Hello everyone!

This is the thirteenth chapter! It's a bit special because the number of the total Zodiacs so I hope this one is really interesting. New characters are introduced! And there's an important history lesson in for this story. I want to thank everyone who loved and kept supporting this story. I'm so happy reading your reviews! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Oh, there's a song used here that came from another anime/manga. I hope some of you had watched Pandora's Hearts. If not, search "Lacie's Melody Everytime You Kissed Me" to know the tone of it. I really like the melody and couldn't help but use it here.

Without further ado, read and enjoy!

Thirteenth Wish:
To Understand

. . . * . . .

There is nothing more that could defile a Celestial's honor
Than a promise left unkept

. . . * . . .

"Please, promise me that you won't fall in love with someone."

Loki looked at her with serious and determined eyes. Lucy never knew that he could actually make that expression. He was always a playful and carefree spirit. He would always have a smile on his face even when he's angry or sad. That was Loki, an uncanny god who would always hide his real intentions behind a smiling mask. So seeing this side of him surprised her more than she had expected.

He was never the type to show sincerity. She knew how serious the request of this for him.

"Loki . . ." she looked at him sadly.

"Please . . . If you do so, I will at least be relieved" he told her.

She held his wrist and pushed his hand away from her arm gently. "I'm sorry . . . I can't promise you that."

His eyes widened in shock. This was not the answer he was expecting. She was the kind of girl who would grant everyone's request at the best of her abilities. If she said that . . . then that means . . .

"Are you in . . . love?"

She shook her head. "It's not that"

Now he was confused. "Then why? Why can't you promise it then?"

"Isn't it obvious? I don't want to make a promise I'm not sure I can keep" she told him, a matter of factly.

"You're planning to fall in-love?" his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Lucy, you know what happens to gods who fall in love, right? You know what happened to Ares and –"

"I know. To love a mortal is a god's bane. The other goddesses already stressed that to me very much" she cut him off. "That is why I wish to understand it. What is love? Why would it cause sadness if it's supposed to bring happiness? Why hold on to it when it causes so much pain? Love brings out life but it also calls for death. . . I want to understand it" she looked up into the sky.

"Maybe in the process of my search. . . I might fall in-love. That is why I can't guarantee it to you. I want to understand it myself."

He stared at her. Her eyes were closed as she let the cold winds go through her, welcoming the breeze. The expression she held was soft and melancholic.

"Lucy, you wanting to learn about love is similar to a moth attracted by fire. Don't delve too much into it or you'll get burned."

She looked at him curiously. "If that is the case, why are there many gods and goddesses who still fall in love with mortals? You keep saying it's no good but you also keep visiting the human world to meet up with girls . . ."

"Wha-!? This and that are diff –"

". . . Ares died because he fell in love with a human girl, and so are the others. . ." she continued on, not listening to him.

"Yeah, and that's why you should learn from their experience! Look at Ares! Even with the core system, the Ares that we know had died. Now, he was only Aries!"

". . . And also Esha . . . she left us for a human because of love . . ." her gaze held a far-away look from them, as if lost in a distant and melancholic past.

Now he understood. The reason why Lucy wanted to come to earth, it wasn't simply because she wanted to keep a promise nor was it because she wants to see the humans for herself. There was a much deeper reason.

". . . Is this about Esha?" he asked.

She smiled at him.

"Lucy . . ." it was painful seeing that expression on her face. She was smiling, but he knows that there was only emptiness behind that mask. It was an emptiness he could never fill nor reach and he hated it.

"You know that she betrayed us, right?"

That smile didn't falter, it won't. Lucy had that same stubbornness as him when it comes to hiding one's emotions. Now that he thought about it, maybe she picked up that habit from him. But unlike him . . .

Her eyes give all her emotions away.

"Ehehe. I guess" she tried to laugh it off but he could clearly see the sadness in her eyes. If only he could remove it himself . . .

But he can't. And it's all because of her.

"I want to understand . . . this 'love' that would make her go against the Golden Law . . ."

,*,

A girl around her early teens was running around the forest carrying a bag full of scrolls, herbs and phials. Her long dark blue hair tied in high twin-tails swayed with the wind as she continue to throttle on the forest path as the items she were carrying in her rattled and jump on every step she took.

"Wendy~! Wait up!" A white cat dressed in a frilly red shirt and blue skirt ran behind her by jumping between the trees. The pink ribbon laced around her tail swayed beautifully behind her back. It was almost like she was flying with her gracefulness as she moved nimbly from branch to branch soundlessly.

The girl stopped short as she looked up at her partner. "Carla! We need to hurry! I think I found the cause of the epidemic around the town!" She had just finished gathering medicinal plants and had studied a bit on the remaining spare time. She had identified traces of Fimorian's poison as she researched on the sample water of the Nuada River.

Carla stood up above her, she crossed her arms. "And you plan on telling the master? Do you really think that she will help you mix-up some medicine? You know how much she hated humans."

"Ugh . . ." Wendy paled as she remembered that, a sweat forming on her cheek. Her master was a very cold and cranky woman. She gets especially hot-tempered when "humans" are mentioned in front of her. Though, she didn't really get that part because she washuman too.

"M-Maybe . . . she'll understand if we explain . . ?" she tried to think positively despite knowing the outcome. After all, she was just an apprentice. She couldn't make a healing concoction by herself. So she had to try to get as much assistance as possible.

Her friend only sighed at that. "There is no way she'll listen to us!"

"There's nothing wrong with trying!"

So they still went to their master and her friend was right . . .

"GET OUT OF HERE! IF YOU WANT TO HELP HUMANS THEN GO HELP THEM YOURSELF!" the old woman yelled as she threw them out of her door. "I HAVE ENOUGH JUST HAVING YOU INSIDE THE HOUSE!" she threw their stuffs at them.

"M-Master?" Wendy's eyes were as wide as saucer plates with tears at the corner as she clutched her things. Well, it wasn't everyday that she got thrown out of the house.

Carla was face-palming. "I knew this would happen . . ."

The doors slammed open again, revealing the cranky old woman whom they call "master". She had long pink hair tied to a bun although she looked like she was already in her 80's or 90's. She thought that she was dyeing her hair with that unusual color although she never said that out loud. Her master's preferences were none of her business.

She was carrying a broom. They gulped. "You're still here?"

Both children paled as they took a step back.

"JUST GET OUT ALREADY!"

And with that, Wendy and Carla ran out of their home as the old woman brandished her broomstick at them.

. . .

"I told you, we shouldn't have meddled with the human's affairs" Carla told her for the umpteenth time as her friend continued to cry, carrying all the stuff. "But . . . but . . ."

The white cat sighed. "Well, don't worry too much. It's not like you were born there, we can just find a new home" she told her.

"But . . . I . . . I like her . . ." Wendy mumbled. She was actually an orphan. She doesn't have a place to live or a family to stay with. She used to travel from town to town to beg for money when she stumbled upon this forest and was found by her master. Her master might be a temperamental woman but she knew she was kind deep inside. She gave her a home to stay, clothed her, and she taught her medicine and letters. She kinda grew into her from the past years they spent together. It felt like she had gain a mother (. . . uh, well, a grandmother in this case).

And that said mother had just kicked her out.

She wanted to cry but she held it in. "Uuhh. . . What do I do now?"

Carla blinked as she looked at the things Wendy was carrying. "Hey, isn't that?" she pointed at her bag. She looked behind her and found books she haven't read or seen before. It wasn't one of the books she was given on the days they spent together. "What's this?"

Carla gave a rueful smile as she sighed. "Pfft. That woman . . . she's too prideful to go in such a round-about way . . ." she laughed as she understood.

Wendy looked questioningly at her. "What do you mean?"

She smiled at her friend. "Don't worry. She won't admit it, but she gave us consent to help. Can you see these books? She expects you to make a medicine with the help of these. She doesn't want to help since she always said she hated humans, but it's fine if it's you. So don't worry about going back. I'm sure that as soon as were done helping humans, we can return home by apologizing."

Wendy considerably brightened up at that. "Then she's not angry?"

She put her paws on her hips. "Well, she's not as angry as she wants us to think."

"Yay!" with that her friend cheered.

That was when she noticed a girl around her age, she had long wavy blonde hair and sharp eyes the color of emerald. She was wearing an airy dress as white and light as a dove's feather. She was walking away from the forest path with her bare foot.

Wendy panicked. "U-Umm ano! Miss! Don't go over there! That place is dangerous!" she shouted at her. She remembered the warning of her master not to go to that place. A few days ago, they had found a huge crater that came out of nowhere. There used to be an abandoned house there, but now it was just a huge hole as if an asteroid had hit it. Whatever landed there left a strong spiritual energy that attracted different kinds of Spirits; strong and dangerous Spirits might be in there. Not to mention, the kingdom's royalties seemed interested in it as she saw imperial soldiers guarding the place. All of them were no longer there though, since they started to catch different diseases or experience misfortunes. They had retreated back to the palace.

The blonde girl stopped at her track to look at her. She smiled. "Why, hello there! Where are you going with so much luggage at your back?" her emerald eyes scanned the things she was carrying then moved to the white cat who was looking at her suspiciously.

"A-um . . . I was . . . I . . ." Wendy looked down, not sure where she was going.

"Hmmm . . ." the blonde girl closed her eyes as she listened to the rustling of the winds. "I see. If you went down this path, you will meet a young man. He will help you out on your quest."

"Huh?" Wendy looked at her curiously but she was only answered back with a smile. "Well, then. I have to get going. We'll meet again if Fate allows us . . ."

"Eh? You're still going there? But it's dangerous! It's swarming with mischievous and powerful Spirits!"

"Don't worry about me. I'm a priest. This level of spirit energy won't affect me" she said as she turned her back. They may seem like they were around the same age, but this girl exert a different kind of aura around her. Although she was hiding it, Wendy felt for a brief instance the bright and divine energy she have.

Then the girl was gone, disappearing behind the trees.

"What was that about? She's suspicious" Carla told her. "Eh? Really? She seemed nice" she told her friend. "Wendy, your problem is that you are too trusting on people . . ." Carla sighed.

.*.

"Are you serious? You mean you found more of those Noden's fishes!?" Romeo brightened up.

"Yup! I saw giant fishes on the distant bay of Noden's sea. But are you sure, Romeo? They look dangerous" one of the fisher folks told him.

"There's no doubt about it! The moment those people ate up the delicious fish he brought, they healed up tremendously! My child stopped having a fit every night!" a villager confirmed.

"But my wife was swearing that she saw a fairy, it was her who healed them" another one said.

"Oh come on! Do you really believe that? They're sick so it must be her hallucination. Do you really believe in fairies?"

The men continued on their argument. Meanwhile, Romeo just looked determinedly at the sea. "Just you wait, I'll heal everyone up!"

He went with the fishermen as they got ready to depart and catch some fimorians.

.*.

In the central city of Magnolia kingdom was the Great Temple. It was built by the first king of this country in commemoration for the gods and goddesses of the celestial realm. Its walls were made of white marble inlaid with gems of different sorts. The floor was polished and waxed to the point you could see your own reflection on it like the dark waters of a calm lake at evening. The oak doors were intricately designed with precious metals and gems. The windows were mosaics that portray the legends of heroes and kings. The grandness of it would have rival the main castle itself.

In the grand hall, which was five stories high, stood the towering statuses of the celestial gods and goddesses known by man. From minor celestials, which were twice as tall as men, up to the Twelve Celestials of the high heaven, whose statuses were as tall as the circular hall, their heads almost touched the ceiling that was made to look like the sky above. All of The Twelve were sitting on their own thrones that stood on each end of the twelve pointed star that was painted on the dark marble ground. The other statues of minor gods stood in a circular pattern throughout the hall like knights of heaven themselves.

Each of them have their own offering fire but the hearth at the center of the star was the biggest. That was the place where they burn their offerings as they sing their hymns for the gods. There were stairs that would lead them to the mezzanines that reached up to the third floor. Only the higher ranks of the order were allowed to climb up there.

On the highest floor was a young woman singing a melancholic song. She was a beautiful lady with long eyelashes, plump red lips, and long silky hair the color of midnight that falls into curls behind her back. She was wearing a long white dress underneath her dark purple cloak whose linings were made of golden threads. Symbols were woven at the sleeves and rims of her dress. A golden headdress with black and red jewels that gleamed faintly lay on top of her long dark hair. Two golden crescents were pinned on both sides of her temple. Large golden rings pierced at her ears.

"Roses die, the secret is inside the pain

Winds are high up on the hill, I cannot hear you

Come and hold me close, I'm shivering cold in the heart of rain

Darkness close, I'm calling for the dawn"

The woman was singing in a sad yet sweet voice, as if she was longing and waiting for someone. Her hands clutched at her chest as she stared at the grand view of the kingdom outside the large window.

"Silver dishes for the memories for the days gone by,

Singing for the happiness, tomorrow may bring

I harbor all the old affection, roses of the past

Darkness close and summer will be gone"

Behind her, a young girl wearing similar clothing approached. The woman paid no heed at her as she continued to sing the melancholic yet beautiful melody.

"Joys of the daylight, shadows of the starlight

Everything was sweet by your side, my love

Ruby tears have come to me, for your last words

I'm here just singing my song of woe

Waiting for you, my love~"

"You're still singing such songs inside the temple," the young girl told her in a scolding manner. The songs inside the temple should only be of hymns, offerings and prayers to the Celestials to please their ears. They may sing of verses that spoke of prophecies and legends but that was all. Singing such mundane songs that spoke of worldly desires was tainting the peaceful and divine silence of the halls.

The young woman opened her golden eyes and looked at the blonde girl behind her. "Oh Mavis, let this one slip. It's a love song for a certain goddess" she smiled at her.

The girl with long wavy hair looked at her with serious emerald eyes. "Don't lie. I know that it's a song from one of the plays performed on the village theaters."

"What, really?" the woman acted surprised. "To think that you would watch such dramas . . . little Mavis is growing up. You used to lock yourself in the library. Anyway, I didn't lie. I found that song quite fitting."

"Oh, please, don't exaggerate. I like reading books but I don't lock myself in the library. I like talking to people. And don't mix up worldly songs with the Celestials."

"Why do you have to be so tight?" she pouted.

"You know I'm only this tight to you. You're the High Priestess of the Moon. At least perform your duties and set up an example."

The woman huffed and crossed her arms. "I don't want to hear that from you. You are the High Priestess of the Stars but you didn't even show up at the Ceremonial Blessing for the princess's wedding."

Mavis sighed. "I have no time for such stiffing ceremonies those royals loved to do. Yukino is more than enough to perform it. Besides, I found something of more important matter. You sensed it too, right? There was an abnormality in the air. The spirit flow of earth was disturbed. I went to check out the source but couldn't find a trace of it."

The woman had stopped being playful and turned to look at her. Golden orbs met with emerald ones. The woman then smiled and leaned on the window sill. "Huh. So it really was her?" she was amused. To think that the Fate would give us such great blessing, I wonder what She was up to now.

"So you know something," Mavis probed on. This woman knew a lot of secrets even she had no access of, she would have known what was going on. The future Mavis saw was somehow foggy.

The Priestess of the Moon only looked outside in thought. She knew that a certain goddess was out there inside the kingdom. "Hey, do you want to hear a story?"

"What is this now?" Mavis sighed. Are you changing the topic?

She continued on without a care for her thoughts. "In the beginning, before the dawn of gods, there was only chaos. . ."

"Are you telling me the Tale of Dawn? I know that already, even children know that. There was Chaos and darkness, nothing else. But then out of Chaos, Order was born. The darkness was empty so Order decided to form other beings. First, he created the primordial gods and goddesses; they would be his fellows who would help him with creation. And from them, they created Celestial Spirits who in turn created worlds, and from those worlds, us humans were finally born" Mavis finished for her.

" . . . Well that was the simplified version of the humans, I guess. But you're right on the most part except it wasn't Order that created the other gods. He's the so-called "King" but he's not the one who started the creation, it was the Great Flow" the Priestess of the moon told her.

Mavis frowned. "The Great Flow is the system of the universe. It reacts on the wills of the gods. The Order willed it so the gods were born."

"Tut tut. That's correct in a way, but even gods and goddesses have certain jurisdiction on which they could control. You can say that the Great Flow have a will of its own. The Order was just there to command the others."

"So, you mean the Celestials were born just because the Great Flow willed it? Why?"

The priestess looked at her with bright golden eyes. "Because the Darkness was lonely," she told her a matter of factly.

"Hah?" Mavis looked at her incredulously. "Are you kidding me? You're saying darkness willed the creation of others?"

"It's true. Well, I guess it's a surprise since men had always associated darkness with destruction" she shrugged at it. "Darkness always swallows up everything, so you can say that you have a point. But even Darkness had another side."

"Is it the Light?" Mavis guessed.

The priestess smiled. "Correct! Gods and goddesses are perfect beings. They both have sides that were opposite of each other for balance. As there was Order in Chaos, there was Light in Darkness" she explained, opening her arms wide.

"So where is this conversation going?"

The Priestess smiled widely. "The Order was made King of Heaven because he made the rules of Heaven in accordance to the will of the Great Flow. He's the leader that everyone should follow. However he had a rival in power as they were both beings born before the Dawn. If the King had jurisdiction over the Celestials, the other one had the power to change the Will of the Great Flow!"

The Priestess of the Stars frowned. She felt the conversation was turning to somewhere dangerous. "So you're saying the Darkness was stronger than the King himself?" Having control over the Great Flow was the same as having control over the universe. To say that there was someone stronger than the King of Heaven was blasphemous.

She shrugged again. "Who knows? It's not like the King can't command the Great Flow. He too could affect the Great Flow with his will. I guess they have about equal power? They never really had a fight to know who was stronger."

"Darkness . . . never fought against Order?" somehow, Mavis found that hard to believe. Darkness and Chaos always intertwined with each other.

She smiled. "Why they never fought, you ask? It's because the other one was locked and hidden away by the King to maintain Order. To keep Darkness at bay, he drew out the Light to guard it. To do that, she had to lock herself up in her own Darkness, unable to be free and escape from herself. Isn't that unfair?"

Mavis took a step back. "Watch your words. You're starting to sound blasphemous."

"Oh its fine, it's not like I was blaming the King or something. Heaven struck me if that's what I meant. I'm a High Priestess after all. I just found the story of that Celestial pitiful," she told her nonchalantly. "Compared to the other gods, the Light was a peculiar Celestial because the nature of Light and Darkness just clashes at each other. Their very wills were different. So the Light was like a separate persona of Darkness, and she continues to keep it at bay."

"Alright, I'll like to read the text you got this tale from" Mavis told her, she had never found that passage in all the books she had ever read in her life. Not even the great library had that kind of knowledge.

"You can't. This part of the story was not known even by some celestials so it's no wonder that you will not find it in scriptures of men" she told her.

She doesn't look like she just made it up. Mavis had taken her words cautiously. "Then where did you get this information from? You said that not even celestials should know of it. Why did you even tell me this story?"

The woman smiled slyly as she put a finger on her lips. "It's a secret~ I just told it to you out of boredom. I just remembered that tale since something interesting came up."

"Wicked as always, I see. You always seemed to know things you shouldn't know."

She laughed. "I guess. I shouldn't have known about that. But I have my own way of doing things~"

Mavis hated this side of hers, always hiding her intentions with that twisted smile. She never knew what she was thinking or planning to do. She was one of the people she couldn't read. "Your title fits you. Just like the moon, you would change phases, hiding a part of yourself in darkness."

"I'll take that as a compliment. My role is to work behind the shadows after all. You're the one who has to face the public and work under the light, Priestess of the Stars, Mavis Vermillion" she continued to smile at Mavis.

Her emerald eyes stared with cold indifference at the young woman with long black wavy hair and golden eyes. "It maybe is. But I do hope that you won't step out of your boundaries, Priestess of the Moon, Asha Mordane."

. - . - .

. . . * . . .

End of Chapter!

New characters appeared! The two high-priestess, Mavis Vermillion and Asha Mordane, what would be their roles in this story? Romeo was catching the Fimorians with the other villagers! Wendy began her adventure together with her partner Carla. What future awaits all of them!?

Next chapter is Natsu's side.

I want your reviews! lol. Just kidding. Feel free to do as you like.

Have a good day!