Chapter 6
*Rating Change from K+ to T*
"But how can that be?" Gray said, looking back at the lion spirit in confusion. "I thought Lucy said Aquarius' key was broken!"
"We need to hurry," Erza said as he turned in time to see her scowl. "We don't know what to expect once we arrive. If Aquarius passed through the gate on her own accord, Lucy may be in more danger than we thought."
At the mention of Lucy being in danger, he noticed Natsu out of the corner of his eye turn away from the group to face the mountains before them. Gray turned to face the dragon slayer fully, and watched him for a moment. There was a time when Gray wouldn't have understood Natsu's feelings for the celestial wizard, but that time had passed; Gray only had Juvia to thank for that.
After watching Lucy fight for his life, nearly at the price of her own, Natsu had become a different person. Sure, he was still the fight-happy moron that he had grown up next to, but now Natsu showed a new regard for Lucy: more sensitive, more protective. And now, Gray was seeing his friend more determined than ever to make sure Lucy came home safely.
Whatever happened that day on Tenrou Island between the two of them had changed Natsu forever.
Natsu closed his eyes and took a deep breath, searching for her scent. "This way," he said, taking the lead, and they were off and running again.
Brandish and Lucy both watched the celestial spirit expectantly.
Levitating into the air above them, she used her magic to create a mirror from the spilled water from which she appeared. The two women crept closer. Lucy, eyes full of wonder, looked up at her spirit friend.
"What is this?" Lucy asked, amazed. "I've never seen you do this before."
"This is the 'Memory of the Stars'," Aquarius answered. "An archive of memories woven by celestial spirits for generations."
Slowly, an image began to form.
In a room Lucy recognized as her mother's chambers at the Heartfilia Estate, lay her mother in her bed, looking just the way Lucy remembered: tired and weak. She wanted to look away so badly, but couldn't will herself to do so. Her mother, if only in a memory, was alive.
Kneeling beside the bed was a woman Lucy didn't recognize but could only assume was Brandish's mother, the infamous Grammi. She was a lovely woman, and Lucy now realized that Brandish looked just like her. Brandish, upon seeing her mother in the pool of water, let out a gasp and whispered her mother's name. Lucy glanced over at the woman beside her. I guess this is hard for her, too.
Teary-eyed and shaking, Grammi spoke.
"Lady Layla...after everything you've done for me, I've caused you so much pain...and, because of that, I will never be able to forgive myself." Reaching into the pocket of her dress, she held up a gold key. "I'm not worthy of keeping this key that you so graciously entrusted to me...Please, take it back into your hands once more..."
Lucy could see the sadness Layla felt for her friend as she replied, "Unfortunately, I can no longer use celestial spirit magic in this condition..."
"Then please," Grammi interrupted, "let me give Miss Lucy the key. I have no doubt she will become a magnificent celestial spirit wizard in your place."
Giving a small nod, Layla spoke again. "The duty of opening the Gate of Eclipse, which had been passed down in the Heartfilia family for hundreds of years, has finally been fulfilled by my generation. And, if only for that, I am forever grateful." Giving her friend a small smile, she added, "My only wish was for my beloved daughter to be able to live freely, no longer bound by that duty, and now that wish has been granted."
Lucy looked silently at Layla, only now realizing why her mother made the choice she did.
The memory skipped forward, and Grammi was now outside, leaving the estate. A short distance behind her, a shadowy figure wielded a short sword and slowly closing the gap between them. Suddenly, Grammi's eyes grew wide with pain and shock as the blade found it's target.
"MOTHER!" Brandish cried out.
After he had watched the guild hall doors close behind the group of wizards racing out toward the mountains in the distance, Master Makarov let out a deep sigh and took a seat at the bar. Mirajane, the sweet woman she was, looked at the man with concern in her eyes. "What's troubling you, Master?" she inquired, placing a mug in front of guild master seemed to be lost in thought. "This Brandish that Loke described has the potential to be more dangerous than Zeref himself." He looked down into his drink before he spoke again. "Lucy's only hope may be that Natsu and the others reach her in time."
"It's all your fault..." a low voice said from behind her. "Lady Layla is dying...BECAUSE OF YOU!"
Still in shock, Grammi dared a look at her attacker. "Z...Zoldeo..."
Unable to hold back, Brandish looked on in horror at the events unfolding in front of her. "STOP IT!" she cried. "STAY AWAY FROM HER!"
"I agree..." Grammi said quietly, her words wavering slightly as she fought the pain she must have been feeling in that moment. "It is...all my fault...I should have...been here...when Lady Layla...needed me. This is...what I...deserve..."
"How dare you..." Zoldeo snarled, angry tears streaming down his face. "How dare you take her from us!" His rage and grief having overtaken him, he stood there, holding Grammi upright by the blade that was lodged in her.
"Zoldeo, please," Grammi said, her voice barely above a whisper now, "my daughter, Brandish...please,...spare her life...in exchange...for my own. Will you...grant...me...this one...last...request?"
The man nodded as he let Grammi fall to the ground.
When the memory flashed forward one last time, it showed Zoldeo standing before a grieving young Brandish. "I was with her at the end," he was saying. "Her dying wish was for you to avenge her death. Will you honor your mother's final task for you?" And then, the magic faded, and the memory was gone.
Brandish's anguished sobs filled the room as the tears held back for so long now flowed freely. As if driven by instinct, Lucy threw her arms around the other woman and held her. Surprised by the unexpected contact, Brandish paused and listened as Lucy spoke softly. "I understand the pain you're feeling, but taking my life could never return your mother's."
Aquarius smiled softly as she watched the two women in front of her. Suddenly, Lucy looked up at the water bearer with questions in her eyes. "Aquarius, if these were the memories of a celestial spirit, whose memories did we just see?"
The mermaid met Lucy's gaze. "The memories belong to the owner of the respective gate key present. At the estate, the memory of Layla was mine, but for Grammi..." she paused. "That memory belonged to Capricorn. I'm certain if he were mortal, that memory would haunt his dreams for the rest of his life. As it was, it drove Zoldeo to madness."
Then, as quickly as she appeared, the spirit was once again surrounded by a bright light. "It's time for me to go back," she said to Lucy. "I look forward to the day we are reunited again." And with that, Aquarius was gone.
Lingering a moment longer, Lucy smiled. See you soon Aquarius.
Suddenly, Brandish moved her arms from her sides and shoved Lucy off of her to the ground again. Shocked, Lucy looked at the woman with surprise.
"Don't ever touch me again." Now standing, the woman's look of contempt for Lucy had returned. "If not for your little dragon slayer friend that night, my mission would already be completed. Now I have no choice but to get my hands dirty with your precious blood." The sinister smile she now wore as Brandish slowly walked toward Lucy made her blood run cold. Scrambling to her feet, Lucy tried to keep her distance before her back was met by a wall. Brandish got within a foot of her and slowly reached a hand out to her, only to have it shoot back to Lucy's head and grab a handful of her golden locks. Lucy winced at the pain. Brandish's smile faded and now left her face cold and expressionless. "But this time, there won't be any...distractions."
The words were like venom as they reached Lucy's ears. They, in turn, caused anger to rise up within her as well. She took advantage of their close proximity and spat in Brandish's face.
"You really are a monster."
Brandish's only reaction was to pull out an ornately decorated dagger from her coat. Her face void of emotion, the dagger quickly grew in size to that of a short sword. Lucy eyed the weapon in fear.
"I am one of the Spriggan 12 and a proud citizen of Alvarez," she said as blade met flesh. "I now only live to execute the will of His Majesty...I believe you call him Zeref."
Natsu had set a gruelling pace for the group, but they were steadily getting closer. He knew it; her scent was growing stronger.
As they neared the mountain range, he could make out the outline of a small room carved into the side of the mountain's face. There was no opening to the outside that he could see, but he knew that there had to be an air shaft somewhere to allow fresh air in from the outside. That, he decided, would be their way in.
When they all paused to take a short rest, Natsu again drew in a deep breath to help guide him to Lucy's prison. The others around him were either busy catching their breath or taking a welcomed drink of water from their canteens to immediately realize the panic that was now written on Natsu's face. His breathing became elevated as he held his head in his hands and fell to his knees.
"Natsu?" Happy said, looking up at his friend nervously.
The others in the group noticed Natsu's unease, and turned to face him as the tension rose in the air.
His voice was shaking as he spoke, but from fear or rage his friends could not be certain.
"I...I smell...blood."
General Invel stood at the bow of the great naval ship, looking out at the mountain range that rose up before him. Only ten days ago, he had stood before Emperor Spriggan's vast army, informing them that they were to travel to Magnolia to liberate the people there from the oppression they had suffered at the hands of the wizards of Fairy Tail. And at the resounding battle cry he received in return, Invel ordered his men to prepare to depart at once. As he accompanied Zeref to the flagship, His Majesty informed Invel that he would have no interference, as Brandish was seeing to that part of the plan. He was to simply see to his soldiers surrounding the city and await His Majesty's signal to move in. Now, finally, the time had come to begin the long march to Magnolia. Invel turned to the telepathy wizard standing behind him, awaiting his orders, that the fleet was to prepare for landfall.