Chapter 20
We Wait For The Afterglow
The first thing Gray processed upon regaining consciousness was that his head hurt, and his skin was prickling with the sting of the frigid air around him. Whatever surface he'd been thrown onto was freezing, too, and the point where his head met the ground was coated in a slick fluid that matted his hair to his skin.
A hiss of pain accompanied by a deep groan slipped through his lips as the palm of his right hand instinctively came to rest upon his right temple, his fingers slipping against his skin as they came into contact with what he could only assume to be the same blood that was puddling on the floor, his own blood.
It wasn't until he opened his eyes and pushed himself up, catching sight of the people strewn across the steel floor of the barely lit room around him, that he remembered what had happened.
Lucy had 'betrayed' him and told Precht his identity, just like he'd asked of her, and in retaliation, her father had hit him across the head with a shovel when he hadn't been expecting it. He remembered getting dragged from the bathroom by two brethren of Zentopia that he didn't know, but when exactly he'd fallen unconscious between then and now was a complete mystery to him.
But regardless, he'd accomplished his goal, and he'd found where the apostles of Zentopia kept people like him, people that refused to be fooled by their practices and went against the church. If the smell of the room was anything to go by, it had been quite some time since some of his cell mates had taken their last breath, the lack of movement in the room further heightening his suspicions.
Ignoring the pulsing of his head, Gray pushed himself up onto his feet in a crouch, taking a few low steps to get to the person closest to him. His hand settled upon the man's shoulder, his voice hoarse from dehydration as he asked, "Hey…you okay?"
The man's eyes dazedly circled around and failed to focus on him in the dim light of the room as he drearily mumbled, "Home…I want to go home…"
The raven haired boy let out a heavy sigh, withholding the urge to verbally and wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment. Having spent about a week at Zentopia, and even longer concerning himself with Lucy's rescue, he was more than ready to have this entire ordeal over with and be rid of the place. And the time of action was quickly approaching if it wasn't upon them already. Natsu was probably on his way, and once they freed these people, the only thing that remained was to get Lucy out before Precht could fulfill his lewd desires with her.
A raucous cough cut his line of thought short, his wide eyes whipping to the source of the painfully familiar hack. His focus settled upon the back of a head with a mop of raven hair that would've been identical to his own if not for its somewhat lighter shade due to the flecks of gray that were beginning streak through the dark strands.
With his throat tightened in apprehension and dread, he practically dove across the floor to be beside the familiar man, setting a hand on his shoulder before he could stop himself and think things through.
"Please don't hurt me!"
Gray couldn't help but flinch back at the panicked plea that slipped through the man's lips, his hand slipping from his shoulder. Three years ago, the last time he'd heard that voice, it'd been slurred under the influence of alcohol, twisted with the weight of disdain.
"It'd be better if you'd just die. Leave the same way your mother did and just die, you bastard!"
"…Dad?" he choked out, both of his hands returning to his dazed father's shoulders.
Everyone in Magnolia knew that the cops often took drunks off the street and dumped them upon Zentopia, but never had he imagined that his father would be one of those unfortunate souls. The thought had never even crossed his mind. "Why…why are you here? Why?!"
Silver hadn't even opened his eyes, though Gray didn't know if it would make a difference, his father way too out of it to recognize him either way. The man only hunched further into where he was propped up against the wall, his hands clasped in front of himself, "Please. Please don't hit me!"
"Dad," he hissed through grit teeth, angry tears flooding his eyes without his volition. "Is…is this why you weren't there when Grandma died?"
His father only continued to mumble wordless nonsense in a desperate plea, but Gray had asked his question while already knowing the answer, his hands slipping from Silver's shoulder's and curling in to fists.
He needed to punch something, or preferably, someone, but the steel floor and walls were his only options, so his fists were met with only cold metal. He'd hated his father for years, but their shared blood meant his care for the man was ingrained into his very being, and it seemed he'd finally found people he could hate more than the man who'd abused him as a kid.
The apostles of Zentopia and their stupid preacher….he was going to kill them all himself.
Loke hissed in pain through clenched teeth as he twisted his steering console to bring his bike to a stop in front of his friend's mechanic shop, setting both of his feet on the ground to keep himself balanced while he waited.
Because of his bruised ribs and concussion, he wasn't supposed to be driving, or doing much of anything really. But Natsu, the idiot, was rushing off to save Lucy and Gray on his own, so the orange haired boy had taken it upon himself to remind the salmon haired boy that they were a group of four, not just two. Natsu and Gray always had liked doing things on their own, and he knew that Natsu felt like he had to make up for the wrongs he'd done Gray and Lucy in the past, but that didn't mean the pinkette could play hero all on his own. Charging off by himself like he was was incredibly stupid, and so was Gray's plan of turning himself in, but Loke would be damned if he let his friends be stupid with him and the fourth member of their group.
He let out a heavy, somewhat annoyed sounding sigh as Elfman finally ran from the front of the shop to squeeze onto the seat behind him, grinding out over his shoulder, "What took you so long?"
"I was just making a call," the Strauss boy shifted as he settled in, maneuvering a bag of tools across his lap and sliding a helmet onto his head.
"Whatever," he huffed. "You ready?"
"Yeah."
Loke clenched his hands to rev his bike, a stream of determination flooding through him, "Let's go."
Lucy numbly stared at her reflection in the mirror as a Zentopia sister she didn't know brushed her loosely curled hair behind her shoulders, leaving her bangs to frame her face while securing the top third of her hair with a simple white, beaded pin at the back of her head.
As a little girl, she'd often dreamt of the day she'd get to wear a wedding dress, the day where she'd finally get to look like a real princess.
The moment wasn't supposed to happen like this. She was supposed to be in a dress of her choosing with her mother helping her get ready instead of some woman she didn't know, and she was supposed to marrying a man she loved, not a preacher she loathed.
But instead, that was the situation she found herself trapped in, standing before the mirror in the dress Precht had picked out for her. Like she'd assumed upon first catching sight of the bodice, it did resemble the black gown she'd worn for her proclamation ceremony, it was only more grand given the occasion it was meant for. The top of her lace bodice swept from shoulder to shoulder in a boat neckline, leaving her collarbone completely exposed. The sleeves only extended to her elbows, and the skirt was much puffier than the other gown, the satin flowing out in an A-line from where the dress hugged her waist to dust across the floor.
She'd been given a pair of white heels, too, the stiff material of the shoes already making her feet ache even though she'd been wearing them for only about five minutes.
The shoes were far from her greatest concern though, because after the wedding ceremony, she'd be experiencing something much more painful and daunting.
She trusted Natsu, Gray, and their friends with her whole heart, and she had faith that they would save her, like they'd promised. But even subjecting herself to Precht's desires for that little moment before he got her clothes off was enough to get her heart pounding in fear, even if she'd long since resolved that she would do it.
And there was this little voice in the back of her head that would not shut up no matter how hard she fought to drown it out. It whispered doubtful thoughts, reminding her that every attempt at freedom and taking the church down that she'd made previously had failed horribly. Romeo's death and Levy's disappearance served as proof of that fact.
But as she remembered their faces, as she thought of Sting and her mother, she brought the reasons for her actions to the forefront of her mind once more. Everything she did, she did for them, and when compared to her love for them, her own safety meant nothing, so she would give everything she had to her cause.
She would save everyone in this place, no matter what.
Natsu hadn't stopped heaving for breath ever since he'd parked his bike outside of the gate of Zentopia before jumping it, the crisp mountain air rushing in and out of his lungs and only making his breathing heavier. He considered himself pretty athletic, but he supposed the uncertainty and gravity of the situation was causing his chest to tighten, his knuckles white as he anxiously gripped his phone. His eyes only left the map he had pulled up to scan his surroundings to make sure he was alone on his climb up the forest path, the stars and the red steeple in the distance his only sources of light.
He was tracking Gray's smartwatch, mentally thanking whatever God was really up there that the apostles of Zentopia had probably been too blinded by their rage to notice and strip the raven haired boy of the accessory. Natsu had been the one to buy it for him before his rival had gone to Zentopia, and while the raven haired boy had never risked using it for communication like Natsu had intended, the salmon haired boy was eternally grateful for it now. Without it, he would've had no clue where to go to find his best friend, and then their entire plan would've been put at stake.
The salmon haired boy slowed to a halt as he came to a fork in the path, glancing down at his phone once more.
It was midnight, and although it killed him to do it, Natsu forced his focus away from the steeple of the church where he knew the wedding was occurring, adhering to Lucy's plan and going for Gray first instead, taking off into the woods where he knew his best friend would be.
Lucy kept her head bowed even as Precht finished what she assumed were his vows, though he hadn't said a word about her, only professing his devotion to the Almighty.
At least in one sense, it seemed like the preacher had been right when he'd said that the wedding would be purely spiritual. She hadn't been told to sign a single contract, and there wasn't even a pair of rings for them to give each other. There was no marriage officiant other than Precht himself, and not even his apostles were present at the ceremony in the chapel.
There was only the two of them, both kneeling on the stand across from one another while the congregation watched on silently, their eyes squeezed shut and their hands clasped in front of their chest in prayer.
With his vows completed, the preacher stood, offering his bride his hand. Lucy knew what he wanted, so she stayed kneeling on the floor, with the skirt of her wedding gown pooling around her, as she reached up to take his hand between both of her own, forcing herself to become detached from the moment as she leaned forward, lightly pressing her lips against his knuckles.
Precht smiled proudly, relishing in the feeling of his bride's lips against his skin as he turned to his people, proclaiming in a loud voice, "Everyone, rejoice, for on this day, you shall find salvation by Lucy's hand. Through her sacrifice, we will all be cleansed of our sins, and return into the Almighty's arms once more."
The congregation erupted in a mighty roar, and none in the room except for the pair on the stand were still.
Natsu couldn't help but get a serious sense of déjà vu as he peeked through the metal grates that acted as windows on the doors of the cells in Zentopia's bunker, his mind flashing back to only the night before when Loke had been taken prisoner.
He could only hope that he didn't find Gray in a similar state as the orange haired boy, but since he knew what the people of Zentopia were like, admittedly, his hopes weren't too high.
To say the least, he'd been more than just a little confused when the tracker had told him that Gray was in the bunker. Mest had told him about how it had been void of anything suspicious when he and his detective buddies had come earlier in the day, and it seemed like the bunker was in a similar state now, not a sign of life in any of the cells.
"Gray?" he called out, raising his voice the second time around. "Gray!"
His eyes widened when he actually got a reply, though the voice was muffled by metal.
"Natsu!"
"Gray?!" he hissed out, trying to pinpoint the source.
"Natsu! I'm in here!"
His good hearing lead him to the row of three lockers at the end of the hallway of cells, his jaw clenching in determination when he realized that the lockers weren't secured to the walls by any means, which meant they could easily be moved away with a little bit of strength.
He took a deep breath and shook his hands out in preparation before hugging the first of the three lockers in the row, gritting his teeth as he wrapped his hands around the edges and used all of his strength to lift the heavy metal box enough to drag it out from where it stood.
A loud clang echoed throughout the bunker as he set the locker back on its base, but he was too concerned with his friend to care, quickly turning back around while his hands shot to the latch of the large metal door he'd revealed.
The door swung away from him as he slid the cylinder of the lock, light flooding into the previously hidden room before him.
The pinkette nearly tackled Gray in a hug as the raven haired boy's bruised face greeted him on the other side, but at the last second, he reminded himself that they were rivals, and the blood streaming down the side of Gray's face was a sure sign that he was injured and probably couldn't handle the tackle.
So instead, Natsu looked past the raven haired boy, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of the bodies strewn across the floor of the room his rival resided in, "What the hell is this place?"
Before Gray could answer, the sound of a large door opening and slamming echoed through the steel walls of the bunker, the pair both ducking inside the room and pressing themselves against the walls in preparation to launch an attack as the raven haired boy hissed, "Someone's coming."
The sound of a pair of footfalls met their ears, and they were approaching their location fast, the locker in the middle of the hallway a sure sign of where the intruders were.
Natsu and Gray shared a look, the pair in unison as they sprung from their hiding spot with their fists poised to punch.
They were met with a pair of shrieks that barely passed for battle cries, Loke and Elfman's eyes going wide at their sudden appearance.
Gray sucked in a heavy breath and all but collapsed back against the wall in relief as Natsu hissed, "Fucking hell, you guys!"
Elfman lowered the hammer he'd raised in defense, his brows furrowed as he took in the blood on his friend's face and shirt, "Gray, are you okay?"
The raven haired boy could only manage a nod in response, heavy breaths still rushing in an out of his lungs.
Natsu decided to get straight to the point, not acknowledging Loke's shocked gasp as the orange haired boy caught sight of the people in the room behind Gray, "Call Mest, and get these people to the hospital. You two should stay and make sure that nothing happens to them until he gets here."
Loke gave him a nod, "What about you guys?"
Natsu shared another look with Gray, his fists clenching at his sides in determination, "We're going to save Lucy."
Layla stayed frozen at the end of the hallway that led from the door into her hospital room, her eyes never leaving the dark haired apostle who stood by the bed.
She'd come back from her shower to find Ultear standing silently in her room, her hand full of the red pills that the blonde had previously tucked under her mattress. Not knowing what else to do, Layla had simply frozen in place, waiting for the woman to lash out and tranquilize her like she'd done the last time she'd misbehaved.
But contrary to what she'd expected, Ultear didn't sound angry when she spoke, only sounding defeated as she stared at the small cluster of piles in her palm, "You and your daughter were being controlled by the devil. That's why these pills never worked on you." She curled her fingers around them, finally lifting her gaze to the blonde woman, "I never should've allowed Spiritual Father to bring your family here. I thought I was doing the right thing, and saving people's lives, but now…"
Layla took the opportunity to speak once the apostle's voice had faded out, her tone gentle and tentative, "I heard that you were once a mother yourself." Her eyes swam with tears, "Do you really want Lucy to face the same fate your daughter did? Since you were a mother too, you must understand. So please…help me get her out."
Ultear only stared at her in blank silence for a moment before she stepped to the side, allowing Layla to see the duffle bag she'd set on the bed as she emotionlessly remarked, "These are your clothes. You'll stand out in your patient's uniform, so change quickly and get out of here."
"What about Lucy?" Layla took an eager step forward, "You expect me to leave without my daughter?"
"It's too late for her," Ultear sharply hissed, her eyes suddenly cold. "She's already been taken into Spiritual Father's room to be bedded."
Layla's eyes widened, a sharp intake of breath slipping through her lips as she shot forward to yank the bag from the bed, running from the room without another word.
After she was gone, Ultear stayed standing by the bed, her voice light as she whispered, "I did the right thing, right, Meredy?"
Lucy made sure to keep her back impeccably straight as she sat upon the white sheets of Precht's bed, her hands clasped tightly together and resting in her lap atop the puffy material of the skirt of her wedding dress.
She didn't think anyone could deny this place's status as a cult once they saw the preacher's bedroom. There had to be nearly a hundred candles in the small space, their melted wax spilling across the wooden surfaces they rested on. A good portion of them were lit, and since there were no windows, the only other light in the room came from a large, illuminated, red cross that was mounted on the beige wall above the headboard of the bed. Something she could only describe as a stone altar rested off to the side in an alcove, a jewel encrusted box set atop its flat surface.
The blonde steadfastly kept her gaze focused straight forward as Precht took a seat beside her on the bed, his eyes raking up and down her tense frame in admiration.
"You don't have to be afraid, Lucy," he purred, reaching out to sweep her hair over her shoulder, revealing her neck to his gaze. He trailed his fingertips down her jaw before continuing lower, a moan of satisfaction slipping through his lips. "I promise..." he hummed deep in his throat as his fingers ran over her collarbone, his eyes dipping lower and settling on his neck target, "…you'll enjoy this, too. And if you don't…" his lips twisted in a cruel smile as knuckles began to trace over the swell of her breast, "your pain will be over very shortly."
Lucy's resolve snapped, inhaling sharply as her hand instinctively shot to curl around his wrist before he could touch her any further, her finger nails digging into his flesh as she set her glare on him.
"Don't refuse," with a sly grin still upon his features, he spoke as if she were nothing but a foolish child, leaning in close so that their faces were only inches apart, "the touch of the Almighty."
He yanked his wrist free of her trembling grasp, and before she could react, his hands were upon her shoulders, shoving her backwards onto the bed so he could crawl atop her quivering form.
Gray huffed out a heavy breath as he gave up on standing on his own two feet, his entire weight crumpling into the grasps of the two Zentopia brethren that were restraining his arms. It was his turn to be overcome with a strange sense of déjà vu, his head pounding as his gaze exhaustedly trailed from the ground up to the man in front of him. Lucy's father stood over him once more, a shovel, probably the same one he'd used last night, clutched in his grasp and poised to strike.
Maybe telling Natsu he could charge on ahead when they'd encountered Jude and two brethren standing guard in front of the church had been a little overconfident on the raven haired boy's part, but his mind had been too preoccupied with making sure that they rescued Lucy to be concerned over his own ability to win against three full-grown men.
They'd got a hold of him fairly easy, his lack of sleep and the pounding of his head keeping him from thinking clearly and taking away a good portion of his coordination.
"You filth," Jude hissed, raising his shovel higher, "I'll make you regret ever messing with my daughter."
Gray ducked his head as Jude swung, but the hit never came.
Instead, a pang rang through the air, and he opened eyes to see Jude crumpling to the ground, unconscious in the dirt before him. His eyes drifted upwards, catching sight of a smug Gajeel standing where Lucy's father had been, a steel bat in his right hand.
"It's about damn time," Gray hissed, yanking one of his arms free to punch the man holding the other in the face just as Gajeel whapped his bat across the other man's head.
The raven haired boy rolled out his shoulders once he was free, but there wasn't a moment of rest to be had. Their fight in the courtyard in front of the church had garnered some attention, and there was a wave of Zentopia believers rushing down the stairs towards them, angry shrieks and hollers flowing from their mouths in a continuous stream.
Gajeel quirked a brow and cast the other boy a sideways glance, "You ready to get the best work out of your life?"
Gray only rolled his eyes.
"Can I have the honors?"
"Go right ahead," the raven haired boy swept his arm out in a grand gesture to give his friend the leeway of delivering the first blow, taking a deep breath before charging into the fray himself.
"To cleanse you of your sins," Precht buried his nose in the crook of his bride's neck before trailing across her collarbone and down further towards her breasts, breathing in the scent of the skin he'd exposed by unlacing the top of the back of her gown, "you must reveal every inch of your body to me and let our souls become as one."
Knowing she didn't have a chance at breaking free, Lucy squeezed her eyes tightly shut, her wrists pinned to the bed on either side of her head by his hands. When he pulled back, she fixed her glare on him once more, her voice choked audibly choked with fear but forcibly strong as she ground out, "Your talk of spiritual cleansing is nothing but lies!"
"Don't try to fight this, Lucy," he purred, immune to her harsh jabs. "I want to spend as much time as possible cleansing you before your life in this world comes to an end."
Her eyes widened at his words.
"What?" he chuckled deeply at her reaction, staring into her wide eyes with amusement in his own. "Did that Dragneel boy tell you nothing? He loves you, so I was sure that he'd find some way to get a message to you after I told him about my plans."
Lucy's thoughts were momentarily taken away from the present, her mind filling with memories of a salmon haired boy.
Natsu…loved her?
With how broken she'd become, she hadn't thought that anyone would be able to love her ever again, but now that she thought over how he'd rushed to her aid after three years of having no contact, of the time she'd spent with him in Erza's apartment, she realized that the preacher's words were true, and Natsu's actions finally made sense. He wasn't just being kind to her to make up for what he'd done in the past. He'd fully devoted himself to her, risked his life for her, and still he kept on giving, never letting anything deter him from the path he'd taken to save her.
A cruel chuckle brought her mind rushing back to the present, Precht's lips twisting in a pleased sneer above her, "Though I suppose that's why Gray Fullbuster was here. They'll both pay for their transgressions soon enough." He ran his gaze up and down her prone form once more, his eyes lingering on her chest before they found the delicate features of her face again, "Once I've cleansed you and you've become Spiritual Mother, I will take your life upon that altar. You will serve as our scapegoat, and guide those who follow you into the afterlife onto the Ship of Salvation."
Fear spiked through her, but she didn't forget her plan.
"How many were there?" she shakily questioned, her voice growing louder with every word that slipped through her lips. "How many people have you killed?!"
"The number is of no concern, for we will all meet again in paradise." Precht's voice became disgustingly sweet, and she was sure that one of his hands would've been lightly tracing across her skin if he hadn't been pinning her wrists as he breathed, "Sting, Romeo, and Levy…their deaths are temporary, and you'll soon see them again."
Tears flooded her eyes when he mentioned her twin and the boy who'd become like her little brother, her throat growing tight when he confirmed her worst fears about Levy. A single word slipped through her lips, softly at first, but then again in a shriek, "Murderer…You're a murderer!"
His right hand left her wrist only to find purchase on her cheek, her head snapping to the side as he sharply slapped her with all of the strength he could muster. A whimper slipped through her lips as her cheek began to burn following the impact, and in her daze, she didn't realize that both of her wrists were now free of his caging grasp.
The blonde's eyes widened as something hit the mattress beside her head, looking up to find that Precht that had stripped himself of his suit jacket and undone the first button of his white shirt, his hands shooting to thread through the hair on either side of her face to keep her head still as he leaned down to smash his lips against hers.
Lucy prepared herself for the worst, tears slipping down her cheeks when his weight settled more heavily onto her as he dove for her mouth.
The contact never came.
She watched as a tanned hand harshly curled itself into the flesh of Precht's left shoulder from behind, the preacher instinctively turning to see who had taken hold of him only to have his head whipping back in the other direction as another tanned fist was buried in his jaw. The preacher was shoved off of the blonde, tumbling from the bed and crumpling to the floor.
More tears, tears of relief this time, slipped down her cheeks as a head of pink hair filled the space above her where Precht had formerly been, her voice choked as she breathed out, "Natsu."
His hands firmly wrapped around her arms to peel her trembling form from the mattress, one hand keeping its tight grip on her to steady her on her feet while the other gently cupped her jaw and cheek, urging her quivering eyes to make contact with his, "I'm not too late, am I?"
She anxiously shook her head. He'd arrived just in time.
"Let's go," he kept a tight grip on her arm as he protectively shoved her in front of him on their charge out of the room, knowing they didn't have a second to waste even though he wanted nothing more than to check over her himself.
It only took him a moment to be grateful for his choice of keeping the blonde in front of him, something heavy slamming down on the middle of his back the second he'd pushed her through the door.
He whipped around to find Precht with a candelabra in his hand, the pinkette's arm shooting up to block the second attack and bury his fist in the preacher's jaw once more, "You bastard!"
Precht stumbled backwards into the mattress, shifting it from its frame, his feral glare never leaving hte salmon haired boy, "You can't beat me! I'm the Almighty!"
Natsu caught his wrist as the preacher charged forward to punch him, keeping a tight grip on him as he punched him thrice this time before shoving him back with a foot to the chest, sending him crumpling onto the mattress once more, "You're no god. You're just a sick twisted man. You'll rot in jail for what you've done."
Lucy didn't fully leave Precht's bedroom until Natsu was coming out right behind her, the pinkette's heavy breathing following her out into the hallway.
"Natsu," she breathed, catching hold of one of his arms, "Thank you. If you hadn't have heard me that night, I don't know what I would've done."
He looked like he wanted to say something in return, but before a single word could slip through his lips, she heard a cry of her name from down the hallway.
"Lucy!"
She spun to see her mother bolting towards her, the blonde girl running to meet her and wrap Layla in her arms, "Mom!" She held the woman tightly, basking in the first moment she'd shared with her mother since she'd fully returned to her senses. She could feel tears on the skin of her neck, and she wiped them from her mother's cheeks when they pulled apart, Layla doing everything she could to tug the loose dress higher on her daughter's frame to preserve the innocence that'd nearly been stolen from her.
"Lucy! Natsu!"
Her head whipped around at the second cry of her name, catching sight of Gray charging towards them. He was cover in blood, sweat, and dirt, but his face brightened when he saw the pair of blondes and his best friend.
He, like Natsu, was breathing heavily as he came to a stop beside Lucy, "Are you okay?"
She nodded and hummed in affirmation, her arms still wrapped around her mother's waist.
"Did your plan work?"
Instead of giving him a verbal answer, she bent down to tug the many layers of the puffy dress of her skirt upwards, revealing her bare feet, since she'd long since lost her heels, and pale legs. Despite her mother's surprised gasp, she kept tugging the skirt higher until she could reach the spot on her thigh where she'd secured her phone, slipping her fingers beneath the bandages she'd wrapped it in and yanking it free. She gave the two boys before her an exhausted attempt at a triumphant grin as she breathed out, "It's all recorded on here. He admitted to murder, so there's no way he won't be arrested."
Natsu let out a heavy sigh of relief, swiping the back of his hand across his forehead to flick away the sweat clinging to his brow, "Good. It's all finally over." He took the phone from her grasp and tucked it into his pocket for safe keeping, looking between the three in the hallway with him, "Let's get the fuck out of here."
They turned to start down the hallway, Natsu and Gray moving to lead the charge while Layla and Lucy were left to trail behind, the former with her arm wrapped tightly around her daughter's waist.
The triumphant atmosphere shattered as Lucy shrieked, the girl getting yanked backwards from her mother's grip as fingers threaded through her golden locks from behind. Her back collided with a strong chest as an arm wound around her neck, the sharp edge of a blade slicing across her throat.
"Lucy!"
She heard Natsu shriek her name, but the feel of blood sliding down her throat had her feeling hazy. She didn't think that the blade hadn't cut deep enough to puncture any arteries, but the dagger that was still held firmly against her skin by the arm around her throat had her thoughts going blurry, the other arm of her captor winding around her middle to keep her back against their chest.
"Lucy!"
It had been her mother that time, and the blonde's eyes lazily rolled to settle on the blonde woman. Gray arms were wrapped around Layla's middle, holding her back from charging to save her daughter since there was still a blade held to her throat, the raven haired boy's expression one of shock and rage.
Her eyes dazedly found Natsu next, finding that he was visibly fighting to keep himself from lunging forward, every muscle in his body tensed and his features furiously set ablaze as he heatedly ground out, "Drop the knife!"
The chest behind her vibrated with a deep, sinister chuckle, "You'll never make it out of this place alive. My believers will tear you to shreds when they realize that you've tried to steal away their Spiritual Mother again."
The blonde's brows furrowed, wondering why it'd taken her so long to realize and process that the person holding her was Precht. She didn't feel like she'd lost that much blood, though she could feel it dampening the front of her wedding gown already, but maybe the situation in itself was making her lightheaded.
"You're finished, bastard," Natsu hissed. "We've got evidence against you, so there's no point in keeping this up any longer. You've lost."
"I've not lost as long as I still have her," Precht cruelly purred, his breath puffing through the hair near her ear.
The pinkette had had enough, taking a charged step forward and still resisting the urge to tackle the preacher. If the dagger hadn't been held against her throat, he would've pounded the man into the floor until he'd bled dry, "Let her go!"
"If you follow us," Precht tugged the blonde even closer against him as he started to charge backwards down the hallway opposite the direction the group had been headed and Lucy whimpered as the blade sunk into her skin once more, her bare feet futilely digging into the floor in an attempt at resistance, "I'll kill her."
"Lucy!"
She heard Natsu scream her name one last time before she was drug around the corner, Precht's blade never leaving her throat.
Despite the preacher's warning, the three were moving from where they'd been fearfully and furiously frozen in place as soon as the pair had disappeared around the corner, Natsu taking off particularly fast after them.
A sharp gasp from behind him had him whipping back around to find Layla collapsed to the floor, her still recovering body and the stress weakening her and stealing away her consciousness.
Gray was already on his knees at her side, his eyes hardening into a glare when he looked up to find that Natsu was torn between going after Lucy and helping her mother. He nearly rolled his eyes at his best friend's stupidity, hissing out, "I'll take care of her, so go! Save Lucy!"
Natsu clenched his hands into fists, not needing to be told twice as he took off down the hallway.
Loke kept a steady gaze on the dark forest around them as he and Elfman descended the mountain path from the bunker to the main road of Zentopia, a cluster of the people that had been imprisoned, the ones that were still alive, stumbling down the path with them.
The forest was suspiciously quiet, the orange haired boy's eyes narrowed as he hissed, "You would think with all the hell Natsu and Gray are most likely raising, someone from the church would've found out about us by now. This seems way too easy."
To his surprise, Elfman just shrugged, "There probably would've been lots of people coming after us, but I called in the cavalry, so we'll be fine."
With his brows furrowed, Loke turned to question his friend, "The…cavalry?"
Gajeel could only quirk a brow as the crowd of Zentopia believers before him were taken out one by one, his steel bat slung over his shoulder and ready to swing if anyone so much as stepped in his direction. He'd knocked a fair share of his own unconscious, but now, instead of fighting himself, he was more invested in watching the brawl, his eyes jumping between the strangers that he assumed were on his side.
The quintet had shown up in a police cruiser out of nowhere just when he'd dismissed Gray from his side, and they'd immediately taken action, jumping into the fight and taking a stand against every new group of Zentopia believers that rushed to the scene.
While the blue haired guy with the red tattoo on his face was holding up just fine with his punching and kicking, and Gajeel could tell from his style that he'd grown up on the street, it was the four chicks that really surprised him, the scarlet haired one in particular fighting with a kind of dexterity and strength he'd never seen a girl possess. She didn't seem to be used to fighting with just her bare hands, but she knew just where to strike her opponents to take them out of the fight, and her sense of where attacks were coming from was impeccable.
The white haired chick in the cop uniform was keeping up just fine too, her moves near parallel to the redhead's in skill and strength.
One of the other girls, a blue haired one in a pizza shop uniform of all things, was doing a lot of jabbing of her own, shouting about her passion for the color gray for whatever reason, her proclamations seemingly only giving her more drive.
The last of the four girls was probably lacking skill the most, but the curly-haired brunette was holding her own just fine nonetheless, punching and kicking with her own brand of ferocity as she swore up and down like a sailor.
With the number of unconscious bodies on the ground, Gajeel knew there couldn't have been many more people that Zentopia had to spare, so to end things quickly, he swung his bat from his shoulder to charge back into the fray with a chuckle.
It'd been a long time since he'd had this much fun.
"Ya know, the Chief's gonna pissed when he finds out that you dragged all of us up here again. And you brought a bunch of ambulances this time too, so he's probably gonna kill you, actually. It was a complete waste of time this morning."
Mest clenched his jaw as the subordinate next to him complained, his eyes scanning the forest around them as they traveled up the bumpy road to Zentopia.
"We received this call from Sergeant Dreyar's little brother, and Officer Strauss called in a disturbance at the church herself, so shut it," he lifted his leg and brought it back down so that his heel landed on his subordinate's toes, his focus turning to the man driving their vehicle as he hissed, "Drive faster."
Lucy had to fight to keep her eyes open as Precht dragged her into the chapel, his blade still pressed firmly against her throat and demanding obedience and more blood. With every slice of the dagger across her skin and with every drop of blood that slid down her neck, the more she felt like she was losing herself, her head going foggy. Without her heels, more of her wedding dress dragged against the floor, and both she and Precht had fought not to trip over its tresses as he'd dragged her stumbling frame through the church.
Now that they were in the chapel, Lucy didn't know what he was planning on doing with her, but his voice briefly chased those concerns from her mind, her eyes blearily shifting to land on the subject of his aghast question.
"Apostle Milkovich, what are you doing?"
The blonde inhaled sharply despite her bleariness when she caught sight of Ultear, the apostle dousing everything on the stand in gasoline.
"I received a commandment from our Almighty," she righteously proclaimed as she threw the can aside. "He ordered me to cleanse this place, so I'll burn this church down and rid it of every last sin." She reached into the pocket of her skirt and withdrew two items, holding one of them proudly for the pair to see, "We'll be reborn and start anew."
"Have you lost your mind?!"
Lucy's body collapsed to the floor as Precht's arms withdrew from around her, the blade accidentally swiping across her throat one last time in his hurry, her head lulling against the floor and her eyes dazedly following the preacher as he charged onto the stand with his dagger held at the ready.
But Ultear was quicker, ducking beneath his first swipe and maneuvering the second object she'd withdrawn to stab it into his shoulder upon shooting back up to her full height, her teeth grit as the needle of her syringe disappeared into his flesh.
Precht almost immediately crumpled to his knees, a grunt flying from his lips as he tore the now half empty syringe from where she'd stabbed it in. He fought against the pull of the tranquilizer for a moment, but the damage had already been done, his upper body collapsing to the floor. He was still conscious but unable to move, using every last bit of will he had to stay awake.
Ultear stood triumphantly over him, her lighter still in hand as she lifted her gaze from the preacher on the floor in front of her to the girl that lay prone in the middle of the chapel. Her chocolate brown eyes had fallen shut, and judging from the amount of blood pooling on the floor around her and turning her white dress and golden locks a gruesome shade of red, the blonde was already dead.
She swallowed heavily, thinking of her own daughter as she sincerely professed, "I'm sorry, Lucy. But be comforted, for you'll be with your brother soon in paradise, and both of you shall be reborn by the grace of the Almighty."
She flicked the spark wheel of her lighter, throwing it onto the gasoline-soaked stand before leaving the chapel, her calling having been fulfilled.
"What about Lucy?"
Gray tightened his grasp around Layla's shoulder, tucking her further into his side as he helped out of one of the church's side exits, "She'll be okay. Natsu's gonna save her, so you don't have worry."
Before Layla could respond, the sound of footfalls on the dirt ground met their ears, two figures flying around the corner of the church and stumbling into the light of the exit behind them.
The raven haired boy's eyes widened as he caught sight of Kain and Zancrow, having nearly forgotten about the two apostles. The pair seemed just as surprised to see him as he felt at seeing them, both slowing to a halt only a short distance away.
Gray's focus dropped to the duffle bag in Zancrow's hand and immediately knew what was inside, his eyes narrowing and his voice cold as he spat, "So that's your game? As soon as stuff goes wrong, instead of trying to fix things you grab the cash from the donation box and bolt? Some devoted apostle you are."
"You," Zancrow hissed back, his crimson eyes alight with fury. "This whole place has gone to hell, because of you and your little rat friends. You'll pay dearly for what you've done."
Layla squeezed Gray's arm in fear, her eyes wide as she stared at the two apostles, "What should we do?"
He swallowed heavily, "Stay behind me, okay?"
He knew there was no chance at him taking them both on, and being exhausted as he was, he didn't know if he'd be able to even taken one of them down on his own. But it was his only choice, so he shrugged out of Layla's tight grasp, clenching his fists as he took an apprehensive step forward.
"Hey, Mr. Greasy Hair."
His focus shot behind Zancrow and Kain, his eyes widening as he caught sight of the mismatched group that was rounding corner where the pair of apostles had come from.
Gajeel was the one who spoken, and he stood at the head of the group with his steel bat comfortably swung over his shoulder. Erza, Mira, Juvia, Cana, and Jellal trailed after him, each sporting their own fair share of bruises and scrapes, but their features still alight with the will to fight.
Juvia's features in particular lit up upon catching sight of him, and he knew she would've run to tackle him if not for the opponents that stood between them, "Gray!"
Gajeel quirked a pierced brow, looking between the pair of apostles and where the raven haired boy still stood protectively in front of Layla, "These chances are bit unfair, don't you think?"
"Mr. Gatekeeper," Zancrow sneered in response. "And you've brought friends."
"Eh, friends is a bit of a stretch," Cana shrugged, pursing her lips. "More like 'forced acquaintances' if you will."
Gajeel dismissed her words with a roll of his eyes, "I've been waiting to beat you up ever since I first saw your face. We'll get you all bloody and then turn you in so you can rot in jail."
"Do you really think you can turn me in without consequences?" the blond apostle chuckled, his eyes cruelly shifting to Mira, "If you take me in, your dear partner will go down with me. I'll tell the authorities about ever little bribe Sergeant Dreyar's accepted."
Mira clenched her jaw, her gaze sharp and pinning, "Those who have sinned must be punished. Laxus knows that better than anyone, and he's has already admitted to his crimes. You're too late to use him against us."
Erza took a step forward, turning Zancrow's own words back on him, "You'll pay dearly for what you've done."
"No!"
The breath was stolen from Natsu's lungs as he finally found the end of the splotchy and smeared blood trail he'd been following, his eyes widening as he caught sight of the limp body illuminated by the flames crawling across the stand and up the back wall of the chapel.
The door slammed shut after him as he shot forward, the pinkette nearly tearing holes in the knees of his jeans as he slid to kneel by her side with a desperate cry of, "Lucy!" His hands found her cheeks and he cradled her face, tears burning his eyes when her features didn't even flinch in response to his touch, when her eyes didn't flutter open, "You've been so strong this entire time, so you can't give up now, Lucy!"
He had to get her off of this floor, out of this burning room and save her like he'd promised he would. He slid one of his arms beneath her back, her blood-soaked and curled golden strands tumbling over the other side of his arm and brushing against the floor while his other arm fought to navigate through the tresses of her wedding dress to find the crooks of her knees. Once she was safely cradled in his grasp, he began to hoist her light frame from the floor, trying to be strong despite the tears streaming down his cheeks, "Come on, Lucy! You told me that you'd get out of this place and live life outside again, so you can't die! I promised I'd save you, so I ain't gonna let you!"
His shrieking roused the nearly unconscious preacher on the stand, the salmon haired boy noticing him for the first time as he furiously slurred, "I'm…the Almighty. I'm immortal…I can't die!"
The flames trailed down the side of the pulpit, skittering across a puddle of gasoline to crawl onto Precht's pant leg. The man shrieked in agony as the flames bit at his skin, and simultaneously, the stand began to collapse, the red cross on the back wall the first thing to crumple from its mount.
Natsu tightly hugged the limp blonde into his chest and whipped around just as the cross tipped to fall atop the screeching preacher, his agonized screams chasing the pinkette out the chapel's doors as he ran to save the girl in his arms.
In the midst of his panic, the salmon haired boy briefly recalled his conversation with Precht in Wendy's hospital room. He'd threatened the preacher, vowing that if he even laid a finger on Lucy, he'd burn him into a pile of ashes.
It seemed that although not by his hand, Precht had received the end he'd deserved.
Natsu stared at the back of the ambulance Lucy had been stolen away into until it disappeared around a bend in the forest road back that led back down to the valley, his focus dropping down to his blood covered hands once it had whirled out of his sight with the blonde and her mother inside.
For once, that damn detective had arrived right on time, and with a whole slew of ambulances, too. The pinkette knew that the ambulances had been meant for the people in the bunker, but as he'd stumbled from the church in hysterics with the limp blonde cradled in his arms, he'd insisted that she be taken first, and upon seeing the state of the girl, the paramedics had whisked her away immediately.
He had confidence that she would survive, because she was too strong to give up the fight just as it had been won.
Mest and his subordinates were running wild around the church behind him, cuffing members of Zentopia, both those that were awake and unconscious, and dragging them to be detained in their police vehicles to be carted away and questioned at a later time. Watching Mira shove a bloodied Kain and Zancrow into the back of her own cruiser was particularly satisfying for Natsu, though watching an unconscious Jude and a solemn, but accepting Ultear be taken away had him feeling a bit more grim. Regardless, he knew that they would each receive the punishment they deserved, so there was no need for him to concern himself with them any longer.
He spun around to face the front of the church, finding his three best friends bickering behind him on the last stair of the steps that lead down from the gothic building. They all looked a little worse for wear, but hell, was the sight of all three them standing together for the first time in a while a damn good sight to see.
For the last three years up until a little under a month ago, their friendship had been on the verge of collapse, and he and Gray in particular were at each other's throats every chance they got. He never would've thought that taking down a cult would be what brought them together again, but Natsu had a feeling that after all they'd been through, they weren't going to let themselves be torn apart again.
Natsu gripped the edges of the podium so hard that his knuckles turned white as he stared at the crowd of reporters in front of him. Jet had organized the press conference for him after releasing the content of the voice recorder, and now, two weeks after the whole incident with taking down Zentopia, all that was left for Natsu to do was bare his own testimony, a heavy sigh rushing through his lips before he tentatively began, "My brother, Governor Zeref Dragneel, colluded with a religious cult, and accepted and gave bribes both during his election and his term. In order to conceal his corrupt deeds, three years ago," his voice faded out for a moment as he glanced to where Wendy sat in a wheelchair on the side of the stand, her hands clenched tightly together in her lap and her head bowed, "he pushed our sister from the third floor balcony of our home in an attempt to kill her. I'm taking this chance to expose him for his deeds, and leave his fate to be determined by the law."
Zeref clenched his jaw as he stared out the window of his office building to see the crowd of reporters and protesters alike in the parking lot, his voice on edge as he hissed, "Things will quiet down soon enough. We just need to find the right lawyers, and then-"
"This is the end, Governor," Dimaria cut him off, her features cold and emotionless as her boss spun to face her. She let out a heavy, disappointed sigh, "I wanted to see how high you could climb, but I ended up watching you fall hard instead."
He stared at her with wide, aghast eyes, his focus not leaving her even as the doors to his office were shoved open when Mest and two of his subordinates entered the room.
"Governor Dragneel, you and your secretary need to come with us."
Zeref's gaze finally dropped the floor, his chest tight with disbelief.
Even the last person he'd always thought he could count on, his dear little brother, had betrayed him, so there was nothing he could do but watch as the empire he'd built for himself crumbled one stone at a time.
Lucy swallowed heavily, the action pulling at the bandages around her throat, as she watched her mother kneel down to place a bouquet of white flowers in front of the tombstone before them, Layla's voice somewhat sorrowful, but still light and sincere as she promised, "Sting…I'll never become weak like that again. Lucy and I will live our lives to the fullest from here on out, so you can finally rest in peace."
As her mother pulled back, Lucy kneeled to fill the space before her twin's grave, setting another small bouquet beside the other. For the three years she and her mother had been held captive, his grave had sat empty, void of any tribute and without anyone to remember the boy who was buried there. The blonde refused to let such a thing happen again, and she'd resolved to visit his resting place every week, never forgetting the boy had been her other half.
"Sting…Mom and I want to live happily now, so you don't have worry about us," she smiled softly, recalling how the memory of her twin had given the drive to stay strong during her trial as she gently breathed, "Thank you."
Before they left the cemetery, Lucy distributed the other bouquets she had bundled in her arms, placing one each in front of the stones engraved with the names Romeo Conbolt and Levy McGarden.
Gray cleared his throat, partially out of nervousness and partially to alert the patient on the bed, as he entered the hospital room, his hands clasped in front of himself as he took a seat on the stool beside the nightstand.
His father wouldn't glance his way out of shame and embarrassment, so Gray took the initiative of starting the conversation, clearing his throat again before tentatively asking, "Have…have you eaten lunch yet?"
Silver minutely shook his head against his pillow before lowly mumbling out, "What about you?"
"Not yet," the raven haired boy admitted softly.
It was his father's turn to clear his throat, his eyes finally shyly swiveling around to make eye contact with his son, "Do…do you want to see if they'll let us order some Chinese food? That's still your favorite, right?"
Gray stared at Silver in blank silence for a moment.
His dad…actually remembered?
He huffed out a halfhearted chuckle, a small smile splaying across his lips as he replied, "Sure."
Natsu let out a heavy sigh as he stared at the large house that had been the Dragneel home for nearly ten years, his mind flooding with the memories, both good and bad, that'd he'd made in the place.
It'd been over a year since Zeref had gone to prison, and now that Wendy was fully recovered and ready to be rid of the place where she'd been injured, he'd figured that it was time they sold it to another family, its inside now emptied of all its contents.
His friends had helped him move the final boxes into the back of the moving van he'd be driving to his new place, and they stood beside him, doing their own look over the place where they'd spent a small portion of their time together in their youth.
Since there were no parents around, Loke took over the role of being melodramatic, theatrically swiping under his eyes and mock crying as he jokingly blabbed, "When he was a toddler, I changed his diapers and fed him from a bottle. Now he's moving out all on his own!" He sniffled dramatically before choking out, "He grew up so fast…"
Natsu rolled his eyes, "This isn't the first time I've moved out, ya know. I did live in Crocus for three years."
It seemed that Loke was choosing to ignore his words, slinging an arm around the pinkette's shoulder, "You've always lived just three minutes away from me! What am I gonna do without you here?"
Gray whapped the orange haired boy on the back of his head, "And now he's only going to live seven minutes away from you, idiot."
While Wendy would be moving in with their adoptive mother's sister until she completed high school and headed off to college, Natsu had gone in on an apartment with a 'roommate' on the East side of town, only a two minute drive between him and his sister and not much farther to where his friends lived.
"Stop being so dramatic," Elfman joined in on the tirade, "It's not manly."
Loke tsked, a humph slipping through his lips as he crossed his arms over his chest and grumbled, "You're one to talk. You cried like a baby when Lisanna got engaged last week."
Elfman's eyes welled with tears just at the mention of the event, clenching his hands in front of his chest as he proclaimed, "That's 'cause marriage is manly!"
"Whatever," the orange haired boy rolled his eyes.
Natsu could only chuckle as the two began to bicker over the masculinity of professing love, an argument he'd heard countless times, but it never really got old.
In addition to Lisanna's engagement to one of Laxus' old buddies from high school, a lot of other things had changed, too. But not many of the changes were that unexpected, and they had all felt rather natural in the progression of things. Mest had been promoted for his triumphant bust of a cult, and he was now back in Crocus, practically running the show in terms of law enforcement. Laxus had been released from his jail time, and now he was working part-time at the Fairy Tail bar, where Natsu knew he had his sights set on a certain brunette waitress. Jellal and Erza had finally held their wedding about eight months ago, and now they were expecting a baby boy. Gajeel had found a steady job at the Strauss' mechanic shop, and Mira had received her own promotion to Sergeant at the station. Juvia was still delivering pizzas, but she spent every second of free time she had with her new boyfriend, and teasing Gray about their relationship had become one of Natsu's favorite pastimes.
Of course, the raven haired boy had plenty of material to tease his rival with, too, the salmon haired boy's own relationship a common topic of jabs and jokes between the four.
As if in sync with Natsu's thoughts, a cab turned onto the road and came to a stop in front of the now empty home, the back door opening within the matter of only a few moments.
A pair of red sneakers was the first thing to exit the door, followed by a pair of legs clad in blue jeans. A head of blonde hair ducked through the opening, pale hands adjusting the gray sweatshirt on their torso as they stood on the curb, closing the door behind them and coming towards the quartet with a soft and pleasant, "Hey."
The salmon haired boy held out a hand for her to hold, greeting her with a gentle peck on the lips, "Hey, Luce."
"Yo," Gray shot the simple greeting in her direction with a small grin while Loke gave her a little wave and Elfman just smiled warmly at the girl who'd sort of become the fifth member of their little group.
"You guys ready to get going?" Lucy smiled softly as she looked between the four boys, lacing her fingers through Natsu's.
The pinkette hummed gently in affirmation, squeezing her hand back just as warmly.
Loke grinned smugly as he looked between the pair, "Man, look at you two, all ready to get cozy in your new apartment and have sex."
Lucy's cheeks burned just as brightly as Natsu's, the pinkette's gaze shooting about the neighborhood as he sarcastically hissed, "Could you say that any louder?"
"AND HAVE S-"
His jab was cut short by a tanned fist to the jaw, and, as per usual, now that they were started, Natsu and Loke didn't stop, pummeling each other on the front of lawn of the salmon haired boy's old home.
Gray quirked a brow as he watched his friends brawl, only half-joking as he leaned towards Lucy and asked, "You sure you wanna move in with this guy? He's obviously a total nutcase."
She only jabbed an elbow into his side, her own gaze never leaving the fight, before smiling warmly as she softly hummed, "Yeah. I'm sure. He's perfect."
A heavy sigh slipped through the raven haired boy's lips, "Well. Whatever you say." He glanced her way, his voice a lot less teasing as he remarked, "If you ever need anything," he paused briefly before correcting himself, "If either of you ever need anything, you can always call me."
The blonde gave him a warm smile, which he returned as she professed, "I know. Thanks, Gray."
It wasn't long before Gray and Elfman decided to intervene, tugging the still bickering boys apart from each other before the Strauss boy drug Loke to the moving truck and Gray shoved Natsu towards where they'd parked their bikes.
Lucy was already waiting for the pinkette by his motorcycle, the golden helmet he'd bought just for her already secured on her head. Natsu seemingly forgot all about the brawl, a bright grin on his face as he settled his own helmet over his head and swung a leg over his bike, gripping the handles as the blonde got on behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle. Her first time on the bike, she'd been terrified, but over the course of the past year she'd more than gotten used to riding behind the salmon haired boy, and just like him, she was now a sucker for the thrill of speed.
Gray revved his own bike next to them, casting the salmon haired boy a sly look as he challenged, "You up for a race to your new place?"
Natsu only grinned confidentially, pushing the visor of his helmet down over his eyes as he chuckled smugly, "Definitely."
Knowing that there was no stopping them, Lucy could only wrap her arms tighter around the salmon haired boy as they sped off with Gray on his own bike at their flank, the two bikes leaving the moving van with Loke and Elfman in its cabin in the dust.
The air was filled hoots of victory and halfhearted insults that were shouted over the noise of their bikes as they spend down the street, the boys constantly gaining ground on each other and swapping who was in the lead.
Lucy rested her head against Natsu's back, contently listening to the symphony of sounds as the air carried them by her ears in a rush of wind. Of the countless people who had come to her aid during her captivity at Zentopia, she felt most grateful to these two boys, the pair having risked everything and given up much in their fight to free her.
When people heard their story and found out about what she'd endured, they always asked how she was able to hold out while being held against her will in a place like that.
The answer was actually rather plain and simple: It was because she'd never given up hope.
The hope that she'd be able to get out one day.
The hope that there was a real omnipotent being up there, and that they were watching over her.
The hope that someone would hear her desperate cry and answer her plea.
She'd survived because she kept such hopes alive in her heart and constantly thought of the loved ones she'd lost and those who were fighting for her on the outside. Her strength had come from those whom she loved, and together, they'd accomplished their goal, just like they'd promised they would.
She'd always have the scars, both mental and physical, but instead of being painful reminders, she liked to think of them as testaments of her endurance and will that she could always carry with her as she lived life free of her captors.
Like she'd promised herself and Natsu, Zentopia had been taken down and she was living on the outside again, free to do whatever she wanted with her life for the first time in years. And while it'd already been a year since she'd been freed, she felt like her new life was only just beginning, and she was more than content to spend its entirety with the boy who had heard her plea, the boy who had saved her.
AN
GAAAAHHHH It's over! Writing this final chapter was a lot of fun, so I hope you enjoyed reading it! I felt like ending things this way would give us that final dose of tension, uneasiness, and action, but with an overall happy and resolving conclusion.
I'm sad that this story is over, and it felt like it went by so fast, but of course I'm excited to move on to other stories that I hope you'll stick around for! :)
I'd like to say a big, final THANK YOU to all my readers, and give a special THANK YOU to all those who have favorited, followed, and reviewed, especially those of you who have been sticking with this fic for quite some time. I know it definitely wasn't the most pleasant and heartwarming thing to read, but I loved testing out a darker side of my writing, and I'm glad to see that there are quite a few of you who appreciate the outcome! My stories always gain much more attention than I'd ever imagined they would, so really, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Signing off for the last time
~McSquidster