Crimzon: Im soooooooo sorry for such a delay in updating. I just graduated from high school, I've been dealing with a lot of stress and I guess that's been blocking the creative juices. No joke, I'm totally forcing myself right now to write this. Hopefully this chapter wont suck but I hope you all enjoy it. If you want me to upload quicker then please please please review! Your reviews are what give me the inspiration to write! Also, I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL, ONLY PLOT AND OCS!
~General POV~
~Back at the Guild~
Gajeel felt himself twitch as a sudden shiver flew down his spine. On instinct, he looked out a nearby window. His sharp eyes scanned the area, but found nothing. He suddenly felt really uneasy.
"What is it, Gajeel?" asked Pantherlily. Gajeel let out a low grunt and leaned up against the wall, arms crossed as he thought about what had him worried all of a sudden.
"Nothing, just a strange vibe," he answered.
"You and me both. I can't seem to shake the feeling that something is wrong," agreed Pantherlily.
Gajeel walked back to the front of the guild, looking out at the dark streets looking for anything that would seem off. It's when he looked back inside the guild that a familiar leather-bound book caught his eye.
"Hey, isn't that the book we found at the library?" asked the exceed.
"Yeah, which brings up the question, where's Levy?"
Gajeel flipped through the pages, hoping something would pop out at him, only for an envelope to fall out.
"What's that?" Lily asked as he floated down to pick it up.
"Beats me," answered Gajeel.
They opened the letter.
~Lucy's POV~
I was having that dream again, but it was different. This is where I'd hear the screaming, but nothing.
"Forgive me, Lucy." Luciana's voice echoed in the darkness.
"Why should I?"
"You are right, I have no right to ask for forgiveness," she said.
"Then what do you want?"
"What Eliza and Griffin did today was foolish. Had I not taken over, your friend would have surely died. But, because of my actions, my magic has become more difficult for me to hold back."
"I don't understand."
"You must leave the guild and go somewhere safe . . . somewhere secluded."
"What? Why?" I questioned. I suddenly felt a sinking feeling. A feeling that made me fear what she would say next.
"Because you overexerted your celestial magic, it is taking you longer to recover it all."
"I still don't understand! What does my magic have to do with all of this?" I yelled as the panic started to set in.
"It was your celestial magic that held back my dragon slayer magic. I fear that in less than an hour, my magic will overflow and release itself like before."
I thought back to earlier today. The beam of magic that had escaped from my body. It was a surge of energy that seemed to have a mind of its own. And it was my own magic that stopped it. I couldn't respond to what she said. I understood now and even though I now realized what she was talking about, she continued.
"The only difference about this time is that now, it'll unleash itself tenfold. It will destroy everything around you, including your guild and friends."
As she said that, all the faces of the guild members flashed across my eyes until they finally stopped at my close guild mates. And then, Natsu. A tear escaped my eye as I realized the horrible realization that I could hurt them and not have the power to stop it.
I stood there, trying to keep myself calm as everything started fading. I must be waking up now.
It took me a while to realize where I was. I was back in the infirmary of the guild. The lights were on but were dimmed. I looked around and noticed Gray sprawled out on the cot next to mine. At first, I thought he was injured and was about to call out his name when I noticed Erza sitting at the foot of the bed. She had her arms crossed on the railing and her head resting on them and then I heard her soft snoring.
'They're sleeping.'
I then noticed Happy and Charla sleeping at the end of the cot I was in. I smiled at the two exceeds and looked to my right to find Wendy. She had her arms crossed at the edge of the bed and her head resting on her them. I smiled and pet her head gently.
I then turned to my left and found Natsu. He had fallen asleep in a chair with his arms crossed. His head was leaning off to one side as he slightly snored. He looked so innocent as he slept … and then he started snoring loudly and drool started escaping his mouth. Oh yeah, the cute factor is now completely gone.
I sat there, watching them sleep. They must have been so worried. Natsu, Gray, and Erza must have exhausted themselves and Wendy probably tired herself from healing them. I feel so horrible for being the reason that they are injured. Had I been stronger then maybe their worries would settle. They wouldn't have to fight for me or save me whenever I'm in danger or kidnapped.
'Thank you, everyone,' I thought to myself.
I sat there in the silence, listening to everyone sleeping. It was seconds after that my chest suddenly felt constricted.
"Get away from the guild, Lucy." Luciana's voice rang out in my mind, causing a headache to form. Then I remembered the dream and I sat there a moment, thinking, hoping that it was just that, a dream.
"I'm afraid not, Lucy."
I sat there for a few more moments, trying to keep myself from shaking. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to keep myself still, but it didn't help. Tears were threatening to escape as the fear of what would happen began to settle in the pit of my stomach.
"You must hurry and leave, Lucy. You haven't much time."
I looked up at the dim lights and noticed a few flashing a bit. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I felt a familiar static in the air around me. Suddenly, I noticed a yellow streak of-what I think was magic-skip across my shoulder.
'She's right, I need to leave.'
Being careful not to wake the others, I got out from under the covers and stood there on the cold wood floor. I looked over to the night stand and grabbed the tiny holster that held my keys. Although they wouldn't be able to help with much, I still felt safer with them around.
"Hurry, Lucy."
Without another moments thought, I ran out of the room and rushed down the hall. Without even stopping to look at any of the guild members, I sped through the front of the guild. I managed to bump into Mira-Jane and she tried to stop me from leaving, but I ignored her and continued running.
'I'm sorry, everyone.'
It was only when I was out of view of the guild that I notice I was barefoot. The rough cobblestone path had cut up the soles of my feet, making it difficult for me to walk without having to wince in pain. I knew that at the pace I was going, I wouldn't make it to the outskirts of the city. I looked down at my celestial keys and reached for one.
"Gate of the Maiden, I Open Thee: Virgo!"
"Time for punishment, Hime?" she stated her usual line whenever I summoned her.
"No Virgo, I need you to take me as far away from the city as possible," I ordered. For some reason, it was getting harder for me to stand and my chest was still feeling constricted. Virgo gave me a concerned look.
"May I ask why, Hime?" she asked with the same stoic expression. I shook my head, unable to answer. My throat was feeling dry and my muscles were beginning to stiffen.
Without badgering about why I was asking her to take me away from the city, she nodded and without much warning, she picked me up and started running at top speed.
In mere moments, Virgo had stopped and set me down. I could feel nice and cool grass through my toes as I took notice of the new surroundings.
"Is this far away enough, Hime?" asked Virgo. We were in a grassy field up on a hill. Only a few feet from me was a lone oak tree. Just behind the tree was an open field with a forest of trees further ahead. With some effort, I managed to move my legs and I walked to the tree. I gingerly placed my hand on the bark and that's when I noticed the view. I stared down from where I stood and it was all of Magnolia. The entire town seemed so tiny from where I was. With some concentration, I could easily find my apartment. Then my eyes began roaming around on their own until they finally landed on their target: Fairy Tail.
"Hime?" Virgo's voice barely reached me at this point. It took me a while to notice that I was actually using the tree to support me. A sudden pang of loneliness began to surround my heart and it felt hard to breath. Tears began to fall down my cheek without me being able to stop them. All I could think about this moment was my guild mates, my nakama. I clenched my teeth in frustration.
"Everyone…"
"Hime?" Virgo called out again. This time, I turned to look at her and judging by her shocked expression, I must have looked horrible. "Hime, what's wrong?" she asked. I closed my eyes and turned away. I grabbed hold of her key and hiccupped as more tears slipped passed.
"I'm sorry, Virgo. Gate of the Maiden: Close."
Second before she disappeared, she had taken a step forward with her arm reaching out to me.
I sank down to my knees as my strength completely failed me. My hands gripped the grass as more tears poured down my face. I was at the point where I was biting my lip just to keep myself from screaming. I kept thinking about what Luciana said and I kept thinking about the outcome of this overflow of magic. Luciana said that it could destroy everything around me. What is it going to do to me? Will I be able to go back to my guild? To my friends?
"To Natsu?"
Luciana's voice startled me as my eyes snapped open.
"What are you saying?" I asked, suddenly feeling my pulse quicken as I thought about Natsu.
"I'm no fool. I can tell you have feelings for the young Dragon Slayer," she stated with sympathy in her tone.
"I-I . . . I don't know . . ." I found myself saying. I suddenly started thinking about all the times I've spent with him. Do I really have feelings for Natsu?
"I've been in love before, so I understand how you must feel. You may not understand now, but your heart does."
"My heart?"
"Yes. Can't you feel it beat quicker when you think of him or when you're near him?"
"I-I . . . I love him?" I questioned, mostly to myself. For some reason, it felt like my heart started hurting at the thought of never seeing him again. More and more tears started to escape me. Are these tears the proof of my feelings?
"You love him . . ." was the last thing she said as her voice began fading away. I raised one of my hands to cover my mouth as I came to the realization of my true feelings.
"I . . . I love him . . ." I clenched my eyes as I cried. Oh how I wanted to run back to the guild. Back to my nakama and back to . . . back to Natsu.
Suddenly, I felt everything pulse as a sudden gut wrenching pain hit me. I fell on my side and clenched the grass. It felt like I was being torn apart from the inside out. I noticed the same magic slip across my arm like before back at the guild. I felt all of my muscles aching as the magic began to overflow around me. I bit my lip until I started to taste blood and then . . . as quickly as it started, it stopped. I could actually breathe normally and all the pain I was feeling was gone. I sat up and looked around me. Everything was still intact. Maybe the pain I had just felt was merely a taste of what was to come. I let out a frustrated sigh and got comfortable as I sat down, staring at the city. The occasional tear would slip down my cheek as I began imagining the others waking up to find me gone. I'd be making the worry again.
Suddenly, I felt a static in the air . . . almost like pressure. At first, I thought it was coming from me and I braced myself for the oncoming pain . . . but it never came. I sat there, waiting for the uncontrollable energy in the silence when I realized that this pressure wasn't coming from me. There was someone else here.
"Lucy Heartfillia," a voice called out. I turned to look over my shoulder and I found two figures standing no more than ten feet away from me. One of them had slightly tan skin and silver hair. The second was much taller and more muscular with darker skin and a buzz cut. The bottom half of his face was covered with a mask which reminded me of a ninja. Dawned on him was a black coat that had the sleeves torn off, revealing his muscular arms covered in multiple scars. He also wore white slacks and black boots. There was also one scar on his face that resembled an X and it was on the side of his head where hair refused to grow.
"Emrick, you say this is the girl who harbors Luciana's soul?" he questioned the shorter figure.
The one named Emrick nodded solemnly and turned to start walking away, muttering one last thing before disappearing.
"You know what to do, Virgil."
Virgil took a step towards me which made me stand and take a step back.
"I don't know who you are or what you want, but you need to get away before I . . ." he interrupted me before I could finish.
"I know all about your 'condition,' Lucy. I'm here to help," he said in a sincere tone. I almost fell for it when I realized something.
"You . . . how do you know my name . . ." I was about to say more, but he cut me off by raising his hand. He lifted one finger and pointed it at me, causing a wave of electric magic to hit me. I've never felt such pain in my life. The pain now doesn't even compare to what I had felt only mere moments ago. I felt myself falling back, all of my muscles cramping at once, the gut wrenching pain was unbearable and my head felt like it was being crushed.
~General POV~
Virgil let his hand fall back to his side as he watched the fallen mage. He would notice her twitch from the surge of electricity he had shot her with.
"Forgive me. You were thrown into something without even asking to. Now because of Fate's design and the mistakes of the past, your life is cut short."
Virgil walked over to the Celestial Mage and knelt down beside her, placing his hand on her forehead.
"May you find peace in the next world," he mumbled as his hand started glowing, ready to unleash another attack that would finish her off. Seconds before he could deal the finishing blow, something grabbed hold of his hand.
"Now is that any way to treat a lady?"
Virgil looked over his shoulder to the one who had stopped him.
"Well, what do you know? If it isn't the king of celestial spirits: The Great Lion, Leo." In a flash, Virgil stood up and jumped back several feet. "A celestial spirit coming to the aide of its master, how touching," he mocked.
"She's not my master . . . she's my nakama," stated Loki. He then crouched down beside Lucy and carefully lifted her in his arms. Sorrow filled his eyes at seeing her in such a state. He gently laid her back down onto the grass and then shrugged off his blazer and draped it over her.
"In all my years, I've never seen a spirit care so much for their master. Tell me, how is it that you are here? I don't believe she summoned you," commented Virgil. Loki stood up, his hair covered his eyes as he clenched his hands into fists. He then looked up at Virgil from the corner of his eye and only one thing came to mind.
"I came here of my own power," he stated, each word dripping with malice in his tone. "And I told you, she isn't my master . . ."
Loki turned to face his opponent as magic covered his fists.
"She's my friend! My nakama!" the orange flames then took the form of a lion's head as his anger began to overflow.
"My, my, someone seems angry," taunted Virgil.
Loki didn't comment. Instead he dashed forward and threw a punch at Virgil, but he merely dodged. Loki threw another punch, but Virgil dodged again. He continued to throw punches, but he wasn't able to land a single hit.
Lucy started to regain consciousness and with bleary eyes, she looked up and noticed Loki fighting off her attacker.
"Lo-ki . . ." Lucy could hardly speak without feeling pain. The pain rattled throughout her body, making any sudden movement unbearable. The electricity that shot through her body never dissipated. It felt like it was running laps throughout her system. Her muscles pulsed, her bones ached and everything else felt like it was on fire. It felt like short electric shocks were ravaging her system, causing her to twitch every few seconds and along with each twitch, came more pain.
"Why did you attack Lucy?" questioned Loki. Virgil looked at him with no expression on his face. Almost as if he didn't understand the question.
"Why?" he seemed to go deep into thought as he tried to find the correct way to answer. He then chuckled slightly.
"What's so funny?"
"You're not even aware of what's happening to your own master . . . I mean, your friend," he stated, humoring the celestial spirit. He then looked at him, at his expression and that's when it hit him. He was well aware of what was happening to Lucy. "So, you do know what is happening?"
"About Luciana? Yeah, I know," he said in a solemn tone.
"Then why stand in my way? You know very well how dangerous Luciana's magic is." This time, Virgil was taken aback by Loki's sudden chuckle.
"Why? Because Lucy is my nakama and I promised her that I would always be there to protect her."
This time, Virgil didn't get the chance to dodge as Loki lunged forward with a roundhouse kick to his jaw. Virgil slid across the ground, but still managed to get back on his feet without a problem.
"Alright, I've had enough of this farce. Clearly you're not planning on backing down."
Virgil appeared in front of Loki in a flash, surprising him. Loki stumbled back as Virgil reached for him, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. Loki noticed electricity bounce off Virgil's shoulder and it was at that moment that Loki knew he had to get away. He tried to kick at Virgil, but he only tightened his grip. Virgil then narrowed his eyes at him and then electricity shot through his arm and into Loki, causing him to yell out in pain. Once Virgil felt Loki's body go limp, he released his grip on him and let him drop to the ground.
"And here I thought you'd be more of a challenge," Virgil stated coldly.
Lucy couldn't stand watching Loki get hurt like this. She tried calling out to him, but couldn't find her voice.
Virgil looked down at Loki with pity. He was merely trying to protect his master . . . his friend. It's a shame that his mission wasn't to take pity on his enemies.
He brought up his arm and pointed up at the sky. Dark clouds began to loom overhead as thunder began to boom. Random sparks of lightning would skip across the clouds, all converging in one spot. Electricity began to form in the palm of his hand until it surrounded his entire fist.
"Iron fist of the lightning dragon . . ." he mumbled as he brought his arm back and started to thrust it forward.
"Ice-make: Shield!"
Virgil sensed the attack and before he could unleash his final blow, he stopped and backed away a couple of feet. In the spot he was standing in only seconds ago now stood a wall of ice separating him and Loki.
Before he could look in the direction of the intruder, he sensed another attack and quickly jumped back again, this time he was further away. A woman with long red hair had jumped down from the sky and landed where he was just standing, creating a crater in the ground. Virgil recognized her in an instant. She wore a peculiar armor with a cheetah print and cat ears with swords in each hand.
"Titania, Erza Scarlet," he said calmly.
He then looked to the wall of ice and noticed another mage. "Gray Fullbuster." Then he turned and noticed a small girl standing near him. "A Dragon Slayer of Wind: Wendy Marvell."
He looked at the three with a sly smile, "Truly, it is an honor to meet the famous Fairy Tail mages.
~With Lucy~
Lucy felt everything start to go numb. She hated this, this feeling of weakness. The fact that she couldn't move and only watch Loki get hurt was more than she could bear.
Virgil was about to deal the finishing blow when she heard Gray's voice in the background. She couldn't decipher his words since everything was starting to sound fuzzy. Then she saw Erza Attack Virgil and Wendy cut off his route of escape.
"Natsu, I found Lucy!" Happy's voice sounded close and she could understand his words. That's when she felt a pair of strong, warm arms gently pick her up.
"Na-tsu . . ." she managed to say.
"Hey Luc, you alright?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. He could tell just by looking at her that she wasn't alright.
"H-Help Loki," she murmured.
"Don't worry, the others are with him," he assured her. Natsu looked up and noticed Gray help up Loki while Erza and Wendy kept their eyes on Virgil.
"Well Lucy, you have some loyal friends," stated Virgil.
No one said anything, instead they watched.
"They remind me of Luciana's Guardians." Virgil smiled and turned to face Lucy. Wendy and Erza tensed and got ready to attack.
"Who are you?" questioned Charla.
"Are you with Eliza and Griffin?" added Erza.
"Don't group me with those two traitors," he spat. He then narrowed his eyes and looked back at Lucy. "Speaking of which, it doesn't seem like Lucy is all too sure of what is happening to her."
Everyone's expression changed. Lucy then felt Natsu's grip on her tighten.
"What does he mean?" she managed to ask. Natsu looked down at her with sorrow in his eyes. He was about to say something when Virgil interrupted.
"It seems your precious nakama have been keeping something from you," Virgil sighed. "You are well aware of the presence inside you, correct?"
Lucy nodded.
"Poor child . . . in order for Luciana to reawaken, she needs an empty vessel, but for reasons unknown, she was reborn inside your very soul. Because of that, her vessel was automatically decided."
"I-I don't understand . . . what are you getting at?" she questioned, more force in her voice.
"You see, Lucy, there is a price . . . the price to remember is to forget. Luciana needs an empty vessel. A vessel free of emotions, dreams, fears . . . and memories."
"Shut-up! Enough of this!" Natsu snapped.
"Stop . . ." Lucy mumbled as shadows covered the expression in her eyes.
"My memories . . . is that what explains all of what has been happening?"
"You're slowly forgetting who you are. Your past, family, hobbies, dreams, fears, friends . . . everything that makes you who you are is fading away. Soon, you'll be nothing more but an empty vessel for Luciana to take over." He stopped to take a deep breath and then sighed, "And it is my duty to make sure she doesn't come back. Luciana cannot be revived if her one and only vessel is dead."
That's when the talking stopped and Erza attacked first, thrusting her sword forward. Virgil anticipated her attack and sneered. He stepped to the side the last second and grabbed Erza's wrist, holding her hostage as he brought up his free hand to her neck as it glowed with electricity.
"Let her go!" demanded Gray.
"I wasn't finished," Virgil chuckled. "It's very rude to attack someone when they're talking." He stopped a moment and looked around to each mage. "I should warn you of one last thing . . . Nora . . . I suggest you group her along with the traitor for she is one herself." Before anyone could say anything, volts of lightning began to shoot down from the dark clouds at random. He then let go of Erza and pushed her aside as he jumped back, taking control of the lightning.
"I'm sorry, Lucy, but I cannot allow you to live." Virgil then redirected the lightning towards Natsu and Lucy. Natsu then picked her up and dodged, almost falling over when he landed.
"Natsu, take Lucy somewhere safe!" ordered Loki as he gained his balance when Gray let him go.
Natsu didn't hesitate as he ran down the hill at full speed, back into the city.
~With Gajeel and Pantherlily~
Gajeel rushed out of the guild once he left the note Levy had left behind.
"Damnit!" cursed Gajeel as Pantherlily tried to catch up to him.
"Don't worry, we'll find her," reassured Pantherlily.
"She shouldn't have gone off on her own, especially after knowing about this."
Pantherlily didn't respond after that. Gajeel was really worried for Levy and nothing he said now would calm the Dragon Slayer down.
They continued down the street as Gajeel tracked Levy's scent. In only a few short moments, Gajeel turned down an alley and that's where her scent ends.
"Looks like she's not here. Let's try looking somewhere else?" wondered Pantherlily.
"No, this is where her scent stops," Gajeel stated.
Pantherlily looked around the narrow alley when something behind some crates caught his eyes.
"Gajeel?"
"What is…" Gajeel stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the object Pantherlily was holding in his paws. It was Levy's hairband.
"I think we should head back and alert the others," suggested Pantherlily.
"Yeah," Gajeel trailed off as a few other scents hit him. When he recognized who they belonged to, his eyes narrowed as his hands became fists.
"What is it, Gajeel?" asked the Exceed.
"I knew it was a bad idea to trust her," he stated with a growl.
"Who?"
"Nora."
~With Lucy~
"Natsu?"
"Yeah, Lucy?"
They had arrived back at Lucy's apartment. Natsu had set Lucy down on the couch while he sat by the window, keeping a look out. Happy sat next to Lucy, watching her.
Lucy didn't look up at Natsu, instead she looked down at her lap.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked as she clenched her hands tighter. He didn't answer, he merely continued to look out the window. "Why didn't you tell me, Natsu?" she questioned again, this time her voice was harsher.
"I didn't want you to worry . . ." he mumbled as he looked down in shame.
"You lied to me, Natsu! I trusted you and you lied!"
"I thought that we could find a way to stop this before . . . before you . . ."
"Before I forget? Before I forget everything?" her voice got louder as her temper rose.
"Lucy, listen…" I cut him off before he could continue.
"Enough!" I stood up, tears already streaming down my face. "I'm tired of this . . ."
"Lucy?"
"I'm tired of being weak . . . of always needing to be saved!" Lucy felt a familiar energy begin to surround her, but she was too upset right now to do anything about it. Natsu noticed too and was trying to calm her down.
"Lu…" Lucy cut him off again as the aura started to surround her in a golden sheen. As her anger grew, her control over Luciana's magic was becoming difficult.
"You could have told me . . . you could have told me, Natsu!"
"Lucy, calm down…"
"No! I hate this . . . I hate this!" she cried out as her hands clutched her head. Happy started backing away from Lucy, suddenly feeling fear from the energy around Lucy. The energy began to glow even brighter.
"I-I hate you, Natsu . . ."
Natsu stood still as he tried to comprehend what Lucy had just said. It was at that moment that time seemed to slow down as the energy Lucy had fought so hard to control slipped passed and was unleashed.
~Nora's POV~
"We trusted you, Nora," Levy spat. We were back at Master's castle. It was mostly in ruin now, so we hid in the underground chambers. Levy was left inside a cell in the dungeon. Griffin had a few chains cuffed on her arms and legs. Loose enough that she wasn't uncomfortable, but not enough that she could reach the bars of the cell. Using my Nullifying Roots, they were spread along the walls of the cell making any kind of escape impossible for Levy.
"I never asked for trust. That was all on you fools," I answered coldly.
"What would you expect? You came to us, claiming to be there to help Lucy!"
"Shut-up, my mission was to protect Lucy, nothing more."
"And what are you getting out of this?"
I looked at the small girl. Her face was badly bruised, one eye was swollen shut. When she woke up, Eliza decided to take it upon herself to relieve some of her frustration. Luckily, Griffin stopped her before she could take her 'fun' further.
"It's none of your business," I stated as I placed a small metal tray next to her containing some bread and a cup of water.
"Gee, thanks," she stated sarcastically.
"Oh shut it, Griffin could have bolted you to the wall, but he gave you nice long chains so you can eat your food."
"I'd rather starve . . ."
"So be it. Just remember, we could have killed you and yet, you're still alive."
"Then why didn't you?" she asked. I was already walking out of the cell when I turned to look over my shoulder.
"Because unlike Eliza, Griffin and I still have our humanity. We don't take lives needlessly."
Crimzon: You guys better be freakin happy about this. This is over 5,000 words long and took me over 5 hours. I thought that since I haven't updated in such a long time, I figured I'd give you a nice long chapter . . . be grateful.
Happy: You seem cranky.
Crimzon: It's two in the morning, what do you expect?
Happy: For you to be more angry?
Crimzon: -glare- . . . just review people!