Hey, guys! I'm so sorry I've been getting distracted, but I'm determined to stay on my schedule! Thanks for sticking with me, and I promise that I'll try and keep this story up!

Chapter 8: Unveiled

Lucy couldn't believe that Gemini could be a perfect copy. There was no way that was under a mask... This couldn't be the famous Guildless' appearance.

Her eyes were terrifying, pitch black and soulless. At the corner of each eye, she had a crescent moon tattoo in black, curling around the corner of her eyes. Her copper skin glistened- where you could see it.

The most prominent feature on her face was the five parallel, ghostly white scars that ran diagonal across her face. Each about as thick and deep as a pen, they cut barely into her hairline at the top of the right of her face. Running to the left, they dominated her face, the top running from hairline to cut her ear nearly in half, the next crossing her eye, the next the bridge of her nose, the next her eye and mouth, the last slicing through her smooth cheek and chin.

Lucy couldn't believe it- this had to be a trick of Gemini's. Surely Guildless wasn't marred like this beneath the real mask... Yet the smug, cruel smile on Gemini's lips took her differently. This was Guildless. Guildless was a creature of power and appearance like she never could've dreamed.

Yet what happened next was even more unpredictable.

The real Guildless let a primal scream of rage loose, pouncing on her double without mercy. The two toppled into the water, a flurry of black clothes and copper skin.

Lucy cried, "Guildless!"

Angel laughed. "Make this quick, my pets! I don't want to waste all my energy on this fight."

Gemini flew onto shore, flung back by an enraged Guildless. Dripping clear and red liquid, her fists shaking in anger and beginning to glow with harsh black light. Lucy was afraid to think of what was about to happen. But whether it was fortunate or not, she had her own fight to focus on.

While Lucy began her showdown with Angel, Guildless had already gained the upper hand over Gemini. The doppelganger was struggling not to be struck by Guildless' merciless hail of black. Gemini countered with a matching attack, but Guildless' maneuvering was superior. She lunged forward yelling, "Arc of Night: Dark Claws!" Knives materialized in her hands as she viciously attacked Gemini, who didn't waste time.

Gemini quickly countered, "Pitch Black Cannon!" From Gemini's palm, a beam of black shot toward Guildless, but she dove beneath the attack to slash at Gemini's gut. Yet Guildless' attack never hit. Gemini had separated into their normal form, Guildless' attack passing beneath them. She drew back for another strike, yet something else drew her attention. She barely managed to yell, "Shade's Shield!" before a massive shaft of green energy crashed through her shield and sent her flying back, tumbling into the river.

Lucy turned toward her. "Guildless!"

But when she turned around, there was a much worse scene. Caelum had fired again, both Leo and Aries slowly dissolving. Lucy looked between them with tears in her eyes. "You disgust me."

Downriver, Guildless floated on the water, catching her breath. She'd been lucky her shield had spread the force of the blow, or she'd have a hole in her sternum a foot energy hadn't been a focused blast, but just dispersing it hadn't done enough. Guildless felt like 20 motorcycles had taken turns running her over, her body stiff and heavy. Her black clothes were peppered with holes, yet her black cloth around her arms and neck were steaming but undamaged somehow. Her mask had a jagged crack that connected to the left eye hole.

Three days... Three days in, and I've already taken a hit like this? Ugh, why did I decide to do this... I should just get out while I can, float away on this river until I'm gone. Owing that guild my life is like owing them a corpse.

Yet she still attempted to find her footing on the riverbed, her legs weak. Come on, come on... I can do this. Guildless managed to grab the bank of the river, gripping with a scorched hand. Pulling herself up, she managed to get out of the water. She knelt for a moment, taking a few extra seconds to rewrap her bandages tighter. Standing slowly, she looked upstream to see Gemini was now wielding Caelum, knocking Lucy around like a ragdoll.

"Dammit..." Guildless started her slow way up the bank, gathering energy so she could blast the spirits once she was in range. But when she was about fifty feet away, Hebiki swayed as he walked up behind Lucy... his hands curling around her neck.

Guildless cursed, "Shit!" She increased her pace as much as possible, a staggering jog toward them.

Yet she didn't need to.

Just as she came into range, Hebiki's hands slid to her shoulders and began glowing with gold light. Hebiki softly said, "Just relax. This might feel funny. I'm going to use Archive to teach you Hyper magic."

A massive magic circle appeared, Hebiki yelling, "This is a one shot deal, so make it count!"

Lucy screamed, "All these spells in my head! Wait! I don't know if I can take it!"

Angel ordered, "Caelum, finish them!"

But the spirit began its attack too late.

Yet the last bar filled and the forest transformed. The wizards hung in what seemed to be space, planets and stars all around. Angel cried out in fear and confusion.

Lucy spoke in a monotone as she began a spell that Guildless had never heard before.

"Oh, stars far and wide that embody the heavens, by thy radiance, reveal thy form to me. I implore you, oh Tetribiblos, ruler of the stars, let your unrestrained rage flow. With the 88 heavenly bodies... shining! URANO METRIA!"

A golden shaft of light shot forward, and Angel was defeated.

Lucy blinked, looking around. "Did I win?"

Guildless smirked. "Yeah, kid. Nice job."

Lucy looked up. "Guildless! You're okay!"

The woman nodded. "Yeah, fine. You finished her good, but remember, Nirvana's still an issue. Let's get your friend off the damn raft and go."

Lucy hesitated. "Yeah... but, uh, Guildless?" She looked terrified to ask. "What did... you know..." She nervously motioned at Guildless' mask.

Guildless sighed. "Lucy, I'm going to trust you. That's not something I do lightly. If you don't tell anyone about what's under my mask, I'll tell you after this fight with the Seis. Deal?"

Lucy smiled. "You've got it!" She turned to Natsu just as there was motion in the water where Angel had gone down. She shot up, Caelum next to her. "I will not lose! I'm one of the Oracion Seis! You never stood a chance!" As Caelum charged an attack, she vowed, "I'll use the last of my power to send you to the grave!"

Guildless put up a barrier in front of Lucy and herself, but it turned out she didn't need to. Caelum's attack swerved right around the two of them. Angel growled, "No, you missed! Filthy traitor!"

Guildless let down the shield and sent a single bolt of darkness right into Angel's chest, knocking her back down.

Behind them, the rock that had been stopping the raft had been destroyed by Caelum, finally letting it flow again. Lucy squealed as Guildless groaned. "Great." She wouldn't waste precious energy on wings, so she started pushing through the waist-deep water after the boy. "Hurry, Lucy!"

Lucy dove after her the two trying to pull Natsu off the raft, but the current was speeding up. Lucy managed to grab the edge of the raft, pulling herself up, Guildless right after, but the current began to pick up even further, rapidly weaving through the forest towards-

"Waterfalls. Why is it always the damn waterfalls?!"

Lucy clutched Natsu and screamed as they went over the edge. But they never touched the water. Lucy opened her eyes to see they were above the water, a tight grip around her waist. She looked up, Guildless above with pitch black wings, gripping both her and Natsu, though Natsu hung by his ankle. She groaned, "Can't... carry you... forever..." She was right. They were slowly falling, her wingbeats long and far apart while she struggled to hold both the wizards.

Natsu chose a bad time to wake up. Seeing only the water below and being upside down, he panicked, kicking out as he yelled, "What's the big idea?!"

Guildless cursed loudly as she dropped Natsu from the kick to her ribs, barely managing to keep hold of Lucy. "Natsu!" She folded her wings to dive forward after him, grabbing him by the spiky hair. Natsu still didn't see Guildless, only her menacing wings, and spat fire, scorching her mask and blinding her.

As she yelled in pain, Lucy accused, "Natsu, stop it!" But the damage was done. Still a good hundred feet over the water, Guildless dropped them, wings slowly fading to be transparent, then disappeared completely.

Crashing into the pounding water, they were churned around, Guildless barely conscious. The mask had protected most of her face, her vision still blurry. But she could still make out a pink blur nearby, grabbing at it and pulling. Having Natsu by the neck, she felt for the edge of the river, then flung him up once she did. Pulling herself up, Lucy was already there somehow.

Everyone's safe... I think I'll take a well earned nap quick... And she fell on her back, completely unconscious.