Chapter 22

~~LoLu~~

Lucy was nearly vibrating with the speed of the power that was tearing through her. In her last act as a living being and as a spirit, she opened herself fully to the raging magic, finally having realized that she couldn't contain something of the magnitude of what Cepheus had summoned. The only one that had a chance of that was the spirit king, and he wasn't exactly there at the moment.

No... she couldn't contain it, but she could guide and redirect it – and that was exactly what she was going to do. If she could hold on just long enough, direct most of the cacophony of power back into the spirit world, Seirei-o could safely finish what she'd started, and then she could let herself fade away.

But not until then. Not until then.

Having done just about all she could do to stop what was happening within a very short eternity, the young celestial spirit faded away a little more every second, her form disappearing into the blinding light surrounding her. As she did, her mind, in shock from the trauma it was enduring, began to go into a hazy state where everything seemed far, far away and she, numb to all the physical and emotional pain she was going through.

She knew it was almost over at that point. She couldn't really hear the roar of the magic anymore, instead, it was as if she was hearing music. Pretty but sad notes seemed to echo in her ears against a white static background. Her eyes widened a little with wonder as what to her looked like crystal clear drops of water floated unmoving in the air in front of her face, and Lucy, now feeling like she was being drawn slowly through a dark tunnel with brilliant light at its end, watched that light flash through the drops like it would have through the most flawless of diamonds. It was beautiful, and she tried to touch it, but there was almost nothing of her left by that point – she was little more than a dark outline against a blazing light – and so her fingers simply went through it without affecting it.

In that moment one last thought rushed through her mind as eternity and the spirit world went silent. Her vision began to go dark, but her gently murmured words were filled with satisfaction and pain at the same time. She'd done it, changed the course of the flood, though it had taken everything she had, and now it was time to go. Just as her mind finally shut down and she dissipated into the last flickers of the flow, she smiled.

"My friends are safe... Loke is safe. I did it, and now I can let go. My fight is over."

The instant the remains of the barn went still and dark after its brush with chaos, Seirei-o burst into sight in the midst of the mess, huge and stern as he stood to his full height in the ruins, brushing aside pieces of stone and splintered wood as he did so.

The last bits of power still in the area were easy enough for him to reach out and guide through his own gate back into the spirit realm, and his mustaches bristled with the potency and sheer amount of energy that had been sent into the heavens. There was more now than when this had started, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it still needed calmed before his world would be safe from any consequences of the sheer magnitude of what had already occurred. He glanced around one more time with a frown and a curious light in his eyes before flashing out of sight – but not before he caught the three miscreants that had caused this whole thing laid out unconscious in scattered glory, and reached out and grabbed them, taking them with him back into the spirit world.

Loke was already returned to his home, probably unconscious as well from the trauma, and of Lucy there was not even a particle left to see. With the king's disappearance, the wind became the only sound remaining in the blasted building, and it moaned with an eerie voice as it breached new areas that had never before been in its path.

Of the original perpetrator of this whole entire mess, the man that had attacked Cassiopeia in the first place and had been hanging on a wall in chains because of it? Of him, there was nothing left but thin spools of dry, gritty dust that slowly whirled around and then vanished forever - as to ashes and dust yet another human returned.

And the world went on...

~~LoLu~~

In the Hall of Spirits there was a strained silence as Andromeda faced off against the rest of the spirits with head held high and eyes narrowed dangerously. Her power was shimmering with a deadly light as what almost looked like a galaxy spiraled in the air between her hands, and it was a knife's edge they all stood on in that second as several of the other spirits seriously contemplated taking up her challenge.

Aquarius looked more angry than anyone had ever seen; no one was surprised when she was the one to speak up first and move towards the other spirit, her power already singing and high in her veins. She was furious, but no one knew why she seemed filled with such deadly wrath. Sure, she was a snappy bitch to most everyone, and they all knew it and pretty much ignored it, but this... she looked ready to kill.

"I don't know what that sorry little bastard you call a 'father' has done, or how your 'mother' there is involved, but if I don't find out right now why they've hurt Lucy, I'm going to drown your fancy-ass palace and Ethiopia entirely, and make sure it stays underwater for the next billion years or so!"

Now that was a surprise to most of the spirits in the Hall; didn't Aquarius despise her former human owner? Why would she be so furious on her behalf?

Her boyfriend Scorpio, however, just smiled a little. He wasn't the least surprised at his girl's fury. Because no matter what she said or how she acted, the fact of the matter was that she could be oddly protective of Lucy Heartfilia. The truth was that she did care for her former mistress, even though she'd never ever actually admit to that, probably not even under threat of torture.

However, he also had some questions he wanted answers to, and he refused to let the matter drop. Especially as the pull of power being stripped from them and the realm grew greater, affecting all the spirits to greater or lesser degrees. If they didn't get answers soon, they may never get them – and some of the weaker spirits might fade away entirely if it wasn't stopped in time.

So he faced Andromeda and Cassiopeia at Aquarius' side. "I'll ta-"

He was interrupted as the entire spirit world shuddered, then almost seemed to stagger sideways, and the power that was drained in that moment dropped several of the spirits immediately, while the rest once again fought off varying side effects. Grasping his head, Scorpio pushed through a wave of dizziness as the world went fuzzy around him. But before anyone was able to recover enough to escalate the encounter any further, everything just... stopped.

A few seconds later something no one had expected happened; the flow reversed, and a flood of almost unbearable energy burst back into the spirit world. It caught them all off their guard and sent most of the ones still on their feet – so to speak – to their knees as they tried to cope with the fire now spreading through their entire beings.

Suddenly, Seirei-o reappeared in the Hall of Spirits, and immediately, a prison of glowing crystals surrounded the three spirits he'd grabbed from the mortal realm and dropped on the floor the moment he was visible. His vast displeasure could be clearly felt by every spirit in the room, and everyone there knew that the shit was about to hit the fan.

Folding his arms across his chest with a glower, Seirei-o studied all those gathered in the great hall.

"Cassiopeia, come forward, the same for you, Andromeda. It is time to speak, and tell me all you know about what Cepheus' and his two cronies have been up to."

Now trembling uncontrollably, Cas was unable to make herself move closer – she didn't want him or anyone else any nearer. Nor did she even have any idea what her husband had done, anyway. All she knew was that it had to do with her persecutor, and even that had been a guess.

"Your majesty," Andromeda answered, "We know nothing about what my father has done. He hasn't been here as much, but we didn't really think anything of it until everything went haywire."

It was silent for a moment as Seirei-o studied the beautiful woman with narrowed, thoughtful eyes... and then asked, "If that is so, why does Cassiopeia look as though she were about to sick?" He glanced back down at the three miscreants, and shook his head. "It seems to me that she was more involved in the matter than you or she is willing to admit. Therefor-"

A loud scrabbling sound came just then from the center of the room, and everyone turned their gazes that way as Cepheus rushed to his feet with a guilty, pained expression. "Your majesty," he began, in the politest tone he'd ever used towards the king, "Neither Cassiopeia nor Andromeda were involved in what I was doing, I swear it on my heart-star."

"So you've awakened from what your foolish behavior caused, have you?" the king bellowed. "Then you will be the one to explain this situation to me."

Acting like a completely different person than he had been, he surprised Seirei-o by bowing humbly and not even using his normal tone of ill-tempered impatience. This made the king very curious, so when Cepheus said, "I will tell you everything I've done over these last years, answer any question you have. But there is much more at stake here than just me-" he flashed a glance back at his wife, and then turned back and squared his shoulders, "so I beg most humbly that you allow me to speak only to you, in private."

Very curious about what had been going on, and how Lucy and Leo ended up where they'd been, the king pondered for a second, and then nodded. Neither of those two had gone through that willingly, so they'd been drawn there with a specific reason in mind.

"Very well," he finally decided. A multi-colored light surrounded the king and his prisoners, blocking them away from the others, leaving those in the rest of the hall in confusion. A babble of voices broke out once they were hidden from view, most calling for Cassiopeia to answer for whatever her husband had done, but she remained tight-lipped with refusal.

The most unexpected thing of all cast the great hall into a chattering mess, as timid little Aries stepped up beside Andromeda.

"I w-won't let you bother her," she said almost defiantly. "Can't you s-see that she's upset enough?" And then she cringed, turning red and timid once more. "S-sorry!"

"Well, lookit that, Scorpio. The gutless lamb has found a backbone! Isn't it amazing?" Aquarius harrumphed beneath her breath and then folded her arms across her quite visible bosom. "Too bad she didn't find a brain to go with it." A glare shot Aries' way, and she finished with, "Go back to making soft pillows, booties, and scarves for your owner. At least you're useful there."

Scorpio paused what he was about to say at that, and looked over at his girlfriend. "Oi, don't pick on Aries, woman. It's not right."

He didn't say it harshly, just fondly and with a soft smile directed at the still trembling Aries.

During this whole time, Cassiopeia had been trying to hold in her panic, and was now trembling just as badly as the Ram spirit was.

Capricorn, who'd so-far just been listening silently, studied the two female spirits, and his frown deepened.

Stepping forward in that aloof but kind manner of his, he joined Aries and Andromeda.

After a few seemingly endless moments, he shook his head and looked straight at Scorpio. "Whatever was happening before, it no longer is. I do not sense any negative energy anywhere in the spirit world any longer. It appears that we are out of danger, at least for the moment. Therefore, I do believe that Andromeda and Aries are correct – we should leave Cassiopeia alone for now and await Seirei-o's judgment in this matter."

That sort of yanked the rug out from underneath Scorpio and Aquarius, and both scowled at the elegantly-attired sea-goat. Scorpio opened his mouth to reply – and then was cut off as the prisoners were returned rather abruptly to the hall, along with the king. He seemed to be in a better mood – or, at least, not in a bad one anymore. His face was still serious, just no longer furious.

That was a definite improvement.

Everyone stilled as his eyes swept the room. "I have determined that there were... extenuating circumstances surrounding what has occurred." He made a brief gesture, and the glowing crystal bars that kept the three away from their comrades disappeared. "You all may retu-"

And then it was his turn to be cut short as a glowing and lethal lion burst into the hall with an angry roar.

"Where is that bastard! Cepheus, I know you're in here, face me! And you'd better pray to to all the gods you've ever heard of that I find Lucy alive and unharmed, or I'll feed you my claws and send you to the depths of hell!"

Seirei-o intervened. "Leo, you will stand down. I have already decided on Cepheus' and his co-conspirators fates."

A wild-eyed and feral Loke grinned toothily as he stared defiantly back at the king. "I don't care. If I don't get Lucy back – alive and well – I will destroy him." He looked back at the guilty-looking Cepheus as he said it, expecting an answer – or maybe, if he was lucky, a challenge in return. Their earlier battle had him at a distinct disadvantage, since he would never willingly harm Lucy, and the devil was using her against him. But now there was nothing to stop him from shredding the other spirit, except for the king – and Loke had no intention of backing down. His Lucy had been targeted by that bastard, and Cepheus could never bleed enough to make up for it.

His thoughts were interrupted by Seirei-o. "Did you go to Eridanus to look for her?"

Loke gritted his teeth, inhaled deeply, and tried to become a bit more rational. It wasn't working too well; his mind had gone haywire the instant he registered the absence of Lucy from inside him, from that place where he'd been able to feel her since the moment Seirei-o had bound them. "Cepheus wasn't trying to send her to her constellation, he was trying to kill her," he growled deeply, "so, no, I haven't. What would be the point of that?"

The king folded his arms and frowned. "So you come seeking vengeance, believing that such a thing as what he summoned could permanently destroy a celestial spirit that is bound to its constellation? The only true way to kill a spirit is to cut them off from their constellation and send them permanently forth into the mortal world. Which you should know quite well," Seirei-o harrumphed a little, his glare sharpening. "Cepheus was as much a fool to believe that his machinations would kill our old friend. It will take some time for her to regenerate and reform herself, but she is not permanently gone."

Loke froze at that, then blinked after a few seconds and his glowing fists flickered and then faded out as his power drew down. He tried to stop the tears from escaping his eyes; the relief that swept through him almost struck him speechless. "B-but then... why can't I feel her?"

Everyone in the hall fell totally silent, very interested in where this conversation was going. Some already knew that he was able to feel Lucy in such a way, but some did not, and none of them knew why he had such a deep connection to the young woman.

That was not a normal spirit/mage bond – ergo there was something else at play here.

But what was it?

"When the lion falls from the sky, the herald of a new day will save him,

and return him to his true place above.

An earthly star ascending to the heavens, an incandescent soul of love,

yet marred by wrongful vengeance.

Mortal once, now not, she will bring new strength and vitality to holy Celestia.

Oh Eridanus, river of Heaven but born of Earth, spill your power across the skies!

Then fair river! Bring forth the little lion, a new spirit for a new age,

born not of self, but of love between the river and the lion."

The words were sonorous, almost chanted by Seirei-o, and they were quite clear. Loke flushed a bit at the final stanzas.

"W-what?" he stammered, his flush deepening as Aquarius scowled and then turned her nose up, her ubiquitous scoff sounding loud in the silent hall as everyone there considered what Seirei-o had just given away.

"That is the prophecy in full. The reason you have such a bond with her is simple, Leo – it is because you love her, and that love transcends any normal bond that you would have with anyone else. It is also that which binds her to you. This was foretold long ago, so long ago that even I had forgotten it, and only now am I remembering it." Seirei-o shook his head slowly, a soft, musing sort of smile touching his lips. "She is a special woman, Leo – no spirit has been so blessed with one such as her before. All of us who know her hold affection for her-" he snickered a little at Aquarius' rather harsh scoff, but did not say anything about it, finishing with, "-but the love you carry for her transcends everything else."

Loke, the rage that had filled him with deadly intent fading away now that he was assured of Lucy's survival, ran the words Seirei-o had just quoted through his mind once more, and his flush deepened as he came to the final stanzas of the prophecy again. A goofy, though rather tentative smile, spread across his face as the words truly registered.

"So... that seems to be saying that... that she feels the same, that she... returns my feelings. Am I to be so lucky? After everything I've done, all the stupid, messed up things, and yet, she loves me in return?" He shook his head as his past ran through his mind, and the smile fell, leaving him looking guilty and sad. "She can't possibly love me... I don't deserve her. I really don't."

"Perhaps, perhaps not," the king answered, now looking serious. "But all that matters in this instance is that she loves you, deserving or not. Would you turn her away were she to come to you?"

Loke's eyes widened and he shook his head almost frantically. "No! I could never turn her away – I couldn't live with myself if I hurt her like that. Actually, I don't think I'm capable of denying her anything," he admitted ruefully as the rest of those in the Hall muttered amongst themselves – and Taurus moo'd in dismay, complaining loudly that it wasn't fair that Loke would win the beautiful blonde's heart. (And her even more beautiful body.)

After a few moments of that, Capricorn stepped forward. He met Leo's eyes with a sober gaze of his own. "If you are the one that Lucy-sama has chosen, then I have but one thing to say to you. Treat her well, and do not cheat on her. Your reputation with women leaves much to be desired, but if you treat her as you have all the others, then I will challenge you and make you pay for every bit of her pain."

Loke huffed a somewhat incredulous laugh and shot the goat a look as Aquarius and several others murmured their agreement with Capricorn's warning. "What makes you think I could even treat Lucy that way to begin with? I'd sooner die."

Seirei-o nodded. "That is good. Then I wish you and our old friend much happiness. Now," he continued as he looked at the rest of the spirits in the hall, "make your peace with Cepheus, for I will not have this situation causing anymore havoc for our world. It will take me some little time to calm and gentle all the excess power that Eridanae channeled back into our world. I will not go, only to return and find you dragging it out any further for vengeance' sake."

Loke paused for a moment, thinking over what had been said, and then glanced over at the still oddly subservient Cepheus, and sighed, suddenly feeling weary. He rubbed one arm with the other, slowly forcing himself to calm down and let his anger go, and then gave a rueful smile and tentative nod.

"I'll be mad for a long time for the pain he put her through. But I know there were extenuating circumstances," he agreed, glancing at the regretful face of the other spirit, "and besides... I know Lucy. She would immediately forgive him, and wouldn't want any kind of 'vengeance' for what he did to her. That isn't her way, and I would move heaven and earth to keep her happy always."

"Good. Then this meeting is dismissed. Cepheus, you and Andromeda should take Cassiopeia home to familiar surroundings. Leo, you will need to be there when Eridanae reforms and awakens. She will be disoriented and probably frightened, and will need someone close and familiar to help fill in the blanks and calm her."

But Seirei-o was only talking to air at that point, as Loke faded out immediately he started speaking, impatient now and needing confirmation that Lucy had indeed survived what had been done to her. He also needed to know that what had been said about his mistress' feelings towards him was also true – he loved her wholeheartedly, but he wasn't so certain that the depth of those feelings was fully returned. Yes, he knew Lucy loved him, like she loved all her spirits. But that her emotions towards him were the same as his for her? That, he wouldn't truly believe until it had come from her own lips.

~~LoLu~~

A/N: Wow... so, umm... I just realized last night that yesterday was the one year anniversary of this story. I actually had planned to post this newest chapter yesterday, but the meds really kicked my ass last night, and by the time I was finished beta-ing the chapter, I was stoned out of my head. At any rate, I hope everyone enjoys this latest addition to the tale, and I apologize for the delay in posting, not just on this story, but all of them.

I'm technically not supposed to be doing any writing on any of my stories, and I'll probably be in trouble once my actions are realized. The thing is, I suffer from terrible anxiety. I have General Anxiety Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder. The last year has been a bad one, and my writing was quickly becoming yet another source of anxiety. I worried and fretted constantly over typos, mistakes, and that damned relentless writer's block, until I couldn't even look at my laptop without an anxiety attack. So I was sort of... grounded from writing on anything other than things that were required by my treatment for a while.

Nonetheless, here I am with this chapter for those who are enjoying it! Despite all the setbacks, I continue to soldier on, lol.

Amber