Back with the continuation
"speaking"
""thinking""
On with the story
The port town of Hargeon
The Alvarez Forces have made the town of Hargeon their base, but standing in their way were the combined forces of Lamia Scale and Mermaid Heel
"Ice Make!" Lyon exclaimed as he readied his magic "Titan's feet!"
A giant ice foot came crashing down on the enemy's troops as they were sent flying
"Tenjin no Boreas!" Cheria unleashed a tornado of black wind as the enemies went flying
"Twirl around!" Obaba spins around as her spin attacks hits Alvarez Soldiers one by one
"they're a lot better than we thought!" the soldiers then started forming up as they continued their attack
In the town, Wall was standing on top of a tall building as the Machias was locking on targets from a far
"Lock on!" Wall said as large missiles started appearing beside him "go blow 'em away!"
The missiles fired as they exploded at their designated coordinates
"Kagura-chan! Magic attacks are coming at us from the sky!" Milliana exclaimed to the swordswoman
"Leave them to me!" Kagura exclaimed as she dashed towards the missiles with her swords readied
"Fugutaiten! Sho no Kata!"
All of the missiles were slashed into half in mid air as they exploded in the air
"Amazing as ever!" Cheria praised the swords woman
Kagura then sensed an attack as she swings her sword behind her and managed to block a slash from Dimaria
"Oh! A swift reaction time!" Dimaria praised her before the two backed off each other "and your eastern Kimono is very pretty"
"But." Dimaria said as she lifts her sword up "I'll be staining it in red"
All of the sudden an immense magic pressure was unleashed as everyone felt it
"What is this power?! Such magic power…has frozen the battle field!?" Kagura readied her sword as she can tell that Dimaria is very strong
"Is this one of the infamous Spriggan 12!?""
"You remind me of Randi, I'm going to enjoy toying with you." Dimaria said before Kagura's kimono were shredded into pieces
"What!?" Kagura exclaimed in shock
At Fairy Tail
In the Infirmary
Brandish slowly opened her eyes as she sat up and sees that she was in the guild's infirmary
"Where am I!?" She whipped her head to the side and sees Lucy, Cana and Porlyusica with her
"The infirmary." Lucy replied to her
Brandish then sees that she was still cuffed with the anti magic resistance cuffs
"Sorry, but Master insisted that we leave those on." Lucy told the girl
"Still…we put them on in front cause we felt kinda bad for you." Cana said to Brandish
"What about Marin?" Brandish asked,
"The guy who tried to strangle you to death?" Lucy said
"He sure shocked us! Appearing out of nowhere, but don't worry he's in a cell." Cana told her
"You were on the verge of death, but these two saved you in the nick of time, you should be grateful." Porlyusica told her
"Why did you save me?" Brandish asked them
"Why else? We still have a lot of info to get out of you!" Cana told her
"I won't tell you anything." Brandish retorted
"Even so, we don't want to see anybody die, not even an enemy." Lucy said to her
"You do plan to torture me, though." Brandish replied
"Not at all" Lucy said.
"Unless you want us to?" Cana asked while holding a whip that came out of nowhere
"Cana!" Porlyusica scolded her
"I've shared a bath with you. You don't seem to be an evil person to me." Lucy said with a smile
Brandish looks to her before voicing out. "You want to know about Layla?"
She then raised up her cuffed hands to them as she wanted them off
"Two conditions, first, take these off and second I want to talk to Lucy alone."
"You think you can dictate the terms!?" Cana said with an annoyed glare at Brandish
"It's alright, it's alright Cana." Lucy told the Card Mage
"I'm sorry about this, Porlyusica." Lucy said as Porlyusica and Cana left the infirmary
"I'll undo the binding spell, but the cuff's stay on." The guild medic told her
"If she tries anything, just shout for us!" Cana told her friend as Lucy nodded before turning her attention towards Brandish
A minute of silence passed before Brandish spoke out
"My name is Brandish Ur. My mother's name was Grammi." Brandish then looks to Lucy. "She was one of the servants of your mother, Layla."
"Wha?" Lucy said in disbelief
"When Layla retired as a Celestial Wizard…she relinquished three of her golden keys to her three most trusted servants" Brandish continued to explain
"Capricorn's key went to Zoldeo, Cancer's was given to Spetto."
"Spetto-san?!" Lucy said when she referred to her housemaid
"And to my mother, Grammi…she was given Aquarius's key." Brandish finished her explanation
"My mother really looked up to Layla, and she respected the key, too…she polished it every single day."
"But." Brandish then clenched her fists on the bed sheets as anger started to swell up in her heart. "Layla, your mother betrayed my mother!"
"What did my mother do?" Lucy asked her
"Tell me…who gave you Aquarius's key?" Brandish asked Lucy
"My mother." Lucy replied.
"And why do you think she still had it, if she had already given it away?" Brandish asked her as her face darkens
"Layla came to take the key back and murdered my mother in doing so!"
"Wha? That can't possibly be." Lucy tried to retort but Brandish cuts her off
"You're so naïve." Brandish told her before she lunged herself at Lucy. "You only believe in the world you see!"
The two then fell to the floor as Brandish muffled Lucy's mouth and put her in a body lock
"That naivete makes you too quick to trust people!" Brandish told her as she started to strangle Lucy who was trying to break free
"I have nothing against you personally...but this is the only way I can do this."
"mmmggh! Mgggh!" Lucy tried to break free but Brandish's grip on her was too strong
"The only way to avenge my mother…is to take your life!" Brandish said as tears started to fall down her eyes. "sorry, but…please die!"
Lucy was starting loose air really quick as she was suffocating
But all of a sudden, the spilled water suddenly attacks Brandish and pushes her away from Lucy
"What were you saying about my key?"
A voice spoke as Lucy opened her eyes and sees a long lost to be thought friend
Tears welled up in her eyes as they quiver in joy and sadness
"Aquarius!"
The mermaid in name smiled to Lucy "it's been a while, Lucy" Aquarius told her
Lucy then lunged towards Aquarius as she hugs her and started crying her heart out
"You came back to me, Aquarius!" Lucy said in joy
"No." Aquarius replied. "I can't stay."
"In the year since we parted, a new key to the Water Bearer has been born somewhere in your world." Aquarius explained
"And to celebrate that… actually, it has nothing to do with it, but the Celestial Spirit King has temporarily opened my gate to this world. Meaning that I don't have much time in this world."
Lucy shook her head and smiled to her. "But being able to see you again…means so much to me."
Aquarius smiled back before turning her attention towards Brandish who was looking at her
"Long time no see, Brandish." Aquarius greeted her
"You know each other?" Lucy asked her
"You heard her. Her mother had my key for a while, we used to play together a lot, didn't we Brandish?" Aquarius replied back as Brandish looks to her in the silent
"hey! I asked you a question! Where's your answer, you brat!" Aquarius shouted at Brandish who squeaked in fear
"P-please forgive me, Master…" Brandish apologizes to her
"Master… huh?" Lucy said in confusion
"What a bad girl. You'll never get a boyfriend with that attitude!" Aquarius said as she clamps her hand on Brandish mouth. "Right?!"
"yef mr'rm." Brandish replied muffled
"Since it's been a long time, I'd like to hear you bark again." Aquarius said with a smile as Brandish started making dog barking sound
"There, there! Good doggy!" Aquarius petted Brandish's head as the woman smiled in joy
"Master~" she said before she got slapped by Aquarius
"But that won't get you off the hook!" Aquarius shouted to Brandish who smiled in joy to the slap
"Thank you very much! Master!"
"I have no idea what's going on." Lucy said with a deadpanned voice
"I am your master! And Lucy is my master! Understand what that means, Brandish!?" Aquarius told to Brandish who was kneeling down to her
"yes but…even so…I still…cannot forgive Layla for killing my mother!" Brandish told her
"Lucy isn't Layla, is she?" Aquarius told her before the whole room started to glow
"For that matter, Layla didn't kill Grammi either. The reason why I'm here is to tell you what happened."
The whole room then flashed as Lucy and Brandish were transported to a different area
"well..more "show" than "tell." Aquarius said as Lucy and Brandish were in space and they were mermaids
"What is this!?" Lucy said as she looks at her fish-like tail
"I'm a mermaid!?" Brandish exclaimed before seeing Aquarius in front of them
"Wait! Where are we!?" Lucy said as she didn't have any idea on where they were
"This is Star Memory, an archive of the memories experienced by the Celestial Spirits." Aquarius explained as the three started swimming in space
"You can think of it like dreaming if that's easier, but everything you see here is actually what happened."
They then started to see someone of the distance and sees a woman who was identical to that of Lucy
"Her name is Anna Heartfillia, she's Lucy's distant ancestor. She was a great Celestial Spirit Wizard." Aquarius started explaining
"And this is 4 centuries ago, the Black Wizard, Dragons, and Celestial Spirit wizards developed a plan and put it into operation."
"Zeref?!" "Emperor Spriggan?" Lucy and Brandish exclaimed in shock
"That plan was to send warriors into the future to battle Acnologia."
They then see the Eclipse gate coming into view
"To accomplish this, they created Eclipse. One of the Celestial Magic."
"Anna opened the door…and generation after generation of the Heartfillia family watched over it until it was to be opened once more."
"What does that mean?" Lucy asked Aquarius
"Normally you need a celestial wizard at both the entrance and the exit of the Eclipse door, without them, you get accidents like what happened at the GMG." Aquarius replied to her
"Your family knew the door would need to be opened at some point in the future, and so they decided to wait patiently guarded it for hundreds of years." Aquarius continued explaining as they started swimming in the space
"And when it was time to open the gate, it was on Layla's generation to open it."
They then see Layla coming into view as she was standing in front of the Eclipse gate
"To open the door, you need 12 golden Zodiac keys in order for the gate to be opened, Layla managed to get Cancer's and Capricorn's keys but not mine."
The scene changed to that where we see Brandish as a child with her mother
"Grammi had already crossed to the western continent and could not be reached. So, Layla made up for the missing key by sacrificing her own life force and managed to open the gate."
"But that…" Brandish said in disbelief
"As a result, the Eclipse gate worked and Anna entered into the future." Aquarius said as they see four shooting stars flying away and Anna walking out of the gate
"And as for Layla." Aquarius continued her explanation as they now see Layla on a bed with a sick and tired look. "She paid the price and fell ill."
"Words finally came to Grammi seven days later."
The scene then changes where they see Grammi visiting Layla
"Layla-sama, how can I ever apologize enough?" Grammi asked in a voice of regret and sadness
"Please! There is nothing to apologize for, Grammi." Layla told her friend
"I am not fit to possess this key." Grammi said as she pulls out Aquarius's keys. "Please let me return this to you.."
"I can't use Celestial Magic anymore…" Layla told her a bit weakly
"Then give it to Lucy-sama!" Grammi told her. "I'm sure she'll follow your footsteps and become a fine Celestial Spirit Wizard!"
Brandish looks in disbelieve as all this time, what she thought was wrong.
"The mission of my family, passed through the generations was opening the Eclipse Gate, that ended with me. I want my daughter to have the freedom I did not have." Layla told Grammi
"Oh tell me, is Brandish happy and healthy?" Layla asked her
"Yes, very much so…but I imagine that she will miss Aquarius a bit." Grammi replied to her
"She's about the same age as Lucy, right?" Layla asked as Grammi nodded
"Yes, next time I come; I'll bring her with me." Grammi told her
"I hope they become friends." Layla said to Grammi who nodded with a smile
"I'm sure they will!"
"As close as us?" Layla asked
"Layla-sama! I would never presume.." Grammi said to her
"No, I've always considered you a good friend, Grammi!" Layla told her
"Layla-sama…"
The scene then changed as they see Grammi walking away from the Heartfillia manor with grieve in her heart
ZWORSH!
As she walks away, she felt pain seeping on her back as she was pierced with a dagger by Zoldeo
"Mother!" Brandish gasped in shock
"It's your fault." Zoldeo said in tears. "You did this to Layla-sama! Because of you, she!"
"Zoldeo-san" Grammi looks to her old friend as she gives him a weak smile
"Stop!" Brandish shouted out
"Yes…it is my fault…I should pay the price." Grammi said with tears in her eyes
"You've killed Layla-sama…you…!" Zoldeo shouted
"I have…one request….Zoldeo-san." Grammi told him. "Please…don't hurt my daughter…..promise me you won't…take it out on Brandish…I will give up my life for what I've done…so please honor my dying request."
"Aaaahhhh." Zoldeo backs away as reality finally hits him on what he has done
"MOTHER!" Brandish shouted out in tears before she was embraced by Lucy as they were back in the infirmary
"Can't you and I be friends? Like our mothers were?" Lucy said to her as she hugs her
Aquarius smiled as Layla's and Grammi's wish were granted
"Lucy there's one thing I need to tell you.." Aquarius said before the door to the infirmary was slammed open as Max, Nab, Ultear came in while carrying Natsu on a stretcher
"put him there!" Porlyusica came in as she looked gravely worried
"everyone?" Lucy looks to them as her eyes widen in shock when she sees Natsu all beaten up but the one thing that shocked her was the black claws which was once Natsu's hands "Natsu?!"
"how is he!?" Cana and Makarov came in as the whole guild was in quite a commotion
"huh? Why are you here?" Cana said as she was surprised to see the Celestial Spirit again
"explanation later" Aquarius replied as Porlyusica runs some test on Natsu as her face went gravely worried
"there's no heartbeat…" Porlyusica spoke as her face was in shock and so was the rest
"what do you mean!?" Ultear exclaimed as she leaned into her husband's chest to hear his heartbeat
Nothing
Her eyes widen in shock as Natsu's heart wasn't beating at all
"Natsu!? Natsu?!" Ultear shook Natsu as she was afraid that he had passed away on their way to the guild "please wake up! Natsu!"
No response as Natsu was motionless on the bed
"he's gone…." Porylusica said as she looks away with her eyes closed
Ultear's eyes teared up as her tears slides down her cheeks endlessly
Southern of Fiore
In the battle for Hargeon's liberation
Mermaid Heel and Lamia Scale were forced to retreat as the Alvarez' forces were too many
In the base camp
"What a force! I've never seen the likes of this!" Lyon said as he looks at the laid-out map
"We can't even get close to the town." Cheria added in
Kagura was sitting in her tent with a stern look on her face
"Kagura-chan? Are you alright?" Milliana asked the swordswoman who remembered her humiliation that Dimaria made her go through
"I am not right at all." Kagura replied
"Suppose not." Milliana said with a sweat drop as some of the men were goggling at Kagura before scramming away from Risley
"The hell you perverts are looking!?" the chubby woman shouted out
Northern of Fiore
The combined forces of Sabertooth and Blue Pegasus were also forced to retreat by the god of death, Bloodman who mowed down their forces with ease
"We've taken too many causalities." Sting said while he and his comrades were sitting around a campfire
"They have too many troops." Lector added
"Fro thinks so too." Frosch said
"But we have to stop them!" Rogue told them
"Yes." Yukino said with a nod
At Fairy Tail
Lucy and Aquarius were at the roof of the guild as Brandish had been escorted back to her cell
Ultear was being comforted by Ur as she was devasted from the loss of her husband
Lucy had tears still falling down her cheeks as she had lost a friend
"I'm sorry for her lost" Aquarius said in condolence to Natsu's death
Lucy nodded as she wipes off some of her tears but they keep on pouring down
"Lucy." Aquarius called out to her. "Remember when I said that my key is reborn?"
Lucy nodded while wiping away some of her tears. "Sure."
"That key is somewhere in this world." Aquarius told her. "It may be in Ishgal, or in Alakasita or maybe in another continent other than the two."
"I can't give you any hints so.." Aquarius said before Lucy finished her sentence
"I know." Lucy told her. "I'm going to find you! You're one of my best friends after all!"
Aquarius smiled back before she started to glow
"thank you…I look forward to that day." Aquarius said before she teleported back to the Celestial Spirit world
Lucy smiled before she looks towards the setting sun as her tears keep pouring
""we will make sure to win this war, Natsu"" Lucy looks at the sinking sun as she paid respect to her passed friend ""I promise""
Behind the shadows was Meredy as she put on a hooded cloak as her eyes were filled with hatred
Eastern of Fiore
As the two sides went onto the retreat on their battle
In the eastern location, a battle was drawing to a close
Jura and the rest of the Four Heavenly King has fallen as God Serene stood victoriously
"is this the best the four of you can do? I'm very disappointed" God Serena said smugly "guess being a wizard saint doesn't count much, huh?"
"Not..possible." Hyberion said in disbelieve
"How…p-powerful!" Wolfheim looks in shock as God Serena's power surpassed that of the four of them
"we…could not stand a chance." Jura said as he tried to get up.
"Mavis…" Warrod called out to his old friend as he had tears in his eyes. "I wish…I could have seen…your smile…one last time."
"I'll start off with you, Warrod" God Serena said as he looks at Warrod with a smirk "God bye bye"
"Yuri…..Precht….i'm coming to join you"
Mavis sensed something dreading her heart as a bad feeling was rising in her heart
"Warrod!?"
That's a wrap!
Bye bye