Carrier of E.N.D
Chapter 3: The Trump Card
Speechless, Lucy looked at Gray. Maybe they should go since Master Makarov wasn't available. Her hands reaching out to Gray, the light from the lacrima grew dim where she snapped her head up to look at it before panning down to only see the crimson by the door that leads to the guild's library.
Surprised to see that the girl was far away from them within mere seconds, she looked at Gray once more before hearing the creaking door of the library groan to its wake where the candle flames flickered. "Laxus, Grandfather and I... We hold secrets and knowledge that even Gildarts, Mirajane and Erza don't even know..." Sakura began where her voice carried a lace of threat and mischief along with it.
Lucy turning her full attention to the crimsons, she widened her eyes when she saw how glowing red Sakura's eyes were. Tensing up, she watched the crimson smirk to their direction.
"I've always wanted to relive the start of my renewed self. The eyes of distrust and anxiety within those that questioned my reliability..." Sakura chuckled before shaking her head. "Come, I will answer those questions..." she then said before entering the dark library where Gray took a step forward to only get grabbed by Lucy once again.
The raven looking to her, she looked at him. Uncertain if they should trust her, she raised a brow when she watched him look back over to where Sakura once stood. "I thought I didn't know her, but I was wrong..." Gray whispered.
His head looking back to Lucy, he had a memory come back - A memory that he didn't think about much before since the main subject of his memory hardly associated itself within the guild. His eyes glazed for a bit, he shook his head.
He knew that Lucy didn't know about it, so to fill her in, he told her one thing that could resolve her suspicions on the crimson that she hardly knew of. "She is like a library labyrinth... She is the guild's trump card when we reach a certain point of danger and death," he stated.
Confused, Lucy simply just stared at Gray. She didn't know such a thing or person existed, but if Gray states that she's a valuable existence to the guild, then trusting her would be the best option.
So following her close friend from behind, she noticed how tensed he was as they entered the dimly lit library. Walking around the towering bookshelves to find themselves reach the heart of the library, she widened her eyes when she saw Sakura resting against two large wolves that were sleeping peacefully to the girl's paced breathing. "When was there such a large open space in the middle of the library?" she whispered.
Gray simply just stared at Sakura before down to the two wolves that he now recalled their names. "Drancer and Knight," he whispered where both wolves slowly opened their eyes and stared at him. Their heads rising, they bowed their heads to him before lowering them down to their paws where they then closed their eyes to rest once more.
"Come Lucy," he then said in a hushed tone, grabbing her hand where he gently pulled her down to the floor. Sitting in front of the crimson who had a large, open book on her lap, Gray felt a wave of familiarity wash over him where he softly smiled to Sakura. "So you still read, even though the books here have all been read by you?" he asked where she closed the book and placed it to the side.
Lucy watching their interaction, she noted how quiet Sakura was compared to when they were outside. She flinched when Sakura turned her eyes to look at her.
"Your questions?" Sakura began, raising a brow where one of the wolf's ear twitched to her voice.
The air around them dense and heavy, Lucy found her chest constricting to the shift of atmosphere. The time, as if slowing down, waited for her reply, she blinked a few times before staring into the wine-coloured eyes of the girl seated in front of her.
"What exactly happened when I blacked out?"
Gray froze in his spot when he recalled the book flying away with Sakura running towards them, yelling to them and transforming midair to have a battle against the dragon that was going to kill them within one breath of a roar. His eyes down to the wolves that were resting, his finger twitched where one wolf snapped opened an eye to stare at him in question before closing its eyes once again. "A lot of things really," he replied where Sakura gave him a certain look before back to the blonde.
Lucy unsure what to think of what Gray's words truly need, she waited for a proper reply from the crimson in front of her whose eyes were closed and brows furrowed.
"Long story short, Grandfather called me when the planning initially started. I was pretty far away and there's a certain speed that I can travel - Dragon form would be too risky. When I got there, a lot of things happened in which you guys should have known by now... Anyways, when I got to you, Acnologia was too close to my liking to you both and Gray couldn't leave you while you're like that with Happy. While you were blacked out, my wolves took you three to safety and I shifted into my dragon form to push and hold the darn thing back to ensure your safety."
She nodded her head and motioned the crimson to continue.
"When I arrived to your side, I did see E.N.D and what had happened. I was amazed to see someone capable to rewriting the fates within that book, but you were short - Not almost there to have the power to completely control it... The book with a rewritten values, within the midst of confusion, flew and escape - Perhaps to find Zeref, who is no longer here..." Sakura explained before opening her eyes where she had pain evident within them. Her head down, she sighed, "The both of them... I hope that they'll reborn... The pain that they've been through together."
The blonde watching the crimson shake her head, she watched as the girl raised her head again. "When you travel... You just see so many sides of a person that you just don't know what to think next," Sakura reasoned.
Gray crossing his arms, he leaned back a little. "So do you know which direction the book flew off to? The guild was restless..." he asked, eyeing the crimson.
"It flew to the east. Perhaps to some dead area where silence is the only language that you would be hearing," Sakura replied without an issue where she then narrowed her eyes to them both. "Whatever you all plan on doing, I do not recommend you following such a dangerous book. That will be my job, and not yours," she then stated.
Getting up from her spot, she flicked her wrist upwards where the book that sat nearby her levitated. "I will always answer your curiosity, but never your foolish justice." With that, she pointed to a certain direction where the book returned to its proper place.
Lucy getting up as well, she placed a hand over her chest. "At least... If we're able to recover it, Natsu will be saved!" she cried out. Her impatience making itself known as the girl just simply looked away, she gritted her teeth. "E.N.D is somewhere out there, and if we're too late to find it, who knows what will happen to him! I don't even remember what I did, I was too focused on rearranging the words that I don't even know what the completed pages for Natsu's even looked like!" she yelled.
And that's when she flinched. Slowly turning to look at her, Sakura stood there within the dimly lit library with glowing eyes where her wolves raised their heads. The three of them looking at her with a blank expression, she felt the temperature drop in which she shivered.
"I completely understand that Lucy. I knew what you were thinking during your little confrontation when you had a remorseful look on your face. I know what goes on within the guild because I am the trump card that everyone desires to have within their grubby hands - The treasured tool that one wants for their desires," Sakura bluntly informed.
"I will tell you this however... You both going after it with nothing other than retrieving it within your minds will bring you closer to death," she whispered before closing your eyes. "I have seen what death looks like, and I can tell you... It is exactly what you think."
With that, she slowly revealed her wine-coloured eyes. They were back to normal once more. "As a long-term member and the trump card, I suggest you both to wait and see," she said before excusing herself and walking away with her wolves.
The blonde sinking to the floor, she stared at the spot that the girl once stood. "I worry about what the guild may do when we wake up..." she whispered as Gray pulled her up again by the arm. Her hand to her head, she felt a headache coming in so she closed her eyes and sighed. "The guild... They looked so scary when they confronted us both..."
Gray sighing, he lead her to the library door and looked over his shoulders to only see Sakura standing in the distance watching them with a sad smile. Raising his brow to her where she just shook her head, he gave her a questioning look with his brows scrunched before facing the front and walking away.