Chapter 3 - Back To The Past
The Guild Hall, a couple days later
After giving Natsu and Gray a terrible nightmare, they would be too scared to ever fight within range of the blonde girl. In fear that she would invoke her wrath as the Dark Maiden. The group left after Lucy summoned Astolfo and Iskander to provide transport making Makarov very thankful to have her around. Otherwise they would be stuck travelling around the desert and slowly starving to death. Hopefully they didn't miss any opportunity to help out somewhere seeing they returned home at an alarming speed.
Just a day after their arrival, Shirou walked up to Erza who was telling Natsu and Gray to break it up again.
"Hi Erza, I have a request for you." Shirou said catching her attention.
Erza gave the boys one more death glare making them stop and they only pissed themselves further when Lucy looked their way. There was no way they would have Lucy destroy their minds. She might not be as physically tough as Erza, but the Holy Maiden wasn't any less dangerous. They had to learn that the hard way after the incident with Lullaby and Lucy repairing the conference hall.
"Ok, what is Shirou?" Erza asked.
"Listen Erza, I hear your the strongest mage in the guild. So I was wondering if you would fight me." Shirou requested.
"Shirou I'm flattered, but I'm an S rank mage. Wouldn't I be too hard on you?" Erza asked.
Shirou shook his head, "Nope I'm used to fight a lot of dangerous people when I helped my big sis fight dark guilds." he said.
"What would Lucy say?" Erza asked as the blonde girl walked over to them.
"Shirou I don't know if I should be letting you fight random guild members. Erza doesn't play around like the dark guilds. She's probably stronger than Gilgamesh without his noble phantasm and he was just playing with you every time you two sparred." Lucy explained as she worried for Shirou's safety.
"Big sis I can do it! Trust me, I just want to prove how strong I am. I feel like I haven't done as much as you, Natsu and Gray." Shirou said admitting to feeling useless.
"Don't forget about Happy!" Happy said floating beside him.
"Oh yeah, I forgot the cat was on the team." Shirou said as the cat started crying anime tears.
"Happy have a fish." Lucy said tossing one at the blue cat.
"Ooh fish!" he said taking it and sitting down.
"Anyways, I just want to show everyone I'm valuable to the guild too." Shirou said.
Lucy sighed as she took a knee to look at her brother at eye level, "Is this really what you want?" Shirou nodded. "Erza?" she asked.
"I'll consider it if you give him permission." Erza answered.
"Shirou no matter what happens. You will drop out of the fight the moment you feel an exceeding amount of pain." Lucy said as she grabbed his hand and started placing command seals on it.
"I'll be able to do better now that I have command seals." Shirou said optimistically.
"Command seals?" Erza asked.
"Back in the day, heroic spirits were summoned in groups of seven and only one per person to participate in combat. The people who summoned them would hold command seals, or spells in some terms, that were absolute commands that can't be broken. They're also good for amplifying a heroic spirit's power level temporarily." Lucy explained.
"I see, so you want to give Shirou a fighting edge." Erza said.
"Yeah, now we can fight as equals Erza." Shirou said as he looked at the seal that was in the shape of the Fairy Tail brand.
"Very well, I will see you outside in a half hour." Erza said accepting the challenge.
"Hey Erza you should be fighting me!" Natsu yelled running at her only to take a punch to the gut instantly knocking him out.
"And he's out! Winner Erza!" Happy announced wearing a referee's uniform. "Hopefully the next challenger lasts longer." he said looking at Shirou who looked confidant.
"Be careful little brother." Lucy said hugging him tightly.
"I will!" Shirou said.
A little while later outside
Everyone gathered around hearing about one of the rookie recruits challenging Erza. From the looks of it, everyone was putting their money on Erza for an easy win and Cana was the bookey for the bets. Likely trying to take a small fee every time for her drinking debts.
Shirou was stretching his arms before preparing for the fight. Meanwhile Erza was thinking over what armor best suits her since she knows not to be arrogant. Shirou may be young and lack years of experience, but he appears to have more abilities than just agility and shooting arrows. From what she learned earlier, Lucy wasn't responsible for the ability to summon weapons and create a rainstorm of blades. Then there's the fact he can copy many weapons albeit weaker compared to the original.
However, Erza still has that copy of the legendary weapon Excalibur, but she can't be sure how it will react seeing as each weapon of Lucy's servants have powers. It was a foreign magic she has yet to understand. So for now, she would have to rely on brute force and study her younger comrade's fighting capabilities for now.
Gray for his part had hope for the kid thinking he might have a chance, "Put me down for the kid. I have faith in him." he told Cana as he handed her money.
"You have that much faith in the kid Gray?" Elfman asked.
"He might think less of me, but he's a capable member of Fairy Tail. He hasn't even revealed all his magical powers." Gray answered.
"I just hope Erza doesn't go too far." Lucy said.
"He may be a child, but you should have faith in him Lucy. You can't shield him forever." Artoria said from within.
"Like you would know! You neglected me for so long and I was a happy go lucky kind of girl until you literally said you wouldn't accept me to my face!" Mordred barked.
"Mordred that was different." Artoria responded.
'No it's not.' Lucy thought.
Back to the fight, Erza entered her Heaven's Wheel Armor, "I'll go easy on you Shirou. I will use the only amor you've seen me use." she said.
Shirou smirked, "Well I'm not going to use my bow and arrows the whole time Erza. So don't think I'll hold back." he said as green grids appeared all over Erza's dual swords.
"What is this?" Erza asked with surprise.
Then suddenly the exact same copy of the weapons in Shirou's hands, "Ok I'm ready!" he said.
"Round 1 start!" Makarov said raising his hand.
(Fate/Stay Night UBW OST - Souls to Fight)
"Hey is that a new soundtrack? It sounds amazing!" Mirajane said.
"It sounds too serious." Gray commented.
Back to the fight, both fighters clashed weapons and Erza could sense Shirou's lack of skill in knowledge using those swords. They may be fakes, but that also meant the user wasn't knowledgeable about the weapons. With that with more pressure, both blades started to crack until Shirou slipped past her and slashed at her wing smashing both his left sword and part of her left wing.
"Holy crap! He damaged Erza's armor!" Happy yelled in surprise.
"It was beginner's luck is all." Wakaba said in the distance.
"Hey Lucy what do you think?" Gray asked.
"Shirou is trying to find a weakness or strength he can stop. He's probably trying to damage her armor or keep her grounded." Lucy answered.
Back at the fight, Erza managed to block the next few attacks and shattered the other sword before kicking the boy back. Shirou recovered and created two yin yang colored swords. Charging at his opponent, Shirou attacked wildly and started to study Erza's defense while also leaving little durability in his blades as another test. About 23 blades shattered and he could see Erza keeping an eye on his weapons and their directions.
"I'm assuming you're free to summon as many swords as you want so long as you have the energy." Erza stated getting gasps.
"Lucy, isn't there a limit on how many swords Shirou can summon?" Mirjane asked.
"Not really, Shirou doesn't use requip magic. They're hand made and he's been purposely using little energy to weaken their durability." Lucy analysed.
With that, Shirou and Erza continued fighting destroying more blades until Shirou increased the durability of a certain pair messing up Erza's attack pattern. Before she realized his strategy, Erza found her arms in a lock as she took took a kick to the chin making her skid back. Then suddenly, the Titania looked in the corner of her eyes to see several bladed weapons flying towards her. She quickly dispatched them all, but wasn't quick enough to see Shirou throw a spear destroying her other wing.
"She destroyed her other wing! She can't fly without the both of them!" Gray said praising Shirou.
"Two can play at that game." Erza said summoning ten swords above her head.
"Trace on!" Shirou said creating ten swords of the exact same design.
Both groups of swords collided and were either destroyed or crashed into the ground. This went on for a couple minutes as Erza continued to shower the sky with her weapons only for Shirou to keep blocking them making him breath heavily. However, Erza also started to pant heavily as well seeing she was close to her on summoning them.
"You aren't used to summoning so many are you Erza?" Shirou asked as he started calming down.
"Well I could say the same about you." Erza said with a smile.
"Well that's where you're wrong." Shirou said raising the back of his hand revealing the command seal. "By order of a command spell I wish to rejuvenate my stamina." he said as the tail on his mark disappeared making him stop sweating and making him stand tall with several weapons behind him.
Erza prepared herself and managed to block them all herself. While this happened, she summoned several swords behind Shirou aimed directly at him.
"Always watch your back boy. Even around allies." Erza said in a tone that sound way too evil.
Shirou's eyes widened as he turned see Erza's sword flying behind him. He landed on one foot and jumped in the air with a single spin and saw five swords aimed at him.
Then everything became very slow as the swords came closer.
(Fate/Stay Night UBW OST - Emiya Theme)
Shirou closed his eyes and began to chant to himself in a voice so low, only Natsu with his impressive hearing and Erza who was close.
I am the bone of my sword
Steel is my body and fire is my blood
Unknown to death
Nor known to life
Withstood pain to create weapons, waiting for one's arrival
I have no regrets. This is the only path.
My whole life was Unlimited Blade Works
Before anyone could do anything, the whole world around started to change. A bright light blinded everyone before they suddenly realized they were in a desert filled with swords. Immediately they sprang to life and shattered every blade aimed at Shirou making him land gracefully and unscratched.
"What is this place?" Erza asked.
Shirou didn't respond as he found himself behind Erza and kicked her from behind. Erza was shocked at the insane speed and quickly trying to fly back with her single damaged wing. Shirou was ready for her and they continued clashing blades until he scratched her hand made Erza lose the grip of her swords before taking another kick.
Erza wasn't finished as she landed and grabbed one of the man swords from the sand and continued her fight. Everyone else was too shocked to pay attention the fight as they all found themselves in this new world.
"Lucy what is this place?" Makarov asked.
"It's a reality marble. I think Shirou must have discovered his noble phantasm." Lucy said with astonishment as her brother was able to keep up with Erza who was slowly losing her breath.
"Can you disable it?" Makarov asked concerned about everyone getting hurt or lost in this new world.
"Shirou has to disable it himself or run out of energy." Lucy answered sadly.
Everyone gasped at the information and had to watch as Shirou worked himself to exhaustion.
"Time to end this!" Erza said getting a nod from Shirou.
As the two clashed their weapons one last time, Shirou had inadvertently used another command spell on himself. Shirou's eyes became slits as his skin began to grow scales as he jumped away from Erza. Erza quickly prepared herself for the worst as she started requiping into a new set of armor.
Then Shirou said something no one ever expected him to say.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" he yelled as a giant wave of fire engulfed Erza as the whole reality marble collapsed sending everyone back to Magnolia town.
The fire died down revealing Erza survived the flames and was in her Flame Empress Armor. However you could see a few small burn marks around her skin and part of her armor despite it being resistant against fire. Erza sighed in relief before avoiding a giant fist of fire from Shirou as it created a large crack on the ground beside her head.
Before the fight could continue, it was stopped by a frog person who clapped their hands making a gong sound.
"This fight is over. May I have your attention please? I have come here on the behalf of the Magic Council." the frog person announced.
"Frog?" Lucy asked in astonishment.
"As a result of the Eisenwald incident, a member of your guild has been charged with 11 counts of criminal property damage. Erza Scarlet, you are under arrest." said the frog.
Just before Erza could respond, she caught Shirou was about to collapse, "Shirou!" Lucy called out running to the boy.
"Huh? You're putting her under a what?" Natsu demanded.
A while later
Erza silently complied with her arrest and Natsu attempted to make a run for it to stop Erza's arrest. Romeo found a red salamander claiming it was Natsu and that he transformed. However, Lucy quickly found the real Natsu hiding in a bush and trapped him in a perfect cube. As much as she worried for Erza, she realized the council will retaliate and put her into more trouble should Natsu cause any trouble during her trial.
Although risky, Lucy discreetly summoned an assassin and ordered him to tail the frog and Erza to the council trial. They may be unable to do much for her, but at the very least Lucy can learn about Erza's fate and let the rest of the guild know.
"Come on guys let me out!" Natsu yelled as he punched the perfect cube.
"No you'll go on a rampage and make things worse." Lucy said as she tended to Shirou who was unconscious.
"Try to calm down!" Mirajane said.
"Give me a break!" Natsu said as he started breathing fire on the cube.
"Lucy can that thing really hold him? His flames are very powerful after all." Makarov said.
"Master that technique was able to restrain a man who had the power of the sun inside of him. I doubt a dragon could be much stronger." Lucy said making him sigh in relief.
"Oh yeah! Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu yelled filling the entire cube with flames only for it to blow over reveal that he cooked himself.
"Natsu your flames are nowhere near the level of the sun. If Lucy is right, you are staying in there until the trial is over." Gray said.
"Say that to my face snowman!" Natsu yelled punching the walls even harder than before.
"You know I think I like him better this way." Gray said enjoying seeing his angry rival trapped in a cage.
"Good to know Lucy can both repair the damages and contain the cause of the destruction." Makarov said earning a glare from the blonde.
"The things I do for the guild." Lucy said with a sigh.
"How is he Lucy?" Levy asked.
"Shirou should be fine, but I think using his noble phantasm for the first time took a toll on him." Lucy answered as she checked his magical circuits. "Good, all his circuits are intact, but I don't know where those flames came from." she said.
"Speaking of which, how was Shirou able to use Dragon Slayer Magic and what the heck is a noble phantasm?" Happy asked with his hands on his hips.
"Yeah! Why can that kid use dragon's roar!?" Natsu asked thinking it might lead to Igneel's whereabouts.
"The flames I don't know and Shirou has never been able to use any form of the elements before. As for the noble phantasm, that might take a while to explain." Lucy answered as she finished checking the circuits.
"We have time." Gray said.
Lucy rubbed her temples seeing as everyone was demanding it to be story time, "Ok first I have to explain my servants. As you know celestial spirits are bound to a key and can be summoned when a contract is made. Heroic spirits had the same concept and have their own free will to ignore their master as well as arguing with them. But that was back in the day during something called the Holy Grail War and right now that doesn't matter since all the servants are bound to me." she explained already confusing them.
"So what does that have to do with noble phantasm thing?" Droy asked.
"That's the interesting part, each one of my servants has at least one. As you know I always refer to them as heroic spirits. Because they're all the embodiments of their past lives. Each and everyone of my servants are based on a legend or myth. Their noble phantasms are based on humanity's conception of their legend and it can often effect reality from their truth. Often times making it worse for them." Lucy continued.
"How so Lucy?" Levy asked.
"One perfect example would be Vlad III, the man was a noble who's methods were questionable at best. The story of him impaling people and drinking it were true, but it was because he discovered a secret about the method. It was many years later that humanity has saw him as a vampire making him resentful towards others. Sadly he can also be turned into one when he uses his noble phantasm." Lucy mentioned feeling bad for poor Vlad.
"Yes and that is why I ask you kind woman. Do not order me to use that noble phantasm." Vlad said from inside of her.
"Other times, these abilities can only be met under specific conditions. Like waiting for a new moon otherwise its considered impossible to do. Another worth mentioning is they all fall under different categories for where they are best used. Anti unit for single enemies, anti fortress for large structures, anti army for many enemies and so on." Lucy finished.
"So what about that golden guy? There was nothing left after he destroyed Lullaby." Gray mentioned.
"That was and anti world noble phantasm. Gilgamesh had a long and messed up story. That sword he carried has the power to rip open the ground and can do a lot worse than he did with Lullaby" Lucy answered.
That only left Makarov, Gray and Natsu shaking as to how powerful some of the servants can be. Their only real worry is towards is whether or not she can keep them in line. After all, this is a mysterious magic that manipulates the power of ancient historical figures and others only known by legend. If anything, there's a chance someone like Zeref is under Lucy's control.
"Do you have any dragons!?" Natsu asked.
"I have a literal dragon slayer and the ability to summon a dragon. No I won't summon him because he doesn't like to do anything outside of battles or emergencies." Lucy answered.
"Lucy be serious, don't tell me you just happen to have a dragon under your belt." Gray said.
"I do, but I'm not going to bother having to explain myself." Lucy said when all of a sudden she felt fatigue.
Everyone around her started tired and started to fall asleep. Leaving only Lucy and Makarov fighting the need to rest. Lucy stayed strong and watched a blurry masked figure with a staff walking towards the job board and picking up a flyer. The man turned his head to see Lucy fighting the fatigue.
"You are as strong as they say Holy Maiden. I don't suppose your resistance due to the use of one magic. Nevertheless, perhaps we could work together some day." he said before turning to Makarov. "I will take this." he told him.
"Take off the sleeping spell when you leave." Makarov told him.
The man counted down until the spell wore off at the last second returning everyone's energy. Lucy shook her head as she got back up.
"Who was that master?" Lucy asked.
"Mystogan, one of our stronger mages. Lucy what was he talking about when he said "one magic"? What is it?" Makarov asked.
"It's premoridal magic. Its older than black magic from Zeref's era." Lucy answered before a servant quickly returned to the doors.
Henry Jekyll arrived clutching his jacket and adjusted his glasses before speaking, "Good evening everyone, I hope you're all doing well." he said.
"Who the heck are you!?" Natsu barked.
"That's Henry Jekyll, one of my assassin class servants." Lucy answered as she adjusted herself and made sure Shirou was fine. "I also sent him to check on Erza. Ironically he also studied civil law in his lifetime." she added.
Makarov looked gobsmacked, "You sent a spy on the council?" he asked.
"Not really a council, rather a few holograms and a frog with the intelligence of a human." Henry corrected. "Clearly they pointed out all the destruction starting from a train station, to a few train tracks and something called Lullaby. I'm assuming the last one was the monster Enkidu and Gilgamesh destroyed?" he asked.
"That's right." Lucy answered.
"Anyways, they all let her off with a slap on the wrist. It was clear the mages council were trying to show their power and used your friend as a scapegoat to prove you can't get away with whatever laws you broke. She should be back here in a few hours." Henry explained before returning to Lucy.
"Fun fact, he is one of my dual class servants. He's both a berserker and an assassin which fits well depending on what you need the most." Lucy said.
Makarov sighed in relief that Erza would be find and she was just used as an example, "That's good dear, may all of the heroic spirits aid this guild to a better tomorrow." he said knowing they can often help so long as they trust Lucy.
"Haha, looks like the guild is turning for the worst. Now we're relying on help from strangers who aren't even in the guild." said a cocky voice.
"I see you decided to join us Laxus." Makarov said without looking.
"Alright Laxus, you and me! Right now!" Natsu demanded as he continued attacking the perfect cube.
"Yeah right, even you can't even break out of a box. Why bother with me?" Laxus asked with a tone of arrogance. "I'm the guild's strongest wizard." he added.
"Why don't you come down here and prove it?" Natsu asked.
"Why don't you come up here little man?" Laxus goaded.
"With pleasure!" Natsu said before smacking into the wall.
"You're not allowed on the second floor Natsu. At least not yet." Makarov said.
"I think you made him grumpy." Laxus taunted.
"That's enough Laxus." Makarov said.
"The most powerful member of the guild isn't some armored chick, some hooded weirdo or a nun. Want to know what the strongest wizard looks like? You're looking right at him!" Laxus said before taking off.
That night, Mirajane explained the concept of S class and the second floor. She mentioned that some of their current S class members are Erza, Laxus and Mystogan. The second floor contains the all the S rank jobs which are rather dangerous and Mirajane says no amount of money is worth the great risk. That left Lucy wondering what kind of missions people are up there where only three of their guild members are able to access.
"Too bad I'm not allowed up there. I wouldn't mind at least giving them a good look." Lucy said.
Mirajane smiled, "So you'd want to make S class just to feed your sense of curiosity?" she asked.
"I guess, although I would assume Natsu and Happy would try stealing one just to say their ready for a promotion." Lucy predicted.
That's when Makarov hopped onto the counter, "You know Lucy, if you'd like I can let you explore. I wouldn't recommend taking a job until you had some more experience. They are rather difficult to do alone." he said.
"But I'm not S class master. I just started about a week ago." Lucy said.
"Well you practically gained your rank during your freelancer years. Besides I have more than enough faith seeing you aren't exactly like your teammates." Makarov said.
Lucy turned her head to see Gray by himself at a table eating his dinner. Lucy panicked which grabbed Gray's attention making him look at her strangely.
"Master where's Natsu and Happy?" Mirajane asked.
"Lucy I'm willing to pay you any amount you wish if you promise to repair whatever they destroy!" Makarov begged with tears in his eyes.
"Fine, for now I'm just heading home for the night. Shirou is still pretty exhausted from using all that power. So I'm not sure if I can leave him behind for an S class mission. I'm sure I could watch over him, but I can't be too sure." Lucy explained getting nods as she picked up Shirou.
"Good night Lucy!" they both said.
Lucy immediately stopped by the door and turned back around, "Master would it be alright if I left a servant by the second floor job post? I just have a bad feeling that something insane is about to happen." she requested.
Makarov raised a brow, "Uh, sure. Go ahead." he approved.
"Thanks." Lucy said as she reached for her staff and summoned Sasaki Kojiro. "Sasaki, I have a rather tedious task for you. There's a job board on the second floor and I would prefer if no one outside a blond man, a woman with red hair wearing armor and a man in a hood take any of the posters." she requested.
"Alright, I'll keep an eye on them. For how long?" he asked.
"Just until early morning." Lucy answered sheepishly.
Sasaki sighed, "I'll do it, but I want some command seals. There is now way I will be able to stay up that long with will power alone." Saski replied.
"Thank you!" Lucy said as she placed a command seal on his hand in the shape of the Fairy Tail logo.
"Cool symbol." Sasaki said before making his way upstairs and drawing his kitana.
As Lucy left, things were relatively quiet until they heard a high voice upstairs.
"Hey who are you?" asked the voice.
"I'm the new guard." Sasaki answered.
"Oh really? That's cool, can you hand me one of those posters?" the voice asked.
"No, I'm not allowed to let anyone pass that doesn't meet the description. I'm pretty sure blue cats don't weren't on the list." Sasaki answered.
"You know what, I think I'll just take this one." said the sly voice.
"Oh no you don't!" Sasaki said as the sound of swordplay can be heard up the stairs.
"AAAHHH!" screamed the voice as they can hear someone falling down the steps revealing Happy.
"Happy!" Mirajane yelled as she picked up the poor cat.
"That samurai man was so mean!" Happy cried as he felt slashes around his body leaving some bald spots around him.
"Happy what were you doing up there?" Makarov asked making the cat sweat.
"Um, Natsu wanted me to break the rules." Happy said hoping it was a good defense.
Mirajane narrowed her eyes, "Happy I'm going to try to nurse you and after that you're going to tell Natsu that we want to talk to him in the morning." she said.
"Ok." Happy said as Mirajane stroked his head.
With Natsu
Lucy arrived to find Natsu being crushed by Asterios.
"Lucy help! Your bull man is beating me up for no reason!" Natsu panicked.
"You tried getting into my apartment again didn't you?" Lucy asked.
"Now is not the time to play the blame game!" Natsu said.
"Good night Natsu." Lucy said entering her home leaving a transparent barrier around her home before recalling Asterios.
"Come Lucy we need to start training! We have to get strong if we want to catch up to those jerks, Erza and Laxus!" Natsu yelled and he wouldn't stop until he passed out on the ground after yelling all night.
Little did he know that Happy would spend the night with Mirajane. Lucy made sure that the barrier was sound proof. And at the end of the morning, Lucy would take a look at those missions to see if they were worth the price or the sense of adventure.
In the next morning, Happy looked around and found Natsu sleeping outside of Lucy's apartment. Happy was considering going up to Lucy's window and waking her up, but he was afraid that she left another samurai man up there or something. So that left the blue cat afraid that one of Lucy's servant could badly hurt seeing as Sasaki was dedicated from letting him take a job posting.
"Hey Happy." Happy turned to see Natsu woke up. "Did you get a job from the S class board?" he asked.
Happy sweatdropped, "No." he answered blankly.
"What why?" Natsu asked with a shocked face.
"Lucy left a mean samurai man who almost gave me a haircut. Mirajane took me home and nursed me until morning." Happy answered.
"Damn it, Lucy! Get your butt down here!" Natsu demanded.
For a long time, it remained silent so Natsu proceeded to run up to it only to be pushed back by the barrier. A few minutes of senselessly attacking it and almost burning the neighborhood down, Lucy came out with Shirou who both looked grumpy.
"Do you really have to do that?" Lucy asked with an annoyed glare.
"Yes, now come on! We have to train together if we want to beat Erza and Laxus!" Natsu yelled.
"Yeah... no! If you need us, we're going to the guild and pick out a job. The rent is due in a couple weeks and we don't need to join your insane shenanigans." Lucy said ignoring them.
"Good! We can take on an S class mission together!" Natsu cheered as he ran ahead.
"Big sis didn't you say you left an Assassin at the guild hall?" Shirou asked.
Lucy smiled, "I sure did and I'm sure he's more than enough to beat Natsu." she said.
Along the way, Lucy double checked to see if Shirou was fine after the use of his noble phantasm and asked about the flames. Much to Shirou's surprise, he couldn't remember anything other than Erza almost skewering him. After that it was all dark and he woke up in his sister's bed. That left Lucy wondering if her theory was true and wondered when she would tell the truth about Shirou's origins to the boy.
Her one fear was how Shirou would see her and whether or not he would accept the hidden revelation.
As they arrived, they saw Natsu hitting the floor as Sasaki walked down the stairs. Everyone was cheering and yelling about the fight as Natsu was covered in cuts. Natsu ran at him with a fist full of fire only for Sasaki to wave his sword around like he was going to strike from his right. Natsu and everyone else saw this and the pink haired boy avoided that side. However, the mysterious swordsman having to us Sasaki Kojiro as an alias, was much faster.
His technique was faster than what the human eye can handle. With that, he swiftly moved his strike above and towards the left as all three strikes met simultaneously and hit Natsu sending him back to the other side. Natsu was nowhere near finished fighting, but the battle was stopped when Lucy placed him in another perfect cube.
"That's enough for now. Thank you assassin." Lucy said as she recalled him.
"Lucy what the hell? Why did you tell that guy to stop me?" Natsu demanded.
"Because you're not allowed on the second floor." Lucy answered.
"Then why would the old man let your servants up there? They aren't S class!" Natsu argued.
"Because Lucy is and by extension a good portion of her servants should be able to meet that requirements." Makarov spoke up.
"That's so unfair!" Natsu yelled as he continued punching the cube.
"Natsu, when you are ready. Only then can you reach the second floor." Makarov replied as he hopped on top of the perfect cube.
"What!? She's been here for less than a month!" Natsu argued.
"For once I have to agree with the pink haired idiot." Laxus spoke up revealing that he's been listening the whole time.
"Care to speak out your thoughts Laxus?" Makarov asked looking up at the second floor.
"Yeah, why are you just handing an S class promotion to the guild? You act like she's allowed to be in the same category as myself." Laxus answered arrogantly.
"Because it may not seem like it, but Lucy is not only powerful, she's also a caring and willing person. She's had years of experience as a freelancer and with her great power. Lucy doesn't flaunt it and use it as ammunition for her ego." Makarov answered.
"So what!? She'll never be around my level! I'm stronger than some dumb blonde!" Laxus yelled.
"You are blond Laxus." Makarov replied calmly.
Laxus shook his head realizing his mistake, "Well it doesn't matter because..." he stopped when he realized he was trapped in a perfect cube.
"Because you're trapped in a box. Lets see you break out of that." Lucy said smugly.
"If you think this can hold then you are dead wrong!" Laxus yelled as he charged his entire body and began to export an extreme amount of lightning magic.
Lucy ignored him along with the loud thumping and explosion that came with it. What she didn't see were the shocked faces and people stifling a laugh as Laxus blew himself up. The man was growling and started to unleash all his power on the cube thinking of it nothing less than a cardboard box. As for Lucy, she was going over all the job postings. Going one by one and seeing if any of them were worth the trouble.
Laxus continued to blow steam as he relentlessly continued to attack the cube and ignored the reflected attacks. Makarov started to worry, not about his power outlet or his potential to destroy the guild, but instead, his own grandson harming himself. From the looks of it, the strongest point in Lucy's perfect cube was the cube's ability to absorb and reflect the magical attack. Laxus is a stubborn one and he won't stop until he loses consciousness.
Lucy eventually noticed an interesting flyer offering a golden key as a reward. She didn't want to leave Shirou, but maybe she could talk to Makarov and convince him to let him come. After all, maybe more lower class mages would be allowed to join if they gain the experience with upper class wizards. Lucy released Laxus from confinement and went back downstairs.
"Did you find one that interests you Lucy?" Makarov asked seeing that Laxus was on his hands and knees panting from exhaustion.
"I think I did, but I don't want to leave Shirou behind. I'm grateful for the promotion, so I don't want to push it by convincing you to let me bring Shirou with me." Lucy said looking a bit nervous making the old man.
Makarov closed his eyes before opening them again, "Very well, maybe you should take someone with you if you want to bring little Shirou with you. I would suggest Erza, but she's off on another mission." he said looking around. "By the way, what mission are you interested in?" he asked.
"Galuna island." Lucy answered.
"Galuna island!?" Makarov asked shocked.
"Is that a problem? Its the cheapest one on the board and the most simple one as well." Lucy answered making the old man sigh.
"Fine, is anyone willing to go with her?" Makarov asked.
"Gray you should come. You're the coolest wizard here!" Shirou said.
"Don't flatter me kid." Gray said.
"No really! You're an ice man and you aren't hot headed!" Shirou argued making Gray think about the comment.
"I don't think so. I'm not that crazy or desperate for money." Gray said.
Shirou turned to Mirajane, "Mira can you come with us? You were a strong mage before you became a barmaid." he pleaded.
"I'm sorry Shirou, but that's all behind me." Mirajane gently declined.
Shirou pouted before going to Levy's group's table, "What about you guys? You all look tough." he suggested.
"Sorry Shirou, but I don't think I'm cut out for curses." Levy said.
"Yeah, I'm with Levy on this one. Neither one of us can handle whatever is waiting for us." Jet added.
"Sorry Shirou." Droy said.
"Aw man, why can't I be part of the cool guys? And why do all the pretty girls reject me?" Shirou asked as he cried anime tears.
Suddenly Gray, Jet and Droy surrounded the boy and patted him on the back, "You really think that much of us?" Gray asked.
The girls soon shoved them away and hugged him tightly, "Oh Shirou you're going to be such a heartbreaker." Mirajane said.
"Maybe you should join my team for a mission. I wouldn't mind having a little cutie like you with me." Levy said as Shirou turned blue.
Blue!? Lucy quickly pushed the girls away and gave Shirou some room to breath. The poor boy realized that friendships and women are very complicated and would be stuck hanging around his sister for his own personal safety.
"I'll just get the job ready Lucy. I'll give you until tomorrow afternoon to find an extra partner. Otherwise I'm going to have to cancel the job." Makarov said.
"Hey I'll join!" Natsu said.
"No." Makarov, Shirou and Lucy said together.
"Aw come on!" Natsu yelled in disagreement.
The next day
At the docks, Lucy and Shirou arrived seeking out someone who was willing to take them to Galuna island. Sadly many of them were afraid and refused to offer them their services as they feared the island. Until a man with a blue cap and moustache took them up on the request.
"Are you wizards? Have you come to lift the curse on the island?" he asked.
"I think I can, although I need to see it myself before I can do anything." Lucy answered.
"Yeah my big sis can break even the toughest curses." Shirou boasted.
The man looked at them in awe, "Get in." he said.
"Are you really willing to take us?" Lucy asked with great surprise. The man nodded, "Ok, but first we need to wait for our companion." she said.
"Don't worry I'm already here." both of them turned to see Gray with a large bag on his back.
"Good, we can get on then. This man here is willing to take us to Galuna." Lucy said getting a nod.
The man let them board his boat and they took off towards the mysteries cursed island. Little did they know, a pink haired boy was swimming underwater while a blue cat was floating just above him hoping to keep up with the boat. It was only a matter of time before all hell was loose again on the island.
The owner of the boat, Bobo as he called himself, revealed his hand showing that he was slowly turning into some sort of demon. He said that he was once a citizen of the island and left because he couldn't stand it anymore and left. It was an oddity that left Lucy wondering what was the cause and purpose of the people of the island to transform. However, Gray soon grabbed Lucy's attention.
Bobo suddenly vanished into thin air and to make matters worse, large waves started to build up. The boat immediately began to tilt and caused everyone to fall out. Within a matter of moments, everyone including their stalkers were sucked into a vortex under the water causing them to lose consciousness due to the lack of oxygen.
The last thing Lucy saw was her brother with fearful eyes reaching out to her. Lucy, with all her might, tried to swim towards him and grab his hand, but only saw a black void. They never reached each other.
In another time
Lucy opened her eyes to find herself running down a temple. She looked to see she was grabbing a blond boy with wearing a white outfit. Lucy found herself unable to take control of her own body as she continued leading the boy down some stairs.
"Where are we going big sis?" the boy asked.
"To your safety Ventus. Mateus has lost his mind and its not safe for you." Lucy found herself speaking unconsciously.
"But why do we have to leave home?" Ventus asked.
"Mateus will be looking for the both of us. I can't let him get his hands on you or any of the heroic spirits. He's allowed his lust for power take over his mind." Lucy answered as they found themselves in a sealed room.
"What is this place?" Ventus asked as Lucy picked him up and placed him in the center of the room where several runes activated.
"It;s a sealing room. I'm going to keep you in suspended animation until this blows over." Lucy said as summoned several diagrams and seals.
"But what about you?" Ventus asked looking scared.
"I need to disperse the heroic spirits. If something happens to me. They can never fall into the hands of our older brother. The balance will be lost and chaos will be spread anarchy all over the world." Lucy replied as she finished her work and activated the runes.
"But you'll come back for me right?" Ventus asked with a brave smile.
Lucy stopped what she was doing and looked at Ventus, "I will. One day I will." she said as she created the last touches.
Ventus started to feel a cold mist around him. As he looked down, he could see an ice like material going up to his legs. He looked once more at his sister as he reached out. Lucy reached out and held his hand.
"I'll miss you big sis." Ventus said as Lucy had to let go.
"I'll miss you too Ventus." Lucy replied as her eyes watered up.
Ventus was soon sealed up in the ice and looked like a giant crystal inside the room. Lucy wiped her tears away as she pulled two stones as she forcefully reached into her mouth and pulled out two stones. Lucy proceeded to give them mana after placing them in the ground revealing two brand new servants.
"How may we help you lady Stella?" they both asked.
'Stella? Could this be...?' Lucy wondered.
"Yes, as my final act and testament. I want the two of you to guard my little brother Ventus until the day I return." Lucy ordered them.
"It will be done." both servants told her.
Lucy nodded and placed a hand of the unconscious Ventus, "Goodbye little brother." she said before leaving the room and sealing the door.
The modern day
Lucy opened her eyes again to find herself lying on a beach. She immediately jumped up and started to look around before noticing Shirou's sleeping form. The blonde girl ran towards the boy and immediately tried to resuscitate him. A few minutes later, Shirou started coughing and spitting out all the water.
"Big sis?" Shirou asked.
Lucy held her brother in a tight hug, "Shirou I'm so happy you're ok! I can't bare the fact if something happened to you while you were under my watch." she said as she started to cry.
"Big sis don't cry. I'm fine really." Shirou said comforting her sister.
"Shirou, you don't understand. I'm not sure what I would do if I lost you." Lucy continued to cry.
Shirou started patting her back, "Its ok big sis, we would've never known if that wave would send us underwater. Besides we wouldn't come if you didn't believe in me or yourself." he said making her calm.
Lucy looked back, "And I guess it's too late to turn back now. We need to find Gray before we move on." she said.
"Hey get me out of here!" yelled a voice from under the sand as hand came out.
"Gray!" they both yelled as they tried to raise him from the ground.
Instead of expecting their blue haired friend, they met an uninvited pink haired intruder, "Thanks you guys, you're both awesome!" Natsu said before taking a kick to the head courtesy of Lucy.
"You weren't invited!" she yelled.
Suddenly a blue tail popped out, "Help me! Help!" Shirou removed the tail revealing Happy. "Thanks Shirou!" he said with a thumbs up.
Shirou proceeded to bury him again, "Bad kitty cat." he said leaving the panicking cat under the sand.
That's when Gray appeared, "Hey I'm over here." he said catching their attention. "I see we have some stowaways." he pointed at Natsu.
"You can't call me a stowaway if I wasn't on the boat! I was swimming right behind you guys until we got caught up in those waves!" Natsu argued.
"Excuses, excuses, just wait until Erza finds out." Gray said making him pale.
"Regardless, it's not like we can send him back. I guess we're stuck with him for now." Lucy said.
"Why do you say that like its a bad thing?" Natsu asked.
"Because your the most destructive one. Gray only makes it worse when you two are together." Lucy answered.
"Yeah, Gray is pretty competent when your not around." Shirou said.
"Why do I feel like that's an insult directed at me?" Gray asked.
"Not my fault he's a big jerk with a face that looks so punchable!" Natsu argued.
Gray was about to pick a fight until she saw Lucy's glare at the corner of her eye. Then Natsu saw and immediately backed off knowing no good can come from it. With that, they all stopped arguing and went into the island knowing that Lucy came here for a mission and was thankful for Gray when he changed his mind. Gray wouldn't dare challenge that sign of gratitude.
Upon arrival, they found a giant wooden wall ready to keep out any intruders. Naturally Natsu assumed it was a good idea to break in only for Lucy to discourage that idea. Their ramblings were loud enough to reach the ears of the locals who called for them. Lucy told them that they were from the guild and proved it through revealing their Fairy Tail body marks.
Inside, they met the leader of the village chief, Moka, who revealed that everyone has been slowly turning into demons. They said that it started when the moon began to turn purple and that part of their bodies, such and arms and legs, are left partially transformed. They've also stated to have killed some of their own including the son of the chief, Bobo, to prevent them from killing each other. Lucy immediately considered that Bobo must have been a lost soul that's been cursed to send help to the island.
Or that something more strange is going on that they have to learn about.
Seeing as this all started with the moon changing, Moka claims that they have to destroy the moon. Lucy argued saying that if their plan was to put themselves out of misery since they need it to prevent cataclysms such as darker knights and waves going out of control. Regardless, Lucy said that would be impossible since no one can reach that thing, let alone being able to scratch its surface.
Natsu ranted about trying to punch it and since they took the job, they need to try. Gray shut him down and the group decided to rest for the night. Sadly that could not happen for Shirou and Lucy since Gray and Natsu snored so loud they could rival a jet engine if they existed in this timeline.
They decided to seek out some clues and eventually found themselves face to face with a giant stinky rat. After a small chase, Gray defeated the rat by making it slip and fall on his ice, giving it a concussion. Not wanting to waste time any further on the strange wildlife, Shirou pointed out a mysterious temple and the group decided to check it out.
Natsu, in all his wisdom, proceeded to stomp on the floor causing it to collapse dropping them far down into a tunnel. Further encouraging Natsu to explore like a curious child whose sugar coated fix got the better of him.
"Hey guys what's that?" Natsu asked.
When they arrived, Gray was immediately paralysed in fear, "That's impossible. It's Deliora!" he said.
Before them stood a giant monster encased in ice. Which left Lucy wondering what exactly was this monster and where it came from. Better yet, why does Gray know what it is.
"But how? How could this happen? Why is it here? What the hell is it doing on Galuna island!?" he asked as he was still shocked.
"You know what that thing is Gray?" Shirou asked.
Lucy proceeded to calm Gray down before he spoke clearly, "It's Deliora, the Demon of Destruction. It doesn't make sense!" he said.
Then suddenly two new voices could be heard, "The voices seem to be coming from over here. I hate being awake during the day."
One young man with blue hair and big stupid eyebrows that would make Might- oh no no no. We are not going to refer to that story here. He just had really stupid and annoying eyebrows followed by a dog man? Then another person arrived, a girl with pink hair held curled pig tails.
"Yuka, Toby, something terrible has happened." she said.
"What now Sherry?" Yuka asked as Toby yowls.
"It's Angelica. She's been attacked and I'm sad." Sherry answered.
"So you're moping around because somebody beat up your stupid pet rat!?" Toby almost literally barked.
"She's not a rat. She's a brave hunter prowling the jungle to protect us. She is love." Sherry said as the kanji for love manifested beside her head.
"Ok these people are beyond weird." Shirou said as the conversation was rather awkward.
"Who would keep a pet rat?" Lucy asked.
The three proceeded to talk about potential intruders and spoke about disposing anyone who might have seen Delioria. The trio left at the sound of some rocks moving around which was just Happy creating a small distraction.
"How the hell were they even able to find it?" Gray asked.
"Was it hidden somewhere?" Lucy asked.
"It was sealed away inside a glacier on the northern continent. A decade ago, this immortal demon ravaged Isvan. Countless people lost their lives. My master, Ur, sacrificed everything to seal it away. I don't know if it's involved with the island's curse, but I do know that it doesn't belong here." Gray began to emit his Ice Make magic as he felt his fury rise.
"They're going to regret the day they were born!" Gray threatened.
"Do you think its the cause of the island curse?" Shirou asked.
"I wouldn't be surprised it did. It may be trapped, but its still alive." Gray said grimmly.
"Sweet! I ain't afraid of no stupid demon!" Natsu said as if he were ready for a fight. Gray proceeded to knock Natsu out, "What did you hit me for Gray?" Natsu asked holding his cheek.
"I don't want you or your flames anywhere near it. If that ice melts and the Deliora is free. There's no way we'd be able to stop it." Gray said.
"Do you really think a hug chunk of ice like that could just melt?" Natsu asked.
"Are you alright?" Lucy asked Gray and ignoring Natsu rant about being punched.
Gray then explained that his master used a powerful ice spell to prevent it from damage or being released. Gray suggested that they wait until the moon comes out, making Natsu rant about it taking so long. Eventually, Natsu tuckered himself out and fell asleep. However, Lucy felt several vibrations which was rather foreign to her. The vibrations only got louder and stronger, yet no one else noticed.
"I'm sorry Gray, I know we're supposed to be working together, but I there's something I need to check. Happy, you stay here with and make sure Natsu doesn't pick a fight with Gray." Lucy said.
"Aye!" Happy said.
"Shirou you're with me. Oh and Gray." Gray turned to look at her keeping that serious look. "Just so you know, worst case scenario I know something much powerful than Gilgamesh's noble phantasm. I promise that creature won't be allowed to step a foot outside that ice." she said.
Gray had some doubts about Gilgamesh being able to destroy the creature. Then again, he believed more in his master so it wasn't wrong to have more faith in someone he was closer to. Gray also believed no regular mage could melt the creature, but then again, whatever created it must have been even more powerful to unleash it. Meaning that ancient magic like Lucy's could be enough to at least match the creature.
Lullaby was a ancient demon created by the dark mage Zeref and he was said to have been very powerful. Yet his own creation was destroyed by a magic from centuries, potentially millenia before Zeref's era. That idea gave him some hope, so whatever Lucy might pull out of her crown, could be enough to at least prevent Deliora from breaking free of its prison.
"Thank you Lucy." Gray said thinking over what she said some more.
With that, Lucy lead Shirou to wherever the sonar pulses were trying to send her.
A while later, back to the temple
Lucy and Shirou made their way back up the temple from the cavern as the former was following the vibrations. It lead Lucy down a straight line leading back to the top where the temple was. It felt familiar in her mind as if it were part of her memory, but for some reason it felt strange for her body to go along with.
"Big sis where are we going?" Shirou asked.
"I don't know to be honest Shirou. I just feel a need to follow a strange trail." Lucy answered as they left the caverns.
"Are you having one of your episodes again big sis? The last time you kept whispering in your sleep." Shirou said.
"Just trust me little brother." Lucy reassured as they made it back up.
Lucy continued to follow her path making it to a dead end with a seemingly sensitive floor. Its a good thing Natsu wasn't with them, they don't need to take another long trip down the caverns. As they carefully made their way to the wall. Lucy placed her hand on the wall and noticed that everything behind it felt hollow. As if this was a bad case of poor construction.
"Big sis, do you sense something?" Shirou asked knowing that look on her face.
"We need to get passed this wall Shirou. I would like to avoid having to cause needless destruction if we can." Lucy said.
"I'll scan it. Trace On!" he said as the grids surrounded the wall giving him detailed information on its condition and formation. "I think there was an easy way to get through, but its gone now." Shirou said with a sigh.
Lucy also sighed and tried poking a few holes with the back of her staff. A small piece fell of here and there, but there was no guarantee that they could get through peacefully. With that, she changed into her dress of heaven and extended her wings.
"Shirou we need to blow that wall down. I'll hold onto you in case the floor gives out." she said.
"Then why didn't you fly us out when we fell?" Shirou asked.
"Shirou you know I'm not as physically strong as Erza. I could handle you and maybe one of the other guys, but that's my limit." Lucy answered.
"You could have comeback for Happy and one of the other guys." Shirou said.
"Shirou I don't need to explain myself. Besides, even if I did take us out, we wouldn't have found Deliora or learned about the potential conspiracy." Lucy said as she picked him up.
Shirou nodded as he manifested his bow and prepared an explosive arrow. As Lucy said, it was too much for the temple and the floor below them was destroyed and Lucy was able to keep a hold of Shirou. Not only that, but the wall came apart and revealed a more durable looking hall for them to go through.
"Hang on Shirou." Lucy told the boy as they both flew passed the hallway and continued following the narrow path, ignoring all the dead ends.
A few minutes later, Lucy stopped in front of where the vibrations only got louder. From there Lucy felt a bit light headed, but continued regardless.
"Place your hand on the wall."
Lucy found herself touching the wall and its reaction was to create several white grid markings similar to Shirou's ability. Above her hand had an ancient writing only Lucy was unable to read for a few moments until the hieroglyphic like writing began to change into a more understandable writing.
Master - Stella
"Big sis what does that mean?" Shirou asked.
"Now for your servant. Tell your brother to place his hand on the wall as well."
"Shirou, place your hand on the wall. I think its a dual locking mechanism." Lucy said.
Shirou nervously placed his hand over the wall near Lucy's and more grids appeared around it creating more words.
Servant Class - Saber/Archer Dual Class
Real Name: Shirou Dragneel Heartfilia
"Big sis, why does it say that? I thought I was an orphan until you found me." Shirou said afraid of the door's message.
"Shirou, there are a lot of things neither one of us knows. Some things one knows more than the other. I will answer all the questions you have when we have time alright?" Lucy asked.
"I guess, but promise you won't dodge my questions." Shirou said.
"I promise." Lucy said.
The wall opened revealing several doorways opening and revealing a single passage that hasn't been used in many years. The two walked down the halls as the glyphs lit up and removed the darkness that concealed their path. By the time they arrived, one more locked door way was opened revealing a small room.
"Bis sis, do you know what this is by any chance?" Shirou asked clinging onto Lucy's hand for safety.
"I don't..." Lucy stopped herself as the glyphs lit up the room revealing a boy encased in a crystal like stasis.
"There's a kid inside." Shirou said as he put his hands over the boy's containment and the grids began to scan him. "Big sis I can't read anything. It's all foreign and won't let me know if this is ice or crystal." he said surprised.
Lucy looked around before noticing something on the ground. She went wide eyed and found two crystals on the ground. As she looked at them, her suspicions were confirmed.
"Shirou there are two servants here. Whatever it was they were doing here, this boy must be related to their prime directive." Lucy said before tampering with the crystal.
"Big sis, maybe we should search the room before messing with the frozen kid. I mean, this room could be a part of the curse or could be the reason Deliora wakes up." Shirou said cautiously.
"Alright, you never know if..." Lucy was interrupted by several runes glowing along with some sort of display on a console like structure looking at the frozen boy.
"I can't scan this either big sis. It's rejecting me." Shirou said as his magic failed him.
"Let me try." Lucy said as she felt some sort of guidance around her.
Shirou raised a brow as Lucy looked like she knew what she was doing. It was odd for the blonde girl as well. This all seemed so familiar, like if it was all part of a... dream. Lucy shook her head as the runes began to change color and started to shake the entire room. As they both tried to hang on to something for safety, Lucy accidentally put her hand on something making the room fill with some sort of mist.
"Shirou take my hand!" Lucy called out as the red head grabbed onto Lucy for dear life.
"Big sis what did you do!?" Shirou yelled.
"I don't know and I let my curiosity get the better of me!" Lucy replied as she held Shirou close to her heart.
As the mist continued to spread all over, Lucy and Shirou felt its cold embrace as the entire room stopped shaking. Before they knew it, the mist had already dissipated and cleared up the view of the room. Before they knew it, they were no longer alone as footsteps could be heard.
"Stella? Big sis is that you?" asked a voice.
Lucy and Shirou turned to see a blond boy about Shirou's age staring at them.
"Who are you?" Lucy asked as she kept her arms around Shirou.
"Its me Ventus. Don't you recognize me elder sister?" Ventus asked shocking the both of them.
TO BE CONTINUED...