We have Changed

Chapter Nine-Coronation

"How long do I have to decide?" I inquired as I looked down on him with an evil smirk.

"Till we reach Magnolia." He answered quickly and I just shook my head.

"I will be allowed to contemplate the arrangement until we reach Crocus." I stated outright as I felt the runes slowly fade. Again, I saw his face twitch as he thought over my demands. Finally he stood, his pretty face tainted by negative emotions.

"Fine." And with that, he left, erasing the remaining runes. I breathed in deeply before returning to my quarters. I washed the blood from my body after I burned my clothes. As I watched red wash down the drain, I contemplated my life.

Maybe I am the monster my father wants me to be?

Flashes of killing Mard Geer's multiples played before me. The feeling of release as I destroyed almost all of who stood before me. Except for the original. The one whom I wanted to kill the most. It was then that I remembered the first time I killed.

"When you kill, Minerva. You must not think of mercy." My father had said as I looked up at him with blurry eyes. Before me was an injured deer, Jiemma had snapped it's front left leg heartlessly. He glared back at me, angry at my tears. He then wrapped my hands around a knife before placing it against the deer's skin. "Now kill. Kill the creature!" 

I then stabbed the deer in the heart, looking away from the bloodshed. I cried harder as red poured on the grass. 

"You could have done better." Jiemma muttered as he picked up my five year old body before throwing me. Pain traveled through my entire body, as I heard my ribs snap.

I screwed my eyes close, in an attempt to banish my childhood memories. I breathed in deeply and exhaled away the past. I opened my eyes, and walked to the corner of my room. I had requested a bay window be put in, and it had become my preferred place to meditate, or just think. It had cushions the shade of midnight blue, and a view that exposed the outside world to me. Right now, we were still going over the woods leading to Magnolia. It was an emerald sea, filled with life a varying colors and forms. It made my heart hurt.

Again, I closed my eyes, only letting the sound of our movement flow through me. A semblance of calm settled into me, before I felt it. A shift in my soul, as it released my body. It was something I had only recently learned I could do. I looked at my vessel, before leaving the cube through the window. While we were no longer allowed to leave, my soul could do as it pleased on this plane. The sensation of flying was wonderful, as I sped past the cube to where Sabertooth laid in wait. 

I swooped through the front doors, and was befuddled by the lack of life. As I floated through the halls, I noticed that no one was there. I stared at the guild master's door. I laughed to myself as I remembered the evening of when we removed that plaque, and put it on Sting's door. I stepped through, his room was warm from the sunlight shining through all the windows. Most of his furniture were pale cream or white. Then something caught my attention, a flash of dark in the room made of light. I floated over to the window where a dark picture frame was sticking out from beneath a pillow. 

In this form I could only pick up something very light unless I really concentrated. I grasped onto the frame, and closed my eyes. Pulling my full mental strength into my hands, an opened my eyes as I lifted the picture. 

It was a picture of us after the Grand Magic Games, when we had all gone to dinner. From left to right, it was Yukino, Rogue, then Sting and I. They were all smiling brightly, except for me, my lips had only curled into a pleased grin. But I remembered how that night, I had felt so ecstatic. That was the first night that I started to let go of the memories of my father. As well as the night that I realized that I liked Sting more than I thought. 

It was then that I noticed that Sting's eyes were settled on me, his grin a bit wider than usual. That was when I dropped the photo, the glass spread about the room like rain. I looked at the shattered glass before closing my eyes, and pushed the frame back to it's a original place and form. It looked like I had never been there. 

I stepped out of the room, realizing how severely I had invaded Sting's space. I rushed back to the cube, feeling my connection with my vessel weakening. I opened my eyes to my room being the same as how I left it. Right at that moment, Jack-chan came into my room with a grim look.

"We're being called to interrogate information out of Lucy Heartfilia. Meet me by her prison cell." Jack-chan told me before vanishing to the location. I sighed, then followed. 

"Hello Minerva. How are you? Have they done anything to blackmail you?" Lucy asked from her cell. Even covered in grime from the battle, she looked noble. Her chin was in the air, but kindness and concern shined from her brown eyes. I didn't answer, only scanned the rest of her form. Her clothes were torn to shreds, and she had untreated open wounds. I snapped my fingers, and she was cleaned and dressed in comfortable clothing, with her wounds treated. Jackal opened her cell, and removed her chains before slapping cuffs around her reddened wrists. We then led her to the interrogating room. 

"We just have a couple questions." I informed as I closed the door to the room behind us.