Dear Readers,

I am stupidly excited about this - I've got the next several chapters done, and I'm confident they are great.

I picked up a beta (finally) and she is literally the best thing ever. Shout out to GoddessxNyte2 for all her help!

Tell me what you think! Reviews are welcome!

As always, I don't own Fairy Tail. Desna owns the Pradesh Family!

Enjoy!

Two days later found Lucy wandering in the dense foliage of the Waas forest, trying to locate Gildarts - without success.

She was thoroughly convinced it was him who kept moving away from her but every time she called him on the com he insisted he wouldn't have a problem locating her magic signature and to just keep walking north and she'd run into him.

Three hours and a twisted ankle later proved he was wrong, and she was over it.

"Gildarts, I swear to Mavis, if you don't stop moving I will tear you limb from limb and mail your parts to Cana. Do you understand me? I don't care if you're basically unbeatable, I will fucking find a way."

Gildarts was pretty thoroughly surprised at the blonde he knew only in passing, having had the impression she was powerful but mostly sweet and innocent. His opinion seemed to be changing… rapidly.

Because he'd been threatened before, but he'd never been concerned about it. Something in her eyes (eye?) promised pain, and misfortune, and he was finding her threat pretty credible. But, he decided, he would not give in to a fuming blonde girl just because she was scary. Even the thought of it was absurd!

Sighing, he repeated himself gain, "Look, kiddo, I don't know why I haven't found you yet but I can track magic with the best of them. This shouldn't be a problem!"

"Shut. Up. Just stay put and I will find you. Okay?"

He sighed with a scowl on his usually easy-going face and rubbed his hand through his long auburn hair, "Fine. You've got an hour, sweetcheeks. Then I'm moving again. Keeping still makes me antsy."

Lucy rolled her eyes and cut off the flow of magic to her com without so much as a 'goodbye'. To be fair, though, it was probably at least the fiftieth lacrima call she'd shared with the crash mage and she was very much not in a lets-hold-a-polite-conversation kind of mood.

The celestial mage stowed away her Com Lacrima in one of the several pockets on her short cargo shorts and sighed heavily, trying to calm down and figure out the best solution.

She looked down on her uncovered arms and observed the new marks there with a bit of pride. The two day's she'd spent travelling had not been wasted, and while she'd done no physical training, she'd made significant improvements to her magic already.

Feeling the energy thrumming from Yukino's former keys those few days ago had reminded her of how good it felt to be constantly connected to her spirits. It was a feeling she hadn't quite been ready to give up, and she realized that requipping her keys wasn't the best solution, so she'd started researching a better one. She'd been trying for a full day when the Spirit King himself made one of his grand entrances and scared the daylights out of her, offering a solution.

*Flashback*

"Daughter."

The deep, and unexpected, voice of the Spirit King greeted her without warning, while she was sitting up against a tree in the forest eating a snack and reading a new pile of books that Crux had thought to bring her. She had been looking intensely through each page trying to find a way to protect her keys without requipping them, and her attention to her surroundings was… well, frankly, nonexistent. She wasn't paying attention in the slightest.

The King's sudden presence was so overwhelming - and so random - that she jumped in fright, rather violently. She knocked over the entire stack of books, and then fell on top of them, in her frightened scramble to get into a defensive position. She landed in a rather uncomfortable heap on top of several priceless tomes, face down so she couldn't even look at her visitor while she attempted, rather unsuccessfully, to right herself.

Stache Face's rumbling laughter in that timeless moment (because only he would literally stop time just to come visit) was all encompassing, and it just made her flush in embarrassment.

"S-Stache Face. What the fu-W-What are you doing here?" she questioned curiously once she was finally able to disentangle herself from the literary pile, then paled.

"Is there something wrong in the Spirit World?!"

The King chuckled at her and shook his head, "No, no, nothing of the sort, old friend," he assured.

Old Friend was more along the lines of the way he usually addressed her. His initial 'daughter' had been a little weird, but he was the fucking Spirit King, and he could call her whatever he wanted. She wouldn't question it.

"So…. what is it?"

"Daughter," he began, "It has come to my attention that you are searching for a new way to protect your keys."

Okay, she decided that it was too weird, and she had to question it. She had always been a slave to her curiosity, after all.

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Daughter?"

"Yeah, that. It's weird."

If it were possible, Lucy would have sworn that the Spirit King looked… nervous? Abashed, maybe? It was so hard to read his expressions through that mustache.

"I… I just thought that, since we were so close," he trailed off. Lucy's puzzled expression grew in intensity.

When had they become close? She'd met the man (spirit) exactly three times in her life, two of them in horrible, terrifying moments! That didn't count as being close…

And then she thought about it a little more. He was an insanely powerful spirit that hadn't been called or challenged in centuries - maybe ever. Three meetings (now four) probably did count as a close relationship for him.

She suddenly felt bad for questioning him.

"R-Right. Since we are so close…" She prompted.

"Well," he continued, "I sort of, adopted you."

"..."

She sat confused. For longer than she should have, but she maintained that it didn't count, since time was technically not running.

"I'm not underage, Stache Face."

Now he looked confused. As far as she could tell.

"What do you mean? You're just a child!"

"..."

She wanted to argue, but compared to him… she barely even counted as a fetus, really. He had millennia on her, so she decided not to take offense.

"Uh. Right. So what do you mean you adopted me? Did you, I don't know, think to ask me about it?" She rolled her eyes. All her spirits were like that (not that he was her spirit, he was the Spirit King, but still), doing things for her, favors for her that turned out to not necessarily be favors. She appreciated it, really, but sometimes it was rather inconvenient.

Like that time Virgo cleared out every bit of alcohol from her apartment because she'd claimed - in the middle of a horrible hangover, mind you - that she was 'never drinking again'. Or when Loke had hung ornately framed pictures of lions throughout her apartment because she had absently commented that she needed to find more artwork for her walls.

Needless to say, she was… apprehensive about what the Spirit King was talking about, and what it all meant.

"Well. It doesn't mean a whole lot, really. Just know that I see you as a daughter," he answered.

She felt relieved at that. She could deal with that, and really, she'd missed the chance for a father figure with her own dad. And the weird, psueudo-grandfather/father thing she had with Makarov was pretty good, and she'd always looked up to Stache Face and liked him, thought he was reasonable once he'd been called out on his bullshit, so she decided that it could be nice to see him like a father. A really weird, hugely powerful father.

"Well, that, and you actually inherit on the title and responsibilities of the Starbringer - but then, you would have done that anyway, now that you wield all the Zodiac Keys."

Lucy choked on a cough.

"And well, when you die you'll become a spirit, of course," he said nonchalantly.

The celestial mage just stared at him with one large, unblinking eye. She didn't really even have words. At least not ones to express the jumbled feelings that she couldn't make sense of. Shocked silence seemed to be the way to go.

"Oh right! Anyway, daughter, there is a solution to that problem you've been experiencing! I came here to discuss it."

Lucy, finally identifying her emotions as a mix of anger (because he'd made a decision so important for her without consulting her about it) and pride (because it was really, really incredible that someone so powerful saw her as worthy of something so huge) and gratefulness (because an eternity fighting alongside her spirits was… unbelievably wonderful - especially considering she'd get the chance to really be with Aquarius since she was stuck in the spirit world) and trepidation (because there were definitely downsides to living indefinitely).

Seeing no response that could express the way she was feeling, she decided to skip the lecture she was going to give the Spirit King. Because she couldn't decide if it should be a lecture. Maybe a giant, heartfelt thank you? Or a demand for more details? It was too confusing, so she left it alone.

"Oh… okay? What's the solution?"

"Well," he began, rubbing at his gigantic mustache, "It won't be easy. Or painless. And it's permanent, so you can't complain about your spirits listening in on your life all the time once you've done it. Are you sure you want to take that on?"

The solution sounded promising, and Lucy had already sworn to do everything she could to protect her spirits, so she readily accepted.

"Of course! As long as the spirits agree. I would never force them to contract with me for the extent of my life without asking them."

The Spirit King practically beamed. If he wasn't the embodiment of night, she was sure he would have been shining like the sun. His stupidly huge smile had shone right through his stupidly huge mustache, and he had patted her on the back (with one of his stupidly huge fingers), as he began his explanation.

"Your spirits have all readily agreed to this plan. Your Zodiac and your Silver Spirits, that's including the three you just acquired from one Miss. Yukino Aguira."

Lucy nodded, unbelievably happy to have such loyalty from all her spirits. Having spirits pledge their service to her for the extent of her life was an incredible honor.

She sent a mental note to Loke, asking him to communicate her gratitude to the rest of them. He didn't answer, but she could feel his acceptance through their bond.

"Essentially," Stache Face continued, "You will fuse yourself to the keys you hold. You will be anchoring their gates to you, as a mage and power source, as opposed to their key. Each of your keys will leave a golden, or silver, key-shaped mark on your arm as a focus point for their energy. You will use that spot to summon and open their gate, or their stardress, but keep in mind - this requires massive amounts of power to maintain that many bonds, just as you must supply energy to your bond with Leo to maintain your connection."

Lucy took the information in, thinking it over, and deciding that she'd happily supply her spirits with whatever power they needed if it meant she'd be able to connect with them constantly.

She studied the Spirit King seriously, before asking, "Do you think I have enough power to do it?"

"Of course, old friend. It is not a solution I would offer you if I thought it would bring you harm."

Lucy wasn't sure why he kept flipping back and forth between her pet names, but she ignored it in favor of thinking over his proposal.

"What about new keys I acquire?"

"You will be able to connect with them in the same way, should they agree to pledge themselves the way your current spirits have, though you will have to go through the uncomfortable fusing process for each one. Should they not wish to pledge to you, you can always contract them normally, or place them in the protection of the Academe."

"Okay… Is there anything else I should know?" Lucy asked. She needed all the information she could get, and Stache Face wasn't known to be excessively forthcoming with information.

"Ah… Just a few things. We had not discovered this, because you are the first mage powerful enough to successfully summon me on your own power, but the act of summoning me in your battle against the demons seems to have created a contract between us."

Lucy's jaw dropped. There was no way she was contracted to the fucking Spirit King. No way… Right?

"Yes, yes, we were all rather surprised as well. Though - the amount of power it would require to summon me would tax even your immense reserves. The initial summon requires far less power, as I do not arrive at full strength on Earthland. Any summon you initiate from here out, I will be pulling my energy entirely from your power. Keep that in mind.

"As for the details of the contract," he added, rubbing at his mustache again, "Though I always have time for you, daughter, my responsibilities in the Celestial Realm are immense. I am afraid I must limit our contract to one summon each year. Of course, dire circumstances notwithstanding. Is this agreeable for you?"

Lucy couldn't seem to find her voice - something she was beginning to get used to in this conversation. She simply nodded.

"Very well! Now, brace yourself, let's get started!"

*End Flashback*

Lucy winced at the memory. She was incredibly honored to have been offered this solution, and to be now known in the celestial worlds as the Starbringer, and to be called 'daughter' by one of the most powerful entities in existence. But when he'd told her it wouldn't be painless?

He was definitely not lying.

She'd felt like she was caught in an unending attack from Natsu, every one of her nerves on fire as she connected with each of her spirits and anchored their gates to her own being. It hadn't helped that halfway through, the pain doubled as her third origin was torn open violently and rapidly pushed magic through every pore on her body.

That had been a rather unexpected, and truly terrible, experience. The power boost was nice, as her worries about being able to maintain the anchors were largely relieved, but if she had to choose between the pain of opening her third origin, and the minor discomfort of the bonds pulling a little more at her magic reserves?

She'd choose minor discomfort. Definitely. Too bad the universe didn't particularly care for her opinion.

Sighing, she reached into herself and felt through her magic. Her connection to her spirits was so much stronger than it had ever been, and for that, at least, she was grateful.

With ease, she could tell that she had three gates open. Remotely, of course, a skill she'd practically perfected since leaving Fairy Tail, as it was her primary method of staying undetected. Undiscovered.

Ophicus had requested being summoned almost immediately after Lucy had recovered. Yukino had apparently rarely summoned her, as she took so much power to maintain, and Lucy couldn't say no. If she wanted to stretch her scales? Lucy would help her do so. So now the gigantic purple snake was slithering around Bosco. She'd been sure to be seen in some more rural towns on the far side of the Grass Sea, but then had retreated to bask in the soothing waters until Lucy needed her to return, and from what the celestial mage could tell through the bond? She was having a lovely time.

And she found that Ophicus's somewhat wicked and snarky personality was something she could get behind. It reminded her, ironically, of Erik. And of her own - usually deeply buried - mischievous streak.

Taurus had been remotely summoned to Minstrel, where he was (unfortunately) likely ogling the locals. Minstrel was known for their beautiful women, and their warm climate meant that their clothing was typically pretty revealing. She could tell, of course, by looking deeper into the bond, but with Taurus, that just wasn't something she wanted to do.

Aries was still in Fiore, though. She was on the Southern Coast. Lucy wasn't sure why she'd asked Aries to do a mission where the goal was to be seen, as the ram spirit was painfully shy. Still though, she'd been spotted by a few beach-goers before she'd gone into hiding, and she seemed to be having a decently good time running from hiding spot to hiding spot.

'Taurus, can you return?' Lucy asked him mentally.

She felt his pout through the bond, but he did as she asked without too much mental grumbling.

She felt the small strain she'd had on her magic lift as one of the key-like golden tattoos on her right arm glowed briefly, signalling the closure of his gate. She sighed in relief.

Lucy could maintain three gates normally without issue, she'd been working on that for years. Since she lost Aquarius. Now, at full power, she could open five gates at once and keep them open for at least a few minutes, and that was before her third origin.

But remote summoning seemed very different, and took much more out of her.

She summoned Plue to her side, silently, and asked him if he remembered Gildarts, thinking it was time she sucked it up and found the idiot before he took off again.

Her little dog spirit nodded enthusiastically. Through the bond, she learned that Gildarts was one of the many people the little spirit had suckered into buying him suckers from Mira. Lucy cracked a smile at that, who would have thought that Plue loved puns so much? She found herself more and more grateful for the bond.

"You remember his scent?" she asked allowed. It wasn't until she'd finally been able to converse with the spirit that she learned his sense of smell as keen as, well, a dog's. Or a little keener, as he was a magical being.

The little trembling spirit nodded enthusiastically, and grabbed onto her cloak before dragging her to the East, deeper into the forest. Or tried to, he just kind of walked forward until his motion was stopped and did a weird, shaky impression of the 'running man' dance move, as he wasn't quite strong enough to physically drag her. She laughed and followed after him.

But not before mumbling something under her breath about, "keep going North, my ass…"