Author's Note:
Hello everyone! Wow, it's been a while since I posted, huh? Thank you all so much for your patience and understanding, I really appreciate it. 😊
Anywho, I should be back to posting once a month now. ;D
As always, HUGE thanks to all my wonderful reviewers out there. Big hugs and kisses to: Lady Fairy Moth, SheWhoLeavesCrappyReviews, FairyTailxFanGirl, Natsulover89, Blueupdate, SistershoOk, Byrd3-13, valerioux, MillennialStargazer, liv36, sakshishetty3003, Nalucenter, Bookwork129, and Ninja-Turtle Charlie. You guys are awesome!
Alrighty! Well, let's get on with the show shall we? XD
The next day, they did basically the same thing.
They continued traveling towards their destination – both riding a train and walking part of the way to give Natsu a breather. Then, later that night, they found a place to camp on the road instead of getting a hotel to save a little money.
However, rather than training and talking about how to make her stronger (like last night), tonight, she decided to take the plunge and try to make a contract with Leo.
Naturally, Natsu planned to tag along, but to her surprise, both Gray and Juvia were also intrigued and asked to join them. At first, she wasn't sure… but after thinking about it for a bit, she decided there probably wasn't any harm in letting them come. After all, if Leo didn't like the extra company, he'd simply eject them from his realm… or so she hoped. So far, that'd been the way things had gone in the spirit realms, and she didn't have any reason to think they would be any different this time around.
So, she agreed with a caveat.
"Okay, but if Leo doesn't want you there, he might kick you out of his realm. And please be polite and don't annoy him, because that could cause him to increase the difficulty of my trial – depending on his personality."
"Sure thing," Gray had replied for both himself and Juvia.
"Yeah!... What? Why're you looking at me like that? I'll be nice…."
Natsu protested her suspicious stare, though she personally thought it was well-founded, considering his track record so far. He did have the very peculiar talent for annoying the ever-loving-heck out of some people.
"Just don't say anything weird or rude, okay?"
"Okay, okay! Sheesh…." her boyfriend griped, and she sighed, deciding that would have to be enough.
"Alright then. Everyone, stand back. I'm going to open the portal now."
They all did as she asked, and she plucked Leo's key from the invisible chain around her neck.
As always, the spell she began to chant seemed to fill their surroundings with light and energy as it built, which culminated when she plunged the key into her chest. Of course, just like when she'd done this in the gym, she had worn a stretchy shirt that could be pulled down over the keyhole. A brilliant flash of light spiraled into being and formed their gateway into the celestial realm – obviously startling Juvia and Gray, who'd never seen it before.
Natsu, on the other hand, wasn't fazed at all. He crowed, "Alright! Let's do this!" and bounded right through the gateway.
"Wait a minute! Hey, I should be the one to go first!" she protested and hurried after him – trusting that the other two would follow if they still wanted to come.
The trip was just as unpleasant as usual, and she was spit out on the other side feeling queasy and dizzy. She could hear Natsu groaning next to her, and then there were two more thumps and moans that told her Juvia and Gray had indeed joined them.
"Sorry… I probably should've warned you about that as well…" she groaned in apology, and the others answered with unintelligible sounds of pain.
Thankfully, the effects wore off quickly enough, and within a couple of minutes, they had all staggered to their feet and could look at their surroundings. Naturally, it was just as spectacular and unworldly as the other two celestial realms she'd visited – taking her breath away and leaving her stunned in awe for a moment.
This time, they seemed to be in an infinite plain, with glittering golden grass as far as the eye could see in every direction, and instead of a hall, there was simply a road made of creamy white stone stretching out behind them into the distance. A row of obelisks on either side of the road acted similarly to the pillars in the previous realms, except they were even larger and wider spaced. Above those was a sky that contradicted itself – bright and sunny blue, like it was the middle of the day, but still shining with billions of stars.
In front of them, the last pair of obelisks marked the end of the road, which then opened up into a large, square plaza paved in the same creamy stone and punctuated at the corners with tiny versions of the obelisks. Naturally, at the dead-center of that stood a massive golden door. It was set deeply into a truly enormous tree with bark that looked like it was made of lapis and glittering gold leaves that actually shone with their own light.
Between the four of them, it made sense that Gray and Juvia were the most dumbfounded, and when Lucy snuck a glance at them to see their reaction, she was rewarded with slack-jawed expressions of awe. It might've been silly, but she couldn't help feeling a little smug… sort of like a proud citizen showing off their prized city.
There wasn't any time to chat though, because they were interrupted by a deep booming voice.
"Ah, you've finally come."
They all whipped around… and then every single one of them reacted with some kind of shock.
Natsu said something along the lines of, "Oh! That's awesome!" while Juvia squeaked in alarm, and Gray eased in front of her (almost imperceptibly).
As for Lucy, she was reduced to staring with her mouth dangling wide open at the massive lion that was padding up the white road towards them. He was male, obviously, with a glorious mane, and rather than a dusty sand color, he gleamed pure gold and glowed. Like the other spirits she'd met, brighter gold markings spiraled along his pelt.
Aquarius and Lyra had both been beautiful, otherworldly, and magical in their own ways, but this spirit was definitely the most regal.
He came to a stop in front of them, standing almost twice as tall, and looked them all over with luminous eyes.
That intense gaze landed on Lucy and stuck fast, and he finally said, "You must be Lucy Heartfilia."
"Um… yes. That's me…."
Her voice was a little weak, but she did her best to sound as normal as possible.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lucy. And I see you've brought some friends. I certainly don't mind, but I'm not extremely fond of having uninvited men in my home. So, I'll have to ask them to leave."
"Wha-?!"
Both guys were protesting when they disappeared with flashes of light.
"My darling! What did you do to… mmf!"
Seeing a bomb about to go off, Lucy quickly put her hand over Juvia's mouth and whispered in her ear, "He just sent them back to the camp. Don't worry about Gray, he's fine."
Luckily, that seemed to calm down her bluenette friend, who relaxed with a grumble.
As soon as she was sure that water wasn't about to go flying, Lucy turned to Leo and said, "I'm sorry for bringing them without permission. I hope we didn't offend you…."
"Not at all. I'm not angry with you."
He turned to smile at her, and as he did so, his body suddenly started to change. He shrunk, rose up on two legs, lost his tail and fur… and all of a sudden she and Juvia were staring at a very handsome young man instead of an enormous feline. His tawny hair and amber eyes were the only remnants of his previous form, and even those looked perfectly normal and human.
He wore fairly fashionable clothes – a nice pair of black slacks and a button-down white shirt that was open over a russet t-shirt. His shirtsleeves were rolled up to show off a thick leather cuff on one wrist and thinner leather bracelets studded with gold on the other. Several gold rings adorned his fingers, and both ears had gold earrings… three studs in one lobe and two in the other with a cuff in the cartilage. His style seemed to be a mixture of tough and classy, and he wouldn't look out of place in just about any setting. If she'd seen him out and about, she never would have guessed that he was actually a celestial spirit.
"Oh… wow. Is transformation your special ability?"
"No, no. Sorry to disappoint," he chuckled. "All of us spirits can take on a human form, just in case we need to visit the human realm and blend in. That's fairly rare, but every now and then it does happen."
Lucy immediately thought of Aquarius and nodded, having already experienced that with her.
"I see. That makes sense."
"Well, anyways, it's so nice to have such lovely company. I've been rather lonely and bored."
Lucy blinked, not sure if she was reading him right... but unless she was mistaken, he seemed a little flirty.
"Uh, can't you visit with the other celestial spirits?"
"Sure, but that's different."
He grinned and stepped a little closer with a twinkle in his eyes that added to her suspicions.
"All of us are more like family than anything else, I guess you could say. We've known each other for so long that it's hard to think of any of my fellow spirits as anything other than brothers and sisters."
"And I guess you're the type of person that enjoys meeting new people?" Lucy asked, though she expected there was more to it than that.
His answer came as no surprise when he said, "Yes! Well, that's part of it… though I prefer meeting women over men."
"I gathered as much."
This time, she had to chuckle, because it was just too obvious that he had romance on the brain. In the past, that might have bothered her… but it right now, it didn't. He seemed genuinely friendly, and she wasn't picking up on any sort of dangerous vibes coming from him.
However, she was worried about his trial (and how difficult it would be), so she was eager to change the topic of discussion.
"So anyways… um…." she started and then stopped, not sure how to broach the subject. Leo was so chatty and friendly that it was almost awkward to bring it up.
Thankfully, he caught on quickly, and she didn't have to flounder around for words.
"Ah, yes, of course! You're probably wondering what's going to happen next, right? Well, don't worry. My trial is very simple and easy. You just have to go on a date with me."
He delivered that bombshell with a smile, and she stared at him blankly for a long moment, just trying to absorb it.
All she managed to get out in response was, "Uh…" and then Juvia had taken over.
"I'm already in a committed relationship, so I can't do that."
"Aw, what a shame. And here I was hoping to get a date with two beautiful women," he sighed, sounding forlorn – though Lucy was pretty sure that it was more of a playful joke than serious distress.
"You could still come along if you'd like."
"No, I'd rather go back. I lost interest after you sent my darling away."
As usual, the bluenette was cold and to the point when she was unhappy (and when she'd been separated from her beloved), and even Leo winced a little.
"Ouch… that stings. Very well. If you insist."
With a flash of light, she disappeared, to the tune of, "I'm coming, my love!"
Which meant that Lucy was left alone with the flirty lion spirit and an enormous bucket of doubts.
"Um, I also have a boyfriend. So… the only way I can go on a date with you is if it's strictly platonic. Will that still meet your criteria?"
He heaved another sigh, this time sounding a bit more disappointed, and said, "I guess that'll have to do. But if you change your mind, let me know. I'd be happy to replace your significant other."
"… Thanks."
She really didn't know what else to say about it, but she took his arm as he offered it to her and then followed as he led her to the door in front of them. It swung open without a sound, and once they'd passed through to the other side, Lucy suddenly found herself in what appeared to be a very glamourous restaurant. It almost shocked her more than anything else she'd seen so far, because it looked so normal…. There were even people at the tables, and a waiter came to take them to an empty one.
It took her a moment to realize the one strange thing about their surroundings. There was no sound. Even though it seemed like the room was full of people, the air was silent.
"What's… going on here? It's so quiet…" she commented after she'd sat in the chair he pulled out for her.
He walked around the table and sat across from her. "So you noticed."
"It's pretty hard not to…"
"Oh, you'd be surprised. As long as something looks right, a lot of people don't bother to listen to it. But I'll tell you more about that in a little bit. First, what would you like to eat?"
A menu popped into being in front of her, and she hesitantly opened it, wondering what in the world was going on.
"Um… the lamb and star-butter pasta sounds good…."
"Excellent choice. I think I'll have the blue lobster bisque."
Once again, she was in for another surprise as the dishes they'd just ordered suddenly manifested themselves on the table.
"Wow… so I guess you can will anything into existence, huh?"
"Of course. Just like all the other celestial spirits… when I'm in my realm, I can control all aspects of the physical space. Everything here is what you might call… star dust, maybe. And I can make anything out of it. Even this food is made of 'star dust' – which, incidentally, means that you'll feel full here, but it will disappear from your stomach as soon as you leave my home. My apologies."
"Oh, that's fine. But wow… I'm really amazed. That sounds really fascinating. So then, are all of these other people made of stardust too?"
"Hm, I wonder," he said mysteriously with a smirk, and then took a bite of his food.
Sensing that she wouldn't get any more information out of him about that, she also took a bite of her food and was astounded by how delicious it was.
"This is fantastic!"
"I'm glad you like it. A lot of my fellow spirits don't really care about creating food, since we technically don't have to eat, but I enjoy it."
"Well, you do a great job. If you hadn't told me otherwise, I would've sworn this was really meat and pasta."
Leo smiled, looking smug, and replied, "Thank you."
For a few minutes after that, they ate in companionable silence… and then the celestial spirit asked her, "So, tell me a little about yourself, Lucy."
"Okay…. what would you like to know?"
"Let's start with something simple. What are some of your hobbies?"
"… Hobbies, huh? Well… I guess reading books."
"Ah, so you're an avid reader. What's your favorite book?"
And from there, they talked about literature for a while, which fully engrossed Lucy (of course). She told him all about her favorite stories, and how she used to love the library and would hide out there and read as much as she could.
"Why do you think you love reading so much? What got you into it?" Leo eventually asked.
"It probably started because my mother read to me before bed... but then I think it became a way to escape reality."
"What about reality was so bad that you wanted to escape from it?"
"Haha, that's a loaded question," she chuckled darkly, thinking back to her life at the Lampro Capnia castle.
"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. You don't have to answer…"
"Oh, no, it's fine. I don't mind. It's just a long story… but to put it as simply as possible, my father is a terrible man. Both as a father and as a king. He's arrogant, convinced that he's always right, greedy, power hungry, tyrannical, and only cares about himself. I never got along with him."
"… I can see that."
"Sorry, I know I probably sound judgmental and ugly for saying those things, but there's just no point in sugar coating it. He's ruined many lives with his cruelty."
"I'm guessing you're included in that list?"
"I could have very easily been. He certainly tried, but somehow I managed to escape… with the help of Natsu, of course."
"And Natsu is…?"
Naturally, that led into a lengthy discussion about how she met Natsu, and everything that'd happened after – including her forced marriage and eventual escape to Fairy Tail.
"That's… just awful. I'm so sorry that you had to go through something like that."
Leo both looked and sounded genuinely compassionate, and Lucy suddenly worried that maybe she'd told him too much. Hopefully, he wouldn't think she was sharing her sob story just to get his sympathy.
"I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have burdened you with all of that. It's not the nicest thing to talk about over dinner," she said, chuckling in a slightly self-depreciating and apologetic way.
"Not at all! In fact, I'm happy that you felt comfortable enough with me to share something so personal. It's helped me to understand you much better."
"Ah… good. I'm glad," she sighed with relief.
At some point, this had honestly started to feel like a date with a friend… so she was extra thankful that she hadn't accidentally ruined it.
"Of course," he said with a smile, and from there, their conversation continued.
As they finished eating dinner and went on to dessert, they talked about anything and everything… until finally their plates were cleaned.
At that point, once the dishes disappeared as though they'd never existed in the first place, Leo stood and walked around the table, holding out his hand for her to take.
"How about we play a game?"
"Sure! Why not?" she agreed with a smile and placed her hand in his.
"Excellent!"
After what he'd told her about the way he could manipulate space here, they probably didn't need to walk out of the restaurant to go to the next place, but that's how he handled things. He led her back to the doorway they'd come in, but instead of the endless plains, there was another scene waiting for them on the other side.
A bright, colorful street festival, full of people and stalls and games lay before them in all its splendor.
"Oh, wow… you really went all out."
"Thank you, I'm glad you like it."
"Yes, absolutely! It's wonderful! And I can't believe how real it all looks… I mean, how much it looks like something from my world."
He chuckled, sounding almost slightly embarrassed. "Haha, yes… well, I've always loved your world, and sometimes I feel like recreating it here."
"You've definitely done a good job of that. I honestly wouldn't know that we were still in the celestial realm unless you told me."
"Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment. Would you like to look around?"
"Sure!"
She looped her arm through his, and they walked arm in arm down the extremely realistic street.
"If you'd like to try any of the food, of course you're welcome to."
That sounded like fun, considering that the food was probably one of the best parts of a festival, but she was still full from their dinner date.
"Oh, no, I can't. I'm too full."
"I can always remove some of the stardust from your stomach and make room… but that's only if you want me to," he said with a smile, and then started laughing a little – probably thanks to her dumbfounded expression.
"… That's right… I guess you could do something like that. How weird."
It really was a funny concept, and it took Lucy several minutes to wrap her mind around it. In a way, the idea of taking food out of her stomach just so she could put more in seemed wrong somehow… but then she reminded herself that there wasn't actually any food in her stomach to begin with. So, in that sense, there really wasn't anything wrong about it.
"Okay then, I guess I'll take you up on that offer. After all, a festival isn't complete without the food."
"I couldn't agree more. Here you go…."
She was expecting him to wave his hand or something, but there wasn't anything like that to warn her before a sudden, strange lurch took place in her stomach. Sure enough, the fullness she'd been feeling disappeared, and it almost made her queasy as she acclimated to the abrupt change.
When she winced a little, Leo frowned and asked, "Sorry, did I remove too much at once? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine; don't worry. It just felt weird and made me just a little queasy, but that's already passing."
Which was true.
He apologized one more time for causing her discomfort, and after telling him again that she was fine, they turned their attention to the festival. It really was amazing, and she eagerly took in the sights, sounds, and smells of their surroundings.
For a while, her kingdom had had a festival every year, and she remembered how much fun she'd had as a child attending them with her mother. Of course, they'd always been accompanied by guards, and as royalty, they hadn't truly been able to enjoy the full experience …. So, she relished this opportunity.
After they'd walked for a couple of minutes (and she'd gotten a few snacks already), Leo said, "So, would you like to hear about the rules to my game?"
"Oh, right! You mentioned that you wanted to play one…. Yes! What are the rules?"
"It's simple. Everyone and everything around us is a mixture of 'real' things, which are made of stardust, and illusions that aren't. You get a point for each illusion that you can correctly identify, and you lose a point for every mistake. If you can get ten points, then I'd say that you've passed your trial."
"Oh-ho… so there is a trial portion to this," she huffed, giving him an, 'I knew it,' sort of side-glance.
He laughed and raised his hands to show his innocence.
"It really is just a fun game that I came up with… but it will help you get familiar with my magic too."
"Huh, if you say so."
Once again, she was surprised by how comfortable she felt around Leo, as though they were old friends already. He was just such a friendly, easy-to-get-along-with sort of guy… a lot like the people back home in Fairy Tail. Maybe that was why she automatically felt at ease with him… but whatever the case, she was happy that they'd hit it off so quickly.
Thanks to that, she was actually looking forward to his 'trial,' and trusted him when he said that it would be fun.
"Okay… illusions…" she hummed to herself, focusing in on her surroundings and trying to figure out how she would be able to tell the difference.
At first glance, everything literally looked the same. There weren't any obvious signs that shouted, 'I'm an illusion!' coming from anywhere… all the people and stalls seemed completely solid and real. Then it hit her. Thankfully, after only a minute, she suddenly remembered the very beginning of their conversation back in the restaurant, and it clicked…. The illusions probably didn't make any sound.
However, that wasn't going to help her spot anything from a distance in a crowded and noisy space – which meant that this was still going to be very tricky.
As she wracked her mind for answers and stared as hard as she possibly could at everything in their vicinity, she absentmindedly said, "So, I guess this means that your magic has to do with illusions, huh?"
"Yes and no. My magic is actually light-based, so illusions are one of the things I can do with it."
"… Oh… that's really interesting…."
Since her attention was elsewhere, that comment probably came out unconvincing at best and sarcastic at worst, but luckily Leo didn't seem offended.
She was actually interested though, and the fact that his magic was light-based also gave her a little hint about this game they were currently playing. From that point on, she kept an eye out for any suspicious lights, reflections, or shadows that might give away one of the fakes.
They continued walking as Lucy tried to spot Leo's illusions – which made things both harder and easier. On the one hand, she didn't have a lot of time to carefully pick apart their surroundings. However, on the other hand, constantly moving let her get closer to potential suspects, and it wasn't long before she found her first guess.
The man that'd caught her attention had a strange shivery light reflecting off him, and she pointed it out before fully thinking things through.
"Oh! Is that one?"
Leo looked and smirked. "Nope, let's get a little closer."
That seemed like he was just rubbing her nose in it, and she sulked a little as they cut across the street. When they got closer though, she saw what he'd wanted to show her. The strange light was actually being reflected off a pool of water with fish in it that you could try to catch.
"Aw… shoot," she huffed, and glared a little at the man as he tried to catch a black and gold spotted fish.
However, as they stood there for a moment longer, she just happened to glance at the child next to him, and something struck her as odd. Leo was about to direct her elsewhere, but she refused to move and kept staring, trying to figure out what had bothered her… when it suddenly struck her. The little girl who was jumping up and down excitedly next to the man didn't have that same reflection on her, even though she should have.
"Wait… what about her? Why isn't the light reflecting the same way on that little girl?"
"I don't know. Are you pointing her out as an illusion?"
Lucy tsked, slightly annoyed by his hard-ball play. "Fine. Yes. Is she an illusion?"
"Congratulations. You're back to zero points."
As he said that, the little girl vanished, and Lucy blinked, amazed by just how realistic she'd been.
The experience was also very informative, and she immediately put her new knowledge to use. Though… unfortunately, that led her to make several more mistakes, because judging whether the light was accurately reflected or falling on something was surprisingly difficult.
The next one that she got correct was a lucky accident. She just happened to be looking in the right place at the right time and saw a young woman's shoulder pass through a stall as she walked by. By that point though, Lucy had gotten smarter, and before she pointed out the young woman as an illusion, she went over to the stall and touched it herself. That turned out to be the right decision, because her hand passed through it as well.
Shortly after that, she happened to spot a line of decorative wind chimes, which were blowing in the wind as they dangled from the roof of a stall. Even from a little distance, they should have been audible, and once she got closer, it was obvious they weren't making any noise at all. Similarly, the fourth illusion ended up being a grill that wasn't sizzling or giving off heat the way it should be… and she was just glad that it'd looked tasty enough to lure her in close.
Even though she'd gotten four correct though, all of her wrong guesses were adding up, and she was at negative three points total. Under different circumstances, that might've depressed her or made the experience unpleasant… but with Leo's company and the festival's cheery atmosphere, she wasn't brought down at all by it.
In fact, she was still thoroughly enjoying herself. As they played the game, they continued to collect snacks, and even paused from time to time so that she could play one of the festival games for a change of pace. They also continued to chat… though while she was trying to find illusions, her answers to Leo's questions and comments were usually absentminded. He didn't seem to mind though, and whenever she gave her mind and eyes a break from trying to x-ray their surroundings, they could have proper conversations.
It was during one of those times that he asked her, "So… what's your goal in attaining my power? Or, I guess I should say, what do you think you'll use it for now that you know what it is?"
"Hm… well, actually, I'd hoped that you might have a combat-based magic. You see, right now we're on the way back to Balsam to rescue my friends…."
And of course that launched them into the story of how that all came about.
By the end of it, he was nodding and humming in an understanding way. "Uh-huh, I see. So, you're planning to storm the castle."
"Yep. Though, it sounds like your power will be even more useful than a simple combat-type magic… especially when it comes to sneaking in and rescuing Brandi and Michelle."
"Definitely. You'll one hundred percent be able to use my power for that. It'll make it so that people won't be able to see you, even if you're right under their noses."
"Really?! That's awesome! Ever since you told me it was light based and illusionary, I'd been hoping that would be the case…. Incidentally, Natsu mentioned to me once that Aquarius did something similar. Does she also have an illusionary power I'm not aware of?"
"Her? Nope, nothing like that. She was probably just using the ability all of us celestial spirits have to make humans avert their eyes from us."
That was yet another major surprise (one among many since she'd arrived in Leo's home,) and she blinked at him in astonishment.
"You all have that ability? That's amazing… I mean, it makes sense, but… hold on…"
A contradictory thought occurred to her, and she scrunched her eyebrows in confusion.
"Wait, if you can make humans ignore you, then why do celestial spirits also have the ability to turn into humans? You said earlier that it was so you could go unseen in the human world, but if you can essentially make yourselves invisible… then what's the point?"
"That's for when we want to interact with humans without them realizing that we're celestial spirits, and it actually takes more magic to transform ourselves than make humans ignore us."
"Ohhhh, okay, I understand now. Of course."
They visited a little more about the ins and outs of celestial magic for another minute or two, but that particular break had already been much longer than she'd planned – thanks to the discussion about Balsam. So, very soon after that, she got back to her challenge and started trying to find some more illusions.
She'd gotten better at it by that point, and within the next thirty minutes or so, she had spotted a dog that wasn't barking, even though his mouth was moving… a teenage boy who didn't cast a shadow… several more instances of people passing through objects… a woman with a silent sneeze… and an illusory bench. The bench she'd found by trying to sit on it and failing spectacularly.
Of course naturally, she'd also guessed wrongly a couple of times, and so they continued their game… until FINALLY, several hours later, she reached a total of nine points and only had one left to go. This time she was very meticulous about making sure that her last guess was correct, because she'd already reached nine points twice before, and then set herself back with a wrong guess. So, she was extra determined to actually reach ten points once and for all.
Being extremely methodical, she kept her eyes peeled for any of the signs of an illusion and double checked her suspicions before voicing them.
When they passed the gun range, she just so happened to watch as a young girl picked up a toy gun out of its holder and took aim at the bottles across from her. However, an image of the gun was left behind in that same holder, as though she hadn't picked it up at all. If this hadn't been her last guess, Lucy probably would have immediately pointed it out as an obvious illusion, but since she was being so careful, she waited until the girl was done with her turn and left. Then, Lucy approached the same gun the little girl had used and picked it up.
Sure enough, she lifted the gun out of its holder… while a perfect replica stayed in the same place it had previously been. Grinning, she propped the gun on her shoulder with one hand and used her other to swipe through the barrel of the illusion a few times.
Then, she turned to Leo and said, "Do I even have to say it?"
He laughed and shook his head. "No… good job. You've officially reached ten points and passed my test with flying colors."
Even though she'd known that ten points was the goal, she blinked at him with surprise. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she had still thought there would be more to his trial than the game they'd just played.
"Wait… that's really it?"
"That's really it," he repeated with a handsome smirk that was obviously supposed to be flirty.
This whole thing seemed so easy and fun compared to the other trials she'd been through, that it was hard to believe Leo was actually telling the truth about that.
She was stunned, yet again, when he pulled on her arm in such a way that she was forced to spin towards him, and then he let her go… only to take a knee and hold out a box. It looked for all the world like he was proposing – though she knew that couldn't be the case.
"Um… what are you doing?" she asked nervously, trying not to assume anything.
"It's exactly as it looks. I'm proposing. Will you, Lucy Heartfilia, be my… celestial wizard? From this point on?"
The slight pause before 'celestial wizard' had to have been on purpose, and from his smirk, she knew that she'd probably amused him with her reaction – whatever that'd been. It had shocked her so much that she actually had no idea what sort of expression she'd pulled when he made his declaration.
As soon as his words finally made sense, she heaved an enormous sigh of relief (possibly mixed with a groan), and wheezed, "… You!... What in the… that was just…. Were you trying to give me a heart attack just now?"
"Is that a no?" he teased, and she huffed and semi-glared at him.
"Of course it's not a no! But you really are a piece of work, you know that?"
He stood up with a laugh.
"I get that a lot."
"I can imagine…" she mumbled as he offered her the ring box. Inside of it were two thick, golden bands inscribed with symbols and glowing brightly.
She stared at them for a long moment, still in disbelief.
"Are these really your tools? This isn't just another part of your trial?"
He cocked his head, looking confused.
"Yes, they're real. Why?"
"It's just… this seems too easy."
"Oh."
His eyes widened, and then he seemed to understand and started chuckling. "I can see why you'd think so, especially after taking Lyra's and Aquarius's trials. But actually… mine is one of the hardest trials to pass."
This time it was her turn to stare at him with confusion.
"Um… how? All we did was go to dinner and then play this game. I mean, yeah, the game was certainly tough… but it wasn't stressful or painful."
"Well, you had already passed several qualifying rounds before you even met me; so that automatically lowered the difficulty level."
"Qualifying rounds?"
"Mm-hm. First of all, you're a woman… and I always let women off a little easier. Secondly, your mother was my previous mage, and the fact that she passed on her keys to you gives you an excellent recommendation. And finally, you've already been working with two of my friends for a while, so I already know what sort of person you are. Considering all of that, I'd already pretty much decided to sign a contract with you, but there was just one final test you had to pass before that."
"Oh really? And what was that?"
"I wanted to make sure that we would get along. Plus, I wanted to get you familiar with my power… but that was more for your benefit and to extend our visit than anything."
His answer was so… him, that after a few seconds of staring at him, she found herself laughing.
"You know, I really should've expected that… ha…." she sighed, snorting a few more times with amusement, and he grinned at her in response.
Once the spontaneous giggle fit had passed, she sighed again, still amused, and turned her attention back to the ring box that he'd handed her.
After staring at them for a few more seconds – admiring Leo's vessel and really taking in the fact that she'd completed his trial – he prompted, "Why don't you go ahead and touch them?"
"Right."
She nodded in agreement, and at his urging, lightly rested her fingertips on the gleaming bands.
Just like the other two times she'd done this, a surge of magic filled her – starting from the spot that she had made contact with the celestial object. Leo's power traveled from her fingers up her arm and then settled in her chest, where it blossomed and spread to the rest of her body.
By now, she'd noticed that each celestial spirit's magic felt different and unique, aside from the tell-tale golden tingle of celestial power that they all had. Lyra's had seemed white and misty with a rainbow sheen almost like clouds, and it had vibrated her very soul. Aquarius's had felt cool and blue… like deep, dark ocean waters.
Therefore, she wasn't entirely surprised when Leo's filled her with warmth and bright orange/gold light… as though a sun had taken root inside of her. If Lyra's had been a sky, and Aquarius's had been an ocean, then Leo's was a never-ending, sun-drenched plain.
It was lovely and comforting, just like soft grass and warm sunshine… but it was also overwhelming. As his magic swept over her, she began to feel hot and oddly vulnerable and exposed – as though she was standing naked in a sunbeam.
No, it was even more than that, because the sunbeam was inside of her, illuminating every part of her that had never experienced light before. There was nowhere to hide within Leo's light. It blazed so bright, she almost wondered if she would ever see another shadow again and nearly forgot what darkness looked like entirely.
Yet at the same time, even though it was invasive, the warmth and light that seeped into her very being was also… loving somehow. She couldn't explain it… and didn't understand why that word popped into her head, but there was no denying the fact that it was true. Somehow, Leo's magic was similar to an embrace.
The experience was uncanny and strange… intense and unsettling… but also wonderful and amazing… and as with all the others, it left her feeling very connected with the spirit she'd just formed a contract with.
Once the magical syncing process was complete, she breathed a deep sigh – having accidentally held her breath through it all – and smiled at her newest companion.
"And now, we're partners for life," he announced with a smile of his own, and her grin became crooked with amusement.
"Friends for life," she corrected with a snort, since the other was a little too ambiguous.
He laughed and sighed.
"You know, 'partners' can mean platonic…."
"I know, but I didn't want there to be any misunderstandings."
The flirty lion spirit sighed again, but he easily accepted it with a shrug and another smile. Then, he reached out and lightly pressed his finger to the center of her chest, where the magical circle was still shining.
She was almost surprised that he didn't take the opportunity to make another pass at her… but then again, not really. Adding his symbol to her circle was sacred, and he didn't strike her as the kind of person to take that lightly.
"I suppose this means we're done for now…"
It was obvious that he wasn't extremely enthusiastic about opening the portal for her to go back home, and she thought to herself, 'I'll bet anything that he's another one who'll visit from time to time….'
That idea was confirmed when he said, "See you soon, Lucy," as his goodbye.
She responded in kind with a smile, happy at the idea that she'd hopefully be able to visit with him occasionally. Leo was a really good guy, and over the past few hours, it'd defintiely felt like they'd struck up a lasting friendship.
Then, she stepped through the portal and returned to her other friends.
"Hey, Luce! Wow, that was quick!" Natsu exclaimed, running over as soon as she fell out of the portal (ungracefully landing on her butt as always).
"It was?" she asked, rubbing her offended backside with a grimace.
"Yeah, you were only gone, like, a couple minutes. Right?"
He glanced at the other two who were sitting around their campfire roasting some marshmallows that someone had brought along.
"Yeah," Gray agreed – mostly focused on not burning his dessert.
"Hm… it felt like I was there for several hours at least… maybe time moves differently in the celestial realm?"
"Could be," Natsu replied with a shrug.
Something to think about later, for sure… but not at the moment.
"So, were you able to make a contract with that flirt?" Juvia asked as she joined the others at the fire.
"Yep, and he turned out to be genuinely nice, not just cheesy like I first thought."
"Hmph, well… I don't like that he was coming onto us, even after we both told him we had boyfriends."
Lucy shrugged. "I agree with you there, but after spending some time with him, you sort of get used to that. I think that's just the way he is…"
"So, this spirt guy made a move on you?"
Gray tensed slightly as he questioned Juvia, while Natsu frowned and glanced back and forth between him, Juvia, and Lucy.
"Yes he did!" Juvia huffed, and then quickly added (with hearts in her eyes), "But of course I set him straight RIGHT away and said I didn't have eyes for anyone but you, my darling!"
Gray seemed to unclench, though it was all very subtle.
"Oh yeah?"
"That's right! Though, he still didn't give up even after I said that - which is when I asked him to send me back. I wasn't going to have any of that."
Gray nodded, not commenting, and Natsu took over the role of questioner.
"What about you, Luce? Did he come on to you too?"
"Yeah, he was definitely flirty. Actually, his whole trial was supposed to be some sort of 'date,' and I told him that it could only be a 'friend date' and completely platonic, since I had you. Thankfully, he agreed to those terms. But like I said earlier, aside from being a little too flirtatious, he's actually a good guy. He didn't try anything… he was just sort of… I don't know, extra nice, complimentary… that sort of thing."
"It sounds like he won you over," Gray commented casually, and Lucy rolled her eyes.
"It's not like he wooed me or anything. I just got used to his flirtatiousness and saw past it."
Luckily, before the conversation could go in a strange direction, Natsu shut it down with a dismissive flap of his hand and said, "Eh, it's cool as long as he didn't try anything."
Of course, seconds after that, he changed the topic and asked eagerly, "So…? What sorta power did you get from him?!"
At that, she happily launched into an explanation of what she'd found out about Leo's light magic.
Sneak Peek:
As they made their way up from the docks, Lucy couldn't help but have flashbacks from the last time she'd walked this way. Luckily, they didn't take the same route, which probably saved her from worse PTSD, but nevertheless, she could still easily see that castle on the hill that haunted her nightmares.
Even so, she was determined to see this through to the end and did her best to force her fears into the back of her mind. Right now wasn't the time to let herself be bogged down with past traumas… she had to stay very much present and needed all her senses to successfully accomplish her part of the mission. She had a job to do, and she was going to do it.
Post Note:
Well, looks like we're about to start the final battle of part 2! Are you all excited? I know I am... XD
It's gonna be epic!