"You have to get him to sit still," Wendy reasoned, sitting beside Freed in the infirmary. Word spread fast about what happened during Racer's interrogation, and while the sky dragon slayer seemed to be in no hurry to heal his ankle, she was adamant about taking a look at Freed's nose. "Please."
He cringed as Wendy fussed about before beginning the healing process, closing his eyes as the magic settled over his skin. Lucy and the others were still outside, oblivious to anything going on. From what Erza said she was with friends, and he didn't see anything happening to her while in her team's presence.
Besides, his face really hurt. He'd rather not show Lucy that the bastard got even one good kick in. He didn't want to ruin her mood if she was opening up to them.
"There," Wendy reasoned, shifting away from him. Freed opened his eyes again to study the pleased look on her face, her lips tugged up on either side. She rocked on her heels, clasping her hands behind her back. "All better."
Reaching up he tapped his nose, happy when he didn't feel any lingering pain. Wendy's skills were definitely a step above going about this the traditional way, and he was thankful he wouldn't have to sit around with his face bandaged. Shifting his eyes, he studied the figure on the other end of the room.
Racer lay in the furthest bed in the infirmary, still unconscious from Laxus conking him in the head. Erza had to keep Freed from attacking the bastard again during interrogation, and when Racer tried to run despite the pain Laxus smacked him over the head. It worked as the final step in subduing him, and he hadn't moved since.
"Am I going to have to heal him?" Wendy asked quietly, drawing his attention again. She looked torn, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip. "He hurt Lucy."
"He did," Freed agreed, studying the girl. She wrung her hands, her eyes remaining on the Seis member a second more before dancing off. "And you think healing him will put her in danger again?"
Her eyes shot back to him, and he could read the same emotions going through her mind as his. If Racer was healed, there was no telling what he would do. Jet would be able to keep up with him, but Freed didn't want anyone else having to fight that asshole. He was tired of fighting pawns and not the main source.
Glancing towards Racer's ankles, he bit the inside of his lip. If he had it his way there was no intention to ever heal the tendon. If he didn't comply and help them find Lucy's spirits, he had half a mind to slash the other tendon.
He will negotiate now. No way is someone like him going to chance never being able to run again.
Hopefully Laxus was right. If Racer didn't work with them, they had no more leads than they did before. Perhaps Meredy could provide insight into Rusyrose's mind, but that didn't mean much unless they could find him. If Racer didn't help, they were back to square one.
"I don't want to heal him," Wendy continued, her eyes focused on Racer again. "He's bad, and he's using his magic to do bad things."
Freed pressed his lips together, unable to think of something else to say. Before he could the door to the infirmary opened, revealing Erza's scarlet hair. Behind her trailed Jellal and Meredy, both of whom swept their eyes over the scene as though they were stepping into another world.
Wendy smiled at the pair, but Freed did not. He studied Jellal, who didn't stop even when Erza did, trailing past her to the unconscious mage. The two women stopped by Freed's bed, curious eyes watching the blue haired leader.
Freed arched an eyebrow. He'd heard about Jellal, even seen him from time to time, but Mystogan's doppelganger was an enigma to him. He knew very little about the heavenly body mage, except that he was once on the side of evil.
"Racer," he said quietly, the man's profile facing them. Freed thought he would see the flicker of some type of emotion there but Jellal remained stoic, his eyes sweeping over him once. He cleared his throat again, "Erza was right, you cut his tendon."
"I can't let him get away," Freed snapped, deciding he didn't like Jellal very much. Who just walked in like that? "If he can't run it shouldn't be much of a problem."
Jellal nodded once more before turning to the group, his eyes sweeping over them. "Where are the others?"
"That's what we're here for," Meredy replied, sounding confused. Freed narrowed his eyes, wondering what could possibly bother him so fast.
He glanced at each of them in turn, Freed's eyes narrowing the longer he remained silent. "Do you know anything about the Seis?"
"Jellal," Erza snapped, interrupting him. "I told you everything we know. We even talked to Cobra."
"Cobra is a self-entitled ass," he replied, shaking his head. "There is nothing you could've offered him that would make him betray more than he had to."
Freed jumped up, a sense of panic setting in. "You think he's with them!?"
"No," Jellal snapped, pacing to the other side of the bed, "I don't. Or he wasn't until recently. Cobra has a hard time adjusting to new ideas."
Tilting his head, Freed glanced sideways towards Erza, who seemed to be holding her breath. He vaguely recalled that all these people, the Seis and Erza and Jellal, all knew one another in what seemed like a different life. If Jellal hadn't seen Cobra in quite some time, there might not be any merit to his words.
Meredy sat on the bed beside Wendy, drawing his attention. If he hadn't been told what the girl looked like he would have no idea this was her. She seemed sweet, even childish as she bounced on the matress a moment before settling.
How exactly were these people supposed to help him?
"You wanna know about Rusty right?" she asked, digging through her bag. She produced a lolly, one the size of Wendy's head and every color imaginable, and proceeded to begin licking it as she spoke.
Freed blinked, glancing towards Wendy. She was almost more childlike than the sky dragon slayer, and from the corner of his eye he thought he noticed Jellal looking towards her fondly.
"I already saw Lucy," she continued, pointing towards the window. "She's with Gray and Natsu. Looks a lot better than I thought she would, but I can sense that she's in a lot of pain."
"She's hurting from what happened," Erza voiced, her gaze on Jellal. Following the line of sight Freed realized none of the trio appeared to be watching each other. Erza watched Jellal, Jellal studied Meredy, and Meredy was in her own little world of storytelling.
"I can see what he did," she continued, dropping her voice. "Rusty was always unstable. He wanted to embody anything he could, including a sense of love. When he set his sights on something he didn't let it go, and he would never do something if he didn't think it would fit his objective." Her eyes darkened, the hand holding her lolly sinking as her mood soured. "He – we – tried to get Rusty to join Crime Sociere. As you can see, the guild hasn't done much growing."
"He didn't want to join?" Wendy asked, interested by the story. Freed nodded along, glancing towards the blue haired man once more.
He couldn't help but feel JEllal was holding something back, his eyes shifting from his teammate to glance uncertainly around the room and then out the window.
"He didn't want to join," she said simply, a sad smile pulling on her lips. "We didn't talk much then. Cobra taunted him, and we did end up fighting, but nothing came of it. I haven't spoken to Rustyrose since, and he wants nothing to do with me. Sadly, we're the only remaining members of Grimoire Heart."
Nodding along, he didn't find any of that information useful. IF Rusty turned the offer down and made himself scarce, it didn't sound like Meredy knew much of anything.
"Since Rusty didn't share a lot about himself I tried thinking of places he might go," she continued, thoughtfully tapping the snack against her lips before resuming eating. "We lived on the airship mostly, and only touched down for battles. Sometimes though we could sneak off. Rusty liked to leave whenever we got near Balsam Village."
Freed's head snapped up, studying Meredy with renewed interest. If she had any idea of a location and that was huge, but a spa village didn't seem like the ideal place for a hideout. "Did he have someplace he liked to go there?"
She shrugged, looking uncertain. "He didn't say a lot about it really. We didn't share much with each other, for a long time I knew nothing about Ultear's past. Rusty was even more shut off than she was, but not as wild as Zancrow. Honestly, we didn't get along very well. We met up years after Tenrou, and all the time we spent together as teammates I was a little kid. We never said much to each other when we were part of Grimoire Heart, and that didn't change as the years passed. Rusty was always secretive about his past. Most of us didn't want to think about it."
"So you don't know if he had any connection to Balsam then," Freed replied, sighing. Meredy shook her head, looking as upset as he felt. She might remember details of Rustyrose, but she clearly never got close enough to know much about him.
She worried her lip, hesitating before speaking. "I think I still remember the way to his hideout."
That got his attention, and everyone in the room froze, even Jellal who seemed fixated on the outside world. "He had a hideout!?" Freed cried, standing up.
It was a long shot, but why wouldn't the ragtag team use a premade hideout. If Rusty really did call more shots than they originally thought, why wouldn't he also decide where they would go into hiding?
"You didn't mention that before," Jellal said, shifting forward towards the group. "All you mentioned was Balsam Village."
"I almost forgot it," she mused. "I was so young when I joined Grimoire Heart, sometimes I forget some of the details. You have to understand, Rusty is at least ten years older than me. We never had any mutual interests. But one day, right after I joined, I made him really mad. We touched down to storm the city and Rusty ran off. I felt bad, so I followed him."
Freed stood up, eyes wide as he studied Meredy on Wendy's other side. "Do you remember where it was?"
Closing her eyes, she shook her head. "It's hazy. I had to run really fast to keep up, and I ended up falling asleep when I got there. I almost missed getting back on the ship. Everyone was mad at me."
Glancing towards Jellal and Erza, he felt a slip in Meredy's composure. She didn't seem to be in the sharing mood, but he could tell there was some sort of unspoken message there. Jellal shifted forward, placing a hand comfortingly on Meredy's shoulder. "You don't have to explain everything, just the things that will help us find Lucy."
"If we went I could try," she sighed, meeting Freed's eyes. "I really don't know if I could find it again or not. It was an old, unkept building, like a house. I think he may have lived there at some point before joining the guild." She shook her head, closing her eyes once more. "I remember it was near some rocks, like a mountain. There were caves nearby. I hid in one and fell asleep, and then I had to run to follow him back to the ship."
Freed nodded, the pieces falling into place in his mind. That was definitely a possibility, and Balsam was a calm, tranquil town. No one would think to try and look on the outskirts for criminals.
If the Seis were trying to destroy their demons, it was almost laugh-worthy how proper the city really was. They wanted to try to begin their new lives in a place full of piece.
He bit back a growl. They could only have that piece if they managed to destroy the rest of Lucy's happiness.
"Where are the other Seis?" Jellal asked for a second time. He glanced up at his words, wondering why he was so insistent to know.
"If we knew that we wouldn't have had to call you," he scowled, shaking his head. "That's what we're trying to figure out."
Jellal didn't look convinced, wandering towards the window again. "And they just sent Racer ahead of them? Balsam is a whole train ride away. Even with his speed Racer couldn't have abducted her and made it back without being pursued. That's a lot of trust in only one member."
"He said he was scouting, checking in," Freed reasoned, glancing out the window as well. He felt a sense of dread settling in, remembering how Lucy was outside. "You think he was lying?"
"I think the Seis are co-dependent," he replied, staring straight ahead. "Cobra is dependent on Kinana, which is the only reason he could leave. Richard found happiness in his life and was able to move on. The ones who remain can't do that because they don't know how to. They need each other to function and survive and fight against the world that they believe is against them. When Zero was alive he spearheaded them, but now Racer, Angel and Midnight feel they only have each other to depend on. If Rustyrose was able to step into a group stigmatized by their own fears, it would be easy to move in and twist them around for his own agenda."
Frowning, Freed shook his head. "I don't follow. How does that have anything to do with where the Seis might be now? Surely they would stay at this so-called hideout, rather than chance getting caught away from it."
"I don't think Rusty would chance giving up his hideout," Meredy argued, shrugging. "A few years later he caught me trying to follow him again, and just about ripped my head off. Ultear got into a fight with him over it. He said it was the last thing he had to himself, and no one would take that away."
"Erza, you said that something happened at Lucy's apartment recently," Jellal continued, shifting his hands into his pockets. "Balsam is too far for a group of wanted criminals to bother traveling back and forth. At least some of them have to be lying low here to see how things pan out."
Something clicked in Freed's mind. "You think some of the others are here."
"I think that Racer got impatient and went against whatever plan they had," Jellal replied, shaking his head. "He never thought things through; he always wanted to run away. This time, I think he ran towards what he wanted. If he and Angel are somehow underfoot Rustyrose and Midnight, he may have seen an opportunity to taunt you, and possibly snatch Lucy away."
"It never would've worked," he snarled, shaking his head. "I never planned to let him get to her. My house is protected by runes."
Jellal shrugged. "If he's never fought you before, he may have thought he could one up you. They were able to catch Lucy off-guard and hurt her because of those she cared for, perhaps he thought the same could be said for you."
"How would he know that Freed cares for her?" Wendy asked, glancing at the others.
Meredy smiled, meeting Freed's eyes. "You can just tell."
He awkwardly cleared his throat, wondering what the hell her mischievous words meant. Erza and Jellal didn't argue, the latter glancing towards Freed once more.
"Lucy should come back to the guild. Even with the others around, this could be a trap. She'd be safer if she wasn't out in the open."
Lucy felt like she was having an out of body experience. She'd hugged Natsu not five minutes ago, and Juvia bounded up too, claiming she would not hurt Lucy since she wasn't currently a love rival because of Freed, but that Natsu could no longer sneak into her house at night and steal her bed.
Blushing, she wondered if Juvia even remembered that she wasn't staying at her house. And she couldn't imagine how awkward things would be if Natsu tried to break in there.
Sitting outside in the middle of town, it felt nice to watch people passing by and admire the budding relationships between her friends. Sure, it felt like she'd fallen into another life where everyone loved somebody else, but it didn't really feel wrong. It simply felt… different.
Taking a deep breath, she relished the scent of the bakery down the street and the sound of pattering footsteps as people passed them by.
She let her friends continue to chat, content simply in their presence. It had been a long time since she simply enjoyed the company of others.
She enjoyed Freed's company, sure, but this was nothing like it. When she was with Freed she felt different, in a way she'd never felt with anyone else.
Taking another breath, she closed her eyes once more and exhaled. When she opened them again she felt a ghost of a smile playing at her lips, blinking a couple times as she focused her gaze on Aries.
Aries.
Lucy was on her feet in an instant, eyes locked on the pretty pink-haired spirit not fifty yards away. Aries normal white attire was stained grey, like she'd gotten dirty recently. One hand rested just over her mouth like normal, the other tugging at the hemline of her dress.
Lucy's legs shook as she approached, her feet picking up speed. Someone caught her arm and pulled her back, causing the scream to rip out of her throat.
"Aries!"
She didn't acknowledge who had grabbed her, her eyes locked on her spirit that she hadn't seen in three weeks. She'd been out of that house for two, but the Seis abandoned her days before and kept her spirits locked up. Seeing Aries there was nothing short of a miracle.
Or a trap.
"This one's a little too shy for my taste," someone called out, her voice sending little chills down Lucy's spine. "Though I thought she'd be more complacent than Gemini. Poor thing can barely stand nowadays."
Lucy's blood froze, and she felt everyone around her tensing as well. Before them stood Angel, pressing Aries key against the side of her cheek. She looked bemused, a set of coins clasped in her other hand. She stepped past Aries, grasping the spirit's shoulder before slamming her into the agacent wall, letting the girl crumble.
Struggling, Lucy was unable to recognize who was holding her. "Aries! Let her go! Let her go!"
"Lucy," someone said, and distantly she realized it was Cana. "Lucy don't rise to the bait."
"It's really a shame she came out," Angel continued, leisurely making her way towards the group. "I was trying to get that lion of yours to come out and play, and she just wouldn't let it happen." Clicking her tongue, she glanced back at the spirit. So far Aries hadn't gotten up, and appeared to be shielding her face from Angel. "Too bad she isn't one of your strongest spirits. One of us would already have our happy ending. Your little ram is just too weak to take the spell."
Lucy blinked, screaming words her brain didn't register. She struggled against Cana who wrapped her arms around her, her feet sliding on the stone. Unable to focus on the white haired mage before her she looked off to the side, trying to study what she could of Aries.
The girl's dress wasn't just grey, it was dusty and almost brown. Her boots were caked in dirt. She appeared weak, unable to get back up off the ground. Her skin was littered in bruises, actual bruises, and Lucy could barely stomach it to look.
How long had she been forced to stay out of her key? She could barely lift her head, watery eyes staring through the pink locks.
She had to help her.
"Stay away from Luce," Natsu growled, and her eyes snapped over to notice Gray, Natsu and Juvia standing in front of them. "You'll pay for hurting her."
Angel tilted her head, pouting. "What, are you talking about the abuse? I didn't do that honey; no way I'd get blood on my new clothes. Besides, why would I want to assault her?"
Lucy felt her world come crashing down, eyes widening when Cana's arms slackened around her, the trio in front turning around with wide, horrified eyes. She choked, wondering how two weeks' worth of secrets spilled out in a couple of sentences.
It didn't matter, even as she started feeling the paranoia setting in. Her eyes locked on Aries again, who had lifted her head a little higher at Angel's words.
She had to get to her. She had to save her.
Tightening her hands into fists, she fought back the tears that threatened to emerge when Angel laughed. Foolishly at one time she'd thought the woman was against her teammate's tactics, but evidently they had no lasting effect on the woman herself. Lucy dropped her gaze, unable to look into the eyes of her friends.
Staring down at her empty fists, she acknowledged that she couldn't take Angel on. If she tried she could get hurt, or Aries could suffer more pain. Shaking her head she let out a sob, feeling the tears drip down her face.
"G-get her key… please."
Lucy didn't look up again when she heard her friends screaming, Cana's grip returning with renewed determination. She jerked instead, whipping her head around to glare at the brunette.
"Let me go! I have to help her!"
Cana looked torn, glancing at the trio trying to hit Angel. She was dodging the attacks, jumping around in front of Aries. A stray attack could hit the fallen spirit, further injuring her, and Lucy couldn't let that happen.
"Please!" she screamed, fighting against Cana once more. "I have to help her."
After a moment's hesitation she relented, immediately going for the cards in her bag. "Then I'm coming with you."
Lucy didn't spare her a second glance, her eyes focused on nothing but the pinkette across the square from her. Aries had dropped her head again, and Lucy feared what that meant. Taking off, she was only partially aware of the fight going on around her, her mind floating as she took in Aries state.
It brought back memories of how Karen treated the ram spirit long ago, and she could already imagine Loke's rage when he found out. For now her only concern was aiding her friend, and once her team undoubtedly beat Angel she could send her back into the spirit world to heal.
She hadn't thought this moment would come, not for a long time. It was almost too easy.
"Aries!" she cried, stumbling to sit at the spirits side. She dragged the girl onto her lap, brushing back her sweaty locks. Aries was out of breath, one side of her face swollen from being beat. She looked worse for wear, and Lucy couldn't hold back the sob as she took in the state of her friend.
How could anyone do this to her?
Instead of curling into the comfort of her master Aries squirmed, feebly trying to push the blonde woman back. "Lucy… go."
"What?" she panicked, clenching her friend tighter. "No! No, I won't leave you."
A hand clamped down on her shoulder, screaming something she couldn't listen to. Aries shook her head, weakly reaching up to fight off her hands. "Trap. I'm sorry princess."
Lucy's eyes widened, her hands digging into the spirits shoulders half a second before she completely disappeared into a golden light, her hands snatching through the fading magic to clash together. She let out a strangled cry as her spirit faded, her head whipping up to stare at Angel.
The Seis member was still enamored in battle, and she appeared to have thrown Aries key to the side. The key itself remained unharmed, and Lucy drove to grab it. Anything to make sure her friend didn't suffer more pain.
She collapsed on the ground when she grasped it, cradling her solo friend against her chest. At least she knew that Aries was unharmed, and perhaps she could warn the others about what was happening. If they knew the truth they would hopefully stay away, no matter what happened to her.
Lucy cried, briefly overcome by grief. She finally got to see one of her spirits again only to find her in a completely battered state, so drained of magic she couldn't lift her head all the way up. Lucy curled into herself, well aware that this was neither the time nor place for such a show of emotion, but unable to care.
Aries, poor, sweet Aries. She didn't deserve to be used as bait.
Cana was in her face in the next moment, shaking her shoulders roughly as she screamed, "You have to get out of here!"
Swallowing the upcoming sob, she blinked and tried to register what was going on around her. Angel was still in the throes of what appeared to be a losing battle against Natsu and Juvia, Gray fast approaching them as he looked around.
She didn't care if it was a trap. She got one of her spirits back, and it was a step in the right direction.
And Angel knew where the others were. She and Racer both made an appearance, one that Lucy couldn't possibly understand.
It didn't make sense.
"Lucy it's a trap!" Cana screamed again, giving her another shake. "Come on! We have to go back to the guild!"
Vaguely, she realized that Cana was correct. She would be safer in the guild, and she couldn't let Aries' key fall back into Angel's hands. The woman clearly didn't take care of her spirit, and she couldn't allow her to be hurt once more.
"O-okay," she gasped, letting the card mage drag her up off the ground. Gray showed up at that moment, lending a hand to help keep her standing. Lucy surprised herself, not flinching away when his hands came into contact with her skin.
"Get back to the guild," he stressed, glancing between the two. "They have to know something's gone wrong by now. Lucy, go. We'll take care of this."
Her pride hurt when she nodded, embarrassed that the idea of running sounded better than standing to fight. She only had one key, and dragging Aries out right now would be a cruelty she couldn't stomach. Cana placed an arm around her shoulders, turning her back in the direction of the guild, Aries key still pressed over her heart.
They'd only taken a few steps when the darkness swept over them, the sun disappearing as fast as one could blink. Lucy stumbled and Cana froze altogether, her breathing immediately picking up at the realization.
It was a trap, it always had been. Racer was a distraction, and Angel showing her one of her spirits was nothing more than a way to throw Lucy off her game.
But now, the shadows setting in around her and the memories surging forward, Lucy could feel her panic coming. She fell to her knees, her nails digging into her skin as she kept Aries key close.
She didn't have to see his face. She knew exactly who had found her.
Freed felt his heart constrict, following Laxus and Erza as they rushed into town. They'd all felt the magical surge when members of the Seis arrived, and if Jellal's sudden anger wasn't enough of a hint Freed could practically sense Lucy's distress.
They were there, but they had no idea how many came.
When the screams caught his ears Freed zoomed ahead, using his magic to take him to the center of town ahead of the others. Laxus was only a step or two behind.
Of course it was a fucking trap. How did he let himself get so distracted by Racer's taunts that he didn't look ahead? What Jellal said made perfect sense now.
It was all a set up, and they left Lucy out in the open, without the protective walls of a guild to keep them out.
When he arrived, he immediately noticed the small sphere of darkness just closing over two figures. The man in the distance was vaguely familiar to him, and Freed recognized immediately what was happening.
He watched as Laxus appeared behind Midnight, attempting to blast him before he jumped out of the way. Bickslow and Evergreen showed up a few seconds later and he could already hear the approaching footsteps of other guild members.
Biting his lip, he moved towards the darkened sphere instead of the attacker, drawing his sword. An entire guild against two mages was nothing, and if they didn't retreat in a few moments they would be overpowered. Drawing his sword he approached, unsure who else was stuck inside.
He hesitated striking the black orb, unsure if harm would come to those trapped inside. "Lucy!"
There was a moment of hesitation before he noticed something, the barest impression of a handprint appearing from within. He recalled Lucy explaining that Midnight could bring forth nightmares, and wondered if this was a demonstration.
He pressed his hand against the print inside, the digit immediately falling out of the orb. He noticed the fingers were longer than Lucy's the skin more of a tan color.
Cana.
Grasping her wrist he immediately began dragging Cana out, surprised when the orb burst, flecks of stifling black disbanding and fading into the air. Cana stumbled to her knees her other hand grasping Lucy's wrist, who seemed to be staring at the sky.
Kneeling down beside her, he hardly heard Cana's confirmation that she was okay. His fingers tentatively brushed against her hair, staring at the terrified expression in her eyes. "Lucy?"
They couldn't have been stuck more than a few moments, but she'd gone as white as a sheet, reliving some nightmare that he couldn't see. He reached out and clasped the hand digging into her chest, her fingers locked around a golden key. Somehow she'd gotten one of her spirits back.
Fighting to stay where he was, he zoned out the sounds of fighting. He wanted nothing more than to go and grab Midnight, showing him some nightmares of his own creation. Instead he brushed back Lucy's hair, trying to call her out of the abiss again. "Lucy?"
She blinked, tears falling down her cheeks as she recognized him. Her grip on the key tightened below his, and she opened her mouth to gasp as more tears formed. "They're hurting them?"
He frowned, drawing her towards him. If she was conscious enough to recognize them then he figured now was the best chance for him to get her out of there. "What?"
Lucy struggled in his grip, jerking around until he stopped trying to lift her, glancing down at her watery eyes. "My spirits. They're abusing them. A-Aries…"
Her voice trailed off, sobs breaking through his mind as her other hand came to press over her mouth, trying to keep the sounds quiet. Keeping his hand against the handle of his sword so he didn't leave it behind, he faded away before she could argue again.
He already knew she wanted to stay there. There was no doubt in his mind no matter how terrified Lucy was she would try to fight. But she didn't even have her whip on her, and if she'd just gotten a spirit back in bad condition there was no way she stood a chance. When they arrived just outside the doors the guild, her sobs intensified.
"They're going to leave!"
Freed blinked, still attempting to hold both the celestial spirit mage and his sword. "What?"
"T-that's what Midnight showed me!" she screamed, beating against his chest. "You took me away! Midnight and Angel are going to disappear and there's nothing we can do to stop them."
"I don't understand," he began, getting cut off when Lucy successfully jerked out of his arms, falling on the steps of the guild.
"They aren't real!" she screamed, attempting to scramble up. "They are an illusion of Rusty's! All they had to do was show me Aries and get me to go with to save my friends. But you took me away and now I can't go with!" She screamed, clutching herself as she cried. "They're going to break the keys if I don't go to them now."
A/n: Hope you guys liked it, and some plot development. I don't plan for this story to be over for a little while still, so don't worry about the ending quite yet. We'll see more of the Seis's and Rustyrose's plans in the next chapters. Let me know what you think!