Chapter Three

Lucy was muttering incomprehensively under her breath. Sometimes her voice would raise to a yelp and then lower to mummers, leaving Virgo and Loke worried. If only they understood her words, they would know what happened to her. Apparently the last magical outburst forced Lucy's unconsciousness and her spirits were left baffled how to take care of her. As night time rolled in, Virgo tried to persuade the lion spirit to return to the celestial world while she remained at Lucy's side but the stubborn spirit refused to leave. He remarked on using his own magic to remain in the Earthland until he knew Lucy was alright. He felt responsible for her condition because he should have known she was pushing herself too far.

And he began to feel a certain dislike for Team Natsu. If only they made her feel important and or showed how strong she was in their team, then she wouldn't be in the middle of nowhere struggling to get more powerful. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in annoyance. Lucy was strong in her own right but after Virgo's question, he couldn't help but feel a looming awareness that things were going to change. Whether the change was positive or negative, he didn't know. However, one fact remained. With power always came trouble. Lucy's power may attract unwanted attention and he had to devise strategies to hide her abilities from other mages.

He sat down crossed legged and gazed at the depths of flames in camp. Each sparkle danced across his shades. He raised a hand to his face and removed his sunglasses before closing his eyes. He pinched the bridge of his noise and inhaled a deep breath. Letting it go, he opened his eyes to see Virgo's blue eyes staring questionably at him. He shook his head at her to indicate he was lost in deep thought.

A flash of light appeared next to him and Loke turned to see Crux floating next to him. The old man gave them a long face before turning his attention to their sleeping mistress. He moved next to the sleeping blond and tilted his head at her. The old spirit put a hand on her forehead and narrowed his eyes. Rising on his haunches, Loke was about to move to Lucy's side when he saw the old man closed his eyes and earnestly began snoring. Virgo smiled while Loke fell face down on the dirt, only missing the fire by a couple of inches.

"Damn old spirit," Loke mumbled as he straightened up into a sitting position. "I thought he could possibly tell us what's wrong with our princess."

Virgo appeared completely unfazed by the Crux's actions. She was aware of how he searched for information because she knew they worked together in the past. Before Lucy, they had another master they shared. Virgo was in charge of defending him while Crux provided information. Even when she did chores, he was reciting information he researched for their master. But that master was never as wonderful as their mistress. Lucy was kind hearted and caring. She showed them more love than their former master. She was sure that Crux felt the similar emotions for their mistress too. He appeared twice, the first time being when he explained the history of magic and this time to check on their mistress' magical reserve.

All of a sudden, the cross opened his eyes. He narrowed his eyes on the limp blond before diverting to Virgo. Loke didn't miss the old spirit's actions and straightened in his seat. There was another flash of light and Capricorn was sitting next to them.

"What's happening?" Capricorn was the one to break the silence. "Why do I feel distress among the three of you."

The old cross and the maid were having a silent communication with each other.

"I don't know," Loke answered him. "The old man was checking her condition when his face turned serious."

"Then we'll have to wait for our answer," Capricorn said. He crossed his arms over his chest. Meanwhile Loke sighed. He was irritated. Again, he had the urge that they weren't alone in the meadow. It was a nagging thought that had been bothering him the past week. Even though they switched campsites a couple of times, the feeling never left him alone. And negative thoughts began swirling in his mind. What if a group of thugs found Lucy and they were waiting to attack her when she was alone and tired? What if someone felt the release of her immense powers?

His last thought was main reason he never left Lucy alone. If he had to return to the celestial world to replenish his magic, he would inform another spirit to stay with her, which Capricorn and Virgo would mostly likely oblige. They, and now Crux, were the only spirits available to willingly open their gates and stay in Earthland with Lucy.

"Lucy's magic is not stabilizing," Virgo said, breaking Loke from his reverie.

"What?" Capricorn was the one to answer before him.

Loke retreated from the fire and walked to Lucy's side. "What do you mean by that?"

"Meaning that Virgo's assumption about Lucy being a Magical Source might be correct," Crux said with a solemn expression.

"I don't get it," Loke said. "If she's a Magical Source, then shouldn't she be powerful?"

"No," the cross replied as he shook his head. "That's not always the case. Do you remember how I told you how a Magical Source don't usually live pass childhood? She's beginning to show the symptoms of one."

Loke's body stiffened while Virgo bowed her head. Capricorn sat rigidly as he stared at Lucy's frail frame.

"What?" Loke questioned completely missing the old spirit's trail of thoughts.

"Didn't you find it strange how she was quickly progressing with her magic? The last release of magic was final toss for her to become in this state." The cross gestured to her body. Lucy mumbled something incoherently before turning restlessly. Virgo placed her hands on Lucy's wrists while Loke moved to grab her feet.

"How do we get her to feel better?" Loke asked.

"We're going to have to wait," the old spirit said with a sad expression. "Her magic has been freed. There is no limit on how much she releases. Think of a facet with running water. Her untapped magic is now running on full blast and the leverage is broken. There is no way to shut off the water and eventually the sink is going to be overflowed. She won't be able to control her magic and she will amplify anyone's magic who comes into contact with her. If she doesn't, the magical energy will suffuse her body and physically wear her down. She will become sick and will die."

"We can't wait!" Loke shouted. He made a move to strangle the floating cross when Capricorn intercepted him. "This is our princess! Her life can be in grave danger! We can't stand by and do nothing!"

"Calm down," Capricorn warned him in a low tone. His hands grabbed Loke's shoulders to keep him in place. "Lucy wouldn't want you to hurt any one of her spirits. Think how devastated she will be if you do."

Loke let Capricorn words settled into his mind before pushing away from the goat man and turning his back on them.

"Don't worry, Capricorn," Crux said. "I understand Loke's reaction."

"What the hell do you know?" Sharply, Loke faced the cross while bearing his teeth. A growl rumbled from his chest. Again, Capricorn stood between the two spirits.

"Loke, what you're feeling is an intense desire to protect our mistress," Crux explained. "The bond you have with her is the strongest bond a celestial spirit can make with their master or mistress."

Loke growled again, not caring for the old spirit's words. "There are many different bonds also known as contracts. The regular one is formed when the celestial mage summons her spirit for the first time and they establish a set of rules. The second bond is when the celestial spirit is handed down from one generation to the next one. The last bond is when the celestial mage is promised to stay with their master or mistress for life. This lifetime of service creates an everlasting effect and grants you more freedom of power to protect her. You have a link to feel her thoughts and emotions, which explains why you've been feeling edgy the past week."

As if Crux's words were like daggers, Loke felt his body growing rigid with realization. His growing urges to protect Lucy, making sure she was never alone, unknowingly scouting the area and making them move their campsite were ways to ensure her safety. Somehow, his feelings were a response to her emotions. Raising his head, he closed his eyes. He tapped into his magical reserves, letting it from his core as a bright light pulsed within him. The magic turned into waves and scattered around the spirits, scanning the environment for any other unknown magical energy. When he felt nothing, he slumped over. Capricorn caught him before he hit the ground.

"I'm sorry for being a jackass," Loke apologized. The cross nodded his head in understanding. "Her emotions are jumbled and I have this nagging feeling to protect her from something out there."

Crux, Capricorn, and Virgo raised their heads at the same time. They scanned the area using their magical energy as Loke did. Then they toned it down.

"Whatever it is, we know we can't leave Lucy by herself," Capricorn admonished.

"And if our princess needs to keep her magic stabilize, then we can take turns feeding from her magical aura," Virgo responded.

Crux smiled fondly at the pinked haired spirit. "My thoughts exactly. After all, she is a celestial mage and we are her celestial spirits. We rely on her magic to remain in Earthland." Then his face turned grim. "However, this proves another fact that our mistress might be a Magical Source."

All three spirits glanced at him. "What is this other factor that proves our princess is a Magical Source?"

The cross took a deep breath before letting it go. He brought a hand to his chin before he shared his facts. "According to the archives of magical sources, a Magical Source is awaken in two different ways. One method is when there is a magical strain put on the user. Another method is if the user comes into contact with a potent opposing force."

"Hmmm..." the goat man appeared in deep contemplation as he stared into starry sky. "The first one sounds like what happen to our lady. But if what Loke is feeling is true, we can't opt the second one."

"Which completely baffles me," Loke said, having the other three spirits glance at him. "If someone is out there, why haven't they attacked yet unless they're waiting for our princess to be alone and defenseless?"

All four spirits warily watched around them, trying to spread their magical senses in the distance and felt nothing. They all slumped their shoulders in defeat when Virgo's voice of reason reached their ears. "We should focus on helping our mistress become stronger." Virgo thoughtfully gazed at the horizon. "Maybe whosever is out there has sensed our princess' power and won't attack because of it. Remember, we can choose to open and close our own gates without being summoned. We can protect our princess when the times comes. Until then, let's keep her magic undetectable as possible so we don't attract other unwanted attention."

All three spirits agreed with her. Capricorn decided he would return to the spiritual world since he needed to replenish his magic for another day of training. Crux decided to stay at Virgo's side to monitor's Lucy's magic. Loke was still hesitant to leave the celestial mage's side.

"Don't worry," Virgo soothed the orange-haired spirit. "I'll watch her like I always do and I will take some of her magic to maintain her aura."

If there was one fact that Loke knew well enough was Virgo was very protective of their mistress. Like him, she appeared at Lucy's side during dangerous situations and saved her or took care of her. He knew Lucy was in good hands. He nodded his head and with a flash of light, he returned to the spiritual world.

Lucy woke up in fright. Her senses were screaming danger. A wail was lodged in her throat. The moment she sat upright, she felt something clasped both her shoulders and she began to struggle in a frenzy. The person applied more pressure on her shoulders and Lucy was beating at the form with her fists.

"Princess!" a voice called to her but her magic was responding to her struggles. A golden glow was casting a halo around her frame and it was getting brighter the more Lucy's fear rose. The weight on her shoulders disappeared and Lucy found herself rolling in the soil. Her back bumped hard against a tree, causing her to scream.

Another golden light flashed beside her, and a figure closed strong arms around her upper body. He slightly lifted her from the ground and brushed golden locks away from her face while murmuring soothing words to her. "My princess, everything is going to be okay," Loke whispered to her. "I promise. We won't let anything happen to you."

Slowly, Lucy was responding to Loke's voice. Her body grew calmer while she let him rock her back and forth. She recognized his voice when he called to her. And Lucy realized that his magic was a little different from her other spirits' magic. His magic had more of a golden light and it was hotter in temperature than her other spirits. Blinking away the excess moisture from her eyes, she started to apologize for her rude behavior. She woke up feeling apprehensive because there was a sinister force following them. When she released a magical wave, a long distance from her, she felt dark magic responding to her.

"I'm so sorry," Lucy replied to her spirits. She was vaguely aware of Virgo standing aside. Capricorn and Crux joined the scene. "I feel something dark is watching us."

"You were right, Loke," Capricorn confirmed Loke's suspicion.

"Then the second fact was what awoken our princess' ability?" Virgo questioned, referring to the two facts that proved what was a Magical Source.

"Yes," Crux answered. Crux hovered near Lucy and when Loke deemed it was okay for her to see the others without breaking down again, he stepped back and allowed Crux to examine her magical reserves. The old spirit put a hand on her forehead and closed his eyes. Lucy eyes darted to Loke, Capricorn and to Virgo. All three of them smiled as they reassured her that Crux's action was nothing unusual. When the cross opened his eyes, he hovered back and grinned. "You're looking healthier."

"Why? Did I miss something?" Lucy asked, completely feeling at loss among her spirits.

All the spirits looked at each other while silently communicating and Lucy looked at them feeling puzzled. Their gaze turned on her, causing her to retreat and divert her attention to the horizon. Loke was the first one to accost her and gently he settled his large hand on her forearm. He pulled her cautiously toward the others and gestured with his hand to sit down. Momentarily, Virgo disappeared to reappear with food and began her preparations. Crux floated on the other side, sitting crossed legged. One hand was under his chin as he looked deep in thought. Capricorn sat next to him.

Lucy fidgeted in her seat, looking extremely uncomfortable among her friends. She acknowledged that grandfather Crux wanted to share some important information with her. But seeing her four spirits socialize made her feel jumpy and she was already in a state of panic.

"Lucy," Loke was the first one to break the silence. She jumped a little from his voice. He put a hand reassuringly on her shoulder while he smiled a little. Lucy forced herself to calm down by remembering to breathe in and out. She smiled shakily at him and the others before letting grandfather Crux tell her some unfortunate news.

Thirty minutes passed where each spirit and Lucy ate something while the spirits explain their observations. Lucy shook her head as disbelief marred her pretty face. "You can't possibly think that I have endless magical reserves. I'm not like Natsu or Erza."

The first approach of disbelief was denial. And grandfather Crux expected the behavior from the golden celestial mage. "You are correct that you're not Natsu and Erza. You are our mistress and believe us when we say your magic is different."

"You have to have felt it with your last magical outburst," Loke tried to confirm her feelings. "Your magical aura went from gold to a white. In all my years serving other celestial mages I have never seen one of them do that."

"He's correct," Crux agreed.

"I too, have never seen something so extraordinary or felt something so powerful," Capricorn confirmed.

"So what do I do?" Lucy burst out in tears and covered her face with her hands to hide her fear. She wanted to get stronger for her friends at Fairy Tail. She wanted to become more independent so the others would never have to worry about her. Instead, she handicapped herself. She had untapped magical power that she couldn't control.

"That's why we are here," the old spirit said. "You may not be able to weave your power into a physical form, but we can. As your spirits-."

"No," Lucy countered. "As my family."

Crux paused and then gulped nervously, completely taken aback with his mistress' claim. "Thank you," he said feeling grateful and blessed to have her as his mistress. "As your family, we will stay by your side and transfer your magical energy into ourselves to keep your magic stable and to keep you undetected from other mages who are looking for someone powerful."

"I can't do that to all of you," Lucy responded with a small child like voice. "All of you have personal lives in the celestial world. I can't take that from you."

Loke wrapped an arm around her shoulder in a friendly gesture. "You call us family and then you shove us away like that. Without you, we won't be able to experience the best of both worlds. Besides, family sticks together no matter what."

For a moment, Loke sounded like Natsu and Lucy couldn't help the ghost of smile that curved on her pink lips. She hugged Loke and got up to hug the others. "Thank you," she said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You're welcome," Virgo responded.

"And remember we're always here for you," Capricorn said.

Then Lucy turned her head to look at Loke. "Okay, what are we going to do?"

"We'll move camp further into the forest," Loke said. Capricorn and Virgo gave him looks of disapproval while Crux remained silent. The other spirits glanced his direction for his suggestion.

"Hmmm... If there is someone watching us, I think it's better to keep moving to an isolated area." Capricorn was about to protest but the old spirit raised his hand to stop him. "Plus, the deeper we are in the forest, the better because we don't want to attract anyone else."

The other spirits thought about the old spirit's suggestion but it was Lucy who responded. "I think that's a great idea." Although Lucy felt frightened of eventually facing a menacing person, whomsoever or whatsoever was out there was going to be in for a fight of their life. Lucy had something that other people wish they had. She had a family to rely on. Maybe fighting with others wasn't such a bad idea after all.

oOo

To say that Acnologia was astonished at the little blonde's resolve was an understatement. The moment she released her magical energy, the power pulsed with enough force that his magic responded and it gave away his location. His magical response caused her body to lapse and she fell unconscious but he was aware she knew about his looming presence.

Should he strike at her now?

A stronger part of him wanted to burst out from his hiding spot and destroy the insects dwelling on his land. And he almost let the dark part of him take over as he felt his body changing into his dragon form. Then logical thought overtook him and he decided to calm the rage surging through his form. He had to lay down and it took all of his control to force each part of his body to return into his humanoid self. The hardest part for him was to turn his hands into their human form since black scales with sharp claws were digging into the earth's soil.

He breathed in the air when he felt less powerful waves search for his existence and he laughed at the puny pests. His magical aura formed around his body like a sheathe and then wavered, letting him know that he would remain undetected until the golden celestial mage conjured her powers once again.

But why did his powers respond to hers?

His eyebrows drew together in concentration as he willed his hands to change from dragon to human form. He clenched his teeth as the muscles rippled in his forearms; his scales turned into the softer and sensitive flesh of a human. He growled in triumphant when his body was completely in his human form. He was able to curb his darker side. Before he attacked the young morsel and decided to chew on her flesh and bones as his prize, he wanted to learn more about her. There was something different about her power. It felt somewhat familiar, yet he couldn't place where he came across it.

He clasped both hands behind his head as he shifted his gaze to the stars. The only peaceful part that remained in his long existence was the stars. They remained constant while he was forced to watch creatures live briefly and then die. Dull nails dug into his scalp and he gritted his teeth as a dark urge beat at him to kill the blond girl. She was a vermin, and like the others, she was going to be selfish, greedy, insolent and arrogant.

But her little actions was contradicting his thoughts about humans. For one, her magic was of pure light. He could feel the love and warmth she felt when she summoned her spirits. From her spirits' reaction toward her, they cared greatly for her. They watched over her day and night, which was why he prolonged his attack. He wanted to see how long they would keep up their charade. And so far he was astonished because her magical outburst tired her but her spirits somehow stayed at her side, which should have been impossible. He couldn't remember facing a celestial mage whose powers were unlimited.

Two, a celestial mage would never allow a spirit to dictate his or her actions. The celestial mage had complete power over his or her spirits and he or she usually abused it. Celestial spirits were treated unfairly and were forced to be subservient no matter what the master or mistress wanted them to do. This blond mage allowed them to do whatever they wanted to her. He watched as a maid spirit took care of her in the night or how they gather around her and talk about her when she was sleeping. During her interactions with them, she never reprimanded for their insolent behavior or physically punished them for their disrespect. While fighting, he could see how she wanted to participate in such an event. He never heard of a celestial mage fighting alongside her spirits.

And lastly, she deeply cared for them and they loved her. Observing them for the past week, he noticed that she was never left alone. They encouraged and supported her during her training. And she was willing to damage her spiritual energy by unleashing most of her power to become stronger so she could support them.

What kind of human would sacrifice her life for others? And her spirits weren't even human. They could live for eternity while her existence was meager.

That was what he hated most about humans. Alone, they were weak and vulnerable. They whined and wished for greater things they could never have. But, she was strong and her wish was made in concern for others, not herself. Her magic consisted of looking after others besides herself. Maybe it was the love that shined through her magic that intrigued him. Maybe it was her complexity, how she defied his every logic of understanding humans that left him baffled.

He would keep her alive and continue to watch her. The golden haired girl was aware of his existence. He could feel her fear drumming at him like a heartbeat. The worry was in her eyes, the way she screamed and struggled against her spirits. Whenever they moved camp, she would be glancing over her shoulder.

He smiled wickedly. Watching her break would be a great amusement for him. Her true colors would eventually show. The worry she held for her spirits would become for herself. And only then would he prove that every human was selfish.

A little girl with short silver hair and light blue eyes glanced fearfully around a room. There was a cot, a toilet and a little mirror. On the other side of the room, there were magical bars that sucked the magic out of a living person. The little girl already was warned not to touch it when a dark cloaked figure pushed her into the room. The little girl didn't know why she was in a cell to begin with. All she remembered was being in bed and her parents crying over her. Then a young teenage girl with long green hair and white eyes entered the room. Her parents were startled and wary of her but one look in their eyes and her parents nodded their heads.

The green head girl moved towards her and with a high pitchy voice introduced herself. "My name is Lena and you're Ruri? Right?"

The little girl slowly nodded her head. There was something strange about the teenager named Lena.

"I'm here on the doctor's special orders to take good care of you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you." The teenager laughed. But then her facial expression changed into a sad one. "But that means you have to say goodbye to mom and dad."

"Why?" the girl cried out, not liking the fact that she had to be separated from her parents. She made them cry with her fragile state. She didn't want to make them sadder by leaving them alone.

"Well, my friend is a special doctor and he has the right medicine to make you feel better unless you want to die and leave them alone."

The little girl glanced from her parents to the strange looking Lena. Her parents never uttered a word to deny or approve Lena's words.

"Your parents are very sad," Lena said slowly as she gestured to her parents. "Don't you want to get better for their sake?"

The young girl nodded her head.

"Well, then come with me and my friend will make you feel like a brand new person." The little girl agreed to go with the green haired teenager. But she never expected to be left in a cell.

All of a sudden the shining bars wavered and a cloak figure appeared in the room. Pale hands rose to remove the hood that covered an extra pale face. The little girl gasped as she found herself looking at a young man with white hair and starry black eyes. A smooth voice chanted words and a strange shapes began to float in the air, filling the cell until of all it was directed towards her. She screamed out loud, calling for her parents but no one besides the dark stranger heard her. With a last gasp, the shapes pressed down on her body, constricting her breathing and she fell into the cot unconscious.

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! Please keep them coming! I love to know what you think! I just can't believe the idea of an Acnologia and Lucy fanfiction is accepted. In the next chapter we see what's going on in Fairy Tail. Maybe Natsu might meet one of the dark cloaked members who are after Lucy. And what will happen to poor Ruri?