Chapter 15

Searching for the Soul

That night…

Just after sunset, in the middle of a large clearing, Alu, Aries, and Aquarius set up their camp spot. After getting the fire pit assembled, Alu snapped her fingers and lit the firewood with her Dragon Slayer fire. The flames she conjured immediately began to lick around the wood and create a good-sized campfire that gave off warm waves of heat.

At the same time, Aries pulled out two vials of Astral Elixir from her hip-pouch. She walked over to Aquarius, who was sitting on a fallen tree trunk, and handed her one of the vials. After the Aquarius took the vial, the Golden Ram Spirit walked over to another fallen log and sat down. The two Spirits then removed the lids from the small vessels and drank down the glowing purple liquid.

"How many of those do you have left?" Alu asked Aries.

"One each." Aries replied. "But that should be enough to get us to the Valley of Gates. That carriage ride helped us get ahead of schedule. We should be there by tomorrow."

"Well, that's good news." Alu sighed. "The sooner we get this key repaired the better."

"Excuse me?" Aquarius said suddenly, shooting Alu a nasty look. "What's that suppose to mean?"

Alu looked over at Aquarius with a scowl of her own. The Water Spirit was about to get on her last nerve.

"I mean the soon I get the key repaired the sooner I can explain to my parents why I really left." Alu explained sourly before glancing away and mumbling to herself, "And the sooner I can get you off my back."

"I heard that!" Aquarius snapped. "If you got something nasty to say about me, then just say it to my face, 'kay?!"

"Okay, fine!" Alu said indignantly, leaping to her feet. "You wanna know what I really think of you?! Well, I think you're an arrogant and selfish jerk who just threatens people to get them to do what you want! There, I said it, to your face!"

"Uh, Alu…" Aries stuttered in a small voice. But Aquarius cut her off.

"Is that so?!" the Water Spirit shouted, springing off of her log. "Look who's calling who selfish! I bet you just want to repair my key just because you're desperate for praise! If you think repairing my key will make you popular, then you're dumber than I thought! Besides, it's your fault that we lost so much time to begin with! You didn't even have the common sense to leave a note or something before we left!"

"Oh, so it's MY fault that my overly-protective parents are after us?!" Alu shouted angrily. "Even if I did leave a note they would still come after me! They can't leave me alone for five minutes! So what you said isn't even valid!"

"All I'm saying that if you weren't just as big of a bimbo as your mother, we wouldn't have her or your brainless father on our tails!"

Alu flinched at that remark and her eyes flashed.

"What'd you say?!" she snarled viciously.

"You heard me!" Aquarius replied spitefully. "Your mother's just a blond bimbo and a spoiled brat! Honestly, she would summon me for the most ridiculous reasons! She even summoned me in the middle of her bath once! She had no grace whatsoever! Honestly, I'm surprised that she ever managed to win any man's heart! Then again, her husband is a stupid hothead with little to no brain inside that thick skull of his! It's no wonder they ended up together! They're both a couple of freaks! It was…!"

Suddenly, the campfire burst into a pillar of intensely burning flames that lashed around violently, whipping all the way up to the sky. Aquarius looked over quickly to see what was going on.

She immediately fell silent.

Alu was scowling at her. But this scowl was different from her other ones.

Her lips were pressed together tightly, her jaw locked with gritted teeth, and the upper part of her body expanded and deflated with restrained breathing. Her fists were clenched so hard that sparks of fire were flickering around them.

However, it was Alu's eyes that were the scariest. They were blazing with undeniable anger, just like the fire beside her. They looked as if Alu wanted to vaporize Aquarius with just her stare.

Aries leaned back in her seat with her arms up protectively in front of her body. She couldn't help but shiver with fear. She had seen Alu furious before, but this was a whole different level.

Aquarius saw it, too. For a moment, she stared at the young wizard with a defensive expression. It was unclear of what Alu was going to do next. Although the most predicable response would be violence. Since Aquarius had seen that this girl was a lot like her father, she was expecting the girl to suddenly charge forward and try to slug her across the face.

But Aquarius was ready for that. She was a Spirit made for battle. She could handle a fight.

However, what Alu did next shocked the two Celestial Spirits.

She spoke. She didn't shout or yell; she just spoke.

"You listen to me, Aquarius." Alu's voice was dangerously low. "You can insult me and beat me down all you want. I don't give a damn about what you say about me, or what you do to me. You can threaten to throw me into the ocean and let me drown. You can even carry out that threat and still I won't care. I'm used to insults and getting beaten to a pulp. I'll just get back up again.

"But there's one thing I won't tolerate, and it's YOU talking TRASH about my parents. Especially when you have no right to. My dad's the greatest hero I've ever known. He's risked his life to save the guild, his family, his comrades, and even complete strangers on countless occasions. And my mom is a strong woman who cares for everyone around her. She, too, has saved the lives of many others."

Alu then took out the hilt of Aquarius key and held it up for the Water Spirit to see.

"You wanna know why I'm going through all of this?" the girl continued. "Why I'm putting up with your stupid attitude and insults? Why I even ran away from everyone in my guild back in Onibus? It's BECAUSE of my mom. She told me all about the Tartaros incident and how she had to break your key to summon the Celestial Spirit King."

Aquarius didn't make much of a reaction, but there was certainly a curious glint in her eyes.

"That's right." Alu went on. "She also told me how heartbroken she was to lose you, even after you said you hated her. Even after all the torment you put her through over the years just because you were so "moody", she was still sad to lose you. Only someone with a big heart like her could care about someone as selfish and ungrateful as you. You may be a Celestial Spirit, and I know your kind have a reputation of being treated as tools. And for your information, I hate any Celestial Wizard who does that. But I also won't tolerate anyone using their attitude as a way to exert power over others. I don't care about your "moody" attitude, and I'm not going to back down just because you threaten me. I will stand up to you, especially if you insult my family."

Alu then narrowed her eyes before saying, "And there's something else you should know. The "spoiled brat" that you hated so much wants you back. Not because she views you as some tool like other wizards, but because she wants her first friend back. Why don't you think about that?"

There was a long silence.

Finally, Alu exhaled deeply and lowered her gaze. She then shoved Aquarius's key hilt back into her belt pocket, turned around, and stormed away from the campsite. As she disappeared among the trees and shadows, the pillar of fire that stretched up to the sky began to shrink down rapidly. In a few seconds, it disappeared altogether, leaving behind nothing but ash, pieces of burnt wood, and smoked-stained rocks.

Aries looked on the direction Alu took with a surprised expression. That was certainly a side of Alu even she had never seen before. She had known Alu ever since the girl was little, and she had never seen her do something like that before. She was so sure that the wizard was going to try and beat the snot out of Aquarius, not speak in the manner that she did.

Aries then turned to look at Aquarius.

Aquarius wasn't tensed with anger or humiliation like Aries was expecting. She didn't even look like she was plotting to get revenge on Alu for what she said to her.

She looked…satisfied.

"A…Aquarius?" Aries whispered softly. "Were you trying to provoke her?"

Aquarius simply lowered her head and smiled. Aries eyes widened and she inhaled sharply. For once in a long time, Aquarius actually looked genuinely happy. She wasn't even trying to hide the smile.

"Seems that he was right," Aquarius said contently. "C'mon Aries, you should've noticed it a long time ago, seeing as you've been with her for a long time. She might be a little different than before, but it's her alright."

Something began to glimmer in Aries irises, and a smile began to grow across her face.

After walking a good distance away from the campsite, Alu stopped at the edge of river and sat down on a large boulder. She glared down at the grass between her feet and clenched her fists. She held her breath for a moment or two before letting the air out steadily through her nose, closing her eyes as she did. She then lowered her head into her hands and braced her arms against her knees.

She kept thinking about what happened at the camp. Specifically, what she did. Or rather, what she didn't do.

Alu's first impulse to any insult was usually give an angry shout, or a cheap-shot to the face. She wanted to do that to Aquarius. She wanted to take out all of her anger on the Water Spirit. But she didn't. It was like something else took control of her and made her fight back with words. And she didn't speak in a loud voice either, but it felt so powerful nonetheless.

But the question was why.

Why did she do that?

Alu didn't know.

As Alu continued to think over what had happened, she covered her eyes with the palms of her hands. It was like she had so many thoughts swirling around in her head that they were starting to jumble her brains.

And the more she thought about things, the more vulnerable her emotions were becoming.

"What am I doing?" she mumbled to herself. "I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. As much as I hate to say it, maybe Aquarius was right. Maybe I'm just doing this for myself. Maybe I'm not really doing this for Mom."

Alu lowered her right hand and looked at it with her uncovered eye. She frowned sadly as she stared at it.

"I'm just not sure about anything," she moaned. "I don't even know who I am. How pathetic is that? I just want to know who I am, is that so much to ask?"

Alu covered her face again. "Mom, Dad, I'm sorry. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. I'm so confused. I don't even know what I should be feeling right now. And these weird dreams I've been having lately aren't helping. I don't really remember them, but I've been waking up feeling dazed by them. I must be losing my mind."

Having nothing else to say, Alu sat in silence. She had completely forgotten about the forest around her. Everything was so quiet that she didn't pay attention to it. She was completely absorbed in her own thoughts.

However, something was about to change everything. Not just Alu's current state of mind, but her whole journey as well.

A sudden, distant cry caught Alu's attention. It was enough to snap her out of her trance. She lifted up her head and looked over in the direction it was coming from. She sat still for a moment and listened carefully.

"Help!" the voice called out. "Somebody help me!"

Someone was in danger. That alone was enough to change Alu's mind from despair to determination.

She immediately leapt off the boulder and set out running in the direction where the cries were coming from. As she drew closer, she was starting to hear other things, too. One was a noise that sounded like electricity being whipped around violently. The other was a voice that sounded vaguely familiar. It seemed to be laughing with a kind of twisted pleasure.

What in all of Earth Land was going on?

Eventually, Alu came upon another clearing. Just as she was about to rush out of the forest and into the open, she stopped dead in her tracks. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened in disbelief. For a split second, she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

In the middle of the clearing, a little purple female Exceed that was garbed in a blue dress was running across the grass as fast as her tiny legs could carry her. She screamed in terror as a lightning whip attacked her from all angles. No matter where she turned, that whip would cut her off or attempt to strike her.

However, it was who was controlling the whip that made Alu stare in horror.

"Virgo?!" she said in an exclaimed whisper. "No, it can't be!"

Indeed, Alu was definitely looking at someone who looked like the Celestial Spirit, Virgo the Maiden. And yet, this person was different somehow. She wasn't dressed in Virgo's normal maid outfit, and she didn't have a sweet, composed expression on her face.

The Virgo that Alu was looking at now had on a black and gold, body-tight outfit. Her hair was a tangled mess, and her expression was one of maniacal pleasure.

It was like her personality had been warped.

Virgo threw another whip attack at the little Exceed. This time, it struck the little cat across the back. She let out a cry of pain and fell to the ground.

"You're cries of pain are like music to my ears," the crazy Virgo sneered with indulgence. "Weak little things are always so much fun to get a scream out of. I wonder how many you have left."

The little Exceed whimpered and braced herself for another attack. However, just before Virgo's attack landed a blow, Alu ran out of the forest, snatched up the little cat creature in her arms, and darted away. The whip just barely missed the heel of her left foot. Alu clutched the little Exceed protectively as she ran a little distance away from the attack. After a few feet, she came to a stop.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked the Exceed in her arms.

The Exceed opened her eyes and looked up at Alu with big baby-blue eyes.

"Wh-Who are you?!" she asked, her voice shaking with fear.

"Don't worry, I'm from Fairy Tail." Alu replied. "I'm here to help."

"My, my," the crazy Virgo drawled, "what have we here? A Fairy Tail wizard?"

Alu narrowed her eyes and looked back up at the deranged Virgo. The Exceed in her arms shivered and nestled in closer to her body, seeking protection.

"Listen," Alu said to the Exceed, "get out of here. I can handle this."

Alu carefully set the little cat down and walked forward. The Exceed hesitated. Alu glanced over her shoulder for a second and saw that the Exceed wasn't moving.

"Go on, get out of here!" Alu ordered.

The Exceed flinched at the command. She then turned around and made a dash for the forest.

"She's going to need help!" the Exceed said franticly. "I just hope I can find someone!"

Alu stopped about seven yards away from Virgo and stood firmly.

"Alright, Virgo, what's up?" she demanded. "What are you doing here? And why are you acting like this? You'd better start talking."

"Oh, you must be talking about my inferior double," the crazy Virgo replied snidely.

"Double?" Alu blinked in confusion. "Are you're saying you're not the real Virgo?"

"Oh, I'm real, pinky!" the Spirit scowled, raising her whip as if she was going to attack. "I am of the Neo Zodiac Spirits!"

"Neo Zodiac Spirits?" Alu questioned, suspicion was beginning to show in her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Neo Virgo was about to continue when the trees behind her began to rustle.

"I think I can take things from here, Virgo," a dark, sinister male voice said.

Instantly, Neo Virgo disappeared in a blaze of black and purple orbs.

Alu looked up at the place where the voice came from. She became even more defensive when a person dressed in a dark blue cloak came walking out of the trees towards her. The way he carried himself clearly showed that he was overflowing with an ominous kind of confidence. Although his hood was up, Alu could just barely see part of his face. One distinguishing that she noticed immediately was that he had a long, bristly beard that was dusky black with a few strands of white mixed in.

"Okay, and who are you?" Alu said cautiously.

The stranger stopped a few meters away from the little Fairy Tail wizard. He then made a curious kind of noise, like he was thinking about something.

"Hmm, you seem somewhat familiar," he said at last. "Do I know you?"

Alu raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Probably not. I certainly would've remembered meeting a creep like you. Who are you anyway? Some kind of Celestial Wizard?"

Alu couldn't see the stranger's eyes, but she got the eerily feeling that they were now looking at her guild mark. The only clue she had was that she saw him move his head slightly to her right.

"Fairy Tail, huh?" he questioned, sounding disgusted. "But wasn't your guild mark red?"

Alu's paused and frowned. Now she got was going on.

Of course, her resemblance to her father was coming up again. Whoever this guy was must've had a run-in with Natsu at some point in the past. And now he was getting her confused with the Fire Dragon Slayer.

Somehow, that didn't surprise Alu one bit. Although she couldn't help but think that this guy was an idiot for thinking that.

Still, a small voice in the back of her mind told her not to play the "I'm Natsu's daughter" card just yet. She felt it was best to not bring up her father at all right now.

"Just answer my question," she demanded. "Are you some kind of Celestial Wizard?"

A sly grin came across the man's face, which made Alu apprehensive.

"Never mind, you're not the person I'm thinking of. Though it is quite a shame." he said with a hint of menace in his voice. "As for your question, I guess you could say I am a Celestial Wizard of sorts. And I can see by the keys on your waist that you are one, too."

Alu instinctively covered her Celestial Keys on her belt with her right hand. She stepped back defensively, keeping her left hand raised up.

"Oh, you don't need to worry," the man said, "I have no use for your worthless keys, not now that I have twelve keys of my own."

The man reached under his cloaked and pulled out a large ring with a bunch of keys attached to it. Alu's eyes widened in shock when she saw their designs. She recognized those shapes anywhere.

Those weren't ordinary Celestial Keys. They were Zodiac Keys.

But there was something wrong about them. Instead of being radiant gold, they were blood red.

"Surprised?" the man mocked, jingling the keys in a show-off manner. "I guess you should be. Even I didn't know how powerful a Celestial Wizard's soul could be. Even if this one isn't as powerful as Fairy Tail's Celestial Wizard, it's still pretty impress to say the least."

"Huh?" Alu blinked. "What do you mean 'Celestial Wizard's soul'?"

The man lowered the keys and looked at Alu with an evil smile.

"I'm sure you know Sabertooth's Celestial Wizard, Yukino," he said. "I obtained her powers when I stole her soul."

Alu gasped and froze when she heard that. The man noticed her jolt of fear and snickered.

"And thanks to another special power of mine," he went on, "I created my own Zodiac Spirits. I must say that Celestial Magic is even more powerful than I first thought."

"You're a soul-stealer?!" Alu questioned, her face turning pale. "You're some kind of Demon?!"

"Oh, no," the man said nonchalantly. "I can assure you that I'm no Demon. I'm a wizard, just like you."

Alu swallowed nervously and stepped back.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about having your soul stolen. I have no more use for obtaining Celestial Wizards' souls. Still, you could prove to be useful, considering you're from Fairy Tail."

"What do you mean?" Alu asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

Suddenly, before Alu could react, a black tentacle shot out from under the man's cloak and wrapped around her, pinning both her arms to her sides. She let out a terrified and painful scream as it tightened its grip around her like a snake. She lost her balance and fell to the ground, landing hard on her right side. She struggled and squirmed with desperation to get free as the stranger walked over to her. But it was no use. The tentacle had her trapped in its bindings.

When the evil wizard reached her, he knelt down to her level. He then grabbed her chin and pulled her up roughly. This forced her to look him straight in the face. Even though his hood covered most of his head, Alu could just barely make out the cold eyes that were staring straight back into hers. A cold shiver ran down her spine as she looked up into those menacing irises.

She froze like a statue. Something about this guy was not right. She could feel it.

"I know how much Fairy Tail 'loves' their members," he snarled maliciously. "They would do anything to get a member back. But their weakness will be to my advantage. I'm going to use you to get them to hand over one of their three most elite wizards."

"Three elite?!" Alu felt her panic rising. "What are you talking about?!"

"I'm talking about the Dragon Slayers, you naïve child! You're going to help me get one of them!"

Dragon Slayers!

Those two words made Alu's blood turn to ice in her veins. Her face turned white and she began to quiver with terror. For a split second, she completely forgot about her own safety. The moment those two words left this wicked man's mouth, the image of her father flashed in her mind.

Natsu was a Dragon Slayer. And he was Alu's father.

Alu knew from the past that Natsu would do anything to ensure her safety, even if it meant risking his own life. He wouldn't hesitate to give himself up for her and she knew it. And if this crazy soul-stealing wizard wanted a Dragon Slayer…

"Dad!"

Alu couldn't let that happened! She had to protect her family! She had to escape somehow!

Feeling a burst of willpower, Alu yanked her chin out of the evil wizard's grip. She then lunged her head forward and bit down hard on his hand. Her sharpened canine teeth dug into his flesh, and he let out a yelp of agony. When he wrenched his hand out of her mouth, Alu licked her teeth and tasted something like iron. The bleeding bite-mark on the man's hand proved that she had drawn blood.

"Never!" Alu yelled defiantly. "You'll never get your hands on the Dragon Slayers! I won't let you! And I'm not going to help you either!"

The man growled viciously and scowled down at Alu.

"I'm not letting you off the hook so easily!" he spat. "But once I've collected my Dragon Slayer, then I'll end your miserable life! As for now, I'll just have to beat you into submission, you little wretch!"

Alu winced and prepared herself for an attack as the man raised his foot to kick her. She was ready for the pain that was to come.

But before the man could land a blow on her, he was suddenly knocked away by a huge stream of water that shot at him like a cannonball. The impact sent him flying clear across the field of grass. Alu stared, wondering what just happened.

"You listen here, bozo!" a familiar voice said sharply. "Nobody messes with the scruff munchkin but me!"

Alu turned her head to see who had saved her.

Right in front of her, with her silvery urn poised and ready to strike again, was Aquarius.

At the moment, Alu was actually really happy to see the Water Spirit. She couldn't help but give a small, thankful smile.