can at least provide you all a brief reprieve from the shit storm currently taking place in the world right now. Until next time!