The room was quiet. Not a sound was heard, except for Lisanna and Alrace finishing their food. As she had been reading the journal, Lisanna had felt anxious and tense for so much of it. When not reading it though, the room had a peaceful and calm atmosphere. At least, that's how Lisanna perceived it. She had no idea how Alrace felt about it, or Natsu for that matter, when he was here. Lisanna looked down again at Natsu's journal. She had finished eating, and had reopened the book. She and Alrace hadn't spoken for the past several minutes. It didn't feel like the time for small talk. She knew it wouldn't be a good idea to stay there all night, lest they get caught. For some reason though, she was procrastinating her reading of the rest of the journal.
"Now we finally get to see how Natsu met Seraiisa, and Boudica and the others." Lisanna said to Alrace. "This should be interesting." Her tone didn't match her words. She was feeling uncomfortable at this point, but knew she had to read on. She couldn't help Natsu If she didn't know what was going on, and she finally had a chance to learn. She couldn't pass that up. She sighed, and turned back to the last page she stopped at. She started reading again, picking back up the narrative with Natsu arriving at the border to Bosco.
I was at the edge of Fiore. It had taken me almost a week after getting on the train. I would've been there quicker, but my sickness got so bad after riding for a few days that I had to get off a little earlier than I'd planned. So, I had to walk for a couple of days. But I made it. There was a big sign saying that I was about to enter Bosco. Not much else though. No walls or guards or anything. I could just walk on in.
There was a big road leading into Bosco. After I crossed the border, the road got thinner the further I went. Just a gravel trail. There was a sign pointing me to a nearby village, about a mile in. I had to start somewhere, and I didn't know what the hell I was looking for. I think the little girl tried to talk to me when I was on the train, but I was too sick to listen. I hadn't heard anything since.
I followed the trail. I ran into a few other people along the way. I asked them if they knew anything about a family trapped by a curse somewhere, and they didn't know what the hell I was talking about. In fact, they didn't seem to know much about Bosco at all. They were tourists. I decided to stop asking them questions until I got to the village.
I found this place that looked really small. A few houses that actually kind of reminded me of the house Happy and I live in back in Fiore. There were also a few small shops, and a firepit in the center. That was it. You'd only need to walk around for a couple minutes and you'd already have seen everything. I was starting to think this place wasn't going to help, but I figured since I was there, I'd ask anyway. I walked up to a shop. There was an old guy there, and he was selling lots of small colorful stuff with feathers and leaves on them.
"Hey old man, can I ask you something?" I said. He looked at me, and got a weird look on his face.
"Yes, come and see my wares!" he said. "I have many nice things that you can take back home. Souvenirs, mementos."
"I'm not a tourist, I just want answers." I said. He looked me over.
"You look like a foreigner. Maybe you want to know how much these cost?"
"No, I want to know about a curse." I said. He looked confused.
"A curse? Like say, a cursed item? I might have one." He kept trying to get me to buy stuff.
I shook my head. "No. A family. They were cursed, and they're trapped somewhere. They've been there a long time, I think. I'm going to go rescue them. You know anything?"
He just shook his head slowly. He looked me up and down again. "I don't think we have what you're looking for. What you're talking about sounds like a fairy tale."
"Its not." I said. "Would anyone else know?"
"Not that I know." He said. "If you'll excuse me…" Someone else came up to his shop and started asking him about trinkets. He ignored me and started selling stuff. I walked around asking other people, and no one seemed to know anything. They either didn't want to talk to me, or looked at me like I was crazy. This wasn't going to be easy.
I left the village, and started walking. The trail branched off at a couple points, so I picked one, eventually finding another sign pointing to another village. After walking for a while, I found that village. Same stuff happened there. Asked questions, got no answers. Nothing else to say about that. I was getting frustrated. I decided to go deeper into Bosco. I started walking again, and took a turn off an older trail route. The signs there were old and hard to read. It seemed like there was another village a few miles away, I think. There was another path that had a sign for a bigger town, but that was twenty miles off. I decide to go the closer route, even if I didn't know what was there. After walking a couple hours, I sat down to rest. I sat under a big tree. The further I got into Bosco, the weirder things looked. Things were turning weird colors, and some of the animals looked different from what I'd seen before. Not that it mattered. I wasn't sightseeing, just catching my breath.
Natsu, where are you? It was Seraiisa. I didn't stand up, but I answered.
"I'm in Bosco. Now, where the hell are you?"
If I knew that, I would tell you. Its like a cave. There's an opening, but I can't go through it. I can see some tress outside, going uphill.
"Cave, trees, hill. That doesn't really help. Can you tell me if I'm close at least?"
You're a lot closer now. I can't tell exactly how far away you are, but it's a lot easier to talk to you now. I don't think you're far off, but you need to keep looking. Sorry I can't help more.
I got up and stretched. "Its fine. I came this far, I'll find you." I picked up my stuff and started walking again. After another hour, it was getting dark out.
"Hey, can you still hear me?" I said.
Yeah, I hear you, Natsu. She sounder quieter. I hoped it was because she needed a rest, and not because I was getting further away.
"I want to ask you something. How did your family get trapped? Who did it?" She was quiet at first. Then she spoke up.
Believe it or not, it was a god that did it. We… My family was trying to find ways to bring people back to life. Help people. The god didn't like that. He said that when people die, they're supposed to stay dead.
I stayed quiet while she said that. The whole reason I came out there was to bring back people I care about. Does that mean this god would come after me too? Let him try.
"Which god was it?" I didn't really care who the god was, I was just trying to pass the time while I was walking.
Ankhseram. God of life and death. Guess he felt we were stepping on his toes. So, my family, and other people who helped us, even the ones we brought back, were all banished to another world. Well, not exactly a world. More like a plane. It's dark and shadowy. Time passes differently there. We can come out once every century or so, but only for a short time. This is our time. We want to be free. But we need someone to open the way. It's guarded by magic. Its like he's teasing us, showing us a glimpse of the outside world, but we can't get to it.
I listened to her. Wasn't sure what to think of most of it. But it didn't sound right to lock them away because they tried to help people, and bring people back to life. "I'll help you. I'll find a way. And then you'll help me, just like you promised."
Of course.
We didn't really say anything after that. The little girl disappeared again. Guess she still has limits. I walked for a little longer, and then I sat down again to rest. Maybe I was more tired than I thought. The next village wasn't far off, so I could rest for a minute. I closed my eyes, and listened to the wind. For just a minute, I didn't want to think about all the things making me sad or angry. I just listened to the wind.
I felt water hitting my face. I opened my eyes. It was dark out, and it was raining. I fell asleep. How long? I got up quickly and looked around. I must have been asleep for an hour at least. I started running in the direction of the village. I wanted to try making it there before it got completely dark. It was already hard to see.
So, I ran. Last thing I needed was to get lost in the woods. Not because I was scared, but because I was on a time limit. I didn't need to waste time wandering around the middle of nowhere. I was starting to think I had already gotten lost. But then I saw an opening ahead. I reached the end of the trees, and there were a bunch of houses. This had to be it.
Since it was dark and raining, I couldn't just stroll through the place. I looked around, and there was only one building with a sign hanging off it. Maybe an inn? I walked up and opened the door. I stepped inside, and there were a few people sitting at tables drinking. There was a guy behind a counter too. Maybe not an inn. I didn't care. I was soaking wet, and still tired. I walked in and everyone stared at me. I guess I should describe the place, but I'm not very good at that stuff. Everything was made of wood, the people there looked like they were poor, or lowlifes. It was… dimly lit. That's enough description.
Anyway, I walked up to the counter, leaving wet tracks on the floor.
"Hey, bartender." I said. He was a fat bald guy. Kind of ugly. He looked me over.
"What say you, stranger?" he said.
"First of all, is there an inn around here?" I said. He nodded.
"Yeah, right here. This is a bar and an inn. Get drunk, and sleep it off. I don't even ask that much."
"I don't need a drink." I said. "I just need a room until it stops raining, or until it gets light out. How much?"
"6,000." The bartender said.
"6,000?" I said. I looked around. The place didn't look nice enough to cost 6,000 jewels for a night. I'm not a money guy or anything, but I've slept in enough inns to know how much they cost. I dug around in my pockets. I took out all the money I had. "I've only got 2,000." The bartender shrugged.
"Sorry, but that's not…" He started to say. Then he looked at the money more closely. "Wait a minute, those are jewels. I meant local money. You must be…"
"I must be what?" I said.
"You're from Fiore." It wasn't the bartender that said that. It came from one of the guys at a table behind me. I turned around. There were three big guys in dirty clothes at a table. One of them got up. "You're a foreigner. That means you got to pay the foreigner tax." He smiled at me, and the other two laughed.
"I don't have time for this. Back off." I said.
"Well, you're gonna make time." The big guy said. He walked over to me. "Now, you're going to give us your money. You won't get a room, but at least you won't get hurt. So, just make it easy and-"
He stopped talking when I punched him in the ribs. I heard and felt his bones break. He grabbed his side and fell onto the floor, squealing like a pig. The other two got up and pulled knives. "Son of a bitch." One of them said.
"I said I don't have time for this." I said. I breathed fire at both of them, covering them in flame. They screamed when I burned them, and they ran out into the rain. A chair and table were also on fire. I picked them up and threw them outside so the whole place wouldn't burn down. "Sorry about your stuff." I said to the bartender. "I'll pay you back later." I stepped over the pig on the floor and started walking towards the door.
"Hey, wait a minute." The bartender said. I turned.
"You want money now? I showed you what I had, so it'll have to wait."
"No, no." he said. "You did me a favor. Those guys have been driving off tourists for a while. You can have a room, free of charge."
I looked at him. I was surprised. "Free? You sure?"
"Yeah. For one night, at least." He said.
I started walking back towards the bar. "Okay, deal. And as long as you're feeling so generous, maybe you could answer a few questions." The bartender raised an eyebrow, but nodded.
"Okay, what kind of questions?"
"I know it's a long shot, but maybe you can help me find something. I'm looking for…" I stopped a minute, trying to think of the words to describe it. "I think it's a cave, but near a hill. Or down a hill? It's supposed to have some kind of magic barrier. There are people trapped there. A family. I think one of them is psychic or something. She spoke to me. A little girl." Maybe I should have been more careful about giving out details. That's probably what my friends would have said if they had been there. But I do things more direct. Besides, I didn't see any reason to hide it.
The bartender didn't say anything for a minute. Just looked me over again. I guess he was thinking it over. "I think I know what you're talking about. There's a legend around here about a ghost family trapped in the woods somewhere. Over the years a bunch of adventurers have come around looking for it. No one ever found it." He stopped talking a moment. He looked like he was thinking something over again.
"You know, there is one thing." He said. "My granddad told me a story of this one adventurer looking for the cave. This legend goes back a long way. Anyway, this guy was some famous warrior or something back in his day. He did all these impressive deeds, and quests. But then, when he was visiting Bosco, he heard about the cave. The family trapped there. He decided to take it on. Said he could find the damn thing. He stopped right here in this tavern back when grandad ran it. The warrior said he was going to go out looking, and he did. A few weeks go by, and my grandad figured the guy just gave up. Or got killed. But he came back. Said he found the place, but it was sealed. So he got some enchanted item to break through. Told grandad where the cave was. Granddad wished him luck, and he left. A few more weeks go by. His corpse is found in the middle of the woods. There was no cave near his corpse. He wasn't killed by animals or robbers or anything. At least, it didn't seem like it. It was magic. Powerful magic had assaulted him. He died a painful death, it looked like. At least, that's what grandad said. Can't personally tell you how much of that is true."
I listened to his story. What I took away was that someone found the place. That's all that mattered. "So, you know where it is?" I said. "Do I need some kind of enchanted weapon?" The bartender shook his head.
"Were you even listening? The guy died. If this place does exist, then its very dangerous. And the enchanted weapon obviously didn't help any. But you… you're a mage. A powerful one. Maybe…"
"If you know where it is, then just tell me. I can handle myself." I said.
"Maybe you can." He said. "But if I tell you, I expect not to see you again. Your funeral." He started telling me the directions. He got the information from his grandad, who got the information from that dead warrior. I didn't know if it was just a story, but I had to try. After he was done telling me the way, he said, "You should at least wait until the morning when its bright, and the rain has stopped. You'll have a better chance finding it that way."
"Yeah." I said. "I guess I'll get to my room then. Can I get some food too?"
"Sure, but that you're going to have to pay for. I've got to make a living." He said.
I got up to the room on the second floor a short time later. It was small and didn't look any better than the rest of the place. But that didn't matter. It was a place to sleep, and be alone for a little while. I never really liked being alone before, but after everything that happened, and the way I was feeling… I don't know. I just felt like I didn't want to be around other people much. Maybe that would change when this was all over.
I put my bag down on the floor, and sat down on the bed at the end of the room. I unwrapped the bread and cheese sandwich the bartender gave me. It was all I could afford. The bread was hard, but I bit off chunks of it anyway, and chased it down with water. Maybe I could've afforded a beer too, but I needed to be clear headed for what I was going to do. After I finished eating, I went to get the book out. I picked it up, and opened it to the crystal page, and put it on the bed.
"Seraiisa." I said. I didn't hear anything. Did I need to draw the circle again? She said she could talk to me without it before. I didn't feel like drawing anything right then. I was tired. So, I just put the book away and sat down again. The only thing I heard was the rain outside. I couldn't even see anything out the one window in the room. Sitting there, I felt something I never felt before. I'm not even sure what the word is. I didn't have anyone to talk to, eat with, fight with. I always at least had Happy with me, but I even left him behind. And even though it was warm there, and I'd dried off, I still felt cold. I just felt these chills all over. I didn't understand what I was feeling. I didn't want to understand it. I just wanted to fix things. I wanted… I needed to get my friends back, even if it killed me.
I didn't want to think about this anymore. I'm a doer, not a thinker. But I couldn't do anything right that moment. So, I laid down to sleep, since that was all I could do.
I got up the next morning a little later than I meant to. Guess I was tired. I didn't have anything to drink the night before, but I still woke up feeling like crap. It didn't matter, I had things to do. I didn't bother staying long after I woke up. I thanked the innkeeper and left fast. I figured I'd go fishing or something later to get some food. And I'd have to find a way to get some more money. But that was later. Now, I had to find that cave.
Now that it was daylight and everyone was awake, I could talk to people, and maybe find some useful stuff. Even if I didn't have money, maybe I could trade something. But I didn't do any of that. I didn't care about the town, or talking to people, or trading. There was only one thing I cared about. So, I left without talking to anyone. If that innkeeper was wrong or lying, I might come back.
I walked out of the village onto a path. But the place I was looking for wasn't on a path, so I'd only follow it a little. It was actually bright out that day. I remember that. The leaves were starting to change color too. It probably looked pretty, but I wasn't paying attention. Looking back, I could have gone anywhere or done anything I wanted. I guess I took that for granted. Everything just felt… dark.
Anyway, after twenty minutes of walking I turned off the path and went into the woods. I would need to go pretty far. When I said this place was off the path, I meant it. I was out there walking around for a lot of the day. I don't want to write down everything I did, since a lot of it was just nothing. So, I'll just give you the short version.
I walked through the woods for a few hours. I occasionally saw an animal or a hiker, but other than that I was alone. After a few hours of walking, I stopped by a river and rested. I decided to fish there, but only caught one. I cooked and ate it, and then started walking again. I tried to follow the directions that guy gave me, but it was hard. When I first left the village, it was morning. By the middle of the afternoon, I still hadn't found the place. I didn't even know if I was close.
I walked for another hour. I had gone pretty far. No hikers out there. It was still bright, but the sun was getting lower. I wasn't even sure where I was anymore. I stepped through the trees and ended up in a field or something. It was weird. I didn't see any animals around, or even hear them. No birds or anything. Just quiet. Not even any wind. Just my own breathing. I'll admit, it was a little creepy. But there was something else. I could sense something, or smell it. It was close. I started walking though the field, trying to find it. There was something magical nearby. Powerful magic. But something else too. I could smell something… rotting. Like meat. But also kind of sweet too. It was sick. But I kept walking. I felt like I had to, now that I was there. The stench got worse. I wanted to throw up. I covered my mouth. I walked for a few more minutes. I couldn't hear anything now, not even my own breathing. I stopped walking and closed my eyes. Whenever I heard people say, "the silence is deafening", I never understood that. Now I did. I started screaming just to hear my own voice. I definitely made a sound.
When I opened my eyes again, something was different. I was standing in front of some kind of opening. It was a cave. Something was glowing on both sides of the entrance. Magical glowing symbols. One was a skull. Maybe meant to scare me. It wouldn't work. The other was something weird though, something I never saw before. It was like a cross, but with a loop at the top. I didn't bother trying to figure it out. I just walked in. Whatever I was looking for had to be in there. I could feel it.
When I walked into the cave, the first thing I noticed was the smell was mostly gone. It felt colder though. It was warm before, but now it felt almost like winter. I walked further in. It was just one path, straight in. "Hey, is anyone there?" I said loudly. No answer. "Little girl? Seraiisa?" I thought I heard something this time. I walked in further. It was dark in there. I made a flame in my hand. I could see the path now. I started walking again, but saw something move on the ceiling. I stopped, and brought out another flame in my other hand. In the firelight I saw some kind of creature on the ceiling. It looked black and twisted. I shot a flame at it without thinking. It didn't move, and the flame didn't do much. The thing just started hissing, and making other weird noises. I prepared another attack. But then, the noises changed. It started saying words.
"Explorer, adventurer, mage; why are you here?" Its voice sounded like a whisper. The weird thing is it didn't look like it had a mouth.
"I'm looking for someone, a little girl and her family." I said. I still had my fire, just in case. The thing made a weird noise, sort of like laughter.
"The ones trapped in shadow." It said.
"Yeah, them. Where are they?"
"They are here. Why do you want to see them?" It said. I was getting annoyed. I didn't want to waste time answering questions.
"They said they can bring back people I lost. People I care about. I came all the way out here for this."
The thing tilted its… head. And then it moved its long legs on the wall and crawled down to the floor. It was on all fours, looking up at me. "What are you willing to do to have them back?" it asked.
"Anything." I said without even thinking about it.
"Anything?" it said.
"Yes." I said. It didn't say anything for a few seconds. And then, "What if I refused to let you? What would you do?"
"I'd kill you." I said. It laughed again. It stretched out its legs/arms, blocking the walls.
"Leave." It said. Leave. I didn't come all this way, go to all this trouble, just to leave. And besides that, this thing was pissing me off. I roared, and started firing at it. It reached out three arms at me, but was still holding the other four against the wall. It thought it only had four. It grabbed me, and dugs its claws in. It hurt, but I kept up the attack. It felt like it was trying to rip me apart. I drew out more power and unleashed on it. After a minute of attacking, I charged a fire dragon roar, and blasted it at the thing. It was covered in flames, and then burnt up. It was gone. Good. I was bleeding, but otherwise okay. I started walking again, and moved further into the cave. Suddenly, the cave got a lot smaller. There was an opening, but it was small. Maybe I could squeeze through, but I'd have to crawl. Most of the cave was rock, but this part was muddy. Whatever it took.
I got down on the ground and started crawling. I was barely able to squeeze through. I crawled through the tight space. It only took a minute, but felt longer. I got out the other side, and was covered in mud. Even when I got out, I still couldn't stand up. It was just a small room, with some kind of magic barrier blocking the way. I touched it. Then I punched it. It didn't feel like it was going to budge.
"Do you want to pass through?" It was the thing again.
"Didn't I just kill you?" I said. I didn't see it, but I heard it.
"You cannot kill me. I simply allowed you to pass. Your rage convinced me."
"What the hell are you?" I asked.
"I am a servant of the one who created this place. He tasked me to stay here and watch over it."
"Like some kind of guardian?" I said.
"No, not a guardian. A watcher, a speaker. An examiner."
"Whatever. Where's the girl?" I said.
"No one has ever made it through to see them before. You believe you are worthy, above all others?"
"I made it all the way here, so that makes me worthy. I won't let anyone stop me."
"If you desire to see this family oh worthy one, you must show that you are sincere in your desire. Beg me to let you through."
I growled. "Screw that." I started pounding on the barrier, using magic. I breathed fire at it. I hit it as hard as I could. Nothing dented it. The thing laughed again.
"What the hell do you want?" I said.
"I told you what I want. On your hands and knees. Beg me." I gritted my teeth. I hated this. Erza, Lisanna, Fairy tail…
I got on my hands and knees. "Please, let me through. I… I… I beg you. Please, help me save them."
"Such humility, worthy one. You may pass." It said. The barrier was suddenly gone. I quickly went through, and came into another area. There was enough room to stand again. I got up off my knees, still covered in mud. I felt like I looked, but that didn't matter. As long as I got what I came for. I walked on a little more, and then I came to another barrier. I growled. How many of these were there going to be? If I had to beg again…
"Natsu?" Someone said. It wasn't that creature. Someone else. I could see someone through the barrier, someone small. "Natsu, is that you?" she said again.
"Seraiisa?" I said. I couldn't see her clearly. She had dark hair, and was wearing some kind of robe.
"Yeah, its me." She said. "Its nice to meet you."
I put my hand on the barrier. "How do I get through this thing?"
"Honestly, I don't know." She said. "No one's ever made it this far before."
I tried looking into the back of the room. I saw a bunch of people there. They looked blurred though. One was a blonde. The blonde came walking up to the barrier. It was a woman. It was Boudica, but I didn't know that at the time. I didn't know who she was. She looked all dirty and messed up.
"You must be Natsu Dragneel." Boudica said. "I am Boudica, Seraiisa's mother. I'm impressed you made it here. We would greatly appreciate your help. We would owe you."
"I know." I said. "You can bring dead people back to life?"
"More or less, yes." She said.
"What does that mean? Can you do it or not?"
"We can. Although, they might not be exactly the same as before. To give them a stable body, we might need to make some modifications."
"I don't like the sound of that." I said. "I want them back just like they were before."
Boudica moved closer to the barrier, so I could see her a little clearer. "I understand that. I know what its like to lose someone, and want them back just as before. But this is the best we can do. I will do everything in my power to revive your friends, if you free us."
I looked at Boudica, and then back at Seraiisa. "Is this your whole family? There's four of you in here, no one else?" I asked the little girl. She looked up at her mom, and then back at me.
"Yeah, this is my whole family. There are more people, but only me and my family are allowed into this cave for some reason. Everyone else is waiting for us in the shadow realm."
I thought about that for a second. "Shadow realm… Is everyone there a mage?"
"No, silly." She said. "My family are all mages, but everyone else… well, there are a few people with magic, but most of them are just regular people."
I still didn't understand all this. I felt like I should ask more questions. But at that point, there was only one thing I really cared about. "You promise that you'll bring back Lisanna Strauss, and Erza Scarlet? You swear on it?"
This time Boudica answered. "I swear on my children's lives that if you free us then we will resurrect Erza and Lisanna, if at all possible."
I was getting angry. "Sounds like you're giving me a lot of maybes. You'll try. That's not good enough."
"It's the best you'll get." She said. I started to turn around and walk away.
"Please Natsu, don't leave." Seraiisa said. "You have to try. If you leave now, you won't get s second chance, and you'll regret it. I know you will." I gritted my teeth. I turned around again.
"Fine. Let's do it. What do I have to do?"
"Throw the bag of supplies in." Boudica said. "You can't pass through, but the bag should be able to."
I didn't ask any more questions. I threw the bag in, with the dirt and the other stuff they needed. "This will take some time to prepare." Boudica said.
"Thanks, Natsu." Seraiisa said.
"Yeah, yeah. Just do what you've got to do." I stood there as they started taking stuff out of the bag, and putting it on the floor in different places. I didn't know what they were doing. Some kind of ritual, I guess. After a little while, Boudica sat down. The rest of the family walked over and knelt next to her.
"This is the hard part." Seraiisa said. She was sitting across from Boudica. She closed her eyes, and got real quiet. I didn't know what they were doing. I waited a little while, watching them. A few times it looked like the girl was muttering something, but I couldn't hear it. Then, there was a… glow. Something was glowing around them. It was blinking or something. And then… it stopped. I mean, everything stopped. No one was moving, and the glow was stuck there or something. I waited a minute, and everything was still stuck in the same place.
"What…?" I said.
"You have a choice to make, mage." The thing said. "This is your final chance to turn back. You can still leave, if you want." The room got a little brighter. I turned around, and I could see outside the cave. The walls and stuff were gone. I could just walk right out. "You can continue on this path, or turn back, and never return." It said. "Either way, the choice you make will be permanent, and cannot be taken back. If you leave, you can never return. If you stay and finish what you started, then you must live with whatever the consequences might be."
"What consequences?" I said. "What will happen?"
"People may die. Perhaps many people. The ones you are helping are powerful and dangerous. They were locked here for a reason."
I felt like there was a huge pressure in my head and chest. I clenched my fists. I didn't know what to think or believe. I just wanted my friends back. Why was this so hard?
"You're saying people have to die for this to happen?" I said.
"They don't have to. But there is a good chance they will, if these prisoners are allowed to roam free. Will you take that chance?"
Any other time, I'd have probably said no. But right then, after everything that happened, after everything I'd lost, after everything I'd done… I wasn't willing to just give up and go home. Besides, the thing just said there was a chance. Maybe it was lying. But honestly… even if people ended up getting hurt… at that moment I didn't really care. Only one thing mattered.
"I don't care! I just want them back. I'll do anything to have them back!"
"As you wish." The thing said. "You have made your choice. Whatever happens next is between you and those you've bargained with. We will not speak again." Then, time started up again. I felt that same cold feeling from earlier. I felt like something in me had changed. But I didn't care. I made my choice.
The glow in the room got brighter, and brighter. And then, there was a loud sound. It was the barrier. It broke apart. It was like glass shattering. There wasn't anything standing between me and them now.
"Freedom!" Seraiisa said. She was smiling.
"There's still one more thing, Natsu." Boudica said. We must make a pact, you and I. A bond. She will need some of your life force to survive."
"Who?" I said, walking over.
"We only have enough power for one, for now. Lisanna."
"What about Erza?" I said.
"She will come later, when we have more power. We only have a few minutes, or Lisanna will be lost. It's now or never."
At that moment, I thought I heard Lisanna's voice. It sounded like her. Was she saying my name? I couldn't say no. I would do whatever to bring her back. But I was also determined to make them keep their promise about Erza. What happened next is more fuzzy. I remember sitting down, and Boudica was saying something. I agreed to a bunch of stuff. And… I remember there was pain. And then, things went dark.
The next few weeks after that are hard to remember. I only have bits and pieces. When I was in the cave, I made a pact with Boudica. A life bond, attaching myself to you. Or, you to me. Still not sure how that works. Anyway, the next thing I remember after that was waking up on the floor, and hearing screaming. There was a girl screaming close by. My head hurt, and I felt like I had no energy. But I managed to get up, slowly. I don't think I was in the cave anymore. I was in some mossy room. Boudica and Seraiisa were there, and a bunch of other people I didn't know. They were standing around a table with someone on it. I recognized you immediately, Lisanna. Your face, your hair, your voice. But you had no arms. There was blood all over.
"What the hell are you doing?" I yelled at them. I tried to yell, anyway, but it barely came out. Boudica heard me though.
"This is part of the process." Boudica said. "She'll be better soon. Trust me."
I should've been happy to see you again. I mean, I was, but seeing what you were going through made me sick. Or maybe that was the effects of the life bond. Either way, I threw up and then passed out. I think I might've woken up again while they were still making your new body, not sure. Like I said, it's hard to remember. But I do remember coming to visit you when you were recovering later on. You were sleeping. I still wasn't feeling good, but it was one of my better moments. I saw you laying there in sheets, all wrapped up in bandages. You looked like you'd been through hell. But you were alive. That's what mattered. But I knew I needed to get better, for you, for me, and for Erza. I needed to be strong enough to go through this a second time.
After that, I slowly started getting better again. This valley we were in, I thought it was kind of strange, but I liked it. I didn't mind being there when I was recovering, but when I started getting stronger again, I wanted to go out and explore some more. Boudica didn't like that. We butted heads on a bunch of things. The other guys in charge, shadow lords or whatever, they didn't talk to me much. The few times I did see them, I got the impression they didn't like me. Fine by me, I didn't like them either. I've got to admit, I did start to feel kind of lonely. I didn't have any friends there. People would talk to me. They would answer questions, and try to get me to join their religion. But none of them were my friends. I felt like the only person here I could really trust was you. I wish I could've seen you more. We only talked sometimes. For a while it was because I was recovering, and wasn't up to doing much. But later… You know what, you don't need me to go over what happened after you came back, because you know a lot of that already. But there is something you still need to know. Look Lisanna, I'm going to tell you something about Boudica. I've seen some messed up things here, stuff I probably wasn't supposed to see. But there's one thing you need to know. She told me not to tell you. But screw it, I'm breaking that promise. I'm pretty sure she's lied to me a few times anyway, so what the hell.
A little while ago, I went to talk to Boudica about something. About you, about Erza, about Fairy Tail. All of it. Things got ugly, and here's what she said…
Lisanna had been reading the journal for hours, and was starting to get bleary-eyed in the late hour. She was nearing the end now. She was absorbed in Natsu's words and had temporarily forgotten everything else. Not because Natsu was a great writer, but because this was the most she had heard from him in a long time. And because it was finally answering some of her questions.
Natsu wrote about his confrontation with Boudica after the meeting with Fairy Tail at the church. Natsu made demands, and threatened Boudica. Boudica brought up something called the soul bond, telling Natsu that she could easily kill both him and Lisanna. And of course, the long-standing promise of Erza's resurrection, yet to be fulfilled. Ultimately, Natsu backed down, and agreed to be compliant with Boudica. But it seemed that Natsu had now reached his limit. He wasn't the most descriptive writer, but she could still sense the bitterness in his words.
When she got to the last page, there was one final note, where he addressed her directly. Lisanna, I can't do this anymore. I have to make a decision. Before I do, I just want to talk to you one more time. Everything has gotten really screwed up, but I have to try to fix it. If you want to meet me, there's a place I think we can be alone. Its that room where Boudica talks to her followers, the one where she and I talked. Nobody should be there at night when everyone's asleep. Meet me after midnight the day after you read this.
The journal ended there. It wasn't a conclusive ending to a narrative. But then, the story wasn't over yet. Lisanna couldn't help wondering how it would end. She closed the book, and sat there for a minute, not saying anything. She was trying to process all the information she had absorbed that night. It was a little overwhelming. And now, Natsu wanted to meet with her, and it sounded like he was on the verge of making a big, possibly dangerous decision. She had a general idea of what Natsu might have in mind, but she didn't feel at all comfortable with it. She would have to make sure to meet him at the time he said and… say what? What did she intend to say to him? She didn't know. She only knew that she wanted both her and Natsu to get out of there and go home. As for Erza…
"Are you… okay?" Alrace said. His question startled Lisanna. She had gotten lost in thought, and had almost forgotten he was there.
"Oh, yeah." She said a little awkwardly. "I just need some time to think about all of this. It's a lot." She got up and stretched her arms. She realized she was feeling tired, and wouldn't mind laying down in her bed. "We should probably head back now. It's really late." Alrace nodded in agreement, and stood up. They moved the furniture back to where it was before. They then left the room, shutting the door behind them.
They both walked down the corridor, heading back the way they had come. Part way, Lisanna stopped. "I think I should go the rest of the way myself. Wouldn't want people getting suspicious if they see us."
"Yes, you're right." Alrace said.
"Thank you Alrace, for helping me with this stuff, and being there to talk to. I really appreciate it. You're a good friend."
Alrace hesitated a moment, and then smiled. "Friend… thank you, Lisanna. Good luck… with Natsu." The two of them then parted ways. Lisanna left, heading back to her room. Alrace stood there a minute, and then started walking back to find a place to sleep.
Alrace turned down another corridor, wider than the previous one. He was feeling tired too. He then heard footsteps behind him. "Lisanna?" he said, turning around. But it was not Lisanna standing there. It was Seraiisa.
"Serrr…" He slurred, having difficulty saying her name.
"That's right." Seraiisa said. "Thought I was Lisanna, huh? You know, I saw you two, talking and walking together. It looked like you were coming from Natsu's room. That's crazy, isn't it? I mean, what would you be doing there?"
"Well…" he started to say.
"You know Mom told you not to get involved with Natsu and Lisanna, right?" Seraiisa continued. "Why would you make her angry like that? I think she will be, when she finds out."
Alrace suddenly felt alarmed. He shuffled over to Seraiisa. "Y-y-you don't have to tell her. Keep it quiet."
Seraiisa put her finger to her chin. "Hmm. I guess you're right. I don't have to tell her. But I will. See ya." Seraiisa turned around, walking in the opposite direction. Alrace grabbed her arm, holding her in place.
"Please, don't." he said. "You can't. Its okay, just don't say anything. Nothing happened." He half pleaded and half demanded. Seraiisa looked down at his twisted hand gripping her sleeve. Her normally innocent expression was replaced with a mixture of annoyance and disgust.
"Get off me, you freak." She said.
"No, promise you won't tell." He said. Right after he said that, he felt something touch his head. A harsh sensation spread through him, and he quickly became overwhelmed with a feeling of fear and anguish. He let go of Seraiisa and collapsed to the floor. He began whimpering. Standing over him was Torq, holding what appeared to be Mystogan's stave.
"Thanks, Torq." Seraiisa said, giving him an affectionate pat on the arm. She walked around and looked down at Alrace. "Its not as powerful as the stave we took from that guy. Just a replica. But it still packs a punch, yeah?" She giggled, and then motioned back to her brother with her hand. "Come on, let's go see Mom." She started going down the hallway, lightly skipping, with Torq following behind. They left Alrace lying on the floor, alone.
Lisanna was back in her room, lying in bed and staring up at the ceiling. She knew she would have to wait another day to talk to Natsu, but her mind was preoccupied all the same. She also knew that it was quite late, and she should try to get some sleep. She sighed, and tried to clear her thoughts of everything going on. She would worry about it tomorrow, she decided. She rolled over in bed, and closed her eyes. "See you soon." She whispered.
Notes: Writing these chapters from Natsu's perspective was not always easy. Natsu isn't exactly known for being a deep thinker, or having a way with words (which is true of many shonen protagonists). But I had already committed to doing the "story" chapters in first person. At any rate, I tried to find a balance between staying true to Natsu's way of talking and looking at things, but while also providing a decent amount of description and detail. I was aware of trying not to have Natsu describe things in an un-Natsu like way, but there were admittedly some parts where I needed to stretch it so it would still read well.
On another note, things are getting really busy this time of year, so I might need to wait until after the holidays are over to continue with this story.
