Discalimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, all rights go to Hiro Mashima.
Lucy's POV
Having collected all of my things, I was now back at the guild's infirmary, guilt creeping up on me. Sting stirred, and I ran up to him.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" I asked, worried.
"Just fine, Blondie. Nothing can kill the Great Sting" He replied weakly, yet confidently. I held his hand, and rested my head on his chest.
"Hey… When I come back… I have something I need to tell you…" I whispered.
"Huh? What…? Are you going back?!" he exclaimed, sitting up, but winced and laid back down.
"No, don't worry, but I need to find someone, so that things will get better. It's also for the best if I leave, I've caused everyone enough trouble" I explained sadly, not wanting to give away too much. Sting gripped my hand tighter. He looked at me in the eyes, his expression serious.
"I'm not letting you out of my sight again. I can't stand the thought of you being taken away from me again…" he trailed off, his voice now barely above a whisper. I smiled at him, thinking about how cute he was right now.
"You don't need to worry, I'll always be here for you" I whispered, and kissed his forehead. Softly taking his grip off of my hand, I walked away, and went to Natsu's room. Looking at his sleeping figure, I smiled a little wider.
"I'm going to go find Igneel, don't worry, I'll make sure that we both come back safely" I whispered, not wanting to wake him up. With that, I left the infirmary, and Fairy Tail, for the time being. I exited the building as usual, as if I was going to come back later, but I knew that that wasn't going to happen. Pulling my hood over my head, and tugging at my suitcases, I dropped my smile.
"I summon thee, Virgo…" I said halfheartedly yet sturdiliy.
"Yes, Princess?" She asked politely, appearing beside me.
"Can you take my things to the Spirit World?" I asked, bowing in debt. Virgo looked startled, and replied hesitantly.
"O-ok, as you wish, Princess" I watched as she vanished, and sighed. I needed to do this, or else there would be nothing that I could do to stop Kukyo.
"I summon thee, Weisslogia!" I shouted, trying to keep my enthusiasm up.
"Hey, Lucy. Long time no see!" The dragon replied happily, and I waved in reply.
"Hey, Weisslogia… Can you take me to Tenroujima? We need to find Igneel…"
"As you wish"
I climbed onto the mighty dragon's neck, and as soon I sat down, we departed, soaring high up into the sky and beyond the clouds. I looked back at the retreating figure of Fairy Tail.
"See you soon…" I whispered, my voice being drowned in the wind.
Sting's POV
I held my head in my hands. I let it happen again. I let her slip through my fingers, yet… I didn't feel worried. She said she would be by my side forever, and celestial wizards don't break promises… but everyone goes at sometime or another. So…how long was Lucy's forever?
Natsu's POV
I heard her voice, I really did. I was awake, and I wanted to call out, to tell her to stop, to say that it was too dangerous to go alone, but my voice wouldn't work. I didn't have the strength to get up and face her. Lucy always told me that I was so much stronger than her, but now, she's the one taking charge while the most I can do is lay down and watch the fate of my friend, whether it be good or bad.
Erza's POV
I didn't say anything, staring up at the ceiling as I heard Lucy's retreating footsteps. I looked over to my side, where Jellal was resting on a nearby chair. I smiled to myself. I always thought that I was the strong one, but now… Good luck, Lucy. I know you can do it.
Gray's POV
I felt so bad… I couldn't do anything for her. She was a sister to me, and when I went to save her, she was the one who ended up saving us. And now, she was going off, probably risking her life, to find a dragon, to only save us all again. Putting my hand on my forehead, I stared out the window, chuckling and shaking my head. She was so reckless sometimes. I guess that Flame Brain rubbed of on her. Fight till the end…
Rogue's POV
Yukino looked at me worriedly, and I smiled to assure her. I held her hand, but I was worried. Lucy was going off again, going off to defeat a legendary beast, to defeat a dragon. And she was all alone. Well, I guess in that sense, she was always alone, fighting her own battles behind the scenes. I gripped Yukino's hand tighter, and stared at her in the eyes.
"You think… Lucy will be alright?" I asked the beautiful mage.
"I know she will… She's strong, you know that" Yukino replied, though her smile was stiff. As I sat up, she hugged me, and I held her to my chest.
"You're right… I hope. Yukino, thanks for being here for me, it means a lot"
"No, thanks for being here with me. Rogue, you always no how to cheer me up. Besides, Lucy is way stronger than she lets on…" I nodded my head, gripping tighter to the girl for moral support. You got this, Lucy.
Lucy's POV
I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear as the wind welcomed us. Looking back, Magnolia was nowhere in sight. Right now, we were flying over the wide, open sea. I lay on my back, watching the clouds roll past the sky. I fingered the key necklace that I got from my mother. Can I really do this? Defeat the King of Fire Dragons? I have to try…I was beginning to doubt myself, but I shook my head. Then, I heard small voices in my heads, as if someone was trying to communicate something to me. Shooting up, I focused on the voices. Realizing what it was, I sighed. My friends were so silly at times. I giggled, earning what seemed to be an approving look from Weisslogia. I laid back down, letting go of my necklace. I guess I still had that childish part of me… there were some things that couldn't be worked off.
TIME SKIP
I thanked Weisslogia once we landed, and sent him back to rest. I also needed to replete my magical power. Sitting down a rock, I glanced around at the beautiful island before closing my eyes to meditate. Ethernanos basically restored my magical energy, and were found in the air…
"Meditation is the best way to collect Ethernanos… Mavis sure knows a lot" I said to myself, echoing the first master's words. Emptying my mind, I went into a peaceful state, my breathing steady and my posture straight.
Igneel's POV
I was resting, but an incoming of a huge magical presence woke me up. Is that Zeref again? That damn boy needs to stop waking me up… I grumbled to myself as I got up, walking wearily out of my cave, preparing to give the boy a scolding. Something stopped me in my tracks, though. This magical presence wasn't Zeref's… It was much too pure to be his… Converting to my human form, I silently stalked through the wildlife of Tenrouijma, but my eyes widened when I came to a clearing. There was a blonde haired mage, meditating. I watched in surprise as the Ethernanos in the air basically flocked to her. Noticing the limiters she wore, I was pretty impressed. My eyes drifted to her side, where I saw zodiac keys. Impressive, ten zodiacs, strong silver gates… AND ALMOST ALL OF THE DRAGON KEYS?! WHAT WAS THIS WOMAN, MAD? I gaped, not realizing that the woman had noticed me.
She cleared her throat to get my attention in mouth gaping state.
"Ahem… Who might you be…?" her voice was polite, yet firm, and I knew not to mess with her… WAIT! I have nothing to be afraid of! I am a dragon!
Smirking, I ran my hands through my hair before converting back to my original form.
"I am-" She cut me off by pulling out one of her keys.
"Igneel, I challenge you to a duel for the right to possess your key" she said, surprising me. How did this woman know-? Roaring in laughter (pun intended) I accepted her challenge by trying to launch a surprise attack.
"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" I roared, flames coming out of mouth and burning everything in its path. Oops. I was confident that I had won, but when the smoke cleared, she was standing in a different yellow and blue dress, protected by a barrier that seemed to be composed of water. I was too shocked to process what happened next. Weisslogia and Skiadrum were behind me, ht me with powerful roars and kicks, and then, I was laying on the ground, being pinned down by the two dragons.
"I take it that I have won this battle? But, for some reason, it seems as if you were not focused. Would you like a rematch?" the girl questioned politely, sending away the dragons. Normally, I would immediately take the offer, but something about it touched me. Here, she defeated a dragon, even if I was out of my game, but she offers a rematch to make things fair? I laughed once again, and stopped her words.
"No need, you won fair and square. Now, we can make our contract later. As for now, however, may I have your name…?" I questioned, wanting to know the name of the mortal who had beat me with the element of surprise, something I had failed to do.
"Lucy Heartfilia, it will be a pleasure working with you" Lucy broke out of her polite shell and flashed a heart warming smile, something that I couldn't help but return. Throwing her the key that I always had tucked under my wing, I said a farewell as I felt myself being pulled into the Celestial Spirit World.
Lucy's POV
Once Igneel had disappeared, my knees buckled and I fell to my knees. I was so scared. I had kept up my strong front as much as possible, and it was by a miracle that I had actually been able to defeat such a mighty dragon. Even then, didn't really defeat him, I just gave him a shock big enough to make him stop moving. It probably was because I was still standing after his first attack, but I had barely been able to keep up the barrier, and I swear that I saw my life flash before my eyes. Sighing, I took a few minutes to calm myself down. I was used to the other dragons, but seeing a dragon king is a whole new experience. It would take me a while to get used to. Well, I'm happy that it was so easy, at least. The only injury I got was a slight burn, which did hurt, but that was the best I figured I could make with out of a fight. Using that shield for such a strong attack took a lot out of me, though. Sitting back on my original rock, I decided to pump up my magical energy once again for the journey home.
Zeref's POV
I looked around the island, but saw no sign of Igneel. It was weird. By now, he would've probably woken me up and given me a lecture about how I interrupted his sleep or something like that. Wandering around, I watched in sadness as the trees died, and took a detour that allowed me to avoid the trees and animals. I was on the shore, now, which was surrounded by sand, rocks, and water. It was pretty here. I ducked, though, when I felt magical energy radiating off of someone. Maybe it was Mavis? Nah, I think she hates me. Going a little closer, I realized that it was that Blonde Fairy mage. Great, why'd there have to be a Fairy here? If anything, I'll probably hurt her, and then start another war with her guild. Standing up, I started to walk towards her.
She looked up, but didn't seem surprised.
"Hello. Do you need anything from me?" She asked, shocking me that she wasn't scared.
"You- aren't you afraid of me?" I asked, cautiously, aware that this may as well be a trap.
"Eh, whatever. Answer my question" She replied nonchalantly.
"Um, have you seen a dragon around here, his name's-" She cut me off, surprising me once again.
"Igneel? Oh, I defeated him and now I have his key, with his consent, of course. What relation do you have towards my spirit?" She questioned me once again, not batting an eyelash.
"Nothing, what are you doing here? A storm's going to come soon" I observed taking in the sky.
"Someone remind me why I'm talking to Zeref?" She muttered under her breath.
"Same goes for me" I replied, glaring at her. She laughed at me, and stood up.
"Well, I'll be going now…" She said, but I called out to her.
"Didn't you just hear me? A storm's coming, taking a boat will be dangerous…" I trailed off, knowing full well that it would be better if she just died, which meant less fairies for me to try and avoid.
"I'm taking a dragon. And no, I'm no stupid enough to take a Fire dragon in rain… Open, Gate of the Dragons! I summon thee, Silvia, the elemental dragon!" She shouted, and a silver dragon appeared. She hopped onto the dragon like it was completely normal, and waved to me.
"Interesting chat that we had. Right now, I just defeated a dragon king, so I'm kind of in a shell shocked situation. Maybe that's why I'm not afraid of you…" She explained, and rode off on her dragon, disappearing into the clouds.
Well, that was interesting.
Lucy's POV
I groaned. Things were complicated in the first place, so of course the Dark Lord Zeref had to come into the picture. As long as he doesn't bother me, it'll be fine. I looked at Igneel's key, and I smiled a bit. At least I was one step closer to being able to protect my friends. What confused me, though, was what Zeref had to do with Igneel, and how he would fit into this picture later on. Well, if he would fit into the picture, in which I really hope that he doesn't. Why did everything have to be so complex? Well, now that I had Igneel, I would have to find Acnologia. Time Ark magic was a lost magic, but the dragons were ancient, and there had to be some sort of nullification. Plus, with the Reborn Souls' combined strength, there was no way that we couldn't defeat Kukyo. There was one thing that disturbed me, though, about Kukyo's magic…
FLASHBACK
"Crux, what can you tell me about Kukyo?" I asked, wanting to get some information down.
"He's a very dangerous wizard… He desires to rule the world, and has attempted Time Ark magic multiple times, but he has never been successful, and it has cost many lives. What makes his magic so dangerous, though, is that it cannot be tempered with or tainted by any other source of magic. He wants to use this art to go to the past, and if the magic is tainted, there can be severe circumstances. He also feeds off of his power from a crystal chamber underground, formed hundreds of years ago. It was formed with the strongest primordial magic, and nobody has been able to destroy it. That means that he is invinsible, but there is a way to destroy the crystal. That is…
FLASHBACK END
"That is to use the combined strengths of those even more historic than his power itself" I repeated, looking down at my keys once again.
The only answer that I could come up with to the riddle was the power of the ancient dragons, and I'm pretty sure that I'm correct. If I'm not though, I don't know what I'll do. My dragon slayer magic might also work, but I wonder if the rules for the Time Ark magic also applies to this crystal chamber…? If that's the case, then we won't be able to touch it, and Kukyo will… I shuddered at the thought. I really didn't want to finish what I was about to think. I had to stay positive.
"Silvia, where's Acnologia?" I asked the dragon, earning a wide eyed stare.
"Child, don't tell me you mean to go and get his key? You mustn't! It's too dangerous!" Silvia yelled over the roaring winds. When it had started to rain, Silvia had created a barrier, so I was thankful for that.
"I have to. It's the only thing that I can think of in order o defeat my opponent. I don't exactly want to go after him myself, but we have to face it: He's the strongest dragon of the Reborn Souls. I can't use the ones stronger than him, because those keys are basically brand new, in terms of lifespan" I explained, expecting an hour lecture of how I should be more careful from the mother- like dragon. Instead, she stayed quiet, and I peered down at her, only to find that she was crying softly.
"W-wait a moment! Why are you crying?! I'll be c-careful! Do-don't cry, damnit!" I yelled, flustered. Silvia just shook her head as the winds dried her tears.
"It's just that you've grown so much stronger since the time I met you. Back then, you were still only a little girl on the inside, but now… You're a respectable woman. I'm proud of you, and will support you in any way I can" She said, a small smile gracing her face. Seeing that she had stopped crying, I sighed in relief and patted the dragon's head soothingly.
"I hope what you say is true, because if it was otherwise… I might as well be dead" I whispered the last part to myself, knowing that it was too scary of a reality to think of. Not that I hadn't almost died before, and I already witnessed my future self dying…. Yet it still seemed so unrealistic. The fact that my happy life, and everything I hold dear to me, could all disappear in a blink of an eye. Life was too short. I want to be with everyone forever…
Sometimes, I wish that I could even live forever.
Be careful what you wish for, as they say.