Hi guys! So glad you kept your interest for this story all the way through! I want to thank you all for every word you've read and I want to thank you for completing this journey with me. It is delightful that I can complete another book, at last (yeah I know it took a while). I also want to thank you for all the wonderful reviews you've written for me! It is amazing, for a writer, to hear what the readers think about what they create, may it be positive of critique review. I especially love waking up in the morning and reading these new pieces of your mind that you like to share with me.

Without further ado, I invite you to enjoy the last, secret chapter. It is the story woven at the end of a story, where few tend to look before putting the book down. It is the story in which the characters are alive, and living even after you finish reading. And... it is the story which you, the reader, give live to, by reading and giving it your care. So please, this one last page... let's not leave it unread. And so... we go back to the dawn of time...

The first key is the beginning.

"We, the celestial spirits, have been born at the beginning of the world, a time long, long ago. We cannot even recall the exact moment anymore, but we do know, it was then that our existence was decided… We were the stars adorning the firmament." The Ram, Aries, spoke, recalling that which had to be recalled from the beginning.

The second key is one of stability.

"It was such a surprise for all of us when Lucy became the new Aquarius. I have enjoyed every moment spent with her and looking at her boobs in our world, of course, but it was clear for all of us just how conflicted she was to be there. Aquarius' sacrifice was something any of us would have done. But Lucy couldn't understand that, not even after she herself became Aquarius." The Bull, Taurus, said, recalling the first time she stepped in this mysterious world of the stars.

The third key is one of contradictions.

"She was summoned so quickly, but none of us knew who was her master. She wouldn't tell, per his orders."

"It was such a surprise for us all when we had later found out!"

"Lucy was conflicted."

"She was torn apart between her human self and all the morals she had…"

"And Aquarius, that which she had become—a spirit bound by duty."

"And that was the moment when the seed of love had first bloomed."

"The sin that was planted by a single sin and virtue in the beginning."

Gemi and Mini spoke, watching the world from above, playing together in light and darkness.

The forth key is one of loyalty.

"Lucy had quickly adapted to being a spirit-ebi. She was often summoned, so that was not a problem-ebi. We, spirits, are loyal to our masters, bound by our duty, but Lucy quickly grew to be overly loyal of her master-ebi. That loyalty was quick to change into affection and that affection was returned fully-ebi." Cancer recalled the story of the two that shouldn't have met.

The fifth key is one of protection

"Lucy… She had always been charming, so fierce and so cute at the same time. That is how she captured my heart but… I was not able to capture hers as well. Instead, she held another as dear, and for his sake, she felt like she could do anything. That is how love turns out, after all… You are capable of taking on all the sins in the world for your lover…And not care just how deep you sink into the fiery hell afterwards…" Loke spoke, nostalgy filling his voice as he thought of her, the greatest master a spirit could have had.

The sixth key is of selfless service

"The princess came to know what it meant to serve someone—to put all your trust and being into another and let them decide for you as well. However, it was just like the princess to find the way between. She maintained her independence even with he master, and he had never once ordered her anything in return. They were a perfect pair, independent and dependent on each other, at the same time. Challenging the world, if they were together, was nothing complicated." Virgo too reminisced, closing her eyes and seeing the image of the cheerful blonde girl she came to respect.

The seventh key is one of balance

"In a way, that spirit came to know the balance of the world…" Libra muttered, without having really known Lucy earnestly, however. "There is a thin line between Love and Duty, and she often crossed it, but… I cannot say that she choose badly…"

The eighth key is of revelation

"We have not hated Lucy in the slightest for what happened to Aquarius, although I do miss her every day. Yet we know… Aquarius died with Pride, something all of use would like when we go. Even immortality has an end, we've come to learn. But even if she understood that, Lucy's heart was filled with darkness and she slowly sank into it, like one would sink in our sand, her life becoming miserable. That too, was a choice she made for herself…" Scorpio said, thinking deeply about all that has happened.

The ninth key is enlightenment

"Moshi moshi! Yes, that was when Lucy had first entered the Memory of the Stars…" Sagittarius, the one who told her about this archive in the first place. "That place contains all we Celestial Spirits have witnessed since the dawn of time, and it is the absolute truth. However, truth does not need to be pleasant. And in there, Lucy came to know the unsettling truth regarding a pair of brothers…"

The tenth key is one of vision

"The young miss was resembling her mother in all aspects but in one—she was more adventurous than lady Layla ever was. This was how Lady Lucy gained experience and, together with that, a certain vision of the world. But after she had become a spirit, that vision was cruelly twisted, causing her heart and mind to be torn apart as she tried to decide what was the right path. And in the end, she came to a single conclusion. There was no right path. There was no wrong path. Everything was just… a path she must walk…" Capricorn, grieving the loss of his master once again, spoke, remembering her.

The eleventh key is one of change

"This brat… She had caused nothing but problems while bearing my name, tch!" Aquarius, having witnessed all that happened, as an unseen spirit, exclaimed. However, she couldn't help but have a look full of pity for the fallen blonde and her lover. She had known love, in the end, but it didn't bring her only happiness, as it should have. Instead, it brought her more sorrows than joys. "So pitiful… And yet… You never saw how pitiful you were, and continued fighting for the sake of a bright future by his side. That… is something respectable…" She too had to admit that.

The twelfth key is one of empathy

"It would have been better if that girl had no empathy for anyone," The son spoke, his mother by his side, agreeing.

"Indeed. She was a compassionate being, and that was her downfall. She cared too much for these around her, and for a world she already left behind."

"But she was also so perseverant… Thinking and seeking a way to return to that world. I wonder… If we would have been born humans, would have we done the same?"

"We cannot know. Each has their own path, may it be right or wrong, light or dark. There is no telling what the future holds for any of us…"

And so… we reach the thirteenth key is of unity

"She lost it all and gained everything… That spirit had, in the end, achieved the one true unity of the world." The man that was the true serpent of the zodiac, the dark key, Ophiuchus, said, opening another book. "Many seek it the whole of their lives and do not find it, but she did, even if it was at the very end of it. It's so simple, really. It's the origin of the world and all that holds it, all that is contained in it. And… It will also be the reason the world will crumble to dust, only to be reborn again. What is it? Why would one even have to ask… It's Love. The purest, most pristine form of love, the one that makes you feel the harmony of the world… It's that which returns us to our innate divinity. And that little spirit… had grasped it…" He said with a smirk, closing his book and putting it back on the shelf.

It was a peculiar book, about a peculiar subject.

It spoke about sirens—mermaids, by their other name.

All the legends concerning them, their appearance, their abilities, their habitat, their deaths are well.

She felt warmth all over herself, as if she was bathing in love itself. It made her smile even as she was dreaming, and she felt as if there was no use to her opening her eyes, since it was so pleasant just by being like this, idle.

"Just how long are you going to stay asleep, you little brat?"

She, however, had to wake up, for she realised quickly whose that voice belonged to.

She opened her eyes wide and looked ahead, seeing that familiar face smiling to her. Immediately, her eyes were filled with tears as she jumped in an embrace with her beloved friend.

"Aquarius!" She shouted, burying herself in her chest. And now, Aquarius, for the first time in so long, hugged her back, patting her hand.

"There, there…" She said, like a mother, running her fingers through Lucy's long, silky hair of gold.

"I've thought… I've thought you had died! I've thought you had disappeared forever!" Lucy cried, clinging to the spirit, wanting to make sure it was not just another of her dreams. But Aquarius looked at her with a sad look, forcing the blonde to look in her eyes now.

"Lucy, listen well to me. I have indeed died… And… You have as well. That is the reason why we are able to meet now. Do you remember now?"

How could she have forgotten in the first place?

It takes her moments, but Lucy recalls everything. However, there is nothing but calm in her eyes and voice, accepting the fact fully.

"I see…" She slowly murmured. "But… What is this place? The afterlife?" She asked, looking around, seeing how it all looked just like the celestial spirit world, in a way, but all was bright and covered by clouds, and deep, mirror like water was the ground, reflecting a pristine sky.

"Not quite, but I believe you can call it like that as well. An old legend says that when mermaids die, they become angels. So here we are." Aquarius said with a smile, trying to get Lucy to quickly understand the things around here.

"So wait, that thing Brandish told me was not just a bedtime story!?"

"Oh, you've met Brandish too? I must have missed that."

"Did you watch over me or something like that…?"

"I haven't stalked you, if that's what you're asking but… I don't like what you've changed in my temple either. And now it's all ruined, thank you very much for that, you brat." Aquarius scolded her, pinching her cheeks and pulling on them, causing the blonde to whine.

"I could have sworn that was you approving me back then! Please forgive me!"

"Tsk!"

But… They couldn't help but start laughing, for the first time in forever, feeling as if the world was normal, and not chaotic anymore.

"Aquarius… Hmm… Do you know what happened to…"

"What happened to your boyfriend?" Aquarius smirked. "I'm still surprised to see you've got any in the first place. Way to go, girl. You've got the most powerful mage in the history of humankind, on top of that."

But Lucy was truly worried, and thus, she did not answer Aquarius' teasing, causing her to sigh.

"You're no fun. Your boyfriend's soul is alright. In fact, you carried it with you to here, so it is safe, I would say."

"I… carried it?" Lucy asked, her eyes widening. Aquarius couldn't have helped but smile, pointing out to her hands. Lucy looked and was surprised to see a single ring on her ring finger. "This…"

"That's a water ring. It takes shape from the fallen tears of a mermaid. Your boyfriend's soul is currently held in that ring."

"Zeref… Inside this ring…" She muttered, caressing it with her other hand. And as she did, a bright light came from it and the next thing she knew, a ball of light floated in her hands. As soon as she touched that light, she felt her soul filled with joy and without realising, she started crying tears of joy.

"Zeref…" She called his name, holding him close to her heart.

"You two have died together already. Is your promise fulfilled?" Aquarius asked, as if to test her. But Lucy, without hesitation, shook her head.

"We still have to… Live together. Say, Aquarius, is there any way we can fulfill our promise, after all?"

"What if there was? Are you willing to deny the world again and face it once more?"

"I am ready but… This time… I would actually like to live in harmony… We have all been born from Love, so why must we live with Hatred in our souls?" The blonde spoke, looking at the small soul she held. "Zeref too… He had lived with hatred for far too long… I would like him to know of this beautiful world that I've come to see…"

"That's…" Aquarius said, pinching her cheek again. "Actually a good answer. But, are you willing to give up immortality? That's something many wish for, you know? You could learn to be an angel as well."

"No, I don't want to be one. Even if it's a short life, I want to spend it with Zeref. I want to spend all my lives with him, from now on, forever!"

And brought forth by her soul's feelings, water took shape on her back, becoming wings that spread. She looked at them, surprised, seeing how they resembled the wings of a fairy, instead of an angel's, like she would expect. And, carried by them, she took flight.

"Then… I guess this is where we say goodbye, Lucy. Go and live as you see fit." Aquarius said, seeing her off with a motherly smile.

"Thank you, my first friend…" Lucy said, before letting these newly found wings carry her away towards the sky reflected in this ocean. But at some point, she met another crystal surface in the sky, ripples being formed on it as she touched it.

"It'll be alright, Zeref… No matter what happens, we'll find each other, that I'm sure of." And saying that, she took her ring off. "I love you." She said, before passing through this second ocean, before being given birth again…

'I love you' The first and the last thing these two souls remembered, before being lost in a fall from the heavens…

20 years later…

"Hey there! Quit running around, you brats!"

"Sensei is angry again, hahaha!" The children, however, were having fun teasing their loving teacher, who always knew how to give them a fist of love.

"I swear, you're becoming more energetic by the day… Have you thought about channeling that energy to something useful, not in annoying me?" She asked, sitting down on a bench outside the primary school she was working at. It was her well deserved break, so she thought of writing some more to her novel, but who could focus when all these children were running around, thinking they were the kings and the queens of the village they lived in. Many of them, however, were orphans, just like she was, so she couldn't be too hard on them either, since she knew exactly their need for attention.

"Are they troubling you again?" Her colleague asked, looking out the window to the garden, where they were all playing. "You're too easy on them. That's why they enjoy teasing you so much."

"I can't be so hard on them either, you know that. Many parents complained about you teaching behaviour, you know that, right? Haha!"

It was a day like any else. It was that small a village after all, that everyone knew each other and that nothing new happened.

"Oh, there's someone at the gates. Who is it, though? I haven't seen this man around till now…" The other teacher said, causing the blonde woman to look that way too. She could see a man, but he was standing behind the rose archways, so she couldn't see his face either.

"Maybe it's a child's relative?" She wondered too, putting down her manuscript and standing up, awaiting to see who was that visitor. And as he came out from beyond the roses, she could see a handsome black haired man, looking around for something or someone.

However, as soon as she saw him, her heart ached painfully.

This man… It was as if she had met him somewhere before.

And then, they locked eyes.

"Lucy!" He shouted, cutting away the distance between them and embracing her without her even realising. And it was such a deep and intense embrace, the woman started crying. Her name wasn't Lucy, but that sounded so familiar.

And only when he looked at her big chocolate eyes and kissed her with fervor did she know.

"Zeref…" She whispered, unable to contain herself from crying her heart out.

It felt… like an eternity…

"What took you… so long… you idiot!" She yelled, but still threw herself against his chest, unable to let go of him again.

All her memories… They resurfaced, reminding her of who she truly was.

"I'm sorry, Lucy. I know it was a long time… But… I came to get you…" And saying this, he slipped a ring on her finger—the mermaid ring, the one that once contained his soul, which she protected as they died. He was now, once again, giving it to her, with his whole heart.

She was his wife, there was no need to say anything more.

"Till death do us part…" She whispered.

"And even further." He continued.

Our story is neither sad nor tragic…

It is merely… The story of how we came to met each other…

Thirteen keys… thirteen chapters… And now, with the fourteenth one, the cycle is completed…