October 31st, x777
Celestina City
7:00 PM
The small city of Celestina was home to Celestial Magic which excited Lucy to no end. She was standing on holy grounds and on Halloween night no less. The stars were finally aligned in her favor. Lucy bounced across the street as she took in the sights. Spirits spanning the different constellations were walking alongside humans.
In the holiday spirit, The Celestial Mage gave her keys the option of celebrating the night to their heart's content. Taurus took her offer with glee in his heart. The opportunity to see beautiful women in costumes was too good for him to refuse. Capricorn and Virgo offered to watch over the golden bull. Sagittarius took the chance to display his refined archery in some of the marksmen games with Libra in tow. The Scales spirit mentioned something about balancing potential cheating. Crux disappeared when Capricorn mentioned the history collection stored in the city's library. Aries said she wasn't too keen on wandering the streets alone, so the ram stayed close to her master. Aquarius was the only one who turned down her offer. The water bearer threatened Lucy before returning to the Spirit World.
Of course, Lucy had no means of maintaining their gate simultaneously, so she had to remind them of this. They were allowed to spend the entire night celebrating to their heart's content. If trouble arises, then they were to aid the civilians to safety and alert Lucy of the situation. From there, either Lucy or Sting would rush to their side.
"I thought were here to look for another spirit." Sting raised an eyebrow. The dragonslayer wore a turquoise vest with a white long-sleeved shirt underneath, coupled with dark cream pants and brown bucket-top boots. He also had a belt with a mini satchel attached to his side.
"We are. Crux said someone's gate was opened within this city, so we'll need to keep our eyes open for Loke, Gemini, and Pisces." Lucy answer. As for her costume, she donned a purple-themed dress with baby pink accents. The dress consisted of a lavender corset top laced with a pink ribbon. The skirt is decorated purple with swirling and floral designs in pink, dark purple, and white. Her sleeves at the top are short, puffed, and striped with pink and lavender. The rest of her sleeve was colored light pink. "Besides, it's Halloween night. Aren't you excited?! Spirits are in our world!"
"Meh, this is more of your thing." Sting gave a nonchalant shrug. "I like some of your spirits, but I ain't gonna buy a key any time soon."
"Well, I heard they are serving dishes that can only be found in the celestial world," Aries spoke up and immediately gained Sting's interest. "I'm sure some of the stands are serving our cuisines."
"Okay new game plan,-"
"No, Wiess," Lucy sweatdropped. The mischief in his eyes gave away his true intentions. "You are not ditching us for food."
"What?! My stomach was the reason we found that damn bull." He countered, sounding slightly offended by her remark.
"Yeah, and your stomach was the reason why we burn through jewels like coal on a train!"
The thought of a locomotive was enough to churn the dragonslayer's stomach. The light mage crumbled underneath the weight of his sickness. Slightly annoyed, Lucy did her best to help him walk as they navigated the streets of Celestina. It was a beautifully lit city. The decorations favored the twelve golden gates heavily. The trick-or-treaters wore costumes inspired by the zodiacs. Some of the parents went along with festivities and wore couple-inspired outfits. There were the occasional Virgo and Leo pairing or the common Scorpio and Aries wife and husband combination. Lucy was almost grateful Aquarius chose to stay in the Spirit World.
"He-Hey Rebecca, I don't know if Leo and the others are actually here," Aries quietly said as they watched a Pisces version of the traditional dragon dance. Half of the performs wore an all-white attire with matching face paint while the other half wore a midnight black outfits and the darkest possible makeup.
"It's a shame," Lucy let out a heavy sigh before scratching the back of her neck. "Crux is usually right about these kinds of things. I thought at least Loke or Gemini would enjoy the holiday. It's not every day you get a full moon on Halloween night."
"I know the Twins are known for their pranks," The pink ram muttered, trying her best to be helpful. "But, there hasn't been too much chaos tonight, so I'm not entirely convinced they're roaming the streets. Leo is a notorious flirt, so our best chance of finding him is at a bar."
"That's true. I thought Pisces would be in their human form, but now...I'm not so certain." The Celestial Wizard said with a hint of uncertainty. She caught a glimpse of three of her keys shining, almost as if they were urging her to summon one of them. Motioning for Aries to follow her to a more spacious area, they left Sting to enjoy the parade. "Open! Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"
"Is it punishment time, Princess?" The maiden saluted. At this point, Lucy was ready to write 'punishment time' off as Virgo's way of saying hello.
"Virgo, I will never summon you just for punishment," Lucy sweatdropped before speaking on the matter at hand. "Was something wrong? I saw your keys shining. Are Capricorn and Taurus in trouble?"
"Nothing of the sorts," Virgo assured her. "Although, the three of us heard screams coming from the mansion on the outskirts of the city. We wish for your permission to investigate."
Lucy paused as she thought about the circumstance. "Screams? It might be a haunt attraction, but I'll investigate it. Thank you for your concerns. If I find anything interesting, I'll call you if its anything out the ordinary."
Virgo bowed once before she disappeared in a cloud of smoke. It wasn't too outlandish for someone to be screaming on a night like this. However, if her spirits were troubled by it, she could ease their anxieties. After all, she wasn't doing anything too important. By tomorrow morning, Lucy and Sting will be on their way. "How about it? Wanna check out a haunted house?"
October 31st, x777
Celestina City's Mansion
9:00 PM
"So, this is the place?" Sting raised an eyebrow as the three of them climbed the steps to the front door.
The mansion wasn't quite as large as Lucy's home, but it sizable house. It wasn't as luxurious as the one Lucy grew up in, but they could easily tell a pretty penny went into buying this mansion. The grayish house had two wings, one attached on each side. Each wing had three windows with the largest one in the center. From the outside, the house appeared to be abandon. A few of the windows are shattered, and others were boarded up with planks of wood.
Aries raised a curious eyebrow as she looked at her master for guidance. "Virgo said they hear screams coming from here?"
"Yeah, but I'm starting to doubt it," Sting folded his arms across his chest. "No one in their right mind would live in a place this rundown."
"True," Lucy nodded in agreement. "but, I promised Virgo and the others that I would check it out. Do you sense anything, Sting?"
The dragonslayer shot her a slightly annoyed glare before placing his ear to the door. "I hear footsteps and some quiet breathing. Well, I'll be damned. There's gotta be about three people."
"Three, huh?" Lucy frowned as she contemplated their next move. "That-"
"The hell?" The dragonslayer jumped from the door and earned two confused expressions from the girls. Ignoring us, he placed his ear back on the doorframe. "There's four now. Where the hell did the fourth one come from?"
Before Lucy or Aries could ask what he meant, a loud thud came from the second floor and was followed up by a feminine shriek. Sting gave his partner a knowing look before leaping off the porch. On the right side of the mansion, he found a window completely shatter and leaped through. Following his example, Aries and Lucy entered the house.
The ram held her master's arm tightly as they served the darkened room. Lucy poured some of her magic into one of her keys and used the light as a flashlight. Sting wrinkled his nose as he took a step back with this disgust expression on his face. "God, who fucking died? It smells like shit in here."
"Does it really smell that bad?" She asked as they entered the main hall. They found furniture wrapped in plastics sitting against the side of the door. A few suitcases fully packed rested on the staircase. "I guess someone does live..."
"Yeah, but they look like they're ready to leave..." Aries to note of the packed belongings.
"Or they died before could escape," Sting shrugged.
Lucy pinched his earlobe as she scowled him in a hushed tone. "Will you stop that?! No one is dead."
"Let's keep investigating. The second floor is where you heard those voices right?"
The Celestial Wizard climbed the stairs with her spirit and partner in tow. The screams died down once the flurry of steps stopped. As for what they could be afraid of, Lucy was at a loss. The appearance of a fourth person? What did it all mean? Surveying the second floor, Lucy counted six doors on the narrow hallway.
Placing her finger on her lips, she allowed Sting to take the lead and track down the voices. The hallway was cluttered with broken glass and different makeshift weapons. From baseball bats with nails to shattered chainsaws, Lucy began to think it was a mistake to break into this mansion. Whatever was happening here, it was clear that these people were arming themselves.
Aries became more of a shivering mess with each terrifying step. This mansion was giving her terrible vibes. Celestina City was supposed to be a home away from home for all Celestial Beings. This was there the Spirit King first touched down and allowed humans and spirits to form contracts. The citizens were friendly and welcoming to her. Some even praised her for being a golden zodiac. So why did she have this unshakable feeling? Her entire being screamed at her to run back to the comforting Celestina parade, but her heart ordered her to stay by Miss Lucy's side.
The ram felt a wrinkled finger graze over her shoulder from behind. Quickly turning, she was met with an empty space. Why? She was certain something or someone touch her, but she saw nothing behind her. Were her nerves getting the best of her? Was she truly cut out to help them? The pink ram felt slightly uneasy when she turned back Miss Lucy and Sting, but she managed to give them a small reassuring smile. The three of them continued their investigation, but Aries glance back one more time to check.
The dragonslayer opened a door on the right-hand side of the hall. His nose burned as the smell of rotten flesh and feces continued to assault the air. Sting would be damned if there wasn't a dead body somewhere in this godforsaken house. He was all too familiar with the odor given...what Future Rouge did. But why did he smell only one corpse? He was certain that at least four people were in the house right now, and there's one dead body. So why? Why didn't these three get the hell out once someone died? Clearly something is terrorizing them and yet they continued to stay. What is there to gain? Or...what is there to lose? Are they afraid of something happening?
The room had tattered posters with traces scattered across the floor. The bed had slices cutting through the mattress and scratches on the bedframe. The mirror on the wooden desk was shattered with fragments. On the far side of the bedroom, they noticed a fallen dresser. Sting lifted the frame to check the damages. Asides from the scratches near the doorknob, he thought it was still functional.
"I guess this what we heard from outside," Wiess said as he rested the furniture on the ground again.
"True, but what about the voice we heard," Rebecca surveyed the room a little more. There had to be a reason for all this. "Someone's in danger right?"
"Oh, the girl's hiding underneath the bed." He nonchalantly waved it off as a pitchy shriek gave away her position. "But back to this dresser-"
"Wiess...please," His partner sighed before kneeling to see underneath the bed. "Please come out, I promise none of us means any harm."
"Re-Really?" A quiet voice spoke up. Rebecca smiled to herself as she slid her hand underneath for the girl to grab. "Thank you,"
A girl no older than Wendy crawled out. The small teenager had a familiar facial structure to someone, but neither could remember who the girl reminds them of. Her frayed ponytails were unraveling. Somehow, the cuffs of her sleeves and the hem of her dress were torn and tattered. "I'm Yo-Yoko Agria."
"Agria? Why is that name sound familiar?"
"Yo-You've heard of us?!" The silver-haired girl shivered at the thought.
Taking the lead before the dragonslayer could let another hint slip, Rebecca reassured her that wasn't the case. "We heard the townsfolk say that this house belonged to an Agria. We were walking around the city and heard someone screaming from the mansion. Is everything okay?"
"I-It tried to drag me away," Yoko wrapped her arm around her body as she recalled the event. "It's bee-been trying to take us away all month. The rampage is getting worse ev-every day. I-I can't take the torment anymore. Ple-Please, make it stop."
"What do you mean by it?" Aries reached out to the little girl, but Yoko quickly reeled away from the spirit and behind Rebecca. The ram had taken a step back with a hint of confusion in her voice. "Huh? I do something wr-wrong?"
"I'm...not sure," Rebecca answered with uncertainty in her voice. She glanced down at the girl for an answer, but the silver-haired girl was shaken by the ram's presence. Why? Aries was anything but intimidating. "Hey Yoko, it's okay. Aries is a gentle spirit. Do you know what her superpower is?"
"N-No."
"It's wool magic, and it's super soft," Rebecca answered with a bright smile. Almost on cue, the ram gifted Yoko with a ball of pink wool.
The silver-haired girl had some hesitation in her heart but accepted the gift. She felt her body relax the tighter she clung to the wool. Yoko noticed the tension in her bones disappear and her headache's pounding dissipated. "Th-Thank you."
"It's nothing," Aries blushed at the gratitude. "Miss Rebecca, we can proceed now."
"Right," She nodded in agreement. "Hey Yoko, what are you referring to when you say 'it'?"
"The Twins..." Her voice registered above a whisper. "The Twins are tormentors! They won't let us leave no matter how hard we try. My mom calls them the warden of our prison."
"The Twins...as in Gemini?" Rebecca raised an eyebrow when Yoko nodded.
She knew Gemini was a trickster and a prankster at heart, and she accepted them nonetheless. But a tormentor? That was stretch in her eyes. Even in Angel's hands, the spirit wasn't completely evil. They still had a heart. So what could bring them to act as a warden? What is there to gain?
"Then, this makes our job easier," Wiess shoved his hands into his pockets. "We were looking for the twins anyways. Any idea where their master is?"
"Their...master?" Yoko's voice cracked from the heartache.
She wanted to give them the honest truth if it meant all the pain would disappear, but the despair in her heart made her suspicious of them. What if they tell everyone? What would happen to her family? Would Wiess and Rebecca turn their back on her if they knew the truth?
Before the young girl could decide, she heard her mother screaming from down the hall. Yoko wanted to run into her mother's arms, but the fear felt like paralyzing poison.
"Rebecca stay here!" Wiess commanded as he ran out of the bedroom. The dragonslayer made a straight shot to the master bedroom down the hall.
The dots weren't connecting his head. Could a spirit have malicious intent? If so, what can drive the twins to act in such a way? Surely they knew the consequences. If that Leo spirit was banished for indirectly killing Karen, then what punishment could they receive for their actions? Did they...Did they kill their master and wanted to cover their tracks by slaying the family? Was Gemini the reason behind the corpse?
Wiess pushed his questions to the back of mind and burst through the wooden door. The room was in ruins, probably in a worse condition than Yoko's room. There was a woman sobbing hysterically as she rocked in a fetal position. The dragonslayer was a tad hesitant to approach the woman. Comforting tearful women wasn't exactly his field of experience... unless it ended with sex. Then, he had an idea or two.
"Focus," He pinched the bridge of his nose and realigned his energy on the woman in front of him. "Er...are you...um good?"
The possible woman let out another shriek when she noticed Weiss. And, this allowed him to get a better look at her. It finally clicked for him. The shade of silver-white hair was almost uncanny. The soft facial expressions and that fair skin were all too familiar.
"Yukino..."
"Wh-What?" The woman distanced herself from him. Once she had a good look at him and calmed her nerves enough to think properly, she remembers where she saw him before. "You're that guy. The one who won that Veilstone tournament. What the hell are you doing in my mansion?"
"I heard Gemini might be this city." He began retelling her what he thought was worth mentioning and overlooking the whole trespassing thing. "Don't worry my friend is protecting your daughter."
"Oh thank goodness, I-I wanted to protect her, bu-but that monster chased me out," She spoke with venom at the mere thought of the blue duo. "My husband tried to fight them off bu-but they took him."
"Took him where...?" The dragonslayer placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. The mother shuddered at the thought and clamped her hands over mouth. She quickly tore away from Wiess and returned to her fetal position.
Wiess silently stared at the woman. She can't mean the Celestial World, right? Can a human even survive in there? No, he could still smell a human being, and his sense was never wrong! He wanted to ask Rebecca more about Gemini and the extent of their powers. He already resigned himself to fighting the twins, but he knew next to nothing. And yet, Wiess understood why he couldn't leave her alone again. Gemini wanted something from this family, but what?
"I'm going to regret this," The light mage carried the crying mother bridal-style back to Yoko's room. He needed to regroup with Rebecca.
Keys Obtained: Cancer, Aquarius, Capricorn, Crux, Virgo, Taurus, Sagittarius, Aries, and Libra
Keys Needed: Leo, Scorpio, Gemini, and Pisces
A/N: Thank you for all the positive reviews lately! I really appreciate the kind words! I thought it was cute to have Lucy and Sting dress up for the festivity.
