"A saferoom!" Lucy exclaims with excited relief, "Let's go before nighttime hits again!" she then urges while tugging on Natsu's arm happily.
She was tired and wanted nothing more than to rest for a while. To eat and sleep while also having time to plan on what their next move was going to be, but Natsu's silence and frozen expression stops Lucy short. He looked as if he had seen a ghost and Lucy's heart quickly sinks with fear at not understanding her friend's sudden change in mood.
Lucy asks Natsu if everything was alright, but the words don't seem to reach the boy who continues to stare at the door. He feels a familiar invisible pull towards the door that he tries to fight, though he doesn't understand why.
Without a word, Natsu begins to step forward, ignoring Lucy's questions that quickly become frantic as she tries to pull him out of his daze with no success. Natsu simply continues to walk forward without tearing his eyes away from the door in a trance. His heart even picks up its pace in an excited leap which startles Natsu because he feels like he should be scared, not excited. He wants to run away, he knows this deep down, but his feet continue to make their way forward, the invisible rope refusing to release its hold on him.
Before he knows it, his hand is on the doorknob, fingers wrapped around the cool gold. A cold sweat sweep over Natsu and it has suddenly become hard for him to breathe. He doesn't know what to do as he continues to stare at the doorknob in his hand while he fights with the thought of opening the door or not. For one part, he wants so desperately to open the door and find his parent's room on the other side as empty and dust-ridden as it had been the last time he had entered it what he assumes was a few days ago. He's afraid that something might be waiting for them on the other side which is why he struggles to make up his mind. Especially since Lucy had stated that golden door knobbed rooms were supposed to be safe havens.
"Natsu," a voice behind him calls but the voice or his name don't seem to register in his head which is full of thoughts of the door and what might or might not be on the other side, "Natsu, what's wrong?"
A tugging on his left arm brings Natsu to turn and look down at Lucy. Lucy, who continued to pull on Natsu's arm wondering with worry why it was that he had not responded since they had entered this hallway with the dead end. She wondered if the door they were standing in front of had significant meaning behind it. To her it looked just like any other door in the manor, only this one had a golden doorknob, the symbol to a haven.
"What's wrong?" Lucy asks again when Natsu's eyes seem to see her clearly.
"I…" Natsu starts, but finds he can't form any words as he looks back at the door, his hand still on the knob, "This… This is my parent's door," Natsu whispers, "It's the door to their room."
Lucy freezes when she hears this. The hairs at the back of her neck stand on end as memories of familiar doors, doors that once had meaning in her life, flash through her head. All those doors had had monsters behind them with terrible nightmares. If this door was familiar to Natsu, that meant that it might hold a nightmare specifically meant for Natsu. It no longer mattered that the doorknob was gold, fear struck the teenagers' hearts at the endless possibilities that they would run into if Natsu opened the door.
~Open it~
Without warning, Natsu's wrist turns and he pushes the door open to find a stream of sunlight pouring in through nearby windows. Sunlight blinds the teenagers who shield their eyes.
Chapter 15
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail
rEAd oN if YoU sO dArE!
"These are all the books I found on the history behind the Phantom Lord manor," Gray says while dropping a heap of books on the table beside Juvia, "Is there something specific you want me to look for?" he then asks the bluenette who was eyeing blue prints on her computer.
"Anything that is useful," Juvia says, "I'm not even sure what it is that I'm looking for," she then sighs while rubbing the bridge of her nose, "There's something that I know can help us find a way to bring back Natsu, but I don't know what it is."
"We'll find something," Gray says while patting the girl's back encouragingly, "We're all relatively smart, so we can figure out this mystery."
Smiling, Juvia nods and goes back to searching the blueprints, not understanding why it was that they had called to her at all. They simply showed the various rooms that the manor housed as well as the other large rooms such as the dining room, library, and other recreational rooms; however, there was a nagging in her mind that told her the structure was not what it was supposed to be. It was hiding something, and it was her job to figure out what that was.
Back at the study tables, the group of teenagers and adults shuffle through the books and newspapers that contain any little information revolving around the manor back in Magnolia. Their heads grow dizzy from the onslaught of historical information, but they keep searching. The only ones not affected with all of the reading were the college students skimming through the information with practiced ease.
"This is torture," Cana groans while splaying herself over the table, pushing her books away from her and wishing she had brought her 'water bottle' with her on this trip, "I thought college was supposed to be fun, this isn't fun."
"It's essay season," Ultear says simply while taking a sip of her coffee she had ordered at the café near the library, "There won't be parties for another week at least."
"We're not here to have fun," Jellal scolds while gathering up the useless books to return them to the front desk.
Groaning, Cana goes back to work shuffling through an old newspaper article talking about Jose Porla and all of the humanitarian work he did throughout his lifetime. The 'good' he did during his time shadowed all of the dark rumors that spoke ill of him. Like the claims that Jose was stealing money from the various charities he ran as well as delving in the selling of items through the black market and such; however, these dark claims of the man were far and few in between which the group thought was interesting. It made them wonder what true secrets Jose held within the home that had stolen two people connected to the group.
"Why do I feel like we're not looking in the right spot?" Levy asks with a tired sigh.
She closes the book that she had been reading through without finding any kind of information that would help them with their quest. In fact, to her, all the books the group have all been reading seem to be a waste of time. Especially since they all seem to be filled with the same repeated information that was taking them nowhere. They appeared to be stuck in a stagnant pool with no opening to move in any direction except stay in place.
"What are we missing?" Levy groans while sitting back and nibling on the nail of her thumb deep in thought.
"Don't bite your nails," Gajeel scolds the tiny bluenette who only ignores him as she continues to gnaw on her nail without breaking or ripping it. Levy thought better when she was chewing on something and currently her nail seemed to be the best thing around since she didn't have any pencils on her.
Everyone else goes back to shuffling through their own books and newspapers when something across the table catches Levy's eye. It is a newspaper article dated after the death of Jose Porla which, like many other articles they've all read, lists all of the accomplishments that Jose made throughout his life. It isn't the information of the man that attracts her attention as she throws herself onto the table to retrieve the paper, if not the picture on the front page.
Around the table, everyone cries out in surprise when Levy throws herself onto the table to grab a hold of the article that is too far out of her reach. She accidentally pushes books over the edge of the table and nearly crumples every piece of paper sitting in the middle of the table where she throws herself onto it. She doesn't care, all that she cares about is getting her hands on the article that was calling out to her.
"What the heck shrimp!" Gajeel yells while grabbing Levy's waist and dragging her off the table, but not before she gets her hands on the newspaper and the one underneath it. "What in Mavis' name has gotten into you?" he asks in a much softer voice when he notices eyes from the nearby students glaring at them.
Still not seeming to hear him, Levy scans the black and white picture of Jose's funeral. The picture had been taken within a chapel where Jose's casket must have been displayed. There were flower arrangements surrounding his casket and people filled the pews of the church, but it wasn't the architecture, the people, or the flowers that had caught Levy's attention. It had been the man standing at the head of Jose's casket that had caught her eye.
The man was big and looked to be well-built with wavy hair that reached his shoulders. Levy didn't know why, but she had the feeling this man had once been in the military from the way he held himself. It was the same way her grandfather, who had been a drill sergeant, carried himself as if he was one of the most important people in the world. The man's face was hard but held a rather laid-back expression with a grin on his face that was almost eerily welcoming. He looked familiar, but Levy couldn't remember why.
"Juvia," Levy calls out to the girl still pouring through blueprints on her computer and only broke her gaze at the sound of her name, "Do you know who this man is?" Levy asks Juvia while shoving the newspaper into Juvia's hands and pointing at the man in question while clutching the other newspaper in her hand precariously without looking at it.
Juvia surveys the man while feeling a prickling of recognition but left unable to recall a name.
"He's familiar, but I don't know what his name is," Juvia admits while looking back up at Levy who pouts.
"Who?" Mirajane, back from returning more unused books, asks while peering over Juvia's shoulder down at the image.
"Hey, I know that man!" Lisanna exclaims while pointing at the image, "Isn't there a portrait of him up near the front desk?" she asks and without a word Levy dashes towards the entrance with her other newspaper still clutched in her hands.
It doesn't take long for Levy to reach the front desk where she finds the large portrait of the man they had passed by on their way in without even realizing it. In the portrait was the same man that was in Levy's newspaper, only this time he was in color. This only seemed to unnerve Levy as the deep red eyes were far more menacing than those of her boyfriend's and the smile the man wore sent chills up and down her spine.
The portrait made it look like the man was staring down at Levy and it made her feel small and defenseless, but she couldn't understand why. There was a strange energy around the portrait that made Levy's stomach churn with fear and a cold sweat build up on her brow, but still she felt that this man would lead her and her friends to the truth behind this mystery.
"Zero Nirvana," a voice beside her says startling Levy, "He's the man who donated a hefty sum to have this library built."
She turns to see who her companion was and found a man in his early twenties looking up at the portrait beside her with a casual smile on his face. He had wavy hair that was half black at the top and white at the bottom with a long white braid on his left that sat on his shoulder. He looked rather handsome in grey slacks and a dark chocolate brown sweater shirt with a white collar peeking out at the neck, and a warm suede coat tied his entire outfit together His grey eyes, nearly hidden behind wire glasses, stare up at the portrait with a curious glint in them before looking down at Levy.
"That's his name," the man states while nudging his head towards the painting as he stuffs his hands inside the pockets of his coat. He looked like a professor from his attire and Levy wondered if he was older than he looked. Especially since the three students who went to this university didn't dress up as formally as this man.
"Th-that's a strange name," Levy finds herself muttering after realizing that she hadn't said anything yet and was only rudely gawking at the man who had walked up to talk to her.
"It is, isn't it?" the man asks, his kind smile never faltering, "I can't imagine what it would have been like to have grown up with a name like that. At least having a Shakespearean name isn't as bad as that," the man jokes while shaking his head.
Levy simply smiles, her shyness catching up with her as she tries to figure out what to say to the kind stranger who had suddenly started talking to her. She feels rude for not saying anything to the man who had helped her identify the man from the newspaper that was still back with Juvia. This meant that they could further their search beyond that information that revolved around Jose and possibly move on to this man who might have the answers that they were looking for.
"Do you go to this school?" the man then asks when he notices that the girl seems to be rather young, "You look a little young to be a college student."
"Oh… um… no," Levy stumbles across her words while realizing that she could possibly get in trouble for trespassing, but then remembers that the university's library was open to the public, "I don't go here. I'm just here doing some research for school," she admits, hoping that she wouldn't be in trouble.
"Interesting," the man says with a nod while looking down at Levy's hands at the newspaper she was clutching.
Like the switch of a light the man's smile quickly morphs into a deep frown and the happy glint in his eyes is completely gone. The sudden change in mood startles Levy and she looks down at the paper to see what it was that had bothered him so severely. The front-page story was about the girl who had disappeared at the Phantom Lord manor six years ago. It was a copy of one of the newspapers that Ultear had shown the group back home.
"A haunting memory," the man murmurs so low that Levy almost misses his words.
She looks up to find sadness swimming in the man's dark eyes while a smile returns to his face. This smile, however, is filled with a trembling sadness that shakes Levy's heart which squeezes at the sight she recognized too well belonged to those who had broken hearts. It was a similar expression she had seen Natsu wear after his father's accident and a look all of her friends now wore since their friend's disappearance.
Levy is about to ask what the man meant when someone calls out "Midnight!" causing the man to turn at the sound of the name. Levy turns to look with him to find a man with warm skin and deep maroon hair walking towards them. Unlike his friend, this new man was dressed in casual clothing that was completely opposite of what his friend was wearing. He had on faded black jeans, a long sleeve white shirt, and a white jacket. A beanie covered most of his head and a scarf was wrapped around his neck to keep him warm from the cool air outside.
"Ready to go?" he asks Levy's companion whose mood seemed to have cheered up considerably in the span of a few seconds, "Who's your friend?" the man then asks looking down at Levy while picking his ear with mild interest.
"Erick this is…" the man named Midnight starts but comes short when he realizes they hadn't introduced themselves.
"Levy," Levy says while bowing her head respectfully, "It's nice to meet you," she then says nervously.
"Sure," Erick says while looking over at Midnight, "Ready to go? I told Kinana that we would meet her at the café. Also, Sorano wants to meet up for drinks with Sawyer later tonight since she's in town."
"I'll be right over, and tell Sorano that we'll be there," Midnight says while his friend takes out his phone from his pocket and starts texting while walking away, "I'm sorry about my friend, his social skills are rather rusty since he mostly interacts with animals."
"It's fine," Levy laughs nervously while scratching her cheek, "And thank you for giving me the name of Zero. I probably would have taken forever trying to find out his name if you hadn't helped me."
At the mention of the man Zero, Midnight's smile wavers and his eyes fall back on Levy's newspaper before looking back up at her. He wants to warn her about the manor and tell her to stay away from it at all costs. To not let her curiosity take her to the place he had lost his first love, but the words tangle themselves in his throat preventing him from giving the girl a warning.
"Good luck with your paper Levy," he says instead while turning to leave with a wave.
"Thank you again Mr. Midnight," Levy says before he is too far away, and the man stops to give her a sheepish smile.
"You can call me Macbeth. Midnight is just a silly nickname Erick gave me," he says before waving and leaving Levy behind.
Macbeth… Levy rolls the name in her mind, was he the boy Laxus had said was friends with his cousin Lucy?
The name Sorano had also not escaped Levy's notice. After what Laxus had said about the female, Levy was surprised that anyone would have remained friends with the woman after high school. She wondered if this Sorano woman still had a terrible attitude and if she did why did Macbeth, who didn't seem like such a bad guy, still hang out with her. It made Levy wonder if things had changed and if they had all grown up. She was curious to ask Laxus and Ultear, but then felt like that was a bad idea. Especially since Laxus had voiced his disdain towards the group that apparently had something to do with his cousin's disappearance.
Shaking the encounter from her head, Levy then turns to look back up at the portrait she had been staring at of Zero. The strong sense of foreboding returned, but now Levy felt like she was on the right path. Whatever it was that she and her friends were looking for, Zero was the key, not Jose. This Levy was certain about.
Making her way back towards her friends, Levy finds everyone still searching through more books and papers while she makes a beeline back towards Juvia. The bluenette looks up from her computer when she notices that Levy had returned and is curious as to what it was that her friend must have discovered.
"Zero Nirvana, that's his name," Levy states while pointing down at the newspaper of the man she had left behind, "He's what we should be looking for, not Jose."
"How are you so sure about that?" Juvia asks quizzically.
"I just know it," Levy states with sureness in her voice, "He's the missing link, I'm sure of it."
Without needing to be told, the others, after overhearing Levy, quickly search through their books and papers for anything relating to Zero Nirvana. Levy quickly joins them and together they all find rather interesting information on the man that had taken over everything after Jose Porla had died. Aside from donating money to various places, Zero had actually been the one who had erected the orphanage where Juvia had come from. Not only that, but Jellal found that there had been a rumor going around that many kids had gone missing from the orphanage.
"Apparently there had been a long investigation as to find out why these kids had gone missing, but nothing was ever found," Erza says while reading a historical book she had found, "Zero had apparently done everything he could to help the police department find these missing kids, but the case went cold and not long after Zero went missing and was never found again."
"What do you think happened to him?" Ultear asks while taking the book from Erza to check it out herself.
"Maybe he's the one haunting the manor," Gray says while crossing his arms and looking off into the distance with a pensive look, "But the question is why? And why kidnap both Lucy and Natsu if he were haunting the manor?"
"I can't answer why, but I think I found a clue that will take us closer to the truth," Juvia says while walking up to the table with a few papers she had printed out. "I found an irregularity in the blueprints, and I think this will tell us exactly where we can find the truth about the Phantom Lord manor and this man who called himself Zero."
Happy New Year my lovelies! I am quite excited to see where this new year will take us and I can't wait to finally reach the conclusion of this story. There is still a ways to go before we reach the finale, but we are getting rather close.
I had wanted to end this story before 2020 had ended, but alas it was not to be. I had also wanted to post a bit more chapters before the end of the year, but my writer's block hit me rather hard and before I knew it December had ended. Not to mention I had gotten distracted with catching up on reading a few books that have waited months for me to touch. I recently read The Rise of Kiyoshi and it is such a good book. I highly recommend it for my fellow ATLA fans out there.
Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this most recent chapter and I can't wait to finish up the next chapter for you all. Also, I want to post more original content on my Wattpad account so I think after every chapter I'll be asking for prompt recommendations so I can write more short stories for you all to enjoy. I'll also finally be posting up my current short stories that I've been too lazy to publish from my creative writing class, so look out for that. I currently updated a new story called The Day That Never Happened so I hope you all can read it and that you enjoy it.
Shout outs
Great amazing thanks to my Fantastic Favorite...
- Natsudin
To my Fabulous Followers...
- jelibeli8
- Chasingdreams6
- Natsudin
And to my Fantabulous Reviewers...
- KJacket = Thank you, and I'm sorry my dear but I cannot promise anything lol.
- stranger1999 = Thank you! Yes, it was so fricken hard keeping my head above water this past semester because of COVID, but I finally did it! Also, I'm happy you enjoyed the chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one as well!
- Amanny = I'm glad you liked it and it's good to be back even thought my writer's block said "no3" there for a hot minute.
- Meow Orbit = Thank you!
- shootingstarssel = I hope to give more detail on the lore later, but hopefully this chapter satiated your interest for the meantime. Also, degree twinsies!
- Xfangirl123X = I had been tempted to keep Lucy stuck for more than six years, but I realized that it left holes with the connection I wanted her to have to several characters in the story. I also tried to make her inner struggle about comparing her previous friends with new friends as realistic as I should. It is actually inspired by a similar situation that a really dear friend of mine went through before she was introduced to our group of friends. Also, we got to see Macbeth in this chapter! He is currently working on his Masters along with Erick.
- Sele de la Luna = Thank you! I didn't want to be gone as long as I was, but alas duty called. Now I'm back to my great passion which is writing and I was a little stuck these past few weeks on how I wanted this chapter to go down, but I finally got it! Also, I can't make any promises...
Well that's all the shout outs for today.
If you're enjoying my spine-chilling story give me the honor by Following, Favoriting, and Reviewing - remember, reviews are the reminders I need in order to update faster - and if you have any questions or haunting ideas you can also PM me and I'll gladly add it into the story.
Until next time my ghoulies!
