Dear Readers,

Just... tell me what you think. That is all.

Reminder: Desna owns the Pradesh Family, Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, I own nothing (I guess you can count the Fallen Star Folks, but... eh. I won't claim them.) My wonderful Beta is GoddessxNyte.

Enjoy!

The light held them in place for only a few moments, before it refocused on the ring of spirits and Lucy that sat in the center of the newly-ruined ballroom.

It formed a barrier of sorts, one they couldn't see through at all, and the light remained bright enough that none of them could even look closely enough at it to even try. Zen, though, he stood at the edge, fighting with all his strength to push past the barrier. The look she'd given him as she chanted those words… it scared him so deeply that he couldn't stand it.

All he wanted was to reach her, but everything he had wasn't enough. A fact that had him gritting his teeth, fighting to hold back magic in his rage. It wouldn't do him any good, here.

"Lucy…. Lucy…" he chanted it just as softly as she'd chanted the words to the spell. Words that echoed in his mind even still, as his attempts to reach her grew more feeble, his strength obviously not enough to fight the magic she'd summoned.

… Solemn protectors, hands of Fate… I summon thee, pass your heavenly judgement… these assembled repent before the gate… pass thy cleansing light or deathly torment…

They were words he'd never forget. He was almost positive they would be her last.

Behind him, Lucy's dragon kin were stunned. None were moving, all staring mostly horrified at the scene before them. Their bonds were still active, they could feel her, but they… couldn't feel her. Her emotions, so powerful through the bonds before, they didn't even exist now. They didn't know how to interpret that, so they stayed silent - though Laxus was sparking fiercely and Gajeel was flicking back and forth between his normal skin and his iron scales. Wendy's fists clenched tightly, she watched as Zen fell to the ground, collapsing to his knees at the edge of the barrier. Sting watched on with panicked eyes, while Rogue stood next to him, his shadows restless in both worry and in the presence of whatever bright light enveloped his kin.

The light was so intense that all they could make out of Zen's form were wings as black as night outstretched behind him, contrasted against the brightest light they'd ever seen. Brighter even than the sun.

Well. Not the brightest light they'd all witnessed. Some of them had seen this exact light before, and those that recognized it were only that much more confused.

"Cris… that's..." Kaleb spoke, half in awe and half in outright confusion.

"...yes. I don't know how it's possible," Cris answered, eyes not leaving the image of his brother's dark wings, "but it's… Immaculate Light. Have you ever seen her use it before? Have you felt it in her before?"

Kaleb, who was only blonde because of the very light ahead of them, had always been in touch with the Immaculate Light. Since the moment he'd stepped out of it when he joined the knights at the age of fifteen, it had been a part of him. He'd been able to sense it in others, too.

"No. This is like nothing I've seen from her before. Not even in memories I've caught. I don't know what's happening anymore than you do."

He closed his eyes, trying to get a feel of the energy, "Though, it's… it seems almost… angry? I've never felt anything from the light but impassive, impartial judgement. Though it has always felt almost… sentient."

Cris looked to his brother, hiding his anxiety as much as he could and pushing his magic to try and calm his irate fellow dragon slayers - Laxus and Gajeel being the most frantic - as he asked his next question, "Can you tell if she's safe?"

Kaleb's brows furrowed as he focused harder, "Can't get a grasp on her mind, but… she seems safe. I can tell she's there, she's strong. But she's weakening. If this keeps up much longer-"

He didn't get to finish the sentence, because in that moment they heard the first scream. It sounded male, but other than that it was unrecognizable. By the barrier, Zen's attempts picked up in intensity.

Cris's magic seemed to finally get to the rest of the group, and it was Erza who approached, "Tell us what is happening. You seem more knowledgeable about this than the rest of us."

Kaleb nodded shortly, "Immaculate Light. It either cleanses all in it's light, or torments them, stealing the life from their bodies as payment for their sins. In Bosco, we have a lacrima that holds energy like this. Two, actually. Our military, and our legal system was built around it, they are the most ancient thing in our culture, as far as any recorded texts reflect. One rests at the Academe Celestine, the other in the Citadel. Each Knight must be judged before entering into military service, and criminals can choose to be judged in Immaculate Light to clear their names following a guilty verdict at trial. In most cases like the latter, the Immaculate Light becomes their method of execution."

Erza seemed to contemplate this, and Laxus stood there angrily, "So why the fuck aren't we getting Lucy out?"

"Fuck this, I'm going in there-" Gray said, hands icing over as he took a step toward Zen. He was stopped by Rogue's hand on his shoulder, and when he turned around Rogue just shook his head. Scowling, Gray looked back to Cris with a raised eyebrow.

Cris looked at his fellow dragon slayer and Lucy's icy kin, and rolled his eyes, "Lucy's controlling that light, she's not in danger from it. She summoned it, or did you not notice?"

Laxus crossed his arms angrily and looked away. Gray sighed and rubbed an anxious hand through his hair.

"Fucking Tink and her always crazy fucking shit. Goddamn it. Stupid woman, you didn't owe them one goddamn thing, why'd you have to be so fucking dumb… Should have just fucking killed them with your bare hands…I'd have happily done that for you, stupid fucking kin."

Erik wasn't really talking to anyone else, it was more he didn't seem to care about his surroundings at all and hadn't noticed his unwitting participation in the conversation, "Cobra, you know something…?"

The poison slayer's eyes cut to Emzadi, who'd asked the question, and he shrugged through his obviously frustrated scowl.

"Her soul. It's pretty open to me right now, maybe because all her spirits are out and about, but basically, these assholes asked for redemption. Asked her to try opening this stupid gate thing, because they thought it would cleanse them or some shit. Lucy did it, because two of them might not have been involved with the thing in Stella, and she wanted them to have a chance. The third one, though… he just didn't know what the fuck he was talking about. Thought it would clear the sins from him," he smiled grimly, "he's the bastard that hurt her, by the way, and also the one providing those sweet, lovely screeches of agony. He won't survive much longer."

Just as he said it, the screaming died altogether, just as the source of them did. The light dimmed slightly and began to fade, and Zen's attempts finally paid off.

He pushed his way through the thick, bright magic and reached Lucy, catching her in his arms just as her spirits disappeared and she collapsed.

He fell to his knees, Lucy in his arms, completely unmoving.

"Lucy, what the fuck did you do…? Lucy…. LUCY! Damn it all, why…?"

She was breathing, he could see her chest rising and falling, but she was very much not moving. His attempts to wake her were futile.

He ran a delicate hand down her scarred cheek, "Damn it, Lucy…"

Zen's magic flared as he looked at her exhausted face, her face so expressionless she may as well have been… No. He wasn't going there. He needed answers, though. And he needed to find out why she wasn't waking up. And he really fucking needed to talk to the person he could only assume was to blame. Lucy'd told many stories about him, after all.

"YOU ROYAL ASSHOLE, YOU COME DOWN HERE AND EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"

Zen's shout only confused the frantic mages who still couldn't quite see what was happening. As the last of the light died, they watched as the details emerged. Laxus recognized Alec, and his body was steaming, and unmoving. The scratches on his face, his arms, his body, told the story of his desperate attempts to rid himself of whatever pain had actually killed him. The lightning mage took a grim satisfaction out of the fact that he'd managed to claw out his eye before he'd expired, the same one he'd taken from Lucy all those months ago. It was somehow fitting.

It was also fitting that a certain poison dragon slayer kicked his steaming body as he walked past. Erik was pretty pissed he hadn't gotten to gouge that eye out himself.

Next to him were two… mages?

Laxus recognized them, too… kind of. They resembled the mages he'd seen that same day when he'd just barely managed to save Lucy, but they were different. The one he would have pegged as Bruno wore shining bronze armor, and his hair wasn't black… it was red, and glowing, and moving as if in a soft breeze when, despite the fact that the entire roof of the building was gone, there was not even a slight wind anywhere near them. He eyed Wendy, and she didn't seem to be out of control either. The other, the one who he'd been told used Earth-Make Magic, wasn't even human, so far as he could tell. Her skin was the same color as Bruno's armor, and her dirty golden hair was now a soft white, her features a bit more feline than he remembered.. She looked almost like a living statue.

"What… the… fuck…?"

If he was confused, so was everyone else, and the only person who could explain everything was unmoving, in Zen's arms, as Zen shouted into the now visible sky. Only Erik and Kaleb knew why, only they knew who his insults were directed at.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID SHE DO?!"

The other mages all approached slowly, Erza, Gray, Natsu coming the closest. Wendy and Cris trying to inch forward to see if she could be healed, but knowing it likely wasn't possible. She didn't appear to be injured, physically, at least. The single scratch on her arm was far from life-threatening. And Zen didn't seem inclined to hold his wings back if they were to approach any closer.

"I WILL FIND A WAY TO REACH YOU, YOU STUPID OLD MAN, IF YOU DON'T COME DOWN HERE!"

The sky practically opened up, and for the second time in celestial history, the Celestial Spirit King graced Earthland at the call of an uncontracted mage, as a result of a shouted insult.

His deep, rumbling voice let out a small chuckle as he addressed the Archangel Mage, "She is rubbing off on you, I see…"

Zen stood, holding Lucy's unmoving form close to his chest, and glared at the old man.

"Relax, Archangel. My daughter shall be just fine, she just needs rest."

The archangel mage still seemed rather unamused, "What did you do? What is going on? Why did she look at me as though she was about to die before she cast that spell? What's the Benevolent Gate-"

"Archangel, one question at a time."

Zen's wings spread, expressing his obvious distaste for the King's casual attitude.

The Spirit King sighed, crossing his arms over his massive chest, "I must admit, my daughter suffered from mistakes of my own making… for that, I am sorry. And I am sure," he added, almost exhaustedly, "she will find a way to get back at me for it. Devious little human, she is."

"...what else?"

The Spirit King shook his head, "Dear boy, these questions I cannot answer for you. I shall send Leo to you, once he recovers, to explain everything. I am afraid my time to linger is ending rather rapidly. Earthland can handle only so much influx of energy before there are consequences, and I fear my daughters spell has already pushed that limit. I charge you with her protection, get her somewhere safe, and let her rest."

Zen was very much not happy with this, but he couldn't argue any further. Lucy was his priority anyway, answers could wait. He'd been assured she was safe, all he had to do was keep her that way.

"You two," the King spoke, addressing both Bruno and Terra, "The Starbringer has bought your freedom and cleansed your souls. You may return, but know that any further trouble will not be tolerated. This is a second chance, you likely won't receive a third."

Both beings disappeared in a shower of golden magic, the King followed shortly after with a solemn, "Protect her," spoken to Zen before he was gone, and the sun shone down in the ballroom once more.

"Fucking hell, Lucy, how do you always manage to get yourself into this shit?" Laxus said, approaching cautiously. When Zen gave a small nod, he reached out and touched her hair gently, "Gonna give your big brother a fucking heart attack before he's thirty."

No one moved for a few minutes while all Lucy's Dragon kin started to calm down, taking in her scent and listening to her steady breathing.

Vander spoke up half-playfully, "You think, with all this, maybe she'll forget about getting me back for the glitter thing?"

Sting approached him, clapping him on the shoulder and shuddering himself, "Not a fucking chance, man. Blondie really hates glitter."