Author's Note: I had lost inspiration for this story for a long time. I had almost deleted it forever, but I'm glad I kept it. In all honesty, I have no idea where this will go so please bear with me! Tell me what you think in the comments!

Later that evening, I was looking around the living room as they set up an extra bed. They refused to let me help them too. As I walked by a cabinet, a picture frame caught my eye. In the picture, a younger version of Elizah was smiling with her arm around a woman who looked almost exactly like my mom.

"Miss Lucy?" The elder woman called from upstairs, startling me out of my thoughts.

Setting the frame back down, I looked at her nervously. I didn't want her to think I was nosy. "Ah, yes Elizah-san?"

She didn't respond as she carefully made her way down the steps, cane in one hand, railing in the other. I walked over to help support her as we moved back to the living room. She looked at the picture I had had and smiled. There was something painful in the way she smiled. "Are you perhaps related to Adynea?"

"Ady...nea?"

"Yes." She carefully made her way down the stairs and walked up to me. Her slightly shaky hands gently put the frame back down. "She was my best friend back in the day. A lovely woman with a beautiful gift."

"What was her gift?"

Her eyes seemed to sparkle, as though remembering it vividly. "An ancient magic that was specific to her. No one had seen anything like it."

"Really?" I tilted my head in confusion. A form of magic no one had heard of? Maybe it was something we discovered more in the future. With the year being X401, it was possible.

Elizah nodded, setting both hands on her cane. Her aged green eyes scrutinized me with a searching gaze. I squirmed nervously. No one had ever given me such an intense look before. It made me wonder what she was looking for.

When she finally relaxed, I breathed a sigh of relief. She chuckled at my response.

"You look a lot like her Miss Lucy." There was a knowing look in her eyes as she sad that. It made me more than a little suspicious, but I felt like I could trust her.

"Really?" Elizah nodded, starting upstairs and gesturing for me to follow her.

"I just hope you find what you're looking for here." And with that, she left for the bedroom she shared with her husband.

Over the next few weeks, I gathered as much information as I could. It was a challenge to avoid attracting attention. Wherever I turned, there was a cloaked person just out of sight. It struck me as odd that a small, homely village would be flooded with such mysterious people.

Despite that, I learned this village would soon become Magnolia. The night before I appeared, a bright purple light consumed the forest. Many of the villagers said it was a sign that trouble was brewing. Normally, I'd brush it off but this time I had to agree. Whoever brought me here was the cause of that light. If I could find them, maybe I could ask why they brought me here.

"Miss, are you alright?" The shopkeeper interrupted my thoughts. I scratched my head and chuckled nervously. Almost forgot I was shopping.

"Oh. Yeah, I was just thinking." He looked at me incredulously before turning to another customer.

SIghing, I took my new clothes off of the counter and hung them over my arm. My thoughts drifted to Elizah and Thomas and I smiled. They had been so nice to me since I arrived. It felt like having grandparents, something I've never had before.

Though I suspected Elizah was hiding something. Every time I would do something - talk about my friends, demonstrate my magic, or offering to help her out - she would smile knowingly. Whenever I asked, she would brush it off as nostalgia. I never thought much about it before, but now...

Chills ran down my spine, interrupting my thoughts. A horrible sense of foreboding pushed my pace into a sprint. I stuffed my new clothes into the backpack I bought after I first arrived. I weaved through all people and huts in my way, uncaring of the strange looks they gave me. If this sense was right, Elizah and Thomas were in trouble.

When I finally made it to their hut, the door was slightly ajar. Panic rushed through me but I swallowed it. Gently pushing the door further, I slowly walked inside. Tiptoeing into the dining room revealed slanted shelves and broken dishes. Splatters of blood here and there made my heart clench.

Before I could search more, I heard voices.

Judging from the distinctive tones, there was at least three of them. They were clinking glass bottles and congratulating themselves about something. I started walking backward only for one of the boards to creak. I froze.

"What was that?" one asked.

"I don't know." The floor creaked again. Someone was coming my way. "I'll check it out."

I cursed under my breath as the sound of footsteps grew louder. Quickly glancing around the room to see if there was anything I could use to throw as a distraction, I spotted a nearby stick. It as only after I picked it up that I realized it was Elizah's cane. Blood was all over it and that could only mean one thing. I struggled to reign in my sorrow and focus on the footsteps.

Taking a deep breath, I waited for the person approaching. As soon as they rounded the corner, I gasped. The person who appeared around the corner was cloaked; just like the people she'd run into around town.

When their eyes met, she saw two black voids. I felt something in me change, like a sudden surge of magic. The cloaked figure must have noticed because his voids widened before he lept toward me.

Natsu

"LUCY!" I watched in horror as the blonde haired mage disappeared into a strange purple light.

I dropped to the ground, looking down at my hands. After all this time, I still couldn't protect her! My anger swelled and I punched the ground.

The sound of footsteps came from behind me and I glanced back. Erza, Gray, and the others were yelling at me for running off and asking where Lucy went. Too distracted by my thoughts, I didn't respond. How could he possibly tell them she'd disappeared?

The sound of metal clanging slightly reached my ears. Everyone immediately went silent. "Natsu, what happened?"

"I-, there was a purple light and she just...disappeared. It took her!" Before Erza could ask any more questions, the light appeared again. It seemed to pulse a few times before engulfing all of us.

"What?" My instincts went crazy, screaming that danger was nearby. I didn't have time to react before it swallowed me. Everyone called my name and tried to reach out to them. For some reason, I couldn't even touch anyone, not even Erza; and she was right next to me.

The blinding light became too much and I had to shield my eyes. When it finally faded, I heard an explosion in the distance.

I jumped to my feet and ran toward the sound. My senses were still a bit jumbled. As I neared a village, I hoped wherever that light had brought me was where it had taken Lucy.

There was only one way to find out!