I have finally returned aha, but I'm afraid I won't be able to post as often as before, now it may only be a chapter a week rather than 3 or 4 :/. Thanks everyone for being so patient :) Excited for more of Lucy's training!
~Chapter Eight~
"How long have we been doing this?" Lucy asks, tilting her head to get rid of the pressure building up at the bottom of her neck. Igneel, who was now lying down on the side of the lava pools, just shrugged and hummed to himself. His head was tilted to face Lucy so he could watch her progress. "I have no idea." Lucy's face dropped into a frown. "You mean you haven't kept track?" She sighed and Igneel just grinned to himself, sitting up. "Eh, its just Aysu next, she'll understand." Lucy narrowed her eyes at him before moving towards the edge of the lava pool, she stared at him as she moved to get out. "Aren't you going to look away?" She frowned and Igneel rolled his eyes playfully. "Fine, if I have to." He got up and walked away, his back facing Lucy. "I should hit you for that, pervert." She glared at him.
Once Lucy was dressed again, she walked past Igneel. "So how do we get out of this place?" She asked, staring up at the waterfall coming from the hole they fell through. Igneel smirked and held out his hand for her. "Take a big breath." Lucy took his hand and inhaled as much as she could before he jumped up at an inhuman height, plunging them through the flowing water. They had to swim up to the top of the pool, Lucy's lungs felt sore at how long they had hold onto that one breath of oxygen. At the point of which her lungs felt as though they were being squeezed to breaking point, they made it to the top. She let out a loud gasp, greedily taking in large breaths. Igneel, however, seemed perfectly fine. "You'll get used to it." He gave her a toothy grin while slicking his now wet hair back.
A sharp sigh made Lucy's head snap to face behind her. "You're late." Aysu had a piercing gaze but it was not directed at Lucy, but Igneel. He only shrugged at her harsh look. "Come on, it's only a few minutes." He tried to smile his way out of her anger as both he and Lucy climbed out of the pool. "A few minutes? Try an hour." She huffs, crossing her arms. Igneel smirks at her. "Looks like you'll have to do overtime on your first day." Lucy sighs but nods at Aysu. "Thanks a lot Igneel." She pauses for a moment. She hadn't said something so playful in such a long time that even though it was like a second nature to her, it seemed foreign now. "You're welcome." He laughs before turning to walk away. "Well, she's in your hands now, try not to break her." His chuckle continues as he walks from sight.
Aysu turns to Lucy with a half smile. "I know it's not your fault you're late but you'll still have to make up for it." Lucy smiles back. "That's fine." Aysu nods before leading the pair a little further into the forest towards a large rushing waterfall. The water had a slight purple hue to it, giving it a magical feeling. In fact, the whole land seemed like something out of a fairytale to Lucy. "Since you're already wet from the pools, you won't mind sitting at the bottom of the waterfall." Lucy looked at her with wide eyes. "At the bottom? But-" Aysu narrowed her eyes. "Did I stutter?" Lucy shut up. She knew that to learn at the quickest rate, she would have to follow everything that they told her to do. She nodded and stepped into the still water at the edge before walking towards the large wall of heavy water. She inhaled a large breath before sitting down.
The water felt cold and hard against her back before she placed her head underneath the harsh current. She immediately found it very difficult to stay still under the weight of the water and was pushed onto her back and couldn't get back up. Aysu sighed, unfolding her arms before walking into the water and towards Lucy. She grabbed the blonde's arm and pulled her back up with care. Lucy coughed out the water that filled in her mouth, looking up at Aysu with half closed eyes and an embarrassed frown. "You need to remain calm. Channel all of your energy and strength to your core, keep yourself centered." Lucy nodded but the misbalance of her head caused her to fall forward this time.
Aysu caught her and pushed her back in the current. "Focus! In cases of learning quickly, it's easier to tie powers or elements to emotions. In the case of water, we tie it to calmness. You need to be calm and balanced. This lesson is meditation." Lucy coughed out some more water with heavy breaths. "Okay." She choked out, attempting to straighten her back and align herself with the waterfall. "Now close your eyes." Aysu instructed. Lucy did so but just as her eyes closed, her body swayed ever so slightly and caused her to buckle under the weight yet again.
The time that Aysu had left with Lucy was spent repeating the same pattern of Lucy losing balance and Aysu catching her and pushing her back in place. There were some points that it felt like Lucy would be able to keep her balance but it was a short lived possibility. Aysu seemed to be impressed that Lucy hadn't let her emotions get the best of her. After what seemed to Lucy like the millionth time she had lost her balance to the current, Aysu pulled her back up and out of the waterfall. "Our lesson is over." Lucy knew she should be happy that she has a break but she felt disheartened that she wasn't even able to maintain a steady balance once. Aysu helped Lucy up to her feet, the blonde tired from the heavy weight of her soaked clothes.
Aysu walked the two of them back to the castle, seemingly not caring about the extra weight Lucy had to carry with her. 'Perhaps it's strength training?' Lucy thought as she trudged along behind Aysu. They had only been walking for minutes, but it felt like hours to Lucy; she wasn't used to walking around drenched from head to toe. Much to her ease, they were at the castle gates within another few minutes. Lucy placed her foot ever so slightly in the direction of her bedroom when Aysu turned around. "There is no time. We need to head straight to the others." Lucy sighed internally but followed Aysu to the same room they were in at the morning. She could hear the muttering of conversation and a few hearty laughs from who she suspected was Igneel, Werner and Metalicana.
The doors were already held open for them by two butlers dressed in black, who were waiting for any orders, at the entrance of the room. "Speak of the devil and it will appear." Metalicana smirked as he saw Lucy. Lucy narrowed her eyes at him. "What did you say about me?" Metalicana giggled at her defensiveness. "Nothing actually, it was Igneel." Her eyes snap to Igneel. He could sense she was on edge so he tread lightly. " I was just bragging how great you were on your first lesson. Very few hold potential of moving lava in their first time." Lucy softened her expression and gave him an apologetic smile. "Oh... thank you." Igneel grinned at her before standing to embrace her in a hug.
Lucy gave him a look. "Hey, do you want to stay in wet clothes?" He offered again and Lucy frowned in hesitation before letting him place his arms around her, her arms falling by her side. It wasn't long before she felt the cold water evaporate from her clothes and body, warming her up immediately. He let her go once she was dry and sat back down. "Thanks." She said quickly before sitting down beside Demeter and Grandine yet again. "How were your sessions, Lucy?" Demeter asked in a genuine tone. Lucy gave her a small smile. "They were fine." Demeter nodded. She knew Lucy needed time before she could adjust, it would be foolish of her to expect Lucy to be more open and willing.
"Eat up Lucy, you're training with me next." Demeter gave her an encouraging smile and gestured to Lucy's plate. Lucy nodded and began filling her plate up with food. She was able to eat a lot more than usual, practically wolfing down the food. Her few hours training had really tired her out. Grandine saw Lucy's slightly poor table manners out of the corner of her eye and frowned. "You've had one lesson with Igneel and you already have his table manners." She shook her head with a smile. "Sorry." Lucy spoke between her mouthfuls. "Don't be, you need your energy kid." Donar smirked, his body slouched against a chair, his feet kicked up against the table. She gave him a little smile back.
Demeter sighed at Lucy, clearly not impressed with her behaviour. "We'll need to work on your etiquette but not now. Now, you need to regain energy. Your lessons with me require the majority of your energy and focus." Lucy nodded, attempting to slow down her chewing. Once she was finished, Demeter abruptly stood up, excusing them both from the table. "We shall return in time for supper." Demeter said before Lucy followed her out of the room and to Lucy's bedroom. "First things first. Your clothes." Demeter opened up her bedroom and walked towards her wardrobe. "You'll need to start wearing clothes more suitable." Lucy frowned as she looked down at herself. 'What's wrong with this?' She questioned in her head. Demeter rummaged through her racks before picking out a purple and gold kimono and gold silk shoes. "Put these on." She handed them to Lucy before gently nudging her into the wardrobe and shutting the door behind her.
Lucy huffed at Demeter's lacking of approval at her clothing style but did as she was told and changed. "Are you dressed?" Demeter asked through the door and Lucy replied with a yes. Demeter opened the door and guided Lucy towards the end of the wardrobe where hair accessories and ribbons were and picked out a large gold ribbon which Demeter skillfully tied around Lucy's waist. "There. Now you are wearing appropriate attire." Lucy looked at herself in the mirror. Though she had to admit she thought she looked very pretty and regal, she failed to see how this was more practical. "How-" Demeter seemed to have read her mind and answered her question before she could ask it. "You will be learning ancient arts and so you need to wear more traditional clothing. I would ask you to lose the eyepatch but I think you aren't ready to let go of your 'shield' just yet."
Lucy frowned at her words and was about to ask more questions. "There's no more time for talking, pick up your keys and follow me please." Demeter lead them out of the castle and back into the training grounds. "I hope you are prepared. Your lessons with me are your most important and most taxing." Lucy frowned yet again. She had come to realise that she didn't know what element Demeter used. "What exactly is your element, Demeter?" Demeter smiled at the question and stretched out her arms. A soft golden glow overtook her as she transformed into her dragon form. "I am Demeter; the Celestial Dragon." Lucy felt a sudden connection to Demeter and felt an even larger sense of eagerness for her training.
Back in Fairy Tail, she always felt that her magic was weaker than the others previous from her training alone. Though she had grown stronger in her time alone, she still felt that she wouldn't last in a battle between Natsu or even Grey and certainly not Erza. But now, Demeter was her key to increasing her strength beyond her ex guildmate's abilities.
Demeter smirked at Lucy's awe-stricken silence and sat down in front of her pupil. "Once you are ready, I would like you to summon a spirit of your choosing." Her words breaking the silence brought Lucy out of her daze and she nodded in obedience. She took out her key ring from her belt and flicked through her keys. Her eyes landed immediately on Loki's. He was probably worried sick about her unexpected disappearance, and she was sure that Vulpecula telling him about a dragon would only make him worry tenfold. She unhooked his key and placed it before her. "Gate of Leo the Lion; I summon thee!" A flash of gold burst from the key as a figure appeared beside Lucy.
Within seconds, she felt his embrace suffocate her. "Do you have no idea how worried I was?! You could have died! I wasn't able to force open my gate to come to your rescue." Lucy could see the raw emotion in his eyes and she hugged him tightly. "I was fine really! I have very exciting news but I don't think now is the time to share it." Lucy pulled away from him so that their interaction wouldn't seem rude and ignorant to Demeter, but he clung to her. "Loki." She sighed, pushing him away much to his dismay. "I'm in the middle of a lesson." She said, her eye flickering to Demeter and back to Loki. He turned and was beyond shocked to see a dragon before him. "What-" He was cut off from Demeter. "Young man, I am the Celestial Dragon and I am going to teach your master to become an elemental dragon slayer, but most importantly, she will become the only celestial dragon slayer. She will remain in the dragon realm for as long as it takes for her to master her magic and then some. She will require you and your peer's abilities to help her increase her focus and progress in her training. I hope that answers your questions." Loki could feel his jaw drop from the sudden information.
His head slowly started to nod as he pieced things together in his head. "I think so..." He spoke slowly, still taking time to wrap his head around the situation. He had gone from being overwhelmed with stress and worry for his master to finding out that Lucy would become one of the most powerful mages in history. "Isn't this great Loki?" Lucy smiled at him, trying to break his awkwardness. It worked. He snapped his mouth shut and nodded at Lucy with a large grin. "Of course it is. You'll be receiving the training you dreamed of and we get to help our princess out." Lucy sighed at the nickname and shook her head. "Just Lucy is fine." She muttered. Demeter stopped the interaction. "Loki, Lucy picked you to summon for her first lesson, I hope you wont be a distraction for her." She warned in a stern voice. Loki shook his head, pulling a serious face. "Of course not. I wouldn't stand in the way of Lucy's training." Demeter nodded her head with a slight smile. "Good."
"Our first lesson is going to be about tying yourself to your spirits in a way that is called Star Dress. This is a difficult thing to do for a first lesson but I should warn you that it only gets harder from here." Lucy nodded in understanding. "I want you to hold one end of Loki's key whilst Loki is holding the other." The pair did as they were instructed and stood waiting for another command. "Now, Loki, I want you to channel a small amount of your magic through the key to Lucy. Lucy, I want you to close your eyes and feel Loki's magic enter your system through the key. Can you feel it?" She asked in a soothing voice, knowing that any celestial technique required a lot of focus and so she should speak in a calm tone. Lucy nodded.
"Good. Now I want you to imagine that his magic is flowing through your whole body. It's causing you to change and tap into his magic and abilities. Imagine that you can feel his magic at your feet and in your hands." Lucy tried her best to comply but she found it much to difficult to regain the level of focus and serenity needed to achieve any progress. She didn't know what the outcome of this was but with Demeter's constant demand of repeating, she could tell that she wasn't reaching her goal. She tried to clear her mind enough to focus on expanding Loki's minimal amount of magic across her body but her mind was still a frenzy of anger and sadness.
Lucy didn't keep track of how many times she heard Demeter demand she 'repeat' or how many times she had failed to please Demeter with her failure, so she hadn't realised that the day had come to an end by now. She was pulled out of her mind by the hooting of owls, a noise only occurring at night. Her eyes opened to look at the now black sky. "It's night time." She spoke softly. Demeter nodded, now returned in her human form. Lucy turned her head to face Loki but found he wasn't there. "When did he leave? I could still feel his magic." She frowned, placing her arm down. "Only a few minutes ago, I could see he was losing too much energy so I sent him back. You were concentrating too hard to notice. Though he was still able to channel magic to you through his key from the Spirit Realm." Lucy nodded solemnly.
Demeter sighed and patted her back in a motherly fashion. "Don't be disheartened, it's only your first lesson. You have plenty of time to improve yet." Lucy nodded, not saying anything. Demeter removed her hand and lead them both out of the training grounds. "It is time for supper but I believe you are far too tired to attend. Go and rest. You have another big day tomorrow." She smiled and gestured towards the stairs. Lucy rubbed the back of her neck and nodded again. "Alright." Demeter nodded back. "Goodnight, Lucy." "Goodnight, Demeter."
Lucy dawdled to her room, finally feeling the weight of her eyelids trying to force themselves shut. She closed her door behind her and was much to tired to even attempt to shower or bathe so she just decided to take off her kimono, keys and shoes, changing into night robes from her wardrobe before sinking down underneath her covers. Before she fell asleep, she reflected on the events of that day. She thought that everything would go smoothly and she would make quick progress after her lesson with Igneel but after her embarrassing failures in both Aysu and Demeter's lessons, she felt that she would have to learn to be more patient with her training after all. She hoped that she would be more successful tomorrow.
This took a lot longer than expected, I need to get back into the flow of writing after not for so long :/ again, thank you for being so patient, im sorry for the long wait but recovery took longer than I expected. I'll try to have another chapter out by the end of next week :)