The two made their way up the stairs, Lector following close behind as they came across a large pair of grand doors. This time, black thorns weaved itself across it as a dark and intimidating aura surrounded it. Behind this pair of doors was Lucifer. Lucy looked at the door, her eyes firm and confident as she touched it. Sabertooth and Hades were busy subduing the undead on the outside and Rogue and Frosch had taken it upon themselves to allow them to make it this far. What they had done for her, she would never forget it nor will she let their efforts be in vain.
She pushed it open and a bright light flashed before them. As they opened their eyes, they found themselves in a large room, the floor perfectly waxed to the point where they could see their reflection. Silver and white were the two major colors and they could see the scene outside. It was large, perhaps the largest room within the whole ship; larger than the room that they had just been in.
"Lucifer," she said.
Sting looked ahead and saw the chair situated in the middle of the room twirled around, revealing a man clothed in white. He had on a black suit with a black cape draped around him, the collar lined with large amounts of soft white fur. His wild dark red hair was tied into a long low ponytail, his hair trailing behind his cape. He had on a pair of white gloves and a black face mask covered his face. His crimson golden eyes stared at them but to Sting, his eyes only seemed to focus on Lucy.
"I've been waiting for you, Lucy," he smiled softly.
Lucy glared at him and Sting made a protective stance in front of Lucy, shielding her. Lucifer smiled at her with a gentle gaze but something about that smile seemed off. It was more crazed and definitely not the expression of a normal person. There was some deeper meaning behind it. Sting narrowed his eyes at him and Lucifer turned to look at him, disdain in his eyes. From the outlines of his face mask, Sting could tell that he had gritted his teeth and clicked his tongue. Nevertheless, his eyes returned to its smiling way when he focused back on Lucy.
"Lucy, you didn't tell me that you accepted another disciple," his voice now cold as he made his way towards her, his black dress shoes clicking against the floor.
Lucy's eyes softened a bit as she looked him in the eye. "You know that I, Lucy Heartfilia, will only take one disciple in my lifetime."
Lucifer widened his eyes in surprise and for a moment, she saw a flicker of white rukh flying around him but it quickly disappeared. He let out a laugh and grinned, his cheek tinted with a slight blush. Lucy gulped and a sweat drop rolled down Sting's face. Lector flapped open his wings, ready to get into action at any moment. Lucifer continued walking to them until he stopped just a few meters away from them. He outstretched his hand and looked at Lucy, his crimson golden eyes unreadable.
"Come with me," he said. "After all that had happened, you should know my feelings more than anyone. You should be supporting me and standing by me."
She shook her head. "No, Lucifer. I will not."
He looked unamused. "Why are you being so insistent on going against me, Lucy? You should be the one that hates this world more than anything. They wronged you!" his voice rising in anger. "They treated you either like a rag doll or a monster each time you interacted with them! They were all liars, no matter how nice they seemed. So why? Why do you still walk amongst them as if nothing had happened?!"
"Lucifer, the world isn't all black like you think it is," she said. "Though it may be true that there are those that shouldn't exist, the world doesn't consist entirely of them. I know this," she said, her eyes bright and full of certainty. "The friends I now have aren't like that. From them, I've learned to trust again; I've learned to open my heart again. They treat me like family and for me, they're willing to do anything. The same goes for me."
Lucifer stared at her and saw the change in emotion in her eyes.
"Moreover," she finished, looking at Sting with a soft, affectionate expression. "I was able to learn what exactly love is from them."
Lucifer widened his eyes. He had never seen such an expression on her face before; not even once. During the many years that he had been by her side, not once had she shown such an expression to him. He gritted his teeth and a murderous aura filled the air around him. His cape blew back and his hair rose in the air, black rukh fluttering around him. He gave a light chuckle, his gloved hand over his face, and soon let out a maniac laugh. His crimson eyes gleamed as a wide grin was now etched on his face.
"So in other words," his smirk now turning into a stern frown. "It's because of those people out there that you won't stand by me?"
A wave of panic crossed over Lucy, Sting, and Lector's eyes as they felt an ominous feeling growing inside them. He walked over to the side of the ship, the glass windows revealing everything that was happening outside. He raised his hand, a magic circle appearing and he turned to Lucy and grinned.
"Then that means all I need to do is destroy them, right?" he grinned.
"Lucifer!" she yelled.
She ran up to him and canceled out his magic in a swift action. Her red paper umbrella had swung at him but he stopped it with his gloved hand, a smirk plastered on his lips as his eyes widened, picturing utter excitement.
"Lucy!" he yelled, grinning. "How long it has been since we last sparred."
"Lucifer, why?" she gritted her teeth.
The two exchanged multiple blows, blows that were too fast for the naked eyes to see. Sting stood there and watched them fight each other, magic pulsing through the air with each exchange. Every time Lucy swung her umbrella, Lucifer blocked it with his hand. The two were equal. Sting stepped back and puffed his cheeks, readying his magic. Lucy noticed him and knew exactly what to do.
"Roar of the White Dragon!" he yelled, blasting a ray of magic at him.
Lucy dodged at the last minute and Lucifer widened his eyes in surprise a little. Once the smoke cleared, the two stood on guard and knew that that attack hadn't dealt much damage to him. Lucifer wiped the dust off his face and smirked at the three of them. A shiver ran down their spines and Lucy gripped the handle of her umbrella, running towards him again. Lucifer only looked on with amusement as Lucy kept on attacking him. He attacked her with a handful of his own black magic but she easily dealt with it.
"Do you treasure him that much?" he asked her. "If this was any other battle, you would've easily struck a major blow. Are you holding back because of him? Are you afraid that if you release all of your strength, you're going to harm him as well?"
Lucy smirked. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"So that's how it is," he mused. "Then this battle is as good as done!"
Lucy widened her eyes and saw a weave of thorns charge at Sting. She turned herself around and yelled. "Lector!"
The exceed went quickly into action and picked up Sting, flying him away from the thorns. Lucy swung her umbrella at the thorns, causing it to disappear into black dust.
"Lucy! Behind you!" Sting yelled.
It was too late. She went hurtling to the side of the room and crashed into the wall. Lucifer had hit her with one of his spells and as she came into impact with the wall, she coughed out a small pool of blood. She gripped her umbrella and slowly sat up but as she did so, she saw him bring his hand down, making Sting and Lector fall to the floor with a crash, creating a dent in the ground. He made his way towards her, his shoes making a clear click sound on the floor.
"Lucy, you've gotten weaker," he looked down at her.
She glared up at him but that only interested him even more. "Don't you dare touch those two," she said through gritted teeth.
"How long has it been since I knew you, Lucy?" he asked. "It's been far too long and even now, your habit of showing your true emotions in your eyes still hasn't changed. I can assume that those dealing with the undead I let loose are also people important to you."
"You wouldn't -!"
"Why wouldn't I?" he grinned.
He snapped his fingers and she looked outside. The undead grew in power as the impurity swept along the ground, swallowing whatever source of magoi it could get its hand on. She watched as some of her guild members slowly get swallowed up by it, fighting helplessly against it.
"Why, Lucifer?" she slumped down and faced him, her eyes filled with anger and sadness. "Why? Why would you do something that horrible?"
"Lucy, my one and only beloved Lucy," he bent down and gently took some strands of her long golden locks. "Didn't I say so already? Everything I do is for your sake. From the ruin of this world to the death of your 'friends', everything will begin and end with you. Everything," he said, darkness looming overhead, as he leaned into her ear. "You're my everything, after all, Lucy."
She widened her eyes and he stood up, taking her hand and forcefully pulling her up into his arms. She gritted her teeth and pulled away but found herself unable to do so. She stared at him and he grinned in response, a silver collar with ornate designs around her neck as silver long chains made its way down to her hands which had been bound together by a silver handcuff. It gleamed a dull but clear white, binding her. She poured her magoi into destroying, her body glowing a golden color as rukh fluttered anxiously about, but was unable to do so.
"Lucy!" Sting ran to her but was immediately blown back by Lucifer who had cast his magic towards him.
"Sting-kun!" Lector went flying.
"Lu...cy..." he gritted his teeth, enduring the pain. He reached out to her but was blasted a few more times by Lucifer.
Lucy's eyes went wide with horror as she watched Sting scream out in pain but nevertheless, continued to endure it. His eyes were focused on her and Lucy couldn't help but let out an agonizing scream. She ran to him but the chains restricted her from doing so.
"He's a nuisance," Lucifer muttered.
Blasting a few more spells, Lucy watched helplessly, her face filled with dread as tears streamed endlessly from her pale face. She screamed and held her hands to her ears, trying to shake herself out of this dream but it was no dream. It was real. Sting laid there on the ground, trembling. Despite the blows that Lucifer had dealt him, he remained firm and continued to reach for Lucy.
"Don't...you dare...touch her," he glared at Lucifer. "She's...mine!"
Throwing a roar at home with all of his strength, Lucifer was taken by surprise but deflected it easily. Even after all that, the human mage before him remained still alive. If it was any other person, they would've been long dead after the first three hits. Yet, this man before him, who was struggling between life and death, was holding on. Lucifer smirked, a crazed look in his eye. As he thought, this man was better off dead.
"To call Lucy yours," he stared at him, a magic circle appearing in his hand but this time, it was larger in size and filled with darkness. "This'll be the end of you."
Sting glared at him, unflinching as he saw the imminent danger now beginning to hurdle itself at him. Lector desperately tried to move him but the magic was faster. It was too late. However, a blur of light golden color flashed before his eyes and before he knew it, Lucy had taken the attack for him. Lucifer widened his eyes for the first time in utter shock as he trembled, thinking what he had just done to her.
"Lucy-san!" Lector cried.
The dress that she had worn was now scorched on the back as her previously luscious fair skin was now bloodied, patches of her flesh showing. A dark ugly black spotted parts of her back and Sting looked slowly up at her with disbelief. In that tiny moment, she had run up to him with as much as speed as possible and protected him. His sapphire eyes wavered as tears began making its way up to his eyes. She slowly lifted her face, her warm brown eyes reflecting his face. She gently touched his face and curled her lips up into a faint smile.
"Lucy..." his voice trembled.
Now that he got a closer look, he could tell that she was battered up. Her clean white clothes were now dirtied with dirt and debris and her skin was no longer smooth and fair. Despite all that, she remained beautiful in his eyes. The most beautiful person he had ever seen. Her gloved hands softly grazed against his cheek as her rukh fluttered to him, curing his wounds and easing his pain, restoring his physical wounds.
Realizing what she was planning to do, he shook his head and grabbed her hand with all of his strength even though it pained him a lot due to his wounds.
"No...you can't do this! Lucy!" he screamed.
She smiled sadly, tears streaming down her face as her eyes met his. She gulped and opened her mouth.
Rukh that grants us our wishes,
Hear my plea.
Break the glass which confines,
Release him from this prison,
Take him where no hands can reach.
Take him far away,
"No...No!" Sting screamed, begging her to stop.
Protect him
"...please," she whispered and all of her magoi escaped her, pouring her last amounts into casting it.
Lucifer had confined the floating ship with a spell in which no one could escape: The Labyrinth. It was a definite and absolute spell and to reconfigure the spell, it would take days. Using her magoi to release him from here would be the easiest. Her hair floated upwards in a frenzy as her magoi poured into the magic circle that she had cast under him. Her brown eyes opened and she smiled at him one last time, tears streaming down her face as he slowly disappeared, his voice and screams no longer audible.
"I love you," she said before he finally disappeared.
The two were now gone, leaving Lucy and Lucifer by themselves. Having used up the last of her magoi and in addition to having taken on Lucifer's full attack, she collapsed to the ground, her appearance a mess and her eyes blank. Silence filled the room and only the sound of the two's soft breathing could be heard. Lucifer, having calmed down, walked over to her, a painful expression reflected in his eyes. He picked her up gently and healed the wound that he had afflicted on her. The wounds on her body disappeared slowly as her skin became smooth and fair again. A pure white ballgown with a sweetheart neckline was endowed onto her. Two white roses of different sizes were pinned to the side of the neckline as a large ribbon swept down to the floor from behind her waist.
"White really does suit you the best, Lucy," he picked her up bridal style with the utmost care.
Her eyes were blank as he carried her to another room, which based on her assumption, was the control room. It was a room bigger than the last one and no windows lined the walls. A large white canopy bed was placed at the center of the room, white roses growing up the pillars, its thorns entwining around them. White roses littered the bed and though it seemed like a normal bed at first, Lucy could tell that there was more to it. He carried her into the room, her chains dangling and clanging against one another.
He laid her on the bed, her body still and lifeless. He settled on her side and gently caressed her face. Taking a strand of her hair, he lifted it to his face and kissed it gently. His red hair fell swiftly down to his side as he stared at her with those affectionate yet cold crimson golden eyes. He smiled at her, the same expression that he used to give her back in the days.
"Lucy, we're going to be together from now on and always," he said. "From the very beginning to the very end, we'll watch this world fall into ruin. This worthless world that continues you to torture you and me endlessly."
She stared at him, desperately trying to tell him to stop.
"No matter what, I won't let anyone hurt you," he patted her head and stroked her face.
Her lips trembled as she looked at him, her eyes holding fear. "...Lucifer..." she made out.
However, he only smiled in reply and soon, she felt herself losing consciousness. Her eyelids became heavy and though she was desperate on fighting against it, she gave into it and closed her eyes. A lone tear rolled down her eye before she closed them.
Lucifer, seeing that she had fallen asleep, continued to stay by her side, his lips now forming a tight line. Even though she had run out of magoi, the rukh around her still remained. She was a being that all rukh favored and because of that, she continued to live on even if her magoi had depleted. The rukh fluttered around her as she slept, forcefully entering the bed.
The canopy bed was the vessel of the spell that he was going to cast. Final Judgement. A magic spell that required a vast amount of white rukh - something that he didn't have - and in order to obtain that rukh, he was going to use Lucy. As long as she remained on the bed, she would forever remain unconscious and her infinite amount of rukh would be absorbed. Such a spell had been lost in the ancient times but it was a spell that no one dared to use. It would send the world into total chaos and ruin while recreating it anew through endless deaths and tortures. Lucifer was set on obtaining that world for Lucy.
"You're everything to me, Lucy," he knelt down softly beside the bed and put a hand over hers, his eyes closing.
The Sabertooth insignia that remained on her hand though, was still visible.
Meanwhile~
Sting felt a sudden rush of energy in him, his magoi now completely restored. By the time he opened his eyes, he felt hard wooden boards underneath him and sat up sluggishly. Everything about him was fine and as he looked around him, he widened his eyes knowing what had just happened. He found himself on the deck of the ship where almost all of Sabertooth was. Lector, too, awoke and looked around anxiously, tears starting to fill his eyes.
"S-Sting?" Minerva asked. "Why are you here?"
Sting saw everyone and how battered up they were. Their magoi was at a dangerously low level and somehow, the undead and impurity had remained almost frozen. It didn't grow any further but rather, just moved around in a stationary position. It was almost as if it was asleep. Though he was worried about them, his minds were preoccupied with Lucy. His hands trembled as he looked up at the distant floating castle above them. Lucy was in there as well as Rogue and Frosch. The only ones who had managed to escape were him and Lector.
"Lucy-san..." Lector whimpered as large drops of tears fell from his eyes. "Rogue-kun...Frosch..."
Minerva widened her eyes and walked up to Sting, grabbing him by the collar. "Where's Lucy?!"
"I...I..." he stammered as tears starting welling up.
Realizing what had happened and making sense of it all, Minerva released him, refusing to believe him and hear his words. Out of conflicting emotions, she snapped at him and raised her voice.
"Sting Eucliffe! Where's Lucy?!" she screamed, begging for an answer that she wanted to hear.
"She...Lucy's still up there," he answered with a defeated tone. "For me...she used up her remaining strength to bring me back."
"And you just left here?" Minerva glared at him.
He remained silent. He wanted to remain with her and help her but he didn't have the power to. With all his heart, he wanted to be the one that stayed back on the ship while she herself had escaped but he couldn't. He hated how powerless he was and wished that if only he was stronger, he would've been able to change it all. It was no different from leaving her behind.
"No!" Lector yelled. "Sting-kun didn't leave her behind!"
His voice broke through Sting's clouded thoughts and he looked towards his partner who was bawling his eyes out. Lector stood there, his eyes watery but still filled with confidence and light.
"Sting-kun would never do that!" he yelled again. "We wanted to let her escape with all our heart and we wanted to bring her back but instead, it was Lucy that sacrificed herself. It's my fault that Lucy was left behind!" he cried.
"Lector..." Sting looked at him.
"If only I was faster...if only I had realized sooner," he curled into a ball and cried into the ground. "Then Lucy-san wouldn't have gotten injured and she wouldn't have done all that."
Sting picked up his partner, tears now rolling down his cheeks. He shook his head in fury and hugged Lector closer to his chest. "It's not your fault, Lector. It's not your fault," he repeated. "If anything, it's my fault."
However, the answer was already clear. It was no one's fault. If anything, the blame lied on all of them. If only they weren't so weak and powerless, Lucy wouldn't have ended up in the enemy's hands. None of this would've happened. They were in a poor shape and not one of them was in the condition to continue fighting. Minerva clenched her fists and looked down in guilt. Yukino was at a loss after coming to the realization what might've happened to Rogue and Frosch. Rufus, Orga, and the others looked away, damning themselves at how pathetic they were.
Mad from the loss of Lucy, Sting stood up and looked at the ship, his eyes dark and blank. "I have to go up there," a wind blew eerily. "I have to go to Lucy."
Before he could do something stupid, Hades stepped in and put a hand on his shoulder, forcefully stopping him. Sting looked back at him and swung a fist at him, his eyes vicious and like an animal's. Magoi seeped out of him as rukh fluttered about. He was insistent on going to Lucy and the way he was acting was exactly like that of a mad person's. Hades remained unfazed and set his eyes on him.
"Don't stop me," Sting stared down at him.
"Though I hate you from my deepest core, I'm still going to stop you," Hades narrowed his eyes. "If Lucy was here right now, she would do the same. Look at yourself, Sting Eucliffe. If Lucy was standing in front of you, would she be the slightest bit glad to see the way you are right now?"
Sting looked into his turquoise eyes and saw his reflection. How frenzied and wild he looked and for a moment, fear swept through his eyes. He feared himself and what he had become out of anger. He saw himself as a monster and if he had lost it any more, he would've become similar to Lucifer. His emotions had taken over him within that instant and if he had relied on them even more, he would've gone mad. Gritting his teeth, he looked at Hades, his reasoning coming back to him.
"Then what do you suppose I do now?" he questioned. "Just sit here and wait?!"
"With the way you are right now, it's going to be a one-sided battle with you being on the losing side," Hades answered. "The same goes for everyone; even me. We're all low on magoi and if that thing begins to move again, we're all doomed."
"Do you have a plan?" Minerva raised an eyebrow.
Hades shook his head. "No."
"You bastard!" Sting glared at him. "If you don't have any other plans, then why bother stopping me?! Even if the percentage of me losing is high, I'm still going to save Lucy! To me...to me..." he made out, his eyes filled with rage at the fact that Lucy was now gone from his side. "Lucy's my everything."
Hades stared at him and remembering the affectionate expression that Lucy had on when she was by the side of the man before him, he gazed down. He gave a silent sigh, now coming to admit that the man before him was something. His feelings were definite and for her, he really was willing to sacrifice himself for her entire well-being.
"The possibility of you going back is zero," Hades spoke.
Sting widened his eyes and looked back at the ship which was still floating in the sky.
"Breaking the barrier that surrounds it is an impossible task," he explained. "If my magoi was still at a certain level, I could manage but it's impossible as of now."
"So you mean -!" Lector's voice turned into but a whimper.
"No, it's not over yet," Hades's voice stopped them from sinking into utter despair. "It's not over yet."
"If we can't get to the ship, then how...?" Sting asked with a painstaking expression.
At this, Hades smirked. "Did you forget? Lucy and I have been friends for more than a millennium and if anything, I'm one of the only few that have come to grasp the way her mind works and the thoughts that go through her head."
Sting stared at him, confused.
"Look," Hades grinned, glad to see that they had all arrived on time. "Lucy had already known what was going to happen and this is one of the last cards that she had left us."
In the horizon from both the east and west, large fleets of ships were nearing them. From the west were large ships of an unprecedented scale, carrying the banner of the Alvarez Empire. From the east was none other than Fiore, many of their friends from other guilds waving at them. Whether Lucy had known that something like this would happen, she had prepared too well. Their allies had increased by the tenfold and with the Zeref and the Twelve Spriggans from the Alvarez Empire and many of the Wizard Saints as well as the highest class of mages from Fiore, their strength had increased.
"Sting-kun, look at that!" Lector pointed out.
The ships that had come leading to Caracole Island had indeed surprised them but what surprised them the most was the figure that was leading them all. Sitting atop the figurehead of the Alvarez Empire's leading ship proudly, and with an air of confidence, was none other than Kyubey.
"Myuu!"