[EDITED AS OF 07/04/22]
ONE TRUE MAGIC
"Do you know what is the One True Magic?"
"Is there such a thing?"
"One True magic, also known by the term Primordial Magic... It is the most sought-after type of magic that not anyone can obtain."
"Will I be able to have it, Mama?"
"Yes, as long as you stay true to yourself. After all, It's love…"
Note: I hope you won't get confused with the POV's during 'Flashbacks'. Here's how i made them; someone's reminiscing but the scene he/she reminisces also includes other characters point of views to let you know what they're thinking of at that moment, though this could only be applied to Gray's and Juvia's. Also, they can't see Lucy's face, their description of her in the visions we're their thoughts at that given moment but they don't 'see' those as they reminisces (in the present) so I hope it's not confusing...
Oh, i didn't include all of FT's members, I only chose some though i was planning to include the others, just not detailed as this ones. Sometimes, I wrote two 'visions' on one person so just a warning if you got bored or anything...(which i hope does not happen).
Sadly, there are no NaLu scenes in this chapter but chapter 7 will be full of it!
I edited some of the previous chapters so feel free to check out some changes :)
This is gonna be a long chapter, as promise, so enjoy!
Chapter 6: Trip down the Memory Lane
Third Person's Pov
Lucy Heartfilia
A name that circulated around the guild causing confusion on several of its members. They didn't know the reason why, but thinking about this name made something within them respond.
Hushed whispers and murmurs filled the place. A blanket of what it seems like uneasiness covered the whole guild and it frustrates them to know nothing of the reason why they're feeling that way.
Even Cana felt conflicted, causing her to stop drinking her beloved booze. She tightens her hold on the barrel against her.
Why do I feel like this?!Damn!I can't drink this way cause' feeling like this leaves a bad taste in my mouth! She thought then sighed as she leans against the counter from where she was seated.
CANA
I massaged my temples to allow myself to think clearly when I heard that name again.
Lucy Heartfilia...
Where did I heard that name again?
Lucy...I roamed my eyes all around the guild until it reached a certain seat near me.
Now that I think about it, why is no one sitting there? From my usual spot, I have observed that even if the bar is full, NO ONE sits there. Its not that everyone avoids it and such (since I always saw Mira standing by there as if waiting for someone which is strange but who am I to judge?) but that place strangely felt vacant. Vacant in a way that there's this nagging feeling that someone is supposed to seat there or used to seat there.
Huh...I can almost see someone slumped by the counter, sitting on that seat, while Mira te–
"I'm scared to go any further..."A blonde woman looked down as if she was ashamed before looking at her companions.
The guy with a salmon-colored hair grinned at her as if he was reassuring her that everything's gonna be okay. He looked at the direction they're taking, particularly straight ahead where the guild's infrastructures was usually observed before shrugging, "Is it because the old building is gone? The building doesn't matter, Luce! After all its just the building! We can repair it and fix it all over again! The bond that we all have is the one that's important... Besides, look! Here we are now, in the process of rebuilding our guild! This is where we'll all gonna start again!"
The bluenette with them nod her head to agree on what the guy had said and added, "We're all going' to work together and rebuild Fairy Tail! I'm so excited to see everyone again!"
The blonde sighed and shook her head, "It's how everyone feels that worries me..." She cast a glance at Natsu, whose gaze softens after hearing her words, "I got so excited when you showed up and talked about reviving the guild, that I sent letters to everyone or at least everyone that I could find, right out of the blue after a year of silence, asking them to meet in Magnolia and revive Fairy Tail but when I think about it? Everyone's following their own path now. I don't even have any idea if we all feel the same anymore..."
"Maybe they've even forgotten about the guild–" A brunette suddenly appears and hooked her arm around the blonde's shoulder.
"Cana!" The said woman grinned and greeted the group, "Yo!"
She turned her attention to the blonde,"As if we'd forget after one measly year!" She opens the bottle she's been carrying and drinks. "Yahahh (The brunette exclaimed after drinking, wiping any remnants of the liquid before looking at the group once again) This year's been an eye opening experience for me you know? Growing up in the guild, this sudden disbanding didn't make sense to me and I didn't even know how to make a living besides taking missions from the request board once in a while! It took awhile but since I got nothing better to do, I figured I'll just find Gildarts and went on a little trip. I'm lucky I got to have your letter though..."
"This whole situation felt weird for all of us and none of us found the courage to reach out...but you broke that wall for us.I know sending those letters took a lot of courage from you and I really admire you for that..." She pat the blonde's head before continuing, "I don't know if I'll have any chance to say this later so I'm gonna tell you this now...Thank you, Lucy...Thank you for reaching out and believing in us... Believing in our bonds, in Fairy Tail..." The Celestial Mage looked at her friend in surprise but the brunette only chuckled to herself, as she looked at her bottle's content, seemingly avoiding the blonde's gaze out of embarrassment "I'm sure it's not just me cause' I have a feeling that we all felt the same when we received your letter...This action of yours is not selfish, always remember that. There's nothing wrong in wanting the guild to be built again, of wanting all of the members to be together again. It's your home, our home. It's the place we all want to come back to...So you don't need to be such a worrywart!" The brunette finishes, smiling softly at the end. The blonde glanced at Natsu for what it seems like assurance that he reciprocated with a nod and that toothy grin of his.
"So come on! Get moving! Everyone's waiting!" The brunette exclaimed pulling the blonde by her arm towards the guild.
What the-"Hell?!" I saw other members turned towards to me but I didn't spared them any glance as I took in the scene in my mind.
I quickly turned around to face the counter and took my cards from my bag.
I should've trust my gut from the very beginning!
I arranged them as I tried to calm myself down. Suddenly, the feeling that I felt two weeks ago came rushing back. I knew something is wrong!
I recognize the people in that scene as Natsu,Wendy with her exceed Charle and Me, but who is the blonde one?!
Is she Lucy?! Well, probably cause' I called the blonde woman that when I talked to her...
I shuffled the cards in my hands, putting them into three piles before collecting them as one once again.
I only need to choose three cards from this pile which will represent the Past, Present and Future... Furrowing my brows in concentration, I thought of the name Lucy and whispers, "What is the connection of Lucy Heartfilia to Fairy Tail?"
I spread the cards on the counter and chose three cards.
The first card reveals to be a reversed The Devil. This card has many meanings but there were three prominent association to this card; freedom, release and restoring control.
I looked at the card intently, analyzing different possibilities.
Since I still don't know the whole nature of what is happening, the cards would only serve as my guide to understand it.
It will be much easier if I had a clue since I would be able to use those to make my readings accurate. Like if I knew the person, I could easily point out which meaning is suitable for them and thus, will allow me to give them definite advices and such.
These cards have many meanings so reading them without any knowledge of what am I really looking for is hard, especially because my readings will become vague.
The cards even have different meanings based on the way you chose them. The reversed The Devil card may mean freedom, release and restoring control but they could also mean addiction, materialism and playfulness in an upright position.
So The Devil card for the past huh?
For freedom, it could mean that Lucy was held captive by something before, they can be a person or in a sense, responsibilities that she needs to be fulfilled. She was released from whatever binds her and thus acquired control which what might 'restoring control' mean. From what I've seen in my 'vision' or whatever that is, it can be observed that she's a member of the guild so perhaps, her freedom has something to do with Fairy Tail or even its members?
Hmm...did we somehow rescued her from something? Like one of those rescue missions the guild was asked to do in the past?
I shook my head to get rid of different the assumptions formulated in my head. I need to continue. I will just think about the results later.
I took a deep breath and flipped the next one. The second card shows to be The Hermit. This card means contemplation, search for truth and inner guidance.
These three have something in common as they all pertains to the answer and the truth.
Before continuing, I looked around the guild to see them still huddled with one another, talking or by themselves still confused. I sighed, I'm not sure if this is what the card meant but it looks like the others will find out more about their queries sooner or later.
I let out a shaky breath when the last card was uncovered. An upright The Hanged Man...means sacrifice, transformation, indecision and martyrdom.
My mind immediately zeroed on the word sacrifice.
Who?!Who will sacrifice?!
I let out an annoyed sigh, Argh! Geez, I need to calm the fuck down!
Okay, let's not jump into conclusions...
The word sacrifice might mean a lot of things and not just giving up someone's life. It can be giving up or losing something in exchange of one's worth; a life, thing, it can literally be anything! This goes along with martyrdom.
Transformation usually pertains to change, so it can be a change of lifestyle, or an event that will greatly impact your life and decisions...
Indecision comes alongside with the feeling of uncertainty one might feel about a certain situation or decision.
Though whatever meaning it is, I'm sure that this Lucy will be greatly affected by it. I even have a feeling that something big is gonna happen and she's playing a major role on it.
Feeling bothered of the fact that I didn't get any solid and definite answers in my reading, I tried it again.
I tried repeating the process only to slumped my body against the barrel that is still on my lap in annoyance.
It's showing the same results over and over again!
I tried to get the result of my tarot reading from my mind and focus on the scene that appeared on my mind earlier for clues.
It mentioned Fairy Tail disbanding and Gildarts...
Gildarts...
"And there you have it...Gildart's my dad..."A brunette said while hugging her knees, wearing a somber expression on her face, "If I don't become an S-Class Wizard in this year's test, I'll leave the guild..."
"This is the condition that I made for myself...I want to show him something that he will be proud of, something I did that I'm proud to show...I've already made up my mind..." She continued.
The blonde in front of her clenched her fists and stood up from her place causing the brunette to look at her, "I'll be your partner Cana! There's no way I'll let you quit the guild! I'll help you! I will make you a S-Class Wizard!" The blonde exclaimed, determination burning in her eyes and tone, causing the brunette to cast her a small smile .
"Thank You, Lucy..."
Huh?
"Cana? Hey, are you alright?" Lisanna asked, taking Mira's place temporarily since she is still talking to Erza.
I cleared my throat, ignoring the sinking feeling that I felt at the scene and replied, "I'm fine, it's nothing..." before turning my attention back to the tarot cards that are still spread on the counter.
I saw her cast me a worried glance before continuing what she was doing earlier.
I sighed, feeling annoyed by the fact that I don't know the answer of the different assumptions and scenarios in my head.
Why do I feel like shit?!I glanced at the barrel of my beloved booze hoping it will distract me and groaned in annoyance when I can't seem to focus and do it since something else is bothering me.
I stood up and was about to talk to master when Levy suddenly stopped me.
"Cana, can I talk you for a bit? I need your expertise regarding something..." She started and I'm getting the feeling that I know where is this going.
LEVY
Cana stared at me for awhile before nodding at one of the tables at the corner of the guild. I followed after her, figuring out that she wanted to talk there for privacy, away from any prying ears of the guild.
It was a surprise to find her sober since most of the time, she is busy drinking barrels and barrels of her beloved alcohol. Though I'm thankful she is right now since she's one of the people who can help me figure out what is going on.
As we reached the table, I managed to caught Gajeel's gaze as he sat and leaned on one of the tables on the other side of the guild.
Mwo! I huffed then slightly pouted. All those effort for such a short time!
After I managed to sneak out from his sight with the help of Lily, I directly went to Cana, intending to talk to her in private, in a place far from the guild! But since I am the one asking her a favor, I gave in when she indicated that she wanted to talk to me inside the guild.
Gajeel shot me a look that says 'I'm going over there' which I returned with a glare. I mouthed, 'I can take of myself!' towards him which he returned with that annoying (yet ahem! sexy) smirk of his. I gave him a pointed look next, promising something painful to him if he doesn't abide by what I asked. He gulped (which I found hilarious by the way) then looked away. I grinned in response before letting out startled yelp when I saw Cana looking at me teasingly.
"Not a word..." I whispered, eyeing her until she nodded her head, still wearing that teasing smirk of hers.
Face still flushed from embarrassment, I cleared my throat then talk about what I need her help for.
Showing her the thing that I have been carrying since earlier, I looked at her seriously.
"Listen, I got this from the guild's archives..."I said, opening the binder which is a compilation of completed requests done by the guild.
"Natsu was the one who asked around about this Lucy right? Though before we discuss that, look…" I pointed at the ones completed by Natsu and his exceed partner, Happy. "These are the missions they have completed. We all know and remembered how Natsu got into an accident and was in a coma-like state for about two years..." Cana nodded when I looked at her for confirmation. "So how come there are records of them taking and doing missions during those times? Another thing is the fact that they seem to have formed a team with someone else..." I pointed the third name which was blurred out.
"Why is it blurred?" Cana mumbled out before reaching out to touch the blurred space. I watched her touched and scratch that part in hope that it was just tampered by something but to no avail, the part remains blurred as it is.
"I first thought that there was a seal or some runes on it but I can't detect any magic coming from it..." I sighed before I started flipping the pages containing different missions, stopping only to point certain missions, "The records after that shows that Natsu and Happy somehow teamed up with Erza, Gray and also Wendy... Though the blurred name can still be seen on every completed missions..."
"I studied these documents this morning after hearing about Natsu's strange behavior from Gray... Natsu isn't the type to lie and I seriously saw that he was genuinely worried and determined when I saw him exchanging glares with Erza. So with that, I've grown to be suspicious of what is happening. For the past few days, I've had this nagging feeling inside that tells me something's off...And since I mostly stayed at the guild's library whenever I have free time, I stumbled upon a picture of the guild dated two years ago, with Nastu on it, which is really strange since he was in a coma. I planned to looked into it but I was side tracked by Master who asked me to decipher some writings on a chest discovered in one of the excavation sites near Cowbane Valley. They think it was cursed so it was deemed urgent and the Magic Council need any information they can get. I only got enough time to sleep so I didn't have time to spend my spare time on this concern of mine. Anyway, in that photo he has his arm around a blonde woman...And coincidentally or not, this woman was present on the following pictures in our albums, coincidentally matching the timeline the name started to appear on our archives..." Cana observed what I presented to her seriously.
"Ugh! Still blurred? Seriously?!" The brunette let out an exasperated sighed before observing the picture. "A blonde woman huh?" I heard her whispered as I continued to flip the pages before closing it.
Cana turned her attention to me, sensing that I still got something to say, so I continued, "I'm sure you've already heard the name 'Lucy Heartfilia' around the guild today after Erza's inquiry, which didn't really go unnoticed by the guild since news/rumors here travels fast. The thing is, when I heard of that name earlier and thought hard of where I heard it from, different scenarios suddenly flashed on my mind. It's like there was a time in my life where I knew her, been close to her though I don't remember any of that happening..." I stated, thinking about my latest flashback of the blonde woman.
"I heard about it, Lu-chan!" A bluenette exclaimed as she approached the blonde sitting alone on one of the tables inside the guild.
Startled at the sudden presence, the mage could only blinked at her and utter, "Huh?" in confusion.
Levy beamed, not minding her reaction and continued, "You're writing a novel, right?"
Excited at her response despite the sudden change in the blonde's expression, she leaned towards her as the blonde muttered, "Oh? The rumors has spread already?" She sighed, hearing the word "Aye!" somewhere in the guild.
"I can imagine who's spreading it around though..." She finishes as the bluenette suddenly lighten up at a realization.
"Oh yeah! I never got the chance to introduce myself!" She smiled as they met each other gazes.
"I'm Levy, Levy McGarden!"She then turned towards her two companions.
"And this here's Jet and there's Droy! And we're-"She trailed off before hopping on top of the table.
"Team Shadow Gear!" They exclaimed.
"Hello, pleased to meet you all! My names Lucy..." The blonde replied, before Levy hopped off the table and returned to her seat earlier.
Once again leaning towards the Celestial Mage, she exclaimed, "Well, I'm hopeless at writing but I love reading books! If you don't mind, will you let me read your novel?" She finishes, eyeing the blonde hopefully.
"Uhh-Well..."The Celestial Mage trailed off, blushing slightly before continuing, "I'm not ready to show it to other people yet..."
The two mages turned to Jet when he suddenly spoke, "What are you talking about? The point of writing is to let other people read it, isn't it?"
Levy hummed in agreement, "You won't get anywhere by being embarrassed right?"
"May I read it? Please, Lu-chan?" Levy clasped both of her hands, determined to read the self-written novel.
"I'm still working on it, though..."
"Then when it's finished, can I be the first person to read it?"
"Okay, it's a promise!" The blonde agreed as Levy exclaimed, "Yay! Thanks Lu-chan!"
"Oh, you don't have to thank me, Levy-san..." The bluenette smiled at the blonde and waved the sentiment off, "No, really...I'm thankful that you agreed to let me read your novel! I love reading books, you see? And oh, you don't have to add '-san', I mean we're about the same age! Besides, I think that we'll get along well..."
"You know what, Levy-chan? I think you're right..." The two mages then exchange grins before their conversation escalated until their topic became about the books that they love.
The bluenette smiled softly as she observed the newcomer tell her about one of her favorite authors, eyes lighting up every time she mentioned her favorite stories.
'It's hard to meet someone with the same interests as me, especially in a guild full of loving, loyal but action-packed individuals...I think I found a book-loving best friend and another sister in her...'She thought before sharing her input and including her favorite authors to their conversation.
From those scenes, I really felt like I was close to the woman I've been calling 'Lu-chan'. It felt really odd to miss someone your don't remember but somehow know by heart.
I have many guild mates who I consider as my friend and sister like Erza, Mira and Lisanna but I don't know why I felt that by not remembering who this Lucy is, I suddenly felt like I lost a best friend and also a sister.
"Levy?" I looked at Cana when she said my name.
"Oh right! You see, I was hoping that your cards have some insight about this?" I saw her sigh, before placing a deck of cards on the table.
"I also felt something is odd and different so I performed tarot reading..." She placed three cards in front of us; The Devil, the Hermit and the Hanged Man.
Cana explained the meanings of the cards that she showed, though she reminded me the possibility of different interpretation for these meanings since we don't have any definite sources to based it on. I agreed with her since what we currently have are just mere assumptions to what is happening. Well, besides the things I discovered in our archives and library which only gave us vague hypotheses, we are still clueless.
I sighed, once again clenching the binder of compiled missions to my chest.
"We need to tell Master..." I saw Cana nod in my peripheral view. Before going to Master's office with her, I cast Gajeel a glance.
I was surprised to see him staring off into space as he leaned on the table with his arm. I was curious as to why but I shrugged it off and just mental noted to ask him about it later.
Trailing behind Cana, I closed my eyes before setting a determined expression on my face.
I'm ready to get to the bottom of this!
GAJEEL
I leaned on the table, staring particularly at a certain solid script mage on the other side of the guild.
I don't want to be nosy but when I noticed her expression, I knew that something's wrong.
So I listened in to her talk with Cana about the Lucy chick I've been hearing around the guild all day.
As she presented her theories and pointed out things that she find suspicious, I found myself agreeing with her.
A blonde woman huh? And it seems like salamander took a liking to her...Gihi I muses out when they mentioned about a picture of the guild with its members.
The guild...
Fairy tail...
Suddenly, I was reminded of the black Fairy Tail insignia on my upper arm, where my last guild's emblem was located. I never would've thought that one day I'll be joining the guild that caused the destruction and disbandment of Phantom Lord.
After what I did to shrimp, to the two love struck idiots by her side and to–Huh?
I'm sure that there's another one but who? I don't re-
Despite her battered body and bruises, the blonde smirked.
His eyes widen but he didn't say anything as he watched his prisoner leaned her hand against the wall in her attempt to stand.
"You guys are really stupid..."She said mockingly, voice laced with stubbornness and courage despite the tremble you can definitely pinpoint in her voice.
"I pity you so much that it brings tears to my eyes..." She continued, eyes being shielded by the bangs framing her face. Her right hand, where the pink Fairy Tail insignia is located, clenches by its place on the wall as she struggled to stay upright.
"Oh?" The Iron Dragon Slayer taunted as he heard his underlings muttered how the chick was provoking him.
"Phantom Lord? R-Ruler of the Spirits?! Ha! Talk about ridiculous, I'm not even one bit scared!" The Celestial mage jeered back before letting out a whimper due to Gajeel attacking her with his Iron Dragon's Club.
The blonde bit her lip to stop herself from screaming, determined not to give her captors the satisfaction of seeing her in pain.
"You've got real guts, trying to act tough in this kind of situation. I like the tough act Blondie but I don't want to hear your bluffs and see that pretentious bravery of yours anymore...I want to hear you scream!" He smirked at the new pitiable position of the heiress.
"I'm seriously at lost, Blondie...I need you to scream more!" He exclaimed before delivering a kick to the blonde's side.
The blonde curled as she clenched her fist to her side, hoping to lessen the pain of the throbbing part by putting pressure on it. She managed to sit on her knees, the part supporting most of her body weight.
Chocolate brown eyes which were laced with defiance met his red ones. Lips forming a mocking smile, she turned to the Iron Dragon Slayer.
"Why not just get rid of me huh? You guys will be at real loss then..."
"Oh? Sounds interesting...Go on."
"Fairy Tail will never let you get away with this...That's the type of the guild you're messing with! Everyday, you're all gonna tremble in fear at the mere shadow of the guild you never want to mess with!" She exclaimed, spending last bits of her energy on her words.
"Sounds interesting... Let's see if you're right, shall we?" The Dragon Slayer stated before aiming to attack her with his Iron once again.
Suddenly, the ground breaks as the cackling fire seeps into the cracks. The next thing he knew is his body colliding with a wall.
"Natsu!" A voice exclaimed before a smirk spread on his face.
Time for round two, Salamander...
The hell is that?!
My fist clenches at the scene of me beating a blonde girl.
Regret suddenly washes over me. I looked at my hands, momentarily seeing them covered in blood and bruises.
Fuck! I hate feeling this weak and confused!
I thought I could change and redeem myself by becoming a better person but whatever or whoever it is that I saw, reminded me of who I was and will always be...
A heartless monster...
I don't know who that Blondie is but seeing her get beat up by that version of me, made me feel sick.
Suddenly, an image of a bluenette flashed through my mind.
I don't deserve her...
I don't be–
"Come on! Move! Gajeel!" Levy exclaimed as she tried to push him towards a certain table where a certain blonde is sitting.
The Iron Dragon Slayer stayed still, contemplating about his actions. Behind him, he could hear the Solid script mage huffed in annoyance, causing a twitch on the thin line formed by his mouth. Nevertheless, he was thankful of the lessened tension caused by Levy's presence on his body.
Hell, he doesn't even how in the world she managed to convince him to move to that spot, only meters away from their goal!
"We've talked about this and you agreed! Gajeel!" The bluenette exclaimed which made him aware of the curious glances and prying ears of his now fellow guild mates.
Groaning in annoyance, the Dragon Slayer cast the other members a glare for not minding their own business, before softening his gaze when it met two brown orbs staring back at him.
"I got it shrimp, you don't have to remind me about it..." He grumbled out, making his way towards the blonde with Levy trailing behind him.
Standing awkwardly in front of the Celestial Mage's table, the shorter of two shook her head and decided help him.
"Hey Lu-chan!" She greeted, beaming at her girl Best friend who lowered the book she's reading to acknowledge their presence.
"Levy-chan, Gajeel Hi!" Lucy greeted back, smiling at the couple before urging them to take a seat.
Levy shook her head. "Gajeel has something to tell you, Lu-chan...So, I'm going to leave you two alone now, bye~ "
They both watched her go before looking at each other. The blonde tilt her head, confusion written all over her face which made the Dragon Slayer sigh.
"Can we talk?" When she gestures themselves already 'talking', he gave her an amused look which she shrugged off while grinning. Gesturing towards the back of the guild, the Celestial Mage nodded and followed him.
Reaching their destination, Gajeel sighed. Apologizing and talking about what he feels will never ever be his strong suite, but he felt that this apology is long over due and that he needed to do this.
"So? What is it that you want to talk about? Is it about Levy-chan?" His companion inquired, curious about his strange behavior.
"I want to apologize..."He turned to face the mage only to find her looking at him in confusion.
"About what?" He was dumbfounded at her response that it took him a few seconds to answer.
"Damn, Bunny Girl...You seriously don't know what I'm talking about?"
"Nope, so please elaborate..."
He pinched the bridge of his nose. Shit, this apology shrimp managed to convinced him on doing is certainly not headed to the usual 'I'm sorry then I forgive you' clichés.
"Phantom Lord, Kidnapping you and beating the shit out of you? Any of those ring a bell?" He stated before mentally cursing at himself for letting his 'untamed' self (As Levy calls it) out.
"Oh, right..."She said before smiling sincerely at the man in front of her.
"I already forgave you, Gajeel...I already forgave you when I saw you trying your best to make amends with everyone regarding what you did...I even heard from Levy-chan what you did at the South Gate park! Besides, everyone deserves a second chance right?" She stayed silent before continuing, "Do you know that it takes a strong person to say that they're sorry? This is because apologies require showing one's vulnerability. You admit your past mistakes because you KNOW that they're wrong and seriously, not a lot of people can do that, but you did..." The Dragon Slayer didn't say anything, and the blonde took it as a 'Go' signal to keep going.
"I'm not saying these things just to lecture you or imply that forgiving you means that I already forgot what you did and that it meant nothing for me anymore. I'm saying this because forgiveness does not mean ignoring what has been done or putting a false label on an evil act. It is the catalyst in creating the atmosphere necessary for a fresh start, a new beginning. And I want you to have that opportunity...besides, those experiences made me who I am today..." She raised her right hand, showing the taller her pink Fairy tail insignia.
"You're new life is with Fairy tail now! Being in this guild means a new start, a possibility of finding friends, and even love!" The blonde gave him a teasing smile as he looked away, a tint of red visible in his cheeks. "The moment you chose to bear the guild's mark, you've already acquired yourself a family!" She frowned before continuing, "If you still feel guilty, just think that this guilt can show and guide you on what you need to do or shift in your life, rather than hold you back from growing and becoming a better person..." The mage finishes, still wearing that smile of hers.
He may not be good with words and expressing his feelings, but Gajeel was honestly relieved to hear what she said. He can't think of anything to say other than, "Thanks, Blondie..."
Looking at the woman in front of him, he saw the same courage he'd seen when he kidnapped her, when she stood up to him despite the bruises and battered body she have.
He knew that provoking your enemy might be a 'reckless' action especially in that situation where she had no means of fighting back, but that moment showed him how strong her trust and faith in her guild, how she takes pride of wearing her guild's emblem even if she's just a newbie at that time. And he really admire her for that trait.
It made him curious but now, as a member of the guild he hated before, he understands why...
Hearing movements behind them, he let out a chuckle.
"You can come out now, Shrimp..." He stated, smirking at the flushed face of the Solid script mage when she let herself be seen.
The blonde looked at them both, giving them a teasing smile.
"I'm going to head back inside now...Gajeel" She faced the Dragon Slayer before saying, "We're okay now, right? Friends?" He stared at her outstretched before reaching out and shook it.
She smiled at his action despite not hearing anything from him.
"I'm gonna leave the two of you alone now! Enjoy!" She exclaimed but not before whispering 'Good luck Levy-chan' to the bluenette which she responded with an embarrassed 'Lu-chan!'
Gajeel smirked, the conversation of the two didn't go unnoticed by him.
"Don't worry, Bunny Girl! I'll take good care of shrimp here!" He exclaimed, grinning when he heard the blonde laugh and the bluenette huffed in embarrassment.
"Gajeel!"
Suddenly, the feeling of regret that I felt earlier seems to evaporate into thin air when I was shown another scene with the blonde and Levy.
It felt nostalgic...I thought, thinking about those strange visions.
It felt real and it made me wonder if it is real…
I figured that the blonde one is the chick everyone's been talking about and since I heard what shrimp's conversation is about, might as well help them find more clues.
Looking at their place earlier, I scowled when I noticed that it was devoid of them. My eyes roamed around the guild before using my heightened sense of smell to find where they are.
Smirking triumphantly, I stood up and went to where shrimp's at, to Master Makarov's office.
THIRD PERSON'S POV
"Now what?" Gray questioned, unconsciously throwing his coat to the floor.
Erza didn't bother to reprimand him of his habit this time as Juvia took it upon herself to held onto his scattered clothes.
The requip mage looked at him, collecting her thoughts before answering, "Let's first list the given facts and relevant information from what Natsu said, including the strange visions we're having that are connected to Lucy..."
"First, based from what Nastu said, she is a part of the guild. He strongly believes and insisted that she's real while making it seems like the past two years (when he's in a coma) never happened, which is strange because I remember visiting him regularly to check his condition..." She started before listing all the facts she know, "We were apparently on a quest before something happened that caused all of these. Another thing that I find strange is when he also questioned how we have different versions of what really happened in the following events after his accident, in contrast to what we remembered..."
"For instance is when he told us that he didn't go to any mission the day he got into that accident. So I figured that the problem really lies on what we REMEMBERED. This only indicates that something's wrong with one side's memories; either ours or his..." Erza eyed her friends expectantly to follow.
"We managed to form a team together with Ash head and Lucy after a mission against a dark guild Eisenwald, who wanted to kill all guild masters as revenge by using Lullaby..." Gray glanced at Wendy and her exceed, "We met Wendy and Charle on a joint mission with Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus and Cait Shelter against the dark guild Oracion Seis..." He added before continuing, "Lucy has blonde hair which she usually tied with different colored ribbons. She's an heiress who chose a life away from fancy and formal proprietary to be with us all..." He stopped before adding, "We're even close enough for me to treat her both as a dear friend and sister..." He frowned, bothered by the implication that he forgot someone close to him and that they might be in trouble.
He suddenly remember his latest vision of the blonde.
"You went to visit your Mom's grave?!" The blue exceed exclaimed hovering over Natsu's head.
"Yup!" The Celestial Mage answered, giving her friends a small smile.
"Eh? You mean your Mom's..." Happy started before Natsu cut him off by exclaiming "Happy!".
Understanding the situation they're in, the exceed mumbled a short sorry.
"It's alright... Sorry to worry you guys!" The heiress shook her head, looking at her friends apologetically before turning to the blue cat who have his eyes and ears downcasted.
"Happy? It's okay, come here..." She soothes, causing Happy to look at her. The blonde opened her arms, offering to carry him causing the exceed flew towards her chest, nuzzling it as he muttered a soft, "Sorry Lushii..."
"Man, I got all anxious over nothing. It looks like there was nothing to worry about after all!" The Ice Make mage stated, crossing both of his arms behind his head.
"Just drop it already! It was our fault for jumping to conclusions in the first place..."Erza said, giving an apologetic smile to the blonde.
"Happy was crying the whole time!" Natsu added by which his partner countered with, "You were in tears too, Natsu!" while smiling teasingly at him on his place at the Celestial Mage's chest.
"W-was not!" The Fire Dragon Slayer exclaimed in embarrassment.
"I-I'm sorry..."Lucy whispered and looked down on her moving feet, still bothered that she somehow caused her friends trouble.
"No worries, Luce! We just misinterpreted the note that you left us with..."Natsu assured her, waving off the apologetic glance he was cast with.
"Aye! We're just worried, after all you're our other partner!" Happy exclaimed, burrowing himself to his carrier's chest more which she didn't mind as she tightens her hold on him.
"Gotta say it though, this city's huge!" Gray exclaimed, gaze transfixed to the wide expanse of the land in front of him.
Erza hummed in agreement,"It's very nice and peaceful..."
Behind them, the blonde smiled before she replied, "Oh no, this just our garden. Everything from here to that mountain over there (She pointed a mountain found straight ahead of them, not noticing her friends' reactions) is our estate..." Curious on her friends' silence she turned towards them only to let out a short 'Ehh?' and widen her eyes in shock at their weird behavior.
"Rich girl overload!"
"Casual bragging detected!" Natsu and Gray both exclaimed, saluting her in the process.
Happy, who she let go out of shock earlier, seems to go along with their idea as he hover over Erza.
"Natsu and Gray has been defeated!" The exceed exclaimed, saluting towards the requip mage before continuing, "Captain Erza! Could you please make a statement?"
"Ah, such clear blue skies..."She mumbled out, looking at the sky dazely.
Getting more into his character, Happy exclaimed, "Medic! Captain Erza has a screw loose!"
Despite the weird antics her friends showed, the blonde only laughed.
She laughed, voice audible over the wide land. With her eyes closed, she didn't notice the relief present on her friends' eyes as they stared at her.
Natsu and Happy grinned at each other, at ease at last after nearly tearing up at the thought of her leaving their small group and guild. They might not know the Celestial mage for a very long time, but she already earned a certain place on their hearts. They definitely wanted to have more adventures with her.
Erza eyed the Dragon Slayer and the exceed's interaction. She might not say it but she's glad that they met someone like Lucy, seeing as they prefer to just be with each other, more so after what happened to Lisanna. She then turned to looked at the blonde. Personally, she was cautious of the blonde at first since a newcomer becoming THAT close to Natsu, who she treated as a younger brother, in just a span of days/weeks? But the blonde proved herself worthy and honestly? She could see herself also becoming close to the blonde, like a sister.
Gray stared at the Celestial Mage. Happiness truly visible on her face as she laughed with her eyes closed. Admittedly, he's attracted to her but figured that he's gonna get over it someday knowing he doesn't stand a chance against the obvious affection exchanged by her and his oblivious childhood rival. But that aside, he really admired her, not just because of her appearance but also of her character.
She's strong even if she usually let herself down by denying how others have much more experience than her when it comes to fighting and magic. There are some mages out there who have much more stronger magic power but they lack the knowledge and will to strengthen them. They were too proud of themselves that they don't notice the things that they lack. And against those people? She's much more stronger than that. She's smart, courageous and humble to the blessings she acquire. She strive to find ways on how to fight besides being dependent on her Celestial Spirit friends. She doesn't give up and doesn't easily lose her hope on the things she believed in.
The Ice Make mage may not be as friendly as his other guild members because of his caution on losing people close to him, but he didn't know why he felt different when it comes to her. Even if he didn't get her to notice him in the way he wanted, he still want to be her friend and if it's even possible, an older brother to her.
The blonde looked at her friends who were smiling at her before blushing due to her laughing spree.
"Ready?" Gray stated, showing her an amused expression.
The blonde hummed in agreement as Natsu exclaimed, "Yosh! Let's go home!"
"To Fairy Tail!"
The vision seems weird since it's as if he's there, hearing his version's thoughts about the situation.
Once again, the feeling of something missing nagged him but he masked it off, not wanting to alert the others.
If Erza's assumption is true, won't this visions mean that it's OUR memories that was altered? And that these visions are our real thoughts about the events that happened for the past two years in Flame Brain's perspective? He thought, deciding to tell the others of the idea he created later.
Mira caught their attention by suddenly agreeing with what Gray said, "I felt the same way like Gray. Just like what I told Erza earlier, the feeling that I felt when thought about this girl is the same when I lost Lisanna..." She then proceeded by also adding what she knows, "Remember the pink haired maid two weeks ago who was adamant on seeing Nastu, Happy, Erza, Gray, Wendy and Charle? We were cautious of the sudden appearance of a stranger so only Gray and Erza faced her. I'm sure you all remember her mentioning the name Lucy Heartfilia right? She even mentioned that she's a Celestial Spirit when we asked her of her identity even if it confused her at first. She proceeded to tell us that Lucy is a mage of Fairy Tail, which agrees with what Erza stated earlier and is also our guild's very own Celestial Spirit Mage..."
She looked at us, who was all recalling that day. "The people in this table are all present that day right?" She waited for our confirmation. We all nod which she took as a sign to kept going, "The only ones who were not there are Levy because of the task master gave her, The Thunder Legion with Laxus and Gildarts, so I think that you already know what I'm going to say next..."
"So she introduced herself as 'Virgo' and asked for our help in aiding her 'Hime' who is supposedly Lucy Heartfilia...She told us about the Spatial Magic user that they fought and also her Master's current state. We offered her help since we don't turn our back to those who needed us, but still refused to let her see Natsu in his state and Wendy since we're still unsure of her intentions. We didn't get much information from her since she suddenly disappeared..." The Take Over mage then frowned, regretting not questioning the strange encounter with the Celestial Spirit.
"What's wrong?" Erza questioned when she saw the sudden change of expression of the barmaid.
"Its nothing, I'm just thinking of the what ifs..." Mira answered before telling them some relevant details of her latest vision, "Lucy is a very close friend of all of us here, including Levy, Cana, and especially to Natsu and Happy. She's constantly worried about paying her rent in the 'flashbacks' that I got from her but it doesn't seem like she lived in Fairy Hills, so I figured that she has an apartment somewhere here in Magnolia...If we only knew where it is, I'm sure we can find evidences of her existence and some clue on who she is..." She finishes, thinking back to the visions she had.
MIRA
"Welcome back, everyone..."The take-over mage greeted, giving the group who just entered the guild a smile.
Wendy gave her a short greeting and a wave before following her white exceed to an empty table. Hovering behind them is Nastu's blue exceed, Happy, carrying his beloved fish to once again try his luck in getting some response from Charle when he offered it to her.
The Fire Dragon Slayer just waved at her in greeting, exclaiming his usual order before joining the blonde mage who was currently slumped on the bar's counter. Gray who was already half-naked, nod at her in response before tensing when Erza reprimanded him for his unique habit.
Mira just smiled at the scene playing out in front of her, already used to the ruckus, before casting a glance every now and then to one of her favorite ship (NaLu), wanting to check and observed any progress in their relationship.
She noticed Natsu poking the Stellar Mage continuously which caused her to let out an annoyed huff at her partner's antics.
'Seems like something happened...' The take over mage mused, wondering when they'll realized what they felt with one another.
"Luceeee..." The Dragon Slayer whined when he earned no verbal response.
"Come on! Stop ignoring me!" Still no response.
Snickering behind them is Gray, who took a seat beside Lucy, after managing to distract Erza.
"Still being ignored, Ash Head?" He said, eyes flickering from Lucy to Natsu before sending him a mocking smile.
"Shut it you Underwear Prince! No one asked your opinion on this!"
The raven haired only smirked, not retaliating at his remark before turning his attention to the still slumped blonde.
"Hey Lucy..."
The blonde didn't move, instead letting out a "What?"
At her reply, Gray smirked at Natsu who at the moment scowled at the interaction.
"WHAT! Luceeee why are you talking to that stripper and not to me!"
"Cause' unlike you, I didn't burn her clothes..."
"If it wasn't for your ugly face that wouldn't happen!" Natsu stood up followed by Gray.
"What did you just say about my face?!" By this time, they were already face to face. Their voices audible despite the chattering caused by the guild.
Mira hummed, almost finished fixing Natsu's usual meal which is composed of Fire Chicken and Fire Pasta. She smiled, glad that the group was safe after a week long mission. She was relieved to hear and see the duo's usual banters that she was sure would turn into a big fight involving most of the guild members if not prevented.
"That it's ugly! Got any problem with that?!"
"Do you see yourself in the mirror?! Seeing your face even makes me wanna puke!"
"The hell?! Wanna go you stripping Ice princess?!"
"What–"
"Shut up the both of you!" They stilled at the voice. The spectators who stopped to watched their banters, hushed the remainder of the guild, wanting to see what happens next.
'Now, that's not Erza...'
Placing Natsu's food at the counter, Mira saw Erza with Wendy who's eating her strawberry flavored cake peacefully despite the noise around her.
Casting an amused glance at the trio, she wonder if Erza's been teaching the blonde of her ways.
"A-Aye!" The boys exclaimed, cowering under Lucy's glare.
The glare the Stellar Mage gave them melted off to an irritated huff before she turned her back on them, facing the counter she leaned on earlier.
"Seriously you guys..."The blonde muttered, not noticing how shock the others are of the quick change of her mood.
Natsu silently return to his seat earlier to start eating the food he ordered. His uneasiness slowly lessening before he was soon eating his food bite after bite like what he usually do.
"Oh my, You seem down, Lucy. What's the matter?" Mira questioned the blonde who still wore an unreadable expression on her face.
"That Lupinas job..." She sighed, cringing slightly as she reminisces.
"Natsu spewed fire everywhere (Natsu paused his eating by letting out an almost offended "Hey!"), Gray froze everything (The said man beside her denying what she stated by saying, "I didn't!") and Erza..." She suddenly let out an exasperated scream which caused the two boys on each side of her to winced, especially Natsu who's currently holding his ear by her side.
"Umm Lucy? Are you alright?" Mira we questioned, concerned at her weird behavior.
"Geez Luce, can ya lower it down a bit? I'm right beside you y'know?" The Dragon Slayer muttered, making a zipping motion by his mouth when his best friend glared at him.
"Anyway, everyone destroyed everything so our reward got slashed for the damages..."She groaned, completely leaning her upper body at the counter before sitting up straight to continue,"Ahh I won't be able to pay this months rent like this!" She cried out earning a sympathetic look from the barmaid.
"Then maybe I can hook you up with a special job..."The blonde stilled and gave her a curious but hopeful look.
"It's perfect for you and you don't have to worry about stuff being destroyed..."Mira continued, feeling pleased to wipe off the worry in the Celestial Mage's face.
"Really?! Thank you so much Mira!" The Stellar Mage exclaimed, beaming at her before turning her head on both sides to look at her teammates, already over what happened few minutes earlier.
"What do you guys say? Think we could go on to another job?"
"As if I can say no to that hopeful look on your face..." Gray said, giving her a small smile which earned her the usual 'Love Rival' remark from a certain Water Mage.
Already finished with his meal, Natsu put his arm around the blonde's shoulder grinning as he exclaimed, "Hell yeah! I'm all fired up!"
The Stellar Mage suddenly tsked, eyeing the salmon haired mage, "You know you're not getting away from replacing my clothes right?"
"I expected as much..."He replied sighing before grinning cheekily at her.
Mira internally squealed at the sight.
'I wonder if i need to give them a little push?' She thought, staring at them.
Chocolate brown orbs met her gaze causing her eyes to widen slightly before composing herself and offering her a smile.
"Thank you once again Mira! I know you always got my back, well, you all do..." The blonde smiled towards her, flushing as she cast a quick glance to the Dragon Slayer who's arm is still wrapped around her shoulders (who at the moment started another argument with his rival).
"You're welcome..." The Take over mage replied, eyes observing the flush on the Celestial Mage's face and the way the Dragon Slayer leaned more into her.
'So dense and oblivious but so perfect with each other..."Mira mused while observing the duo.
There's almost no relevant information in that vision except for her closeness to certain members of the guild (Especially to Natsu, Mira thought agreeing with the other version of herself that they look so good together) and the fact that she have an apartment somewhere on Magnolia.
I sighed. Even with no recollection of her, I felt disappointed. I feel really close to this woman but I have no memories of her except from some short scenes like;
"Where do you want to put your mark?" Mira questioned as the blonde pointed at the top of her right hand.
The barmaid smiled before adding, "What color?" She observed the blonde eyed her surroundings before stopping at something. The newcomer beamed at her, exclaiming "Pink, I want it to be pink!"
Receiving her enthusiastic response, she proceeded to place the pink Fairy Tail insignia on her indicated place.
"There! Now you're a part of Fairy Tail! Welcome to the family Lucy!" Mira greeted her, still smiling at the awed expression of the blonde as she stare at her guild mark.
"I'm finally part of Fairy Tail!" The Stellar Mage turned to her, gratefulness present on her face.
"Thank you, Mira-san!"
"Oh my, please just call me Mira. I'll feel really old if you call me that..."
"Alright then, Thanks Mira!" Lucy agreed and then looked around the guild.
Mira let out a soft smile when she saw the blonde happily showing her guild mark to Natsu who is currently in front of the request board, in search of a new job to do.
'I have a feeling that she'll one day be a vital part of Fairy Tail, of our family...'She thought, feeling positive about the newcomer.
But aside from those, there's nothing else.
Wait-That Lupinas Job, I remembered hearing about a play called 'Fredericka and Yandericka'...but how did those visions become completely aligned with real life?
"U-Umm..." Wendy broke the silence that fell upon the group causing all of them to look at her.
"T-The only vision that I had about Lucy-san is when we're on a mission at Mt. Hakobe about getting some herbs...I-I remember someone I really looked up to besides Erza-san but those are all..."Her eyes were downcast, probably thinking how little her input is despite being in the same team as Lucy.
I was about to comfort her but stopped when I saw Erza handle it.
WENDY
When I felt someone ruffled my hair, I turned and saw Erza-san giving me a soft smile.
"It's alright, Wendy... Don't be so hard on yourself, I'm sure that you'll eventually have some visions with her. Always remember that no matter how big or small an action is, if it meant to help us uncover the truth, is deeply appreciated. Besides, saying how you remembered taking a mission with her backed up how she really is a part of the guild..." With what she said, I felt relieved but also determined to find out more relevant information that could help us.
"Hai, I'll make sure to be really helpful next time. Thank you Erza-san!" I smiled up to her before glancing at Charle who is silent the entire time we're here.
"Are you okay, Charle?" I whispered to her, frowning when I just received "I'm fine..." as a reply.
I know that there's something bothering her but I let the subject drop for now and will just ask her when we're alone.
I turned towards the others only to see Erza-san's expression turned serious, "Is that all we've got?" She questioned eyeing the people in our small group.
After a few seconds of silence, someone spoke up.
"Juvia would like to add some things regarding Lucy..."
JUVIA
"Didn't you say that you wanted to join Fairy Tail? So stop attacking your own na-"A blonde exclaimed before letting out a gasp as a ball of water engulfed her whole.
A bluenette laughed maniacally before she dissolves the water-like cage with a flick of her wrist causing a drenched Celestial Mage to be slumped on to the floor, clothes wet as puddles of water surround her.
"OH! I LOVE IT! Drench, Drown and make her scream more my beloved Succubus!" A guy with a long hair commanded, strumming the electric guitar he carries continuously. He laughed, banging his head at the tune of the rock music he's playing.
At his command, Juvia smirked at the blonde as she cast her next attack, "Water Cane!"
Lucy groaned out in pain, tensing when she felt herself being submerged once again with the Water Mage's water.
"SUFFER! It's time to get smashed to bits inside of me!" The blonde heard her cackled as the waters' current became stronger.
'Its no good, she's being controlled completely!' Lucy thought, already thinking of ways to escape the water and somehow make the former Phantom Lord Mage stop.
'Lucy-san...' Despite being controlled, Juvia tried to call out to her. She's already starting her new life! Aiming for possible new friends at Fairy Tail, yet here she was, being controlled and manipulated again like how she was treated her whole life.
'This isn't Juvia, not any of it! Juvia doesn't want to hurt her nakama although its a little presumptuous to call you that since you're after all my love rival...' The water mage communicated, trying to spoke her thoughts and her feelings through the limited freedom she managed to control, as she was still being controlled by their opponent.
'Juvia has truly come to love Fairy Tail! It seems so friendly, warm, accepting and so much fun...'
'You care for one another, not just as friends but also a family...And Juvia wanted to be part of that..." The blonde widened her eyes when she felt a drop of water on her skin. 'Tears, Juvia's crying...' She thought, realizing how warm they are unlike the cold water that surrounded her.
'Just when Juvia thought she was finally getting along with everyone, that she still have a chance..." Lucy felt her heart clenched at the emotion showed by the perceived strong and emotionless Water Mage.
'But it looks like...Juvia can only bring sadness and grief...' As she felt air slowly escaping her, she felt more warm droplets on her skin. 'More tears' She realized before she closed her eyes seeing that the water encasing her head towards a wall.
The Stellar Mage coughed before stilling to catch her breath. She felt drained at the sudden impact but she ignored it as she thought of an idea.
"Juvia-chan! Its time to finish her!" Vithaldas, a member of the well-known elite trio of the Assassin Guild Death's Heads Caucus named 'Trinity Raven', exclaimed cackling loudly when he saw his slave enveloping her fists with her magic.
"Someone who shed tears for the sake of her friends, could never be rejected by Fairy Tail!" Lucy exclaimed, standing up as best as she can. She looked at the Water Mage before giving her a smile as tears suddenly dropped from Juvia's eyes despite being in someone else's control.
Lucy smirked, "You've just given me a great idea!"
"Useless! Finish her off already Juvia-chan!" The assassin commanded as Juvia moved to follow his order.
"I'll tear you apart with my water jigsaw!" Juvia watched with fear when she felt herself attacked. She could only close her eyes and pray that the blonde could get out of this unscathed.
Her eyes widen when she felt something plunged into her chest.
"OPEN! GATE OF THE WATER BEARER, AQUARIUS!" A blinding light surrounded the room, as the summoned spirit appeared on a Magic Circle visible when the golden light dissipates.
"You used Juvia's water to summon a spirit?!"
"As long as there's water, I could summon my strongest spirit, Aquarius!"
"Oh shut up already! You stupid little girls!" The Zodiac Spirit exclaimed, moving her urn from both sides causing the water to flood the room.
"Not a chance! I told you already that my hair absorbs water!" Vithaldas cried out.
"Juvia!"
"Lucy!" Both mages reached their hands out to each other.
Tightening their hold to one another's grasp, they combined their magical power, forming what they would later learn as a 'Unison Raid'.
"O-oi! What's wrong with this water?!I-Its too much! Ughh!" The assassin's hair continuously absorb water regardless of what he wanted not soon after that, he was slumped to the floor, hair detached from its roots on his head.
"We did it! And Juvia, your back to normal!" Both girls hugged each other, the blonde mage suddenly stiffening when she heard someone tsked.
"Where are you going to summon me next, Huh? A toilet bowl?! I'll fucking kill you if you do that, you little brat!" Aquarius threatened, making her summoner nod stiffly.
"I'm s-sorry..."
"How very frightening..." Juvia muttered, staring at the scene in front of her.
"Don't ever summon me from a place like that again! Got it?!"
"Y-yes!"
"Hmph, I'm going on a trip with my boyfriend so don't you dare call me got that?!"The mermaid stated, glaring at the blonde.
"Yes..."
"You should hurry and get yourself one too...Well, easier said than done right?" The spirit mocked before she disappeared as her gate closed.
"Mind your own business!" She exclaimed earning a "Love is an important thing..."From Juvia.
"At any rate, looks like we won!" The stellar mage cheered, looking at Juvia who offered her a small smile.
"We won't let Jellal have his ways!" She continued, lying to the ground in hopes to replenish her Magical energy.
"You were the one who defeated him, Lucy-san. Juvia didn't do an–"
"We did it together..."The bluenette quickly looked at the other mage in surprise.
"You know, I felt what you're feeling that time. You called out to me earlier right? It made me really happy realizing that we were finally getting along..."Lucy said out loud.
"And you don't have to add -san anymore whenever you call me or be formal...After all we're friends now, aren't we?"
"Huh?" The Water Mage stared dumbfoundedly at the water streaming down her face.
"Juvia's eyes are raining?" She muttered. She heard Lucy hummed and chuckle, "That's an interesting way of describing tears..."
"Tears?" The bluenette whispered to herself.
For someone who was surrounded by rain all the time, this was the first time she felt the warm feeling brought by these so called 'tears'. Perhaps she already cried before, letting this small droplets fell from her eyes but it went unnoticed as it was masked by the falling rain in tuned with her emotions.
'She might have experienced this before when everyone left her alone...'
'When everybody avoided her like plague...'
Feeling light like what she felt when she met her beloved Gray-sama, she smiled.
Hearing somebody acknowledged her as a friend made her realized how she never really befriended a girl before (Gajeel's excluded since he's obviously a guy).
'A friend huh?' She looked at the lying form of the Stellar Mage.
She closed her eyes as she lied back down too.
'Friends...'
"Juvia thinks that Lucy joined Fairy Tail before Juvia and Gajeel-kun..."
"Before? You guys joined after the war against Phantom Lord right?" Gray-sama commented which caused me to nod in agreement.
"From the vision Juvia saw, it seems like Juvia fought alongside her against a member of Trinity Raven, an elite assassin group of Death's Head Caucus which is known as an Assassin guild. Once we defeated him, Lucy mentioned 'Jellal' " Erza-san flinched at the mentioned name in her seat.
"Her exact words are 'We won't let Jellal have his ways...' which made Juvia think that it was during the reported Tower of Heaven incident a few years back..." Mira-san furrowed her brows.
"That's strange..."She said and I nod, agreeing with her.
The Tower of Heaven was constructed by Jellal , a former council member that goes by the name Siegrain. It was reportedly destroyed and stopped by a group individuals but from what I know, the Magic council prevented any information being leaked out at that time. Well, aside from naming Jellal as a traitor and perpetrator behind the incident.
So how come there's a memory of me and Lucy stopping him?
THIRD PERSON'S POV
As soon as Juvia shared what she knows, members of their small group immediately found it strange, which Mira voice out.
"Are you there at that time, Juvia?" Erza questioned which Juvia immediately denied.
"It's strange that you have a memory of being in that place when we know that any information regarding that incident were prevented from being leaked by the Magic Council..." Gray said before continuing, "But that just backed up my assumption about all of this. I have a hunch that it was OUR memories that was altered..."
"Our memories?" Wendy repeated, confusion visible on her face.
"As Erza said earlier, its either ours or pyro's memories that was altered... These strange occurrences and visions that felt real? I'm thinking that's the case since I feel that they're o-"
"Our real memories..."Erza finishes, realization dawning upon her. Gray nodded as he leaned into his chair.
"So Lucy Heartfilia is really a member of the guild and the visions we're seeing are our real memories. Someone altered our memories making it seem like two years had already passed, and making us lived on some lie..." Mira added intending to summarized the situation despite the bubbling feeling of rage inside of her. "Natsu's telling the truth when he told us that he didn't get into an accident and he wasn't in a coma for the past two years..." Mira ended earning nods of confirmation from Gray and Erza.
"Does that mean the memories that we have are all fake?" Wendy asked, seeking comfort to her silent exceed by holding her hand. Charle didn't say anything as she tightens her grasp onto the Sky Dragon Slayer's hand.
"Juvia don't think so... Juvia thinks that only the memories involving Lucy or any information about her were altered..."She answered before explaining what she noticed.
"Juvia have a feeling that the reason why Juvia joined Fairy Tail has something to do with Lucy..."
"What do you mean?" Erza inquired, intrigued at what the Juvia's going to say.
"Juvia doesn't remember what was the reason Phantom Lord declared a war with Fairy Tail...A war where I met my precious Gray-sama!"
"Oh, now that you think about it...I also don't remember the reason why..."
"Phantom Lord's been in conflict with Fairy Tail for a long time but declaring a war seems too much..."Mira wondered as she too couldn't seem to recall the main reason of the war that caused the guild's destruction and renovation.
"It seems like the one who caused all of these didn't get the chance to fill in the blanks left by his magic or spell..."The requip mage realized.
"There's only one thing to do now..." They all looked at Gray who only retuned their confusion with a smirk.
Mira realizing what he meant smiled, "We only need to go to the source..."
"The only person who can answer our questions..." Juvia stated before returning to her usual persona and cling on the Devil Slayer's arms.
Erza nodded before adding, "The only person who still has his real memories intact..."
"We can definitely count on him!" Wendy exclaimed, happy when she realized who they're talking about.
"We need to find Natsu-san!"
"We need to find Ash Head..."
"We need to find Natsu!"
END OF CHAPTER 6
A/N: Sorry for the late update! As for my excuse, after my last update, my family went to a week-long trip! For the next weeks after that, I was preoccupied with reading different FT fanfictions! Really just enjoying late night readings and binge watching of different series!
I did want to update though, creating drafts every now and then...but I just finished editing them today so I this is it!
SO, how is it? I really wanted to add the scene where Gajeel apologizes cause' even though Lucy already forgave him, I need to see him apologize in his own way like what he did in the South Gate Park with Team Shadow Gear? Even if its awkward and that Lucy just waved off his apology? Any effort is enough. To those who don't agree with me, I respect your decisions so please no hate on me sharing me opinion.
What Lucy said is actually from a quote from Martin Luther King! Though I left out some words when I included it. Anyway, going back at that scene where Juvia's being controlled by one member of Trinity Raven? I was really touched at what Juvia said that time T.T
Also, I have no knowledge about Tarot reading so I did some research and wrote Cana's part using the Major Arcana which a 22 card set.
Another is the question, is the story progressing too fast? I mean for me I think it was expected since Natsu literally made them questioned a whole lot of things. Oh well, just ask your queried and I'll answer them in the next chapter!
Before I forgot to mention, thank you for the reviews!