HEY!! Oh my lord we are at 651 reads!!! AKKK! Thank you guys soooo much for all the reads, comments, and votes! I love you all so much! To make up for the shorter chapter last update, I'm going to make this one longer! Alright, onto the chapter.
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~Levy's POV~
I am sitting in the empty guild hall, reading a dusty book that I've read like a thousand times before. I close the book as I finish off the last page. I sigh sadly. I know I probably shouldn't be reading this, for it'll just make my mood worse. But it brings me joy. And terrible sadness at the same time, for the main character's name is Lucy.
A burly figure comes and sits down in front of me. I take of my glasses and look up at him.
"You've gotta stop reading that book," Gajeel says, yanking it from my grasp.
"I know," I mumble.
"You must have something else you can read."
"Pft of course," I snap quietly, "But I don't want to read those."
Gajeel sighs hopelessly.
Suddenly, someone bursts through the guild hall doors. It's Mira, Laxus, and Natsu. Mira runs straight to where me and Gajeel are sitting.
"Guys! You have to come with me!" she pants.
"What?" Gajeel and I say in unison.
"Just come! It's important!" Mira exclaims, frustrated.
"How important?" Gajeel challenges.
"Lucy-important."
~Lucy's POV~
I wake to the smell of rich coffee. And, stumbling out of Raiden's warm bed, I make my way into the kitchen.
He has his back to me and is bent over a stove of some sort. "Good morning," he says without turning.
"Morning," I reply tiredly. I sit down on the couch I sat on the night before and rub my eyes. They're puffy and swollen, and I get quick flashes of the nightmares I had last night.
Natsu.
I shiver, and Raiden comes over and hands me a large mug of coffee, "Are you cold?" he asks.
"Yea," I lie. He hands me a thick blanket and heads back into the kitchen. I wrap it tightly around myself and slowly sip at my coffee. Raiden returns and sits beside me. I can tell by his body movements that he's tense. Incredibly so.
"I should leave today," I say, tensing.
He just nods, "Yes. I will go with you."
"What?"
"I'm going with you."
I hesitate, "You are?"
"Yes."
Since when? He's acting so weird, like a robot. And it's creeping me the hell out.
"Alright..."
He gives me a stony smile and gets up and goes back into the kitchen.
What the hell?
~Gajeel's POV~
I race after Levy and Mira. The look on Levy's face when Mira had said 'Lucy-important' really took a piece out of me. And that's freaky.
Like what the hell? I used to be this stony hardass and now I'm this lovey dovey fricken feely smooth talker who has fallen for a shrimp?
Fairy Tail has changed me. Big time.
We are heading far back into Fairy Hills, and along the way, Panther Lily catches up with us.
"What is this about?" he asks.
"Lucy," Levy pants, and I smirk. Cute.
"Anything about her in particular?"
"We don't know," I reply, barely tired. Mira starts to slow down and she points at a building straight ahead. Well, it's less of a building, and more of a...shack...
"In here," Mira says, and opens the old wooden doors, and they let out a loud screech.
Inside is dark, and smells quite damp. The only thing illuminating the room is a stained glass lantern sitting on the floor in front of .... wait is that...someone?
"What is going on Mira?" I ask.
"Who's there?" someone shouts.
"Is that Lisanna?" Levy exclaims.
"Yes," Mira replies, her voice as cold as ice.
"Help me!" Lisanna shrieks.
Levy starts to run towards the sound but Mira stops her, "No, don't."
"What the hell is this?" I yell at Mira.
"It's about Lucy, trust me," Mira says, remaining calm. I instinctively Levy by the shoulders and pull her away from Mira, planting her directly at my side.
I bend over and whisper in her ear, "Stay close."
She nods discreetly and we start walking towards the sound of Lisanna's voice. Mira picks the lantern off the floor and it casts light over the seemingly small room.
Lisanna is tied down to a chair in front of us. Her face is bruised, but only on her cheekbone. She looks up at us with pleading eyes.
"Help me! She's a monster!" she shrieks.
"You're the monster," Mira spits at her, and hands the lantern to Levy. "I'll prove it." She walks around to the back of the chair and pulls Lisanna's right arm out of the bounds. She roughly grabs her by the wrist and holds it up to the light, showing us her fingers.
They are covered in rings.
As Levy examines the rings, she suddenly gasps and drops the lantern. It crashes to the floor, and the glass shatters, covering the ground in deathly shards. I grab Levy by the waist and dodge past the flying pieces.
After all the glass shards fall to the floor, Levy and I turn back to Lisanna. Her legs are covered in scratches from the glass, her wounds spilling blood onto the floor. But...
She's smiling.
"That's....that's a... THAT'S A MANIPULATION RING!" Levy says, and I can just see her brain working, figuring out the puzzle. She gives Lisanna the most evil of looks, and lunges towards her, hands aiming for her throat.
Lisanna lets out an evil cackle and disappears into thin air, all her rings remaining behind and falling to the floor.
~Lucy's POV~
Raiden and I departed about an hour ago. And I swear we are getting deeper and deeper into this godforsaken forest. We've started to slow our pace, and out of the corner of my eye I see a small grin form on Raiden's face.
And then I hear a rustling in the dark bushes directly ahead.
And out steps Lisanna.
Scratched, bloody, and ring-less.
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Heyo!
I am so sorry that I haven't updated in like forever! I've been stressing about school! But I really hope that this exciting chapter makes up for it!
I love you all so much!
I'll update again soon (hopefully).
~Aleyna~