Lucy supposed that the little area Algieba had led them to wasn't so bad. It was quite cute, even, with a small, ancient fountain made of stone. There was enough space to leave their mounts safely secured to the fountain, where they began to drink happily, and even a few iron tables around to sit at.
Which is how Lucy found herself seated in an iron chair with Happy purring in her lap, across from Algieba. Gray was at her side, just as he'd been since Natsu had lost his faith in her, and she appreciated it immensely. Jellal, as calm as ever, was on her other side with Erza standing at his shoulder, refusing to sit with a hand resting on the hilt of the sword she'd left at her hip. Had she not traveled such distances with Erza before, Lucy might have thought her merely uncomfortable; she now knew it was simply the valkyrie being ready for the danger they could sense that was out and about.
Algieba lifted his chin slightly, and Lucy wasn't surprised by the bit of hostility that resided in his gaze when he commented, "You didn't wish to speak with me so dearly the last time you visited our humble village."
Lucy winced. "You have our apologies," she said, kicking Gray in the shin when he snorted in disagreement. She didn't fully mean what she said either, but they needed information. "We were stressed, Algieba. We were on a mission, and it didn't end up going as well as we planned anyways. You have my full attention now, I promise."
Algieba didn't look as if he believed her, but he accepted the apology with a small incline of his head. He clasped his hands in his lap and furrowed his brow in thought. "You wish to know more about Acnologia and my mother?"
"More specifically, what Acnologia's motivations might have been during the Demonic Wars," supplied Jellal thoughtfully, startling Lucy. He'd been rather quiet since they'd entered the town, not uttering so much as a sound.
Algieba paused, tapping his fingers thoughtfully on his thigh. Finally, he said slowly, "I cannot say I know entirely...not when I was unable to meet with Anna from the day she left. I hear she ended up in a village that the Fire Dragon King burned to the ground, however, and perished at his claws."
His gaze slid skyward, a flicker of something crossing through his gaze, before he focused back on Lucy. "I did, however, hear that Acnologia's alliance with the demons was unexpected, seeing as every other dragon was on the opposite side of the Wars."
Lucy bit back a frustrated groan, although she heard Gray huff in agitation beside her. Erza merely hummed as she considered this information. "Why was his alliance unexpected, Algieba?" she asked curtly.
"Because he was a Guardian of Keys." His gaze flicked to Erza, confused. "Were you not aware of this? A Guardian cannot be made from someone who cares nothing for the lives of others; the magic will not allow it. Sadly, the same does not go for a Keeper; Anna proved as much. I believe you are aware of this as well, Keeper of Visions."
Lucy looked to Jellal for guidance, and the Keeper of Visions stiffened. "Yes. More so than other Keepers," he admitted with bitterness. When Lucy and Gray looked at him with confusion, he clarified in a quiet, nearly numb tone. "My hands are not clean of crimson," he said simply. "When stars fall, they do not control their path, nor the devastation that follows something falling at such a speed. Several died when I fell from the night sky, and it was an intentional decision I made. I knew it would happen."
Lucy felt a little ill at the idea. Sure, her situation was different. She'd been stolen from the heavens; she'd not fallen. She certainly hoped that went for that matter, too. She wasn't sure she could handle finding out she'd killed other people.
A memory flickered through her head and her gut churned, nausea rising as she remembered how the ghoul's head had sounded upon striking the earth. She remembered the warmth of its blood on her skin, the way it had stuck for weeks afterward. She shivered at the memory and shoved it away.
Now was not the time to remember such things, she thought to herself.
She was briefly distracted when something fell over the bond she shared with Natsu; something dark and film-inducing. It sent chills up her spine and it took everything in her to not react, even as Happy stared sharply at her with wide blue eyes, fur bristling.
Erza noticed, and leaned over to murmur, "Lucy?"
"Sorry, Natsu just...I think he's passed out," muttered Lucy, troubled, rubbing the back of her neck anxiously. "It's...it's fine. He's not hurt or anything." She shook it off. Focus. She needed to focus, pay attention to details. Not worry about whatever her partner was up to.
"So what does him being Guardian have to do with his alliance?" said Gray sharply, annoyed.
Algieba's lips quirked and he glanced skyward again, thoughtful. "Ah, yes. When have you ever seen a Guardian or Keeper participate in a war? When have you ever seen a Guardian disregard human life as Acnologia now does? I'm not sure how he escaped the magic that comes with the position. Perhaps when my mother died, the magic shifted. But no other Guardian or Keeper has ever participated in a war."
Lucy clamped her mouth shut. Not true. She almost spat the words out, remembering Igneel and Layla, remembering how Natsu intended to become Guardian. At least, he had intended to at some point. She was no longer sure about that.
"Mm," hummed Jellal, neither confirming nor denying what Algieba said. It took Lucy a good moment to realize that his body was swaying, that he looked pale beneath the cloth that hid his eyes. He'd had a vision, she realized. No. He was in the process of having one, whatever the Fates decided having not been enough the first time. He rose to his feet suddenly and Erza, fairly quiet, tensed in preparation as his mouth opened and closed several times, muscles occasionally locking.
Silence filled the otherwise empty air as they waited. Finally, Jellal nearly collapsed back into his chair, heaving for air and looking incredibly ill. Erza scrambled to fetch some water from their packs, and Gray chose to keep an eye on Algieba as Lucy gently prompted, nervous, "Jellal? Are you okay?"
He flinched, as if her words hurt his ears. She clamped her mouth shut, anxious. "Yes," he rasped at long last, his hands scrubbing down his hidden face. "Yes, I just...ah, Erza, would you make a patrol around the village?" he requested when she returned, pressing the container into his hands. He sipped at it just to keep her from saying anything.
"Of course," she said immediately, though she hesitated to leave him until he offered a faint but pointed smile. Go. She darted off, a pair of wicked looking knives in her hands, to investigate the small village.
"Was that a vision?" asked Algieba rather curiously.
"None of your business," snapped Gray. "Just...keep talking so we can get to an inn and he can sleep or something."
Algieba frowned at his rudeness, but nodded nonetheless, and continued where he'd left off, his voice quick and precise. Lucy only watched him closely and frowned when once more, he looked to the sky.
Rubbing his temples, Natsu pretended to not notice the stares that were pointedly thrown his way on occasion, a storm of temper rising in his chest the longer it happened. He fully acknowledged that he'd outright vanished for the last two or three months, that the guild was likely aware something had happened when Lucy had left for Death's Jaws without him. But he didn't want to necessarily have them all prying into his business.
He was pleased to find that his magic had recovered with shocking speed, although he credited part of that recovery to Porlyusica, who had shown up out of nowhere and apparently scared the hell out of a distressed Juvia. Juvia hadn't known what to do with him when he'd passed out, but had pleaded with the annoyed Porlyusica until she'd shoved some kind of potion down his throat - one he could still taste, even as evening fell.
Natsu felt a flicker of uncertainty and confused concern race through his veins. He frowned at nothing in particular, confused by the emotions running rampant through his blood as Juvia dropped into the seat to his left and planted some food in front of him. He ignored Mira, who was hovering nearby. There was a pinched, nosey expression he didn't like on her face. She wanted to come and speak with him about something or another. He hoped she didn't. He was liable to snap at her right now, when he really just wished he knew what was making Lucy so nervous despite having Erza there for company.
"Everything alright, Natsu?" asked Juvia softly. "Are you ready to Portal to the village you mentioned tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, rubbing his chest desperately again. Why he was telling Juvia such things was beyond him, but he didn't really care at the moment. "Just...Lucy's being weird." He made a face. "She's nervous about something and I can't tell what. It's annoying."
Juvia giggled and said in a friendly manner, "Hopefully we'll find out soon." Her voice was soothing, enough so that he dragged his food closer and began digging in. Apparently, Mirajane took that as permission to approach, because within seconds she was on the other side of the portion of the bar they sat at, concerned.
"Where have you been?" she demanded. "We summoned you for three meetings - the regular monthly ones at that - and you weren't here."
Natsu paused mid-chew and gave her a blank stare, not at all impressed with the fact that this is what she'd interrupted him for. His onyx eyes narrowed as he glared at her, silently indicating she should go away. He wasn't in the mood - not with Lucy's concern suddenly spiking, as she worried about something he didn't know about. But Mirajane didn't back down, and he snapped, "Around. And I wasn't here for the meetings to begin with, so don't start with that."
Her eyes flashed. "We received reports of a dragon sighting - one that was big and red, Natsu. Makarov and Gildarts are working themselves to the bone to keep the Council out of this."
Natsu admittedly felt a little guilty about that. The spell was, after all, illegal, and it wouldn't be hard to figure out who'd summoned the spirit of the Fire Dragon King. "Yeah, well, what a coincidence." He shoved an irritable bite of food into his mouth and growled when she slapped a hand onto the bar, furious.
"I don't care what's going on between you and Lucy. I don't care why you're avoiding one another like the plague. But the moment you start doing illegal spells, Natsu," she lowered her voice when mentioning such things, not wanting to bring it to everyone's attention, "you bring the guild into it. And as a member of Makarov's personal council, you make our guild look as if it dabbles in black magic."
Natsu shoved his food away and opened his mouth to make a very sharp, angry retort, but clamped it shut when a soft call of his voice drew his attention away from the equally startled Mirajane. Juvia, who'd been awkwardly silent and refusing to take part in the argument, twisted to look, too.
Natsu was shocked to find none other than Asuka and her mother standing a few feet away. Asuka clutched Bisca's hand, looking pale and refusing to meet anyone's eyes. Bisca looked worried, perhaps a few minutes away from dragging her daughter into her arms and solving whatever problem her daughter had found for herself.
Just as quickly as the angry look had been plastered on his face, Natsu forced a toothy grin to his face. He'd always liked Asuka, had found her more enjoyable than most of the guild members. He'd even played with her here or there, protecting her while her parents went out for the day. Then again, he'd always been fond of children for some reason he'd never been able to explain. He thought now that it might be something to do with the black and white view of the world Igneel had mentioned.
For children were brutally honest, whereas adults smoothed things over with pretty, ugly words.
"Hello, Asuka," chirped Mirajane as if she'd not just been snarling at him. He threw her a scowl. "What can we do for you?" Her gaze darted to Bisca, questioning.
Shoving a hand through her messy green hair, Bisca frowned and said in her soft drawl, "Asuka said that she has something to tell Natsu...but she's also mentioned that it's a secret someone asked her to keep - a secret she couldn't tell anyone. But apparently, she also promised Natsu that she'd never keep a secret from him. I wouldn't have bothered you, Natsu," she added with a nervous look in his direction. "I know you've been busy with something, and that you and Lucy are in the middle of something bad, but...she can't sleep. Whatever it is has given her bad nightmares, where she says people are dying."
Natsu frowned deeply, not liking that at all. Sliding from his seat, he meandered over to them and dropped into a crouch before the now teary-eyed Asuka. He braced his elbows on his knees and cocked his head. "What secret are you keeping, Asuka?"
For just a moment, another scene played in his mind. Where he knelt before a golden-haired girl's bedside as she sobbed in fear for getting in trouble, the smell of poison heavy in his nostrils. He felt a twist of discomfort and shoved the memory...vision...whatever it was away.
Asuka released Bisca's hand to wipe at her eyes, gaze darting this way and that. Bisca retreated to give them space, and Juvia and Mirajane found something to talk about, even as they watched out of the corner of their eyes. After a shaken whimper, Asuka said, "It's about...it's about Lucy. But Momma said you were fighting with Lucy, so I didn't want to make you madder at her than you are."
Natsu felt something like dread curdle in his gut. "It's okay. I wouldn't get mad at you, no matter what." He ignored Bisca's wide-eyed stare, knowing that those around him had likely not been noting just how much he liked interacting with Asuka - without knowing that for some reason, he knew precisely how to handle her tantrums, her laughter, everything about the child.
It did lift the question as to how he knew so much about being around a young girl though.
"Promise?" whispered Asuka.
"Promise," Natsu echoed with confidence.
Asuka averted her eyes and began fidgeting with her hands. "There was a man. I was playing outside the house, and he stopped by to ask about Lucy. He...he had a big purple snake that he showed me. The snake was nice!" she added, eyes briefly lighting with joy at the memory. "I got to pet her and she didn't bite me or anything."
Natsu thought Bisca had never looked as horrified as she did in that moment. "What did the man ask?" he prompted, fighting the wariness crawling through him. He'd worry about what to do after he had all the information.
"Nothing fun." She pouted lightly. "He asked about her last name, and who her friends were. He asked where she lived and where she was and-" She frowned. "He asked a lot of questions. And he used a Portal when he was done!" She threw her hands out in a dramatic motion. "A weird one!"
Something in his chest froze over. He felt Lucy's tired confusion flash through him as she paused in her own worries to focus on him before moving on. He tried to brush it lightly, hating the way her entire soul seemed to flinch away as if he'd burned her. He moved on from it, however, keeping his attention on Asuka.
"What did the man look like?" asked Natsu, noting how Mirajane had stopped bothering to not listen, caution in her eyes, as if she was guessing about something he didn't know about. "He had a big purple snake, but what else?"
Asuka thought it over. "Taller than you. He had spiky hair."
"Asuka," broke in Mirajane softly, her voice hard. "This man...did he have fangs like Natsu?"
Asuka was startled enough to stare at Natsu for help. He opened his mouth and showed her his teeth. She nodded after a moment. "Bigger than Natsu's," she added, frowning. "Is...is he a bad man?" Frantic fear filled her eyes with tears. "Is...is he gonna hurt Lucy? He told me not to tell anyone. He said that I could pet his snake again if I didn't. But he said it'd be easy to get Lucy when I told him Natsu was here and she was gone."
Smoke curled from his mouth as he snapped his head around to stare at Mirajane, who was now wearing a mask of horror. "Mira," he barked, ruffling Asuka's hair and thanking her a moment later. Bisca smiled weakly and gathered her daughter to her in a tight hug, keeping half of her attention on them, too. "What is it?"
"The snake was enough, I suppose...you'd know if you'd come to our meetings," she said accusingly, and Natsu merely glowered until she admitted, "There's been sightings of some odd people around Magnolia. A man with a purple snake here, a woman with silver hair there. Six or so, I believe. There's been more thieving and we even had reports of a kidnapping. A daughter of a wealthy family went missing and turned up dead outside of Hargeon."
It was the wrong thing to say, for Asuka burst into tears nearby, horrified.
Natsu clenched his jaw. "He can Portal, whoever he is."
"We need to leave. Now." Juvia rose to her feet, desperate. "Is Makarov in his office?"
"With Gildarts," confirmed Mirajane, and Juvia darted away, to go and speak with him. Natsu found his feet itching to race after her, but returned his attention to Asuka.
He reached out and ruffled her dark hair fondly, cracking a faint, crooked grin. "We'll get Lucy in time," he promised, and Asuka sniffled nervously. "You did the right thing, letting us know, okay? And if you see the man with the snake again, scream for your parents or for someone you know. We'll get there as fast as we can." He doubted the man would go near Asuka after this, having gotten what he wanted, but it was best to be certain.
Asuka nodded and Bisca threw him a grateful look before gathering her daughter to her chest in a tight hug, murmuring to her. Natsu left them like that and straightened to his feet. He could hear utters of curiosity echoing around the guildhall, people staring at him. He ignored them all and took a deep breath, then let it out in a large rush.
And then he sank back. Back, and back, and back.
Images flickered through his head as blood touched his tongue, making his stomach churn. He could see a familiar village, and another creature that was even more familiar. Whatever Lucy was doing, she was currently checking on Salutem, although her hands had stilled as he stole her sight from her. And when he was sure things were alright - at least for the time being - he pulled away.
He wiped black from his nose, smearing it on the back of his hand and focusing on the reluctant confusion that entered his soul. He crashed into it with his own warning of danger like an angry ocean wave being thrown around by a storm. She recoiled in alarm, and he latched his talons in, holding her there. Listen to me! he demanded silently, urging her to ignore their discomfort and uncertainty.
"Your Keeper is not the only one who can see what the Fates offer...and I look forward to seeing you become like me when you lose her because of your own stupidity."
No. Natsu would not let himself become like Acnologia, and he would most certainly not let Lucy be lost because he'd reacted so badly to something that hadn't even happened yet.
He felt Lucy cautiously slide along his soul, seeking answers, and he shoved his messy emotional turmoil at her as hard as he could until she understood: she was in danger. She and everyone else who was with her.
For just a moment, it was like nothing had gone wrong. Like they were back before Loke's trial. She brushed her soul against his, searing warmth creeping through him where she touched and gratitude evident. And then she was gone again, focused on what she was doing.
Natsu bared his teeth in a savage grin and went to find Freed.
Some drama picking back up! And I bet everyone can guess who's about to show up. ;) I very much look forward to hearing what you all think of the next few chapters, as well as one of my favorite mythics ever that will be showing up soon!
Thanks to reviewers (XxCelestialAssassinxX, Meow Orbit, AthomeinFairytail, Sele de la Luna, TigerArrowgirl, stranger1999, Guest #1, Bookwork129, Uchida Akira, nerdalertwarning, PersephoneQOTU, BetaDreamer, valerioux, FairyTailxFanGirl, Lissuin, BeautifulSamurai, Lodemai04, itsxoi, Kisa7221, Guest #2, Kaisha, X, madaraswife, zizi08, and Sydneste!) as well as those who favorited and followed!
