So then, It's been a while since the last chapter. Thank you for reading and reviewing so far. Now then, here's chapter 3.

They had been standing and waiting in their respective positions for hours. An eerie silence hung in the air. Everyone was waiting for something to happen, the tension was almost tangible inside the small prison cell containing the three Fairy Tail mages.

Lucy could feel her whole body start to shake. Her muscles had started cramping up a while ago. All this standing still and waiting was really starting to take a toll on her. She was tired and cold as well. The slight dampness in the air around her and the stone floor were doing a great job of sucking the warmth right out of her body. Combined with the constant draining of her magic, it felt like a very chilly version of hell. She couldn't even begin to imagine how bad Natsu must be feeling.

By the looks of it, her companions weren't fairing much better.

Erza was standing on one side of the door, pressed against the wall in case their captor would return. It would give her the perfect opportunity to jump him. But she had started to look rather tired and cold herself by now. Gray, who was in a similar position as Erza, but on the other side on the door, seemed just tired. Since he was used to the cold a lot more than the women with him, it affected him far less, or at least not to a point were he was shivering yet.

The cloud of mist, that still hung in the air and continued to show them their salmon haired friend, hadn't done anything more then add to their worries. They still could see Natsu who still hadn't moved much since Igor had last left. He didn't even seem to have the energy to shiver. The only good what they could see was the fact that the bleeding to his injuries seemed to have slowed down to a point were it wasn't life threatening anymore. But even if this was a positive development, the dead and empty look still contained in the salamanders dark eyes was far more worryingly then any amount of blood could ever be.

"H-hey guys,…" Erza and Gray turned to look at her. "I don't know how long I can continue sitting here like this, I'm freezing and my muscles started hurting hours ago. I know I sound like a spoiled little kid right now, but don't you two feel the same right now? We wouldn't be able to subdue Igor anyways if we're feeling like this, right?" She turned her pleading brown eyes to her comrades. She really wouldn't be able to sit on the floor like this for much longer.

The other two looked at her. "Moving now could be just as fatal for the plan, but I see your point, we should take a break."

Gratefully, Lucy looked at Erza. "Thank you, I really can't feel my legs anymore."

Now, Gray started moving as well. "We just need to keep an ear out for any noises and maybe start thinking about a backup plan. We've been standing here for hours now, and nothing happened, we need to be prepared in case that monster doesn't show his face around here again."

"I agree, this has lead us nowhere so far. "

Lucy nodded. "You two are right, we need a new plan."

Just as she was saying this, something happened. They could see light entering Natsu's cell. Then, the root of their problems stepped into the room and walked to where the young dragon-slayer was still lying on the floor. Without saying anything, he picked up Natsu by his neck and looked at him for a moment, then, he spoke.

"Well then pet, I guess it's time now, eh?"

Natsu blinked tiredly and looked up into Igor's face, who started to laugh.

"Don't look so surprised, I told you earlier it wouldn't be long now, didn't I? Now then, let us go. It's time to free you from you human form once and for all!"

They could see Igor exiting the room, still dragging their friend with him. When the door closed, the mist only showed them en empty cell, before evaporating. Just now, they had lost their last means of contact to Natsu.

For a moment, they just stared at each other in shock. They had missed their chance to do anything for him. Everything that would happen from now on was completely out of their hands if they didn't manage to get out this instant. Then, the moment was over. Lucy sunk down to her knees, tears in her eyes. Gray just stood there with clenched fists, still staring at the spot that had shown his rival only a mere few seconds ago. Without any kind of warning, Erza turned around and punched the wall with all the strength she had left.

"Damn it!"

"Wh-what d-do we do n-now?" Lucy sobbed. She could still see Natsu disappearing, dragged out of their sight by this man. But what had shocked her most about the whole thing wasn't Igor, or the fact, that their plan had completely failed. It was the fact that the normally so lively and headstrong dragon-slayer hadn't even tried to fight anymore. He'd seemed as if he had accepted what was about to happen to him, or at least stopped caring about it. She just couldn't help to cry harder at this thought.

Even Gray and Erza had tears in their eyes. If they were tears of rage or those shed out of sadness, she couldn't tell.

"We need to do something, NOW!" Gray shouted.

""Well, if you have a plan, I'm all ears! But since neither, Lucy, you or I can use our magic at all, I don't see, what we could accomplish right now!"

"You know very well, I don't Erza! But that doesn't change the fact, that we're going to loose him if we don't hurry!"

Erza took a deep breath to calm herself. "I know, and I wish there was anything we could do right now, but I fear there isn't. We could try to brake the door, but when I checked it earlier, Inoticed that this won't be possible since it's sealed shut with magic from the outside."

Gray nodded. Then he looked at Lucy, who was still crying on the floor. "Hey now, calm down, I'm sure we'll find a way to help that idiot, don't worry!" She was very grateful for his attempt on cheering her up, but still, it didn't work.

"H-have you s-een him just now? H-e didn't even try to fight any-anymore,-" another sob escaped her. There was really nothing anyone could say, that could help her right now. Gray seemed to notice this as well. The next thing Lucy knew was that she was being embraced by a pair of cool and muscular arms and of a hand that was stroking her hair lightly.

"Don't worry, we'll figure something out, alright?" she didn't reply. She just tried to find some sort of comfort from his words and actions.

He wasn't exactly sure what was happening right now. One moment he was on the floor inside his cell, cold and in pain, the next, he was picked up and dragged away. Now, mere minutes away from the end if his life as a human being.

Suddenly, his neck was released and he dropped to the floor like a stone. Then, he could feel something cold being placed on his wrist and in his confused, half conscious state, it took him a moment to realize, he was being shackled to the floor. He took a look around and when he did, couldn't help but to be amazed about what he was seeing. The room he was in was huge! He was sure, the entire guild hall would fit in here. Every inch of the wall and floor was covered in ancient looking writing and magic circles.

In a very creepy way, was this place one of the most beautiful things the dragon-slayer had ever seen. For a second, he even managed to forget all the fear, pain and heartache he was feeling.

"Like what you're seeing little dragon?"

Natsu snapped back into reality. His friends were dead, He was hurt and about to undergo a, probably, very painful and irreversible transformation. He had no business being in awe of anything. Didn't he decide not to care anymore? Hadn't he already left everything behind? This man's voice brought all of it right back to him.

"Yes." he answered in a flat tone, remembering what had happened the last time he'd ignored one of Igor's attempts at conversation.

"Good, I put quite a lot of work into this, so you better be grateful, understood?"

"Yes."

Looking satisfied, Igor turned around and walked back to were the entrance was located. Kneeling down close to the outer edge of the magic circle, he looked at Natsu, who managed to make out an almost happy looking smile on the man's face.

"Let's begin." With that, he pressed his hands down, touching his creation. As soon as magical energy had started connecting to the drawings on the floor, it began to spread. The activated areas had an eerie dark red glow to them. Once the entire thing was activated, Natsu started to feel something. He wasn't sure, how to describe it, it was very much like the feeling one would get by touching nettles or swimming into a bunch of jellyfish. It really was an unpleasant feeling.

The whole room was glowing now, enveloping him in it's dark and beautiful spell. He was mesmerized by it. Even if this was doing nothing good for him, he still couldn't believe that something so beautiful could actually harm him. It reminded him of the dragons themselves. Strong and dangerous, but beautiful and graceful at the same time. He closed his eyes. 'So, the last thing I remember as a human will be the dragons, eh? That's quite ironic…'

Suddenly his thought were interrupted. The stinging sensation from earlier changed to a stabbing and burning pain. Agony like he'd never felt before began spreading from his spine, soon enveloping his entire body. He started screaming. He screamed and screamed until he couldn't scream anymore.

Pleas, just kill me already…. With this last thought, he completely lost himself to the agony he was feeling. There was nothing more in this world then white blinding pain and a man's deep laugh that was echoing through the room along with his screams and howls of agony.

Gray was at a loss. There really was nothing he and the others could do. Despair was threatening to overwhelm him completely. He really tried to play it cool and to be the strong one. He knew that especially Lucy needed that right now. He wouldn't be able to fool Erza of course. There was no one inside the fairy Tail guild that knew him and Natsu better then her after all. And if he was honest with himself, he really missed the loud and often annoying flame brain quite a bit.

Even if they fought each time they'd run in to each other, they were still finds. Of course, he'd never admit this out loud to anyone, but right now, he was barely keeping it together, and just for this idiot's sake!

Just then, he noticed the way, Erza looked at him. She had this knowing and at the same time pitying look in her eyes. They made eye contact for a second. In this moment, he didn't feel quite as alone as he'd done earlier. He knew there was nothing that needed to be said aloud between them. He knew haw she was feeling about all of this, and she knew the same about him. In a weird way, it was kind of comforting to know.

Suddenly, their little moment was interrupted. There were strange noises coming from outside of the door. They could hear scraping. This continued for about thirty more seconds. The sound was so strange, it even shocked Lucy out of her crying. The three of them quickly resumed their previous positions at the door. After all, they didn't know, who or what was about to enter their cell.

When the door finally opened, they were prepared to attack anything and everyone, to use this, likely last chance, to get out. Soon, however they realized, an attack would not be necessary.

In the open door right before them stood, to everyone#s surprise, a human – crab hybrid, also known as the celestial spirit Cancer.

"I came here to free you, baby."

They were completely and utterly shocked. How did this spirit, who really did have a knack for picking locks, know what was going on and how to find them? Lucy, who had recovered the fastest out of all of them after seeing one of her spirits, asked, what they all were thinking.

"H-how did you find us? And how did you get here, I didn't summon you, not that I'm not grateful, but…"

The crab just looked at its master. "Since you've grown stronger, We've gained the ability to sometimes cross over here on our own, baby."

"Didn't Horologium say something about this as well?"

"You're right Erza, He did, I remember now! But, Cancer, how did you manage to find us?"

"Baby, we can feel when our master is in danger, also, I found you by sensing my key, you've still got it on you baby."

"Well then" Erza started "Since we can get out now, I don't care how you did it. We need to go and help Natsu. It's been a while since he's been taken from his cell, and I fear what could already have happened to him."

"Erza is right, We need to go, Now. Come on Lucy!" The blond, who just had been busy thanking her spirit nodded. "Alright, Cancer, you can leave for now, bur get everyone on stand by, and I don't care about what they had planned on doing today, a date is no excuse either, now GO!"

The crab in question nodded and then disappeared.

"Well guys, let's go!"

So then, this was chapter three. I hope you enjoyed it. I'd really appreciate reviews, likes. ect.

See you guys next time!