Chapter Fifteen

You Are A Memory

Mest let out a heavy sigh as he ascended the steep slope to the portion of forest that had been sectioned off with police tape, his lips pressed into a grim line.

A corpse had been found beneath a pile of leaves in the middle of the woods, the body belonging to a girl who couldn't have been older than twenty-one. She'd been found by a hiker at the crack of dawn, her body already decomposing beyond recognition.

Sergeant Dreyar and his white haired partner were already at the scene, both of their faces grim as they watched workers examine and take pictures of the scene.

The pair gave the detective a salute upon catching sight of him, the blond cop gesturing to the man he'd been conversing with once his salute had been commanded at ease, "This is the guy who found the body."

Mest spoke over his shoulder to one of his subordinates, "Get his statement." He waited until the hiker, who was obviously still shaken, had been led away before turning back to the two cops, "Have we found anything other than the body yet?"

"She had her wallet and her ID on her," Mira informed him, handing over the plastic bags with the aforementioned pieces of evidence inside.

Mest smoothed out the bag over her ID, squinting to read the printed information through the sheen of the plastic. His brows furrowed as his eyes scanned the card. Right now, her first name was of little of import, but the last name, Mine, was one he recognized.

Only a few days ago, a father, Wakaba Mine, had come to the station to demand a search for his daughter, telling them that she'd ran away to join some religion and never returned, nor had she been heard from since then. The father and daughter had had an argument before she'd run out, the girl requesting a hefty sum of two-thousand dollars in order to find paradise. Mest had promised the man that he'd look into it, but it seemed that a lead had come to find him instead.

"What's the matter?" Mira questioned, catching the shift in his expression and demeanor.

"It's nothing," the detective ground out, shoving the plastic bag with the ID and wallet back into her hands before stalking away to think.

Stuff like this just didn't happen in Magnolia. It was the type of town where everybody knew everyone, which meant crime rates were low and when laws were broken, they were never laws that concerned murder and rape and a whole slew of other horrid acts. The worst cases he'd ever had to deal with in the small town were robberies and vandalisms, but even those cases had been lacking in severity.

This was case presented a whole new ball game though, and he hadn't dealt with something this serious since he'd transferred from Crocus all those years ago.

He paused in his pacing when a he caught sight of a bright white through the dark green leaves of the trees, his feet continuing to carry him in that direction until the sight beyond the trees was clear.

It was a church, and a rather Gothic looking one at that.

"Hey," he called for one his subordinates, his eyes never leaving the bright white structure, "What's that building over there?"

"It's Zentopia."

"Zentopia?" he repeated, his mind going back to an argument he'd had with a group of three boys who were barely old enough to be considered adults only a week before present, the meek blonde the boys had brought them surfacing in his mind as well.

That blonde had had quite the story to tell about Zentopia, and now a girl who'd run off to join an unknown church had been found dead less than a mile from the place.

Mest let out a gruff sigh as he turned to head back towards his car. Maybe it was time to finally pay the church in the forest a visit.

Gray didn't care how sloppy his eating was as he dug into the butter-slathered waffle on his tray, his taste buds humming in delight at the flavor. Sure, Zentopia and its people were twisted and disturbing beyond belief, but the food wasn't half bad, and a waffle drowned in maple syrup was exactly what he needed to make him feel at least a little bit better after the morning he'd had.

First, his phone had been confiscated once again, which wasn't much of a bother this time considering Loke had given him his phone last night to hide in his backpack in case of emergencies, but then Lucy hadn't been among the sisters serving breakfast today, and lastly, to make things even worse, he'd been forced to sit with regular members of the church instead of the other newcomers like him. He was loath to sit among the people he'd seen contorted on the floor in prayer the previous night during the exorcism ritual, and once again, they were up to something strange, the people around him all sprinkling water from glass vials onto their food.

No matter how uncomfortable he was whilst sitting among them, the raven haired boy decided to at least use the opportunity to gather some information, clearing his throat before leaning towards the brunette woman across from him and politely inquiring, "Excuse me, but…what is that?"

"This?" the woman held up the vial, a bright smile spreading across her lips, "It's Living Water."

"Living Water?"

The brunette leaned across the table to be closer to him, whispering as if she was speaking information that was confidential, "Even those who are bedridden with terminal illnesses will be healed if they drink this."

"Just drinking it isn't enough," the man next to her added in, suddenly leaning in to be part of their conversation, "You have to have faith in it for it to work."

"Yes, absolutely," the brunette affirmed.

Gray's eyebrows furrowed as he looked between the two and their vials, taking note of a peculiar difference as he spoke to the man, "So, why is your lid gold?"

He smiled proudly, "It's special. It's Living Water that's been blessed by Spiritual Father's face."

"His…face?" the raven haired boy repeated, disgust beginning to creep through him at the implications.

"It means that he used it to wash his face," he hummed in affirmation.

"And...you sprinkle it on your food?" Gray questioned, sickened by the idea.

The brunette woman chuckled, taking note of how his lips were twisted in disgust, "It seems that you don't understand what a blessing it is since you're new here. Living Water that has been blessed by his face is considered the most precious."

"So…what kind of water is yours?" he asked the woman, already dreading hearing her answer, which was sure to be just as appalling as the idea of face water.

Her lips pulled tight in a proud grin as she lifted her vial, "Spiritual Father once washed his feet with this water."

Gray's stomach involuntarily lurched at the information, and he quickly excused himself from the conversation with an attempt at an understanding nod and a half-assed smile, turning his face away before either of the two could see him wretch. He let his fork fall back onto his tray beside his half-eaten waffle, the food no longer having the same appeal.

A gasp slipped through Lucy's lips as Levy held her hands out for the blonde to see, her eyes widening at what rested in the journalist's palms.

It was her phone.

She snatched it from the blue haired girl's grasp, her eyes wide as she breathed out, "Levy…where did you find it?"

"Ultear left a stack of questionnaires for that seminar Gray and the others are at in her room, so she gave me her key and sent me to get them," Levy informed the blonde. "I thought I'd do a little snooping while I was in there to see if I could find anything, and there was a phone in a shoebox at the bottom of her closet. I didn't know it was yours, but…I'm glad I took it."

"Do you think she'll notice that its gone?" Lucy shakily asked, her fingers holding down the power button to turn it back on. She wasn't sure whether or not it'd work after it'd been shut off for over three years, but her hopes were high.

"I doubt it," the blue haired girl huffed out. "The box had a lot of dust on it, so I don't think it's been touched in years. Probably not since she took it from you."

Lucy let out a breath of relief as the screen flashed to life, illuminating the picture of her and Sting that she'd chosen as her screen saver all those years ago. Unlike the last time she'd seen the picture, she didn't feel any sorrow as she gaze upon her deceased brother's face, and instead, a small smile was wiggling its way onto her face, because now, with Levy and the boys on her side, she was close to getting out of Zentopia for good, closer than she'd ever been before.

"Detective Gryder, what brings you here? Have you taken any action against those three boys?"

Mest pressed his lips into a thin line as he was finally ushered into the chapel to meet with those he'd requested to see, the three who had come to the station a week ago to report Lucy Heartfilia's abduction. Jude, Ultear, and Zancrow stood before him now, the woman's eyes in particular alight with a burning desire as she awaited the answers to the questions to she'd asked.

He let out a heavy sigh, not in the mood for her pleasantries, "We can't punish them, so we let them go."

"What?" Jude hissed out, his eyes wide, "But they abducted my daughter!"

"Your daughter stated that she wanted them to take her, so it can't be considered an abduction. Additionally," his focus slid to the blond apostle on the other side of Ultear, "The redhead was pretty beat up," he hissed, avoiding the use of the boy's name for the sake of keeping his identity a secret from those who might want to seek him out. "He had a bruised nose and a black eye, both of which he said were your doing."

Zancrow quirked an apathetic brow, not at all fazed, "I was simply trying to protect Lucy."

Mest's lips threatened to quirk upwards at his response, "So you're admitting to it?" He restrained a small chuckle as both Zancrow's smirk and Ultear's pleasant grin faded, "And there's one more thing, too…Lucy said she was forcibly locked up here."

"That's nonsense!" Jude exclaimed.

"Detective, you've overstepped your boundaries," Ultear hissed, her eyes cold. "Our believers come here to cure their souls of evil. You're calling it confinement because you don't understand our practices."

He held his bitter expression for a moment before caving with a heavy sigh, "Sure, I'll apologize for that. But there's still a few things I need to check before I can just leave. Any chance I could meet with your pastor?"

"We call him Spiritual Father," the dark haired woman ground out, as if the detective should've known that already. "He's not just some meager pastor. He's the holiest man in our religion besides the Almighty."

He quirked a brow, looking around the chapel before gesturing to the large red cross at the back of the room, which was unlit but still very prevalent against the white of the walls, "Then what's with the cross? It means you believe in Jesus Christ, doesn't it?"

"We believe in the ideas of sacrifice and atonement," she responded sharply, her eyes narrowing in distaste. "We're not like other churches, so please don't try to group us in with them."

"All other churches are fake," Jude added in, his hands clasped in front of himself. "We're the only ones who worship the truth."

Mest let out a heavy breath, scratching the back of his head, "Got it, but you never answered my question. Can I meet your pastor-" His voice cut out at the way Ultear's eyes narrowed at the word, quickly correcting himself, "May I meet your Spiritual Father for a moment?"

Zancrow let out a sharp chuckle, "You're clueless. Lowlifes like you can't have the honor of meeting someone as important as him."

"Did you just call me a lowlife?" Mest hissed, taking a step closer to the blond apostle, who was smirking smugly.

"Brethren."

The three members of Zentopia all turned to look over their shoulders at the sudden call, Mest following their gazes to the white suited man that had just entered at the back of the chapel, his hands clasped behind his back as he firmly commanded, "Let us avoid causing a scene in such a holy place, and move this into my office instead."

"I'm Chief Mest Gryder from Magnolia's Serious Crimes Unit," Mest didn't waste a second once they'd settled on the couches in the so-called 'Spiritual Father's' office, whipping out his badge and sliding it onto the table in between the two couches for the preacher and his apostles to see. "As you know, there was the abduction case involving Lucy Heartfilia, and another issue broke out in this area this morning, so I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Of course," Precht nodded, not looking at all fazed by the detective's presence. "Go ahead."

"About that girl, Lucy," Mest started, his eyes carefully examining every feature of the four seated around him, "Have you ever demanded she participate in sexual intercourse with you?"

The preacher only smiled and shook his head as if such an accusation were foolish, "Of course not."

"According to her, she was told that she had to marry you. What do you have to say about that?"

Precht let out a heavy sigh, speaking as if he were explaining something to a child, "When our Almighty's world is viewed from a mortal perspective, such misunderstandings can certainly arise. Our wedding will be purely spiritual, meaning that our two souls will become as one."

Mest quirked a brow, casting a quick glance at Jude to gauge his opinion on the matter. The detective was surprised to see that he didn't seem the least bit bothered by the idea of his twenty-year old daughter with a man that was old enough to be her grandfather, and if anything, he looked pleased with what was being said.

He shoved the man's lack of disgust aside for latter contemplation, looking back to the preacher with a heavy sigh, "Look, I didn't come here to talk about your religious doctrine. Does your so-called 'Spiritual Wedding' include any sexual intercourse? That was my question."

Precht only gave him another pleasant grin, "You keep approaching the subject from a worldly point of view."

"And you keep avoiding my question."

"Chief, I'm her father," Jude suddenly cut in, obviously angered by the conversation. "What kind of father would force his daughter into something as vulgar as that?"

"No parents in their right mind would," Mest spat, taking a jab at the blond man and implying an indirect insult. "You said the wedding is a ritual where two souls seek spiritual cohesion, correct? So let me ask again," he narrowed his eyes at the preacher, his voice firm and demanding as he asked once more, "Is sex a mandatory part of the ritual?"

Precht's face was finally void of his pleasant grin, his voice low, "It seems that you still don't want to believe what we're telling you. So why don't we let you ask Lucy hereself?" His gaze shifted to the woman on the couch beside the detective, "Apostle Milkovich?"

"I've already sent Kain for her, Spiritual Father. She'll be here shortly."

Mest's jaw clenched as if on cue, there was a knock at the door, and he turned over his shoulder just as the door opened and a blonde slipped inside, her eyes widening as she caught sight of him sitting there. The door softly clicked closed behind her, and she stood completely still, obviously unsure of how to react to his presence.

"Lucy, dear," Precht greeted warmly, "You remember Chief Gryder, don't you? He's the one who returned you us after you'd been stolen away."

The detective grit his teeth at the mention of his past actions, the fact that the preacher had used the word 'stolen' instead of 'kidnapped' or 'abducted' making him think he should've listened to the Drangeel boy.

"Why don't you come take a seat? He only wants to ask you a few questions."

The blonde broke out of her paralyzed state, nodding her head before moving to where Zancrow had formerly been seated by her father, the blond apostle moving to stand directly behind her as she took her place across from the detective.

Mest cleared his throat as he looked her over, noting that she sure as hell looked a lot better than she had when she'd last sat before him, "Your dad, Spiritual Father, and these apostles are saying that you were never coerced or confined in any way. Is that true?" He cast a glance around at the other four in the room with them, catching sight of the sharp gazes they were giving the blonde. He cleared his throat again before connecting his gaze with the girl's once more as he reassured, "Don't be nervous. Just speak honestly."

"Yes, such things never happened," she replied monotonously, her back impeccably straight and her hands clasped neatly in her lap. "This place isn't the kind of place you think it is."

"But…" Mest scrambled, having not expected such a shift in behavior from the girl. She was completely calm and cool-headed as opposed to the frazzled, distraught mess she'd been in the station, "The last time I saw you, you said-"

"I wasn't really myself that day," she calmly explained. "You saw my medical report, didn't you? I've been diagnosed with depression."

"It's because she still needs to work on her faith," Jude continued. "She's my own flesh and blood, so of course I know how she feels."

Lucy clenched her hands tighter together. The action was so small it could've been written off as a twitch, but Mest didn't miss it, and when he looked back up into the blonde's face, he could tell that she knew he'd seen it. But she didn't seem the least bit bothered by the fact that he'd caught the small action, her eyes alight with understanding and holding his gaze with ease.

"Spiritual Father," Ultear suddenly cut in, "the afternoon service will begin shortly. Should I delay it?"

"There's no need," Precht soothed. "Our believers have already begun their preparations for it, so I shouldn't keep them waiting." He looked to the detective, "Chief, please excuse us."

Mest held up his hand as the man stood, "Just one last question-"

"That's enough," Zancrow cut him off, his hands tightening their grip on the back of the couch where Lucy and her father sat, "I know that you're a cop, but it seems you've overstepped your boundaries." He let out a small chuckle, his lips still twisted in a smirk, "I mean, it's not like we're criminals. We live in a country where everyone has the freedom to practice whatever religion they choose, right?"

The detective stared at the blond apostle in silence for a moment before dropping his head forward with a chuckle of his own, a satisfied smile splayed across his lips when he lifted his head again, "Perfect. You said exactly what I was expecting to hear."

Ultear quirked a brow, "Pardon?"

"I was wondering when you'd bring it up," Mest chuckled, "and you finally did. The freedom of religion." He gave everyone in the room one last glance, ignoring the furrowed brows and narrowed eyes that greeted him as he stood and bid them farewell with a grin, "Well, I'll get going then."

He gave Lucy once last smile and a seemingly meaningless nod of his head before he turned away, not even waiting for anyone of the apostles to see him to the door.

"Natsu! Get the fuck over here!"

"We've got big news!"

The salmon haired boy's eyes widened as he was assaulted with various shouts of his name the second he stepped through the door to Loke's apartment, quickly stepping on the backs of his shoes to slide them off and nearly bounding towards where Elfman and their orange haired friend were seated at a desk, a laptop open before them.

"What is it?" he huffed out as he crouched behind the two, not knowing whether to expect something or something bad.

"So I uploaded those pictures Gray drew us of the church's emblem to Twitter, and someone responded with another picture," Loke hurriedly babbled out, opening the post for the salmon haired boy to see and pointing to the cross on the brick wall that was behind the girl posing in the photo. "Doesn't that look like the exact same thing? A cross on top of a cloud with wings?"

Natsu's brows furrowed as he examined the picture, "Do you know where that is?"

Loke let out a heavy sigh as he shook his head, "I've been messaging the person who posted it nonstop, but they haven't replied."

"Wait, zoom in right there, on that sign," Elfman suddenly hunched forward to get a better look at the screen as he read, "'Hargeon Delivery Service.'"

Loke furrowed his brows, "Does…does that mean that this picture is in Hargeon? Should we go and try to find this girl?"

Natsu pulled back from the screen, biting his bottom lip, "Hargeon isn't exactly the smallest town. I don't think we'd even be able to find that street."

The orange haired boy suddenly started, his eyes going wide with an idea, "Wait a minute…didn't Juvia live in Hargeon before she moved here?"

Lucy took a deep breath as the chapel doors slid shut behind her, her eyes immediately finding the only other person in the room.

Precht was standing near the pulpit, basking in the light of the red cross on the wall with his back to her.

She swallowed heavily before starting up the steps of the stand and breaking the heavy silence, "I heard that you wanted to see me?"

He turned over his shoulder at the light sound of her voice, a pleasant grin breaking out across his features as he caught sight of her standing there. He stepped forward and snatched one of her hands from her side, cradling it softly between both of his own as he beckoned, "Come closer, dear."

Lucy dropped her gaze to the floor as he led her up the rest of the steps, pulling her until she was standing just before the red cross. She flinched when he moved to stand behind her, both of his hands coming to rest heavily on her shoulders as he leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "Apostle Milkovich told me that you have been faithful in your training. Are you ready to accept me and the Almighty with all of your heart?" One of his hands lifted, his fingertips brushing against her jaw as he brushed a few strands of her hair behind her shoulder, exposing her neck.

Her eyes widened as she felt his breath puff against her skin, but she refused to let him do anything to her, quickly whipping herself around pulling her shoulders from her grasp as she faced him fully, her lips set in a thin line, "Why did you chose me as Spiritual Mother?"

He quirked a brow at her sudden shift in behavior, letting out a heavy sigh as he explained, "It wasn't me that chose you, but the Almighty. You've been called to atone for all of our sins on our behalf."

"That's not what I was asking," Lucy ground out, her hands clenching into fists at her sides, "Tell me the real reason. Why me of all people? Why my dad? Why my mom? Why did it have to be our family?"

Precht remained unbothered by the growing fire in her tone, his hands clasped behind his back as he simply breathed, "It's all part of the Almighty's plan."

"There's no point in lying to me," the blonde hissed. "I can tell…you know that I'm not sincerely obeying you. I'm only doing all of this to protect my mom, and you know it…So stop lying." She took a step closer to him, immune to his intimidating height advantage over her as she ground out, "Tell me…why are you doing this to us? To me?"

He examined her hardened, determined features for a moment, seemingly partly in admiration and partly in an attempt to understand her better, before he purred, "Lucy…A long time ago, there was a female believer who would visit me often. She had such a pure soul, and she was very pretty, too. Just like you."

The blonde's hands clenched even tighter. She really hadn't expected to receive an honest answer, and although part of her was eager to be hearing him speak of the past and the truth instead of more made up garbage, the words he'd spoken so far already had her fearing the rest of the story, her mind already running wild with the possibilities of where it was headed.

Precht's lips quirked a fraction as a small chuckle slipped through his lips, his eyes dancing with cruelty as he murmured, "I supposed I misinterpreted her devotion, and I was too eager." His gaze dragged up and down her form, his eyes curling along her curves before returning to her face, "Fruit has to ripen…in order for it to taste the most sweet."

Lucy stood stock still, her eyes wide and her hands trembling at her sides.

She wasn't the first girl he'd targeted, and with that other girl, the one he'd spoken of, he'd succeeded.

Their marriage wasn't at all what he'd made it out to be. At first, she'd thought that he genuinely believed it would attain them spiritual cohesion and a place on the Ship of Salvation. But now…she knew that the entire reason the ceremony existed was so he could have a chance at raping her without earning himself the disproval of his believers. He'd used his power and influence over them to seduce them into condoning the horrid act, and his lustful desires were successfully disguised as a strategy for salvation.

"She later drowned herself in a river," the preacher continued with a heavy tone, his eyebrows furrowed as if he still didn't understand why such a tragic event had occurred, "and her loss saddened me more than anything ever had before. All I wanted was to teach her the secret to salvation." He reached forward, brushing the backs of his knuckles across the pale cheek of the paralyzed girl before him, "When I first laid eyes you, laughing as you ate with your family…I knew that I couldn't let myself fail this time. Such purity, such innocence and beauty…I couldn't let it be tarnished by a hand that wasn't my own." He gently cradled one of her golden locks, running his fingers down the strand as he purred, "Now, dear Lucy, do you understand why I chose you?"

The blonde took an unsteady step backwards, her fingers curled into the fabric of her knee-length skirt and her hair slipping from his grasp as she pulled back.

Precht let out a deep chuckle as he raked his eyes up and down her quivering form, satisfaction playing across his features at the fear and realization in her eyes, "You have nowhere to run, Lucy. Try all you want, and scream for help." He took a step closer to her as he hummed, "There's only one person capable of saving you here…and that's me. No one else is permitted to be your salvation."

He reached forward to stroke her cheek once more, and the movement Lucy snapped out of her paralysis, her will and courage surging back to the surface as she smacked his hand away, her jaw clenched as ground out, "That's why you're doing this?" Her voice grew louder, echoing through the empty chapel as she shrieked, "You tore my family apart just because I remind you of the girl that killed herself because of you?!"

His hand shot forward, his fingers weaving through the hair at the base of her neck and clamping down on the golden strands. She grit her teeth as he kept a tight hold on her hair, whipping her around and pushing her to the ground, a scream tumbling from her lips as the back of her head collided with the marble floor of the stand.

She didn't get a chance to fight back, his hands snatching her wrists and pinning them to the floor on either side of her head as he followed her to the ground, kneeling beside her hips as he ground out, "If you keep misbehaving like this, I may have to change my ways." One of his hands left her wrist, his fingers moving to curl around the bottom edge of her skirt and yank the fabric upwards.

"Please, don't!" Lucy shrieked as she shot forward, uncaring that it put her face uncomfortably close to his, her hand clenching on top of his and her arm locking straight to stop him from tugging her skirt any higher up her leg. Her other shoulder ached from the sharp movement since he still had her wrist pinned to the floor, but she ignored the agony, her voice shaky as she breathed in a panic, "I…I get it now, okay? I know that you can do whatever you want to me whenever you please…I won't run away," She took a few deep breaths, tears of fear and disgust slipping down her as she pleaded, "So please…if this is my fate," she swallowed heavily as she prepared to say the words she loathed, but knew needed to be said if she wanted to be saved from his lust, at least for this moment, "Help me. Help me accept you with all of my heart. I just…I need just a little more time."

His features were still cold as he stared at her, his voice low and barely above a whisper, "Can I really trust you not to run away?"

"You have my mother," she hissed, tears still streaming down her cheeks despite the severity of her tone.

"That's right," he hummed, his lips quirking in amusement and his features softening, "What a loyal daughter you are." He reached forward to stroke her cheek once more, his features alight with satisfaction when she didn't swat his hand or even flinch away from his touch, "Until the day when the fruit has ripened to perfection…I'll be waiting."

Levy gasped softly as the eyes of the woman on the bed before began to flutter, continuing to dab the sweat from her forehead as she gently inquired, "How are you feeling, Mrs. Heartfilia?"

Layla sucked in a heavy breath, her voice still heavy with sleep as she mumbled, "Where…where am I?"

The blue haired girl didn't bother answering, knowing that the woman would snap back to reality and remember soon enough. So she took advantage of the time she had alone with Layla, hurriedly whispering under her breath, "You shouldn't swallow the pills that Apostle Milkovich gives to you from now on, alright?"

"What…what are you talking about?"

"Listen to me closely if you want to save Lucy, okay?" Levy anxiously whispered. "You can't swallow the pills. That's the only way you'll get better and get out of here." She pulled back from the blonde woman as the door to the hospital room was shoved open, and she turned over her shoulder to give Ultear a soft smile, her voice light as she informed, "Sister Heartfilia seems to be awake now."

The dark haired apostle's lips were pressed into thin as she set the tray in her hands on the bedside table, her narrowed eyes never leaving the blonde woman as she instructed, "Help her sit up, would you?"

Levy nodded and stood from her stool, hooking her one of her arms through Layla's and wrapping the other arm around her back as she helped her into a sitting position. The blonde woman looked as pale as she always did, but the dark circles that had almost always been present beneath her eyes for the past three years had faded a significant amount.

Ultear gave the woman a piercing stare, her voice sharp, "Do you know where you are?"

Layla's eyes shifted back and forth for a few moments before she breathily mumbled, "Paradise. The place where Sting is."

"That's right," the dark haired apostle's red lips quirked at the edges, obviously pleased with the answer, "Would you like to take your medicine now?" She pinched the glossy, red pill on her tray between her thumb and index finger, stepping forward and leaning down towards the woman in the hospital bed, "Open up."

Layla mindlessly complied, even sticking her tongue out so the apostle could place the pill atop it. She used both hands to accept the mug Ultear held out to her, taking a mouthful of water and throwing her head back.

"There you go," Ultear hummed in satisfaction as Layla opened her mouth for her to check, her tongue void of the red pill. "You have to keep taking your medicine so that you don't get sick again." She took the mug back, setting it on her tray and gesturing with her head for Levy to follow her as she started towards the door, "Get some rest now, okay?"

The blue haired girl cast a worried look over her shoulder as she followed the apostle out, her brows furrowed as she gazed at the woman on the bed one last time before sliding the door shut behind her.

Layla waited until their steps had faded into silence before reaching into her mouth pull the pill out from where she'd hidden it beneath her tongue, her jaw clenching as she tucked it beneath her mattress.

Lucy numbly trudged out the front doors of the church, heading back to Zentopia's boarding building on her own for the first time in days since Levy had been dismissed from her side before her meeting with Precht. She didn't know where her aide had wandered off to in the meantime, but she trusted that wherever Levy was, she was making use of her free time to gather information. Besides, Lucy didn't really feel like speaking to her new friend right now, her mind too preoccupied with what had happened in the chapel and fear still lingering in her veins.

A calloused hand was suddenly wrapping around her wrist, and a shriek threatened to spill from her lips as she was tugged from the path and pinned against a nearby pillar. Her scream was muffled as another hand landed over her mouth, her eyes widening as a strong body stepped before her and pressed her further back into the cold stone of the pillar, their head turned to the side as if listening for some far off noise.

She let out the breath she'd been holding when her brain finally cleared enough for her to pick out raven locks from the darkness of the night sky, her racing heart calming when the light of a nearby lamppost caught in the lenses of a pair of glasses that looked like they belonged to Loke as the boy before her finally connected their gazes and removed his hand from her mouth.

Gray's brows were furrowed as he softly asked, "You okay?"

Lucy anxiously nodded her head, "I…yeah. But you scared the shit out of me."

"You sure you're okay?" he pressed, his voice still low to avoid being overheard by anyone in the vicinity. No one was in sight, but it couldn't hurt to be cautious, "You didn't look so good when you walked out of there."

"I said I'm fine," she insisted, a bit of bite to her voice as she glared up at him. He was still standing incredibly close to her, closer than she should've been comfortable with after what had just happened with Precht, his height and broad shoulders practically keeping her smaller frame pinned against the pillar. But it was Gray, and she trusted him and his friends more than anyone else. She knew that he would never dare laying a hand on her in the way Precht had, so she let her tense body finally relax against the pillar.

She let out a heavy sigh when she remembered that this was the first time she'd talked to him since she'd returned to Zentopia and since he'd snuck in, and because he'd taken that risk, he didn't deserve to have her take her anger out of him. It wasn't meant for him anyways, and the only thing she felt towards him at the moment was gratitude. Her voice softened, her gaze dropping from his face to his shoes to avoid making eye contact, "I'm sorry, Gray. I…I want to apologize to all of you, actually. You, Natsu, Loke, and Elfman have already gone through so much trouble for me, but you're still helping out…"

"Don't be sorry, Lucy," he breathed, his lips quirking in a small, reassuring smile. "The four of us have always been like this. Getting into trouble is kind of our thing."

The murmuring of voices suddenly filled the air, and Gray looked around for the source, his shoulders tensing, "I…I think I should go."

Lucy bit her bottom lip and nodded her head, loath to send him off so soon when they'd only exchanged a few words but knowing it'd be bad if they were to get caught in this situation, "Right. We need to be careful around each other. If they catch on, it's game over."

"Got it," he gave her a sharp nod, anxiously whispering a few last words before heading on his way, "Good luck, Lucy. I'll see you on the other side once we get you out of here. So stay safe."

"You too," she breathed out under her breath as he retreated and disappeared back into the dark of night, probably on his way to the van that would take him back down into the valley for the night.

She stayed leaning against the pillar for quite some time after he left, already regretting not telling him of what she'd learned from Precht. She was still a bit shaken up from it though, and a brief run in with someone she could trust was just what she'd needed.

When she got out of here, she'd have do all she could to thank those four boys for all that they'd done. She felt that was eternally indebted to them, because if they succeeded in getting her out of Zentopia, which she was sure they would, it would meant a lot more to her than them just setting her free. They would be saving her life, and such a favor was something she'd never be able to forget.

"Lucy's room is on the second floor of this building," Gray circled the boarding building on the map he and his friends had drawn and tacked to the wall in Loke's apartment, writing the blonde's name inside the circle, "And her mom is on the fifth floor of the sanitarium. This route is the quickest way to get down into the valley, but they rarely use it because it's so steep."

"And the main entrance?" Natsu questioned, mentally taking note of all of the information his best friend was telling him, Loke, and Elfman.

"It's too risky. A lot of people are coming in and out throughout the entire day, so the gate's never locked, but there's a pretty small chance of getting through it without being seen."

"Gray, is Lucy doing okay?" Loke suddenly cut in, a pout on his features.

"What kind of dumb question is that?" Elfman quirked a brow. "When she's in a place like that, how you can you expect her to be okay?"

The orange haired boy rolled his eyes before dramatically and sarcastically hissing, "Fine then, let me rephrase it: Gray, Lucy must doing horribly, am I right?" His focus whipped back towards the Strauss boy as he spat, "There, was I supposed to ask it like that instead?"

"Regular believers aren't supposed to meet with her," the raven haired boy started heavily, cutting off any chance at bickering between the two, "so I haven't said more than a few sentences to her…but she seems like she's staying strong."

"That's good," Natsu breathed out, nodding his head. He wished their roles were reversed, and that he was the one who was sneaking into the church every day to better their chances at saving her. Even the possibility of catching a single glimpse of the blonde was incredibly enticing, and part of him was beginning to think that maybe he could pretend like he'd given in to Precht's advice and he could join the cult with the made-up intention of seeking repentance. When he thought about it realistically though, he knew that such a ploy would never work, because the second he saw Lucy, his instincts would kick in and he wouldn't be able to stop himself from carting her out of there and ruining all of their work to take down the cult for good.

"Also…" Gray started hesitantly, drawing Natsu's focus back to the present, "…I…I'm thinking about moving there for the next little while."

"What?" the salmon haired boy hissed, his eyes wide.

"Are you insane?" Loke whapped the raven haired boy across the back of his head, "What on Earthland made you think that that was a good idea?"

"We don't have much time," Gray ground out, giving Loke a sharp shove on the shoulder in retribution, "The longer I'm up there, the more evidence I can gather."

"But once you pledge yourself to them like that, there's no guarantee that you'll come back out!" Natsu growled, "If they find out who you really are, they'll kill you!"

"Then its no different from the way things are now! I've known the risks since I first stepped foot into that church, and I'm prepared to face them," Gray shot back, his eyes narrowed at his rival, "You're the one that told Lucy we'd save her no matter what it took. You're not the type of person to go back on your promises, and I'm not either." He clenched his jaw, huffing out a heavy breath before he finished, "I'm doing this, you guys, and you're not gonna stop me."

There were a few moments of tense silence before Natsu suddenly turned his back on the group, his arms folded over his chest as he sourly grumbled out, "Fine, frosty. Just do whatever you want."

Loke cleared his throat, licking his lips as he informed his raven haired friend, "We found out that Zentopia was in Hargeon before they came here. Natsu's gonna go there tomorrow to see what he can find, and we were gonna give Juvia a call, too, since she used to live there."

Gray nodded his head, still glaring at the salmon haired boy's back as he gave them more of his own information, "There were some rumors floating around the church today. I guess a detective from Magnolia came and spoke to Precht. People were saying that he even saw Lucy, too."

"You don't think it could be the same detective that we talked to, do you?" Loke asked, his brows furrowed. "He didn't believe a word we said though, so I wonder what made him go up there."

"I'll look into it," Natsu uttered, his back still turned to the group. "If Lucy told him something, I want to know what it was. And I ain't letting him get away until I find out."

Levy bit her bottom lip as she pressed herself up onto the balls of her feet in an attempt to peer over the backs of the booths in the bar, her eyes scanning over every table to find the pair she was searching for.

Her behavior attracted the attention of the bar's brunette waitress, a tray full of beer mugs balanced on one of her arms as she asked, "You looking for someone?"

"Yeah," Levy breathed out, finally settling back onto flat feet. "Are there two men that came in together about half an hour ago? I'm a bit late."

The waitress quirked a brow as she thought over the matter, "There's a pair in the back corner, but they've been drinking for about two hours by now."

"Those idiots," the blue haired girl hissed under her breath before giving the waitress one last smile, "Thanks, and I'd like a draft beer, please." Levy didn't waste a second more before charging through the bar towards the back, sliding into the booth across from her two coworkers, "Sorry to have kept you guys waiting."

The pair both lit up at her appearance, though Jet was clearly a bit tipsy if the red tint of his cheeks was anything to go by, and Droy's cheeks were stuffed with food as he asked, "So what excuse did you give them this time?"

"I told one of the apostles that it was my mom's birthday, so she gave me special permission to leave for the night. I have to be back before the sunrise service though," the blue haired girl huffed out. She leaned across the table, her voice dropping in volume, "So…did you guys look into it?"

Jet reached for an envelope that he'd placed on the bench beside him, passing it over the table to the girl, "Here." He watched on as she pulled out the sheet of paper inside, her brows furrowed as she scanned its contents. "It's not a drug that you can buy in stores," he informed, "It has to be prescribed by a physician. When given every day, it basically makes people stupid. You sure they're giving it to people there?"

Levy nodded her head, "And I haven't confirmed anything, but it's likely that they're giving it to more than just one patient."

"You need to get out of there, Levy," Droy spoke through a mouthful of food. "Send your evidence to the police and let them take care of it. You're a journalist, not a detective, so you shouldn't feel like you have to stay there."

"No way."

Jet's brows furrowed, "Why not?"

"This isn't enough," she ground out. "That girl I told you about, Lucy, I trust her, and she told me that she's had run-ins with both the police and a few doctors in town. They've always just ignored whatever she's told them, so I'm sure that bribery is in play. And this is just a hunch, but I don't think it's just a simple alliance between a religion and a political circle." She swallowed heavily, biting her lip as she confessed, "The whole of Magnolia might be thrown upside down once all of this comes to light."

Loke dove into the bushes from where he'd been standing in the center of the dirt road, his heart pounding in his chest as a car turned up the road behind him, its headlights shining on the place where he'd just stood. He'd come to get as many pictures of the paths in and out of Zentopia as he could to better prepare for their scheme and to upload in an attempt to gain more information, and although standing in the middle of the woods where a cult resided at midnight terrified the shit out of him, he'd come anyways, fully devoting himself to the cause they'd taken upon their little friend group. And besides, at least if he got kidnapped, his friends would report it right away, and then that'd give the police a solid reason to look into the church, one that couldn't refute.

He'd been taking pictures of the front gate when he'd heard the crunch of the dirt behind him, and in his panic, he'd only just barely managed to avoid being caught in the headlights, his instincts sending him tumbling behind a row of wild bushes just beside the front gate.

His eyes widened as the car came to a stop just before the gate, his focus scanning over the police logo on its side.

He'd recognize that car anywhere.

It was Laxus.

The cop exited his car as the gate was pushed open from the other side, and Loke's jaw clenched as he recognized the same blond apostle that'd given him quite the beating when they'd rescued Lucy on the bridge, the huge, pale man that Elfman had fought against following at his flank.

Laxus circled around his car to open the back door on the other side, reaching in to grasp the elbow of the man inside and pull him to his feet, "Get out."

"Where…where am I?" the drunk slurred, his head lulling from side to side as he tried to look around. "What is this place?"

The pair walked beyond Loke's range of hearing as they approached the gate, but his surprise at his brother's presence was quickly fading away, the drunk getting passed to the large, black haired man and led onto Zentopia's grounds. It was common knowledge that the law enforcement of Magnolia often took drunks to Zentopia to set them on a better course, though now that Loke knew the truth about the church, he had to wonder what happened to the drunks once they were taken inside.

Laxus and the blonde apostle exchanged a few quick words that Loke couldn't hear due to the distance, but he could see the pair just fine, and his eyes widened as he caught sight of the thick wad of cash being passed into his brother's hands.

He and his friends had known from the moment Lucy had been taken away again that Zentopia had ties with the police, but never, not in a thousand years, would he have ever guess that it would've been through his brother.

AN

hehehehehe, the plot thickens. When I was talking about someone switching sides in my last AN, I was referring to Mest, although I do realize that he was never officialyl on Zentopia's side. There'll be more of him next chapter as Natsu goes to visit him and such, and we'll finally start getting down to business.

Also, if you didn't make the connection, the girl Precht was talking about is Meredy. We'll get more on her later too, but it'll be from Ultear's perspective.

I'll be posting the first chapter of my Christmas fic tomorrow, so I hope you'll stop by and give it a read :)

Anyways, thanks for reading and see you next Friday!