Woah, I didn't expect people to even read this never mind to like it so much XD thank you so much for the lovely reviews! You guys are making me blush! XD
~Chapter 3~
Blinking her eyes open, Lucy's body woke herself up for a reason unknown to her. She expected the sun to have woken her this morning, but she was met with a dark room, only illuminated by the street lamp outside her window. She groaned, turning over to try and go back to sleep but jolted. She held her hand to her heart, in order to calm it down. Loke had forced his gate open at the first chance he had and evidently laid down next to her. She stared at his sleeping face, trying to make out his peaceful features with a dim light. She could eventually see his shut eyes and his nostrils flaring in his sleep, she glanced down to his lips, which were rested in a small smile. Lucy returned it. She never knew how he was able to look so content all the time.
She had been staring at his smile for so long that she didn't notice his eyes were now open. "Like what you see, Princess?" He chuckled softly, Lucy playfully slapped his arm. "Shut up." She glared with a smile before sighing. "You didn't have to force your gate open." Lucy looked up at him with a frown, worried about his weak state. "You need to rest." Loke rolled his eyes at his master's words. "I know I didn't have to, I wanted to." His smile grew wider and he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You know that we're all here for you. You're not alone." Lucy nodded, tears prickling her eyes. She knew that she could always depend on her spirits but it still crushed her to lose such a large family she had learned to love with all her heart. "Thank you." She sniffled, wiping away her unfallen tears.
Loke gave her a smile in return. Lucy groaned, stretching her limbs before getting out of bed. "Well I'm up now so I might as well start." Loke followed her lead, standing up off the bed. She sighed solemnly, knowing she'd miss her comfy apartment dearly. Loke placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "I'll see if Virgo will store most of it in the Spirit Realm." Lucy sighed, opening up her wardrobe at the realisation that she couldn't possibly carry all of it. Loke nodded, helping Virgo place all of Lucy's items in the Spirit realm (except for the essentials) once she was summoned. Lucy picked out the clothing and items she required for carrying and let Virgo take the rest. Pretty soon it was completed, Virgo leaving with a bow while Loke stayed.
Lucy had already packed food, water, clothes and camping equipment in a rucksack after changing into a comfortable set of clothes and shoes. She opted for a loose grey hoodie, black sweatpants and black hiking boots. She placed on her belt, attaching her money and keys, also slipping her gloves on her hands. She was stood at the door now, looking back at her now empty apartment. So many memories were created in those four walls, so much laughter, sadness, fear and love was held in each of the rooms but now they couldn't even be classed as memories, only ghosts. She gave one last stare, a heartbroken smile and a soft wave before she shut the door behind her, venturing on for a new future.
/
She made it to the train station alone, finally being stubborn enough to make Loke go back and rest instead of accompanying her. In all honesty, she didn't know where she should go, or could go or had to go. She tried to think strategically but her mind went blank. She hadn't really paid much attention to her surroundings on her missions, leaving that up to Erza in the past or just not bothering in more recent events. She knew she'd have to ask someone for a place that suited her plans.
"Hello miss, how can I help you today?" A friendly employee asked her, greeting her with a beaming smile and crinkled eyelids. Lucy relaxed a bit, placing a hand on the desk. "Hi, I'm looking for a place with a lot, like a ton, of foliage or even mountains." She paused but saw no shift in the woman's expression. "Where would I find a place like that?" The woman's smile dropped in thought for a few moments before her eyes opened wide, revealing two bright blue eyes. "Well, you'd want to take the train to Clover Town, it's a very mountainous area." Lucy thanked her and promptly paid for a ticket to Clover Town.
Lucy waved goodbye to the helpful woman and set off to wait for her oncoming train. As she walked away from the desk, she did not notice the woman's eyes shift from the blue to a mismatch of purple and gold. "No, thank you, Lucy Heartfilia." She grinned slightly, moving away from the desk and from sight.
Lucy finally got onto her train and sat into an empty seat, placing her rucksack next to her as she stared out of the window. She could feel the train's engine humming through a vibration in her seat. Just as the train began to move, a hooded figure stood opposite her. "Do you mind if I sit with you? All the other compartments are taken." The voice was soft and feminine. Lucy nodded but still kept weary of the mysterious person sat directly opposite from her.
It had been roughly an hour on the train and the silence was just as awkward now as it was at the beginning. Lucy shifted uncomfortably, trying to concentrate on the scenery outside of the tracks. Another few minutes had passed before Lucy felt like she couldn't take the silence anymore. "Awkward, isn't it?" The person beat her to it, as though reading her mind. Lucy stared at them, baffled. "Yes... Where are you headed?" Lucy asked, pausing her sentence to look the stranger up and down. She couldn't really see anything other than a long, black, hooded cloak and a singular strand of grey hair that had fallen out of the confines of the hood. The stranger lifted their head up, revealing a smile. "The same as you, Clover Town."
Lucy narrowed her eyes at them. "How did you know?" They chuckled softly. "Your ticket is in the pocket of your rucksack." Lucy turned and saw that her ticket was indeed poking out from the side of her rucksack. Lucky. She thought, turning her head away again. "Might I ask why you are headed to Clover Town?" The voice spoke again, somehow even softer, as though they didn't want to scare her away. Lucy was hesitant to answer but complied anyway. "I'm going to train up in the mountains. What about you? Why are you going to Clover Town?" The person chuckled again.
"I'm meeting someone." Lucy gave a stiff nod and turned a third time to the window. "Forgive my rudeness, but why are you training? Do you feel that you are...weak?" Lucy snapped her head towards the person but they were gone. She gasped, clutching her keys out of fear. "I'm not weak." Lucy whispered to herself, her head hanging low as she felt tears rise to her eyes. She blinked the tears away, huffing in slight anger. Unknown to Lucy, the person was stood outside the booth with a deep smile. "Hmm you may not believe your strength now but soon enough you will be the strongest mage known to man." They whisked away quickly, leaving Lucy on her own for the rest of her travels.
Roughly 5 hours later, the train pulled into Clover Town. Lucy sighed in relief, swinging her bag over her shoulder and setting off the train, glad to finally stretch her legs and back from the long train ride. She immediately saw the large mountains in the distance, grinning as she began her hike towards finding her camp. She summoned Plue for some comfort as she began walking through the town first before eventually reaching the outskirts of the forest. Lucy groaned as she realised just how large the forest and mountains were- which were great for her circumstances- but not so great to walk through. Plue wobbled in front of her and panted, obviously tired from the walk through the town. She smiled down at him, giving him a hug before sending him back to the Spirit Realm.
It had been almost 2 hours of walking until Lucy came across a large clearing. It reminded of her of the two contracts she was still yet to make. She walked towards the clearing, detaching her newly attained silver keys. She stood straight, holding out Lyra's key first. "I Open thee, Gate of the Falling Eagle; Lyra!" She felt her magic surge into the key, a bright light flashing before her as her new spirit was revealed. Lyra was almost twice the height of Lucy, she could tell before he was fully revealed. Once the light dimmed, her jaw dropped in awe at her new spirit. He was a very majestic and beautiful creature. His feathers were a blend of gold and brown, his under feathers a bright white. His eyes were a dark brown, matching the colour of his large and sharp talons. His beak was long and was such a bright yellow it could have been mistook as gold, though it was bore with scars across the top. He seemed like an ordinary eagle, except for his size and golden anklets with his constellation around his legs.
"Hi! I'm Lucy Heartfilia, I'm honoured to make your acquaintance, Lyra." She bowed before him, determined that was the appropriate thing to do. Lyra chuckled at her actions. "You do not need to bow, you are to be my master, not the other way round." Lucy felt her cheeks heat up from embarrassment. "Of course." She smiled, scratching the back of her neck. "My ability is the use of Wing magic and Light magic. I am available to your service every day of the week." Lucy nodded, taking in the new information quickly. "Thank you, I'm looking forward to working with you." She gave him a toothy grin. "As am I, I've heard a lot of good things about you Master." Lucy shook her head. "Please call me Lucy." She insisted. "Of course, Lucy." They both shared a smile before Lucy returned Lyra back to the Spirit Realm.
Lucy placed Lyra's key back onto her keychain before placing Vulpecula's before her. "I Open thee, Gate of the Little Fox; Vulpecula!" She yelled, another bright light before her. As the light dimmed, what was stood there was a slightly larger than average fox. Her fur was a brilliant red, her tail almost the same length as her body with the tip full of gold fur. Her eyes were a soft blue, co ordinating with her blue anklets with her constellation. She was jumping up and down. "A new master! I'm so excited!" She grinned, racing towards Lucy. "Oh you're so pretty too! I can't wait to work with you Master! It's been so long since I was on the field!" She cried, circling Lucy with gratefulness. Lucy giggled at her antics, patting her head as she finally sat down before her, her tail wagging behind her rapidly. "I'm excited to work with you too Vulpecula." Lucy smiled, scratching her ear and watching her whine happily into her hand. "You're so nice! And sweet! And pretty!" Vulpecula stood up again and began jumping around. Lucy shook her head. She could tell that her newest spirit was full of energy, she must have been cooped up in the Spirit Realm too long. "What days are you free?" Lucy asked her, causing the fox to stop and turn to Lucy obediently. "I'm free every day you need Master! I can use Light magic, Fire magic and I can shapeshift into a human form." She tilted her head up, flashing a toothy grin. "That's great." Lucy gave her the praise she was expecting. "But please, call me Lucy." Vulpecula nodded rapidly. "Of course, Lucy." Lucy smiled at her before sending her back to the Spirit Realm and placing her key back onto her keychain.
She made her way out of the clearing, continuing on to the mountains. It wasn't long before she felt a key begin to vibrate and swing against her leg, glowing brightly. She looked down in concern, seeing it was Vulpecula's key. Fearing for the worst, she summoned her. The fox appeared before her with a breathless grin. Lucy gave her a quick look over her body. "What's wrong?" She asked as she looked over her spirit but saw she wasn't harmed. Vulpecula looked down with shyness. "Well, it's been ever so long since I had a master... I've been so alone all this time... I was wondering if I could walk with you?" Lucy shook her head, chuckling at the adorable fox. "Of course you can." Vulpecula perked up, her tail wagging as they started walking again.
Within an hour, the two had come across a large cave. "Perfect." Lucy's eyes lit up at her findings, Vulpecula racing ahead of her into the cave. "I'll go in first, I need to make sure it's safe before you enter." Lucy rolled her eyes at her overprotectiveness but let her do it anyways. As Vulpecula got further into the cave, her body began to glow a bright red to illuminate the dark walls. The light soon disappeared deep into the cave, worrying Lucy with her disappearance. "Vulpecula?" Lucy called out, hoping she was safe. The minutes went by and the sun began to set. Lucy frowned, her concern growing with each passing second. Enough was enough. Lucy headed into the cave, set to find her newest spirit.
She could barely see anything in front of her, placing her hands out in front of her in case she walked into any walls. "Vulpecula?" She called out again, hoping to find her red lit body. She walked in deeper, not giving up. It wasn't until she turned what seemed to be a corner that she saw Vulpecula's glowing body running towards her. Lucy smiled at the sight of her spirit but it immediately flipped at Vulpecula's fearful face. "What's the matter? What did you find?" She asked, petting her head to comfort her and calm her. "We must leave Lucy!" She yelled, nudging Lucy to the direction of the exit. "Why?" She stood still, much to the dismay of Vulpecula. "There's a monster in here! I couldn't see what it was but it's quite large and powerful!" She shook with fear, pushing against Lucy, desperate to get her out of the cave.
Lucy stared into the darkness, her eyes squinting. "Are you sure? I don't-" Lucy was interrupted by the ground shaking, knocking her off her feet and onto the ground. "What is that?" She gasped, the creature getting closer. Vulpecula whined, grabbing Lucy's rucksack with her teeth and dragging Lucy along with it. "I don't know and I don't think we should find out!" She cowered, running for the exit of the cave. Lucy stood up and ran herself, the monster copied them and began running towards them at a much faster pace. The ground shook as it raced, knocking the two off balance. "We're almost there." Lucy encouraged her spirit, but just as they could escape the cave, the monster had leapt over their heads and blocked off the exit to the cave. The pair were knocked off their feet when it landed, both having no choice but to stare at the creature in terror and awe.
The sunset glow was reflecting off it's large body, outlining it's midnight blue scales. It had two very large purple horns poking out from each side of it's head, smaller horns running down the middle of it's back. It's underbelly was a mix of green and gold scales, contrasting to the rest of it's dark scales. It's tail was long and the same colour as the rest of it's body, however the end of it's tail ended with white scales. Similar to it's tail, it's head was mainly blue with a stripe of white scales in the middle of it's head. The beast was a sight to behold but Lucy could only stare at it's eyes. It's beautiful and familiar mismatched gold and purple eyes. Before Lucy had time to recognise those eyes, the beast let out a mighty roar upon the two.
The raw mixture of shock and fear was enough to cause Lucy to fall back, losing consciousness. After all, it's not everyday that you stumble across a dragon.
Whoop whoop another chapter down! You can probably already put two and two together on who the stranger and dragon are. XD I'm not very subtle. Gonna be honest, I finished half of this chapter whilst eating ice cream XD. Pretty excited to start chapter four though! Thank you for reading :)