Chapter 4

Trackside Confusions

I awoke to the sound of someone breathing next to me. My first instinct was to panic, as I jumped up and backwards. A strong pulsating ache formed in my head and in my hip, forcing me to flinch in pain.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Jumping out of a train seems like good fun until the actual impact onto the ground. Well, at least you can cross that off your bucket list, eh?" Said a familiar voice. The man from the train, Dusk.

I attempted to grab my keys off their ring out of habit, but was met with nothingness. A sad recollection of what happened overcame me, followed by a realisation that I was completely defenceless against a man who had just blow up a side of a train and threw me out of it.

Completely and utterly panicked, I stumbled over some loose bramble and began to creep backwards, away from this man. I don't know why I did it; I knew it wouldn't do much good. He seemed to be completely fine, dusting himself off and pacing around without so much as a stagger.

"Well let's get going shall we?" He said to me, an adventurous smirk marking his face.

"W-what?" I said in response, completely confused as to what he was getting at.

"Well, we still need to get to Haven, don't we? The trains not coming any time soon, so we might as well start walking."

I stood there, utterly dumbfounded.

"You just threatened my life, and then threw me off a train! You expect me to walk with you to Haven!?" I exclaimed, exasperation evident in my voice.

He frowned for a second, as if he completely forgot the whole scenario.

"Ah, yes. I guess I can see why that would be viewed negatively."

My eyes widened even further. The nerve of this man.

"I am sorry about that. I couldn't just go with the Lady, no, that would be impractical, nor could I fight her. That would just end in a mess. So, logically, the only response would be to find a hostage. You were the only other person there, so I didn't have much choice."

Sensing my disbelief, he continued "If it makes you feel any better, I didn't actually intend to hurt you. Well, I hoped I wouldn't have to hurt you. But that's all in the past now, isn't it? Let's just move on. Let's start again, shall we?"

Putting forward his hand, he introduced himself again, but this time actually introducing himself as Dusk.

Thinking I didn't have any other choice, I obliged. There was no point in angering this dangerous and psychotic man.

"Hello, I'm Lucy."

He grinned at me, as if he made a massive step forward. He started moving northward, following the tracks. He beckoned me to follow. Before I knew it, we were walking side by side towards whatever lay before us.

It seemed like hours we walked, and the scenery never changed. A large redwood forest loomed over us from the left, whilst the never-ending train tracks to the right taunted us with its unceasing length. I yearned to complain, but unlike my usual allies whom I would already be whining, Dusk terrified me. The more I walked with him, the more my instincts screamed at me to get away. I didn't know what it was. His demeanour, while strange, was actually very inviting and unthreatening. The combination of his upbeat walk and the merry tune he whistled provided a mirage that he was harmless. However, my instincts warned that this was merely a façade, and that his true nature and intent lay hidden amongst the various shrouds he had created. If only I had my keys, maybe I would be able to defend myself. However, without my spirits I had virtually nothing. I was only a distant part of myself. I unwittingly grabbed at my empty ring, tied to my waist.

A silent tear rolled down my cheek as I longed to talk to my spirits.

'A celestial wizard, eh?" Murmured Dusk glancing back at me.

I stopped walking, surprised.

"H-how…?" I gasped.

How did he know that I was a celestial spirit wizard?

"Hm. The way you just grasped at your side there. Going to grab your keys, weren't ya? It's unmistakable. I've known quite a few celestial spirit wizards in my time. One of them was my very best friend. Bless his soul."

I was simply astonished. For the first time since I met this man, the sadness he was showing was pure. It wasn't part of his false act, but rather actual genuine emotion.

However, I quickly concluded, that was irrelevant right now. The most important part of what he said was that he recognised celestial spirit wizards; he knew about celestial spirits. I wasn't just going crazy.

"N-no. Not that. I'm t-talking about the spirits. You k-knew about the spirits! How could you! T-they're gone!" I stammered awkwardly, still unsure of what to make of the situation.

A sudden look of concern overtook his face.

"I need you to answer this very honestly and very seriously. What do you mean they're gone?" he asked me, his demeanour now completely devoid of all previous emotion. Only coldness was left.

"I don't know..." I stood back, even more confused than before. "I had a strange dream where Loke, I-I mean Leo told me that he the celestial spirits were going to disappear! When I was talking to my friend Levy the next day, she had no idea what a celestial spirit even was!"

Dusk took several steps backwards, his eyes held a deeply concerned look; cold sweat dripped down his face.

"Oh no. Oh no no no, it wasn't supposed to happen now. I thought we had time. Damnit, Fate, you said we had more time. " He yelled to no one in particular.

He suddenly glanced at me, as if remembering I was here. His deep eyes penetrated my very soul.

"Why were you headed to Haven?" He questioned me.

"I don't know, I just… why does it matter?" I asked, the confidence to oppose him suddenly appearing out of thin air.

His evil eyes was all the answer I needed.

"I didn't want to go there for anything in particular. I just.. felt like going so I did. No reason."
This answer seemed to satisfy him, as his attention quickly adjusted to the large forest.

"How do you feel about a trip through the forest?" He peered at me.

"I-i-i- what!?" I asked him, utterly distraught.

This man was insane. First throwing me of a chain, then suggesting we walk the rest of the way to Haven. Second, these sudden and unprovoked mood changes. And thirdly, suggesting we forego heading to Haven at all and go trekking through the forest!

"Inside this forest, is a very old house. The house of the very first celestial wizard. I believe we can find the answers on what happened to the celestial spirits there. It is also the location of a very certain book I'm quite eager to find."

"And what book is that?"

"An ancient tome, entitled, The Stars of Origin."

(A/N): Hey friends. I'm actually very proud of how many follows & favourites this is getting, it's really motivating me to write more. yay to finally not leaving like 6 months in between chapters. While it's not weekly upload, i'm still quite proud of my efforts. This one is a bit dialogue heavy, sorry about that. I just felt like most of it was important, or was needed for it to make sense. Some really interesting stuff happened this time round. Who exactly is Dusk? What is going to happen at this old house in the middle of the forest? Was Lucy supposed to get thrown off the train and walk with Dusk to this old house. So many questions, so little answers. Anyway, as always a review would be appreciated. Thanks to all those who have reviewed so far.

- StingIsNotHere