Dear Readers,
I got a request for more action. I had this written already, so I don't blame them for what is to happen now, but...
Lol, I'm kidding. My dark and twisty soul is all my own. Just know, from here out, things get pretty hectic. If all goes well... I may have this completed by the end of the weekend. Just prepare for a lot of updates.
Disclaimer: If you were wondering, yes, GoddessxNyte2 (my beta) tried to withhold cookies from me after reading this. She does that when my sadistic side comes out a bit too far... Desna owns the Pradesh Family, and Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail... in case you've forgotten.
Enjoy!
For the first few weeks, teasing Kaleb about not being able to find Fallen Star was pretty amusing. After the third month, even Lucy was sick of it.
It had been almost a year and a half since they'd attacked her guild, and she was still no closer to finding them. She really, really didn't want to admit it, but they were getting closer to making the decision to go with Plan C - clearing her name - and she really didn't want that. She'd sacrificed too much to keep her family safe to make them a target again, even if she was confident she could protect them.
"Lucy, we got another lead," Zen said, approaching her.
She scoffed, "So we have another false trail?"
He gave her a small smile, "Yeah, probably. Want to ignore it?"
The celestial mage sighed, pushing up off the railing on the balcony in the guest room she'd been staying in at the Pradesh Estate. She popped her knuckles, stretching out her muscles and hopping around to warm them up a bit, "Nah. We should go. You never know when we'll find the right clue. Who's the escort?"
Smiling, he followed after, throwing an arm over her shoulder, "Cris. But Natsu and the others got restless, they took a mission with the Sea, so it'll just be us three."
She laughed, "Oh, whatever poor town they're going too… I almost feel bad. I don't know why we ever thought it was a good idea for Natsu and Emi to meet."
He made a small hum of agreement as they left the room.
Zen, he'd been coming along really nicely. After a lifetime of captivity, they assumed he'd struggle for a really long time with just basic connections, but that hadn't been the case. Sure, some things really bothered him still, like anyone non-family member that was male being too familiar with him. Or someone getting behind him during a spar - unless that someone was Lucy, as the odd bond they shared made it so he knew where she was, and that she'd never hurt him. They were both pretty sure that causing bodily harm to one another would be impossible, even if they were to somehow find themselves wanting to do so. Their magics just wouldn't allow it.
They didn't know much about the protection bond thing that they'd found themselves in, and the spirits either didn't know anything about it or they were being tight lipped. For once, Lucy thought it was the former. They'd told them both that Archangels mated to celestial mages, but they'd confirmed that it wasn't the case with them. At least… not yet. Their casual, easy friendship had turned toward flirtatious the more comfortable Zen became with his new life, and Lucy would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy that.
She just… wasn't ready to do anything about it. She felt like her whole life was on hold while she chased after this fucking guild, and until they found them and dealt with it, she refused to divert her attention.
"I wasn't sure you guys were even gonna make it," Cris called to them from the training yard, which over the last few months had turned into just that. Freed had secured stronger runes, the others set up some training dummies, Kaleb had been so kind as to send a few earth mages to help set up obstacles, and a few separate sections so that multiple people could train without disturbing each other. Arman was fine with the changes, but had forced Kaleb to promise to help him right it all once his house-guests had completed their mission.
"We weren't sure we wanted to follow another bogus fucking lead, either, but here we are."
He chuckled at Lucy's statement, "Oh relax. We'll find them," he said, pulling her in for his typical teddy bear hug, "You ready?"
She sighed. The fact that she was kin with all the slayers was still confusing to her, but she had to admit, her bond with Cris had kept her sane through the disappointment in their lack of finding the dark guild. His hugs were magical. Literally.
"Yeah, let's get going. I wanted to practice some of the new spells Capricorn's had me training recently, if we go now we might get back with enough time to do it."
Zen rolled his eyes, "I have no idea why you would ever need spells that powerful, but alright. Let's go, Cris."
He put a hand on the top of Lucy's head, ruffling her hair in the process, and grabbed Zen's shoulder, performing a Lunar Shift.
When they arrived, it was to smoke and fire. And instantly, Lucy was on alert, as well as the others.
"This wasn't what we were expecting," Cris warned, "We only heard of a sighting of that guy, Alec… Be careful, yeah?"
Zen stepped closer to her, and she rolled her eyes. Though she knew he couldn't help it. She almost did the same thing to him. The urge to protect they felt through their magic was pretty strong, it was hard to control the impulse.
"I'll be fine, Zen," she said softly, "Stay sharp, guys. I can feel his magic. This was definitely Alec. Goddamn it, why did the others have to pick today to be restless and run off on a mission?" Lucy complained, taking cautious steps into the village they'd come to check out.
Cris and Zen fell in close behind her, ready to fight.
"Who were we coming to see, Cris?" she asked, not taking her eyes off her surroundings.
Similarly vigilant, the Lunar Slayer answered, "The village chief contacted White Sea, said some of the citizens saw that guy. Didn't name any names, but he said he'd have all the info. He's in the center of town, or… would have been."
Lucy nodded, keeping on alert as she walked toward the village square. All Stellan villages were much the same, and over the course of the last few months, many of their calls to investigate had been in the quiet country. She knew the most likely path to take. As she walked she silently summoned Virgo, Libra, and Loke, as extra eyes.
'Virgo, you're with Zen. Loke, stick with me. Libra, stay by Cris and make sure he's safe. He's our only healer if shit hits the fan,' she spoke through the bond.
'Yes, Princess,' they each acknowledged the request, taking up positions next to their assigned mages. Loke started to walk ahead of her but a quick chastisement through the bond had him walking by her side.
She took in the scene around them as she rounded another corner. She, for the first time, saw the fires up close. And she wanted to be sick. This was Cinder's work, of that she no longer had any doubt. Strewn through the streets were… bodies. Women, children, men who'd clearly been fighting a swordsmen, judging by the fact that several had missing limbs or deep slashes.
She knew it was Alec when she saw the blisters surrounding each mark, cauterizing each wound. She'd felt the pain of that blade, of the scorching, all-encompassing pain that came from something hotter than molten metal sliced through muscles and tissue like they weren't there.
Not even her own swords wielded against her enemies were so cruel. And these people were innocent.
She vowed that she would make one single exception to her general rule that if she was required to kill, it wouldn't be unnecessarily painful. Her unstoppable rage made her magic swell to levels she'd not experienced even in Peregrande. Zen took notice.
"Lucy, you need to get a handle on your magic. You're only going to draw them to us…" he said, though is voice was just as malicious as Lucy's thoughts.
"I don't see why that would be a bad thing at the moment, Zen," she answered, but toned her magic down just the same. It wouldn't do to be stupid about the whole thing and get themselves killed.
When she was forced to step over the body of a teenager, her anger was joined deep, profound anguish.
"Fuck this… I can't fucking believe he would go so far…"
They reached the square, and pinned to a small tree in the city's center, was a note. Addressed to Lucy. It said only this: "This is your fault, Starbringer. Those helping you will be next. Love, Alec."
This time, she did vomit, bile rising from her throat to be expelled on the stone pathway she was standing on. Zen pulled the note from under the ornate dagger that pinned it in position, and read it as well. His wings manifested on their own accord, and he handed the offending piece of parchment to Cris before going to pull Lucy's hair from her face.
Lucy felt it, as Cristoff's magic spiked, but instead of the same angry, malicious intent of both her's and Zen's, his was cool. And soothing.
She fucking hated it, "Don't you dare, Cristoff. Don't you fucking dare tampering with my emotions right now. You're kin, but I will put you on your ass, I swear to fucking Mavis."
He crossed his arms over his chest and pushed his magic to soothe her a little harder, "No can do, little star. Your righteous anger won't help anyone right now."
She was about to follow through with her threat when his energy finally made it through her own dense magic, and she felt herself calm. Her anger wasn't gone, it never would be, but she could think clearly again. Next to her, Zen let out a sigh that told her he'd felt it as well.
"...fuck…" she said, crumpling to her knees and shaking, "Cris… Is… is this because of me…? Is it really my fault, just like he said?"
"No, Lucy," a feminine voice called from the other entrance to the square, and she jolted up in surprise. Emzadi was standing there, with the rest of the retrieval team by her side. "Natsu and I felt your anger… We came as soon as we could," she answered Lucy's unasked question.
The looks on their faces were a mixture of anger, sadness, despair, shame, and a dozen other emotions she didn't the mental capacity to fully grasp in that moment.
"C'mon, Luce," Natsu said, approaching her and reaching out a hand, "Up and at 'em. We've gotta bury these people, and these fires… Not sure Emi and I should eat the flames, but we-"
Lucy's power flared again, and the water from the well that had been the center of town overflowed with gentle, faintly glowing water as Lucy's eyes and her Mark of Aquarius lit with a soft gold.
As she took Natsu's hand in her own and accepted his help, she - for the first time - used Aquarius's magic for something other than her own reminiscing.
The others watched in awe as the water gently moved around the town, touching only the fires and putting them out before moving on, leaving whatever remaining structure intact. Each of the town's now dead citizens was embraced by the waters, washing away dirt and debris with the most caring of touches, the water - and Lucy - doing the only thing she could for the fully innocent deceased.
The others remained silent as Lucy summoned spirit after spirit, stardress after stardress, and buried the dead. Any attempt at helping from the others was met with the most anguished glare they'd ever witnessed, so eventually, they stopped trying. Their only job now to bear witness to the celestial maiden's steadfast apology to the citizens of a town she'd never been to, in a country that wasn't her own, full of people who'd never deserved the fate they'd received at the hands of an enemy that was solely Lucy's responsibility.
Magic almost fully gone, Lucy stood in the center of the town's square and with the very last vestiges of her exceptional strength, summoned her Gemini stardress and called Scorpio to her side.
She spoke to him briefly, received his solemn nod, and transformed into Laxus. Scorpio summoned a massive column of sand, and Lucy, in Laxus' form, summoned a blinding strike of lightning. When their vision cleared they saw a massive, swirling statue of glass that was shapeless, but beautiful. Scorpio disappeared, and Lucy fell to a knee.
Zen tried to approach her, but she stopped him with a raised hand over her shoulder and a shake of her head as she summoned Caelum to her side. The chisel spirit carved something into the glass at eye-level, and Lucy collapsed unconscious as he disappeared to the spirit world in a flash of gold.
When the archangel mage scooped Lucy Heartfilia into his arms, he glanced at the carving and his own sadness engulfed him:
In This Place
In A Battle They Did Not Know
The Lives Of The Innocent Were Lost
Though They Cannot Be Restored
They Will Never Be Forgotten