Stronger Than You Think (Fairytail)

Fallen Heroes

▶┆Chapter ninety-five [95]

♡

❝Nobody wants to die too fast.❞

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★·.·'¯'·.·★ иσямαℓ ρ.σ.ν. ★·.·'¯'·.·★

'What's...what's even the point anymore?' 

Lucy stared blankly up at the ceiling of her cell, too weak to move, her eyes hazy. She was sickly pale, with purple and blue bruises marring her exposed skin. Dried blood crusted on sliced skin, leaving her body a splatter of crimson. Her eyes had sunken in, and her body had thinned considerably—almost to the point where she was unrecognizable. The outline of her ribs was easily distinguishable. 

Her entire body was battered and scarred. She had attempted to escape a couple of weeks ago—months in this magic-repressing cell had driven her near mad. She had ultimately failed. She had taken thirteen guards with her though. She had knocked them all unconscious—well, as far as she knew. For all she knew, some of them were dead. She couldn't find it in herself to care.

Things had changed because of that. Lucy had displayed rebellion—she had disobeyed, and the master was already furious with her. She had gotten another beating, as well as a guarantee that she would never be able to exit her cell again without permission. 

She closed her eyes, wishing with every fiber of her being that she could ignore the cold manacles the encased her wrists. They cut into her vulnerable skin, leaving deep, bloody slices that stung insistently. Thick iron chains ran from them, attaching to one of the stone walls. There was also a chilling iron cuff around her neck, degrading and demeaning. A long chain ran from it as well, leaving her defeated and broken. It was like a collar, thick and stiff. It dug into Lucy's neck, making it uncomfortable to sleep. 

The blonde could barely lay down without the sharp ache terrorizing her—she couldn't sleep! The only time she got any respite was when she passed out due to exhaustion and her injuries. 

And she had plenty of injuries. Her last endeavor to try and escape had left her with a broken body. A dislocated shoulder, a broken wrist, a stab wound to the thigh. Not to mention the internal damage and stamina reduction. She had bruises and scratches, and slashes from a particularly nasty brute she had fought. 

Every time Lucy closed her eyes, she was afraid the sweet embrace of death would greet her. That the end would come, sooner than she'd like. But at the same time, she felt she couldn't do it much longer. The pain—it was too much. She liked to believe she was strong—but this agony was beyond even her tolerance.

Lucy stared at the ceiling, her manacles digging into precious flesh. She wanted to cry—to scream, to yell—to do anything to not feel so empty. 

She was alive—so why did she feel so dead?

She had lost all hope. It had vanished, right when she desperately needed it. But where would her hope originate? Would she keep hoping that she'd somehow gain miraculous strength and be able to bust herself out? Or would she keep praying that someone would come to save her? That perhaps someone was looking for her—like maybe Sting. 

Who was she kidding? She was alone—utterly isolated. No one was coming to whisk her off her feet or rescue her this time. There would be no Laxus, Sting, or Natsu to protect her. Lucy felt defeated. She wanted to save herself; to be free once more. To be able to live without fear, and allowed to go where she wanted. 

Lucy blinked lazily, her body aching.

Her short blonde hair was matted. It had grown a couple of centimeters over the several months she had been here. It went down a couple of inches past her shoulders. The blonde wasn't positive of her eye color—was it still that revenge-filled, cold, evil blue? Or her normal honey brown? Lucy supposed it didn't matter either way anymore. She wasn't going to be free of this place. Why should it matter what her hair or eyes looked like? 

"Lucy!"

Lucy could barely even tilt her head towards the person. She knew it was Kaden. He was the one who brought her food and made her lonely existence better. 

"I have some good news!" 

Lucy glanced at him. She never received good news. Never—prisoners didn't receive good news—unless it was that they were finally getting put out of their misery. She moved to ask him to tell her, but her throat was sore and parched, and she only just realized how thirsty she was as she licked her chapped lips. 

"Y-Yes?" Lucy croaked, voice hoarse and gritty as if she had swallowed a handful of sand. 

Lucy would have never expected what happened. Not in a thousand years. 

"The master is offering you your freedom!"

Freedom...the word brought on an onslaught of varying emotions. She tried to force back a smile. If she smiled, it would bring a whole barrage of hope that she couldn't open herself up to. Yet...she couldn't help it from clogging her senses. Of course, there would be a price—there always was—but what was the other option? To sit here and rot for the rest of her days?

"There are intruders," Kaden continued, unaware of her inner turmoil. "The master says if you eliminate them, he'll grant you your freedom.  

Lucy was ecstatic. It seemed uncomplicated at first—she just had to kill the invaders foolish enough to try and sneak into such a bloodthirsty dark guild. As much as she loathed the master, she couldn't help but feel the temptation of his offer. 

Freedom was such an underrated thing. Everyone craved it, and people deserving of it sometimes did not receive it. Lucy couldn't help but feel like it didn't matter. It didn't matter if she'd be helping a cruel monster like the master of Crimson Flag. All she had left was herself—and she couldn't just let this opportunity slip by. 

But...

To kill for him—to be a fang in the mouth of a beast that had already consumed so many precious lives. Could she do it?

Lucy really didn't know.

There was a part of what he was saying that disturbed the blonde. Why would the master need her of all people to take care of a few pesky intruders? Why bother offering her anything—why bother asking for her assistance? His guards and followers were more than capable of taking care of them. 

That's when it hit her. A feeling of absolute terror washed over her like icy rain. 

"K-Kaden?" She whispered, a sudden rush of adrenaline overcoming her as she realized her situation. 

"Yeah?"

"Who...who are these i-intruders?" She inquired quietly. 

She already knew the answer.

"Why, Fairy Tail of course." 

Lucy couldn't hide her flinch. Nor could she quell the subconscious need to seek them out. But once more, they were her enemies. They stood between her and her freedom. If you would have asked her months ago if she could kill her guildmates, she would have grinned evilly and spoken of revenge.

Now...

She wasn't so sure she could do it anymore. 

But what other choice did she have? It was them or her—her freedom, or their lives. She wasn't foolish; she knew whatever the master intended to do with them must require their lives. She wanted to stay good; to not cave in, to stand tall. But, they had been nothing but cruel to her—they had shattered her heart, and made her unable to trust anyone ever again. How could she choose them over freedom?

The truth was she couldn't.