CHAPTER 10

Con-Science:

The Devils in my Path

"And tell me again, child… When did this start?"

Makarov sat atop his desk, legs crossed, hands folded over his higher knee and chin set on it. His eyes were thoughtful as he looked out the window, slowly processing what the blonde woman in front of him had been telling him for the better part of an hour.

"Three months ago, guild master," Lucy repeated respectfully.

Natsu, sitting to Lucy's right and slightly behind her, had a worried look on him. Having no technical knowledge of the Spirit World and the way its magic worked, he could only hope that it wouldn't hurt his best friend irremediably, and he awaited the old man's potential explanation eagerly. Supposing he even had one in the first place.

The Fairy Tail Guild Master hummed and nodded to himself silently, munching on the details he'd been given. As his thoughts trailed off, he suddenly remembered something that had happened two weeks before.

"Natsu," he said, turning to the subject of his interest. "Show me your hands."

The pink-haired boy's eyes darkened suddenly, understanding what the old master had thought of, but stuck his hands out, palm up, nonetheless.

The old man hopped down from his desk and approached the extended hands, scratching his chin as he examined them. "Natsu… Had you ever been burnt before that day?" he asked quietly.

Lucy's gaze suddenly snapped up from her best friend's hands to his face, her eyes widening almost painfully. She gasped in shock, her back going rigid and her hands flying up to her mouth. She hadn't thought of it since, but it was true that Natsu was a Fire Dragon Slayer; for Mavis' sake, he fought with fire in his hands, he ate fire when he needed a strength boost, and he probably could have bathed in fire had he been dared to. So how could he have gotten burnt?

"Natsu…"

"Not since I was four," Natsu cut in bitterly, turning his head away from both of them. "Not since I accepted the power of the Dragon within me."

There was silence in the room for several seconds, Lucy holding her breath at the revelation and Makarov pondering it silently.

Then the blonde girl closed her eyes, unable to look at her best friend any longer. She could only imagine how terrible the pain she had inflicted him must have been. She hadn't noticed it earlier, but when Natsu had upturned his palms for Makarov to see, she had realized suddenly that the burns were still there. It had been two weeks, and yet his hands were still red, peeling, and even raw in some places. She couldn't bear it.

"Luce," Natsu called, his voice softening when he turned to see her downcast face. He suddenly regretted the bitter tone of his voice, realizing that she had probably taken it for herself. He sighed, cocking his head to the side as he tried to catch her eyes. "I'm not mad at you," he said to her, and she looked up slowly. "Really. It's just… You know I don't like talking about my Dad and stuff like that…"

The girl nodded understandingly and gave him a small but heart-warming smile.

"Fire," Makarov breathed, "doesn't hurt fire."

Not understanding, Lucy and Natsu both looked up at him, eyes questioning. The old man gave them back their look, eyes hard.

"Lucy," he said to the blonde girl, "it isn't fire you wield."

"Well if it ain't it looks and feels exactly like it," Natsu interjected.

"Let me explain, Natsu. I believe I may know what is happening to our dear Lucy. And to you."

The old man jumped down from his desk, and began pacing in front of it, from one end to the other, hands folded behind his back as the two youngsters watched him, waiting.

"Celestial Mages," he began, "wield a kind of magic that is absolutely unique to them. It resembles no other sort of magic known in this universe. Requip magic, Ice-make Magic, Totem Magic – all of those are Earthly Magics. In the past, Dragons were the beings that came the closest to using the type of magic that Celestial Mages do – in terms of power at least. Nowadays, since the last Dragons' disappearance, their Children, the Dragon Slayers, are the nearest in power. Yourself, Natsu; Gajeel; Wendy; Cobra… They seem to be getting rarer and rarer.

"As for the nature of Celestial Mage's Magic… That's just the thing, actually. Celestial Mages do not use magic – they wield energy. Pure, unfiltered energy. And that is what makes them so powerful, and at the same time what makes it so hard for them to learn to use their powers.

"What I'm trying to say, is that what burnt you, Natsu, was not fire, but pure energy. Lucy's energy. A Celestial Mage's energy, in a quantity and power never seen before."

There was silence as he finished, Lucy staring wide eyed at the ground while Natsu just kept staring at the old man.

"Not…not…fire…?"

"No, Natsu. Not fire. Energy. From the Spirit World."

"Master… They've been protecting me. My Spirits… Ever since it started… They've been trying to keep it from me, to shield me from it – but recently…"

"It's gotten stronger. I know, child. I know. I believe that… I believe that there has been a rip – a tear of sorts – in the Make of the Spirit World."

"What do you mean?"

The Guild Master hummed to himself for a few seconds, looking for a way to explain what he was beginning to understand.

"Imagine… Imagine a separation between two worlds. One above the other, the bottom one made of earthly matter, and the upper one of spiritual, intangible matter. The separation between the two worlds takes the form of a thin sheet, one that can stretch, pull and push, and that allows for energy from one world to another to traverse, and most importantly to return. Think of it as an elastic band that every living and breathing being is strapped onto, and that snaps back to its world of origin in all eventuality. No matter what happens to the being that has crossed into the other world, the elastic chord will always snap back into place, and return the creature to its world of origin.

"Without that sheet, that separation, both worlds would be absolute chaos. Any being that crossed over would have no elastic chord to hang on to. Only the being's own power could return it to its place. I believe that, as we speak, this sheet, this separation, has suffered a rip in its fabric. And I believe that this is the reason for your progressive increase in magic, Lucy."

The silence stretched on again, longer and longer, until Makarov felt the need to clear his throat to clear it.

"Children – are you both feeling all right?"

Lucy opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Natsu answered for her.

"I suppose… It's just a lot to take in, I think."

Makarov nodded, understanding. "That's completely normal. Take your time."

All truth be told, Lucy wasn't really surprised by the Guild Master's words. She had felt the "tear" long before her powers had gotten out of control. At first it had felt…good. She'd felt more powerful. She'd felt in control. When it had begun to be too much, her fear had caught on to her Spirits, and Leo had done some research to try and find an explanation for the onslaught of energy that had flooded the Celestial World. He had found it, or at least part of it, and had done his best to convey it back to Lucy, even though she was not from their World and could not possibly understand what exactly this rip implied.

But, nonetheless, Makarov's explanation was clearer that Leo's, and cleared up several things in her mind.

However, there was still something that she had been wanting to know for the last few weeks, a question that was still left unanswered, and that she desperately needed an answer to.

"Master," Lucy cut in, her back straightening and her eyes lifting to meet the old man's. "There's another question I'd like to ask. And I need to ask to answer honestly. I'm not a little girl anymore, and I think I'm allowed to know the truth. The entire truth. No matter how…tragic that truth might be."

"Of course," Makarov assured, not sure where this was going. "I promise you I will answer truthfully. I will not hide anything from you."

Lucy nodded, both for herself and for her two friends, then swallowed, saliva thick with anguish in her throat. She breathed in an out, twice, then organized the thoughts in her head.

"Guild Master, what I'd like to now is… What will happen when I cannot control the energy anymore?"

There was silence again as her words filled the room.

"I know it's going to happen. In fact, it's already started happening. And there's going to come a day when it becomes entirely too much for my body. I don't want it to happen…but I know it will. I don't want Natsu, or Gajeel, or Mira, or anyone else to be hurt because of me again."

"Of course," the Master said, nodding fervently. "Perhaps… Perhaps Porlyusica may be able to help you; after all, she does specialize in healing wounds caused by magic, though to what extent her talent goes will have to be proven with this cause. You should go to her, Lucy, and you too, Natsu. Even if she turns out unable to help Lucy, she should be able to heal your wounds, Natsu."

"Great idea!" Natsu shouted, jumping to a standing position, glad to finally have the glimpse of a solution. "Lucy! I'll find Happy; meet me outside the Guild with Erza and Gray." He winked at her, flashing teeth, and shouted at the top of his lungs – "Team Natsu is back!" – before running out of sight, out of the Guild Master's office.

Lucy stood up shakily. She'd barely had the time to understand what Makarov was saying before Natsu had sprung up and started shouting. She shook her head from the blizzard that had surrounded it, dusting off the folds of her skirt off nervously.

"Guild Master…" she began, but she could not find the words.

"Go, my child. Go." Makarov winked at her, Natsu's sudden burst of good humor obviously having contaminated him." Your friends are waiting for you, I believe. You can thank me later."