CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE PERFECT TEAM

Sometimes the only pay off for having any faith,
is when it's tested again and again everyday.
I'm still comparing your past to my future.
It might be your wound but they're my sutures.
I am the sand in the bottom half of the hourglass.
I try to picture me without you but I can't.
'Cause we could be immortals, immortals,
just not for long, for long.

Lucy held perfectly still.

Natsu followed the marks on her face with his fingertip, tracing the words under her skin, squinting as though will alone might help him read them. He'd woken again from another nightmare, his body dripping sweat, his eyes wild in a frenzy. He'd taken one look at her face and fallen into a weird trance. He traced her cheeks now like a pirate reading his map for treasure. Lucy's head moved with his hands.

"This is really awkward," she said.

"You look scary, Lucy," Happy murmured. "Does it hurt?"

Lucy scooped him into her lap. "No. It doesn't hurt."

Not right now, anyway.

They sat together on the bed, early morning darkness peeling on the floorboards, the faintest sliver of moonlight on the window ledge. Lucy shifted uncomfortably.

"So this is my power, huh?" Natsu said.

"Don't say it like that," she protested. "Your power was given to you by Igneel. This is just, well, you know."

Natsu smiled. "I'm sorry, Lucy. This looks uncomfortable."

"Don't be sorry."

It was strange to hear him talking about this so freely. It was like he'd suddenly taken responsibility for her ailments. He talked about E.N.D., about himself, in such a way that it seemed normal for these things to be happening.

After their fight the previous day, Natsu hadn't mentioned Gildarts once, instead going on and on about the future he wanted to protect. Just which future was he talking about, anyway? His own? He'd sure waited long enough to care about that.

"Hey, do you think I cherish you?" he asked sleepily.

Lucy's face beat red. She winced, the marks thickening under her skin like veins pumping lifeblood.

"I cherish you, Lucy," Happy said.

Lucy couldn't help but smile. "I cherish you, too."

Natsu stared at her, expectant.

Lucy sighed. "Yes. Yes, I think you cherish me. Why are you being so weird? Just what did you dream about, anyway?"

"Then why did he say..." Natsu released her face. "Listen, Lucy. I'm going to protect you no matter what. You don't have to worry about a thing."

The warmth in her face expanded, creeping slowly into the rest of her body. "What's gotten into you, Natsu? Go back to sleep. We have another game today."

"I didn't even get to play the last one," he complained.

"You disappeared for a long time," Happy said.

According to Minerva and the others, Natsu had vanished completely, as though he'd never been in the maze at all. And yet, Lucy had found him standing at the goal without a scratch. The announcer put it down to the maze's runes.

Lucy had a feeling it was more than that, though.

"There's something you're not telling me," she said.

"Like what? I just wanted to talk with you, is all."

Lucy leapt off the bed and threw back the curtains, allowing the stars a glimpse into their quiet home. She turned to him in the pale light.

"We might as well stay up since you're so eager to chat," she said.

She saw in his eyes a momentary flicker of panic. He'd said too much, he realised, and now she was going to get the truth no matter what. Because they were past the secrets and the lies.

"So are you going to fill me in?"

"Yeah, Natsu, what happened during the game?" Happy asked.

Natsu patted the bed. Lucy sat cross-legged in front of him, Happy returning to his place on her lap. And then they stared. Hard. Natsu shrank under their combined gaze.

"Does Titan Soul mean anything to you?" he asked.

Pinpricks stuck Lucy so hard she balked. "Where did you hear that name?"

"In the maze. I was attacked by members of the guild."

Lucy echoed a nervous laugh. "I'm sorry, what? Titan Soul hasn't been around since the council of guilds first formed. They were one of the very first guilds ever made. Their members were so strong they're revered in scrolls as being gods. You can't possibly have..." The Holy Mages. "You met them, didn't you? What did they say?"

"To cherish you," he said coolly.

"That's..." Odd? Nice? Lucy sighed. "Did they say why?"

"I didn't really have the time to ask. I thought I was with Loke."

"Loke? Wait, nevermind, did they say anything else?"

"They showed me what I'm afraid to lose," Natsu said.

Whatever he'd seen in the maze, recalling it now brought a smile to Natsu's face. She wanted to see that smile for the rest of her life.

Lucy played with the ring on her finger. "Hitomi said the curse can't be undone. Zeref wanted to die so badly he made you his most powerful enemy, Natsu. Maybe your connection wasn't to punish you. He knew that, once he died, there'd be nobody around to defeat you. In his own way, maybe he was trying to protect the living from what he'd done. If the Holy Mages guide the natural order of magic, that means there's something wrong with us."

"I thought we'd established that," Natsu said.

"No, no. I mean yes. But no. It means that things have changed. Think about it, if Zeref's plans would right his wrongs and restore the balance of magic..."

"We screwed up?" Natsu offered.

Lucy smacked his shoulder. "It means there's a chance for us. There's a way to change this for good. For them to be intervening now means they need us to try."

"Do you really think so?" Happy said.

"I spent so long turning a blind eye that I didn't notice what was right in front of me," she said.

"See no evil," Natsu said.

"Something like that." Lucy spread her hands. "I don't think your nightmares are meant to punish you, Natsu. Dreams are how we deal with things in our subconscious. There must be something you're missing."

He didn't seem all too eager to explore the darkest depths of his mind, but a glimmer of understanding graced his tired eyes. They had to face their demons head on if they were going to unravel the truth of E.N.D.'s magic. Without Zeref to explain things, Natsu was their only clue. It was his body, after all. There had to be something.

"You know, you're really smart, Lucy," Natsu said.

Lucy simpered. "I wish I was smarter. Maybe I'd have figured this out by now."

"Don't say that, Lucy. You're plenty smart," Happy said.

"He's right. What would we do without you?" Natsu agreed.

"Okay, now you're being too nice."

"I mean it," Natsu said. "You're like a sunrise, Lucy. Without you there would be no dawn."

Was he saying he needed her? Lucy's heart drummed a bashful beat in her chest. Whatever happened in that maze had changed him. He was an open book now. Honest. Lucy saw more of his soul in the dim moonlight than she'd ever seen before.

Happy yawned loudly in Lucy's lap. The three of them laughed, barely aware of time ticking by. Lucy snuggled Happy close and flopped onto her side, kicking her legs under the blankets. He nuzzled closer. Natsu collapsed behind her, pulling them both against him.

Lucy closed her eyes to darkness.

Zeref sat on the cold floor of her dreams. All around them stars winked from black walls, a crescent moon smiling from its perch in the open sky. Zeref beckoned her closer, but Lucy stood transfixed.

"You're running out of time," he said pointedly.

"I'm doing the best I can."

"Nothing?"

Lucy flinched. She hated how right he was. They were committing sins by ignoring Natsu's transgressions. How many more times would he wake screaming in the night, not himself, until he never changed back?

"I don't know what to do," she said. "You come here with your cryptic threats and never give me any answers! Just who are you, anyway? A ghost? A demon? Are you here to distract me? You said you want to save Natsu, so why are you getting in my way."

"You're being too careful. My brother is no fragile creature. If you're going to defeat him, you must be strong, not smart. Your brains will do you no good when they're splattered on the walls of your little home."

Lucy shivered. "Natsu would never..."

"Hurt you? He already did. He might kill you next time."

Lucy's neck twinged where he'd bitten her. She sat opposite Zeref, oddly at ease in this dark space. She wasn't used to him being so forthcoming.

"I have to be careful," she said. "Risking my life would put Natsu in danger."

Zeref's laugh mirrored the joyful melody of Natsu's own. For a moment, Lucy could actually picture them as brothers. They could have been good friends. Once.

"Don't flatter yourself," he said, abandoning his innocent guise. "Should you die, Natsu won't perish with you. You're really not that important."

The puzzle she'd pieced together had suddenly been torn apart, the corners ripped off, the connecting points jagged and unmatched. That didn't make any sense. She knew they were connected. She'd felt it every time E.N.D. resurfaced. That impossible heat and the churning sickness that came with it.

It was unmistakable.

Zeref glowered. "Think of yourself as an anchor."

Lucy really wished she'd wake up from this nightmare. She didn't want to be here anymore, sitting across from evil in a dark, cold room while hope slipped through icy fingers.

"If you die, the anchor lifts, and Natsu is free to sail the open seas of his own wrath. You're nothing more than a safeguard. A way to stop him losing control. His power lives within you, but you are too weak to contain it. Your body is no book. You cannot possibly ascertain how strong his power is."

Lucy grit her teeth. "Then help me!"

"Should you die, he'll become who he was meant to be all along. Though a sailor with no compass is destined to lose his way. His purpose was to destroy me. And without me, he has nothing left to live for. If you die, he will simply fall to madness, and your friends will wish they'd killed him years ago."

"No! He has everything to live for." And just like that the brotherly love she'd sensed earlier vanished. "How can you say that about your own brother?"

And then it hit.

"Wait," she said. "Before, Minerva said Natsu is siphoning magic from me."

"He's linked to your magic," Zeref affirmed. "Your body, your life, it is of no consequence to Natsu. That is why he shares none of your physical ailments. When you transferred his life to yours, you gave his magic time to replenish. To thrive. You are simply a layer of sand in his raging ocean. One day, his power will cast you out like pebbles on the beach. As long as magic flows through your veins, the demon seed takes root, and his power feeds. Grows. You have two options now: expunge your magic, or feed the demon until he tears you apart."

"So I'll keep using my magic. I'll use it up until I'm so weak he has nothing to feed on."

"Think of him as a poison in your blood. His power won't simply run out or weaken if you bleed. When a man is bitten by snakes you must drain every last drop of the poison to save his life."

"But if his magic is completely immersed within mine..."

"Yes. You would need to expel all of it at one time. If you wish to see my brother lead a human life, you must be willing to die for that future. There is no way to separate the magic from your body without forfeiting your own life. No mage alive can replenish magic quickly enough to subsidise losing everything at once. E.N.D.'s book was indestructible. But you are the farthest from it. You are his only hope."

Cana's voice rang in the back of her mind: 'I see nothing.'

Lucy's glass wasn't half full or half empty. It was completely shattered. She stared at the crumbling pieces, sharp and sprinkling soft light. She'd promised Ultear that she'd be happy. So why...

"I'll find a way," she said.

Zeref smiled, a single tear rolling down his cheek. "Lucy Heartfilia, I'm entrusting my brother to you. The Holy Mages did what they had to do to restore the balance of magic. Will you do the same?"

"What is it that you want, really?"

The Zeref sitting across from her now was no more than a boy. He studied Lucy with wide, youthful eyes. Innocent.

"Forgiveness," he whispered.

Lucy stepped into the empty Domus Flau. With no games scheduled until later, only the morning sunlight sat in the surrounding cavea, light twinkling as if in quiet applause of the arena's great size. Pillars of immense size and girth waved shadows like banners into the cool morning air. The breeze was a welcomed relief from the recent summer heat.

Lucy climbed over the top row to admire the view of Crocus far below. The city truly was beautiful. Seeing the fountains reminded her of Natsu's apology. All this time she'd held onto his letter like a eulogy to her grief, where now it felt more like a sonnet. It was a reminder of their bond. Unbreakable, even apart.

Natsu sat with Happy in the lower rows, discussing battle tactics and, from what she'd gathered, some kind of fishing technique. Their conversations were as flighty as ever. Lucy smiled to herself, but the moment was short-lived. Was it even worth finding Aquarius now? Wasn't it cruel to reunite if her destiny was to die?

No. Lucy had to find reasons to keep living. Every new goal gave her reason to continue this onerous race against time.

Thunk.

"What was that?"

Plue rolled into Lucy's feet. She picked up her boot, barely hopping over his curled form. He spread out by the empty seats, wriggling in what Lucy could only assume was excitement.

"How did you get here?" she asked.

He turned his nose towards her and mewled.

Lucy snatched Plue into her arms and squealed. "It doesn't matter. You're so cute!"

"If they can come and go like that, is there really any need for your keys?" Natsu asked.

He joined her on the top row, Happy floating curiously behind. They watched Lucy fuss over Plue like toddlers annoyed at the attention a new baby received.

"Of course there's a point! Without my keys, I'd never get to form new contracts."

They'd arrived at the arena early, with Natsu hoping to glimpse another peek at Gildarts before the crowds poured in. He was really kicking himself about the day before, she knew. He wanted to show off. She sensed his disappointment, but there was something else brooding in those watchful eyes. His mind wasn't totally on the fight.

"Doesn't it drain your magic?" Natsu asked suddenly.

Lucy's blood ran cold. The briefest mention of magic set her heart on edge. She scratched Plue's chin and smiled thoughtfully.

"Yes. Usually. Though, in cases like the S-Class exam, the Spirit King makes exceptions. Loke is both a spirit and our guild mate."

"So isn't it bad for Plue to be out like this?"

Lucy stared at him. "Are you worried about me?"

Natsu visibly blushed. "Not really."

Lucy grinned. "I'll be fine. Plue doesn't use up a lot of magical power. Besides, doesn't he make the cutest little mascot?"

"I thought I was your mascot?" Happy griped.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Of course. You're the cutest mascot."

Plue soured. She rocked him gently in her arms, soothing the dismay. He nuzzled against her in quiet contentment.

"He's just a little snuggly baby," she cooed.

"A baby..." Natsu mumbled.

He stared at Plue with an almost quizzical expression, brows knitted, eyes lidded in heavy thought. A faint dusting of pink clouded his tanned skin.

"Are you okay, Natsu? Do you feel sick?" Happy asked.

Natsu started. "What?"

"You made a weird face just now," Lucy said.

He rubbed the back of his head and grinned. "Did I?"

"What were you thinking about just now?"

"The twins," he said honestly.

Lucy smiled to herself. "Levy's family just got a whole lot bigger, huh? I think I'm a little jealous. Though, having twins sounds exhausting. And I'm not ready for my belly to swell up so big."

"Her belly was huge," Happy recalled.

Lucy set Plue on the ground, watching for changes in Natsu's expression. He still looked oddly at war with himself—a mixture of happy and sad and thoughtful. All this talk of families left her longing for home.

"Lucy, do you remember when you asked me if I ever thought about the future?" he asked.

Lucy met his gaze. "You said you had everything you needed right now."

"I did. I do."

"Do you want something yummy to eat? Because I could really go for some salmon," Happy said.

"You did?" Lucy pressed.

"I've been thinking about..."

Whatever he'd wanted to say noticeably vanished when he spotted Yukino ascending the stone steps nearby. Minerva trailed close behind her, smiling amidst what looked to be a pleasant conversation. The two girls waved when they noticed Lucy. Minerva looked particularly radiant today, her hair scraped up into buns, golden ribbons fluttering down her back, long as her hair. Yukino glowed in her white gown and silver shawl.

Lucy couldn't remember the last time she'd dressed up so nicely.

"Good morning!" Yukino sang.

"You're early too, huh?" Lucy said.

"Sting insisted on getting some morning training in."

"They were..." Minerva grimaced. "Loud."

"Are you nervous for the battle?" Yukino asked.

Natsu snorted. "Never."

"Sting said he wouldn't take it easy on you today, Lucy," she added.

Lucy barely stifled a laugh. "We look forward to it. I know Natsu is eager to fight Sting head on."

"We'll be rooting for you," Yukino said. "But don't tell Sting; he'll get a little jealous."

It didn't take long for spectators to gather in the surrounding seats, with guild members of all strengths and stature gathering on the arena floor. Lucy joined Natsu at the centre of the crowd. Gildarts was the final judge to reach his seat. His gaze found Natsu in an instant. The two grinned at each other like long lost brothers.

At least they weren't punching each other.

"Today's battle will reduce your numbers from thirty to twelve," the announcer said. "Contestants will be divided into three groups, with only four of each progressing to the final round. That's two teams from each round."

The groups were determined by random selection, with Fairy Tail entering the first batch. The remaining groups were escorted off the grounds. Sting mouthed a quick good luck on his way into the porticus.

"There will be three rounds, one game for each group. This challenge is a test of trust and teamwork. For the sake of today's game, only one member of each team will participate in the battle."

"Only one of us?" Lucy whispered.

Natsu slid an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "Don't worry, Lucy. You don't have to fight if you don't want to."

"You're just saying that because you want to fight."

Not that she was complaining.

"Five of you from each group will be randomly selected to fight," the announcer explained. "While the other five guide you from the barriers we have placed around the arena. Spectating teammates are not to interfere with the challenge. Your role is to communicate direction, nothing further. For the manner of this game, we have imbued the arena with special runes that will allow teammates to communicate telepathically. Once the game ends, these unique connections will terminate."

"So five of us will be sitting out?" Lucy asked under her breath.

Vibrations rocked the Domus Flau, the remaining ten contestants raised on columns fifty paces high. A labyrinth of stone paths spread before them, varying gaps and obstacles between each one.

"Oh, and here's the catch!" the announcer yelled. The audience leaned forward expectantly. "Today's fighters will be magically blindfolded."

Lucy's stomach dropped so hard it left a steaming hole in the hard earth. When the announcer called her name in the ballot, the hole grew wider, and Lucy seriously considered throwing herself into the deep, dark depths of her despair.

Shimmering crystal walls rose between Lucy and Natsu, surrounding him in a translucent cage. Four others were surrounded in these same barriers. Lucy pressed her hands to the glassine surface, feeling suddenly alone in the busy arena.

"Why me?" she moaned.

"Don't worry, Lucy." Natsu placed his hand near hers. "There's no way we'll lose. We're the perfect team."

"Your task is simple!" the announcer called. "Arrive at one of the two platforms in the centre of the arena to win the challenge. Participants who fall or are defeated in battle will be transported to the waiting rooms with the remaining groups."

Darkness clouded Lucy's vision. She slowed her breathing, calming the trepidation cooling her veins. She had to stay focused. She could feel Natsu's presence within the barrier, recall the warmth of his hand beneath the cold wall.

You can do this, his voice whispered. Turn around. Slowly. You're at the edge of the platform.

Lucy turned on the spot. She walked her fingers over the keys on her arm, selecting Scorpio's from the guard. She summoned only his power in dress form, knowing she had to win this game by herself.

Good thinking, Lucy!

"Are you with me?"

Always.

Encompassing Scorpio's power, Lucy tread lightly over the gap between one platform and the next, her feet floating on trails of sand. With falling out of the question, she had only to concern herself with the remaining contestants. She could walk into a fight at any minute.

An explosion of magic cracked through the air. Lucy dropped to her knees for balance.

Whoa, Lucy. You should've seen it. That guy just—

"Natsu, please."

Right. Right.

"Where now?"

There's a bridge to your left. We gotta—Crap! Three o'clock!

Lucy leapt to her feet and blocked, both arms crossed to withstand an unseen blow. Weight bounced off Lucy's guard. She heard a breath and dropped into a crouch, sweeping her leg across the platform. Her boot danced on air and connected with someone's ankle. The person dropped with a loud crash and fell, screaming so hard it burned holes in Lucy's memory. They'd fallen off the platform.

You got a fire in your belly for sure, Lucy.

"Natsu, focus!"

There's a big gap to your left. You need to get a running start and jump if you're going to make it to the bridge.

"No problem," she said, streamers of sand rippling out beneath her feet. Lucy felt her way towards the edge of the platform and sprinted, leaping into the air. Her body smacked the side of the column. She gasped a breath, clutching and climbing until she'd hoisted herself onto the platform.

I guess it was a little higher than I thought.

"Natsu, when this is over, I'm going to Lucy Kick you into oblivion."

Is that your way of asking me for a fight? Because I'm all fired up, Lucy.

"Where to now?"

You need to cross the bridge in front of you. It looks pretty solid.

She'd believe that when she saw it. Or didn't, in this case.

Lucy shuffled her feet slowly, feeling along the platform. She stepped onto the bridge. Wooden boards creaked and swayed underfoot. She gasped, lurching to grab something. Anything.

There wasn't a rail.

Lucy grounded herself, knees bent inwards, hands waving to regain balance. She drew in a long breath and held it, at one with gravity, with herself.

Keep going.

She'd barely stepped two paces when the wood snapped beneath her. Lucy screamed, latching onto a broken panel. The bridge swung hard against the connecting platform. Winded, Lucy gasped in a breath and clutched with all her strength.

Lucy!

"I'm okay."

Look out!

"Did you forget I'm blindfolded, Natsu?!"

What is that? Seeds?

Lucy swung her legs upright, gaining momentum until she could throw herself a little higher on the bridge. She grappled with wooden boards until she'd climbed onto the platform. Panting, she'd barely pulled herself to safety when something sweet exploded nearby. Whatever it was, the fragrance left her hot and dizzy.

Lucy! Be careful!

Lucy clutched her throat. "I can't..."

She couldn't breathe. Whatever these magical seeds were, they emitted a pollen so strong it was suffocating. Lucy coughed hard.

She's coming!

"Who—"

Somebody kicked Lucy's side. She rolled hard to the left, barely catching herself at the edge of the platform. Bouncing to her feet, Lucy listened for movement.

Six o'clock!

Lucy spun with a whip kick, driving her heel into the other mage's side. The woman spluttered. More of that sticky pollen filled Lucy's chest. She choked on it, tasting nothing but defeat.

Lucy!

Natsu's voice startled her. The woman kicked Lucy hard, pushing her backwards. Another blow caught Lucy's stomach. She doubled over a second too long. Hands shoved her to the ground. Lucy's head dropped from the platform, her body dangling. She groped the stone with her hands, trying to wriggle her way to safety. Fingers squeezed her throat.

"What are you doing?!" she gasped, blood rushing to her head.

"I have to win! My guild's reputation depends on it!"

Lucy! Natsu paused. What the hell is—

Screams erupted from the cavea, a piercing melody of panic and confusion so loud it seemed to suspend Lucy on a different plane. She seized a moment of chaos to grab the woman's arms and pull. They plunged over the edge of the column together.

She caught a ridge in the stone and swung idly, the woman vanishing in a whorl of runic magic, transported from the game. The platforms shrank into the ground, lowering Lucy swiftly.

Somebody crashed into her. Lucy gasped a breath, her arms sore from all the dangling. Familiar arms embraced her.

"Natsu? What's wrong?"

Lucy's blindfold dissipated—whether from failing the game or something else, she didn't know. Magic exploded against Natsu's back, smoke and flames curling around his body. He groaned out in pain.

"I made it..." he whispered.

Lucy's eyes widened in horror. Her heart stopped dead in her chest, blood turned to ice and snow. Natsu fell against her.

A colossal demon ripped through the stands, inky black scales shimmering sunlight and death. A blend of giants and dragons, golden horns protruded along the thing's head like mutated ears, twisting in a tangle of branch-like shapes over its head. Crimson eyes matched the sharpness of bloodstained teeth. This was a monster. A titan.

Yasu.

Lucy!" Gildarts stood across the arena, a fellow judge draped over one shoulder. "Get to safety! Now!"

She saw in his face that Gildarts had been expecting this, though perhaps not in this magnitude. The One Hundred Years quest he'd taken on...

Was to defeat Titan Soul's cursed members?

"Damn it," Natsu grunted. "That stung."

"I was so worried!"

"We can't let Gildarts fight alone," he said.

"I knew you were going to say that."

Natsu grabbed Lucy's hands. "We have to fight. This is my fault."

Lucy shook her head. "No. Zeref caused this a long time ago. And now it's our turn to clean up after him. That's what families do, isn't it?"

"Are you with me, Lucy?"

They turned to face the demonic titan together.

"Always."

The beast threw down its enormous arms. Shockwaves pulsed through the arena, incapacitating those within close range. Lucy hit the ground hard, barely catching her breath when a strong hand yanked her upright. Minerva offered a grim smile.

"You two bring trouble wherever you go," she said.

"Where's Happy?" Lucy asked. He'd been sitting with them in the stands.

"With Yukino. They're escorting people to safety."

Sting appeared behind them, an injured Rogue on his arm. Dust and blood matted their hair and faces. They'd been caught in the explosion.

"There's never a dull moment with you two, is there?" Rogue said.

"Hey, why is this suddenly our fault?" Natsu griped.

Rogue shrugged. "Fairy Tail's reputation for destruction follows them everywhere."

"Since the contest is off the table, shall we make a bet?" Sting asked. "First person to land a blow on that thing gets to see Lucy naked."

Lucy flinched. "Hey!"

"Like I'd let you see even an inch of Lucy's body," Natsu said.

The twin dragon slayers leapt into action.

"Then you'd better win!" Sting yelled back to him.

"You and I are going to have a serious conversation when this is all over," Lucy snapped.

"I sure hope so," Natsu said.

"Don't assume I'm taking sides," Minerva said.

Lucy blinked. "What?"

Minerva spread gloved hands, swallowing Natsu and Lucy in a whorl of spacial magic. The spell spat them both in front of Sting and Rogue. Natsu snatched Lucy in one arm and threw her over a forming fissure. The earth opened between them. She rolled to a halt. Crowds screamed in their hurry to escape, trampling each other in a frenzy. They rushed past her in droves of wild panic. Lucy screamed for them to stop.

The demon swept an arm across the seats, scattering people like bloody leaves on a clean lawn. Dread filled the arena with a strong fragrance of death and decay. Yasu turned his eyes on Lucy, barely flinching as Sting and Rogue assailed him with combined attacks. Natsu leapt over Sting's head, driving a burning fist into the demon's face.

Lucy stood slowly. All of those people were dying. She had to do something—anything. But what?

Craters opened beneath the beast's clawed feet. Gildarts emerged between its legs, driving a devastating blow from behind. It flinched for just a moment, long enough to give Natsu time to rescue nearby bystanders.

Another blow sent the three dragon slayers hurtling across the arena. Gildarts caught the beast's fist in both hands, driving it back just an inch. It didn't matter. The thing belched hot flames, fire and smoke raining down on the ground. Gildarts collapsed.

No.

No, this wasn't happening.

The demon turned towards her. Lucy staggered backwards, falling over another man's body. She gasped, fear clawing at her throat. Yasu reached for her.

Why couldn't she move?

Natsu blurred towards her, smoke shielding him from view. Magic exploded within the black haze.

"Lucy!" he screamed.

She snapped to her senses. Lucy dodged an incoming blow and dashed for higher ground, climbing the stone steps two at a time. She drew Leo and Virgo's keys from her guard, wielding them between two fingers. She drew in a breath and summoned her magic.

They didn't come.

Lucy stared at the encroaching shadow of death looming towards her. Yasu's hands clapped around her, devastating, bones and skin breaking. Broken ribs prevented screams. Yasu inspected her like a trophy, eyes burning with hatred and remorse. He wanted somebody to end this.

Natsu's power ebbed within her. She felt the words of E.N.D.'s book pass through her like pages turning beneath her skin. Natsu's rage filled her, his horror at being unable to help her. She coughed blood.

Lucy's broken fingers twitched around her keys. She screamed with the agony, her ribs burning in protest. She had to do something, before Natsu lost himself to a similar fate. Lucy's power built and failed like fire in rain, doused before it could ever truly thrive. Her spirits...

She couldn't reach them.

Song: Immortals - Fall Out Boy.

COMING SOON—–
CHAPTER TWELVE: A TASTE OF FOREVER