CHAPTER 5 . . . Fractures
Natsu endlessly stared into his mug. Every time someone walked past, the water trembled, distorting his reflection. When it got too still, he would swirl it around again, watching as it settled—watching as it inevitably stilled.
"You okay?" Mira's voice was as cheerful as ever, but there was an edge of concern beneath it. "You've been staring at your cup for hours."
Natsu, dark circles shadowing his eyes, barely reacted. "Yeah, fine." His voice was hoarse, exhausted.
Mira lingered for a second before nodding, her expression uncertain. She turned away to tend to the rest of the early risers, leaving Natsu alone with his thoughts.
When he let the water in his cup go still for too long, the images came back. Blood. Lucy. Her lifeless body cradled in his arms. His grip on the mug tightened. He needed to keep busy, needed something to focus on. But when he did, he couldn't think. And when he didn't—he could only think of her like that.
A deep, shaky breath left him as he placed the cup down.
"Natsu?"
The voice snapped him out of it. He turned, finding Erza standing behind him.
"What are you doing here so early?" she asked.
He sighed, turning back toward the bar. "Didn't get much sleep."
"Where's Happy?"
"Sleepin'."
Erza hummed, crossing her arms. "Ah… are you alright?"
Natsu's head lifted slightly, an idea forming. "Erza, whaddya say I take this mission alone? I can still split the reward with you—"
"No, Natsu." Erza's voice was firm, unwavering. "No mission with a high reward comes without risk. I will not let you take that risk on your own."
His shoulders slumped. "Right… okay."
Erza studied him carefully. "Why would you even suggest that? We work better together, don't we?"
Natsu swallowed hard. "It just feels like I should. I can't explain it."
A flicker of confusion crossed her face. "Well, okay, but you're not going alone. That's final." With that, she turned and strode away.
If only he could explain it to her—to anyone. But the words never came. He was too tired. Too lost. He needed time. The one thing that kept being stolen from him.
Another hour passed. Another hour of swirling his mug, of waiting, of dreading. Then, the door swung open.
Natsu's head snapped up.
Juvia walked in, arm-in-arm with Gray. Wendy, Carla, and Happy followed soon after. Natsu deflated, staring back at the bar.
Where the hell was Lucy?
She was never late. They were supposed to leave soon. Unless…
His body tensed.
What if something had already happened? What if the figure had gotten to her before he could stop it?
His chair scraped against the wooden floor as he bolted upright, catching Mira's startled glance. Then, he ran—shoving the doors open and sprinting through the streets.
. . .
Natsu crawled through her window with practiced ease.
His heart pounded as his eyes scanned the room, searching.
Then, he saw her.
She was still asleep, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Alive. Safe. Relief crashed over him like a tidal wave, but it didn't wash away the unease creeping up his spine.
Something didn't make sense.
This wasn't normal. The loop always reset the same way, but this time, Lucy was late. Why? What had changed?
"Lucy—Lucy!" Natsu hissed her name, shaking her shoulder.
A sharp gasp filled the air as she jolted awake. "Natsu? What's going on?"
He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "You're gonna be late. We're leaving soon."
"What? Oh—oh shit!"
Lucy scrambled out of bed, rushing to gather her things. Despite everything, Natsu found himself grinning. She was still her. Still Lucy.
. . .
The walk to the train station felt different this time.
Maybe it was the way the wind shifted unpredictably. Maybe it was the way Lucy's hair looked messier than usual, like she'd tossed and turned all night. Maybe it was the way Natsu's gut twisted, telling him something was off—something small, yet important. But most likely, it was the way Lucy woke up late. That hadn't happened before.
It was a small detail—insignificant to anyone else—but to him? It was a crack in the foundation of everything he thought he understood about the loop. And cracks only spread.
Lucy yawned beside him, stretching her arms above her head. "Ugh, I feel like I barely slept last night."
Natsu glanced at her. "Bad dream?"
She blinked at him. "No… it's nothing. Just this weird feeling, like something was off. You ever wake up and feel like you forgot something important?"
His stomach twisted. He wanted to tell her, that wasn't nothing. That's how he felt the entire day before he had to watch her claw at her throat, bleeding profusely.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, keeping his voice even. "I dunno. You forget something?"
Lucy frowned, thinking. "I don't know. Maybe?" She shook her head. "It's stupid. I probably just didn't get enough sleep."
Natsu nodded, but the unease didn't leave him. Something was happening, and he didn't know what yet.
The train station came into view, and the others were already waiting. Happy waved at them, beaming. "You're finally here! Natsu's been acting super weird without you, Lucy!"
Natsu ignored him. His gaze flickered to Erza, Gray, Wendy, Carla —everyone was there.
Lucy playfully smacked Natsu's shoulders. "Is that true, Natsu? You make me blush," she teased.
Natsu snapped out of his daze, looking down at her sneaky grin. Her eyebrows were raised and a light pink painted her cheeks. For a moment, everything felt normal. "Happy's a liar, don't get ahead of yourself," he groaned.
"C'mon! We're gonna be late!" Wendy rushed the pair with excitement.
. . .
The wizard's house was dim, the same as before. The only difference was that this time, Natsu knew the truth.
But the others didn't.
Erza knocked once before pushing the door open. "We're here about the mission."
The wizard barely looked up from his desk. His eyes flickered toward Natsu, then quickly away. "Come in," he muttered.
Lucy stepped inside beside Natsu, brushing dust off her sleeve. "Wow, do you ever clean in here?"
Natsu barely heard her. His gaze was locked on the wizard, who was purposefully avoiding eye contact.
Gray sighed. "Alright, let's make this quick. We're supposed to track down some stolen weapon, right? Give us a location, and we'll handle it."
The wizard finally set his quill down. He exhaled sharply before speaking. "I misled you."
That got everyone's attention.
"What do you mean?" Erza asked, eyes narrowing.
The wizard's fingers twitched. "The job request said the weapon was stolen and needed to be retrieved." He hesitated. "That was… not the full truth"
Lucy folded her arms. "Great. Another sketchy job."
"The weapon was stolen," the wizard admitted. "But retrieving it is not the primary goal. If it falls into the wrong hands, it won't just be used—it will become unstoppable."
Natsu ground his teeth together.
"Who exactly stole it?" Erza pressed.
The wizard's expression darkened. "A man – no, better described as an entity – whose name I do not know. But I know what he intends to do." His voice dropped lower. "He believes he can harness the weapon's power."
Lucy stilled beside Natsu. He could feel her gaze flick toward him like she was waiting for some kind of reaction.
"And what does it actually do?" Gray asked.
The wizard hesitated. Then, he looked directly at Natsu. Natsu's jaw clenched.
"It traps you," he said. "In time. In cycles."
A chill ran through the room.
Lucy's breath hitched. "What?"
The wizard exhaled. "It resets time upon death for the victim."
Erza's expression didn't waver. "And breaking it?"
The wizard's eyes flickered toward Natsu again. "Breaking it will end the loop for the trapped individual. That is, if there is someone trapped." He took a deep breath before continuing, "That being said, once you find the weapon, break it. I was going to do it after you'd return it to me, but I've realized how urgent the matter is. It must be destroyed as soon as possible."
Natsu barely breathed, as if he would disappear if he were still enough.
Lucy turned to him. "Natsu?"
He stiffened. She knew something was wrong. He could feel it.
The wizard continued, "The thief wishes to control it. If he succeeds, he will be able to manipulate time itself—at will. Everyone will be trapped in a loop of their own – never escaping the cycle."
Erza's fists clenched. "Then we stop him."
Lucy was still watching Natsu. Her voice was quieter this time, her words directed to Natsu alone.
"Natsu… why do I feel like you already knew all this? Why does this feel… familiar to me?"
He froze. The wizard tensed. For the first time in all his loops, Natsu realized—Lucy was starting to figure it out.