Lucy came to, unsure how awake she was, or, more importantly, where she was. She was bound, tight, to a metal chair. Chains locked her to the seat, and, shackled to her wrists, were anti-magic lacrima bands. The gag was gone, but Lucy had a feeling that screaming wouldn't do her any good. Lucy swallowed the lump in her dry throat.
"Wakey, wakey, little girl."
It was impossible to tell where the voice came from. Lucy searched until, suddenly, a man appeared before her. He had sunglasses on despite the dark room, and a black suit with a white shirt underneath. He was right in her face, their noses almost touching.
"Little Lucy," he said. "Wonderful for you to finally join us. My, you are a pretty thing. A little doll. You're Axel's right? Yeah, seems about right. Just like at you. A man like that must be eating you up. Hmm-mmm-mmm."
Lucy couldn't summon words. He had to be with the Empire, right? Who the heck was this guy? She'd never seen him before.
"Are you nervous? Don't be. Just go with it. You'll be fine. Apparently, you're valuable to the rest of the Empire. Not the way Miss Brandish sees it, though. No. Well, she sees all of us like little ants."
He put his hands on her, gripping her shoulders first gently and then, as he spoke more, squeezing tighter and tighter.
"Of course she does. Why, she put anti-magic shackles on you. You! A Spatial wizard! You wouldn't have access to your magic even if you wanted to. I am the master of Spatial magic. You're powerless around me. You're nothing. Nothing. But do you think she sees that? No. Of course not. I'm nothing to her, but, to me, you're nothing. So why are we wasting our time with a little bitch like you? Why even bother, why not just kill you now?"
He reared back. Lucy tensed, but the blow never came. Well, it did, but, it felt more like a light tap on her ankle. She glanced down and saw a tiny man at her feet who gave them a ferocious smack, which, truly felt like nothing. Lucy raised her eyebrow.
Then, the chill came.
"That's enough of your tantrum, Marin. You're gonna give me a headache."
Marin squeaked in argument against her, flailing on the ground while a woman Lucy did recognize emerged from the shadows of the cold, dark room. Brandish, General of the Twilight Division, flicked Marin away with her foot and rested a hand on her hip. She wore her typical cloak over the black laced bikini. Her head tilted to the side, face sneering at Lucy.
"God, you're pitiful," Brandish muttered. "What the hell does August see in you? Access to the Celestial Spirits? Please."
She placed her foot on Lucy's chest and eased the seat back. Lucy's hair dangled behind her, and at once, she realized that not knowing where she was meant she could be…anywhere. In a caged room.
Or out in the open, ready to be flung out and splattered on the ground at a moment's notice.
Brandish looked down on her as if from atop a mountain. She always had the veneer of superiority without a hint of vulnerability. Lucy balanced precariously on the feet of the chair holding her, gripping the sides for dear life as if it'd do anything.
"I just have some questions," Brandish said. "Killing you isn't worth my time. Besides, I could get in a bit of trouble with August, and that's just bothersome."
"What would you like to know?" Lucy asked, trying to maintain some amount of lightheartedness.
"Tell me where you got your Key of the Water Bearer," Brandish said. "How'd you come into possession of Aquarius?"
"It was from my mother," Lucy said, and Brandish pushed her leg further. Lucy squealed.
"Be honest," she said. "Or I'll squish you like the bug you are, Lucy. The key. How did it come to you?"
"My mother gave it to me!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Indeed. And why did she give it to you? Hmm?"
"It was a gift."
"A gift painted in blood," Brandish said. She almost smiled. "Do you want to know why you, Lucy Heartfilia, own the Aquarius key? Do you want to know why you have stolen what rightfully belongs to my family?"
"What are you talking about?"
Brandish pulled her leg back, and as Lucy lurched forward, Brandish caught Lucy by the throat. She squeezed. Brandish leaned down, her wrathful face in front of Lucy's trembling face.
"Your mother killed my mother to have her key back," Brandish said. "Layla Heartfilia was a greedy, greedy monster. I suppose your mother and father have that in common, don't that?"
"My mother never killed—!"
Brandish squeezed tighter.
"Give me the Aquarius key," Brandish hissed.
"I don't have it."
Brandish leered, then, flung Lucy down. The chains clattered to the ground around Lucy.
"Marin," Brandish called.
At once, the man reappeared. He jogged to Brandish's side, rubbing his head.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Search her," Brandish said, waving at Lucy. "Find the keys if she's lying."
Marin propped Lucy up. She shut her eyes, biting her lip and ignoring everything around her while Marin thoroughly inspected her. He found nothing, of course, but made sure to take his time and comment about her body while he looked. He had to strip her, down to her nude form. Brandish looked away, her face red.
"Put your clothes on, harlot," Brandish said as Marin shoved Lucy aside, his search coming up null.
Lucy nodded as she dressed again. She still had her shackles on, so getting some of her clothes back on was particularly challenging. She blinked away the tears that flooded her eyes.
"Tonight, by midnight, you will bring me the Aquarius Key, and we'll work out ownership terms," Brandish said. "If you fail to do so? I'll even the score. Your mother killed my mother, so, if you don't hand over the key to me, I will kill your father. How's that?"
"He—he…"
Lucy bowed her head.
"Do we have a deal?"
Dad was on the way. He'd be in the city by night and probably fall right into Brandish's clutches. There was no way he'd get away in time, nor for Lucy to get word to him. Brandish would have spies all over the place watching for her communication with her father.
"Yes," Lucy said meekly.
Midnight. She had until midnight to think of something. Maybe word out to Hisui, that they had to abandon the plan with her father for the time being. Tell Hisui that they were giving up Aquarius…
No! Lucy couldn't let go of her oldest friend. Not to a monster, not to the Twilight Empire.
The lights in the room sprang to life. It was a bare room, all cold stone. Lucy wasn't in any danger with the chair—there wasn't even a window to look out of in the room.
Yet, based on the decoration just outside, based on who was here...she was in the Twilight Division's tower.
She was where, in all likelihood, Lullaby would be.
"Good," Brandish said. "Back here, at the tower, by midnight. Marin will escort you."
"Maybe do a little workout in the meantime, little lady," Marin said with a sneer and was promptly shrunk and knocked away again.
"Shut it," Brandish said. She gestured to Lucy. "Get out."
The shackles snapped free on Lucy's wrists. Lucy nodded and escorted herself out. The door slammed shut behind her. Marin's voice rose again and was silenced with a quick, almost pleasurable, squeal.
Lucy rubbed her wrists as she stood alone in the open space. It was well adorned. Far better than that of the Dragon Division. Artifacts were contained in rune-based containment units, and paintings from all across the history of Fiore, Stella, and Bosco hung like trophies wherever there was sensical space.
She recognized several of the things they had as trophies, either from the records she'd read of the Twilight Empire's conquest or from the various histories that tethered Zeref's moves over his four hundred years of life together.
Without a doubt, Lullaby was in the tower.
Brandish's malevolent presence clung to every inch of the room around Lucy—enveloping even that was the power of August.
Invel, Alok, Neinhart, and all the rest of the Generals—except Dimaria—were easily snuffed out. They had nothing to hide. Who would dare question their power? Certainly, not some little girl looking for an ancient, cursed artifact of their Emperor.
This was her best opportunity. She was there. She was in the place with the very object that could seal the rebels' victory.
Yet everywhere she looked, she knew, death awaited. And, sure, she knew that going in. She knew that this was, likely, a suicide mission. Getting Lullaby would have to mean the end of her own life, right?
To make that move, to finally take that step…
Lucy didn't simply hesitate. She let the tears fall again, she let Brandish's presence persuade her, and she walked right out of the Twilight Division's tower. She abandoned Lullaby.
A shack stood at the top of a small hill in a break in the forest. Natsu leered at it. He and Happy were still up front, at point position, while Wendy and Carla weren't far behind.
"Looks sketchy," Natsu said to Happy.
"Looks like something hiding someone," Happy said.
"Someone like a refugee?"
"Someone that doesn't want to be found."
Natsu nodded. He quickly wrapped his scarf around his face. Happy wrapped his backpack tighter, too. Natsu clapped his hands together.
"Right. Then it is stealth that we must utilize. Nin-nin!"
"Nin-nin!"
Before Carla could utter a protestation, the two ninjas dashed across the forest, moving at speeds so quiet even a rabbit wouldn't hear them. They wove shadow through daylight like a fine seamstress with wool. To be unheard, unknown, unthought of! A skill, yes, but one possessed by true ninjas such as themselves.
Natsu and Happy were upon the shack before the world itself could even remember they were there! So powerful were their stealth abilities.
Natsu, quickly, surveyed the room. Empty. Ah, of course.
But their person did not want to be seen, or known.
So, they had to sneak, they had to—
Knock-knock.
"Wendy!" Natsu exclaimed.
Wendy blushed and stepped back. "Oh, my goodness. I'm sorry. I—were you going to sneak in?"
"Will you buffoons cut the act and open the door?" Carla asked.
The others emerged into the clearing. Yukino was snickering at them.
Natsu stood up and fixed his scarf. "Ugh, fine."
He banged on the door.
"Jellal! If you're in there, get your butt out here! Erza wants to talk to you! And also we captured a General from the Twilight Empire!"
"Had to go and yell all that, did we?" Happy muttered.
"Absolutely. Imagine if you came up to the old guild hall saying you captured Master Hades. It'd be a big deal! I'd answer the door."
Except, clearly, Jellal didn't share the same sentiment. Just as Wendy was about to go down and ask Erza what to do, Natsu figured it out for her. With a swift kick, the door to the little shack blew open. Wendy yelped. Carla smacked her head.
"How did I let this happen to myself?" she muttered.
Happy patted her on the back. "It's good to be home, isn't it?"
Natsu peered inside. The Exceeds entered. There didn't appear to be anyone around. There was a small bed, which was made. There was a tiny kitchen, which was clean. The place had been lived in but abandoned.
Natsu sniffed. Jellal had been around. He knew the guy's scent.
Wendy did, too.
"Similar to Mystogan, but, not," Wendy said. "It's..."
"Saltier," Natsu muttered.
"You've quite the sense of smell."
Natsu spun. Irene was in the doorway, leaning against her staff. The others were searching around the area for tracks that Jellal may have left behind. She sauntered into the room.
"Abnormal for a pair of humans. Unless, of course, you're not quite so human after all."
She didn't look at either Natsu or Wendy. She instead approached the bed Jellal had lain on, and flipped the mattress. Nothing there, either, save for a small note.
"Don't find me," Carla read.
"You're Dragon Slayers, aren't you?" Irene asked, glancing over her shoulder. "Yes. Natsu Dragneel, Wendy Marvell." She smiled. "My, isn't that interesting?"
Sonya woke with a start but knew to keep her voice down, lest her aids hear her and come rushing, begging her for answers to silly questions. She put her hands to her head, closing her eyes, trying to place herself back in the dream.
What was that? Animus asked from deep within her. What have you seen, little girl?
Sonya shook her head. Dream? How could that have been a dream? It felt so real, so vivid. She remembered the feeling of the cold wind racing by, of the timidity of her heart, of…
"What's happening to me?" Sonya muttered.
What have you seen? Animus roared.
"It was a dream," Sonya said. "And I saw him."
Enough games, girl.
Sonya looked up. In the mirror above her bed, in the inescapable mirrors about the room, she saw Animus glowering back at her.
"I was with Acnologia," Sonya said. "But I don't remember much else. I don't know what we said if we talked at all. I don't know where we were."
But she knew it was real, in some form or another.
He is dead, Animus said. Sonya, settle down. It was only a dream.
Sonya nodded and began to ease back into the bed. She stopped, just as the pulsing in her head throbbed to a painful, roaring degree. Animus came to life in her mind, surging forward, pressing on to take control of their body.
This time, Sonya did scream, so loud that she swore the aids would come flying in. Sonya curled into a ball, and fought as hard as she could, using all the techniques Zeref showed her to keep the dragon within her soulquiet.
The door flung open and her aids, and two guards, rushed in. Animus quieted.
Sonya's muscles at last relaxed. Sweat still poured down her face, but she found she could once more breathe easily. She pushed up, rubbing the spittle from her mouth while her aids checked on her.
"A nightmare," Sonya said, aware that her face was flush, color gone, eyes sunken. "Leave me be, now."
Laxus stared at the village beneath the hill from a distance while Freed and Makarov went to check it out. From their vantage point, Lexus, Evergreen, and Bickslow could easily see the scene, but wanted to hang back in case there was a trap.
It was so similar to the previous one they'd come across. It was obliterated, this one even more so, but a few bodies were left behind made to look like the Thunder Tribe and Dreyars, of course, sans Ivan, who sat by himself in front of Laxus and the others.
Dimaria was leading them on a goose hunt, a purposeful one meant to only stir their anger and get them to lose their minds for a moment. Laxus was about ready to punch a hole through his dad's head, but the man, so meek, didn't even bother to gloat about what'd happened.
"She's heartless," Evergreen muttered.
"No chill," Bickslow said.
"These are her people," Evergreen said. "Why harm them? What good does it do?"
"These aren't people in Dimaria's eyes," Laxus said. "They're sacks of meat meant to stoke us into someone irrational. We need to keep a level head."
Lightning didn't strike without permission from the clouds. Laxus let the storm fester in his chest, waiting for the moment to unleash the wrath his father forced upon him.
Makarov and Freed returned several minutes later, after scoping out the rest of the town. Makarov eyed Ivan for a moment but sauntered by to speak to Laxus and the Thunder Tribe.
"We've been gifted with a message, this time," Makarov said. "Magnolia is her next target."
"So we're going home, then," Laxus said.
"You're a fool to fight her," Ivan said.
Like he really cared, Laxus thought. He addressed Makarov. "We going?"
"The note threatened that she had something precious of ours waiting in Magnolia. While I did wonder what she meant at first, I have a feeling that it may be…someone."
"Someone?"
Makarov nodded, grimly. "Gildarts has a proclivity for walking off. Imagine he does so and then our family is caught off-guard by a member of the Spriggan Twelve. No matter how many of them there are, fighting a determined Spriggan is damn-near impossible for those at their level."
All of it made sense. Sure, drawing them out to Magnolia, just to die, could be seen as a cheeky way of hunting them down. Laxus once sought to wipe Magnolia off the map for the same reason. But, Dimaria didn't seem the type to go down with a simple victory. She had to rub it in, she had to throw salt in your eyes before gouging them out, anyway.
"Ivan," Makarov said. "I want to ask you something, and I want you to tell me the truth."
Makarov placed a note on the ground in front of his son. Ivan glanced at it. The note read, simply, THANKS AGAIN, in shoddy penmanship.
"There are myriad things she may be referring to, but something has been on my mind for many days now, and I haven't had the strength to ask you. Now? I have no choice." Makarov stood in front of his son, stern and without a hint of joy in his face. "There were few in the world who knew the truth and location of Lumen Histoire. Only one was alive to face the Twilight Empire. You. Ivan. Did you promise to guide Zeref to Lumen Histoire, on the condition that you be spared their wrath?"
Laxus moved around to join his grandfather, but by the time he did, his father was already visibly shaking, weeping, and nodding.
"I'm sorry," Ivan said, burying his head into his hands. "I'm sorry father."
"If you were," Makarov said and started down the hill to lead the others away, toward Magnolia. "You would've owned up to this unforgivable crime long, long ago."
Laxus shook his head, ignoring his old man and following in his grandfather's footsteps. It took some time for Ivan to finally get up and join them, too.