Author's Note: Hi guys! I'm very very excited to get this chapter out to you all!~ I hope you're enjoying it and I hope you're ready for a little bit of a ride with this chapter. I went back and re-attempted the way I wrote the Eclipse chapter to see if it worked a little better here. It kinda did, but I'd like your feedback.

Speaking of feedback~

I have a bit of a challenge to my dear readers. I will be working a lot here in the upcoming weeks, but here's my challenge to you. If we manage to get ten or fifteen (somewhere between) comments on this chapter, I'll post the next one the Thursday before I'm supposed to. So instead of posting the new chapter on 2 July, it'll be posted on 28 June. If we don't hit seven comments by 2 July, then I'll hold off on posting the chapter until we hit seven. :3c

I usually get around five per chapter, so this 'holding off' thing isn't as harsh as it sounds. It's basically the same amount of comments on the usual. Believe it or not, there's a legitimate reason for this. Your comments will HELP ME DETERMINE one of the finalizations in this story. I won't say much at the moment, but there are a few plot holes I need to fill. Next chapter will have a few things in this Author's Note that I'd like you to sound off about and help me fill a few holes I didn't realize were there.

So I'd like to start with four big questions: Do you want to see more on Romeo and Wendy? How do you feel about what you've read thus far? Who do YOU think are the 'totals' involved in this story? And finally (because I'm curious about you guys' thoughts on this) Do you have a theory about how this story will go, end, or what will happen? If so, what
is that theory?

If you actually took the time to read this then hell yeah, thank you! I'll see you guys next time!~

The First of Four

The same evening, after talking with Laxus in the lower level, the Sabertooth mages left to talk with Makarov about the happenings. Gajeel and Meredy hadn't moved from in front of the library, but it wasn't like Crime Sorciere had a problem with staying in town. The whole time Cobra got a chance to spend a whole lot more time with his mate, Sorano got to reconnect with Yukino since she was there, Sawyer was able to spend time with Gray and make new friends in Jet and Droy and Max, Jellal wasn't complaining about having to live with Erza temporarily… Richard was totally complacent speaking with Erza about Millianna and her old friends- which, obviously, included his brother. Even Macbeth was happy, finding new friends in Freed, Cana and Laki.

Gajeel and Meredy were getting close, to the point where he openly started calling her sis- despite it only being one day in. Wendy made sure to bring them food, help Meredy heal from magic exhaustion when needed, and even sitting with them so they had at least one more person to talk to. Laxus and Cobra tried, and while they succeeded in helping take their minds off the two in the library, it wasn't like talking to Wendy. The little lass understood more than she let on and could ease them into talking about their respective feelings without feeling pressured to do so. She and Romeo Conbolt were getting closer, much to the happiness of the others.

Lucy and the Sabers took back to their guild, despite the training they had been doing. They knew Minerva would help, that Dobengal and Rufus would help too, and that they had their spirits to rely on. Not only that, but they also had each other. After being trained for a while by different people and different crews, they could reconvene for a spar and take their time with it to give tips and tricks that they had respectively learned.

It wasn't until Lucy stepped back into Rogue's house- home- that she realized just how much she missed it. Frosch was sleeping in her arms, snuggled against her shoulder. Her mate shut the door behind them. His arm slipped around her waist and he leaned down a bit to place a gentle and innocent kiss to her temple. The whole scenario made her sigh contentedly. This was something she didn't know she missed, but definitely did.

Something about being home with your beloved, nothing but time and care between the two, just made her heart so very happy. It was so basic, so simple, but it meant the world. Finding a plush pillow, Lucy carefully laid the little exceed down to sleep on it- taking yet another moment to get the blanket that would cover Frosch.

Once that was done, the little baby (as Lucy affectionately called the exceed) was tucked in and sleeping rather heavily, Rogue was quick to descend on her. His lips attacked her neck, his hands tightly gripping her hips in just the way she adored, and she was pulled flush against him.

She sighed but smiled, biting her lower lip. "I missed this."

He paused in his kisses, pulling away just enough to rest his chin on her shoulder. "What do you mean? I've done this, literally, every day since we mated."

A light but soft laugh left her. "Not that, you doof. Hold on," she whispered.

Lucy peeled herself away from her dragon, grabbing his hand as she did so. Her heart skipped a beat at the devilish smirk that wrote itself across his features. His crimson eyes gleamed in the low light of the home, the hunger and predatory undertone was written in the burgundy accents in those breathtaking eyes of his. She could already feel her stomach growing taut in anticipation. It took barely a second for her to realize that she still needed to move.

The blonde guided him carefully to his bedroom, where her stuff was already. Virgo was truly a godsend at times, but she didn't care to linger on the thought. "I missed you."

There was a sparkle in his eyes when he approached her again. He once again pulled her close, relishing in the easy way she conformed to him without argument. Her breasts against his chest, her chin on his collarbone forcing her to look up at him, her hips close to his own. She made him so incredibly happy just by being who she is. "I've been here this whole time, Lucy."

He walked them both backwards, stopping only to close the door with his foot. When the back of her thighs hit the bed, he lifted her to lay back beneath him. His smile turned so soft and caring in that moment, and Lucy was damned certain that she'd never seen something so beautiful in her life. "I'd never leave you like that," he whispered.

Tears lined her eyes for no real reason other than how her heart felt like it was so very full. He was an asshole, making her feel so strongly like that. "N-No, I mean being here… Being with you like this. I missed it."

He smiled wider and nuzzled his nose against hers. "You're right. I missed it too."

She hummed and brought her hands to his hair, happily threading through his silky locks. Using that to her advantage, she pulled him down just a little and let her lips rest against his. They molded together so perfectly, their tongues sliding together like an ancient dance they had been doing for eons. Like they knew just how to get under each other's skin enough to drive each other wild… But it wasn't wild.

It was easy, it was soothing. It was wholesome.

They pulled back and Rogue trailed his mouth down from her mouth to the side of her neck. He hovered appreciatively above her pulse, finding deep-seated comfort in the soothing pulses against his mouth there. Hands moved from her hips slowly up her side, his teeth nipping lightly at her neck. A soft, breathy exhale left her. She wanted so much more, yet similarly, she enjoyed the pace.

Rogue slid his hands under her shirt, over her stomach and back down. The calluses on his fingertips, and on the heels of his hands, caused a shiver to race down her spine. The breaths he left danced on her neck. The light grabbing of his hair, the slight scratching of her nails to his scalp, caused him to gasp raggedly. Her hips lifted a little to roll against his. He responded in kind, a roll of his own hips and a purr rumbling against her skin.

He felt the goosebumps rise on her skin. He slowly lifted his hands higher on her person. Her bosom filled his hands so fully, so rightly. His tongue travelled from her neck to what cleavage he could see from her shirt. She sighed, hooking her legs around his hips.

Brown met red when he looked up.

"How about I show you how much I love you?" Rogue asked, smirking.

Lucy bit her lower lip and grinned. "Show me, my dragon."

"With pleasure, my princess."

It was nearing midnight, when the glow around the door finally subsided. Meredy and Gajeel looked at each other with wide eyes and anticipation lingering in their guts. It only took ten seconds past that for Bickslow to open the door with Levy on his back. Nodding to the Iron Slayer, he let the man take his mate off his back- literally. She was snoring lightly, utterly exhausted from the mental work she had to do earlier. Bickslow, similarly, was tired.

"Are you okay?" Meredy asked the sieth, stepping towards him with worry shimmering deep in her magenta eyes.

He looked down at her and gave a lopsided smile, one that was only lacking in enthusiasm. "Yeah, we're both fine. Levster's a lot more tired than little ol' me 'cause I got a lil nap in, but to be fair, we're both fuckin' beat."

Gajeel, after feeling his mate and feeling her exhaustion, relaxed. She was safe, if only a little tired. "What th' hell happened in there?"

Bickslow jerked his head towards the stairs. "Let's go get food. She needs t' get up and at least get some water anyway. I'll tell ya anything ya need t' know once I get food in me."

The others all nodded their agreement, walking lazily up the stairs and to the bar. Laxus, Mirajane, Cobra and Kinana were the only ones left, both couples lingering in worry for those holed up downstairs. Upon seeing Levy and Bickslow both safe, it felt like a weight had lifted. The barmaids rushed to get food for them, not complaining even once, and the group of- now- eight sat at a lone table together. Mira and Kinana finished duties and only needed to wait to clean the table they were all sitting at before they were able to turn in for the night.

"So," Laxus started as he leaned towards Bickslow, "what the hell happened in there?"

The man gulped down his bite of stew and took a drink of water from the bottle provided before talking. "Well, ya know that scroll? Enchanted for a sieth. Ya saw that much, but after ya left, the… The letters went inta Levster. Then came out."

"More accurately," Levy said through her yawn, "I said the words needed to kick that into gear. It opened up a part of my mind, I think. That's the only way I can really describe it."

Gajeel turned to Cobra who nodded. "Yep. Little Blue here isn't lying. Her already huge ass brain feels a lot huger, but now her thoughts ain't nothin' I can understand. It's all in some weird, ancient ass language."

Levy tilted her head in confusion. "Strange… I'm thinking like I speak, though…"

"It could have something to do with that scroll," Meredy said, leaning back. "I just find it really weird that the door was spell locked."

Bickslow shrugged at that. "Don't ask me 'bout that shit. Didn't look enchanted on our end, did it?"

The script mage shook her head, paused, then shrugged. "I actually don't know. I was paying more attention to the-" a yawn caused a brief pause in her words, "-texts… I didn't care about the door."

Gajeel snorted and rolled his red eyes. His arm slipped around her, his thumb rubbing her hip gently. "Eat a bit more and we'll head home. Sound right?"

She nodded sleepily. "Yeah. I need to come in early tomorrow."

"Did you figure anything out?" Mirajane asked, resting her chin on her right hand. "You were in there for hours."

Because Levy had a mouthful of stew, Bickslow answered for her. With a shrug. "Kinda? Little bit of somethin', nothin' that'll help lead us to these fuckin' titans or whatever."

Kinana's violet brows furrowed. "What do you mean kind of?"

"Exactly that. Kinda. Levster says that once the words rearranged, it became a timeline."

This had Laxus leaning in. "What kind of timeline?"

"One of Lu's life," Levy answered solemnly. "Everything from her mother and father getting together to the seven years we were all frozen. Includes references to Phantom Lord, Thunder Palace, Nirvana, Lullaby and even the Tower of Heaven. It's… Scary how accurate it is."

A thoughtful silence stilled the air between the eight, the only noises at that point being the sounds of silverware hitting porcelain while eating, the slight crinkle of plastic from drinking the water bottles, and yawns from the two that were holed up all day.

Eventually, once both mages were almost done eating, Mira found her words. "So Lucy is the princess?"

"Yeah, Luly is." The sieth took a second to slurp down the broth and empty his bowl. "More than that, I don't gotta damn clue how the hell Levster figured it, but she made a map that the scroll ended up giving."

"A map?" Kinana asked. "That seems more than kind of figuring something out."

Levy shook her head, pushing the now empty bowl away from her. "It's not. It's a basic map of Fiore, nothing but major landmarks like rivers and mountains on it. I'm thinking I need to get my hands on long rolls of parchment and transcribe the spine-bound books to scrolls to carry on from here," she muttered.

Laxus blanched. "That's a lot of fucking work, Levy… Are you sure about that?"

She nodded. "Putting it simply, I thought at first it was because Pisca- or, rather, Cassiopeia- didn't speak proper Ancient Elevitian, but that wasn't the case. She spoke enough of it to write it just the way she wanted. The extra letters found in the scroll lead me to this," she paused to dig in her messenger bag. After picking out a black folder, she slipped the two pieces of parchment out in order on the table. "See? I had to put these two onto the scroll. All these extra letters in the words made the map you see now."

Cobra seemed fully intrigued at this point. "So, ya mean to say that you have to put everything on similar sized scrolls and start finding the extra letters again and that might lead us somewhere."

She nodded.

Meredy sighed. "Man, that's gonna take some time.. I was hoping to go out for a job soon, too," she huffed and looked up at the ceiling.

The poison slayer's mate nodded. "I let my lease expire, too, since I was supposed to head out with you all."

Bickslow blinked at this, looked at Laxus, then back to the three. "You… You do know you can come stay with me, right?"

"I couldn't ask that-"

"Kina, hush, he's fine," Cobra said, patting her shoulder as though a little 'slap'. "I can't hear shit in his head 'cause of his dealings with souls. Don't ask, I don't understand it, but he can't see my soul and I can't hear his. He'd be great to bunk with," his eye turned to the sieth, "if you're offering."

He nodded in response. "Yeah, no skin just kosher. My place was the first of the Rai Rai's that was done, so I have four extra bedrooms. Take your pick when we get there." His eyes slid over to the pink haired lass, a smile tugging at his features. "That includes you, Pinky."

"Thank you!" Meredy exclaimed, jumping to hug him tightly in her gratitude.

He only chuckled and patted her head in response.

Mira reached out to hold Kinana's hand. "I'll take you on a day job tomorrow and the next day. I know how you are, so we'll get some light work done so you feel better about it. Sound okay?"

"Sounds great," the violet haired lass nodded with a shy smile. "I'll take care of cooking while we stay," she asserted.

Meredy nodded in agreement. "I can clean better than I can cook-"

"Ain't that the truth, miss somehow manages to blacken eggs."

She pouted at the poison slayer, but didn't argue it at all. "Anyway, I can clean just fine."

Bickslow shrugged. "Really, neither are necessary."

"They are," Mirajane tutted. "Let them give back, Bix! Take some stress off of you!"

"And on that note," Gajeel said as he stood, picking up his already sleeping mate in his arms, "we're out. Catch ya tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Laxus nodded.

The Iron Slayer looked over to the sieth. "You still needed in this?"

He shrugged. "I honestly don't know. Levster says that I need to be in there in case things are timed and rewrite back to normal or what the hell ever. We'll find out as we go."

The slayer nodded. "Alright. Well, try to not die tonight then."

He snorted and rolled his eyes. "Love ya too, Pin Cushion."

Meredy, Cobra and Kinana settled wonderfully into the Sieth's home. Cobra and Meredy had to deal with one another on the regular anyway, so it wasn't any different than normal for the poison slayer. Bickslow only really noticed Meredy lingering around for the most part of everything, since she was- by nature- very loving, caring and a little on the clingy side. It didn't matter much to him, though. She was cute and rather adorable, so it made up for it. Nobody but Sorano seemed to complain about needing to stay put for a while, though that was mostly because her sister was no longer there to talk to.

At Sabertooth, Lucy and Yukino were becoming a lot more fierce. Their magics were getting a lot more terrifying by the day, and though it was almost akin to a snail's pace, they still worked daily and that helped speed things along. Yukino showed Lucy her Pisces Star Dress- which was absolutely gorgeous- and said she was working on Ophiucus'. Sting and Rogue trained together, as well, not wanting to be surpassed too much by their respective mates. Orga, Minerva, Dobengal and Rufus were all happy to help and spar with them. While it was strenuous and tedious, it became like second nature.

Since the Sabers had gone home, things fell back into a rhythm that everyone was getting a lot more used to. Levy and Bickslow regularly visited, and spent hours upon hours in, the library. Mirajane and Laxus were helping Elfman get his and Ever's new home set up. Natsu and Lisanna were regularly going on small requests to help out on that front, as well. Nothing big, but nothing small, either. Cana seemed to finally fall back into her alcoholic tendencies, Wakaba's tobacco use fell back and the stress put on Elfman and Evergreen was lifted from their shoulders quite a bit. It still wasn't common knowledge about their child, but those who did know were intensely supportive.

Freed was as good as he was going to get, falling back into rhythm and forcing his mind away from the subject of Lucy. Meredy, Gajeel, Cobra and Kinana regularly stayed at the table nearest to the library, none specifically wanting to just leave them there with what was going on. Even though Cobra was overtly teasing Meredy a lot more than usual (Gajeel and Kinana suspected it had something to do with the sensory mage's clear crush on the sieth), it was playful and light hearted enough to keep their minds off of the potential dangers happening around them.

In fact, everything fell into such a calm rhythm that everyone was startled when Levy screamed for the dragon slayers late one night.

Gajeel was obviously the first to come barreling through the doors, followed by Wendy, Laxus, Natsu and Cobra. She had ink on her forehead, the candles were getting low, and eerily enough her eyes were glowing green.

Vibrantly green.

Gajeel turned, wanting someone to pin this on, but saw Bickslow safe with his visor on and no glow coming from it. A whimper came from the back of his throat as he watched her look at her bowl- obviously seeing something there that nobody else could. Wendy placed a hand on his shoulder. The action offered minimal comfort, but still helped if only a little.

"..Levy?" the young lass asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

The script mage held up one finger to insinuate they wait while she watched the inky waters. Once the green glow left her eyes, she turned away from the waters and started digging for one of the scrolls she had personally transcribed from the books. "I have a lead and I'm pretty sure I know where one of them is."

Wendy audibly gasped and Cobra's eye widened, though the other three seemed only to inhale sharply through their noses. Laxus leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "...So we gotta meet with the dead again soon..?"

She nodded, moving her map over the scroll she triumphantly pulled. "I don't know genders nor do I know what they look like, but I… Have a vague idea where Draco is. They'll be somewhere in the area."

Cobra sighed, sticking a pinky in his ear. The foreign language Levy's mind raced in really got under his skin. "Little Blue, you need a break. After this, take tomorrow off."

She glanced at the poison slayer for less than a fraction of a second before looking back at her work. "I can't. I have to do my part."

Then, the poison mage turned to her mate. "Make sure she stays home tomorrow."

He raised a pierced brow but nodded. "What's goin' on?"

"Her mind's racing too much. Not understanding a language doesn't change the uneven, erratic speed of her thoughts. If she doesn't take a break soon, she'd going to exhaust herself in the worst kind of way," he said, picking up how she sighed indignantly. She took a breath, probably to argue, but he continued and cut her off. "That and she's not eating like she needs to be. I hear the muscles in her gut tightening angrily."

To which Gajeel looked to his mate in deep seated worry. "But she's been eatin'-"

"The stronger you get," Cobra continued, "the more you need to eat to compensate for the work your doing. Even if she's just sittin there and reading, she's burning a lot off magically and mentally. She hasn't been eating enough because of that."

The iron slayer nodded, looking back at his mate with a raised brow. She blushed, knowing she was caught red handed, and looked away. This wasn't exactly the first time she's gotten 'in trouble' for something like this. Going too deep into research made her want to keep going, not stop for anything and get very little sleep. This wasn't healthy, obviously, and she was only really eating when he was breathing down her neck to ensure she ate… Then again, she wasn't entirely sure why she thought she could keep that from him.

Clearing her throat, she pointed down at the map.

"A-Anyway… I'll take tomorrow off on one condition."

Wendy nodded immediately. "Anything. You need it, and you need to promise me to eat more. If I have to heal you for malnourishment, I'm not going to be happy about it," she reprimanded.

To which Levy groaned again, but nodded. "Promise. I, Levy Redfox, promise to start eating right and take tomorrow off."

Gajeel's chest puffed out a bit in pride at her choice of using his last name, despite them not being officially married under Fiorian Law. The thought lingered a little longer than he'd have liked it to, and he briefly thought about making her a ring soon. After this was over. Not right now. This wasn't the time.

After this was over.

"This," Levy said, pointing directly at the map, "is where I believe Draco to be located."

Laxus leaned over her, looking at the map. "That's Crocus. Do you mean the mountain behind it?"

"No," she said and shook her head. "I learned a neat little trick with these waters. If I have a hunch or need guidance, it'll show me what to do. Draco is somewhere in Crocus because their punishment was to be isolated from the others and roam where their true forms would never be seen."

"Well," Bickslow said, "I ain't seen a dragon in a city, so that sounds about right."

Laxus rolled his eyes.

Cobra turned to the two. "You're the only slayer with knowledge on how they smell. Do you think you can go?"

Laxus' back stiffened a bit, obviously desperately wanting to say no.

The poison slayer sighed, but it was Wendy who continued his point. "You know what scent to track, we don't. You can grab something they touch or ask them to touch a piece of cloth and bring it back. All you'd have to do is find their trail and Rogue or Sting can pick up after that."

The blond man's shoulders slumped a bit but he nodded in agreement. "We'd need to get Sabertooth in on it, anyway. Crocus is in their domain, so they'd have more options for missions than we would."

Gajeel nodded. "Yeah. I took the only one we had yesterday on a day job, so I could also get Lev the last scroll my contact coul' find, so we're shit outta luck on that."

"Well," Bickslow began, "we also have to think that Luly and Yoo need to go, too. And they're already at Saber's 'quarters. It works fine."

"Not really," Levy interjected, watching as Cobra left the room but didn't pay any mind to it. "Even if we took a small day job, you'd need to take a few people. Lu, Rogue, Yuki, Sting, Laxus… They're on the hunt, not on the job. I'd bet money Lu and Yuki will be too tired to do the job after opening the gate, Rogue and Sting will be more concerned about them…"

Bickslow nodded. "The request may be time sensitive, so Bossman might not even be there to do it."

"So we'd need to find the easiest request so we don't have a huge group going," Wendy finished.

Bickslow threw his hands up. "I'll fight someone, I'm goin'. If it's Levster's day off, I can finally get out an' move. Plus, she can't say she's got shit to do or make an excuse t' not take the day off if I'm not here so it works out."

"Okay, so Mira, me, you and-"

"Me, please!" Meredy shouted, running into the Library with happy eyes. "I want to go!"

The Slayer looked to Bickslow for confirmation. He still wasn't too close to the sensory mage and if anyone would know the verdict, it would be the man whose house she was bunking at for the time being. He nodded his consent, and that was done.

"Alright, call Luly. We got everything on our end squared away."

Lucy sat with one leg crossed over the other in Sting's office. Rogue sat in the chair next to her and to Sting's side was Yukino.

"So we're going to go on a mission tomorrow. Together," the guildmaster said. "We haven't heard anything from anyone yet and if everything happens in five day intervals, tomorrow is a big day. Something will happen." After nods were gathered from the other three, he continued. "I'm thinking something small, easy to get to. We have plenty of cash, that's not the problem, so we'll be looking for simple things to do."

"Sounds good to me," Lucy agreed. "It'll be the first actual mission Yuki and I can work on together."

"Which is good," Rogue continued, "since you two have been beating the shit out of each other so much already."

Yukino was only able to roll her eyes before Sting's Lacrima started going off. He paused, looked between everyone and then answered. On the other end was Makarov and Laxus.

"Yo! Yuki and Luce are here, what's up?"

"Have you all found anything?"

The crease in the older master's brow was blatant and only seemed to deepen when Sting shook his head. "We planned on taking a small day job tomorrow just to see where that leads, though."

"Crocus." Laxus said. "Take one in Crocus. Something small. Levy found a lead and we're heading out tonight to see if I can pick up a scent similar to the redhead. Bickslow and Meredy will be doing the job, Mira and I will scout tonight and you four take over tomorrow. We don't have any in Crocus."

Yukino nodded, pulling a ledger out from under Sting's arms. "We have two… One is assistance from the King, but Rufus is requested for that… But there's this one here. Pays seventy thousand. They're looking for bouncers for a night club tomorrow night. Can they handle that?"

"Sure can!" came Meredy's voice from somewhere off screen, excited and peppy as she always seemed.

Lucy cleared her throat. "Bixy and Mare need to come to Sabertooth to grab as much information as they can on the request. Brother, you be careful scouting for me… Okay?"

Laxus nodded with a soft smile. "I will. Mira is going with me so I won't be alone. She may be able to use her soul peering to figure out visuals."

"Alright. Be careful travelling since it's already snowing in Crocus. We'll see you tomorrow," Sting replied.

Yukino and Lucy shared a look; anxiety, nervousness, worry and excitement flooding the two.

"Tomorrow," the two said simultaneously, nodding at each other.

The levels of anxiety and tension in the room doubled after the comm was shut down. The coincidence of Levy finding a lead on a fourth day that would make them have to head out on the fifth day… That was no coincidence. This is game time. Her breath caught when she tried to speak up, causing her to just shut her mouth again. There… There just weren't any words that fit. None of reassurance to herself or to Yukino, none to their mates… Tension grabbed at her gut again.

Sting leaned forward with his elbows on the table. "What are we looking at here? Who's going?"

Yukino sighed and leaned back. "It would be best if Lucy-"

"Absolutely not," Lucy and Rogue both growled out. Before Lucy could make her case, the shadow Slayer continued. "You're not shoving the stress solely on to Lucy because you don't want Yukino in it! We can't change that they are the only two who can help, so get your head out of your ass!"

"Rogue!" Lucy gasped, looking over at him, shocked.

His red eyes rolled. "Yukino suggested you because she doesn't feel ready, but Sting needs to realize we can't fucking change destiny. I know him. I know his motivations."

Stings bangs were covering his eyes as he looked to the ground, ashamed to admit that his friend was right.

Yukino shook her head, ready to speak up to settle the argument before it escalated too far. "But you heard the King. I'm not strong enough-"

"Yuki," Lucy growled, narrowing her chocolate eyes at the woman. "He said I was barely ready. If I falter, at all, I need someone to help me. We held the Eclipse Gate open together. There's nothing out of reach when we're together." She stood soon after that, moving her blonde hair back. "Besides, you're going to try first."

"Wh-What?!" Her hazel eyes widened in fear.

Sting was now openly glaring at Lucy, but she brushed it off with a dismissing wave of her hand. "I can't do all of this alone. The only way for you to know how much you need to grow is to feel it yourself. Once you see and feel where you need to get to, it'll be better motivation than anything I could ever offer you."

Yukino sighed and looked at her blond mate. He was still glaring daggers at the blonde lass, but eventually, he gave in and looked back to his mate. Their eyes locked, both apologetic to one another. They were obviously going to talk about this later, that was an obvious, but they both seemed to consent. Sting cleared his throat and nodded. "We'll go, too."

"Like there was any other option," Rogue commented.

Lucy whapped his arm playfully. "Babe."

He shrugged. "What? I know where I stand and I know both of them well enough to understand where they stand, too."

"He has a point," the powder blue haired woman agreed with a sheepish smile. "We would never have let you two go alone."

The guildmaster nodded.

Lucy smiled warmly at them, then to her mate. "Let's go home. The baby is probably past ready for bed." Before the silence that ensued could get any more awkward (or tense, for that matter), Lucy said "Frosch. I'm talking about Frosch." Sure it was the middle of the day, but Frosch really did enjoy cat naps far too much. Lucy didn't consider it healthy, but she got to spend more time with Rogue and then more time babying a very tired exceed once Frosch awoke. It was a win-win to her.

Mirajane kept her sigh to herself- she wasn't about to announce her feelings like that. Hell, the lightning slayer had sighed and grumbled enough for the both of them over the course of the past few hours. The only real saving grace for this situation, to him, was that Wendy was merciful enough to cast Troya on him when he took off. The train ride back to Magnolia, on the other hand… That was another issue he obviously didn't want to think about.

The white haired woman had no issue walking about Crocus with her mate, though. Though winter, there were many flowers on displays that bloomed recently, creating a much more quaint vibe. Stalls for vendors were alive and well and posted near everywhere, selling everything from jewelry to flowers to food and even furniture. It was a bustling city of chatter, merchants, and eager citizens.

Christmas season was there and usually, Mira would be fawning all over the place and being hyper excited about it finally being December, but this wasn't the time. Unfortunately, this year, fate decided to screw with her idea of a happy holiday. Instead of sitting by the fire with thick blankets and warm cocoa, they were out walking in the small amount of snow, freezing, all while looking for a smell that was probably getting drown out by all the snow.

"I'm sorry," Laxus muttered as he ran a hand over his face. "I think they have too much faith in me…"

Mira smiled sadly and rubbed his back lightly, trying to ease some of his tension. "It's alright, honey. Trust me, it's alright. You're not used to this kind of scouting and we don't even know where to begin."

"It's just frustrating." Laxus turned to wrap Mira in his arms, to which she eagerly complied. There was something about being wrapped around him that made her feel so loved, protected and special all at once that always gave her butterflies. His chin met the top of her head, the sigh from his nose making her hair flutter ever so slightly. "I wasn't raised by a dragon. I wasn't trained the way Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy were. They talk about scouting like it's the easiest thing…"

"But it's hard," Mira finished for him, her arms wrapping around his waist. "To them, channeling magic in a certain way is instinctual, but to you it's not. You were a lightning mage before you ever got that lacrima." She squeezed him lightly. "Don't discredit yourself."

He tilted his head down, his nose now buried in her hair, and placed a kiss to her forehead. It didn't help that he genuinely didn't want to see what he saw last time.

There's a huge difference in seeing a dead body and seeing that. He's smelled true decay, he's seen the sunken flesh, he heard the obvious lack of a heartbeat. That wasn't anything new. However, smelling the decay and hearing the lack of a heartbeat- the lack of breathing- in someone who was moving and talking? It unsettled him on a very deep level. It was something out of those corny movies Bickslow loved about the undead, but it's something frequently skimmed over. People seeing a dead body might scare them, freak them out, or even sadden them.

But seeing that dead body be animate? Seeing an obviously dead thing move on its own is severely played down in those damned movies. It bothered the blond so deeply that he clearly remembered throwing up at the memory after coming home.

A shudder wracked his back as he thought of it again.

Mira was quick to offer a nasal hum to try and relax him.

The Dreyar pulled back slowly after a few minutes of standing in the middle of the street, holding his mate, causing stares. Her blue eyes watched him carefully, dissecting every muscle movement to search for his true feelings he couldn't ever manage to properly voice. Shit, he was thankful for that- not that he'd ever voice it.

"Laxus?"

He looked down to the white haired woman.

"Where would you hide?"

That caused him to blink, suddenly confused by the shift of conversation. Verbal whiplash, going from being balls deep in one subject then taking a sharp left into another. Confusing, to say the least. "What?"

The barmaid slipped her hand into his and pulled him along with her, walking peacefully once more. "Where would you hide? Imagine you're here, in Crocus. The Knights are on your tail and you're severely outnumbered. You hold information about something that could destroy Fairy Tail and they want to take you in for interrogation. Where do you hide?"

Laxus' thick brows furrowed and he shook his head. "I'd fight them all."

She looked up at him in a deadpan manner.

He didn't see the problem, so he shrugged.

A sigh finally left her- though she was mostly put out by his oblivious nature. "Okay, shift gears. Where do you hide, here in Crocus, when I'm about to beat your rear for taking up the last of the hot water."

This made him watch her warily, knowing that's exactly what he did earlier and briefly wondering if he should take off now or not. Sensing no outward aggravation- only mild, simmering annoyance- he relaxed. Barely. "Mmm… Probably the sewers, alleys or at the arena-"

He stopped.

Their eyes met, wide and shocked.

"The arena." The words left Mira's pink lips on a whisper of surefire shock.

They nodded to one another and she allowed herself to shift forms. Mentally, she had to approach her Satan Soul, link with it, overpower it, and allow it to take over her person physically whilst she remained in control physically. It was a process, but it happened in the blink of an eye for the more experienced mage. The wings that came from her back always took a few seconds to adjust to, but once she was fully in the takeover, she grabbed her mate under his arms.

Allowing Mira to pick him up was one of the worst things ever, to Laxus. It wasn't that he didn't trust her… He just didn't trust anybody but himself to do shit like this.

But he couldn't fly. He could teleport himself with his lightning, but that either made too bright of a flash or made too loud of a noise. Or both.

Both.

When sneaking up on someone, it was always best to stay as silent and inconspicuous as possible. On the flip side, going to the Arena where the Games were held brought back a few memories. Suddenly, Mira was having second thoughts about this place. "Wouldn't Wendy or Natsu- even Gajeel- be able to smell something off about the Dragon Graveyard?"

The blond man shrugged to the best of his abilities. "Not necessarily. There were many scents from a lotta people at the games. Under there probably smells dank, damp and deep enough… I wouldn't question smelling ore there."

"But decay?"

"You said it was a graveyard. It makes sense."

Mira blinked and nodded at that. She wasn't fully convinced, but it was worth a shot. Together, they flew down to the edge of the arena, standing on the walls she remembered being a path to the infirmary. When they were both standing, feet planted on the surface walkway, she gave up the takeover. "This… Brings back memories."

"Not necessarily good ones, either." Laxus tensed his shoulders. "I smell the graveyard from here."

"Really?" she asked, looking up to his face as they walked along. "Already?"

He nodded. "When you know what you're looking for, it's easy to smell. Dank, damp and deep, just like I said."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Of course, mister obvious."

He smirked and sent a small zap to her rear. She jumped slightly, pouted and sent a glare his way. "...See if I bring you breakfast in bed again."

A deep, resounding laugh left him, echoing off the walls. The slight reverberation of his voice, the way it carried in the building, made him remember that they were supposed to be quiet. The further down they walked together, the more tedious it became to search. It was awkwardly, eerily empty. There were no guards, no Games, no hustle and bustle like there had been in the summertime or when they entered the Games. Seeing the familiar stone walls rebuilt after the dragon attack yet be so empty was stranger than either of them wanted to admit.

Mira guided him through a series of mazes she clearly remembered. He let her, considering one wrong move meant ending up somewhere in the Palace and the other wrong move meant getting horribly lost.

He was already directionally impaired enough, thank you very much.

His mate went to move a heavy stone slab, placed at the entrance to the stairs which lead to the graveyard, and he stopped her. His hand on her arm, he looked at the slab in deep concentration. For the others, it was simple and easy enough for them to just… Reach out with their senses. Laxus could pick it up if it were obvious, but reaching out wasn't something he was used to. Carefully, quietly, he tried to do just that. For a solid five minutes, nothing happened.

But then he caught it. The smell of ore and decay.

Flashes of memories came to his mind and his stomach churned, but he held strong. The barmaid, ever clever at reading people before they had a chance to read themselves, nodded. "They're here?"

"They're here," he agreed.

She pulled back and grabbed his wrist. "We need to leave- fast."

His brows furrowed and he tilted his head. "What? Why?"

"If you can sense him, and he's been a Dragon for assumedly eons, he can probably sense us."

His stormy blue eyes widened. "Oh shit."

"Let's go," Mira urged.

"Here we are again," Lucy murmured as she looked at the slab. Just last night, while she and Yukino were deep in meditation, Sting got the affirmative call from Laxus. Mirajane wasn't allowing her mate anywhere near the area- leading Lucy to believe the woman at the pier fucked his mind up more than he let on- and gave them what they knew. This wasn't just any of the titans, this was Draco. The Celestial Dragon.

Rogue slipped his arm around her waist, not rushing her into action at all.

She had called the Princess' personal line a few hours ago to let her know that they would be looking at the dragon graveyard again. She made up the worst and dumbest excuse of wanting to see how things were going and if the bones left when the dragons did. Hisui didn't buy it, but she did agree that it was okay with her and that she'd keep everything on the down low. Lucy, in turn, promised to explain everything when it was all over- which she clarified that she didn't quite know how long it would take.

But, at least they had official permissions.

Yukino lay her hand on the blonde's shoulder, understanding fully how she felt. This place, this incidental finding, was what started it all. Well, for them it did. There were obviously things that happened before this, but for the two celestial spirits… This. This was the place. The two looked at one another, nodded, and stepped back.

"Can you move this for us?" Yukino asked.

Sting nodded and went to the far side while Rogue grabbed the near side. The two slayers easily picked up the five-ton slab of rock and concrete and set it aside. It was little things like that- little things- that made Lucy remember why dragon slayers were terrifying to fight in the first place. As soon as the slab was moved, a retching sound was heard from Rogue.

Lucy looked over and ran to him, placing a worried hand on his back while he doubled over. Thankfully, the shadow slayer was only dry heaving and not actually vomiting. Sting looked no better, having crouched to the fetal position with both hands covering his nose and mouth. It could only be assumed that they finally smelled what Laxus did- that, or the cave just smelled like sweaty feet. Which could definitely be a factor.

"Fuck," the red eyed man heaved out through watering eyes. "That's what Laxus was smelling..? That poor bastard.."

"It smells like the inside of a zombie's pierced asshole," Sting growled. He paused, his throat tensing to stop any bile from rising, before a grotesque sounding belch came from him. "God, I'm gonna die from the smell alone."

"You have problem with my scent, my children?"

The ice that slipped down their backs had to be physical.

Lucy's eyes very, very slowly turned to the figure, only to meet eyes with Yukino before looking up. Rogue and Sting were already openly gaping at the man before them.

A tall man, somewhere between Laxus and Orga in height, stood before them. His complexion was rich, deep, and reminded Lucy of a slightly lighter complexion than the mirror mage Sue from Phantom Lord back in the day. Darker than Cana, Bickslow and Orga but lighter than Sue and Boze. His hair was long, somewhere between Rufus and Freed, yet black as the night sky. His nose was strong, his jaw squared. His shoulders were wide, his arms were thick and he really gave off the look of someone strong.

Strong like Orga and Laxus. Strong like a warrior, a barbarian.

Yet, he held himself as refined as a nobleman.

He wore black slacks, barely visible past the long, black cloak he had on. His hood, though, was down. But none of this mattered to Lucy. Only two things mattered to her; the soft and almost sad look in his glittery navy eyes, and the stark white chain that went straight through where his heart would lie.

"No heartbeat…" Rogue whispered with wide eyes.

"No breathing," Sting finished, looking just as shell shocked.

Those navy eyes that looked to hold constellations within them glanced between the two. "Odd," he remarked in his deep, bassy tone. "I remember not a time whence Weisslogia and Skiadrum got along even once, yet their children have a pink string."

"You know Skiadrum?"

Red eyes met navy and it felt like an eternal staredown. Finally, after what felt like thirty minutes, the spirit smiled sadly. "I did, young dragon. Skiadrum was a dear friend of mine."

Lucy stepped up to stand beside her mate instead of a little behind him. "Draco..?"

His eyes turned to her and his smile grew even softer. "A young Heartfilia. You remind me much of my beloved."

'Beloved? Beloved key holder, maybe..?' Lucy thought, but offered a sheepish smile. "...Was her name Anna..?"

The spirit nodded and his smile grew even sadder. "She was my everything. I gave my life, word, blood, bond and oath to protect her and her lineage for as long as I lived. Unfortunately, time has a way of bringing forth problems we never thought to account for."

She nodded. "We were told. Stache Face-"

"Lucy, please," Yukino pleaded softly, "at least say the King!"

Draco blinked at this and glanced back to the powder blue haired lass before looking back to the blonde. "My child, do you refer to His Majesty as… Stache Face?"

Feeling incredibly small and childish under his scrutinizing gaze, Lucy shrugged slightly. A pout pushed her bottom lip out and a small huff left through her nose. "So what? He hasn't told me to stop…"

The laughter that came from the spirit wasn't expected, the sheer volume and resonance in the sound causing everyone to jump. "You sure are a lot alike my beloved."

"Draco, sir," Yukino called out curiously. "You, um… You keep referring to Anna as your beloved. Wasn't she just a key holder?"

Time seemed to quickly seep into the wrinkles around his eyes. The crows feet that usually came from smiling with your eyes now seemed only to age the spirit all that much more. "She was much more than just a key holder. Anna was my mate in her life."

Lucy's brown eyes widened considerably, her face draining of color almost instantly. "B-But that means…"

"That means, my child," the spirit began, "you are more than you know. You were destined to live for the stars, for us spirits, as we live for you."

"Could that be why our mate mark looks so different?"

Lucy blinked up at her mate, wondering how the hell he could stay so damned calm. Where her mind was going on the fritz, speeding up at a rapid pace to figure out what this meant for her, he was thinking about their mate mark. He was level headed. How the absolute fuck-

"Your marking is different?"

Dammit.

Lucy was only jostled back to real time when Rogue nudged her gently. Frazzled and confused, the blonde lass lifted her arm to show what he meant. The spirit's brows furrowed lightly before a sigh left him.

"So it is… I am not aware, my child. I have not the strength to search your magicks to learn."

"That's- uh… That's why here. We're here. We're here for his. This. That."

Lucy was having a hard time forming coherent thoughts.

Draco nodded. "I know."

Yukino looked over at the blonde and worried her lower lip between her teeth. Sting's arm wrapped around her waist to be as comforting as he possibly could be in the moment. "Luce?" she asked in a whisper. "Are you sure you want me to try..? If Draco has sworn himself to the Heartfilia lineage, I don't want to get in the way…"

Lucy shook her head, pulled back from everyone, and slapped both of her cheeks with her palms. "Snap. Out. Of. It." Muttering to herself wasn't the smartest thing to do, but Lucy was officially out of smart things to do. Apparently her great great great great…. Fuck it, her ancestral grandfather was a fucking celestial spirit. A dragon.

Step one, visit dragon.

Step two, oh by the way- dragon is your ancestor.

Step three, go back to what you were doing.

Yeah, right.

"What," Lucy choked out, "do you mean I'm more than I know?!"

"Lucy, baby, think about what we need to do-"

"No, fuck that, what do you mean?!" She was yelling at this point, but she didn't care. You don't just drop that on someone and get away with it! "You're telling me that you are essentially my grandpa like that doesn't make a tit's difference! Well GUESS WHAT! You're a fucking celestial spirit! What does that mean for me?!"

"No." The one word sounded like a command coming from the spirit. Stern and scolding. "Do not defile your bloodline by acting like a brat."

He did not.

"Don't tell me what the hell to do!"

"For your information," the spirit said as he stepped towards the blonde, "I am a dragon first and a spirit second. You are a human first and a mage second. I was a dragon for millenia before I was ever granted a key, young woman." His navy eyes, dusted with starry glimmers, narrowed sharply on her. "My mate may have been human and I may have been a celestial spirit, but I was more than that before the Celestial Realm ever had laws. I helped create that realm."

Lucy's eyes widened, now second guessing herself.

Wait, no, even then!

"Well, la-dee-fucking-dah! You're still a dragon!"

"And it could very well be two of draconic descent mating that makes your marking so different." He looked to the shadow mage who was now rubbing the blonde's shoulders and whispering things to calm her down. The spirit shook his head, his long hair barely following the action. "Have you no respect?"

"No," she spat out. When he tried to glare at her again, he noticed the smug cocky smirk on her face. "I don't act respectful because I'm going to treat you like I do everyone else. Nobody's above me, nobody is beneath me. At the end of the day," her smirk turned to a smile, "we're people."

Draco smiled warmly back at her. "You remind me of Her Majesty."

Chocolate eyes blinked at this. The King said something similar.

"But you should learn to hold your tongue."

She rolled her eyes at this. Nobody seemed to have anything else to say since Lucy wasn't wanting to snark back. Because of that, an awkward silence finally settled over the group and the blonde lass looked to Yukino before returning her eyes to Draco. "Stache Face said Yuki here isn't quite strong enough to help you, but I want her to try."

The spirit nodded. "I can sense you are… Son of Skiadrum," he turned to Rogue. "Your mate will be very weak after this. Be prepared to ensure she gets proper rest for as long as she needs. Ignore if she wants to get up."

He nodded his agreement.

The spirit then, finally, coaxed the four mages into the graveyard a ways. The four followed him diligently, not daring to speak over the sounds of the crunching earth beneath their feet. The group walked for a decent five minutes before coming upon one of the arches. The ceiling was raised here, which seems to be what Draco was looking for. Finally, he turned around to face them.

"When summoning a spirit, you are to use the key. The key allows you to pour magic into the gate and hold it open with that magic. When breaking the curse of banishment, you must summon the gate itself." He reached up to grasp the white, phantom-like chain that went through his heart without doing so physically. It almost looked like an illusion. He lifted it to pluck his key off the end. "Instead of using your magic to push through the gate, use your magic to force the gate to you. Hold it there. Then, use more of your magic to unlock it."

Lucy tilted her head, making a mental note of this. She figured Draco knew because of being so damned ancient, but maybe if she knew something like this, Loke's reinstatement to the Celestial Realm would have been easier on her. It was some information to pass down to her children- should she ever choose to have any. Right now was definitely not the time to think about that.

The spirit held it out for the light haired tigress to grasp. The handle looked akin to an aerial view of a dragon with its wings spread mid-flight, the center of the back (and right between the wings) having a series of impeccably small sapphires littering it in the shape of his constellation. The other end of the key made the whole thing look like you were witnessing a dragon use a breath attack from above it.

In her hands, Yukino could feel the faded power in the key. What little was left reached out to her magic container, almost like a stray animal resting in your yard to get in the shade. It wasn't draining her slowly, it wasn't tapping into her magic, it was almost like the presence of the power was basking in her magic. Almost like it was just shocked and happy to be in the hands of a celestial mage once more.

"The incantation you must say is this; I hold the key of the Chained Gate. Come forth, Gate of the Dragon." The spirit then bowed to her. "I'll stop you before you harm yourself, my child."

Yukino too a deep breath and nodded. Sting gave her a kiss to her temple before letting her walk forward. Once she was a good ten yards away from the other three, she held the key out in front of her and allowed her magic to reach out. Even though she knew she wasn't going to be getting this friend- and she was perfectly okay with that- she was still going to try her absolute damnedest.

"I hold the key of the Chained Gate," she began, but paused. Her magic barely reached the key in her hand before it felt as though the key was ripping her magic out of her. Her teeth clenched tightly, her jaw set. A very real pinching sensation made itself known around her hip region and it only got worse with the more magic she had to put forth. The chant wasn't even over! "Come forth," she ground out. The words were forced out, yet with both syllables, the pain coming from the expulsion of magic doubled.

Yukino felt her hair flying. Her knees were wobbling, her body trembling from the pain in her side. The wobbling, trembling from pain, forced her to drop to one knee. She refused to meet both knees to the dirt. She still held onto some dignity with only one knee down. It hurt.

It felt like someone took twenty knives and rammed them into her left hip. It felt like someone stabbed her with a needle, then proceeded to tell her that it was actually a Javelin as it rammed further into her and forced the once tiny prick open into a gaping hole. Her stomach churned violently and she was suddenly aware of her lunch trying to resurface.

"C-Come forth," she repeated as she tried to force through it. There was still magic. She could go further. "G-Gate…"

"Stop."

At his command, Yukino felt all the magic she'd been pouring out just… Stop. The key stopped reaching for her magic, she stopped feeding it magic… It was like the one word brought the calm. But, with the calm, came the sudden realization that her lunch was hellbent on coming out. Sting was rushing to her but she shoved away from him in time to not throw up all over him. He was already going to cringe from the smell of vomit- she didn't need to hear him bitch and complain about her vomiting on him on top of that.

"You have the capability to summon the gate," Draco complimented. "You're almost able to assist. If you would have attempted to do anything else, though, you would have killed yourself."

"What the fuck?!" Sting growled at the spirit.

The spirit growled back- darker, deeper and much more menacing in sound.

The guildmaster cringed immediately, knowing that tone of growl from when Weisslogia used to punish him for getting into trouble by doing stupid shit.

"My key."

"H-Here you a-are." Yukino lifted a trembling hand to the spirit, holding the key out for him to take back.

He nodded and looked to the blond. "Stay by her side and open the pathway to your magic core. She can draw off of you to help normalize, should you allow her. In the meantime, Miss Heartfilia."

"Lucy," she corrected. "Call me Lucy."

Draco nodded and offered her his key. "I ask you… Save my queen. Allow me to return and assist me in saving Her Majesty."

The blonde gulped deeply but nodded nonetheless. "I'll… I'll do my best."

"That is all I could ever ask for."

Lucy stepped a few paces forward, stiffly. She took a deep, settling breath and held the key as an extension of her hand. As more years passed since she first started using this magic, that's all any key was anymore- an extension of her. But, now? Now that took on a whole new meaning. Was it this natural for her because she's been a Celestial Spirit Summoner for nearly her whole damned life or was it because of her blood? Was Yukino the strongest normal celestial mage because her own bloodline came from a spirit?

Stop, she scolded herself, this is not the time to have an existential crisis.

Then, she could feel the stares. Sting, Yukino, Rogue… Draco. They were all staring at her. Peer pressure was the worst thing imaginable and nerves suddenly grabbed at her. She was terrified of letting them down, of failing, of messing up… But, again, she mentally scolded herself. She had to- not just for the Queen but to also stop the suffering of spirits that have endured it for far too long.

That thought made her nerves nearly vanish.

"I hold the key of the Chained Gate," she began dutifully. There was almost immediately a distinct and harsh tug at her magic as it reached out and cradled the key. It was akin to holding two gates open for ten minutes straight, and the instant drain startled the blonde. Still, she pressed on. "Came forth," she declared confidently, but yet another harsh tug came. Her brows furrowed, the left side of her midsection pinching sharply.

"Gate of the Dragon!" she rushed out, knowing the longer she drug it out the more it would pain her. But, that may have been better than what she felt next. The next tug hurt almost as bad as when she had to use her own magic to destroy Aquarius' key and summon the king. Almost that damned bad, on top of the pre-existing pain from the earlier words. This deeply unsettled her because she didn't pay attention to the previous pains when she destroyed her dearest friend's key. She was hurting too much emotionally and in her heart to pay attention to the physical pains.

But now?

That pain nearly brought forth a wave of tears with it- if only because it reminded her too much of Aquarius.

She saw the flash of light, the dark gold magic circle paint the ground. Her chocolate eyes filled with tears, but she didn't let them fall. Instead, she focused on how the gate itself was rising from the ground- rising from the circle. Each second that passed drained Lucy all that much more, and it felt excruciating. Something akin to waking up in the middle of your own surgery because anesthesia wore off.

The gate that rose was pure gold and honestly looked like what many cartoons depicted the gates of Heaven to look like. Cast iron fence, but made of something otherworldly with blatant golden coloration. But the gate itself grew intricate. Where Lucy would expect an 'H' to be- like the gate to her old estate- there was a black carving of a metallic dragon. It's eyes were blue, some gemstone that appeared like a more saturated sapphire was on its stomach.

But a tear fell for what she noticed.

As soon as the gate appeared, fully, it's chains did as well. Three chains: one silver, one black and one white. No locks were seen on them. They looked new, thick, and like they had just been placed there two or three days ago at most. This is what the spirits saw when they tried to return home? It was disheartening at the deepest level.

Another tear fell and she forced more magic out, into the magic circle and into the gate. No, Lucy had no idea what she was doing. No, she didn't know if it would work. Her instincts and her heart, however, wouldn't let her idle by and just gawk. She made a promise to try her best to help fix this blatant and obvious problem. She needed to do this, no matter what. If anything, she could try to force to much magic into it that it summoned the King like she did with Loke… But there was this nagging feeling that doing such for this wouldn't work.

As she wracked her brain for other options, other ideas, anything- a resounding crack echoed through the cave. Her eyes widened at the cracking coming from the white chain. This is it. Expending a sick amount of magic, more than she'd ever forced out in her life, Lucy glared at the chains. Blood began to fall from her nose.

"Lucy!" Rogue shouted, worried like hell for his mate.

She ignored him, focusing more on the damned chains in front of her.

The silver one cracked.

She felt nauseous.

Her primary magic container was empty, being squeezed dry like a fucking lemon for some determined child's lemonade stand. She could only hope her second origin had enough. Her knees wobbled once, twice, and she fell to her knees. Her eyes, however, stayed on the gate. Blood came from her nose faster.

The black one cracked.

Her upper lip lifted in an outright snarl, the noise reverberating across the cavern. One eye shut from the pain pulsating from her magic container. Three seconds ticked by and she poured almost everything into the circle. A vibrant, red glow came from inside the cracks as more appeared, the light shining brighter and brighter as seven more seconds droned past. But after that, for twenty full seconds, nothing changed.

Lucy screamed. She was frustrated, angry, in pain, and most of all she barely had anything left to give. She was on empty, almost fully, and she wasn't sure if what she had left was even going to make it work. It would drain her, then kill her from magic depletion. There… There wasn't any other outcome she could imagine.

Draco spoke, but the sound was muffled like there was cotton in her ear. Her vision grew blurry and her eyes couldn't manage to focus on anything. Black spots danced in her vision, threatening to cause her to black out. The feeling was immediately forced away because she would not fail. Rogue's voice was heard, then Sting's. What words they were saying- or shouting- didn't make sense. It sounded like an underwater recording. Her hair whipped around and smacked her right in her open eye, causing it to clench shut. She wasn't aware that the amount of magic she was pouring out was causing her hair to fly around like a damned wind turbine.

Frustration grew.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA!" She screeched, forcing out everything she had to give. Everything. "DAMMIT! I SAID FUCKING BREAK!"

The magic stopped and Lucy barely managed to open her eyes. Blurred was the gate before her, though now? Now it was chain-free. It wasn't locked anymore. The key fell from her hand. Black spots covered her vision and she felt herself fall forward before she could get any other word out.