CHAPTER NINE: TRUST AND TEARS
Open your closed eyes now.
You're not alone, not alone, not alone now.
You don't have to be sad anymore.
You're always in my heart.
Run away to a place where you can breathe.
Run away to a place without painful tears.
Far away, far away, so far away.
Open your eyes...
Lucy's head throbbed.
Memories of her drunken antics flickered like used up wicks, only a spark of light moving through the storm of her waking hangover. Her apron hung over the end of the loveseat, white frills wrinkled and stained. Lucy barely remembered stripping off, and what she did remember involved Natsu's unwilling hands. At this point he'd touched so much of her body she might as well marry him.
She covered her face and moaned. How was she supposed to face him now? She'd practically thrown herself at him. Even worse, sober and aching, she didn't care that he'd touched her. Maybe it was time to face facts.
Inebriated or not, Lucy liked it.
'Take me to bed, Natsu.'
Lines of scarlet warmth climbed Lucy's neck. If it wasn't one thing it was another. Embarrassment or worry, her thoughts revolved entirely around him.
Despite Natsu's frantic efforts to put her to bed, Lucy couldn't sleep, and as the drunkenness faded, she'd become more and more ashamed. Gracious in defeat, she'd left Natsu and Happy to sleep alone in the bedroom. It was humiliating. So. Damn. Humiliating.
She stared now into the dark living room, calling upon what little strength she had to sit upright. Bundled in blankets, she huddled against the arm of the loveseat, offhandedly leafing through pages of her book.
That stupid outfit seemed to watch her from the floor. There were so many memories woven in the black lace. So many hopes and dreams.
Candlelight spit in the pre-dawn shadows, lending its light to the spread of old pages on her knees. Maybe reading a romance wasn't the best idea, but Lucy had little else to focus on right now. Not that she was focusing. At all. Despite her best efforts, the words just didn't sink in. She'd reread the page thrice now, and each time her mind wandered to other things.
She couldn't let Ultear's sacrifice be for nothing. She had to do something. Think of something. Crocus was a library of untold wisdom and rich histories. There had to be answers here.
Tiny footsteps creaked into the room. "Lucy, I can't sleep."
Happy shuffled into the living room, rubbing his tired eyes. Lucy opened her blankets to him. He leapt up and snuggled at her side, his fur soft and warm.
"Is it Natsu?" she asked.
"I want to help him, Lucy."
Lucy set her book on the coffee table. "We're going to help him."
Natsu's screams tore through the house. Lucy flinched. Both took a moment to calm themselves, reminding themselves he was dreaming, that he was safe there. Tormented, but safe.
You must help him see.
Lucy tensed. She turned her upper body slowly, weighted by fear. Happy whispered something, but Lucy couldn't hear him over the beating jitters of her own heart. His paws found her hand and squeezed.
Zeref stood at the end of the coffee table, drawing circles around the candle's flame. Tearful eyes captured Lucy's gaze.
"Help him see," he said again.
"See what?" she asked.
"Lucy? Who are you talking to?"
Zeref smiled softly. Had she fallen asleep again?
"See what?" she demanded.
"Natsu will never know peace until he sees the truth. The demon seed thirsts to kill me, its power conjures these dreams, feeds into the hunger. Help him see that the scratching under his bed does not come from a monster, but from his own fears. He is my greatest regret." Zeref snuffed the candle flame with his fingers. "End this, so that we may be at peace."
We?
Shrouded in darkness, Lucy saw a gleam of light so bright it lifted her paranoia. A young woman smiled from within the light, blonde hair parted in waves down her back. She glowed in shades of silver starlight and pastel promises.
Mavis.
"First Master," Happy whispered.
This wasn't a dream?
She wore a silken gown that hung from a single shoulder, white lace undulating across the floor, hues of snow white innocence. Of goodness and kindness and love. A large ribbon bloomed from the small of her back.
No longer a child, Mavis stood at Zeref's height, her arms strong, muscular, her back straight and poised. She looked like the queens in Lucy's fairy tales.
"Be strong, Lucy," Mavis said. "Remember, great light casts greater shadows. Darkness doesn't always mean the end. When all seems lost, embrace the source of light, not the deep, dark depths it has created."
"Wait!" Lucy clambered to her feet. "Please! Tell me what to do!"
Mavis took Zeref's hand and disappeared.
Small arms gripped Lucy's ankles. Lucy dropped into a crouch. Happy spilled into her embrace, his paws clutching at her shirt.
"I'm scared, Lucy."
"It's okay." Lucy caressed his head. "You're okay."
"I'm scared something is going to happen to you," Happy said.
"Nothing is going to happen to me."
Happy wasn't convinced. "I don't want to lose you."
"Listen." Lucy touched a finger to his chest. "Even when we're apart, I'll always be right here. Just think of me and I'll appear. I promise."
The bedroom door slammed open, revealing a burning figure within the room. Lucy pushed Happy behind her.
"Lucy, what should we do?"
"Stay behind me," Lucy said.
Cracked with scales, Natsu's face drained of all colour, his eyes open despite dreaming. Serpentine slits darted left and right, seeing nothing, bleeding crimson into the sclera. He was rage personified.
"Natsu," Happy whimpered.
"Stay back," she warned. "He's not himself right now."
Or perhaps he was more himself than she'd ever dared to dream. This was the monster Zeref created. This was the light at the end of his long, immortal tunnel, burning high like a funeral pyre. Within the crimson flames, cold blue shimmered emptily.
Natsu is Natsu, she told herself.
"Where is Zeref?" Natsu asked, his voice rattling with gravel, his tone thick with hatred.
"He's gone."
Natsu turned dangerous eyes on her. "I smell him."
Lucy slid one foot back, keeping Happy from view.
Natsu stepped forward. One. Two. Three. Four.
He lunged.
Lucy threw Happy over the loveseat, taking the brunt of Natsu's force. He knocked her to the ground, slamming fists on floorboards. She rolled her head aside, barely dodging a blow to the face.
"Stop it!" she snapped. "Stop this, Natsu!"
She shoved her hand against his face, obscuring the glare of those demonic eyes.
"Listen to my voice. It's me, Lucy!"
"Lu..."
Hope kindled. "Yes! Listen to me, Natsu! This isn't you!"
His voice turned to a snarl, tearing hope as easy as paper, scattering the shreds all around her. He struck her hard across the face. Happy flew into action, smacking Natsu's back.
"Leave Lucy alone!"
"Stay away!" Lucy screamed.
Natsu launched Happy across the room in a whorl of fire and furor.
Lucy jammed her knee into Natsu's stomach, rolling them over. She straddled him hard, pinning hot fists against the floor. Flames licked her skin, burning flesh and dreams. She winced at the pain.
"I don't want to fight you," she begged.
A low, guttural hiss answered.
"You idiot!" she yelled. "Wake up! Wake up right now! This isn't who you are!"
Natsu's pupils widened slightly, absorbing the light of her pleas. "Lu...cy?"
"You're my hero, Natsu. You were made to help people. To do good things. This isn't who you're supposed to be."
"Natsu!" Happy pulled himself across the floor. "You're my hero too!"
One last scream filled the house with horrors, and then Natsu's body relaxed, sinking into the floor. His eyelids fluttered closed. Lucy arched and threw back her head, relief oozing from her aching limbs. Natsu whispered their names.
"Happy, can you stand?"
He pushed himself upright, tears biting his tired eyes. "Are you okay, Lucy?"
"Go grab some blankets," she told him.
Reluctantly, Happy did as she asked.
Lucy lurched forward, catching herself on Natsu's chest. Pain spasmed in her face, marks beating under her skin. Heat blossomed in her cheeks, spreading to her neck, her back, her stomach. These blooms had thorns. They pricked her. Bleeding, bruising. She gasped.
Hands clutched her throat. Lucy gulped breaths she couldn't swallow. He squeezed harder, sitting up with the controlled ease of a marionette on strings. Lucy twisted, but Natsu heaved her off the ground, shoving her hard against the wall. He traced her marked skin with his left hand. His thumb brushed her lips. Natsu's hold slackened. She choked, gasping sweet, delicious air.
"What are you doing?" she coughed out.
"You reek of Zeref," he growled.
Lucy's heart plunged into her stomach. Cold blood filled her veins with icy horrors and raw terrors. She stole a glance at the door, praying Happy wouldn't return. He couldn't see this. She had to protect him at all costs.
"Natsu, please stop this."
He lifted her off the ground, toes grazing the wooden floor.
"You burn me inside," he whispered. "Why?"
Lucy choked, tears welling, her legs flailing helplessly off the ground. He leaned in close to inspect the marks on her face. Slowly, he released her. She fell stiff against the wall, hands flat to her sides, pulse radiating fear in her body. He buried his face against her neck, inhaling her scent. His hands squeezed her waist.
"Lucy," he said. "My Lucy."
Natsu brushed his lips against her collar bone, tasting her skin, testing the boundaries of their bond. His mouth opened, hot breath kissing her neck. Lucy sucked down a whimper. He bit her, hard, but not in the way a monster feasts on prey. His lips grazed her with such gentleness it opened thousands of cocoons in her stomach, butterflies erupting, their wings aflame. Her arms went limp at her sides.
"I'm all fired up," he whispered.
Lucy grabbed his hand. The motion gave him pause. Natsu raised his head, eyes a glimmer of confusion. She pressed his palm against her chest.
"If you want to touch me, go ahead. Wake up and touch me," she said.
Natsu cupped her face with his free hand, calloused fingers brushing her torrid cheeks. "Don't die, Lucy," he whispered. "You are my..."
He collapsed.
It took all of Lucy's strength, mental and otherwise, to hoist him onto the loveseat. Happy emerged a moment later with blankets, visibly shaken.
He'd seen everything.
They tucked Natsu in as best they could, his voice a murmur of lost dreams and abandoned fears.
"Let's go to bed," she whispered. "You need to rest."
Like either of them would rest after that ordeal.
She scooted him into the bedroom, pausing just once in the doorway. Natsu didn't move within the dark room.
"We should let him sleep longer," Lucy whispered.
Happy nodded, unusually quiet. Lucy closed the door gently behind them. She'd barely made it to the bed when Happy dove into her arms, burying his face against her chest. Lucy's hands lifted in surprise. Shock subsided, replaced by a nurturing instinct. She enfolded him in her arms.
"I don't want him to die," Happy said.
Lucy's mind flickered back to their war with Alvarez, and to Natsu's sudden decline in health. The tumor had almost killed him.
"This isn't like before," she promised.
"But what about you, Lucy?"
Happy shivered in her arms. Trepidation hung heavy in the air. Lucy breathed it down despite having no antidote to cure the fear.
Listening to his liberated cries, Lucy felt so ashamed. She'd been so fixated on Natsu she hadn't stopped to think about how recent events might be affecting Happy, too. He'd been holding back for their sake, cracking jokes when all he wanted to do was cry. Lucy snuggled him tight.
"I'm fine, you hear me? We're going to be just fine, Happy."
"I don't want to lose you."
"Not a chance," she said. "You guys are stuck with me forever."
It seemed he wasn't entirely soothed, but Happy's trembling slowed, and Lucy felt him calm in her arms. She held him silently for a moment, letting him relieve these pent up feelings. She should have paid him more attention.
"I love you," Happy whispered, and the words lifted Lucy's spirits until she felt nothing but unadulterated joy. He truly did live up to his namesake.
"Me too," she said. "I love you so much."
Lucy paced outside Minerva's room.
A private conversation? About what? She'd rehearsed countless possibilities on her way to the inn, but every practiced word vanished at the sight of Minerva's door.
Mustering the courage, Lucy stopped and at least reached for the doorknob. Someone opened the door from within. Minerva poked her head through the gap, a knowing smile on her face—the kind of smile that said, I've been waiting.
Minerva looked annoyingly radiant first thing in the morning, dark hair static from sleep and yet still polished, her naked eyes glowing with rest. She wore a black kimono robe that fell open at her chest, revealing what looked like a new pendant. Lucy reached instinctively for Aquarius's key at her neck.
Things could have gone so differently.
Lucy's neck hurt. Impressions of Natsu's fingers bruised her delicate skin, leaving reddened marks on her left shoulder. And that damned bite mark. It was so big.
She wore Natsu's scarf loose around her neck, hoping to conceal the damage. If Natsu really didn't remember what he'd done, she had no reason to bring it up again. No use giving him more nightmares.
Lucy didn't know whether to be embarrassed or angry. Embarrassed that she'd enjoyed the physical closeness, but angry that E.N.D. had been the one to pursue it. That stupid jerk. This was the second time he'd bitten her.
But why would a demon crave physical intimacy?
Minerva stared into the empty hallway. "I see Sting abducted your entourage."
Lucy offered a bashful smile. They'd barely made it into the inn when Sting had snagged Natsu by the shoulder and demanded they go outside for a long walk. And by walk, of course he meant fight. She had no doubt they'd be hearing explosions anytime soon. It was really too early for this.
Minerva's room was more fitting for a palace than an inn. Lilac curtains hung from posts at each corner of the queen sized bed, connected by a sheer canopy that ran the full length of it. The furniture was equally as lavish—all crystal white polish and golden trim. A soft breeze entered through the cracked window.
"Your room is..."
"Excessive," Minerva said.
Lucy gave an awkward shrug. "I was going to say pretty."
"It's Sting's doing," she said pointedly. "They treat me like a princess wherever I go. It's quite exhausting."
The door clicked shut behind them and Minerva stepped awkwardly close. She grabbed the scarf at Lucy's neck and pulled it aside.
"He marked you," she said.
Lucy blanched. "What?"
"While I'm sure Natsu has other reasons, demons have only one interest in marking their territory: the hunt." Minerva glowered. "He intends to kill you."
Lucy's entire body seized. "But E.N.D.'s purpose is to kill Zeref."
"And Zeref no longer lives among us," Minerva said. "My apologies. I don't mean to be so forward about this, it's just... Well, it must be the demonic traces in me, but I sensed it the moment we met in the street. Strong magic binds you." Minerva tapped Lucy's chest gently. "But it is entirely one-sided. His magic feeds like a mind devouring wisdom, giving nothing in return."
Lucy's knees buckled. They sat together on the bed, Minerva taking Lucy's hands the way a mother comforts a child. She smiled.
Lucy tilted her gaze to the bed. "I did something bad, I think," she confessed. "When I rewrote E.N.D.'s book, I didn't have time to think about it. I just kept writing. I didn't care about it at the time. I just wanted Natsu to stay alive. To be safe."
"Zeref's magic defied our laws for a reason. Some things should not be tampered with. What you did was selfless, but love won't change the consequences."
"And what are the consequences?"
"Death, most likely," Minerva said bluntly.
Lucy stared at her open palms, defeated, tired. She was wasting time. Time she wouldn't even have if not for Ultear's sacrifice. She gripped Aquarius's key in her fist, tracing the broken shaft with her thumb. Maybe they should forfeit the quest and get some real help. Aquarius could wait until...
"Have you felt sluggish lately?" asked Minerva.
"A little. Natsu screams most of the night, so I haven't gotten much sleep."
"And your magical power, how is it?"
Lucy hadn't really thought about it. She'd had little need of it since their fight in the mountains, and Ultear's power had reversed things completely.
"Fine," she said.
"Black Magic is unforgiving"—Minerva spread her hands—"Zeref cheated death and insulted the gods. He disrupted a balance so fine not even water could slip through. And yet you did, somehow."
Lucy's hands curled into fists on her lap.
"As you know," Minerva continued, "Porlyusica could not cure me entirely, and a portion of my body is still demonic. No matter what you do, fragments of Natsu will remain a monster. It is how he controls these fragments, what he shapes them to be, that determines the outcome."
Lucy sighed. "Natsu deserves to live a human life."
"It isn't Natsu's life I'm concerned about."
"What?"
"That book was a source of Natsu's powers. And since the battle with Zeref, the book is gone. Is that correct?"
"It disappeared," Lucy confirmed.
Minerva smiled sadly. "Lucy, think about it. Without a book, Natsu's seed would simply sit there dormant, like an organ he has no need of."
"What are you..." Realisation dawned on her. "The book's magic is inside me."
"I believe the book's magic fused with your own magical power, and that's the source of your unusual scent. If the demon seed is awakened, that means the power is active again. In a sense, the book has opened within you."
"He's siphoning magic from me."
"And what happens when we run out of magical power?"
Lucy's blood curdled in fear. "We die."
Minerva squeezed Lucy's hands, her eyes shimmering with a sincere concern. Lucy didn't know what to do, what to say. Destiny unraveled the tapestry of their fate at every turn, rolling it out of reach.
"My life feels so banal in comparison," she teased, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm afraid I have nothing interesting to report."
Lucy forced a smile. It seemed strange sitting here with Minerva like this. Fairy Tail showed Lucy what it meant to forgive and grow. They didn't judge people by their past mistakes, by the horrors they'd committed. They allowed everyone the chance to become someone new. Of course, a part of Lucy still feared Minerva after being tortured during the Grand Magic Games. That much would never change.
"You mustn't fret," Minerva said. "Emotional strain can affect your magical power, too. It's not as though you're drinking from the dregs of an old well. As long as you both heed caution, your power should replenish overtime as normal."
Natsu had told Lucy that pain inflicted on E.N.D.'s book caused injury to his body. So far, Natsu hadn't shown direct response to any of Lucy's ailments. Perhaps because she was her own person as well as the source of his power. Lucy's body had not been created to house Natsu's demonic magic. She was simply a vessel for it.
She could rewrite a book over and over again until she got it right, but Lucy's body was no parchment, and her blood no ink. Whatever magic linked them together could not be destroyed or changed so easily. Not with a human life attached to it. Had it been a limb, Lucy would have gladly dismembered herself to save him. But even that seemed too much to hope for now.
Lucy didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Natsu lives recklessly at the best of times. I'm not sure even I can convince him to forego magic for a while."
"Your situation is rare. Most people who tamper with black magic, especially Zeref's own, would die a gruesome death. You are truly a contradiction to that rule."
Lucy's mind reeled back to her encounter with Hitomi. The goddess had called Lucy a contradiction, as though she existed simply to prove Zeref's point. She hated it so much.
Minerva stood to dress.
Lucy needed to be straight with Natsu. They needed to talk about this honestly, openly. No more lies. No more secrets.
"Can I ask you a personal question?" Minerva asked, expertly lacing the back of her dress. She admired herself in the mirror a long moment, fixing the loose straps of her gown. Little buds of white lace marked the waist of her dress, forming a single rose at the front. It didn't look at all like something Minerva would wear, and yet it seemed made just for her.
Princess indeed.
"Go ahead."
"Are you in love with him?" Minerva asked.
Lucy coughed back a breath. "What? Why does everybody ask me that?"
"Erza once told me that the very essence of magic draws from the power of love," Minerva said. "Perhaps if you taste the pleasures of a different kind of magic, you'll find the answers you seek. Love could be the answer you need."
"To be honest, I tried to tell him how I feel once before," Lucy confessed.
"Ah, the plot thickens."
"I wrote him a letter," she explained. "But I was too afraid to share it with him."
And he'd probably complain about having to read it.
"You should tell him," Minerva said.
"I want to. Really, I do. But the timing never seems right." Lucy caressed the ring on her finger. "Growing up, I always had this idea about romance, about what it should be like. But with Natsu, I don't want fancy dates or sweet talk. I'm happiest just being beside him."
"I do believe you've fallen headfirst."
Lucy pursed her lips. "The words aren't enough."
Minerva laughed at that. "You're a writer. I'm sure you'll think of something outside the ordinary 'I love you'."
"I love you," Lucy whispered, testing the words on her tongue. They felt somehow familiar, yet empty. Devoid of meaning.
Minerva tilted Lucy's chin with a single finger, her gaze bold. "Shall I indulge you a little while?"
Lucy's heart gave a long pang, the kind of flutter it gave Erza when they first met. She was suddenly enamoured, intrigued, and a little scared.
"Indulge me in what?"
"There are other ways to proclaim your love for another. Physical touch can say more than words, given proper use."
Heat crept into Lucy's cheeks. "That's..."
"Though I must warn you, Lucy, once you've tasted the forbidden pleasures of life, I'm afraid you'll never be quite the same. If you wish to take a step with Natsu, you should be prepared for every outcome, and every emotion. The physical pleasures of love can be overwhelming, you know. The taste of another person's body can be addictive, distracting."
Lucy's heart rushed with a tempestuous heat, so violent it made even her toes curl. Minerva's face inched closer, her eyes playful.
The door flew open, crashing against the wall with a mighty crash. Minerva straightened with the practiced grace of a queen used to performing in public. Her placid expression betrayed Lucy's visible embarrassment. It took Lucy a moment to gather composure.
Natsu charged into the room, fighting Sting's advances with one arm, the other flailing wildly. They scrambled into the room like a pair of toddlers fighting over a toy. In this case, the toy was a single flyer, and both of them snatched it up and waved it madly above their heads.
The boys yelled as one. "Lucy! Minerva!"
Minerva froze, her expression stern again. "What is it, oh brave and noble guild master?"
Natsu shoved Sting out of the way, eager to break the news first. "Lucy! Great news!"
Happy leapfrogged over Natsu's head. Lucy barely caught him as he crashed into her lap, his wings only partly unfurled. "We're joining a tournament!" he said.
"Fairy Tail is going straight to the top rank!" Natsu declared.
"Not if Sabertooth gets there first!" Lector called. He'd sidestepped the chaos and rushed to Minerva's side. She crouched to muss the fur behind his ears.
"Explain yourselves," Mineva said.
Sting and Natsu flinched like two boys caught sneaking out of their room.
"We signed up for a tournament," Sting explained, no longer heated with excitement. "It starts in the summer!"
"You signed up for a tournament?" Minerva raised a brow.
Natsu grimaced. "I thought it would be fun. Aren't you happy, Lucy?"
She sighed. "What is it?"
"It's a series of trials held in the Domus Flau," Sting said. "Two guild members partner up to take on other guilds. The last one standing wins. There are three rounds, with huge numbers dropping every day!"
"And the winner gets a big prize." Natsu waved the flyer above his head. "It's a rare magical item, Lucy. It could be Aquarius."
The thorns in Lucy's chest loosened their grip, falling away one by one. Her heart opened and flowered again, a full bloom of colourful love.
"Let's do it," she said
"Are you sure?" Minerva asked.
Their previous conversation came to mind. "I'm sure. It's only three days."
Minerva scooped Lector into her arms and stood. "And who, pray tell, will take care of our guild in your absence?"
Sting looked ready to bolt. He scratched the back of his head, grinning ear-to-ear, and then backed away slowly. "They'll figure it out. They always do."
"I'm telling Yukino," Minerva threatened.
Sting's eyes widened. "You can't. She'll scold me!"
Minerva raced for the door, a half-finished braid floating behind her. Sting chased after her.
Lucy watched their departure in quiet awe. "They've really changed, huh?"
"I think they're exactly how they're supposed to be," Natsu said.
Lucy smiled. "Yes. I believe you're right."
After eating a mountain of Minerva's cooking and wobbling their way home, Natsu collapsed on the living room floor, Happy spread beside him. The two were snoring before Lucy could even set down the bag of leftovers she'd carried home.
With a stomach full of food and a mind full of memories, Lucy stepped over them into the adjoining kitchenette. She took her time arranging packages in the fridge. Empty shelves greeted her from the fridge door.
Damn it, Natsu.
"Hey, did you guys drink all the—" Right. They were already asleep. "Nevermind."
She busied herself cleaning the counters, moving from one room to the next. A distraction. She needed to stay distracted. She'd barely finished the bathroom sink and tub when a familiar presence chilled the room. She stood slowly, her back to Zeref as he approached.
This voice wasn't in her head: "I was wrong."
Lucy straightened with forced confidence. "Indulge me."
"I looked Death in the face and laughed, Miss Heartfilia. I thought I could save Natsu and claim the spoils of forbidden magics for myself. I thought I was smarter than them, Lucy. Than the gods."
The way he used her name so casually made Lucy's heart sink with an odd despair. She hadn't even known Zeref, but a part of her felt as though she missed him. As though they were supposed to be good friends. Perhaps Anna's blood made it so.
"So what?" she asked.
"You know it too. My brother should not exist in this time." She felt more words hanging in the air, sharp and bloody, Or at all.
"The Natsu I know belongs in this time. He belongs in Fairy Tail."
"You're in love with him," Zeref said.
Lucy turned to face him, defiant. Strong. "So what if I am?"
"How fortune. He's lucky to be adored. Monsters scarcely are."
Lucy's skin prickled. "He is not a monster."
"He is as much a monster as I am. Ankhseram curses those who determine the course of life and death. The Wise Mages are a warning to you. If you continue down this path, he will curse you too, and then all will be for nothing. Someone who loves could never live with the curse as I did. Can you sit and watch your friends die one by one, while you remain stagnant?"
"You put me on this path," she told him.
"No. You chose this when you saved him."
He was right. "And I would choose it again."
"If there is a way to break this magic, you might be able to avoid Ankhseram's wrath. But I have devised no such way. The magic was created to be foolproof. Natsu was to be my undoing. I created him this way. That he didn't die is on your head."
"Why are you here?"
"All of this started when I resurrected my brother, Lucy. When you rewrote his book, I sensed your immense love for him. It reminded me that I, too, want Natsu to live."
"You have a funny way of showing it."
"Take heed, Lucy Heartfilia. I will save him at any cost. Even if you have to die."
"I will save him without you."
"Because you love him? That will never be enough. The seal is broken," Zeref told her. "Ultear rewound your time, but the seed has already taken root in his soul. How long before your foolish notions of love get you killed? Put aside your feelings and do the right thing. If I had done the same, Mavis might not have shared my fate."
Zeref vanished and Lucy saw herself in the mirror behind him, saw the ugly truth glaring back at her in scorched red marks. She touched the polished glass, tracing her fingers across the smooth surface. E.N.D.'s power flower liked streams of magma beneath her skin, rivulets of hot magic beating with new life.
She'd been so afraid of the truth that she'd blinded herself. Looking at it now, the marks weren't so sporadic. They did not flow in lines but rather in a hatch of patterns. She leaned over the sink, squinted at the crimson marks underneath. Lucy gasped.
They were words.
Song: Paradise - Siyeon (Dreamcatcher).
COMING SOON—
CHAPTER TEN: TOWARDS VICTORY