A/N: Surprise? I decided to change my update day to Saturday (though this is being uploaded pretty late), and I decided that it was better to make you wait 2 days instead of 9 :D. So I went on a bit of a writing/editing frenzy, and I hope this chapter turned out okay! Enjoy! (More notes at end)
When they were sure that the dark guild had been taken care of, Natsu and Erza went back to where Wendy was watching over Gray and Lucy. The sky dragon slayer had been using her magic to stabilize the two, and was exhausted by the time they got ready to head back to town. Erza picked up Lucy, and Natsu picked up Gray, and they started to walk.
"Sorry to make you work so hard, Wendy. Are you sure you can walk?"
"I'm fine! You shouldn't worry about me." Erza nodded and they walked at a brisk pace back to the guild hall.
They managed to get back to Fairy Tail by sundown. Lucy and Gray were both placed in the infirmary, and Porlyusica was summoned once again to treat the pair. Makarov came into the infirmary as well, and got a report of what happened from Natsu, Erza, and Wendy. However, the trio had little to say, because they weren't present when the fight happened. All they knew was that Lucy and Gray were beat up by the time they got there. The old healer worked silently as she ran her diagnostics and gathered the required potions. When she was done, she addressed Makarov and the rest of Team Natsu.
"Gray suffered from magic deficiency, but thanks to Wendy's magic, he's recovered pretty quickly. He's just exhausted now. He should be up soon." Makarov nodded, but his eyes darkened. He was anticipating what the woman would have to say about Lucy.
"About Lucy. As far as I can tell, she seems to be fine. Just suffering from some exhaustion, like Gray."
"Wait, really? What happened then?" Erza turned as she heard groaning from the far side of the room. She rushed to Gray's side as he woke up.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I think. Just really tired." The group gathered around his bed, relieved that he was fine. However, curiosity filled the air after a brief moment. Makarov cleared his throat.
"So, Gray. Could you tell us what happened with you and Lucy earlier?" Gray thought in silence for a minute, before straightening himself up a bit in the bed.
"We got in through the door pretty easily, but it there was a trap in the room. Drained the magic out of me. Seemed to affect Lucy, too. Dunno why, I thought she didn't have magic. But right when those dark guild bastards came in the room, Lucy's body glowed in freakish light, and she zoned out. This goat and some other guy came and beat up all the bastards. Then I blacked out." Gray shrugged as he finished. Natsu, Erza, and Wendy were all shocked at the story, but Makarov and Porlyusica closed their eyes and nodded slightly, as if they knew something.
"Just as I thought." Natsu raised an eyebrow at the old woman.
"You knew of this?" Erza asked. Porlyusica nodded again, and looked at the rest of the group.
"When I checked on the girl when you first brought her, I found a magic seal inside of her. It inhibited both her memories and her ability to use magic. That seal was also why Wendy couldn't heal her. It was designed to reject any and all magic used on it. However, it seems that this magic-draining trap managed to suck the seal out of Lucy. Her powers were thus reawakened, and she saved them both." Makarov silently nodded, already aware of everything the healer just said. Erza held a hand to her chin as she thought.
"Then... her memories must have returned as well?"
"Probably. However, it seems that the sudden changes in her body exhausted her for the time being. We'll have to wait until she wakes up to be sure. So for now, everyone leave! No more disturbing the patients! Gray, you still need to rest for the night! Go to sleep!" Porlyusica barked at the ice mage before chasing everyone out of the infirmary.
Gray smiled at the sight of the healer shoving everyone out, but obediently settled back into his bed. However, he couldn't bring himself to sleep right away. He spent some time thinking about what he had seen just hours earlier. Who is Lucy, exactly? What are her powers? And who were those two? That goat and... that guy... I swear, he looked like... Loke? What is going on? He shifted in his bed a bit to look at the sleeping blonde in the next bed over. For the most part, she looked like she was sleeping peacefully. However, she grimaced every now and then. Must be having some rough dreams. Gray sighed and got himself more comfortable to sleep. He knew that when Lucy woke up, all would be revealed.
The next morning, Gray woke up and looked around. Lucy was still asleep, and other than the two of them, the room was empty. Feeling rather refreshed, he got up and went to the nearby washroom. When he left, he noticed Wendy running down the hall. She stopped in front of Gray, and caught her breath after a brief moment.
"Good morning! Sorry for not being there when you woke up, but I wanted to say bye to Carla. She's going out with Happy and Lily to meet the other Exceeds. They said that the trip would take a while, so we wanted to say our goodbyes. I was coming back to check on you!" Gray stretched his back.
"I'm fine. I'm just going out for some food. Lucy's still asleep though."
"Oh. Well, Mira-san's already got some food ready, so you can go see her. I'll stay behind to watch Lucy for a bit." Gray nodded and walked out to the bar. He ate for a while in silence, before Natsu and Erza joined him at the table. They made some small talk, but Wendy called to them after a short amount of time.
"Guys! Lucy's awake! She wants to see you and Master!" They all immediately got up, and after informing Makarov, the group made their way into the infirmary.
Lucy was sitting in her bed, an unreadable expression on her face. That worried everyone as they filed in the room. When she noticed them approaching, however, she twisted her mouth into a smile.
"Morning, guys."
"Morning. How you feeling?" The room had a certain tension to it. Everyone wanted to know what Lucy would say.
"I feel fine. Great, actually. And.. you all probably know why I wanted to see you. There's a lot to say, so you might want to get comfortable." Everyone nodded and sat in either a chair or on Gray's nearby bed. Lucy cleared her throat and began speaking.
"First of all, let me introduce myself again. I am Lucy Heartfilia, the Celestial Envoy." Everyone stared at her in confusion. She shifted a bit uncomfortably under their gazes.
"The Celestial Anvil? What's that?" Natsu scratched his head in confusion.
"Envoy, not anvil, you dolt." Gray slapped him behind the head, and Natsu glared back, but didn't retaliate further. Lucy lightly laughed.
"I'm here on behalf of the Celestial Spirit King to monitor Earthland's condition." Makarov leaned forward.
"This brings up many questions. This means you are from the Celestial Spirit World, correct? Are you a Celestial Spirit, then?" Lucy shook her head.
"No, I'm actually just a human, like you all. It's a bit of a complicated story. It's pretty much that when I was young, I was orphaned, and taken in by the Celestial Spirit King. During my time in the Celestial Spirit World, I learned my magic, and became friends with the spirits. I now spend an equal amount of time in both worlds."
"Could you elaborate on your power?" Gray spoke up this time.
"When we got attacked back there, I noticed two other guys save us. And one of them looked... familiar." Ignoring the confused looks of the others, Lucy nodded.
"You weren't mistaken." She held up her hand, and golden light faintly shrouded her palm. "Loke." In a chime and a flash of light, a young man wearing tinted glasses materialized next to the bed, near Lucy. Everyone in the room gasped, and Loke gave a sheepish smile.
"Hey guys." Everyone's jaws dropped as the truth dawned on them. Makarov, however, remained silent.
"You're a Celestial Spirit!? But you've been posing as a mage of Fairy Tail for so long!" Natsu grabbed Loke's shoulders and stared into the other's eyes.
"Uh, yeah. About that." Loke was obviously uncomfortable explaining himself, so Lucy took over.
"He's always liked hanging out in Earthland. He actually had an owner, a Celestial Spirit Mage, but an accident happened. He was banned from coming back home for a while, but I managed to convince the king to let him back. He must've stayed with you guys for that time. Oh, and he's been 'absent' a lot more recently because he's been helping me out." Makarov closed his eyes in thought. He nodded to himself as he remembered the conversation he had with Loke back then.
Makarov settled in more comfortably in his chair, his facial features softening.
"Try me." Loke nodded, and after a moment of silence, he began.
"First of all, I'm a Celestial Spirit. Y'know, those star spirits from the Celestial Spirit World? Yeah, I'm Leo, leader of the 12 Zodiac Gates." The master's eyes widened.
"Fascinating. But, why are you here then? And what does this have to do with Lucy?" Loke shrugged at first.
"I just like hanging out here with you guys. It's fun. And Lucy's a friend. She's from the Celestial Spirit World too."
"So she's a spirit, too?"
"Well... no. Her past's a bit complicated." Makarov's flashback was interrupted when Erza asked Lucy a question.
"But is it not dangerous for a spirit to stay in Earthland for too long?"
"Well, yes, but Loke is Leo the Lion, leader of the 12 Zodiac Gates. He's tough enough."
"Heh, sorry for hiding it for so long. And I'm glad you got your memories back. We all are. But.. can you do the rest of the explaining? I've got some stuff to do."
"Sure. I'm going back soon, too. See you soon!" Loke nodded and disappeared in another flash of light. She turned back to face the rest of the mages in the room, and processed their still-stunned faces. Makarov, however proceeded to question Lucy.
"So you're a Celestial Spirit Mage? Your powers are a bit different though, yes?" The blonde nodded in response.
"My powers are similar, but unlike most Spirit Mages, I don't need keys to summon spirits. My connection with the spirits is a bit more... direct. So I don't have to obey the contract system. I can also open a gate to allow myself to and from the Celestial Spirit World. I can also fight by using my magic to enhance my strength, but I mostly rely on summoning." The master nodded at this.
"And could you elaborate more on this mission the Celestial Spirit King sent you on?" Lucy's eyes darkened.
"In the Celestial Spirit World, we noticed that the amount of magic has been decreasing. In terms of Earthland time, I'd say that this has been going on over the last year. I've come to Earthland to investigate and see if any noticeable changes have taken place here. I've got some leads on what's going on actually, and I'll have to go to the Celestial Spirit World to talk about it with the king." Natsu jumped out of his seat.
"Great! When do we go?" Lucy blinked.
"W-what?"
"I wanna help out!" Lucy lightly laughed.
"Thanks, but it's fine. There are a lot of technicalities with gaining entrance to the Celestial Spirit World. And there's no fighting involved, so I'll be fine on my own." Natsu pouted, but sat back in his chair.
"Actually, I should probably go later today. A lot has happened, and I need to keep everyone up to date. But first, I'd like to eat something. I'm hungry!" Everyone nodded, a few chuckles here and there. The group filed out, and Lucy got a plate of food from Mira. Over breakfast, however, Makarov continued his little interview.
"Lucy, one more thing, before you leave."
"Yes?"
"Do you remember who sealed your memories and your magic in the first place?"
"Oh.. It was a woman. I honestly don't know that much about her. She just suddenly attacked me when I was traveling in the area. I got knocked out, I think, and she managed to seal me then. I haven't seen her since, though. But I imagine that those things that attacked me in the kitchen a while back were from her." The old man looked grim, but nodded and left Lucy alone after that.
After Lucy finished eating, she went outside to have a little space to move. There, she met her teammates and a number of other guild members that game to see her off. She smiled and fought back her sadness at leaving.
"Well, I'm off now. I'll be back sooner or later, I promise." She exchanged hugs with some members, including Erza, Wendy, and Mirajane. Natsu and Gray only nodded at her, smiling.
"We'll miss you, that's for sure." Makarov walked up to her.
"Remember, you always have a home to return to at Fairy Tail." Lucy nodded vigorously, and turned before anyone could see the tears threatening to well up in her eyes. She spent a total of less than a month here, but she had grown so fond of everyone. She steeled her resolve, mentally stating that she had more important things to worry about, and that she would be back before she knew it.
She sighed and held her hands up. She concentrated her magic, and within a few seconds, golden light enveloped her body. Soon after, she flashed out of sight, leaving the mages alone in a crowd outside the buliding.
When she landed in the Celestial Spirit World, she felt relieved. Everything looked the same as it had been before. She caught sight of a number of spirits rushing towards her, with Loke and Virgo taking the lead. She laughed and had a happy reunion with her many friends, and spent a few minutes catching up. They all stopped, however, when the Celestial Spirit King appeared before Lucy.
"How are you, old friend?" Lucy smiled.
"I'm fine, thanks. I have a report to give, actually. A lot happened on Earthland." The king nodded.
"Come, tell me everything."
"Oh, but first, where are the others?" She noticed that some people were missing from the group reunion, and she wondered where everyone was.
"They're out on business. You'll meet them all soon enough."
"Oh, okay." She sighed. Guess I'll have to meet him later. She shook her head from its thoughts, and looked up again at the Celestial Spirit King.
"Anyways, let's talk about my report of Earthland."
A/N: So an important plot element gets revealed this chapter, and this is also the point where the story really starts to show its divergence from canon. I rushed writing/editing this, so I apologize if anything confuses you! I'll try to clarify any questions you may have asap.
Important note: I thought it over a bit, and I've decided to make a pretty big change that isn't explicitly mentioned in the chapter. In this universe, there is no time difference between Earthland and the Celestial Spirit World. It just works out better for explaining Lucy's past. And since there's a possibility a good portion of the story will take place in the CSW, things would get too confusing if we also had to keep track of the time difference. So for the sake of simplicity, I've decided to make time flow the same way in both dimensions. Hope you understand!
Well, I'm around the point where I get scared that my story will get too freaky xD. There's still a bit more to reveal, so I hope you guys stay interested! Thanks for reading!