Summary: Darkness and light clashed, grotesque creatures prowling in the shadows around them as they waited with baited breath. "You don't get to judge me. I made us. We were nothing… they were nothing! I won't let you get in the way of what I want!"
Authors Note: So… I'm back again (sorry). So, so much has happened. A massive reason for my hiatus is because I fell pregnant, gave birth to my little boy and then started studying my Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. Between work, my boy and study, a whole lot has been going on, COVID was just the kicker (wasn't it for all of us.) So, yes. I'm rusty, but I hope to finish this story in the next few months. I hope you enjoy the last chapters of The First Sin.
Disclaimer: I in no way own Fairy Tail! I do however own my own characters. Or the origin of the Black Zodiac though the names and descriptions used in this story are of my creation and interpretation.
Arc: Pride
Chapter 23: Into the Shadows
"Lucy! Lucy! Wake up!" Warm hands held her against soft fabric, the safety of the embrace beckoning her deeper into unconsciousness, "Lucy… please."
The desperation pulled at her heart and she forced her eyes open with a groan, her muscles screaming in pain as she adjusted.
"Princess. You're finally awake…" Loke hovered over her, a faint hazy surrounding him like a halo, "You've been out for a while."
"Yeah Blondie. We were getting worried." Laxus' voice rumbled in her ear and she shifted, noticing the way Laxus held her and she felt her face heat up.
"I'm sorry." She squeaked, attempted to move only to yelp.
"Stop moving. Your spirits worked damn hard to heal you up nice and good, so don't go ruining it." Laxus grumbled, reclining against what looked like a wall. Confusion welled up inside her and her instinctual curiosity peaked.
"Healed me… but how? And where are we? What time is it?" She struggled enough that Laxus sighed, shifting her easily so that she was in his lap, her back against his chest and her body secured with his arms around her waist.
"The Spirit King… while he tries not to get involved, he couldn't stand by and do nothing, so he allowed Gemini to come through their own gate and heal you all. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to fully heal you, so you'll be sore for a while." Loke turned away, the light Lucy had first seen reflecting in his glasses.
"As for the time Miss Lucy, we aren't sure. The mansion collapsed right on top of us. I can only assume we're in some cave, perhaps something that had always been under the manor, or perhaps it is where the creatures came from to create the manor. We can't be certain."
"And without light we can't tell the time, so we've just waited, and healed. You're spirits, the maid and Loke, they helped us. Gave us some light and water." Ever sighed, moving to lean against the wall beside Laxus, "Bix went with his babies to see if there was a way out."
"It's been long enough that my magic is at least half restored… So, it's been at least six hours I'd say." Lucy sighed, brushing her fingers against her keys and feeling them heat in response.
"So it's sometimes between midnight and dawn. Interesting." Freed hummed, his eyes scanning their surroundings, trying his best to make out shapes in the darkness.
"We should get moving once Bix gets back, who knows what's lurking down her-" Laxus couldn't finish his sentence, a growl from the shadows echoing off the cave walls.
"Did… did anyone else hear that?" Evergreen stuttered, standing up quickly, her hands braced on the wall. Laxus moved quickly, moving both himself and Lucy upright, one arm still around her waist while the other lifted, lightning sparking from his finger tips and allowing a dim light to come to life.
The sound came again, except this time is was accompanied by another, deeper growl, the sound making the hair on the back of their neck stand on end.
"Lucy. This is one of the Black Zodiacs. I'd remember that sound anywhere… anytime. It's Lapsus, he's the reason the other Zodiacs fell from grace. You can't let it affect you." Loke stood ahead of the group, glaring into the darkness, Virgo steadfast behind him.
"Run Princess. If it becomes too much, summon Hellkite, the Black Zodiac of Aquarius. His consequences can be severe, but he is the strongest against the fiends of The Fallen Demon." Virgo's chains jingled as she prepared for battle, never once looking towards her Master.
"But… Virgo, Loke… I can't just- and where's his-"
"You can and you will. If Lapsus is here then I'm sure Veritas is as well. And that can only mean one thing…"
"It means the final sibling is somewhere close by…" Laxus cursed, making the others in his team jump, "And we sent Bix right into her trap! Let's go!"
Without waiting, Laxus was bolting into the darkness, using his lightning to illuminate as much of the cave as possible. Lucy dragged behind him, her ears straining to hear the sound of fighting going on behind her group, her heart tearing as she tried to imagine what horrors she'd left her spirits to take care of.
"Lucy. Come on. I know it's not easy, but they did this so you could do what you came along to do. Let's get this bitch and make her pay for putting your spirits through hell." Evergreen winked in the waning light.
"Yeah." With renewed determination, Lucy picked up her feet, coming alongside the Lightning Slayer and forcing the rest to keep up with them. She pressed her fingers against the small shield Ferrum had given her, pouring a small amount of magic into it until a weight formed on her arm, the pristine white glowing in the shadows and helping light the way.
An unsettled feeling spread through the group the further they ran, the stony walls looming over them, threatening them. The fight behind them was long gone, and as far as Lucy could tell, Loke and Virgo were still out in Earthland, so she tried to take some comfort in that.
"Lucy!" A split second after Evergreen yelled, Laxus was yanking the blonde to him, colliding violently with the wall.
Something growled beside them and a radiating cold instantly chilled their skin. In the darkness, something slammed against Lucy's shield, the reverberation making her teeth clack while Laxus braced them.
"What the fuck's attacking us?" Laxus grunted under the weight of the assault, Evergreen and Freed lost somewhere further back the rocky passage they'd run down.
"No!" Lucy cried, feeling the shield wretch to the side, her arm stinging at the odd angle it was forced into before large teeth clamped down on her leg, her thigh trembling under the pain. Her scream was drowned out by whatever creature was attacking her and Laxus roared, his lightning arching up and off him, illuminating the darkness and shocking whatever beast had dared attack the woman.
At the absence of pressure, Lucy dropped to her knees, her shield arm hanging limply at her side while Laxus stood vigil, his eyes glowing eerily in the gloom.
"Laxus!" Evergreen yelled from someone nearby, the sound of dragging ringing out around them, "We need to find Bixlow and leave. Right now!"
The smell of blood was enough to have his inner dragon thrashing, furious at the unseen creatures, "And how the fuck do we do that when we can't even see where the fuck we're going?"
"Hellkite…" Lucy whispered, her body numb with pain, "Virgo said… to summon him…"
The others went quiet, the void filled only with the ever so quiet patter of feet prowling around them and subdued growls.
"But, the price?" Evergreen whispered, having gotten close enough to the pair to be illuminated by Laxus' lightning.
"Fuck!" Laxus roared, his magic arching and sending the closest beasts scattering, avoiding the light, "I don't think we have a choice. If Blondie's spirits recommended it, then they must have known this would happen."
Lucy slowly moved her free hand, her body screaming at her to stop, to rest and to just lay down where she sat, her fingers brushing across her newest key that someone must have put on her keyring while she was unconscious.
"I am linked to the path of the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O Spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate! Black Gate of Aquarius, Grand Beast Hellkite!"
No bell of visible gate appeared at the summons, but the air itself seemed to grow heavy, a dread so deep that it set them all on edge, a sense of danger so strong that Lucy almost gagged.
"Mistress…" The word was nothing more than a whisper, the brush of air against her face her only warning when lips pressed against hers, her whole body locking in place. Something vile seemed to sink it's teeth into her, the feeling of something sapping her, draining her of something, the only emotion she could latch onto. And even then that was a grand effort.
"What the fuck-" Laxus tried to move, his magic trying to respond, only to realise the heaviness in the air was stopping him, the atmosphere acting almost like a freeze on him.
"That is all I require Mistress. I will now be strong enough to deal with your foes. My price however, is steep." Again, the voice whispered, like gravel against her nerves and Lucy couldn't drum up more than a nod, her body drained by whatever he did, "Whatever damage I inflict unto my enemies, will be inflicted two fold on another target. You can choose yourself, Mistress, another individual, or multiple allies. But my price is what it is."
Something almost like regret whispered between them, his hand, grey in pallor, brushed her hair from her face, but his face was too shadowed to make out any defining features. Her lips moved, her mind a jumbled mess, but she was beaten by Laxus, still standing vigil above her.
"Me. I'll take the price." His voice was strong, a solid pillar in the darkness, only to have his determination joined by two others.
"Count me in too. I'm stronger than I look." Evergreens' voice warbled, but she steeled her nerves.
"I may be injured, but I too will contribute where I can." Freed coughed, a wet sound that had Laxus on edge, but they knew they needed to share the responsibility if they were to leave alive.
"I sense your other companion nearby Mistress, but his soul whispers his conviction. He too wishes to partake."
In the dull light, Lucy barely nodded, her eyes glazed with such indifference that it made the hair on the back of Laxus' neck stand on end, the notion that Bixlow was close by only vaguely registering in his mind.
"Very well. Then our contract is sealed." Like smoke, the spirit vanished, the faint light from Laxus' magic and Lucy's shield visibly dimming, making the gloom that much more oppressive. But they couldn't focus on that, because once the roars started echoing through the passageway, the pangs of pain started. Almost like irritating mosquito bites at first, the pangs started to grow, the depth of it increasing until even Laxus was hunched over, his breathing laboured. But what disturbed him the most was the fact that Lucy barely reacted to it while Evergreen and Freed were crying out. Even he had to grit his teeth and it made him worry over just what the spirit had done to her with the kiss.
"Gah!" A particularly sharp pain exploded in his chest, warmth dribbling down his lips before it all came to an abrupt stop, his body numb. Silence threatened to deafen them and it was only the chill that seeped into the air that had them focusing on the return of Lucy's newest spirit.
"It is done, Mistress… forgive me for the consequences. I have brought to you your ally. I suggest you make haste in departing this place. The Infernos sibling you hunt is already gone and leaves only pain in her wake." In an instant, something dropped at their feet and the spirit vanished, a pained look in his shadowed eyes, mouth pinched as he took in his Mistress.