CHAPTER 7 . . . Find Me

When Natsu and Lucy stepped into the wizard's tower, they were met with the wizard standing silently in wait. His expression remained impassive as his gaze settled on just the two of them.

"Are you ready?" he asked, his voice flat and devoid of any emotion.

Natsu and Lucy exchanged a brief, silent look before nodding in unison. Their bodies were tense, the weight of the moment pressing on them. They couldn't afford to second-guess now.

"Then, let's go," the wizard said, turning on his heel without waiting for a response.

Natsu's stomach churned, and the feeling of unease crept up his spine as they followed him up the spiraling staircase. Every step felt heavier than the last, each turn of the stairs feeling like they were descending into something far worse than they had anticipated. The air was thick with the scent of dust and damp stone, but it was the silence that truly unsettled him. His thoughts raced with the worst possibilities. What if this time, they didn't make it out? What if they were marching straight to their deaths?

His gaze flickered to Lucy. Her steps were measured, though her expression remained unreadable. The small furrow of her brow told him everything. She, too, felt the same foreboding weight pressing down on them. But neither of them spoke. Words couldn't change what was coming. There was only the quiet march toward the unknown.

As they ascended the narrow staircase, the only sound was the echo of their footsteps against the stone walls. Natsu's muscles were taut, his body stiff with anxiety, while Lucy walked a step ahead, her back straight but her eyes cast downward in thought.

The wizard led them without a word, his pace steady, almost unnervingly calm, as though he had already accepted whatever was coming next. But Natsu's stomach twisted with each step. The air felt heavier as they climbed, thick with the weight of what was ahead. He couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't just walking toward the unknown, but toward something far worse—something they couldn't stop.

Lucy's voice broke the silence, soft but steady. "Do you think this is really going to work?"

Natsu glanced at her. Her eyes were focused on the path ahead, but there was a subtle tremble in her hands. He knew the uncertainty that gripped her, felt it too. She was just as unsure as he was.

"I don't know," he admitted quietly, his voice rough. "But we have'ta try. It's the only choice we got."

Her lips tightened into a thin line, but she gave him a small nod. They couldn't turn back now.

They reached the top of the tower, the door looming before them. The wizard stopped, turning to face them. "This is where it begins. Once you step through, there is no turning back."

Natsu's heart pounded in his chest. He looked at Lucy, who met his gaze without flinching. Natsu had been through so many loops, through so many deaths. It wasn't about turning back anymore. It was about pushing forward, together.

"We're ready," Natsu said firmly.

Lucy nodded, her voice barely above a whisper but resolute. "We'll do whatever it takes."

Natsu steeled himself, taking one last glance at Lucy. He held out his hand toward her.

Lucy looked at it for a moment before her fingers curled tightly around his. No more words were needed. They had each other, and that was all that mattered.

Together, they stepped through the door.

. . .

This time, they waited in the shadows, positioned on opposite sides of the room, out of sight from the door. The air was thick with tension, their every breath seemingly louder than the last. The silence felt suffocating as if time itself was holding its breath. Natsu's heart hammered in his chest, each beat resonating in his ears. Every muscle in his body ached to move, to spring into action.

Lucy was a few paces away, her eyes fixed on the door, but her gaze seemed distant, lost in thought. Her fingers twitched slightly, as though she was subconsciously reaching for something that wasn't there—perhaps a spell, perhaps hope. He wanted to say something, anything to break the silence.

The sound of the door creaking open sent a jolt through Natsu's body. His breath hitched. He didn't need to look to know that the figure had entered the room. The presence was undeniable, like a cold, oppressive fog slowly spreading through the space, suffocating everything it touched.

The figure stepped inside, its movements slow and deliberate, like a predator savoring its hunt. Natsu could feel the weight of its gaze, though he didn't dare look up. He could hear Lucy's breath catch beside him, the faintest shudder that betrayed her calm exterior.

The figure paused, its hollow eyes sweeping over the room as if it knew exactly where they were hiding. And then, it spoke—its voice low and mocking, as if savoring every word.

"Did you really think you could stop me?" the figure sneered, voice hollow, mocking.

The orb, nestled within the figure's long, skeletal hands, pulsed with a sickly light. Its surface rippled like liquid, shifting in ways that didn't belong in this world. Natsu's eyes narrowed. If they were going to end this nightmare, they had to destroy the orb. It was their only chance.

The figure raised the orb high, its dark power swelling with an unbearable intensity. The air seemed to hum with the force of it, vibrating through the very stone beneath their knees. Every muscle in Natsu's body screamed to move, but the weight of the orb's power pressed down on him, suffocating him.

"No… you won't…" Natsu growled, his fists clenched, readying to launch himself toward the orb.

Lucy was beside him, her body trembling, but her resolve burned bright in her eyes. "We're not going to let it end like this."

The figure laughed. "You're already dead. Again."

With a snap of its fingers, the orb unleashed its power. A flash appeared before Natsu's eyes.

Pain exploded through Natsu's body, sharp and relentless, searing into his very soul. It was as if time itself was unraveling, the world around him collapsing into nothingness. The space between breaths seemed to stretch, each second dragging on forever.

She was there, her arms wrapping around him in an embrace, pulling him closer. Her touch, her warmth, was the only thing that anchored him to this world. The pain was unbearable, but her strength—her resolve—was what kept him grounded.

"Lucy…" he whispered, barely able to speak.

"Listen to me, Natsu. When you wake up – find me."

With a swift, almost serene motion, she drew an arrow from her quiver, the tip glowing with an ethereal light. Her hand shook, but her expression was resolute. She pressed the arrow against their chests, the cold metal against their skin, and before Natsu could even comprehend what was happening, she drove it through both of them.

The pain was excruciating, but in that final moment, there was something else—something peaceful. As the world around them fragmented, Natsu looked into Lucy's eyes, finding only the echo of a smile that made him believe they could escape.

Then, the light from the orb flared, and everything went black.