Chapter 15: Day 4- The Dragon King
The sound of Ultear's voice in his ear brought him back to attention as she demanded, Riku, any abnormalities?
Not that I see, Riku replied.
Stay focused, came Jellal's voice. Did something happen yesterday that you're not sharing?
No, Riku replied watching as the teams took the field, the announcer explaining the rules and goal of the Naval Battle Event. I lost track of the original target.
Then its even more important to keep your eyes peeled, Ultear lectured. They got away yesterday so they're more likely to return today.
Right, Riku agreed. There was a swell of cheers as each mage was announced and the game began. Lucy started off by summoning Aquarius. However, Juvia managed to counter Aquarius's attack with Water Cyclone. Riku watched Lucy duck behind Aquarius and his mind began to wander again to his conversation with the other Lucy the night before.
"Come on, Lucy, we're guild mates. Just tell me what's happening. Do Natsu, Erza, and Gray know about this," he asked.
"I'll tell you what I know, but you can't tell anyone," she said and her lips began to tremble. "Not Natsu, not Erza, not Gray, and not Lucy. Not yet."
Riku hesitated. It seemed a suspicious thing to ask, but even more suspicious when he realized who else was on the list. "Wait, what do you mean not to tell Lucy? You're Lucy."
"I am," Lucy agreed, "of sorts. I'm Lucy from the future."
"The future," Riku repeated with a raised eyebrow, but Lucy nodded with such sincerity that he held back any sarcastic additions and allowed her to continue.
"I've come back to stop something horrible from happening. I've been trying to figure out how it happened and what went wrong, but I haven't been able to put my finger on it. I can't tell what made everything turn out," her voice trembled, tears again forming in her eyes, but she hurriedly wiped them away. "so terrible."
"What could be so terrible that you had to come back in time," Riku prompted. "And how?"
"I used Eclipse," Lucy said. "but it's not exactly where I left it. Not that I even know if that is the root of it all, any way..." She seemed to be talking more to herself than Riku. He wasn't ever going to make any sense of any of this if she kept it up.
"What happened in the future? Where is everyone else?" He asked.
"They're," she began, but now tears were running freely down her face and Riku was getting a queasy feeling in the depth of his stomach. "They're..."
He knew it before she said it. He moved closer, a bit unsure. He wasn't as touchy-feely as Natsu and never really understood why Natsu was like that to begin with: always fighting and hugging and invading personal space. But now, realizing they were all dead, Riku figured there was only one reaction. He reached out and pulled her into an embrace, letting her sob freely into his coat, one arm wrapped around her head.
They stood like this for a few minutes as Lucy composed herself. Then, she said something into his jacket.
"What," he asked and she moved back, wiping her eyes.
"Thank you," she said. "There were dragons everywhere, hundreds of dragons. They came through the gate- through Eclipse. That's why I'm back, to try and stop it. That's why you can't tell anyone yet, I have to find all the pieces before then."
He could tell she had more to say, so he waited.
"I think you need to know...I don't know how it happened but..." She seemed to go back and forth before pulling her hood over her head, covering the top part of her face from view. She looked unrecognizable, even her smell was different, though Riku didn't know how. Was that from time travel?
"Somehow you turned into a real dragon," she said and then she disappeared into the night leaving Riku to stand in the street, mouth open in shock. a cherry on top of the already wild encounter between them.
"And now we start the five minute timer," called the announcer. "Will our remaining ladies be able to stay in the water or will one of them fall out and bring their team into last place?"
Riku refocused on the water-sphere where Lucy found her keys were no longer at her hips, but in her opponents hands. The sounds of shock and horror in the crowd grew as Sabertooth's Minerva continued to attack Lucy, bringing her back to attack again and again. Riku's eyes darted to Fairy Tail Team A's balcony. They were screaming and waving their fists. It looked like it was taking all of Gray and Erza's power to keep Natsu from jumping into the field below. Riku's ears perked at a strange voice carrying across the arena, unnoticed to the distracted ears around him.
"Stop her! She'll destroy the Celestial wizard! We need her!"
The umpire's whistle blew and Riku turned, scanning the arena for the barely audible speaker. Below, Natsu and Gray rushed to Lucy's aid as Minerva carelessly dropped her to the ground. They just barely manage to catch her before she hit the ground. A medical team was called, even though Wendy and Sherria were already there.
"Get her to the infirmary immediately," called the same voice. Riku narrowed his eyes. He could see him: a tall well-built man wearing armor of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knight Squadron. His face was contorted into a serious look from the balcony he leaned off of. With a turn that sent his cape flying behind him, he left the balcony, hurrying (Riku supposed) to check on Lucy.
Somethings not right, thought Riku. Ultear, do you sense anything?
No, Ultear replied. No change here. What did you see?
I'm not sure, Riku replied, but I'm going to investigate.
...
He was following his gut instead of his senses, so it wasn't as easy to find the balcony. Instead he found himself wandering the labyrinth of passageways for a good portion of time, long enough that he heard the announcer faintly call for the start and finish of two tag team fights: Team Blue Pegasus's Ichiya and the mysterious rabbit-costumed man vs. Team Quatro Puppy's Bacchus and Rocker; followed by Team Lamia Scale's Lyon and Yuka vs. Team Mermaid Heel's Kagura and Millianna.
He arrived at a strong oak door with golden trimmings just as the final tag team fight was announced. Riku leaned forward, sniffing the door and any air coming from it for any sort of clue that it was occupied or empty. It wasn't clear. Either there was someone in there now or they had been very recently... Was this even the right place?
The whistle sounded for the final fight to begin: Team Fairy Tail's Natsu and Gajeel vs. Team Sabertooth's Sting and Rogue. Riku opened the door just a crack, just enough to soundlessly look inside. It seemed empty. He risked opening it wider. Yup, empty. He moved in quickly, closing the door behind him. He'd have to be fast and listen for any sounds coming his way.
Riku tried to stay low as he moved from the door looking around quickly. It was a royal balcony with a throne and some additional fine wooden seats, all covered in silk cushions. The table next to seats had bowls of fruit and plates that smelled like they use to have cheese. Riku peaked over the balcony to see the Sabertooth Dragon Slayers struggle to get up. The crowd let out sounds of surprise as both Sabertooth mages began to glow, activating Dragon Force. Riku slunk away from the balcony, peering around the room for a clue, anything suspicious at all. He was so focused his task at hand that he nearly jumped out of his own skin when he heard Jellal's voice hiss in his ear.
Riku, can you do that? Just activate Dragon Force on your own?
Riku leaned against the wall, hand over his heart as it pounded out of his chest.
Riku? Asked the voice again, this time more concerned.
I'm here, Riku snapped. And no, I can't get into dragon force, not without some bad stuff happening. Besides, Natsu and Gajeel don't need Dragon Force for a tournament.
Riku, what are you doing, asked Ultear.
I thought I sensed something but it was nothing,Riku said with a sigh. He pushed himself off the wall to leave, but paused. A mural covered the wall he had been leaning against. The mural was worn, but had been treated kindly throughout the years and so it still held some faded color and detail. In the center was a dragon fighting a mage, flames surrounding the mage but never touching him. The mages hands were up in defense- or perhaps... Riku leaned closer. Was the mage the one shooting fire at the dragon? At the bottom of the mural was the title, "The Dragon King Festival."
The arena shook from the fight below.
Jellal, came Ultear voice suddenly.
I sense it too, replied Jellal. I'm on it.
Riku moved back to the Fairy Tail section, but he still had that queasy feeling in his stomach. Even as Fairy Tail won the battle against Sabertooth and the arena erupted into cheers.
...
"And then Natsu sent Gajeel into the mines," giggled Meredy. They sat on the statue head, waiting for Jellal's call to meet in the rendezvous location. They weren't to move until then.
"Riku," Ultear said poking him gently. "You've been quiet all evening- ever since you got up here. It's not like you."
"You didn't even complain that Ultear let you climb all the way up the statue again," Meredy agreed.
"I've just got some things on my mind," Riku said halfheartedly. He tried to change the subject before they could press him. "Have you heard of the Dragon King Festival?"
The two women looked confused.
"I saw a mural in the royal balcony when I was investigating," Riku explained. "It looked old."
"Ultear could probably find out," Meredy volunteered.
Ultear made a skeptical sound.
"Sure you can, remember that one time travel spell?"
"Time travel," Riku asked. Again?
"I told you its not like that," Ultear said with an exasperated sigh. She held up her orb between Riku and the arena below. She muttered a spell and the orb glowed to life. Suddenly they were in the arena, Natsu & Gajeel on one side and Sting and Rogue on the other. They were all staring at one another intensely, about to fight. The images disappeared again.
"It was like we were there," Riku gasped in surprise.
"She can do it for events she didn't witness as well," Meredy bragged. "Like if she's in a place she can see what's happened there even before she was born!"
Ultear was frowning, as if she didn't like where this conversation was going.
"So if a festival happened here, even if it was a hundred years ago, you could see it," Riku asked.
"It's easier if I have an exact time," Ultear admitted grudgingly.
"How about a time where a mage was fighting a dragon," Riku offered, thinking of the mural.
Ultear looked between Riku and Meredy's hopeful faces, then sighed defeated. She held up her orb and muttered again. They were in the arena again, but now the images flashed by so quickly Riku could barely account for them. The arena seemed to be on rewind. It was being deconstructed around them, then a blur of color and sounds, then they were standing in a wooden arena in the same place, then another blur of images and sounds. It was like speeding passed Crocus' history on a bullet train. Riku felt his stomach churn uncomfortably fro motion sickness. He looked at the ground, hands on his knees to steady himself so he wouldn't puke.
The scene froze and came into focus. Riku pushed himself up to see that everything was on fire or destroyed. The arena was gone, the building were gone, the castle was demolished (if it had even been built yet).
"Are those..." Meredy whispered pointing to a mass of flesh across from them.
"Dragons," Ultear agreed. She glanced at Riku, but Riku didn't notice. He was watching the blood bath of destruction occurring before his eyes and there, in what would have been the very center of the arena stood a young man in a high collard, black cloak with long, dark blue colored hair. His arms raised in attack as he shot magic from his hands, hitting a dragon as it flew mid-air. The dragon gave a roar of pain before lashing out at the man. But the man let out a laugh that chilled Riku right to the bone. In a flash the man transformed into a black dragon, decorated by spiraling blue markings. He lunged forward and attacked the dragon again, this time taking a bite out of its neck. Riku could smell the iron in the air from all the blood.
The scenery disappeared. The arena sat silent and empty, nothing but the first shadows of nightfall growing across the ground.
"Was that," Meredy asked shakily, "Acnologia?"
"Jellal's calling for us to meet him in thirty minutes," Ultear responded, but Riku could feel her eyes boring into the back of his head. He didn't look at her. He couldn't take his eyes off of the place his father had been standing- destroying dragon after dragon with an amount of joy Riku had never seen before. The dragon of destruction and chaos he'd heard villagers whisper about all through his childhood- now he'd seen it first hand. He couldn't sort through any of his jumbled feelings or thoughts. Only one stood out clear enough for Riku to acknowledge with a sinking in his stomach.
"Somehow you turned into a real dragon," Lucy said before disappearing into the night.
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