《Fairy Tail: A Happy Accident》


 The Afterlife Isnt What I Imagined

    Luke Diamond was no stranger to strange situations, but the one he currently found himself in took the cake. Kind of like that gang of wild dogs on his 7th birthday.


    He was sitting in what looked like a stereotypical office space, with phones buzzing nonstop and people rushing around with mugs of overfilled coffee. It doesn''t sound that strange, right?


    Wrong!


    It was exactly that feeling of normalcy that hid the true abnormal nature of the place he found himself in. Everything may have appeared on the up and up, but that was nothing more than a disguise, a veneer concealing its true otherworldly status.


    What made this paranoid sounding man say these things? Well that was simple. You see, Luke Diamond died a mere ten minutes ago. And now here he sat, across from a disgruntled employee to some shady afterlife company.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he said, trying to get the attention of the office lady across from him. But she ignored him in favor of typing something on her computer. She may have appeared to be an ordinary office worker, with a light purple sweater and her darker purple skirt, her short, brown hair neatly framing her, admittedly, cute face.


    But Luke knew better. He wouldn¡¯t be deceived by this short, petite, adorable creature.


    Even if the name on her desk was something as mundane as Barbara, it didn¡¯t change her true nature. She was a demon, sent to drag him to the pits of the underworld, using her cuteness to lure him into a false sense of security.


    Or maybe he was already in hell. Being forced to wait while some unhappy worker drone typed away on her computer, ignoring you for all time. Yeah, that sounded like hell to him.


    ¡°Hey, can you hear me?¡± he tried again. But she once again ignored him. He frowned, and a dark glint entered his eyes. If he was going to subjected to this torture for all eternity, then he would drag them down with him.


    ¡°Yoo hoo, Barbara? Hellooooo, can you hear me? I¡¯m talking to you,¡± he said in his most annoying tone. It seemed to do the trick, as the more he spoke, the angrier she seemed to get. Her eyes narrowed into slits and she began grinding her teeth, one large canine poking out of the left side of her mouth, until eventually, she couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    ¡°Will you shut up!¡± she yelled. Everyone in the office seemed to stop what they were doing to stare at the two of them. But neither one was paying much attention, each having eyes only for the one in front of them.


    And not in a romantic way. The man looked far too smug, and the woman looked ready to strangle him. Actually, they could have passed for an old married couple.


    ¡°Ugh, I can¡¯t believe this,¡± Barbara moaned, leaning back into her office chair, rubbing her temples in annoyance. She gave him another glare from between her fingers, but he just returned it with one of complete and utter innocence.


    But she knew the truth. He was a demon sent to drag her to the pits of hell, using his absolutely average appearance to lure her into a false sense of security.


    ¡°So, Luke. What brings you here today?¡± she asked. That just made him confused, even more than he already was.


    ¡°Um, pretty sure I died,¡± he said, making Barabara roll her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m aware of that, but it says here you weren¡¯t supposed to die today. I was supposed to be having this conversation with your brother. So let me ask you this again. What the hell are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Wait, go back a second. What do you mean you were supposed to have this conversation with my brother? Are you trying to say he was meant to get hit by that truck?¡± Luke asked, feeling both confused and enraged.


    ¡°Well yeah, that¡¯s his job. Truck-kun makes roadkill out of a ton of you humans. Don¡¯t remember the last time he screwed up this bad though¡­¡± Barbara muttered, adopting a thinking pose.


    But Luke wasn¡¯t paying attention to her anymore, his mind going back to mere moments ago. He was walking down the street, following behind his younger brother as they walked home through the rain.


    For as long as Luke could remember, his brother was always ahead of him. Which frustrated him when he was younger. After all, he was the older sibling, wasn¡¯t he supposed to be better at everything?


    But nature seemed to have screwed something up, because his brother, Angelo was the prodigy child. Better looks, better grades, better at sports; he was just better than him at everything.


    And the worst part was he didn¡¯t even have to try. Everything came so easily for him, while Luke had to struggle for every scrap of mediocrity he got. It was so frustrating to know that no matter how hard you tried, you¡¯d amount to nothing in the end.


    Not to mention their parents. They were always so proud of their precious Angelo. ¡°You aced another test. That¡¯s my boy!¡± or ¡°I heard you made captain of the basketball team. I¡¯m so proud of you son!¡±


    But Luke never received any praise. Whenever he tried to show off his own improvements, his own accomplishments, he was met with nothing but scorn and derision.


    ¡°Oh, you got a B on your math test? Well your brother got an A. Why can¡¯t you be more like him?¡±


    ¡°You joined the basketball team as well? Just don¡¯t get in your brother¡¯s way.¡±


    Nothing he did was ever good enough. Not compared to his perfect little brother at any rate. And part of Luke hated him for it, as awful as that sounded. Because for all his perceived perfection, Angelo was a very lonely child.


    It was hard to associate with people when you were at the top of the mountain. The climb was just too steep for most. But even so, Luke never stopped trying, wanting to join his younger brother at the peak.


    Even though their parents didn¡¯t allow him to associate with his little brother bar the bare minimum, he still tried to measure up, spending hours at the library to increase his grades by whatever measly margin he could, or practicing his layups and free throws in the gym to maybe be put in a game for once, and not be a benchwarmer.


    That¡¯s what he was doing tonight. He¡¯d been in the gym for over an hour now, beads of sweat dripping from his brow, and yet he felt somewhat satisfied with his progress. He¡¯d made about half of his free throws and about 70% of the layups.


    But a loud rumble of thunder broke him out of his minor celebration. He looked up at the small windows at the top of the room, seeing large drops of water begin slamming into them. Soon after, he could hear the drumbeat of a downpour banging against the roof.


    ¡°Ah, crap. I better head home,¡± he murmured, not that he particularly wanted to return there. But he couldn¡¯t stay here for much longer either. The faculty would be closing the school down soon enough, so he didn¡¯t have much choice either way.


    Putting the ball back on the rack, he made his way towards the exit of the large highschool. Most everything was indoors, so he had to pass by several classrooms before making his way out.


    But as he passed by the music room, he heard a hauntingly beautiful melody. He couldn¡¯t place the piece, but whoever was playing it was good. They must have dedicated hours and hours to the craft.


    Looking through the window on the door, he saw a familiar head of sandy blonde hair sitting on the bench, fingers tapping against the black ad white keys with expert precision.


    ¡°Angelo?¡± he muttered. Shouldn''t his brother be home by now? Their parents hated it when he stayed out too late. They didn¡¯t care much what he did, but his brother was on a rather tight leash. Maybe he was staying here to avoid their parents as well?


    Opening the door, he listened to the rest of the piece, enjoying the melody as he watched his brother play. Hard to imagine he picked up the piano just six months ago and was already this proficient. Guess that¡¯s just a prodigy for you.


    Luke had been trying to learn the guitar since he was six, and though he was fairly decent at it, he was nothing compared to his brother. If Angelo started playing that right now, he¡¯d probably catch up in a couple of months, and leave his big brother in the dust after a couple more.


    Once the song was over, Angelo heard a light clapping from behind him. Turning around, startled, he saw the form of his older brother, clapping for him.


    ¡°Luke¡­¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°Hey, that was good. Which one was that?¡± Luke asked with a bit of a forced smile. The two weren¡¯t on the best of terms, not with their parents doing what they could to make sure they spent as little time together as possible. Didn¡¯t want one son''s mediocrity rubbing off on the other after all. Couldn¡¯t have that happening to their pride and joy.


    Angelo turned around, looking back at the keys. ¡°It was Chopin. Nocturne Op. 55. What are you doing here?¡± he asked, not turning around. Luke leaned against the door frame, eyes looking around the room in interest.


    ¡°I was practicing in the gym. I might actually be good enough that coach will put me in if we¡¯re at least 30 points ahead,¡± Luke commented, getting a mild snort from his brother. It was wishful thinking on Luke¡¯s part. Coach wouldn¡¯t put him in if they were 50 points ahead with ten seconds left.


    It would be nice if he got to play in at least one game before he graduated, but that seemed unlikely. Still, doesn¡¯t mean he would stop practicing.


    ¡°Anyway, it sounds like it¡¯s really coming down, so we should probably leave,¡± Luke said. Angelo looked up at the window, surprised to see rain slamming into the glass pane, demanding to be let in.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even notice¡­¡± he mumbled to himself.


    ¡°Well, you were pretty into that song of yours. That the one you''re playing at the recital?¡± Luke asked. Angelo gave a small nod, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I see. It¡¯s nice,¡± Luke said, but there was an air of awkwardness around them. It lasted another minute or so, with neither really knowing what to say. But eventually, Luke cleared his throat.


    ¡°So.. we should probably¡­¡± he said, indicating they should leave. As if to confirm this belief, a loud bellow of thunder roared overhead, shaking the windows. The two looked startled, wondering if the glass would hold.


    ¡°Right,¡± Angelo said, gathering his things. Luke stepped aside to let his brother out first and started to follow. The two exited the building, standing underneath the lean above the front entrance, staring out into the rapidly flooding streets.


    ¡°Man, it¡¯s really raining cats and dogs out here. I could have sworn it wasn¡¯t supposed to rain today. Damn lying weatherman¡­¡± Luke mumbled, getting an amused look from his younger brother.


    ¡°Well come on, before it gets even worse,¡± Luke said, stepping out into the rain. ¡°At last we won¡¯t need to take a shower tonight,¡± he joked as he was immediately soaked through to the bone.


    Angelo followed after and the two of them began their trek home through the torrential downpour. But as they neared the halfway point, a sharp gust of wind blew a piece of paper out of Angelo¡¯s backpack, flying out into the street.


    He gave chase, grabbing the sopping wet, and mostly useless, piece of paper off of the ground. It was basically sludge by the time he got it. Luke watched this from the sidewalk, frowning at the frustrated look his brother gave. Guess that scrap of paper must have been important.


    And that¡¯s when he saw it. A pair of headlights speeding right for his little brother. He tried to call out, but he couldn¡¯t hear him due to the rain. So he did what any older brother would do. He ran out into the street and pushed him out of the way.


    He had just enough time to turn and gaze into the blinding headlights of the truck before it slammed into him, breaking every bone in his body and turning his organs to mush. It was the single most painful thing he¡¯s ever felt. He flew through the air, landing on the ground with a hard, wet splat, blood leaking out and mixing with the rain.


    He was sure he heard his brother scream his name, but everything was so muddled, like his ears were underwater. Which they might have been, considering the amount of rain. He thought he felt someone take his hand, but everything was starting to go numb, which was a relief. It was far better than the pain he was in before.


    Luke tried to say something, but all he managed to do was cough up blood. It was getting hard to breathe. Was he drowning? Was that why he was so wet? He couldn¡¯t remember.


    His eyes slowly closed, never seeing the tear stained face of his brother or hearing his pleas to hang on. He died cold and wet on a dark and stormy night.


    The next time he opened his eyes, it was in this office space, with a short angry woman typing away at a computer, ignoring his entire existence. Talk about whiplash. But more importantly, that woman said it was his brother who was meant to be here.


    Not him. He was passed over again, all for his perfect brother. But that wasn¡¯t the main reason his fists clenched in anger. ¡°Does that mean they tried to kill my little brother?¡±


    ¡°Anyway, now that you''re here we have to figure out what to do with you. Hey, are you listening?¡± aske Barabara angrily. But her anger swiftly shifted to nervousness at seeing the rage behind her client¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Maybe you could elaborate on something for me?¡± he asked, slowly, never breaking eye contact with Barabara. She gulped, giving him an anxious smile. ¡°Of course. It would be my pleasure.¡±


    ¡°When you said it was my brother who was supposed to die, can I take that to mean you were trying to kill him?¡± he questioned. Barbara looked even more nervous at the question.


    ¡°Um, is that a problem? I mean, judging by your file, shouldn¡¯t that make you happy?¡± she asked, eyes shifting to the computer to her right. But if anything, Luke¡¯s eyes gained an even harder glint.


    ¡°Happy? You think watching my little brother get turned into roadkill, as you so eloquently put it, would make me happy? What the hell is wrong with you?¡± he seethed. Looking at him, Barbara was starting to think someone screwed up this guy¡¯s file.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s just, you were always jealous of him, right? So¡­ You know¡­¡± she said, twiddling her thumbs. Luke clenched his jaw hard enough to nearly chip a tooth.


    ¡°So you think that means I wanted him out of the picture. Is that it?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah, kinda,¡± she responded.


    ¡°Tsk, screw you lady!¡± he shouted, slamming his fists against her desk. The noise in the office seemed to die once more as everyone turned their attention to the drama unfolding again. Barbara let out a squawk as she leaned back in her chair to avoid the angry mortal in front of her.


    ¡°You want to know if I was jealous of him!? He was always better than me at everything, and no matter what I did I could never catch up. So yeah, I was jealous. But you know what!?¡± he yelled. Barbara¡¯s fearful eyes turned into ones of shock as she saw tears falling down his face.


    ¡°I still loved him. I wanted to see the great things he would accomplish, even if I ended up working fast food my whole life. I wanted to support him with everything I had. And now you tell me you expected me to watch my brother die. And to be happy about it no less? Go to hell!¡±


    Luke fell back into his chair, breathing hard, trying to get his emotions under control. He covered his eyes with his hand, hiding the tears as they fell. But he couldn¡¯t hide the hiccups or the sobs.


    Barbara watched all of this with wide eyes, unsure of what to make of it. But soon enough, her face warped into a grin. Shock replaced with excitement. She let out a big boisterous laugh, catching Luke off guard.


    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be damned C average. You got quite the pair of balls on you, don¡¯t ya? Talking like that to someone who could order your soul sent to the shredder. Color me impressed,¡± she told him. He looked at her confused, his tears drying up from the strange shift the conversation took.


    ¡°Um, thanks¡­ Hang on, what¡¯s the shredder?¡±


    ¡°Anyway, to clear things up, I don¡¯t know how or why it was supposed to be your brother in my office today. It could have been that he was supposed to push you out of the way, or maybe you were meant to slip and fall in the rain. I don¡¯t know and I don¡¯t care. You''re here now and I have to figure out what to do with you,¡± she said, leaning back in her chair again, and completely ignoring his question about the shredder.


    So that just means he could have been the target for murder instead? Guess mortal lives don¡¯t mean much to these people.


    ¡°But that just means you were targeting my brother,¡± Luke said, glaring at the woman once again. She sighed, rubbing her forehead, muttering something about mortals and pains in the ass.


    ¡°Listen kid, all mortals die. Whether it¡¯s today or in a hundred or even a thousand years, they all die. Getting chosen by Truck-kun is one way a mortal can become an immortal. Get it?¡± she asked. But judging by the confused look in his eyes, he did not. She sighed in irritation.


    ¡°Look, C average, to make it simple. Mortals die, but sometimes we choose those with exceptional potential, like your brother, to travel to various world¡¯s across the multiverse, to live out new lives where their talents could be put to better use. Usually it¡¯s by performing heroic deeds and saving the world, but sometimes we choose someone of a more villainous nature. Occasionally, those we choose gain immortality or godhood. So you see, it¡¯s really not so bad,¡± she explained, looking rather bored about the whole thing.


    ¡°And to do this, you run them over with a truck?¡± Luke asked, utterly bewildered. She shrugged in response. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t make the rules.¡±


    Luke leaned back in his chair, rubbing his head as he felt a headache coming on. ¡°What the hell is wrong with these people?¡± he thought to himself. He didn¡¯t say it out loud, still wary about the thing she called a shredder.


    ¡°So, what now?¡± Luke asked.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the million dollar question now, isn¡¯t it?¡± she said. She sat back in her chair, leaning back far enough to stare at the ceiling before she started spinning in circles, her face scrunched up in thought.


    ¡°You have no skills, no abilities, not an ounce of sex appeal. You''re completely average in every way humanly possible¡­¡± she muttered to herself. Luke felt like he was being struck by arrows every time she opened her mouth.


    ¡°You know I can hear you, right!?¡± he screamed in his head. Not like he hasn¡¯t heard it before. His parents constantly complained about how average he was. He idly wondered if they would actually have a funeral for him or if they¡¯d just kick his corpse into the sewer.


    ¡°Ah, screw it!¡± Barbara yelled, as she stopped spinning in her chair. Luke was startled by the sudden shout, but gave the short woman his undivided attention.


    ¡°Technically you were run over by Truck-kun, so that qualifies you for reincarnation. But since it was an accident, I think I can swing a few extra perks your way,¡± she said with a grin, revealing her pointy tooth.


    She began to rapidly type on her computer, showing off her secretary skills. ¡°Aaaand, send,¡± she said, hitting the final button with a smirk. She leaned back with her hands behind her head, a smug satisfied look on her face. But Luke had no idea what he was so smug about.


    ¡°So, what did you do exactly?¡± he asked, seeing she wasn¡¯t going to say anything. She opened her eyes to look at him, seemingly confused by his presence.


    ¡°Did you forget I was here? And you have the nerve to call me C average?¡± he thought.


    ¡°Oh, right. I just sent off a request to make sure everything is on the up and up. I¡¯m not getting sent to HR. No way,¡± she said.


    ¡°A request for what exactly?¡± he asked. But she just smirked at him. ¡°Wait and see. Shouldn¡¯t take too long.¡±


    20 minutes later¡­


    ¡°Gah, what the hell is taking them so long!?¡± Barbara screamed in frustration, pulling at her brown locks. Luke was staring at the ceiling, counting the squares, feeling completely bored. After losing count for the umpteenth time, he decided to strike up a conversation.


    ¡°So, why exactly do you guy¡¯s isekai people?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Huh?¡± she asked, as she stopped pulling on her hair. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean, you said people of exceptional talent get chosen right? But, why?¡±


    Barbara made an ¡°oh¡± face as she understood. She adopted a thinking pose, contemplating the best way to describe it. ¡°Well, the multiverse is a big place, ya know. Literally infinite. And sometimes, things don¡¯t go quite according to plan. You¡¯re a big nerd, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ wouldn¡¯t put it that way, but I enjoy anime from time to time,¡± he responded.


    ¡°I literally have your file dude,¡± she responded. He coughed and looked away, trying to hide the blush on his cheeks.


    ¡°Anyway, imagine the world of One Piece. Now, imagine it without Luffy. What would that look like?¡±


    ¡°Um, pretty bad, I imagine,¡± Luke said, thinking about it. Without Luffy, Coby would still be under the thumb of Alvida, Zoro would have gotten executed by the Marines, Usopp and Kaya would have been killed, Nami would still be a slave, Sanji might have died as well, and so much more. He was pivotal to so many events.


    ¡°Right, that¡¯s an understatement. When a protagonist goes missing, either because he died, or was never born, or whatever the reason, that needs a correction. That¡¯s one reason we choose people,¡± she said.


    ¡°I see,¡± Luke responded. ¡°But why? I get that it would be bad, but would it really be the end of the universe?¡±


    Barbara sighed. ¡°Yes, it could be. You see, World¡¯s are like cells. They divide by using the wellspring of the human imagination as fuel, creating the multiverse, but sometimes they don¡¯t quite get the copy right. Nine times out of ten it ain¡¯t a problem. But that tenth time requires intervention. You can think of it like a cancerous growth,¡± she explained, much to Luke¡¯s shock.


    ¡°And that¡¯s not just if something happens to the protagonist either. Without a proper villain, the world could become malignant as well. Like, imagine if the guy who killed Batman''s parents wasn¡¯t around. Or even the Joker. Bruce needs them to become the hero he is.¡±


    ¡°But how does that affect the rest of the multiverse? I get it ruining those worlds or whatever, but I¡¯m still not seeing what the problem is,¡± Luke said.


    ¡°What does cancer do? It spreads, it infects, it divides; once that happens, other worlds will start to die off, or get sick as well. And if that rot reaches the prime world that divided them, things can turn catastrophic. Things are meant to happen a certain way, and if they don¡¯t, that becomes a problem. I used things you would know as an example, but each world has millions if not billions of years of history. Most of it doesn¡¯t matter all that much, killing a butterfly ain¡¯t gonna do shit, but stopping the meteor that wiped out the giant angry lizards, that¡¯s another story.¡±


    ¡°In other words, there are fixed points throughout history that must happen, stories that must unfold. If they don¡¯t, the fabric of reality begins to unravel,¡± she finished explaining.


    Luke gulped, suddenly feeling extremely nervous about the whole thing. There was no way in hell he could save an entire world. Hell, he couldn¡¯t even get a cat out of a tree. It lived there now, among the branches.


    Barbara noticed the worried look in his eyes, and decided to ease his concerns.


    ¡°However, there are world¡¯s that aren¡¯t in any danger of that. They¡¯re duplicates of Prime Worlds we create ourselves, rather than rely on the imagination of the human consciousness. We call these, Shadow Worlds, and we send guys over there for fun, just to see what they do. Makes for great reality television. And considering how extraordinarily ordinary you are, you¡¯ll likely end up in one of those, so don¡¯t worry too much,¡± she said.


    ¡°R-right,¡± he stuttered out. It did ease his worries a bit, but he still felt a pit in his stomach, like she just raised a huge red flag. It was no wonder they wanted his brother. Luke could definitely see him saving a world or two.


    Or destroying it.


    He was about to ask some more questions, but a loud ping from Barbara¡¯s computer distracted him. ¡°Finally,¡± she moaned, like she had suffered a great deal. She hit a few buttons, reading what was on the screen, and gave a massive grin.


    ¡°Looks like you''re in luck, kid. I just got the go ahead. So, are you ready to create your character?¡± she asked, swiveling to face him. But Luke was only confused.


    ¡°Create my character? What are you talking about?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked. It¡¯s simple, first you pick a world, then you pick a power associated with that world, or some kind of equivalent. Next we can change your appearance in the Remodeling Room, and finally, send you on your way.¡±


    She then began typing on her computer again, before turning the screen his way, allowing him to see what was on the monitor. ¡°If you look this way you¡¯ll see the worlds currently available for your reincarnation pleasure. Pick one that suits you,¡± she said.


    Looking at the list, Luke could make out several worlds he knew, mostly anime, but some television and movie ones were there too. There were even a few from games. Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Dragon Ball, Final Fantasy 12, Naruto, Mario, Berserk, Konosuba, Overlord, Fairy Tail¡­


    Wait¡­


    Luke''s eyes focused on that last one. There was an ache in his heart as he read the name over and over again. Fairy Tail was his favorite anime. Not because the plot was overly sophisticated or because of the copious amounts of fanservice, though that didn¡¯t hurt either. It was the theme.


    Family. A group of people from all different walks of life, misfits of all shapes and sizes, coming together and forming the type of bond he could only dream of. Sure he was somewhat close to his brother, and he loved him, but there was always a distance between them, one that Luke doubted would ever close.


    But there, in a world of magic, he could find a real family. One that would stand by him even if he was just a mediocre loser. Do fairies have tails? Luke wanted to find out.


    ¡°That one,¡± he said, pointing at the screen. Barbara turned to see what he was pointing at, and a grin split her face.


    ¡°Ooh, nice choice. Got some real babes in that place. Now, let¡¯s see¡­ aha! There it is,¡± she said, typing some more. A new screen popped up, this one with a list of magic.


    ¡°Alright, the power you get is nice and simple, magic! Oh, and before I forget, you may be able to get multiple magics if you choose some that are either complimentary or underpowered. So choose wisely.¡±


    No pressure. Luke started scrolling through the list, taking note of any that sounded interesting or some that could be used in complementary fashion. He noticed there was quite a variety of Slayer Magic, and he was tempted to go with something like that, but held off until he went through everything.


    He did notice there was no God Slaying Magic. Guess they didn¡¯t want to give a possible dangerous mortal the power to kill gods. Makes sense.


    After scrolling through the whole thing, he had several options he was considering, from something as simple as Wave Magic, which nullified other magics using vibrations, to Gun Magic, and becoming a badass Gunslinger type, or even Dragon Slayer Magic, one that used alcohol as a fuel source.


    But his mind kept wandering back to one. Each time he read a magic and what it could do, along with pictures and gifs showing what they did, he imagined how he would use it. And with him being from a world with tons of anime, he could think of quite a bit.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    That¡¯s why he found himself so fixated on Light Magic. The gifs showed something as simple as shooting out a beam of light, which immediately made him think of the grandfather of all anime.


    Dragon Ball.


    He now had this image of him using the Kamehameha or the Spirit bomb, and the images just wouldn¡¯t leave his head. But it didn¡¯t stop there, because there was another character besides Goku he could emulate.


    The Green Lantern.


    If he could figure out how to make hard light, well that opened up all kinds of doors now didn¡¯t it? It would be like having two different magics for the price of one. But there was one final character that flashed through his mind.


    Kizaru, from One Piece.


    Just remembering him being able to kick someone at the literal speed of light was mind blowing. Luke had no idea how anyone could survive such a thing, or if he could even replicate it with Light Magic, but the possibility was there.


    The only real downside he could think of was Sting, or someone else who could eat light. That would be a real challenge to overcome. But that reminded him, wasn¡¯t there someone who used some kind of Light Magic to induce orgasms or something?


    Not that he wanted to learn that magic, of course. Nope, not at all¡­


    But there was one more reason this magic in particular kept returning to his mind, and that was his name. Luke, bringer of light. Seems fitting.


    Making up his mind, he decided that would be his magic. He was about to tell Barbara about his choice, who was playing on her phone and ignoring the world around her, when he decided maybe there was a complimentary magic he could find as well.


    He returned to scrolling through the page again, looking for anything that might pair well with Light Magic. That¡¯s when he came across the Take Over section. There sure were a lot of them, but one practically leapt out at him.


    Take Over: Seraph Soul.


    Seraphs were a type of angel, weren¡¯t they? The highest order, if he remembered correctly. At least they were in most anime that showcased them. And angels were creatures of light, though he hoped these ones wouldn¡¯t be so biblically accurate.


    He did not need to grow hundreds of eyes or turn into a flaming wheel. But looking at the images on the wiki page, it didn''t appear to be so.


    Take Over: Seraph Soul allowed one to Take Over celestial beings, such as angels, and use their power for their own. It granted the user use of Light Magic, or if they already possessed it, would greatly enhance it. The user could also imbue their magic with the holy element, allowing them to purify certain things or just increase the damage done to evil or demonic beings.


    It also had some healing abilities, though they were pretty minor.


    And that was just the basic package. Different angels could grant different abilities. All in all, it felt like a good fit with his primary magic.


    But there were a couple more reasons this one stuck out to him. The first was his brother¡¯s name, Angelo, which basically meant angel. It kind of made him feel like a part of him would be with him, and maybe some of his prodigious talent would rub off on him.


    The second was that he died. He was in some kind of purgatory realm, but he could still see, from time to time, winged people with pure white wings flying or walking around. What else could they be but angels?


    Again, the magic felt fitting to his circumstances. He wasn¡¯t sure they would allow it, but he would try. No harm in that, right?


    ¡°Ahem, Barbara?¡± he asked, trying to get her attention. But she was thoroughly distracted by her phone, watching whatever was happening with rapt attention. It kind of sounded like one of those cheesy soap operas.


    ¡°Barbara, hello?¡± he tried again, but to no avail. He sighed, settling in to wait, when he spotted something on her desk. A rather innocuous rubber band, sitting there as innocent as can be. Luke gave a grin as he picked it up, wrapping it around his hand with his index finger extended like a gun, ready to fire away.


    He pointed it at her, making sure to aim right for her forehead.


    ¡°Mi amore!¡± shouted a voice from her phone. It was a beautiful woman in a revealing red dress, standing at the top of some stairs, greeting her lover as he walked through the door.


    Barbara was glued to the action, watching as the man swept her off her feet. Drool came out of her mouth as he carried her up to their room, ready to initiate some hot and steamy action. ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Take her you stud. And when you''re done with her, you can-ah!¡±


    Barbara let out an indignant squawk of surprise as a rubber band pelted her in her forehead. It didn¡¯t hurt, but it was a shock to the system. She looked up in confusion, rubbing her forehead, wondering what happened, when she spotted the innocent looking face of one Luke Diamond.


    ¡°What the hell was that for!? It was just getting to the good part!¡± she whined.


    ¡°I just thought I should tell you I¡¯m done. I know what magic I want,¡± he responded.


    Barbara sighed in response, pausing her video before closing her phone. She would return to that later. ¡°Alright, lay it on me. What did you decide?¡±


    With a nervous gulp, he told her. Barbers looked at the two magics, humming in thought. ¡°Not bad C average. You took my advice and went for a combo. And a pretty strong one at that. Let me just make sure it¡¯s alright before we move on,¡± she said, typing on her computer again.


    Hopefully, it wouldn¡¯t take them half an hour to respond this time. But it wasn¡¯t like he had anywhere to be, so it didn¡¯t matter too much. At least not to him.


    ¡°So, am I your first client?¡± Luke asked as she sent the email, giving his case worker a curious look.


    Barbara let out an anguished sigh, ¡°Nope, not even close. I¡¯ve seen dozens before, though you''re the first mistake I¡¯ve gotten.¡±


    ¡°Gee, thanks,¡± Luke responded sarcastically. Barbara gave him a cheeky grin, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be like that. I meant it in a good way. You know, mostly. Mistakes can turn out to be amazing. Like penicillin. For all I know, you might end up being my golden goose.¡±


    He raised a curious eyebrow at that, ¡°And what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, how to explain this. To put it simply, bragging rights.¡±


    ¡°Bragging rights?¡± he asked, more confused than ever.


    ¡°Yeah huh. You see, whenever one of you humans is chosen for something like this and you end up doing something amazing, we, as your case workers, get to brag about it for years. Depending on what was accomplished of course,¡± she explained.


    Luke wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. The fact that humans were selected and forced into these dangerous situations all so someone like her could boast about how they were her client. It just felt kinda¡­ wrong.


    Seeing his face, Barbara tried to ease his concerns a bit. If for no other reason then she didn¡¯t want to hear some kind of self righteous tirade about the injustice of it all. She hated having to hear that speech.


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s not as bad as you think. Humans aren¡¯t forced into anything. But those who do accept are basically our representatives. So when they do something amazing, we kind of act like it was our accomplishment too. Not so different from a parent bragging about their child¡­ Uh, whoops¡­ You can just forget that last part,¡± Barbara said sheepishly, having seen his face darken at thinking about parents gloating over their children''s achievements.


    ¡°Ahem, look, this job is incredibly tedious and it gives it a little bit of spice, you know?¡±


    Luke sighed, choosing to drop the issue. It¡¯s clear that whatever she was, or whatever the rest of them were, did not hold human values. Or at least, not his human values. There were plenty of humans who valued life a lot less than she did.


    ¡°Hang on, I don¡¯t remember agreeing to be reincarnated. You just told me I could,¡± Luke said, giving her a pointed look, to which she rolled her eyes at.


    ¡°And did you say no? I got the feeling you wanted a new chance at life, to really live this time. Or was I wrong?¡±


    No, he didn¡¯t. He just kind of went along with whatever she was saying. And when he found out he could go to Fairy Tail, well, there was no way he was passing that up. She had him figured out.


    A ding brought them both out of their thoughts, and Barbara turned her gaze to the screen. ¡°Oh, would you look at that? Seems like they accepted. That means we can continue to the next part,¡± she cheers, glad to have something to distract her from the awkward conversation they were having.


    She then jumped out of her chair, showing just how short she was. Luke thought she was pretty tiny before, fun she fit the description of fun sized to a T.


    ¡°Come on C average! Let¡¯s get you to the Remodeling Room!¡±


    ¡°The what? Hey, wait up!¡± he shouted, rushing to his feet to catch up with her.


    She led him through some winding hallways, down a lift, through some more hallways, passed a big red door that said shredder, which he swore he could hear agonized screaming come from, before they reached their destination.


    ¡°And here we are!¡± she shouted, spreading her arms wide. Luke looked around curious. The room itself was pretty bland in appearance. It was all blue, for one thing, with black lines forming squares across every surface. The only real point of interest was the full length mirror in the center of the room.


    ¡°So, what exactly is the Remodeling Room?¡± he asked, following her towards the mirror. She turned around, giving him a grin as she walked backwards.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked! The Remodeling Room is-¡±


    ¡°The Remodeling Room is designated for those who wish to alter their physical appearance,¡± said another voice, scaring the crap out of them. Barbara jumped a few feet in the air, letting out a rather cute squeak in the process.


    ¡°Aigis! Don¡¯t do that! I nearly crapped myself!¡± Barbara shouted, holding her hand to her chest.


    ¡°My apologies Ms. Barbara. It won¡¯t happen again,¡± said a voice next to the mirror, belonging to a beautiful young woman with short blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a sky blue sundress, with white frills along the bottom, and had a bored expression on her face.


    Actually, it was like no expression at all.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you said last time¡­¡± Barbara mumbled. She released a sigh, before facing Luke once again. ¡°Alright C average, this is Aigis, the one in charge of the Remodeling Room. Don¡¯t let her appearance fool you though, because she¡¯s actually an android.¡±


    ¡°Pleased to meet you, C average. What a strange name,¡± Aigis greeted, making Barbara snicker and Luke groan.


    ¡°My name¡¯s Luke, Aigis. C average is just her nickname for me,¡± Luke said, making the android tilt her head.


    ¡°I understand. Ms. Barbara, are you engaged in any illicit, carnal activities involving this young man?¡± Aigis asked, making the other occupants of the room turn beat red.


    ¡°What!? Why would you say that!?¡± Barbara shouted. Aigis tilted her head again, in the other direction this time.


    ¡°According to my records, when a woman gives a man a deprecative nickname, it is because she is interested in a sexual relationship with him. I was merely asking if you have already performed such activities with him,¡± Aigis responded in a bland tone.


    ¡°I-You-No! I just met the guy today, and he is way below my standards for romance!¡± Barbara shouted. Luke hung his head, as a black cloud formed overhead. It always hurts when a cute girl rejects you, no matter how bitchy they are.


    ¡°Ah, I see. I apologize for any misunderstanding. Please, if you would come this way Luke, we may begin,¡± Aigis said, gesturing to the mirror. Luke walked over to it with a gulp, not knowing what to expect.


    ¡°Alright, this is where I take my leave. I¡¯ll be back when you¡¯re done. Try not to disappoint me,¡± Barbara said as she made a beeline for the door. Luke watched her go, a slight feeling of trepidation entering him. She was the only person he really knew here, and he was a bit nervous to be all alone with the robot girl.


    ¡°So, um, Aigis. How exactly is this supposed to work?¡± he asked.


    ¡°First, remove your clothing,¡± she stated matter of factly. Luke¡¯s face turned red all over again.


    ¡°What!? Why!?¡± he asked. Shrieked is more like it.


    Aigis tilted her head, confused. ¡°The remodeling occurs within your body. Clothing will only hamper the process. You will not be able to see the changes if you remain clothed.¡±


    Seeing he was still reluctant, Aigis pointed to the mirror. Curious, Luke watched as the reflective surface warped and shifted, revealing himself. Not sure of the point of the theatrics, as mirrors were supposed to show you your reflection.


    ¡°This mirror allows the one reflected by it to alter their physical appearance to whatever they desire. Just think of your face and what you would like it to look like, and the image in the mirror will change,¡± she explained.


    Luke looked back at the mirror, not fully believing it was possible. But he did what she said, and his reflection slowly warped to show the exact face of his little brother, Angelo.


    ¡°Woah¡­¡± he muttered, as his face changed back. As much as he cared for him, Luke didn¡¯t want to look like him.


    ¡°So, what is the point of this?¡± he asked, looking at Aigis.


    ¡°It¡¯s part of the package deal that comes with reincarnation. A new world, a new you, so to speak. Not everyone takes us up on this offer, but in your case, it is highly recommended,¡± Aigis explained, making Luke feel like he was struck by another arrow.


    ¡°And she said it with such a straight face too¡­¡± Luke lamented to himself, hunched over in sorrow. Raising his head, a fire could be seen in his eyes. ¡°If that¡¯s the way it is, then so be it! I¡¯ll show you my resolve!¡± he shouted, practically ripping his clothes off.


    ¡°How do you like that!?¡± he yelled at the android, only to find her missing from her spot. ¡°Huh, where did she go?¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long to find her, as he could hear a curious humming coming from in front of him. Looking down, he saw Aigis, squatting in front of him, staring at his junk.


    He didn¡¯t know whether to be aroused or mortified, settling for somewhere in the middle. Aigis may have been a robot, but she was a hot robot.


    ¡°Hmm, yes, I can see why she calls you C average now,¡± she commented. That was the final straw. That arrow pierced him to his core. He stared up at the ceiling, crocodile tears streaming down his face as the last shred of his masculinity was stripped away.


    ¡°But have no fear. When you leave this room, you will be A+ material, guaranteed,¡± Aigis said. Luke looked at her, his depression ebbing away into gratefulness.


    ¡°Now, if you would, please begin to alter your appearance. I will be here, watching, in case you need assistance. Or even if you don¡¯t,¡± she stated, returning to her post and staring at him with unblinking eyes. It was the creepiest thing he¡¯s ever seen.


    Luke looked back at the mirror, and began thinking about what he wanted to look like. At first, he thought of Goku, his favorite character, but that didn¡¯t feel right. He thought of Shanks next, but that was wrong too.


    He couldn¡¯t just copy someone else. He needed something original. It took him what seemed like hours to get it just right, but when he did, he couldn¡¯t help but stare. His face was what one would easily consider handsome, with a strong jawline, and high cheekbones. At first he was completely clean shaven, but didn¡¯t like looking like such a boy scout, giving himself some stubble. Not a full beard, but it looked like he didn''t bother to shave in a few days.


    Next, his eyes were no longer a common brown, but a sharp silvery gray. His hair was jet-black and fairly short, sweeping to one side. His eyebrows hadn¡¯t changed much, but they were angled a bit more to make his gaze appear more intense.


    Last but not least were a pair of small, black earrings in each of his ears. Honestly, he always wanted to get them pierced, but the thought of a needle going through his flesh freaked him out, so this seemed like a good opportunity to do so without the pain.


    Once he was done with his face, he turned to Aigis to ask for her opinion. She walked next to him, looking into the mirror. ¡°It is a marked improvement. If I was capable of it, I¡¯m sure I would be swooning,¡± she said. And that was good enough for him.


    He focused on his body next. First was the height. He watched as the handsome version of him in the mirror got taller, going from an average of about 5¡¯9¡± to 6''3¡±, just slightly taller than his brother, who was 6¡¯2¡±.


    Was it petty of him? Maybe a bit, but he didn¡¯t care. This was his new life, and he had the chance to be everything he ever wanted to be. Why wouldn¡¯t he take it?


    Next he focused on the muscles themselves. His reflection went from average man to superman real quick. His biceps bulged out, his chest was thick and his shoulders were broad. He looked like the ideal man.


    Aigis, who was still next to him, hummed in appreciation, eyes traveling all over his far more muscular frame, filling him with a rush of confidence.


    There was only one part of his body that remained average. Part of him felt shame for what he was about to do, but the other part, the one that was about to get a makeover, was giddy with excitement. Guess which part won?


    But first, he decided to have a bit of fun with it, making it grow large enough that he had a literal third leg. There was no way in hell he was going to keep it, as he doubted there was enough blood in his body to get an erection without having a heart attack.


    But Aigis seemed interested in it, tilting her head in confusion, eyes wide in wonder. It was kind of cute, but too bad, it was not here to stay.


    Luke eventually decided on a size that would make any woman who saw it go, ¡°Woah.¡± Feeling proud of himself, and liking the way he looked, he turned to Aigis, to see what the next step was.


    She walked over to the mirror and hit a button on the side, making it glow softly. ¡°The next step is to touch the mirror, allowing your reflective self to merge with your physical self, and shape you into the desired form,¡± she explained.


    ¡°Huh, easy enough¡­¡± he said, walking up to the mirror. He placed his hand on the cold surface, watching as it rippled from the point of contact. The silver of the mirror began to cover his hand before moving up his arm.


    ¡°Um, is this supposed to happen?¡± he asked nervously, as more and more of his body was covered in the strange substance. But rather than answer verbally, Aigis gave him a thumbs up in response.


    Soon, his entire body was coated in a silver sheen. Once that happened, the glow grew increasingly bright, almost blindingly so, with Aigis putting on a pair of sunglasses to observe.


    His form began to grow taller and broader, with his muscles gaining definition at a rapid pace. After a few minutes, the process was done, and the silvery liquid fell from his body, revealing his new form to the world.


    ¡°Congratulations, You are now no longer C average, at least as far as looks are concerned,¡± Aigis told him while clapping. Luke looked down at his new body, eyes tailing over every last inch of it. He looked back at the mirror, which showed his normal reflection.


    His new normal, anyway.


    ¡°Is this¡­ really me?¡± he asked quietly, moving his body every which way, the reflection following along with his every move. Seeing this, he started making poses in the mirror, flexing his new muscles for all they were worth.


    And because of that, he didn¡¯t hear the door open.


    ¡°Alright C average, let¡¯s see what you-woah,¡± she said, staring at his nude form completely stunned. Luke looked at her with a large blush on his face, as the two stood there, unsure of what to do.


    ¡°Well, what is your opinion, Ms. Barbara? Is he to your satisfaction now? Shall you slake your debaucherous lust with him now?¡± asked Aigis, and Luke could swear he heard some sarcasm in her voice.


    ¡°Oh yeah-I mean, why is he naked! You texted me that he was ready,¡± she shouted, her face beat red. Aigis tilted her head in confusion.


    ¡°But he is ready. See?¡± Aigis said, pointing to the man who was doing his best to stand there confidently, even though he desperately wanted to cover himself. But when he heard her say ¡°Woah¡± upon seeing his naked form, his pride wouldn¡¯t allow him to do so.


    ¡°No he isn¡¯t! He needs clothes!¡± Barbara shouted.


    ¡°Does he?¡± Aigis asked.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    In the end, Luke chose some new clothes to go with his outfit, which apparently the mirror could also make. He was now wearing a pair of dark brown hiking books, along with a pair of jeans that fit just right and a brown leather belt. His torso was covered by a black form fitting shirt that clung to his new muscles, and a black leather jacket.


    ¡°You look like a bad boy Clark Kent,¡± Barbara said, giving him a once over. Luke rubbed the back of his head. Not exactly what he was going for but he¡¯d take it.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go. It¡¯s time to get you some combat training. Thanks Aigis, see you later,¡± Barbara said, walking out of the door.


    ¡°Yeah, thanks for everything Aigis. I hope to see you again,¡± Luke called out. Aigis gave him a smile, one that did not look robotic in any way, making him blush at just how beautiful she was.


    ¡°It was my pleasure. Until next time Luke.¡±


    The two of them once more walked through halls and down stairs, into an elevator and so on, in an epic journey across the heavens. That¡¯s what he told himself, but it was really just a lot of tedious walking.


    He did get distracted by a yoga class, however. Seeing literal angels in tight yoga pants, stretching in ways no human could hope to emulate¡­ You couldn¡¯t blame the guy.


    One of the angels spotted him and gave him a wave, which he returned with a dopey look on his face. ¡°Come on!¡± Barbara growled, yanking him by his arm. The angels who saw this erupted into fits of musical giggles.


    Eventually the two of them made it to another room, very similar to the last, only instead of blue, it was red. There was also another girl in this room, but instead of a dress, she wore a military uniform, one that emphasized her womanly features.


    ¡°Quit your drooling. She¡¯s an android like Aigis. Her name is Minerva,¡± Barbara said, elbowing him in the thigh, as her height basically reached just above his waist.


    ¡°Heya, Minerva, how¡¯s it going?¡± Barbara asked as they approached. The dark haired woman gave her a wave in return. ¡°Hey Barbs, good to see what. What brings you here today?¡± she asked, giving Luke a once over.


    ¡°Well you see, I have a new reincarnate here and he has zero, and I mean, zero combat abilities. If I send him off like this, he¡¯s going to become a snack for some D ranked monster, and I can''t have that,¡± Barbara explained, much to Luke¡¯s sorrow.


    ¡°I see¡­ In that case, do you want to download combat basics into him? That would be much faster than throwing him at some monsters until he figures it out,¡± Minerva suggested. Barbara seemed to think about it, but Luke looked nervous.


    ¡°Could they really download something like that into my brain?¡± he thought, looking at Barbara. She seemed to have made up her mind, giving a big grin, showing off her snaggletooth.


    ¡°You know what, let¡¯s do it! Why waste time when we can make him competent in just a few seconds.¡±


    The grin Minerva had did not fill Luke with confidence. The android stamped her foot on the ground, and a hole appeared in the floor. From that hole rose up what looked like an electric chair.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Luke said, staring at the thing.


    ¡°What is it now?¡± Barbara asked, staring at him with her hands on her hips. But Luke just pointed at the thing giving her a ¡°wtf¡± look. Glancing back at the machine, she seemed to understand his trepidation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. This thing is completely harmless. Well, mostly harmless. Nobody¡¯s died in years. Now let¡¯s strap you in!¡± she said, waving off his concerns, but all she really did was add to them.


    Luke then found himself strapped into the chair, arms and legs bound. ¡°For your safety,¡± they said, but he thought it was just to complete the aesthetic. Once that was done, and he was safely secured, Minerva pulled out a tablet from who knows where.


    ¡°Alright, I need to know what all I¡¯m downloading. Where are you sending him?¡±


    ¡°Earthland. He chose Fairy Tail,¡± Barbara answered.


    ¡°Alright. What was his choice for magic?¡±


    ¡°Light, along with Take Over: Seraph Soul.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, nice. Gonna be a real powerhouse, ain''tcha? Alright, just give me a minute¡­¡± Minerva said, typing away at her tablet. After a minute or two, she was done.


    ¡°And that¡¯s that! Ready, big guy?¡± she asked, giving him a grin that was way too excited for what was about to happen.


    ¡°As I¡¯ll ever be¡­¡± he responded. Barbara gave him a thumbs up as Minerva pressed the start button. The metal head covering began to lower with a mechanical groan.


    ¡°Oh, and fyi¡­ this is going to hurt,¡± Minerva said.


    ¡°Wait, wha-¡± but that was as far as he got before he was assaulted by unimaginable pain. It looked every bit like he was being executed.


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it only takes a few seconds. Aaaaaand, done!¡± Minerva shouted, as the machine powered down. The headpiece rose up, revealing the hunched form of Luke, breathing heavily.


    ¡°How ya doin big guy? You good?¡± she asked. Luke got his breathing under control, leveling the two of them with a glare.


    ¡°That was easily the most painful thing I¡¯ve ever felt. Even more than when I died. You could have warned me!¡± he shouted, as the pair of women looked sheepish at the admonishment.


    ¡°Well, yeah¡­ but you might have chickened out!¡± Barbara said, like it made up for it. Luke glared at them for a bit longer, before sighing.


    ¡°Whatever. Just untie me.¡±


    Once he was free, he began to stretch out his now stiff muscles. ¡°So, now what?¡± he asked, eager to get this done with.


    ¡°Well, you have magic now, so what don¡¯t you try using it,¡± Barbara suggested, as the torture device was sent back to the depths of hell where it belonged.


    He was about to ask how to do that, whe he suddenly knew exactly how. Maybe that horrible machine was worth it after all?


    Holding out his hand, he concentrated for a moment, before a bright, golden ball of light appeared. It startled him at first, being able to use actual magic, but once he got over the surprise, he was completely enthralled.


    It was so easy¡­ Was this what his brother felt like all the time? He was more jealous than ever if that was the case.


    Minerva hit a few buttons on her tablet again, and holographic bullseyes appeared in the distance, each one spaced at different intervals.


    ¡°Alright, now that you¡¯ve summoned your magic, try hitting these targets,¡± Minerva suggested. Luke turned to look at them, feeling nervous again.


    ¡°What if I screw up? What if I can¡¯t hit a single one? Will they try and take this away from me?¡± he thought to himself. But before he could get too in his head, he felt a sharp stinging sensation in his ass.


    ¡°Stop overthinking it. Use your instincts. The magic is a part of you now, got it? So get out of your head, and blow those things up,¡± Barbara said with a grin. Luke thought she may have just been trying to make up for the electric chair, but even so, he was grateful.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if spanking him was necessary though¡­


    Turning back to the targets, face set in a determined scowl, he raised his hand, palm pointing towards the closest target, ball of light holding steady in front of him. ¡°This is it!¡± he shouted in his head, before shooting the ball towards the target.


    It sailed towards the target at a decent speed. Luke bit his lip as he watched it soar, hoping he would hit it. After a second or two, his fears were abated when it struck true, exploding in a shower of light.


    ¡°Alright, you did it! Nice job C average. Now hit the others and let¡¯s keep this train going!¡± Barbara yelled. Luke gave her a grin, excited to keep going. He raised his hand once more, and proceeded to fire more balls of light at the targets.


    He missed several times, especially on the farthest target, but eventually, he was able to hit them all with relative consistency. The next part was a bit trickier, as he had to shoot a beam at them, meaning he had to sustain the shape as it moved, rather than just form it and send it off, and constantly provide a flow of magic into it.


    But with the knowledge of what to do literally downloaded into his head, it didn¡¯t take him long to figure it out. After about half an hour or so, he was once more hitting the targets regularly.


    Luke was panting with exhaustion by the end of it, but he could feel his reserves filling up quickly. Probably due to where he was. Once he got to Earthland, he was sure his magic wouldn¡¯t restore itself that quickly.


    ¡°Not bad, kid. Now, let¡¯s see about your other magic,¡± Barbara said. Luke was confused for a second, before remembering the other magic he chose. Nodding his head, his earlier success filling him with confidence, he concentrated on his magic once again.


    He ignored the now familiar feeling of his Light Magic, trying to grab hold of the other source of power he could feel from within. Once he did, he pulled it forward, determined to bring it out.


    His whole body was encased in light. So bright, his form was shielded from view. Once it died down, the other occupants were able to see what he now looked like. And to say they were impressed would be an understatement.


    He was topless for one, revealing his new muscular form in all its glory. A golden vambrace was on each forearm, and there were golden rings around his biceps. His lower half was covered by a flowing, robe-like garment, held up by a shiny golden belt, and his feet were covered by what looked like ancient greek or roman sandals, held together by interlocking strips of leather.


    But of course, one couldn¡¯t miss the pair of enormous, pure white wings shimmering with an ephemeral beauty nor the golden halo above his head. He looked every part the stereotypical angel. Just one on steroids.


    ¡°Hummina, hummina, hummina, hummina,¡± Barbara muttered, staring at his new form with a blush on her cheeks and drool cascading from her mouth like a waterfall. Sure his human form was impressive, especially his lower half, but this just cranked his sex appeal up to 11.


    Barbara was suddenly really happy about Truck-kuns mixup.


    ¡°Will you get a hold of yourself?¡± asked Minerva, slapping the smaller woman upside the head. This seemed to snap her out of whatever trace she was in.


    ¡°Oh, right! Ahem, as I¡¯m sure you know, this form of your¡¯s comes with a few perks. Your physical abilities are all boosted, as is your Light Magic, which will also have purifying properties now. Not to mention your ability to use Healing Magic to a certain degree. So, how does it feel?¡± she asked.


    Luke was barely paying attention to her at this point, flexing his arms and checking himself out. There was also the fact that he had two new appendages to get used to.


    ¡°It feels¡­ good,¡± he finally said, turning to face the ladies watching him.


    ¡°Yeah I¡¯ll bet it does¡­¡± muttered Barbara again, getting a roll of her eyes from the android.


    ¡°Well, how about we take it for a test drive?¡± asked Minerva, seeing as the other woman was too distracted. She typed on her tablet again and a Vulcan materialized into the room. Once it was fully formed, it began doing that silly dance of his.


    ¡°Oh, woman, woman! Me like woman!¡± he shouted. The girls shivered at the repulsive creature, not liking the way it leered at them. Even if it was a hologram, it still made their spines tingle, and not in a good way.


    ¡°You want me to fight this thing?¡± Luke asked, giving the Vulcan a curious look. He was surprised to find himself unafraid of the monkey-like monster in front of him. Maybe it was because of his new form?


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea. You¡¯ve got the basics down pat, now it¡¯s time for a test drive,¡± said Minerva.


    ¡°If you say so,¡± he said, facing the creature fully, who stopped dancing to give him a glare.


    ¡°Me no like man! Me like woman!¡± he shouted, looking right at the girls.


    ¡°Luke¡­¡± said Barbara.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Kick his ass!¡± she shouted, fire in her eyes.


    Luke chuckled, giving her a salute, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±


    He gathered some magic into his fists, making them shine brightly. ¡°Alright ya pervy monkey, you ready for this?¡±


    The Vulvan gave a shout, before charging at him, swinging his large, thick hand down at him, trying to hammer him into the ground. Luke dodged the attack, stepping to his right, before sending his fist into the Vulcan¡¯s gut. The large monkey¡¯s eye bulged out of his head before he was sent flying.


    Luke was surprised by how easy it was. He was definitely grateful for the torture device now. Without it, he would have needed to figure this out by trial and error, which would have led to him getting beat up quite a bit he imagined, so he actually saved himself some pain in the long run by doing so.


    ¡°Yeah! Now that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡± shouted Barbara with excitement.


    Luke raised his hands and began firing ball after ball of light at his opponent. The Vulcan, who was laying upside down, saw this, and with a panicked yell, shot to his feet and began to run away, making Luke¡¯s attack miss.


    But he kept firing at the Vulcan as he ran around the room, explosions going off all around him, but no matter what he did, he couldn¡¯t seem to hit him. That¡¯s when he got an idea.


    Keeping up the attack with his right hand, he sent a beam out with his left, right in the path of the Vulcan, who skidded to a stop. Seeing this, Luke sent out a beam with his right, trapping the monkey in the middle, before bringing both of them together, almost like a Final Flash.


    But the Vulcan wasn¡¯t as stupid as he appeared. It wasn¡¯t far off though.


    Seeing that he was trapped, he did the only thing he could think of, and jumped, leaping high into the sky as the two beams merged into one, right where he just was. The Vulcan gave him a smug look, one which was returned.


    ¡°Did you really think that would work?¡± he asked, bringing his hands up while keeping the outpouring of magic into the beam. The monkey''s eyes widened, arms crossing over himself to try and block the attack. His form was engulfed by the bright, golden light, and he was sent flying across the room until he hit the wall. Only then did Luke cancel the attack.


    He watched with satisfaction as his opponent dropped to the floor, barely able to move. He was panting slightly from the fight, though that might be mostly due to the adrenaline coursing through his veins.


    ¡°Woo, way to go! Guess you aren¡¯t so average after all. That was pretty impressive!¡± shouted Barbara. Luke turned around, giving her the victory sign, which made her grin all the more.


    ¡°I must concur. That was an admirable performance. Well done,¡± stated Minerva, looking rather impressed.


    ¡°Aw, thanks Minerva. It was nothing,¡± he said, smiling. But in his mind, he was practically preening from their words. It¡¯s been an awfully long time since anyone has praised him. It felt¡­ nice.


    The three of them then heard the Vulcan struggling to his feet. ¡°Give me a moment and I¡¯ll get rid of him,¡± she said, beginning to tap on her tablet again, but was halted by Luke.


    ¡°Hang on. I¡¯d like to try something, if you don¡¯t mind,¡± he said, looking at her. She shrugged, stepping back to let him do his thing. ¡°By all means.¡±


    With a grin, he took a few steps away from them before bending his knees and cupping his hands, gathering magic between them. A bright blue glow started to appear, and it seemed like at least Barbara knew what he was doing.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me¡­¡± she said with a sigh. But she also had a fond smile on her face. What could she say, he grew on her. Or maybe it was seeing him naked, or that hunky angel form of his. Either way, she was starting to like him.


    ¡°Ka¡­¡±


    ¡°Me¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    ¡°Me¡­¡±


    The light between his hands was steadily getting brighter and brighter as he continued to gather magic between them. His hands shook a bit, trying to contain the immense amount of magic, to him, he was gathering. Once he felt he had accumulated enough, it was time to unleash it.


    ¡°HA!¡±


    A large beam of incandescent blue shot out from his hands, the force strong enough to whip the girls¡¯ hair in every direction from the wind it generated. The damaged Vulcan had just enough time to give it a confused look before he was vaporized.


    Once the light died down, it revealed that there was no trace left of the simulated monster. Luke was huffing and puffing from the effort, but he felt immensely satisfied that he pulled it off.


    ¡°Ha¡­ hahaha¡­ I did it,¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°Yes you did. A bit nerdy for my taste, but I¡¯ll let it slide,¡± Barbara said, walking up to him. He chuckled, giving the short woman a smirk as an idea popped into his head.


    ¡°Gee thanks. Here, let me show you my appreciation,¡± he said, before he bent over and picked her up, holding her bridal style, making her face resemble a tomato as she felt his muscular form pressed against her.


    ¡°W-what the hell do you think you¡¯re doiiiiiiing!¡±she shouted as he took off into the air, carrying her with him. Hey, he needed to practice using the wings, didn¡¯t he?


    ***Line Break***


    ¡°Alright, I think we¡¯re done here. Thanks for your help Minerva,¡± Barbara said, giving the android a wave as she began to leave.


    ¡°Anytime. Don¡¯t be a stranger. And good luck to you Luke,¡± she said to the young man who was in his normal form now and sporting one heck of a bump on his head, courtesy of Barbara.


    ¡°Thanks Minerva. See ya,¡± he said, moving to follow the shorter woman. The two of them walked in silence for a bit, moving through the confusing and winding halls of the afterlife.


    ¡°Come on, you can¡¯t still be mad, can you? Look, I¡¯m sorry alright?¡± Luke said to the fuming young woman beside him.


    ¡°Just drop it already,¡± she growled out with a blush. Just remembering flying around, wrapped up in his big, strong arms was enough to make her heart skip a beat. Not that she¡¯d tell him that.


    Luke sighed in resignation before asking another question, ¡°So, where are we heading now?¡±


    ¡°To the World Gate to send you on your way. Unless you want to stay of course,¡± she responded.


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m good. Just wondering is all,¡± he said. The two continued in silence until they finally reached their destination. Luke stared in awe at what he assumed was the World Gate.


    It was massive, easily a hundred feet tall, with an archway made of marbled stone. Beneath the arch was a raised circular platform with several steps leading to it, made of the same material as the archway. Intricate carvings ran all along the bottom, forming a pattern that he couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of.


    ¡°Pretty impressive right?¡± Barbara said with a smirk at seeing his flabbergasted face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say¡­¡± he mumbled. She chuckled a bit, before walking towards someone who appeared to be sitting at a desk, bored out of her mind.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get you permission to depart,¡± she said. Luke followed behind, an eager nervousness to his step.


    ¡°Hey Mary. I got someone here ready to be on his way,¡± Barbara said, resting her arms against the desk top.


    ¡°Name,¡± she said, bored.


    ¡°Luke Diamond.¡±


    ¡°One moment.¡±


    Mary began typing away at the computer. After a few seconds, she appeared satisfied with what she found.


    ¡°Luke Diamond. Age: 18. Accidental death by Truck-kun. Destination: Earthland Shadow World #12. Got it, the Gate will open momentarily. Please stand by.¡±


    ¡°Roger that! Come on,¡± Barbara said.


    The two of them made their way over to the archway, which began glowing softly, starting with the grooves carved into the base. After about a minute or so, a swirling mass of energy appeared inside the archway, looking almost like a whirlpool.


    ¡°Well, I guess this is it. Thanks for all your help Barbara. I mean it,¡± Luke said, taking a single step onto the platform before he turned around to address her.


    ¡°Geez, what are you thanking me for? I was just doing my job,¡± she muttered with a bit of red dusting her cheeks.


    ¡°Maybe, but I appreciate it all the same. I know I¡¯m not my brother, but I¡¯ll do what I can to get you those bragging rights,¡± he said, with a smirk. Which looked quite dashing with his new roguish looks.


    ¡°You better¡­¡± Barbara mumbled, trying to ignore the pounding in her chest. Luke chuckled at her attitude before continuing up the steps. He stopped in front of the archway, staring at the mass of energy with trepidation.


    ¡°This is it. One more step, and I can start my new life. Angelo, I hope you''re doing well. But don¡¯t worry about me, alright. Big brother¡¯s doing just fine,¡± he thought. But just as he was about to step through the Gate, a voice stopped him.


    ¡°Luke!¡±


    Turning around, he was surprised to see Barbara leaping at him with her arms outstretched. He caught her in his arms, ¡°What the? What are you-¡± but his question was interrupted by a soft pair of soft lips on his own.


    His eyes widened in shock, before he started kissing her back. He wasn¡¯t sure he was doing it right, as it was his first time, but if the way she was moaning was any indication, he must have done pretty good.


    He pulled her petite body tight against his own as he deepened the kiss, relishing in the new sensation he was experiencing. Sucks that he needed to die to get to first base with a girl, but that didn¡¯t stop him from enjoying it.


    ¡°Go get it girl,¡± muttered Mary who was watching the whole scene.


    Several seconds went by that felt like hours before they needed to come up for air. Luke stared into the brown eyes of Barbara, confusion written all over his face. She snickered at his befuddled look, even if her face was beat red.


    ¡°Wow, didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be so good at that,¡± she said with a cheeky smile.


    ¡°Barbara, what was that? I mean I know what it was, I mean why? Not that I didn¡¯t enjoy it, it¡¯s just, well I¡­¡± Luke stuttered out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it cowboy. Think of it as my way of saying good luck,¡± she said, smirking at him.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Do you wish every client luck like that, or¡­¡± he asked, causing her to roll her eyes at him.


    ¡°Fraid not. You''re the only one who¡¯s caught my interest. I sure didn¡¯t see that coming when I saw you show up in my cubicle,¡± she said.


    ¡°Is it because you saw me naked?¡± he asked, causing her to stutter denials.


    ¡°What? No! That was nice and all, but¡­ I don¡¯t know, alright! I just felt like it! You got a problem with that!?¡± she yelled, raising her fist in a threatening manner.


    ¡°No, not at all! It was great. Thank you!¡± he shouted. Barbara shook her head in an exasperated manner as she let out a sigh.


    ¡°Geez, those looks and that adorkable attitude¡­ You¡¯re going to a real lady killer, I can already tell. Guess I really can¡¯t call you C average anymore, can I?¡± she asked in a joking manner.


    ¡°Lady killer? Me? You must have me confused with somebody else,¡± he said. Barbara hummed as she hopped out of his arms, already missing the warmth.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. Anyway, it¡¯s time for you to get going,¡± she said, spinning him around and pushing him towards the archway.


    ¡°Hey!¡± he protested, looking back, only to see her grinning, snaggletooth face. He once more found himself directly in front of the portal, but this time, he didn¡¯t feel nervous at all. ¡°Is that why she¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright! This is it! Your brand new adventure awaits! Will you fight terrible monsters? Will you win the hearts of many a fair maiden? The choices are endless,¡± she said, taking a few steps back, hands behind her back as she watched him.


    Luke shook his head at her antics. Even if she was a bit of a pain, he would miss her. And not just because of the kiss.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going. You know, you¡¯re kinda weird. You kiss me then make it sound like you want me to seduce every woman I meet,¡± he said, giving her a smirk. One she returned.


    ¡°Maybe I do. Now get going already!¡±.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m going. Until next time,¡± he said, turning around and walking into the portal.


    ¡°That better not be for a good long while, you hear!¡± she shouted, as he waved his hand, never looking back.


    He wasn¡¯t sure what he was expecting when he walked through the portal. A sense of vertigo, being squeezed through a tube, burning in the crotch¡­ But none of that happened. Besides it being obnoxiously bright, it was rather pleasant.


    Hearing the sound of birds made Luke open his eyes, and they widened in wonder. He was in a forest clearing somewhere, one with a large mossy boulder and a thick downed tree that could be used as a seat. Beams of gentle light rained down through the canopy, illuminating the space.


    It was almost too beautiful to be real. As far as starting life in another world was concerned, this was pretty ideal.


    Looking down, he spotted something that didn¡¯t belong. It was a brown, leather rucksack, just sitting there as innocent as could be.


    ¡°Well, what do we have here¡­¡± he said, bending over to pick it up. Opening it revealed some pretty basic necessities, such as a change of clothes, a waterskin, rations, a compass, matches, a map, a sexy picture of Barbara¡­


    ¡°Wait, what was that last one again?¡±


    Double checking, it was indeed his petite caseworker, wearing a bikini, on all fours, booty raised high, and blowing him a kiss. Under the photo it said, For those long lonely nights, Love Barbara.


    Luke shook his head with a chuckle. ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡± he asked fondly. One thing was for certain, he was keeping the picture.


    Slinging the rucksack over his shoulder, he checked the map, which had a convenient, You are Here arrow pointing at a spot in the woods. Judging from that, the nearest town was called¡­ Amaranth.


    He¡¯d never heard of it before, but it sounded like a good place to start before he began his journey to Magnolia to join Fairy Tail. Thinking of the guild brought a smile to his face, and he found himself starting to sing.


    Fairy, where are you going?


    We¡¯ll gather, the light along the way.


    And make it shine upon a brand, new day

 A Chance Encounter

    It was nearly nightfall before Luke finally made it to town, and boy were his dogs barking. He may have been used to walking to places in town and being part of a sport''s team kept him in decent shape, but walking all day long, for several hours straight, was another experience entirely. Even with his new, stronger body.


    Day one and he already missed modern technology. That wasn''t something he considered when choosing this world. But they had things similar to cars if he remembered correctly. Magic Mobiles, like the one Erza used to chase down Eisenwald, or that one guy from Oracion Seis with all the motorcycles.


    He needed to get one asap. Not only was it almost a necessity in his mind, but it would also be plain cool.


    Amaranth Town was a pretty small place, all things considered. Rural in every meaning of the word. Most of the shops he could see were closed, which made sense considering it was evening already, and even if they were open, Luke didn''t have the energy to go shopping anyway.


    He continued walking through town until he came across an inn. It wasn''t anything fancy, which suited him just fine. He didn''t have the funds for something like that anyway. Walking through the doors of the Lost Age Inn, he was immediately assaulted by the sound of merrymaking.


    Looks like it also doubled as a tavern. Several boisterous patrons were laughing, eating and drinking happily as they made small talk. Some of them appeared to be a bit rowdier than he would like, but as long as he steered clear of them, he should be fine.


    Standing there amongst the raucous laughter, Luke was unsure of what to do. This was his first time checking into a hotel by himself, let alone entering a bar.


    "Hey there hun, you need somethin?" asked a voice with a surprising southern drawl. Luke shifted his gaze towards the shockingly busty woman in her mid thirties. Honestly, he shouldn''t have been so surprised, considering he knew just how ample a bosom several characters had. He just didn''t expect to see them here for some random tavern worker.


    "Uh, yeah, I-" Luke started, but a loud rumble from his stomach answered for him. He blushed as the busty woman let out a laugh.


    "Ah see somebody''s hankerin fer somethin to fill their belly. There''s a nice table right there in the back, I''ll be by to take yer order shortly," she said, pointing to an empty table by the far wall.


    "Oh, thanks. I appreciate it, uh¡­" Luke said, unsure of what to call her. She seemed to understand his predicament as she flashed him a smile..


    "Name''s Nyssa and don''t think nothin'' of it sugar. Now you go on and get yerself settled," she said, returning to her work. Shrugging, Luke made his way towards the table, avoiding the rambunctious crowd as best he could. Once he was settled in, he picked up the menu and began to read.


    It definitely had a southern feel to it, with just about every item being some kind of comfort food. In the end he settled for something simple, fried chicken with some mashed potatoes.


    Once he figured that out, he settled in to wait for the waiter, taking this moment to people watch. After listening for several minutes, he gathered that this town''s primary source of revenue was tourism brought on by some ruins they uncovered recently.


    Guess people far and wide came to see some kind of painting there, which supposedly brought good luck. Luke wasn''t so sure about that, but with magic, anything was possible.


    After a while, the busty barmaid returned, giving him a big grin as she approached. However, she wasn''t alone, there were three people behind her, two men and a petite, blue haired woman, giving him a curious look.


    Well the girl was. The men were giving him bored, suspicious looks. But that wasn''t what caught his attention about them. It was the fact that he recognized them.


    One was a young man about his age with orange hair covered by a large, brown top hat, with three rings of beige fur going around it. He wore a purple dress shirt with a brown jacket over top with fur trimmings along the edge, the same color as the hat. He wore baggy black pants over his legs with the bottoms tucked inside his boots.


    The other man was also close to Luke in age, with dark hair that pointed straight up in the back, then curved toward the front, looking like a bad Majin Buu cosplay. He wore a long sleeved white shirt, along with yellow belts crossing his chest like bandoliers, with rectangular pouches lining them. His pants were dark green and checkered.


    But it was the last individual that truly caught Luke''s attention.


    She was a beautiful young woman with light blue hair, held back by a yellow sash running along the top. She wore a blue, short sleeved shirt with white highlights, and yellow strings crisscrossing up the middle. The shirt was on the short side, showing off the bottom of her toned stomach, and cut low enough to emphasize her modest bust. Her white pants were so tight they looked painted on, showing off her curvy figure, defiant of her petite frame. A brown, leather belt was wrapped around her waist, and she had reddish brown boots on her feet.


    They were Jet, Droy, and Levy, also known as Team Shadow Gear. Luke couldn''t help but gawk at them a bit, though his face had a bit of red on his face as he looked at Levy. She was way cuter in person then in the show.


    "Sorry about this hun, but all our other tables are full up. You don''t mind if they share, do ya?" asked Nyssa, for which he was thankful. It snapped him out of the awe he felt staring at her.


    At them! He meant at them!


    Coughing a bit into his hand, he gave the woman a smile. "Not at all. The more the merrier," he said, getting a grateful smile from her and Levy.


    "Well that''s mighty kind of you. I''ll be back right quick to take yer orders," she said, leaving as the other three sat down.


    "Hi, I''m Levy. Thanks so much for letting us sit here," said the blue haired girl, sitting right next to Luke, making her friends frown in anger.


    "Oh, it''s no problem. Food is always better with company, right? I''m Luke, nice to meet you," he said, holding out his hand to shake, which Levy happily did.


    "Jet," said the one wearing the top hat.


    "Droy," introduced the other. The two sat down across from him with a grumpy expression on their faces. Luke knew why, they had a thing for the beautiful girl sitting next to him, but the animosity he could feel emanating from them was a bit much.


    "Nice to meet you. So, what brings you guys to town?" Luke asked, trying to ignore the way Jet and Droy were looking at him. Levy seemed to take notice of this, as she sent her own glare their way, which made them look away nervously.


    "We''re here on a job, investigating the ruins. Our client wants us to translate some writing on the wall from the recently uncovered chamber," Levy explained with a giddiness, giving Luke a beaming smile.


    He could understand just why the two across from him fell for the girl. She was just too darn cute!


    "I see. Are you guy''s archaeologists or something?" he asked, pretending not to know. The guys snorted, giving him a condescending look.


    "Do we look like archaeologists to you? We''re wizards," Jet said with pride, as he and Droy made a pose. Levy rolled her eyes at the grandstanding of her childhood friends.


    "Just ignore them. So what about you? What brings you to this town?" Levy asked, making her two companions deflate.


    "What makes you think I don''t live here?" Luke asked, giving her a raised brow. Levy, however, just smirked at him, pointing to the rucksack on the floor.


    "For one, I doubt anyone who lives here would be carrying around something like that to a bar. Secondly, you don''t look like any of the people here," she said, voice tinged with confidence.


    "Oh, so what do I look like then?" Luke asked with a cocky smirk. Since he looked like a bad boy, might as well act like it. Judging from the blush on her face, he must have pulled it off.


    "Oh, um¡­ You look, I mean, you''re¡­" Levy stuttered, but when she noticed him snickering at her, she leveled him with a light hearted glare. "You jerk!" she yelled, smacking him jokingly on the arm.


    "Sorry, sorry, I couldn''t resist. You just looked so cute with your face all red like that," he said, smiling. Levy''s face turned even redder at the compliment, as she grabbed the menu, using it to hide her blushing face.


    Jet and Droy looked like they wanted to pull their hair out or strangle Luke, but they couldn''t make a scene in front of Levy. So for now, they settled for trying to kill him with their stares.


    "Anyway, to answer your question, I''m just passing through," Luke said, getting her attention again. She looked over the top of the menu, narrowing her eyes at him, not trusting that he wouldn''t tease her again. Though she had to admit, being flirted with by such a handsome guy was nice.


    "I see. And where do you plan to go after this," she asked, glancing from the menu to him shyly. Times like these she wished she had Cana''s confidence. But she had a theory that her confidence came from the literal barrels of booze she consumed on the regular, and Levy didn''t think her liver could handle it.


    "Hmm, I was thinking of Magnolia, to join Fairy Tail, you know. I wasn''t sure, but knowing the guild has a girl as cute as you in it kind of sealed the deal," he commented, staring directly into her eyes.


    Levy didn''t think it was very healthy for her face to be this red. Honestly, if it got any hotter, she could probably use it to start a fire. She opened her mouth to respond, but she was beaten to the punch by her companions.


    "And just how did you know we''re from Fairy Tail, huh? You been spying on us?" accused Jet, narrowing his eyes at Luke. That caught her attention as she turned to look at him with curiosity.


    "Yeah, spill it pal. Who are you?" demanded Droy.


    Luke raised a brow at them. "They aren''t serious, are they? I mean, I know they have a thing for her and all, and I can''t blame them for that, but to try and start something here? Guess I shouldn''t be surprised, they are from Fairy Tail after all," he thought.


    Luke let out a sigh, "I already told you my name, it''s Luke. And as for how I knew she''s from Fairy Tail, well¡­" he paused for dramatic effect. "I could see her Guild Mark. It''s right there," he said, pointing to her shoulder blade.


    The three of them followed his finger, and realized exactly where he was pointing. Levy was wearing a sleeveless shirt, so her Guild Mark was on full display. Levy turned to give them an unimpressed look, as their faces started to turn red.


    "So, does that answer your question, or would you like to accuse me of something else?" Luke asked. Between his smug look and her annoyed one, Jet and Droy had no choice but to mutter apologies.


    "So what made you want to join Fairy Tail?" Levy asked, happy that her guild might be getting a new member. Luke''s expression turned somber at that, and Levy felt like she may have crossed a line. She opened her mouth to apologize, but Luke''s voice stopped her.


    "I guess¡­ I''m just looking for somewhere to belong," he said quietly. Levy gave him a sad look, being reminded of so many of her friends and their own troubled past. Looks like they were getting another one.


    "Well, you''ve come to the right place. Everyone in Fairy Tail is like one, big family," Levy said, placing her hand over his and giving him a comforting squeeze. Even Jet and Droy''s eyes softened a bit at that.


    Luke gave her a smile, twisting his hand so he could grasp her own. "Thanks. I''m looking forward to it."


    The table was silent for a moment, caught up in the mood, before a new voice distracted them.


    "Well, don''t you move fast. Didn''t know you were such a smooth operator," said Nyssa, appearing from seemingly nowhere. The group turned to see her grinning face, confused by her statement, before they all looked down at Luke and Levy''s hands, which were still connected.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    They pulled them away, as if they were burned, bright red blushes on their faces. "Nononononono, you got it all wrong, we were just, um¡­ It''s not what it looks like!" Luke stuttered rapid fire, his bad boy persona cracking under the smallest pressure. He did his best to ignore the burning in his cheeks and the angry glares being cast his way by Jet and Droy.


    "Right, he was just saying how he might be joining our guild is all, and I was just showing how excited I was to get a new member, right?" Levy quickly spit out, looking towards Luke for confirmation.


    "Yeah! I mean, it''s not like I minded holding hands with such a cute girl or anything, but it''s not like that!" Luke said. But the table went quiet again, and Levy''s face turned redder than ever before. The waitress let out a boisterous laugh, getting a real kick out of them.


    "Whatever you say, killer. Now, do y''all know what yer a hankerin'' for?" she asked, ready to take down their orders in a small notepad.


    The atmosphere took an awkward turn, but Nyssa just stood there, grinning like a madwoman, waiting to take their orders. Nothing she liked more than watching awkwards teenagers trying to figure out their feelings.


    "I, uh¡­ the fried chicken and mashed potatoes, please," Luke said after a minute. She wrote it down before turning to Levy, "And what about the missus?"


    "T-t-t-t-t-t-the what!?" she stuttered out, face burning so hot it could heat the whole town.


    "Hahaha, sorry about that. You guys are just to darn adorable. Now, what''ll ya have?"


    Levy mumbled something about nosy waitresses before she managed to order a pasta dish.


    "Alright, and you two?" the waitress asked, turning towards Jet and Droy.


    "The fish, and bring lots of beer!" shouted Droy.


    "Yea, what he said!" shouted Jet.


    "You got it. I''ll be back quick as a flash," she said with a grin before leaving to fulfill their orders. An awkward silence once more filled the table, but Luke was able to feel the anger coming from the other two men at the table.


    "Um, I need to use the restroom," Levy said, getting up and practically sprinting away. Luke watched her go, definitely not staring at her backside while he did. Nope, not him, he would never.


    Once she was out of sight, the two rounded on poor Luke, fire in their eyes. "Alright pal, just what the hell do you think you''re doing?" Jey demanded. Luke tilted his head in confusion, wondering if they were talking about him checking her out just then.


    "Um, eating at a restaurant? What else would I be doing here?" he asked. But that was apparently not the correct answer.


    "Cut the crap you know exactly what I''m talking about! How dare you flirt with Levy like that!" Jet shouted, his voice drowned out by the noise in the bar. Luke stared at him for a moment, before his eyes narrowed into bored slits.


    "And what''s wrong with that? She''s a beautiful woman, why wouldn''t I flirt with her?" he asked.


    "Aha, I knew it! But don''t think for a second you can get away with it. We called dibs on Levy years ago, so you can''t just show up out of nowhere and think you can hit on her!" Droy yelled.


    Luke rolled his eyes, resting his head in his hand, "Dibs, huh? What are you, 5? You can''t call dibs on a person, asshole. They have their own thoughts and feelings, you know, and treating them like they''re some kind of object you can claim for yourself is pretty messed up. Especially if you claim to care about her. Grow up."


    The two stared at him opening and closing their mouths, trying to say something back, but were unable to. But that just seemed to make them angrier.


    "Don''t think you can get inside our heads with your words. We''re just looking out for her, that''s all," claimed Jet, with Droy nodding along. But Luke looked unimpressed.


    "Sure you are. Let me ask you this, how many years have you known her for? And you''ve yet to make a move? As far as I''m concerned, you had your shot, and you couldn''t even pull the trigger. So you have no right to tell me or her what we can and can''t do."


    The two of them looked absolutely livid, and for a second, Luke thought it would come to blows, but that''s when Levy made her timely return.


    "Whew, I feel much better. So, what were you guys talking about?" she asked as she sat back down next to Luke.


    "Oh, just guy stuff. Things no lady should ever hear," Luke told her in a dramatic fashion, making her roll her eyes, giving him a playful look.


    "Oh, now I''m curious. Come on, you can tell me," she urged.


    "Nope, sorry. The unwritten rules of the bro code forbid it," he proclaimed. Even if he didn''t really care about Jet and Droy getting in trouble with Levy, he didn''t feel the need to strain whatever friendship they had. At least while they were on a job.


    Well, strain it on her end, because he''s pretty sure that ship has sailed on theirs. He''d have to sleep with one eye open tonight.


    "If it''s unwritten, then it isn''t official," Levy tried one more time, but his lips were sealed.


    "Ugh, fine. Then tell me about yourself," she said, giving him a curious look. Luke gave her a roguish grin, "Well, what do you want to know? For you I''m an open book."


    Levy blushed, grabbing a glass of water on the table and taking a big sip through the straw, even as the other two seethed from across them.


    "Well, what about your magic? You said you wanted to join Fairy Tail, right? So that means you''ve got to be a wizard," Levy asked, a bit too quickly. But if Luke noticed, he didn''t say a word.


    "My magic, huh? Sure, I don''t mind showing you," he said, holding out his hand. After a few seconds, a ball of golden light appeared above his hand, getting a bit of attention from the patrons in the bar.


    "Oh wow, that''s Light Magic, isn''t it?" Levy asked, staring at the ball curiously. Honestly it wasn''t that rare of a magic, all things considered. Their Guild Master was pretty adept at it, but for some reason, she felt drawn to it. It wasn''t the magic itself that impressed her, it was the feeling the magic gave off.


    Every magic was imbued with a bit of the wielder''s personality, their emotions. Most people weren''t very attuned to it, but Levy was. She was a naturally empathetic individual and that translated into her ability to sense the emotions coming off of people''s magic.


    And his gave off the feeling of warmth and safety. It reminded her a lot of the master''s actually, as well as several members of the guild. But there was something else she could feel pulsing from it, something that made her heart pound against her chest.


    Desire, that''s what it was. But not just any desire, it was one centered on her. Sure she got a bit hot and bothered by his flirting earlier, but being able to feel his genuine feelings toward her was something else entirely.


    It wasn''t love or anything close to it, which would have sent her running for the hills. Anyone who falls in love that fast was needy with a capital N. It also wasn''t pure lust either. Sure there was some, so she knew he found her attractive, but it was more than that. It was a yearning to get closer to her, to get to know her, and that was what made her pulse quicken.


    He genuinely wanted to get to know her as a person, and that made all the difference.


    "Got it right in one. Nothing better than a woman who''s as smart as she is beautiful," Luke said, canceling the magic. Levy was a bit disappointed by the loss of the magic and the feelings it gave off, when his words registered in her mind.


    "I-I''m not. I mean, there are so many prettier girls in Fairy Tail. Way more than me," she stuttered, her own words causing her to feel depressed, even if they were true. Not like she could compete with someone like Mira or Erza. Hell, even Cana was an absolute bombshell.


    And then there was her. Plain, boring, bookish Levy. She couldn''t compete against women like that. Each of those girls were playing with two full decks, and she didn''t even have one! The odds were totally stacked against her.


    "I assume you mean Mirajane?" Luke asked, watching as she flinched at the name. Her eyes were downcast and there was an palpable aura of depression around her.


    "Well that won''t do. Let''s see if I can boost her self esteem a bit," Luke thought, hating the fact that such a lovely young woman couldn''t see just how beautiful she really was.


    "Well it''s true that she''s rather pretty, but you know what?" he asked. He placed a finger under her chin, gently lifting it up so he could look her in the eyes. "You''re just as beautiful as she is."


    Levy''s eyes widened and her face once more went scarlet. Did he really just say that? And with such sincerity too? Her heartbeat started to beat rapidly as she felt herself being drawn into his silvery eyes.


    Luke was feeling the same, drawn to her hazel eyes shimmering with emotion and need. She was a girl constantly comparing herself to the beauties around her and found herself lacking. Luke could see that plain as day.


    Of course, their moment would be ruined by a pair of jealous twats across the table.


    "Oi, get your hands off Levy!" Jet shouted, banging his hands against the table. The unexpected noise dragged them out of their trance, shooting away from each other with massive blushes on their faces.


    "Just who do you think you are, putting your hand on Levy like that! Apologize!" Droy demanded. This, of course, earned them Levy''s ire, as she hated being coddled by them.


    "He doesn''t have anything to apologize for! I can take care of myself, you know!" she said back, voice raised. She was normally pretty quiet, but she was still a member of the most rambunctious guild in all of Fiore, so she knew how to get loud.


    "But Levy, he''s clearly up to something! He''s been acting suspicious this whole time!" Jet shot back, pointing an accusing finger at Luke, who narrowed his eyes at them. Since when is flirting with a girl suspicious behavior? Maybe if she was hideous or something, but Levy was anything but. Was their jealousy really that bad?


    "Ugh, you''re just imagining things. You always do this! Anytime a guy so much as looks at me, you freak out and attack him. Newsflash, I don''t belong to you!" Levy shouted, frustrated tears forming in her eyes.


    After saying this she got up and ran out of the bar, Jet and Droy yelling after her. But she ignored them, and they slumped over in their chairs, feeling frustrated and angry. But not at themselves, at the asshole sitting across from them.


    "This is all your fault," Droy ground out, giving Luke a look of loathing. But he just raised an eyebrow, feeling irritation rising up from within him.


    "How was that my fault?" he asked.


    "If you hadn''t been getting all flirty with her, none of this would have happened," Jet answered, with Droy nodding in agreement. But Luke was having none of it.


    "You''re the ones who can''t control your jealousy, not me. Do you really think Levy is unaware of your feelings for her? The fact that she hasn''t asked either of you out is pretty telling that she isn''t into either of you. There''s a fine line between love and obsession, and the two of you have crossed it. If you don''t get your shit together, you won''t even be able to call her a friend," Luke said, standing up, grabbing his rucksack as he did so.


    "And where do you think you''re going?" asked Droy, glaring at the man. Luke sighed at this. Looks like his words went in one ear and out the other.


    "After Levy, what else?" he responded.


    "What, you in love with her now?" sneered Jet. Luke stopped and gave him an incredulous look.


    "Love? Dude, I just met her like, ten minutes ago. I just want to make sure she''s ok," he said, before leaving, not wanting to spend any more time around them. They were so insecure it was nauseating.


    Luke quickly made his way through the throngs of people. For a bar in a small town, there sure were a lot of people, but regardless of that fact, he made it through and to the outside. Once he was there, it didn''t take him long to find the upset girl.


    Levy was sitting on the steps, sniffling, glaring out at the town. Luke carefully approached before sitting down next to her, not saying a word. Eventually, it was her who started the conversation.


    "Sorry about them. They can be real jerks sometimes," she said, whipping her eyes, giving him a watery, apologetic look.


    "You have nothing to be sorry for. They''re the ones who are at fault here," Luke said.


    "They were just looking out for me," she responded quietly. Luke wasn''t sure which one of them she was trying to convince.


    "Really? Kind of looked like they were looking out for themselves to me," he said.


    "You''re probably right," she said after a long silence. "They''re always chasing guys away from me. Even in the guild. I''ve tried my best to ignore it, but they''ve only gotten worse. I don''t know how much longer I can take it."


    Having said that, she placed her head in her arms, her body shaking as she began to sob again. Luke wasn''t sure what to do. Comforting a crying woman was not his area of expertise. He didn''t even have an area of expertise! But he had to do something, right?


    "Ignoring it was probably the worst thing you could have done," Luke said, as he started to rub her back. The contact made her freeze for a moment, before she relaxed under his ministrations.


    "What do you mean?" she asked. She was barely audible, but Luke still managed to hear her.


    "I''m sure you were just trying to spare their feelings, but by doing so you were kind of leading them on. Without outright rejecting them, you gave them hope that the feelings they were too chicken to express might be reciprocated. But they know, deep down, that you aren''t interested in them beyond friendship, so they never asked you out, knowing that if they did, the fantasy would be over. They could no longer pretend they had a chance. By chasing away any guy that might be interested and keeping you single, it also allowed them to imagine they had a shot. Or maybe if you were single long enough, you''d give in and ask one of them out," Luke tried to explain.


    "So it''s my fault?" Levy asked, turning her head to look at him.


    "If I''m being honest, partially, yes. Guys need to be told, flat out, you don''t like them. Otherwise, we start to get stupid. But it''s also their fault for letting their jealousy get the better of them. They''re not in love with you, they''re obsessed with the idea of being with you. If you want to have any hope of being friends with them, you''re going to have to be brave and be honest. For all of your sakes"


    "I''m not sure I can¡­" Levy said, thinking about what he said, uncertainty in her eyes. Luke leaned back, gazing at the night sky full of stars.


    "Yeah, emotions are tough. And it''s not like I''m an expert, so take my words with a grain of salt. I just don''t think it''s good living a lie. Maybe ask somebody a bit wiser than me, yeah?"


    "Hmm, maybe¡­" she said quietly. The two sat in silence for a bit, before Levy asked another question.


    "So what were you really talking about while I was in the restroom? Did they try and scare you off?"


    "Ah, well¡­" Luke started, scratching his chin nervously. "They may have been a little upset with me flirting with you¡­ Tried to claim dibs."


    "Dibs, really? Ugh, why am I not surprised¡­" she groaned out. Luke patted her on the back again, unsure of what else to do.


    "But just so you know, they have no chance of scaring me off. I''m not that easy to get rid of," he said, trying to make her feel better. And if the smile she gave him was any indication, he succeeded.


    "Good. We wouldn''t want that," she said. The two continued to sit there for a while, just enjoying the relative peace and quiet, when a loud, rumbling noise caught their attention.


    Luke blushed while holding his stomach, looking away from Levy who gained a mischievous look on her face. "Oh, looks like someone''s hungry," she teased.


    "S-shut up. I''ve been walking all day, what do you expect?" he muttered, making her giggle at his embarrassed face. Just as she was about to suggest they go inside to eat, a familiar voice interrupted them.


    "Well don''t you two look awfully cozy out here?"


    Turning to see who it was, they were greeted to the busty visage Nyssa, holding up a couple of steaming plates. Their faces went red at her insinuation.


    "It''s-it''s not what it looks like," Levy tried to say, but by the look on the older woman''s face, she wasn''t buying it.


    "Now don''t you two fret none. Those friends o'' yours are mighty upset about you two bein'' out here all on your lonesome. Bit of the jealous types if you ask me. So after giving them their food, I came out here to give you yours. Your welcome to eat it out here, iffin you want," she said, looking at the two with a knowing look on her face.


    "Well, what do you say? Dinner for two, under the stars?" Luke asked, giving her a roguish grin. Levy''s face turned even redder at that, but she eventually managed to agree.


    The waitress gave them their food, winking at Levy as she did so, before heading back inside. Looking at her bowl, Levy had a contemplative look on her face, before it turned into one of determination.


    "Hang on, I''ll be right back," she said, placing her bowl down before healing back inside. Luke shrugged, eyes going back to the starry sky, content to wait a few minutes. Turns out he didn''t have long to wait, as Levy returned about a minute later, her face awash with multiple emotions.


    "You ok?" Luke asked, seeing the uncertainty in her eyes. Levy gave him a bright smile before sitting down next to him, their shoulders nearly touching.


    "I''m great. Now, let''s eat!"


    With that said, the two of them dug in, savoring the meal, and more importantly, the company.

 Misfortunes and Opportunities

    Beams of light forced their way past the dull pink curtains, entering the room unannounced and uninvited. The sole occupant did his best to ignore the intruders, but the relentless way in which they pummeled his eyelids left him little choice but to greet them.


    Opening his eyes, Luke groaned as he sat up, stretching his arms above his head and letting out a tired yawn. Looking around the room with bleary eyes, the first thing he noticed was that he didn''t recognize anything.


    "Where am I?" he asked himself, as the cobwebs slowly left his brain. Once they were well and clear, the events of the previous day slammed into him. His eyes widened like saucers, staring at the room around him with a new sense of awe.


    "So that wasn''t a dream?" he asked himself quietly, staring at his hands. And then the rest of him. He swallowed the spit in his mouth, his mouth suddenly feeling dry and parched.


    "Guess that means I really kicked the bucket, huh?" he said quietly, eyes turning to look at the window. Suddenly feeling claustrophobic, he shot out of bed and ran towards them, flinging the curtains open with a near panic. What he saw confirmed his belief.


    It was the small, rustic town he walked to the day before, with people busting about getting ready for the day. They were up way too early in his opinion, but then again, he was also awake so he didn''t have much room to talk.


    As he stared at the people wandering about, his mind went back to last night and the dinner he had with the beautiful blue haired girl. He couldn''t prevent the dopey smile that lit up his face, thinking about the meal he shared with her.


    Levy was a nice girl, one he hoped to get to know more. Just thinking about the way her face lit up as she spoke about her passions was enough to make him grin. The only real problem was those friends of hers. Jealous twats.


    But still, getting closer to her was worth the headache of having to deal with them, no question. He was a bit worried about it coming to blows, considering how little experience he has with such things. He wasn''t too worried about it, as his chosen guild was known to start a brawl from time to time, so he should get plenty of experience.


    That could wait, as right now, his stomach was telling him it was time for breakfast. But first, pants. He was not risking getting arrested for indecent exposure on his second day in this world.


    Hang on, how did Gray avoid that? Maybe he should ask him when the time comes, just in case.


    Luke quickly put his clothes on, thankful that he had a spare set, before heading outside. He shut the door behind him, heading down the stairs towards the bar, his rucksack over his shoulder. When he reached the bottom, he heard a familiar voice chastising someone.


    "Geez, I can''t believe you two! How could you drink so much when you know we''re on a job," the female voice berated. Luke turned the corner and saw none other than Levy, wearing a pair of tan cargo shorts tied off at the calves with a pair of basic shoes on her feet. She was also wearing a sleeveless yellow shirt with a blue vest over it.


    "Hey, good morning," Luke called out as he approached. Levy turned to see who it was, and her face lit up with a smile, a small touch of pink entering her cheeks.


    "Good morning Luke. Sleep well?" she asked, holding her hands behind her back. He gave her a nod, opening his mouth to say something before a yawn escaped his lips, making her giggle a bit.


    "Not great I take it?" she asked with a wry grin. Luke gave her a hapless shrug with a sardonic smile, "Not the worst, but that damn sun just burst into my room and wouldn''t leave me alone. I had no choice but to get up really. Anyway, what''s up with them?" Luke asked, gesturing to Jet and Droy, who were moaning on the floor, covered in each other''s vomit.


    It was rather disgusting.


    "Ugh, don''t get me started. These two idiots decided to go on a bender last night and got completely wasted. They''re in no position to work today," she said with a huff, hands on her hip, giving the two of them a glare.


    "Sorry Levy¡­" moaned Jet, face looking pale and green.


    "Yeah, real-hurk," moaned Droy, his cheeks puffing up with what could only be assumed was bile. He swallowed it, letting out a pitiful groan afterward.


    "Looks like a hell of a hangover," Luke mentioned. Levy let out a sigh, more than a little disappointed with her teammates. "That''s one way of putting it. And I was really looking forward to exploring those ruins too¡­" she muttered with a downcast look on her face, making the two on the floor feel even worse.


    "You can''t go by yourself?" Luke asked, confused. Levy shook her head. "I could, but I tend to get so wrapped up in my work that I ignore everything around me. So I kind of rely on these knuckleheads to watch out for me," she explained, looking even more downcast.


    Luke didn''t like the sad look she had on her face, brainstorming on a way to turn that frown upside down. The only way to do that was to somehow make these two bozos fit for duty so they could take her to the ruins and help her should anything go awry.


    "But wait¡­ Does it have to be them?" he thought to himself. Staring at her for a bit, lost in thought, he decided to voice his idea.


    "What if I went with you?" he asked. Levy turned to look at him, surprised. Surprised and a little touched that he wanted to help her out, but there was just one problem with that..


    "I don''t know¡­ You''re not part of the guild, and the three of us already accepted the request," Levy said, giving Luke an apologetic look. Which was very different from the looks he was getting from Jet and Droy, who were trying to commit an act of murder with their eyes


    "True, but I do plan on joining the guild. What if we get permission from the client? Would that work?" he asked. Levy seemed to think about it, placing her index finger on her bottom lip.


    "Maybe¡­ I guess it wouldn''t hurt to ask. Otherwise, I''ll have to wait until tomorrow. Hmm¡­" she said, thinking about his proposal.


    "Wait, Levy! We can-urk, oh god-we can do it!" shouted Jet, trying his best to hold his previous night''s dinner down. That seemed to be what settled it for her. "Come on," she said, grabbing Luke''s hand and dragging him out of the tavern/inn.


    "Levy! Blugh!" shouted Droy, unable to keep his food down this time. When he looked up, Levy and Luke were gone, and in their place was an angry tavern owner, holding a mop and bucket.


    "These are for you. I expect this place to be spick and span before the lunch rush. Understand?" They responded by making a bigger mess.


    Luke was dragged through town until they reached the town hall, but he wasn''t exactly complaining about it. After all, why would he complain about holding hands with a beautiful woman? She pulled him inside and asked for a quick meeting with the mayor, who was apparently up at this ungodly hour.


    Once they were let in, she explained who Luke was and if she had permission to bring him along. She also, much to his disappointment, released her grip on his hand. He wasn''t even sure if she was aware she did it.


    The mayor had no qualms about Luke joining in on the job, laughing merrily when he made a comment about the hangover the other two were currently suffering through, which got him an elbow to the ribs from an embarrassed blue-haired girl.


    The two left the town hall feeling rather good about themselves, especially Luke, who was about to have his first mission. Sure it wasn''t official and he wasn''t part of the guild yet, but still!


    "Alright, let''s go! The ruins await!" cheered the excitable girl. However, as cute as he found to be, there was one issue with her plan.


    "Um, do you mind if we get some breakfast first?" he asked, a loud rumble from his stomach seemed to agree with him. Levy turned to him to answer, when her own stomach started singing in harmony with his.


    "Ah, well, I guess we can get something to eat," she said sheepishly, her face tinged red. The two began searching for a spot to get breakfast, when they eventually found a nice little cafe called Echoes of Elysium.


    The two entered, eyes wondering over the tasteful decor inspired by the ruins. Levy was particularly excited about this. "Oh wow, look at this! It''s an exact replica of the vase they found when the ruins were first discovered. Oh, and this¡­"


    Luke watched this with a fond smile as Levy seemingly teleported between the objects in the cafe, excitedly shatting a million miles an hour about each one. "My, my, your girlfriend there sure knows her stuff," said a voice to Luke''s left. He turned and saw a young woman with long purple hair tied back in a ponytail, dressed like an archaeologist weaning an apron.


    "Yeah she''s a smart one alright. Though I''m sorry to say she isn''t my girlfriend," Luke said, facing the woman, who raised an eyebrow at the way he corrected her mistake.


    "Oh, you''re sorry huh? Why not just ask that little cutie out, huh?" she asked, giving Luke a coy smile. He coughed into his hand, looking away from the smirking woman with a bit of red on his cheeks.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "Well, we just met each other yesterday, and, well¡­ Argh, none of your business!" he shouted, embarrassed. The purple haired woman giggled, raising her hands in surrender, backing away slightly.


    "My my, so sensitive," she cooed. Before Luke could say anything else, Levy interrupted him.


    "Luke, everything ok?" she asked with a curious look, saddling up next to him. She heard him yell, bringing her out of her little trance over the decor of the cafe, and wondered what it was about.


    "Yup! Everything''s good on my end. How are you?" he responded rapid fire, making Levy raise a curious eyebrow.


    "Reeeeally?" she questioned, leaning forward to look at his embarrassed face with suspicion.


    "Yup. Now, how about that breakfast huh? Boy am I starving! Hungry, hungry, hungry," Luke said. The whole thing was highly amusing to the owner, who was trying her best not to burst out laughing.


    "Alright, why don''t you two sit right over there," she said, pointing to a table near the window.


    "Sounds good to me," Luke said, speed walking towards it. Levy appeared even more confused at his behavior.


    "Hey, a little advice," said the purple haired owner, getting Levy''s attention. "You should totally make a move on him."


    Levy''s face turned scarlet at that. "What? Why would you-I mean, me and him, I don''t," she stuttered out.


    "Oh you two are just adorable. But trust me, you won''t regret it," she said, giving the smaller girl a wink before making her way behind the counter. Levy, face still burning red, made her way over to Luke. He was sitting down at the table, looking over the menu, with the early morning sun illuminating his chiseled form.


    The sight distracted her enough that she tripped. Over what, she had no idea. Probably her own feet. "Ah!" she screamed out, thrusting her arms in front of her to blunt the impact. She shut her eyes, waiting for the inevitable pain.


    But it never came. Instead, she heard the sound of a chair scraping against the floor before her entire form was engulfed in a pleasant heat. Confused, she opened her eyes to see what was happening, only to come face to face with the concerned silvery eyes of Luke.


    "Hey, you ok?" he asked. "You''re not hurt are you?"


    Unfortunately for Levy, her brain seemed to shut down when she realized the warmth she was feeling came from the strong arms of the man in front of her, wrapped around her petite frame protectively.


    "Uh huh," she responded intelligently, hands clutching onto his jacket.


    "Wow. You know, when I told you to make a move, I didn''t expect it to happen this fast. Gotta say, I''m impressed," said a voice from behind her. Looking back, the two teenagers saw the grinning face of the proprietress staring down at them.


    That''s of course when the two fully realized the position they were in. Levy tried to force herself away, but this time, he held on tightly. Confused, she looked at him, only to see a kind smile. He stood up, bringing her with him, before separating.


    "That was a close one. I''m glad you''re alright," he said, trying to sound as confident as he could. He didn''t want to be a blushing beta male the whole time, and from what the internet told him, confidence was key when it came to women.


    Well, that and money. Too bad he didn''t have much of either at the moment. But he could at least work on one of them right now.


    "Yeah, um¡­ thanks," Levy said, suddenly finding her feet very interesting. Luke smiled, turning back to the table and pulling out the chair for her. Levy''s face went even redder as she meekly went to sit down.


    "Well, aren''t you the gentleman," stated the owner, giving them a salacious grin, something Luke pointedly ignored, even if the tips of his ears felt warm.


    "Thanks, I try," he said, sitting down across from Levy. "So, anything you recommend miss¡­ uh?" he asked, opening up the menu, before realizing he never got her name.


    "You can call me Penelope, stud. And as for food, I make a mean pancake," she said with a smirk.


    "Sounds good to me. What about you Levy?" he asked, looking at her. But it seemed like her mind was elsewhere, as she jumped up, startled at his voice.


    "Huh? What?" she asked confused, face once more turning red from embarrassment.


    "Pancakes. Does that sound good to you?" he asked with a smile.


    "Oh, pancakes. Yes, pancakes sound fine," she responded quickly.


    Luke nodded and turned to Penelope, "Well, you heard the lady. Pancakes it is. Oh, and a coffee, if you have it," he ordered.


    "Tea for me, thank you," Levy said quietly.


    "Alright, coming right up," Penelope said, making her way towards the kitchen to fulfill their order.


    Now that she was gone, a somewhat awkward silence filled the room. Luke wasn''t entirely sure what to say, having never really been alone with a girl like this before. Well, except for last night, but that felt different somehow.


    As for Levy, her mind was in a blur. "Is this a date!? I mean, it feels like a date. Two people, eating out in what could be considered a romantic little cafe. Well, romantic if you like old stuff I guess. Does he like old stuff? Should I ask him? But what if he thinks I sound stupid!? Ah, why is this so hard!"


    "So¡­ you mentioned last night you use Solid Script Magic right? Mind telling me a little more about it?" he asked, trying to ease the tension permeating the room. He figured asking a bunch of personal questions would only increase her anxiety, so he chose something a bit more neutral.


    Luke''s voice interrupted her spiraling thoughts. "Huh? My magic?" she asked, unsure of what he said. He gave her a nod, and an excited look appeared on his face. How could it not when magic was actually real now!


    "Yeah. You said you can turn words into magical effects, right? Like writing the word fire makes fire. Or am I wrong?" he asked. Levy seemed to relax a bit in her seat, and her eyes gained a bit of a sparkle to them.


    "Pretty much, yeah. Hang on, let me show you," she said. Using her finger, which glowed a dim, golden color as she channeled magic into it, she traced the word Breeze in the air. The letters seemed to come alive, turning into a light blue color before Luke felt a soft gust of air hitting his face.


    "Woah, neat. Does it always take the form of letters, or can you make it be something else?" he asked, once the breeze died down.


    "It doesn''t have to be letters, that''s just because it''s easier for me to visualize," she said with a smile.


    "I see. What about multiple words? Like, can you write out a descriptive paragraph and make that come to life?" he asked his next question.


    Levy gained a thoughtful look at that. "Theoretically yes, but it would take a tremendous amount of magical power. The more basic the word is, the less magic it takes," she informed.


    Luke nodded at that, his own face adopting a contemplative look. "I suppose there''s also power in that simplicity. Like writing the word cut. Short, sweet and to the point. But writing a detailed description of a sword, sharp enough to cut anything might pull the magic in multiple directions."


    "There''s some nuance to it, but yeah. Why bother with something like that when one word would get the job done?" she questioned, leaning towards Luke, fully immersed in the conversation.


    "But what about words that have similar meanings? Like, cut vs slice? Or, heat vs warmth?" he asked.


    "For the most part it doesn''t matter, it depends on my visualization. What matters more than the exact word is its importance to me and how well I can imagine it taking form," she said, thinking it over. "Maybe I should try some synonymous words? I haven''t really experimented with that much," she thought to herself. Though, any experimentation would have to wait until they returned to Fairy Tail.


    "I see. And what about the language it''s in? Does that have an effect?"


    Levy nodded, "That''s a good question. There''s actually two distinct types of Solid Script Magic, eastern and western. I use the western style. I can''t say for certain if one is stronger than the other, as I''ve never experimented with the eastern style," she said, once more taking on a contemplative look.


    "What about ancient languages that nobody uses anymore, or does the power increase with the commonality of the language used? What about using your own made up language, that way no one would know what you were saying until it was too late. Or¡­"


    The two of them continued to converse like this for several minutes, the earlier tension completely gone between the two, both of them speaking like they were old friends. They barely even noticed when Penelope brought them their drinks.


    However, they did notice the food when it was brought out. "Here you go, enjoy!" she said, leaving them with a plate of delicious looking pancakes. Each of them had a square of butter on them and they were practically drenched in syrup.


    Luke took a big whiff of the tantalizing aroma, feeling his mouth start to water. "Man, these look great. Thanks Penelope," he said, picking up his fork, an eager look in his eyes.


    "You''re welcome. If you need anything else, let me know," she said before making her way back towards the counter.


    The first bite nearly sent him to nirvana, as he let out an appreciative moan. Levy giggled at the euphoric look on his face. "Looks like somebody is enjoying themselves," she said with a smirk, seeing his cheeks covered in syrup.


    "What, they''re tasty. Take a bite, you''ll see what I''m talking about," Luke said, gesturing towards her own plate. Levy rolled her eyes, but acquiesced all the same. Once the fluffy goodness reached her tongue, she too let out a happy moan.


    "See, it''s not just me," Luke said with a laugh. Levy blushed a bit, but refused to dignify him with an answer, which only amused him more. The two ate in silence for a bit, savoring their meal, when Levy decided to ask a question of her own.


    "So, we talked about my magic, but what about yours?" she asked. Luke looked at her with cheeks filled with pancake, looking like a chubby faced chipmunk. She did her best to hold in the laughter, but some of it slipped out.


    "What about it?" he asked, somewhat confused. After all, it was just basic Light Magic, nothing overly special about it.


    "Well, what can you do with it?" she questioned, taking a drink of tea. She found the dark, bitter liquid paired rather well with the sweetness of the pancakes.


    "Um¡­ blow things up?" he said, getting a blank look from her.


    "Boys¡­" she huffed in an annoyed tone. But that response basically made him a shoo-in for the guild. That''s mostly what they did with their magic, even the ones that you wouldn''t think could cause explosions, they somehow found a way.


    Like ice. How in the world did Gray cause so many fires? It didn''t make any sense!


    Luke chuckled at her annoyed face. "Honestly, I only just started using it, so I''ve only really got the basics down," he answered truthfully, getting a curious look from Levy.


    "Really? Most people learn about their magic from a fairly early age, but you''re¡­"


    "Old?" he finished with a smirk.


    "I didn''t say that," she returned quickly.


    "But you were thinking it."


    "I was not."


    "You so were."


    "Prove it."


    Luke grinned before he adopted a pained look, throwing his arm across his forehead and crying in an overly dramatic voice, "Oh woe is me! To think such a beautiful maiden would cast such malicious aspersions on me! How will I ever recover from this unbearable torment?"


    "Oh, shut up!" Levy returned with a blush.


    Luke chuckled at her pouty look, finding it completely adorable. "Sorry Gajeel, but I''m not letting you have Levy. You''ll have to look elsewhere," he thought to himself. Hard to believe it was only day one and he was already planning to steal someone''s girl.


    Maybe Barbara was right and he really was a ladies man.


    "But to sate your curiosity, the reason is actually tied to my second magic. Or first, in this case," he said with a minor fib. Hopefully his explanation would be a good one.


    "Second magic," Levy asked, eyes brimming with a curious desire.


    "Mm-hm. It''s called Take Over: Seraph Soul. It allows me to use the power of angelic beings as my own. Once I got that, I found I could use Light Magic as well," he said.


    Levy''s mouth was wide open at that. Take Over Magic on its own was pretty rare and powerful, she had Mira and her siblings as proof of that, but she knew some were stronger than others. Mirajane''s Satan Soul was stronger than Elfman''s Beast Soul, for example. And given the name of his, it was likely to be in the upper tier.


    "Wow, I''ve never heard of Seraph Soul. How did you get that," she asked.


    "Ah, about that¡­" he said, rubbing the back of his head. Levy was confused by the reticence he showed in answering, but she didn''t want to push his buttons.


    "You don''t have to answer if you don''t want to," she said. Luke closed his eyes, contemplating what he should do. He didn''t want to lie to her, but he wasn''t sure he could tell her the whole truth either. So he needed to stick with something that was mostly true, just without all the details.


    "No, it''s fine. It''s just, I''m not sure you''ll believe me," he said.


    "Huh? Why?" Levy asked, now more curious than ever.


    "Well you see¡­ I kinda died."


    "...What!?"

 The Ruins of Phnom Nonh

    Luke walked some ways behind Levy as the two of them made their way towards the ruins of Phnom Nonh. They were a brisk 30 minute walk from the town, up a small sloping hill that led into the mountains.


    The road they were on was a simple, but well kept, dirt road, with pleasant rolling grasslands to either side of them. The birds chirped merrily in the morning sun as they chased each other through the sky. Small animals frolicked around the wildflowers, with a few stopping to stare at the pair curiously.


    It was quite the scenic route, but one they weren''t paying that much attention to. Levy was, for a lack of better terms, out of it. She walked towards their destination in a daze almost completely unaware of her surroundings.


    And Luke was too worried about the choice he made to enjoy the scenery much. The thoughts kept swirling around in his head, "Did I make the right choice? Should I have told her what I did?"


    But it was too late for regrets now. What''s done is done. He was never much of a liar, so he kept his story truthful, mostly, merely leaving out the part about him being from another world where she was a manga character and basically everything about Barbara.


    The story was rather simple. He died in a Magic Mobile accident, which is more or less true. He then met an angel who gave him Take Over magic, which was, again, more or less true. Because of his ability to Take Over Angels, that gave him access to Light Magic, which wasn''t as truthful as he would have liked. It boosted his Light Magic, but it didn''t grant it. That one you had to squint for.


    And finally he woke up in the woods, searching for the place he belonged, and that part was absolutely true.


    He did get a bit nervous, and melancholy, when she asked about his family, opting for a simple, "They''re not around anymore." Not a lie, it just implies something that may or may not be true.


    After that he paid for their meal, as it didn''t seem like she was in the right mind to do so. Guess returning to life after you died wasn''t common here. Actually, now he was hoping he hadn''t pissed off Ankhseram. That wasn''t something he particularly wanted to deal with.


    Which basically brought them to where they are now. Luke had decided to keep quiet and let her process things for herself. He was just glad she didn''t think he was a liar. That would have made it harder to steal her away from Gajeel.


    But he thought if those two could get together after what he did to her, then he could be forgiven for a little white lie here and there, even if the thought of lying to her made his stomach twist in knots.


    But eventually, they reached their destination. Luke''s eyes widened at the sight of the ruins. The entrance itself was built into the side of the mountain, with old, rough stone carving out an entrance. On either side were what appeared to be pictures carved into the mountain itself, though what they were supposed to be, Luke had no idea. Time had taken that secret with it to the grave.


    "Woah Levy, look at that," Luke said for the first time in a while. His voice finally snapped her out of her stupor as she looked up at the ruins herself. Her eyes lit up and she felt excitement build up in her chest, completely forgetting about her existential crisis.


    There would be plenty of time for that later


    "Alright, we made it! Come on, let''s go!" she shouted, grabbing his hand and dragging him towards the entrance. It seemed like getting dragged places was something he was going to have to get used to with her.


    Not that he particularly minded. Her hands were very soft.


    The pair entered the ruins, the stone making them up a dull golden color. The only light in the room came from the entranceway, illuminating an otherwise dark room. Honestly, as interesting as it was to be inside of an actual ruin, there was nothing of real note inside the first room.


    He figured there would be an info plate or something, explaining the history of the ruins, maybe some Light Lacrima, so they could see. But nope, just ruins. Levy did say that they were doing some renovation to make it more accessible to the public, so maybe they just came at a bad time?


    That being said, there was a doorway to the right, which looked like it curved to the left and went down. "So, I take it the wall you need to translate is further down?" Luke asked, looking around the room, trying to find any mysterious writing but finding nothing.


    "Yep. They uncovered another room when someone knocked over a wall or something," she explained as they made their way towards the right exit. Part of him wanted to ask if it was someone from Fairy Tail who did it, but restrained himself.


    "I see," Luke said, as the two of them stared at the pitch black starway that led downwards. Levy used her magic, writing the word, Light in the air. Once she was done, it let off a bright, golden light, letting them see the way forward.


    "That should do it. You ready?" she asked, looking at her companion. She was still a bit unnerved by his story, but now was not the time to dwell on it. She had a job to do, and she couldn''t do it distracted.


    Luke turned to her with an excited gleam in his eyes, practically vibrating in place. "Of course! My first Quest; this is so exciting!"


    Levy giggled, previous thoughts about his circumstances removed from her mind. "He looks like a little kid about to go into a candy store." she thought. He was probably going to be disappointed by the end of it, as there probably wasn''t much for him to do, but she could let him have this moment.


    "Alright, then what are we waiting for," she said with an equal grin, his excitement rubbing off on her. Or perhaps it was merely her previous enthusiasm returning. She was pretty excited for this after all.


    The two of them descended into the darkness, guided by Levy''s spell. The stairs were rough and uneven, showing the years of decay that affected them. As they traveled further down into the ruins a slight chill hung in the air.


    Levy shivered slightly, lamenting her choice of wardrobe. Even though it was the end of spring and thus, fairly moderate in temperature, she didn''t take into consideration the temperature inside the ruins themselves. A minor, if amateurish mistake. All she really needed to do was use her magic to create warmth and problem solved.


    But before she could do so, a weight fell across her shoulders. Surprised, she looked down and found a familiar coat wrapped around her. It was so big it almost looked like a dress on her, not to mention warm. Levy found herself drawing it closer to her body subconsciously.


    Shifting her gaze to the man beside her, she noticed, unsurprisingly, that he was now bereft of jacket. "Luke, why did you-I mean, won''t you get cold?" she asked. He turned to her with a smile.


    "I''ll be fine, guys like the cold. Besides, that''s the whole reason we wear jackets in the first place."


    "Huh, what is?" she asked, confused. Weren''t jackets to keep you warm? Or used as a fashion statement?


    "We wear them so if a pretty girl gets cold, we can warm them up," he said, making her blush, which had the added benefit of raising her body temperature even more.


    "Oh, I see," she responded, unsure of what else to say, turning away from him with a blush on her face. She didn''t think that was the actual reason, but the sentiment was nice all the same. She also thought of telling him about her spell, but felt that would be spitting on his gesture.


    The two continued the rest of the way in comfortable silence. Luke was admiring the ruins he found himself in, feeling like he was Indiana Jones about to rob some ancient civilization.


    To preserve history, of course. As long as some giant boulder didn''t come looking for revenge, he would be fine.


    After nearly a full minute of walking, the pair found themselves at the bottom, greeted by a short hallway leading them into another room. They continued forward, into the unknown, unable to prevent themselves from stopping and staring at what awaited them.


    The room itself was very similar to the one above, only with some extra images carved into the walls. However, the most interesting thing by far was the massive tapestry on the other side of the room, hanging from the wall.


    On itt was a picture of a woman in an ornate red dress, sitting on a throne. She has long blonde hair and ruby colored lips curved back into a small smile. Behind her appears to be a garden, though it was hard to tell with the state of the fabric. In the right corner was a tear. Not a very big one, and certainly not something that detracted from the masterpiece in front of them.


    "Woah¡­" Luke muttered, unable to keep his eyes off the thing. It was as if he discovered the Mona Lisa. Whoever made it was a truly gifted artist.


    "You said it," Levy agreed, admiring the tapestry as well.


    The two approached, but for some reason, Luke felt like he was being watched. Or more accurately, like Levy was being watched. But there was no one around but themselves, unless¡­


    He looked at the tapestry with suspicion, before dismissing the thought. "Come on, this isn''t some haunted mansion you''re in. Get it together."


    "According to legend, her name is Anastasia, the lover of King Dorian. Apparently their torrid love affair brought down the entire kingdom, or so it goes," Levy said, gently running her hands across the fabric.


    "How did that happen?" Luke asked, getting a shrug from Levy.


    "No one really knows. Most believe the queen cast a terrible curse due to losing the king''s affections Others believe it was Anastasia herself that did it, seducing the king to gain power," she explained.


    "I can see that," Luke said, looking back up at the painting.


    "Oh, why is that? Is it because she''s pretty?" Levy asked, a sly look on her face.


    "Something like that. Though she''s only the second prettiest girl I''ve seen in these ruins," Luke said, giving Levy a smirk. It took her a moment to understand what he meant, but when she did, her face turned atomic red.


    "You¡­ I¡­Ugh, nevermind, let''s just go," she said, unable to find the words. Luke followed after her with a chuckle as she led them towards the wall on the left, one with a large, gaping hole in it.


    "This is the room I take it?" Luke asked after they squeezed inside. The room itself was smaller than the one behind them, though not by much. Numerous carvings that looked like words of some kind covered every inch of the room.


    "Yep. Apparently, they have no idea what anything in here says. The dialect is something completely different than the one they used in this area. But I should be able to figure something out," Levy said, inspecting the walls.


    Her small and dainty fingers traced the carvings as she mumbled to herself. After doing this with several of the carvings, she held out her hand. A few seconds later there was a flash of light as a book materialized out of nowhere.


    "Woah, what was that?" Luke asked when the light died down.


    "Requip Magic. I asked Erza to teach me so I could carry my books with me," Levy said, already flipping through the pages, wearing a pair of glasses that she most certainly didn''t have before.


    Letters seemed to fly off the pages towards her, and she seemed to be reading faster than any human being alive. That''s when Luke remembered what they were. Gale-Force Reading Glasses, a magic time that lets someone read many times faster than they would ordinarily be able to.


    Besides being in awe at seeing the item, he couldn''t help but think about how good she looked in them. The whole librarian look really suited her. Maybe if he borrowed a book from her and returned it late, she would have to punish him.


    "Gah, no! Bad thoughts, bad thoughts! Now is not the time to get distracted by a sexy day dream. You have a job to do, and that''s to watch Levy!" he chastised himself. But as soon as he realized what his job description really was, he knew he was in trouble.


    How could he not get caught up in a day dream when such a pretty girl was reading and chewing on her bottom lip like that? He was only a man, damn it!


    He watched as Levy seemingly finished reading through the book before she pulled out another one, eyes moving between the book and the writings on the wall. Her mouth moved up and down as she read, tucking her hair behind her head as she did so.


    Honestly, Luke wouldn''t have minded watching her the whole time. But he thought it might be better to make use of this time, rather than waste it being a creep. With that in mind, he moved back away from the beautiful, blue haired girl and sat down cross legged. He could still watch her from the position, and he''d be able to practice with his magic.


    The torture device he was strapped into before may have given him the basics of how to use his magic, but that was all it did. If he wanted to improve on his skill, then he needed to put in some serious elbow grease.


    So, with one last look at Levy, he gathered his magic into his hand and formed a ball. The golden orb gently bounced up and down in his hand, and he couldn''t help but admire it.


    Magic was amazing. There was simply no other way to put it. The feeling of having this power at his fingertips was exhilarating. It made him understand supervillains. Having something like this under your command, it would be hard to resist the siren''s call to rob a bank or two.


    Luckily, the siren currently tempting him was a cute nerdy little thing without an ounce of malice in her entire body. As long as he felt the pull towards her, he figured he wouldn''t go off the megalomaniacal deep end.


    That being said, what''s the first thing he should try? While he was walking to Amaranth, he did play with his magic a bit, shooting off balls of light and laser beams into the forest and countryside. He even managed to hit an adorable little bunny.


    Don''t judge, it was an accident. Honestly, it was probably one of those rabbits in a suicide death cult. He was aiming a ball of light towards a boulder in the distance, when the brown rabbit jumped right out from behind it into the line of fire.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    So you see, he clearly wanted to die.


    However, that was neither here nor there. The point is, he has the basics pretty much down pat, so what could he do to practice? After thinking for a bit, he came up with some ideas. The first thing he would do is control the amount of light produced.


    So far, every time he''s used his magic, the brightness has only been on one level. If he could control how bright it is, he could replicate one of the best utility attacks in Dragon Ball.


    The Solar Flare!


    That thing got them out of so much trouble it isn''t even funny, and hopefully, it would do the same for him. With that in mind he began to get to work. Luckily, his conversation with Levy earlier gave him a pretty good idea of how to go about it. The key was visualization.


    Levy said her magic worked best using words she could visualize the effects for, so maybe it would be the same for him. He started by trying to make the light dimmer. Sure his goal was a bright, blinding flash of light to sear agony into his enemies eyeballs, but if he could figure out how to dim it, then doing the opposite shouldn''t be too hard.


    However, it turned out to be more complicated than he first thought. He tried reducing the amount of magic he put into the ball, and while that did have the effect of lowering the brightness, it also made the ball smaller, which is not what he was going for. He had to figure out how to keep the ball the same size while altering the level of brightness.


    Turns out, that was much more difficult.


    Levy looked up from her work once she noticed the extra light in the room. She saw Luke, concentrating on a ball of light, floating above his hand, and tried not to laugh at the sight of his face.


    Apparently, his concentration face included sticking the tip of his tongue out of his mouth. It was just so out of place with his bad boy aesthetic, that she couldn''t help but giggle. She felt his jacket wrapped around her shoulders and couldn''t help but pull it closer to herself with a smile.


    Even if he was some kind of zombie or ghost, he still had a kind soul. Seeing his magic reminded her of that. Though she could barely feel the protective warmth from here, she remembered what it felt like, and it put her mind at ease.


    Not to mention that without his jacket, she could see just how big and strong he actually was. She didn''t pay much attention to it earlier, as they were walking down the stairs, but now she found it hard to look away. His shirt clung to his frame in all the right ways, making her mind wander to naughtier and naughtier territories.


    Like this one book series she liked about a pair of treasure hunters. In the third book, things took a turn for the spicy, as the two main characters made graphic love while inside a temple ruins.


    Kind of like they were right now.


    Face turning so red she nearly created a third light source in the room, Levy slapped herself in the cheeks. "Get a hold of yourself girl! Now is not the time to be thinking about that! You have work to do," she chastised herself. Once her imagination was back under control, she gave the boy across from her one more look before continuing in her work.


    And that''s how the pair spent the next several hours. Luke was eventually able to control the level of the brightness of his magic by picturing the ball on a dimmer switch. The goal now was to train it enough that it became second nature, without having to concentrate so hard on the imagery.


    But for now he decided to switch up his control exercises. His second idea was to control the magic while he moved it about the room. The further away from him the magic was, the harder to control, and while he couldn''t practice too extensively, as they were indoors, it was still a good way to get a fundamental understanding of what to do.


    Once he could do that, he started trying to control multiple orbs at once. Dimming them and brightening them as they floated around the room. He stopped after three, figuring that was pretty good for now, but eventually, he wanted to control dozens, or even hundreds of them at once.


    He took a small break after that to recharge, taking the opportunity to watch Levy work for a bit. She was now surrounded by dozens of books, and was clearly in her own little world, writing things down in a book as she slowly deciphered the text.


    Luke couldn''t help but smile when he saw her wrapping his jacket around her tighter as she moved about, making sure it stayed on her body at all times. Gave him a pleasant tingling feeling, one that he couldn''t explain. It wasn''t sexual, as he knew what that particular tingling felt like, but beyond that, he couldn''t place it.


    After about twenty minutes of Levy watching, Luke went back to work practicing his magic. Now that he could control the brightness and move multiple balls of light around at once, he thought now would be a good time to try and change the size of the balls. Eventually he wanted to be able to change the shape themselves, so this felt like a good place to start.


    However, doing so without altering the amount of magic he was putting into it was nearly impossible. Making the orbs smaller wasn''t so difficult in the end, as the magic itself simply became concentrated. Making it smaller without concentrating the magic would simply force the magic to leak out of the orb itself.


    He stopped after a bit, as holding the concentrated ball of energy became too difficult, even more so than when he tried the Kamehameha. He didn''t want to risk an accident while they were so far underground.


    Similarly, trying to make it bigger without adding more magic proved fairly fruitless as well. He could do it to a certain extent, but the magic would eventually become too thin to hold the form, dissipating into the air.


    It wasn''t exactly what he wanted, but it did help him understand the limits of his magic, something his forced education didn''t really provide.


    The last thing he wanted to try while he was here was changing the light''s color. So far, whenever he uses light magic, it''s always a golden color, except for when he used the Kamehameha, which was the appropriate blue. This was likely down to visualization as well.


    This was both easier and harder to accomplish than anything else. Visualizing the changing colors was the easy part, but in order to actually change the magic''s color, he needed to overcome the will of the magic itself.


    You see, light magic naturally wanted to be a bright, golden sheen. That was its ordinary color. So to alter it required a will stronger than the magic''s itself. And while difficult, it wasn''t as impossible as it sounded.


    Light, being on a spectrum, could be any number of colors, depending on its wavelength. So to change it, Luke essentially needed to change the frequency of the magic itself, tuning it to the wavelength of the desired color. This came naturally when he attempted Goku''s most famous attack, but with a random ball of floating magical power, well¡­


    That took a bit more work.


    But he did it. After hours of trying, he managed to change it to blue, red, green, purple, and pink. Perhaps next he could try making one rainbow colored, but for now, he was satisfied.


    His stomach, however, was not. It growled loudly at him, like a hungry wolf looking for its next meal.


    "Geez, how long have we been down here?" he asked himself, standing up and stretching his stiff body. He then looked over to where Levy was and couldn''t help but sweat drop.


    She had surrounded herself with so many books it looked like she was trying to make a fort out of them. Above her, still shining brightly, was the word Light. It was pretty impressive that she was able to keep the spell up for so long.


    As he approached her, he could hear her muttering to herself. Things like, "No, that''s not it," or "Does that go there, or¡­" It was cute, but he hungered, and his tum-tum would not be denied sustenance.


    "Levy, I think it''s time for a lunch break, we''ve been down here for awhile," Luke said. However, seeing as Levy was deep into he work, he was ignored completely.


    "Levy, yoohoo. Anybody home?" he asked, waving his hand in front of her face. But all he got for his efforts was her smacking it away, not even bothering to look in his direction.


    "Man, she wasn''t kidding when she said she got absorbed in her work. How am I supposed to snap her out of it?" he pondered, trying to think of how to get her attention. While thinking about this, he happened to notice the glasses that were still resting on her face, and that gave him an idea.


    He snuck up behind her, carefully avoiding her expensive looking books. He did not want to pay for those should he damage them. Once he was within about an arms length, he placed his hands over her eyes, completely blinding her.


    "Guess who?" he whispered in her ear. He expected to startle her a bit, maybe make her jump and make a cute squeaking noise. But no, that is not how things went down. For all her adorableness, there is one thing that Luke forgot.


    Levy is a Fairy Tail Wizard. And when a Fairy Tail Wizard is startled, they reacted with violence.


    "Hah!" Levy shouted, slamming the back of her head into Luke''s nose. He let out a cry of anguish as he flopped backwards, holding his bloody nose in his hands.


    "Luke, are you ok!? What were you thinking?" she asked, quickly making her way over to him. Thankfully he didn''t land on any of her books, but the ground didn''t feel much better.


    "I thought it was about time for a lunch break, but no matter what I tried I couldn''t get your attention," Luke explained, as Levy knelt down beside him.


    "You should know better than to sneak up on a girl like that. Now move your hand, let me see," she said, gently moving his hand away from his face.


    "I''ll keep that in mind," he said.


    "Well, I don''t think it''s broken at least. Hang on," she said, before writing the word Bandage in the air, which promptly turned into bandages made of the word bandage and wrapped themselves around his face.


    "There you go, all better," she said in a chipper tone. Luke merely gave her a deadpan stare, causing her to look away nervously. It was at that moment her stomach gurgled loudly, reminding them of the reason for Luke''s injury.


    "Guess you were hungry after all. Come on, let''s get something to eat. But you''re paying this time," Luke said, standing up. He held out his hand for Levy to take, which she gratefully did.


    "I suppose that''s fair. You did pay for breakfast. Just give me a minute to gather my things," she said, placing all her books back in her Requip space. Once that was done, the two made their way out of the room, past the painting, and back up the stairs.


    "I hope you weren''t too bored down there," Levy said, as the two of them walked side by side up the long stairway.


    "Not at all. It let me get some good practice in. Plus, it was nice seeing you at work," he said, turning to give her a smile. The effect was ruined a bit by the bloody, word bandages wrapped around his head, but her cheeks still turned a bit pink from the compliment.


    "I''m glad. Jet and Droy always complain about being bored, so I was a bit worried," she said, feeling down about her current situation with her friends.


    "Well, I wasn''t bored at all. So don''t worry that pretty little head of yours," he said.


    "Thanks," she said, giving him a grateful smile. Luke then asked about what she''s discovered so far, which led to an animated discussion that he could barely follow. But her happy, excited face was just too cute to interrupt.


    As they were leaving the ruins, another group was approaching. Two men and a woman, dressed in rather plain clothes. Levy, seeing the rough look of the men, stopped talking and moved closer to Luke, something he was not opposed to.


    The closeness, not the silence.


    The group gave them dirty looks, and as they were passing each other, one of the guys decided to shoulder check Luke.


    "Hey, watch it asshole," he said, turning around and giving the man a glare. The other group stopped and turned to him, venomous looks on their faces.


    "What? You say something sweetheart?" said the guy. Taking a step towards Luke, trying to intimidate him. Only, he wasn''t very intimidating.


    "You heard me. Watch we''re your going, asshole," Luke said, getting right up in the man''s face. Levy watched this with concern, hoping that it didn''t end up in a brawl. The chances of that were low, considering Luke was planning on joining the guild, and they would absolutely start a fight.


    "Or what, pretty boy?" sneered the other man.


    "Show him who''s boss Bazz!" shouted his buddy from behind, making him smirk.


    "Come on, Luke, he''s not worth it," Levy said, pulling on his shirt. Her efforts to diffuse the situation only brought the asshole''s attention to her.


    "Aw, is this your little girlfriend? She''s not bad lookin. Bit bland in the chest area though. Not like my girl. Right proper pair of whoppers she''s got. But you''re in luck. You see, my pal back there loves a girl with small bangers. How about it love, why don''t you give us a twirl, let us see what we''re working with, eh?" Bazz said with a lascivious look on his face, while his cronies cackled with delight.


    "Yeah, what he said. Let''s see what kind of meat you''re packin'' in your backseat girly!" shouted the other man. Luke looked about ready to clobber them good, when he felt Levy''s grip tighten around his shirt. Looking back, he saw her face overcome with shadows, a palpable aura of rage surrounding her.


    "Luke¡­" she said, in a quiet tone devoid of emotion.


    "Y-yeah?" he responded, a bit freaked out by the anger he felt rolling off of her. Hard to believe this is what the sweet and shy Levy has been reduced to.


    "Forget about what I said earlier. Pulverize him," she said, lifting her head up, eyes lit up with the flames of wrath. Rather than being rightly intimidated by the short, infuriated girl, they only started to laugh.


    "Pulverize us? This little twink? You must be having a laugh," Bazz quipped, getting another round of chuckles from his pals. It was kind of hard for Luke to believe that the chick with them was going along with it, but he guessed she was just that type of bitch.


    "Oh don''t worry, I''m laughing, just not for the reason you think," Luke said with a happy grin.


    "Huh, what you goin on abou-"


    But Bazz didn''t get to finish his sentence as Luke punched him in the jaw, sending him to the floor.


    "Bazz! Now you''re gonna get it!" shouted his pal, who rushed towards him. Luke and Levy separated, so he could take on the guys, while Levy dealt with the woman.


    "I''m going to enjoy ruining that pretty little face of yours you skank," said the woman with the right proper pair of whoppers. Levy''s eye twitched as she watched those things jiggle around with every movement the other woman made, no matter how small.


    "And I''ll show you bigger isn''t always better," Levy growled, as the two began circling the other. She could have just used her magic, but doing so on untrained civilians who didn''t have magic was frowned upon.


    Besides, she didn''t need it to take her out.


    Luke watched the second guy running at him, feeling completely calm. In the few fights he''s ever been in, he''s always felt this kind of¡­ manic energy, almost like electricity coursing through his veins. But right here, right now, he didn''t feel any of that.


    Guy number 2 took a wild swing, with Luke merely stepping to the side, kicking his foot out and tripping the guy, sending him to the floor like his friend. He landed with a grunt, before quickly getting to his feet, standing right alongside Bazz.


    "That''s it! You''re going to get it now!" Bazz shouted, as he and his friend once more attacked him. But just like the last time, it was completely ineffective. Luke twisted out of the way of the first punch while sliding under the second one, looking for all the world like he was in a dance.


    But the two didn''t stop. Bazz through another punch that Luke slapped out of the way, with his friend doing the same. Only this time, Luke caught his arm, and held it straight, twisting his body and throwing the guy into Bazz, sending them both sprawling to the ground again.


    Honestly, Luke was starting to feel like he was in a Jackie Chan movie, and he was Jackie Chan.


    "Don''t think you''ve won yet you cockwomble! Oi, Nevan! You attack from the left, and I''ll get him from the right," Bazz said. Luke scratched his cheek with his index finger, confused as to why they would shout out their plan like that.


    Whatever, not like it would work anyway.


    The two attacked once more and Luke danced out of the between their attacks. He was a bit surprised by how easy he found the whole thing. "Is it because of my new body?" he thought, continuing to avoid the attacks. After doing this for a bit, he maneuvered himself so Nevan was behind him, and Bazz was in front.


    When Bazz ran up to try and punch him again, Luke kicked some dirt in his eye, blinding him. "Cor, you bloomin cheater!" Bazz shouted, taking wild swings, with one of his punches actually landing.


    "Hah, take that you bloody twat!" Bazz shouted, a big grin on his face. He blinked his eyes rapidly, clearing out the dirt. When his vision cleared, his eyes widened in shock and outrage. Who he thought was Luke, was actually Nevan. What was worse was that Luke was holding Nevan''s head, meaning he forced Bazz to hit his own mate!


    Nevan fell to the ground, eyes white and clearly unconscious. Luke whistled in appreciation, "Woah man, nice punch," he said, giving Bazz a wide grin and a thumbs up. But his honest compliment was taken the wrong way, further engaging Bazz.


    "You dirty muppet! I''ll make you pay for that!" he shouted, rushing him. But Luke had grown tired of this kung fu action flick. When Bazz was close enough, he grabbed him by the arm, flipping him over and slamming him into the ground.


    Bazz instantly felt all the air leave his lungs. He laid on the ground, unable to get up, all his effort going into his next breath. However, Luke had no intentions of allowing him to recover, grabbing the downed man by the shirt and lifting his torso off the ground.


    "Maybe now you''ll learn how to speak to a lady," Luke said, before slamming his fist into Bazz''s face, sending him into la-la land as well. He stared at his hand for a moment, clenching and unclenching it, marveling at his new strength.


    "Well, that takes care of that," Luke said, dusting his hands off with a satisfied smile. "Wonder how Levy''s doing?"


    He turned to the other fight just as it was winding down. The big tittied girl was breathing heavy, small scuff marks marring her face, while Levy looked as cool as a cucumber, not a hair out of place and her breathing completely even.


    The other women took a swipe at the blue haired girl, who danced out of the way, sliding behind Miss Boobies. She wrapped her hands around the waist, and then, much to Luke''s surprise, proceeded to pick up the bigger girl and give her a German Suplex.


    Tits McGee hit the ground hard, her massive mammaries slamming into her own face, the consciousness immediately leaving her body. Levy let go of her and she fell to the floor. Levy then picked herself up and dusted herself off. However, a noise caught her attention.


    "Woo, encore, encore!" Luke shouted, clapping his hands and whistling at her. Levy''s face turned beat red as she glared at him.


    "Will you stop that! I didn''t even want to fight them!" she shouted with a pout. All this time, she thought herself above the violent antics of her guild, that she was the calm and collected one, but one little insult and she''s ready to throw hands.


    "Hey neither did I, but it was pretty damn hot to watch you put her in her place like that," Luke said, giving her a grin. This made Levy blush even more as she hid her face in her hands.


    "I can''t believe I just did that¡­" she cried. Luke just chuckled and walked over to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.


    "There, there, it''ll be ok. You were just standing up for yourself, nothing wrong with that," Luke consoled, making Levy look up at him.


    "Really?"


    "Really. And just think what an awesome story this will make for everyone in the guild! Cute little Levy, suplexing a stuck up bitch. They''ll love it!"


    "Don''t you dare tell them!" Levy threatened, as the two of them began to walk back towards the town, Luke''s arm still around her.


    "Aw, why not? You were awesome!"


    "I''m warning you¡­"


    "Are you going to suplex me if I do?"


    "I just might!"


    "Ooh, threaten me with a good time, why don''t you?"


    "Ugh, you''re impossible."


    The two continued walking down the vibrant mountain path, lightly bickering with each other the whole way, small smiles on each of their faces. Little did they know what troubles would await them upon their return.

 Broken Seal

    Luke and Levy made their way back towards the ruins after having lunch at the same little cafe as earlier. Both of them were in a pretty good mood all things considered. The fight with the Bazz and his merry band of jackasses far from their minds.


    They did take notice that they weren''t there anymore. Levy just hoped they weren''t in the ruins themselves, not wanting to deal with them again. But Luke just told her if they tried anything, she could just suplex them.


    She did not find that amusing.


    The two descended back into the darkness, with Luke offering to guide the way with his magic this time. "It''s light magic, it was made for this," he told her, which she rolled her eyes at but didn''t argue.


    For some reason, the path leading down felt even colder than last time, making Levy very grateful for the oversized jacket she still had draped around her shoulders. It was pretty embarrassing when Penelope, the proprietress of the cafe teased her about it. She tried to return it to him then, but he said he''d just have to give it back to her when they came back here, so he refused, taking great delight in her embarrassed face.


    She also asked about the bandages on his face, asking if he got too handsy with her, which he jokingly admitted to, much to her mortification. Penelope at least got a laugh out of it. Honestly, the woman reminded her of Cana. She would have teased her about it too.


    The temperature continued to drop the deeper they went, and Levy felt herself shivering even with the jacket. Looking over at Luke, she was surprised to see him relatively unbothered by the frigid air. That, or he was just really good at hiding it.


    "Hey Levy. Is it just me, or does something not feel quite right to you?" he asked, a nervous expression on his face, one mirrored by Levy.


    "Yeah, it''s way too cold. Maybe someone cast a spell to make it colder as a prank?" she suggested, not really believing her own words. But a girl can dream, can''t she?


    "Yeah, maybe¡­" Luke responded, trying to see anything through the gloom that would indicate a threat. He sent another ball of light down the path, hoping that he wouldn''t spot anything amiss.


    To his relief, there was nothing. It was the same old staircase as last time. But if that was the case, why was it so cold? Could it really be someone''s idea of a prank?


    As the two neared the bottom, unknown to them, a shadowy tendril was lying in wait. As Levy went to take another step, it grabbed her by the ankle, tripping her.


    "Ah!" she screamed in surprise, as she started falling down the stairs. Luke, who heard her shout, reacted almost immediately, jumping forwards and wrapping his arms around Levy, shielding her body as they tumbled down the stairs.


    Luckily, they weren''t too far from the bottom, but that didn''t mean it wasn''t painful. The two landed with a grunt, with Levy on top of Luke.


    "Ow, what happened¡­ Oh my gosh, Luke! Are you ok?" she asked in a panic, staring down at the man. He groaned in response, opening his eyes to see a pair of bright hazel eyes staring at him in concern.


    "I wanted you to fall for me, but that''s not exactly what I had in mind," he snarked, much to her embarrassment. "What about you? You didn''t get hurt, did you?" he asked. She shook her head, blue hair flopping all around her as some of it had escaped the bandana during the fall.


    "No, I''m fine. Thanks to you," she said, her eyes displaying gratitude as she gave him a smile, even as the red from his comment faded from her cheeks.


    "I''m glad," he said, returning her smile.


    The two continued to stare at each other for a while before realizing the compromising position they were in. Luke was on his back, with Levy right on top of him, his arms wrapped around her small waist and their legs intertwined. Levy''s face turned scarlet, and it suddenly felt a bit warmer in the ruins.


    "Ah, I''m sorry!" she shouted, leaping off of him. Luke just blinked in astonishment. One second she was there and the next she seemingly disappeared. He was a bit disappointed at the loss of contact, as the petite girl was rather warm. And soft. And she smelled good too.


    Ok, so maybe he just liked having a pretty girl on top of him! Sue him for it, why don''t ya!


    Luke sat up, looking at Levy who was turned away from him with her hands on her cheeks. He chuckled at her embarrassment, standing up. "Nothing to apologize for Levy. I''m sorry for getting handsy with you again. But please, don''t headbutt me this time," he joked.


    She turned to look at him, face still red. "I make no promises," she joked, making them both laugh. "But seriously though, thanks for catching me," she said, giving him a sweet smile.


    "Anytime Levy. But what happened?" he asked, making Levy shrug.


    "I don''t know. Must have tripped on something I guess."


    "I see," he mumbled, but with no better explanation, he let it be. "Well whatever. Nobody got hurt and that''s what''s important. Now, I think you have some work to do," he said, making her eyes widen in realization, a tangible feeling of excitement filling her up and making her forget all about falling down the stairs and the chill that still lingered in the air.


    "Right! Come on, let''s go! That room isn''t going to translate itself," she shouted, grabbing him by the hand and dragging him towards the connected room.


    "If it did that, you''d be out of a job," he joked, letting himself once more be dragged by the short girl. As this was happening he couldn''t help but give the room a suspicious glance. He couldn''t put his finger on it, but something just didn''t feel right. Almost like they were being watched.


    "Woman¡­"


    Hopefully it was nothing.


    Once they were inside, Levy started pulling out book after book from her Requip space, once more making herself a fort. Luke snorted at the scene, before making his way over to the other side of the room, right where he was before.


    "Now, how should I play with my magic this time?" he thought, as the two settled in for the next round of translation work.


    The hours ticked by, with Luke figuring out how to reshape his magic. He took a ball of light, and managed to stretch it into the form of a staff. The tricky part was getting it to hold its new shape, as it kept wanting to spring back into being a ball.


    Once he did that, he mostly just played around with his other exercises, becoming more and more familiar with his magic and the way it behaved. He still had a long way to go, but he was satisfied with what he accomplished in a day.


    Levy herself had moved almost all the way around the room by this point, leaving a trail of books on her wake. It was slightly amusing, and he knew how we would lead her into a trap should he ever need it. Like an episode of Family Guy.


    "Ooh, a book!"


    "Ooh, a book!"


    "Ooh, a book!"


    Slam, trapped in a cage!


    But while she finished up the last of the translating, Luke started to clean up her mess, putting all the books in a pile. He tried reading them, but they were all either in different languages, or they were dictionaries between languages.


    Not exactly the most exciting books to read. Maybe he should have asked if she had any good fiction books he could read? Possibly one of the dirty ones that Erza liked.


    But with her mess all tidied, he didn''t have much to do now, so he thought, "Let''s see how many pushups I can do!"


    The answer, not nearly as many as he was hoping. While his new body was much stronger than his old one, it was still relatively untrained. But he did manage to get around 120 before he collapsed, so at least he had a benchmark to go on now.


    Luke wasn''t sure what time it was, but he could feel the familiar rumble of his tummy and figured it had been another several hours since they came down here. He''d spent the last hour throwing a ball of light against the wall and catching it, like it was made of rubber.


    Did he accidentally figure out how to change another property of his magic without trying to because he was bored? Yes, yes he did. Did he realize that? No, not really.


    He looked over at Levy, seeing that she had almost come full circle around the room. It shouldn''t be much longer now until she either had a full translation, or at the very least copied everything down so she could work on it somewhere more comfortable.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Come to think of it, that would have been a good idea. Why didn''t she just do that? Maybe she liked being in the ruins? Like it gets her into the right headspace to translate or something.


    "I got it! Man, that was fun!" Levy said with a wide grin on her face. She then stood up and stretched, before looking over at an amused Luke.


    "What? What''s with that grin?" Levy asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Luke adopted an innocent expression, pointing at himself as if to ask, "Who, me?"


    "Yes you! Don''t try to act all innocent," Levy said, pouting. Luke just chuckled, standing up himself.


    "Geez, you act like I was plotting something. I just thought it was cute how much fun you had translating, that''s all," he said, making her blush in embarrassment.


    "Not to mention the trail of books you left in your wake," he added, smirking.


    "Keep that up and I won''t tell you what the writing said," Levy threatened, turning around with a huff. Luke shook his head at her antics. For such a bookworm, she sure could be demanding.


    "Ok, ok, I''m sorry. You''re not a messy translator at all, and I certainly didn''t pick up dozens of books so you wouldn''t step on them. Now can you please tell me what was written here?" he asked.


    "Geez, what kind of apology was that?" Levy asked, turning back around. She wasn''t really upset with him, and was thankful he made sure her books were safe. She was tired of cleaning off her own footprints from them. Some of them were pretty old.


    And expensive.


    "Well, if you''re that curious, I guess I can tell you," Levy said, making a big deal about the reveal, even though it was very clear she was eager to talk about it.


    "The whole thing is actually a warning. It tells a tale of the woman from the painting, Anastasia, taking in a pet, one that had the ability to possess people. It was this pet of hers that actually caused the collapse of the ancient kingdom that used to reside here," she said, her face adopting a serious expression.


    Luke found himself intrigued by the story, his mind wandering to what kind of animal could do that. "Does it describe what the animal looked like?" he asked, hoping for some more clues.


    Levy nodded, happy to see him so interested in the story. "It''s described only as being ape like, with long arms and stubby legs."


    "Wait, you mean her pet was a Vulcan?" he asked, stunned. Who in their right mind kept a Vulcan as a pet? Let alone a woman?


    "That was my first guess too. It speaks of it possessing the king in order to make the woman fall in love with him. When that didn''t work, he unleashed his rage on the kingdom, destroying it. The last thing it says is that they sealed it away, but I have no idea how or where," she finished.


    "Damn, that''s some serious jealousy right there. To destroy a whole kingdom just because of one rejection? Pretty messed up¡­" Luke said. Not to mention powerful. He didn''t remember Vulcans being that big of a threat in the show, and the simulated one he fought wasn''t that tough. That king must have been one hell of a wizard.


    "I know right? There''s also a warning about not releasing it, but seeing as it doesn''t say where it is, that''s not very helpful," Levy muttered, seemingly annoyed by the lack of information.


    Just then his stomach reminded him of the time. Like a sneeze, as soon as his started making a fuss, Levy''s joined in as well, singing a pitiful duet together.


    "And that''s our cue to leave. We can come back tomorrow to make sure you didn''t miss anything," Luke suggested, getting a happy smile from Levy. Usually when she was done with a job like this, Jet and Droy were begging her to leave. It was nice having someone willing to spend their time on the things she liked.


    "That sounds good to me. I''ll just pick up my stuff and we can go," she said, a beaming grin on her face.


    "You mean your mess?" Luke asked with a grin.


    "Not a mess!"


    After Levy finished putting her numerous books away, they made their way out of the room and back into the one with the tapestry. Doing so, however, allowed them to feel just how much colder it was. So cold, they could see the mist from their breaths.


    "Ok, what is going on? No way that''s normal," Levy said, stepping closer to Luke, looking around the room with a feeling of trepidation. He felt the same way, but as his eyes landed on the tapestry itself, they widened in disbelief.


    "Levy, does the tapestry look different to you?" he asked. Her eyes swiveled to it, not quite able to believe what she was seeing.


    "That''s¡­ but how?" she asked in fear. Where there was once a beautiful blonde woman in a red dress, there was now a woman with auburn hair wearing a very plain shirt and white pants.


    "That''s the woman you suplexed. The one with the right propper pair of whoppers," Luke whispered, making Levy turn to him with a glare.


    "That''s the part you remember?" she asked.


    "What? How could I not remember it? That''s the first time I''ve ever heard boobs be referred to like that," he said, defending himself. But judging by Levy''s deadpan stare, she didn''t think much of his so-called defense.


    "Uh huh. Sure, whatever you say," she replied, turning away from him.


    "Oh come on. If it makes you feel any better, I much prefer your bangers over her whoppers," Luke said, digging himself deeper into a hole.


    "Do you think that''s some sort of compliment?" she asked, turning around to glare at him again, making him back up with his hands raised in surrender. For someone so tiny, she sure could be scary when she wanted.


    "Look, all I''m saying is that you''re way more attractive than her, that''s all," he tried.


    "By comparing our boobs?"


    "Should I go with something else? Um, your hair is way prettier than hers, you''re way smarter as well, which I happen to find quite sexy, you know. The way your eyes light up when you talk about things you''re interested in is just the cutest thing, and-"


    "Ok, enough, stop!" Levy yelled, her face turning red from embarrassment. The amount of blushing she''s done since meeting him couldn''t be good for her health. "Geez, way to lay it on thick¡­"


    "Uh, sorry about that. I''m not exactly used to talking to girls, least of all one as pretty as you," he admitted, somewhat bashfully. Levy thought his embarrassed face looked cute, giving him a smile.


    "It''s fine. But for the record, girls don''t like it when you talk about their boobs like that," she said, wagging her finger while she chided him.


    "Really, cause she seemed rather proud about that fact," he responded.


    "Ok, most girls."


    "Oh, gotcha¡­ Hey, are we forgetting about something?" he asked.


    Just as the question left his lips, the doors to the room slammed shut. They both whipped around to look at them, noticing a translucent sheen covering them.


    "What''s going on? Is that a barrier?" Levy asked nervously, cursing herself for getting so caught up in his comment. She really did have a right proper pair of whoppers. Hell, they were even bigger than Mira''s! Which made her feel a little.


    And now they were trapped.


    This wasn''t how she thought today was going to go. But then again, when does it ever? Fairy Tail mages always seem to attract trouble to them, and she was no exception.


    "Damn, don''t tell me this is a trap?" Luke said, looking around the room that seemed to glow. After that, a voice seemed to whisper something. Something barely audible and vaguely familiar.


    "Woman¡­"


    "What the hell was that?" Luke asked, looking around for the source of the voice. That''s when his eyes once more fell upon the tapestry. The woman''s eyes were now glowing, a lewd smile stretched across her face. But the worst part was¡­


    She was looking right at Levy.


    Luck put himself between the tapestry and the short, blue haired girl. "Luke?" Levy asked, confused by his actions. That is until she looked at the tapestry herself. The woman inside of it was frowning, staring at Luke in absolute anger.


    "Me no want man¡­ Me want woman!"


    Hearing it for the second time, and much more clearly than the first, made him realize exactly what it was that said it. A Vulcan. But how was that possible? Unless¡­


    The story. The one about Anastasia and her pet Vulcan. Could it be that the creature was sealed away in the tapestry? If that was the case, then they were in some serious danger.


    "Levy, we need to get out of here. Can you get that door open?" he asked, light shining from his fists as he gathered magic to them, prepared to fight should it come to that.


    "Maybe. I need to analyze the barrier first," she said. Luke gave her a nod, and was about to tell her to get started, when the room was surrounded by a black, shadowy fog. Misty tendrils made of darkness nipped at them, making them dodge, not wanting to know what they did.


    Glaring at the fog, Luke shined his magic on it, causing it to recoil. Looks like they don''t like light. But there was so much of it, a little bit of light wasn''t going to do much. Just as he was about to attempt a Solar Flare, the darkness began to converge on them, like hundreds of serpents lashing out to bite them.


    Luke cursed, using his magic to form a barrier around the two pf them. It managed to halt their advance, but it didn''t prevent them from trying to break through and get them, bashing into it over and over again.


    "Any ideas?" Luke shouted over the never ending drum beat.


    "Hang on, give me a minute!" she yelled back, looking all around for something to give her an idea. That''s when she remembered something. Something that was written on the wall, about how they sealed away the Vulcan the last time.


    Levy reached into her Requip space and pulled out her translation notes, desperately searching for the page with the information on it. Luke looked back at her, seeing her doing her best to find a solution. If that was the case, he just needed to hold out long enough for her to do it.


    How hard could that be?


    He shouldn''t have raised that flag. Turns out, holding back an ancient malevolent force dead set on reaching you wasn''t an easy task. One might even call it difficult.


    One minute went by, then another, and Luke was struggling with all his might to hold up the barrier. It had shrunk at this point, almost by half, and it was getting smaller and smaller by the second. Sweat poured from his brow as he stood on shaky legs, as the shadowy tendrils repeatedly bombarded the barrier.


    "Levy, I don''t mean to rush you, but do you think you could hurry this up?" he ground out, jaw clenched tight. The blue haired girl didn''t answer, simply going through her notes, completely absorbed in her search, Gale-Force Glasses on her head to speed up the process.


    Luke wished he could transform into an angel, as that would boost his ability with light magic, but it was taking all of his concentration just to maintain the shrinking protection they had. If he did try to use Take Over, they would be cooked.


    "Aha, found it!" Levy shouted in triumph. Luke turned his head towards her, an action that was far more difficult than it should have been. Like someone was trying to twist his head the other way.


    "Awesome. So what now?" he asked.


    "Let''s see¡­ according to this, we need some kind of¡­ orb to seal it away," she muttered, reading the passage in her notes.


    "I don''t suppose you happen to have that in your pocket dimension, do you?" Luke asked hopefully. He knew the chances were slim, but you never know.


    "No, but I swear I''ve seen something like that. But where¡­" Levy mumbled, racking her brain for the answer. But even if she could find it, it wouldn''t do them much good at the moment.


    "Maybe now''s not the best time to think about that. How about you put that brain of yours to use and think of a way out of-ah!" Luke yelled in pain. Levy turned towards him, having heard the scream, and saw his bloody cheek and one of the shadowy black tendrils rising up from a crack in the stone.


    It wasn''t hard to put two and two together.


    "Luke, are you ok?" she asked, writing out the word Light and sending it towards the wisp, making it recoil back to where it came from.


    "I''d be a lot better if we could get out of here. Any ideas?" he asked again, drops of blood falling from his face onto the floor. Levy couldn''t help but follow it, watching as it flowed into a crack and disappeared, just like the magic from earlier.


    That''s when her brain connected some dots. She remembered doing research on this town and the ruins on her way here. And beneath the ruins was an ancient sewer system, one that was still functional. In fact, the town actually still used it to this day. It might not be the most pleasant experience, but it was better than dying.


    "I got it! We need to go under!" she shouted, already writing a word in the air.


    Hole.


    "Under? What are you talking abou-ahhh!" he shouted once more, but not because he was being attacked, but because he suddenly felt himself falling.


    Falling into darkness.

 The Beast Below

    Luke could remember a time when he went to the water park and decided to go down those slides that had an almost vertical drop. He could still recall the exhilaration mixed in with the slight amount of fear as he raced down the tube.


    But that had nothing on what he was feeling at the moment. When Levy used her magic to make a hole beneath them to escape¡­ whatever that was, the last thing he expected was a water slide. Now here he was, racing to who knows where in the pitch black darkness.


    "A little warning would have been nice!" he shouted to the girl in his arms. As they fell he managed to grab hold of her, twisting his body to protect her from the unknown landing. It turned out to be mostly unnecessary as the fall wasn''t very far and the water broke some of the impact.


    "Sorry! There wasn''t time!" Levy shouted back, arms wrapped around Luke''s shoulders. Normally she would have felt a bit embarrassed by this fact, but she was far too focused on their current predicament.


    Luke tried to send out some balls of light, but they were too hard to focus on at the speed they were going; the magic just fizzled out. Seeing this, Levy came to the rescue, managing to use her own magic to write the word Light that stuck around them. He chalked it up to her having much better control over her magic then he had.


    A splash of water slapped him in the face, some of it making its way into his mouth. "Oh god, why does it taste so bad!?" he yelled, trying to spit it out. But no matter what he did, the taste lingered, refusing to take the hint that it wasn''t wanted.


    "Um, we might be in the sewers, sorry," Levy apologized again, her face adopting a sheepish expression. She probably should have told him to keep his mouth closed.


    "Great¡­" he said in deadpan.


    They continued sliding down the sewer system, barely dodging a few rocks that had fallen into the tract. However, there was something rather worrying happening. "Are we picking up speed?" Levy asked, a face full of concern.


    "Why yes, I do believe we are," Luke commented, almost offhandedly. It''s not like they were going particularly slowly before, but there was a notable downturn, and with it, an uptick of speed.


    "We must be getting to the end," Levy mentioned, subconsciously gripping him tighter. Not that he particularly minded, but it was hard to enjoy the embrace of a beautiful woman when they were speeding into the unknown.


    "And what''s exactly at the end?" Luke asked, twisting them to the left to avoid another boulder. It was almost like he was in a video game, only he doubted there would be a redo if he failed an action command for this quick time event.


    "Um, I''m not sure. An underground lake, maybe? The water has to go somewhere," Levy commented, trying to think about what was in store for them. She wracked her brain, recounting every book she read about ancient sewer systems and where they ended up. Usually the sea, but seeing as they were in the mountains and very far from the ocean, she didn''t envision that as a possibility.


    "Well let''s hope it goes somewhere nice then," Luke quipped. It didn''t take much longer, a minute at most, before they could hear a new sound. Having seen many movies with people going down a river, Luke had a feeling he knew exactly what it was.


    "Please don''t tell me that''s a waterfall I hear," he said, looking down at Levy, pleading with his eyes.


    "I could, but I''m bad at lying," Levy said, feeling just as nervous as her companion. As they continued to approach, the roar of the falling water grew louder and louder, until it was the only thing they could hear.


    Knowing what was about to happen, Luke began concentrating on his magic, getting ready to use Take Over when they fell. He had no idea how big the fall was, but it was better to be prepared just in case it was a long drop. Judging by the sound of it, he was banking on it being pretty steep.


    In front of them, a large opening appeared in the distance, barely visible with Levy''s spell. But considering the speed they were going, it didn''t take long before they could see it clearly. It almost looked like a mouth, with sharp jagged stones pointing downward, acting as teeth.


    "Watch your head!" Luke shouted over the din of the waterfall. He grabbed the petite woman and held her close to him as they neared, ensuring that they passed safely under the razor sharp rocks with only inches to spare.


    Like they thought, that opening was the end of the ride, the two of them shooting out like a missile. Levy screamed in panic at the sudden feeling of weightlessness, even though she knew it was coming. Luke looked down, but he couldn''t see the bottom in the darkness.


    "Hang on!" he shouted, his gathered magic reaching a crescendo and wrapping around him like a cocoon. Levy did as he suggested, gripping him hard enough to cause bruises, her eyes shut tight.


    "Take Over: Seraph Soul!"


    With that shout, their free fall stopped. Levy still had her eyes closed, her heart beating a million miles a minute.


    "Woo, that was close. Hey, you ok?" he asked, causing Levy to finally open her eyes. The first thing she saw was Luke, his silvery eyes filled with concern. She then tilted her head to look beneath them, seeing little more than darkness. But she could still hear the waterfall as it violently crashed into the water below.


    She sighed in relief, seeing that they weren''t splattered onto some jagged rocks or drowning. Sure she could swim just fine, but doing so in pitch black water was not her definition of fun. Kind of the exact opposite really.


    "Yeah I''m good. Thanks for that," she mentioned, giving him a grateful look.


    "My pleasure," he said with a slightly cocky tone, making her giggle a bit. Of course that''s when she noticed his transformation.


    "Woah¡­" she said, taking in his pure white wings behind him. They seemed to glow with an almost holy light, making her feel safe and protected. They didn''t seem to be flapping, so she assumed it wasn''t the wings themselves that were keeping them afloat, but rather the magic tied to them, like Happy''s Aera Magic.


    Luke''s face also seemed a bit different, as it was now completely smooth, removing some of his bad boy aesthetic. Personally, she thought he looked better with his five o''clock shadow, but this wasn''t bad either. He cleaned up rather nice.


    Above his head was a floating, golden halo. Levy had to fight the urge to reach out and touch it, her natural curiosity wanting to know what a halo felt like. Would it be warm? Cold? Would it cause her pain? Heal her? The questions were endless, but now was not the time to indulge in her idle curiosities.


    Later, for sure, but not now.


    But that wasn''t the only change, as she soon realized he was completely shirtless, showing off his rather impressive muscles. They weren''t as big as Elfman''s or Laxus''s, but they weren''t far off.


    It was at this realization that another one entered her mind. They were close. Like¡­ extremely close. His arms were wrapped tightly, but not uncomfortably, around her waist, holding her close, while hers were wrapped around his neck.


    Her face went about as red as it could, and she fought against her instinct to push him away, knowing where they were. If someone saw them right now, they would surely mistake them for lovers caught in a passionate, intimate embrace.


    Levy shoved her face into his shoulder, it being about the only way for her to hide her embarrassment.


    "Hey, what''s wrong?" he asked worriedly, wondering if he did something to upset her. He didn''t think so, but you could never be certain with girls. He was also trying not to get distracted by the smell of her hair, or should he say her shampoo. It was a floral, fruity scent, and it took all his willpower not to put his nose against her and take a big whiff.


    He did not want her to think he was some sort of creep.


    "Good! Everything''s good. I just need a minute, don''t mind me," she said, and rather quickly too. Luke almost missed what she was saying. He was about to ask another question when his wings flickered in and out of existence, making them drop about a foot. The sudden, jerky motion caused Levy to remove her head and look around in concern.


    "Luke?" she asked, worry clear in her tone.


    "Sorry, but I don''t think I have a minute. I''m almost on empty," he said, gritting his teeth as he struggled to maintain this form. The struggle against that weird, shadowy magic and his earlier practice really took it out of him. If they didn''t do something quick, they would be taking a plunge, whether they liked it or not.


    "Oh my gosh, I should have realized. Alright, can you get us lower to the water. I have an idea," Levy said, her embarrassment all but gone. She was now in problem solving mode, and problem solver Levy did not get distracted by hunky, shirtless men.


    Usually.


    "Roger that," he muttered, slowly lowering them towards the inky black water below. Just seeing it gave them the heebie-jeebies. It was the kind of water that screamed lake monster. As cool as the loch ness monster was, Luke did not fancy a meeting at the moment.


    As they neared the water, small ripples spread out as Luke''s toes lightly tapped the surface. The light from his transformation showed just how muddy and filthy the lake was. Looking down, Levy couldn''t even see an inch past the surface.


    "Alright, one sec," Levy said, before using her magic once more, this time writing out the word, Raft. As she did so, the letters seemed to grow larger while turning wooden, a translucent barrier forming between them. Once it was big enough to hold both of them with a little extra room to spare, it plopped down into the water, making a small splash.


    "That should do it. Lower us down," Levy said, and Luke was only too happy to comply. His feet touched down, making the magical raft bob up and down on the water. Once he was firmly standing on it, he let go of Levy before releasing his transformation.


    He immediately dropped onto his backside, breathing heavily, using his arms to keep him steady as he leaned back. That was way more exhausting than he thought it would be. Using magic in the afterlife was way easier.


    "You ok?" Levy asked, kneeling down beside him, her hand gently gripping his arm.


    "Yeah, I''m good. Just a bit tired," he said, making her sigh in relief. Standing up, she decided to let him rest a minute while she tried to take in the massive cavern they found themselves in. She knew it was big by the echoes made by the waterfall, but she didn''t know how big. Not without the ability to see the walls.


    "So, any idea where we are?" Luke asked, giving the girl a curious look. She seemed to know they were in a sewer system earlier, so maybe she had an idea about where they were in relation to that. He wasn''t hopeful, but it didn''t hurt to ask.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Levy bit her lip as she thought over his question. She regretted doing so almost immediately when the foul water hit her taste buds. She shivered, not from the cold, as it was remarkably warmer in here than in the ruins, but from the sheer disgust she suddenly felt.


    "Not sure. I know they run pretty far into the mountain, but not much else. We''re at least a mile away from the ruins though, judging by how fast we were going," she said, placing a wet strand of hair behind her ear as she thought it over.


    "Great. I''d suggest going back the way we came but with my magic so low, that''s not an option," Luke mentioned as he caught his breath. Levy nodded her head at that, before releasing another sigh.


    "Guess we just have to find another way out then. My magic will likely run out before yours recovers enough to get us out of here," she said, which Luke agreed with. There was just one problem with that.


    "Easier said than done. I can''t see a thing in this place," he mentioned. That was a good point, one Levy couldn''t really argue against. But just because everything around them was an unknown, didn''t mean they could sit there and do nothing.


    "We just need to find the wall. After that, it''s just a matter of time until we find an escape path," Levy said.


    Luke didn''t have any better ideas so he decided to trust the girl with much more experience in these things. "Works for me. So how do we do that?"


    Levy gave him a smug look, holding up her index finger which glowed slightly. "You leave that to me."


    Using her magic, she created a rudder that connected to the raft, along with a lever used to control it. Once the steering system was in place to her satisfaction, she then wrote the word, Propeller, which turned the letters into metal blades. The last thing she implemented was some light so they could see in front of them.


    "That should just about do it," she said before the propeller began to spin. Once it picked up enough speed, they started to move, the sudden jerk almost sending Luke sprawling. It started off slowly, but it wasn''t long before they were moving at a quick pace.


    It felt like they were on one of those swamp boats Luke had seen on T.V. Now as long as there weren''t any crocodiles in this lake, they''d be fine.


    "You know, your magic is really something else," Luke mentioned, a bit of awe in his voice. Levy preened under his praise, not used to people being overly impressed by what she could do. Most people preferred excessively flashy magic like Natsu''s or Gray''s.


    "Thanks. Now sit back and relax," she said, holding onto the lever.


    It didn''t take them too long before they found a wall. As big as the cavern they were in was, Levy really put some oomph into it, likely wanting to get out of this place as fast as she could. Not that Luke could blame her. He didn''t particularly enjoy the chill in the air or the putrid stench of the lake below.


    Luke used his own magic to send out a ball of light towards the wall, hoping to find a pathway leading out somewhere. It didn''t take much magic so he didn''t mind doing it, and Levy was doing more than enough. Keeping five constructs up had to be taking its toll.


    The duo followed along the wall, hoping to find some way forward. It took them a while, but they were eventually able to find an opening in the cave wall.


    "There, I think I see something," Luke said, sending a ball of light towards it. It wasn''t very big, and Luke figured he would just be able to squeeze through, but it was something worth investigating.


    "Looks good¡­ Let''s go," Levy said, panting. Luke gave her a concerned look. It was just as he thought, keeping up all those spells wasn''t easy. He knew Levy had a good amount of magic as she was selected for the S Class Exam, but this was still a lot.


    Their makeshift magic raft came to a stop beside an elevated rocky embankment. If nothing else, the spot should provide them with a resting spot. The Take Over mage jumped onto the platform before turning around and offering his hand to Levy, like a proper gentleman.


    Levy gave a small smile, her forehead coated in a thin layer of sweat. "Thanks," she said, gripping his hand and letting him pull her up. She let out a weary sigh as she released her hold on her magic, the raft and all its components fading away into nothingness.


    The blue haired girl wiped her forehead, but she had a satisfied look on her face. "Haven''t had to hold so much magic for that long in a while," she said.


    "Might be a good thing to practice, just in case," Luke suggested, holding up a ball of light.


    "You might be right. But I can think about that later, right now we need to find a way out of here," she said, a look of determination on her face, her fists raised up near her chin and clenched tight.


    It was adorable.


    "Right, then we need to inspect that crack in the wall, right?" he said, shifting his body and sending the ball of light almost lazily towards it, the mass of energy bobbing up and down like it was riding on waves.


    "Mm-hm, let''s go. The sooner we can get out of here, the better," she said, making her way towards it, with Luke following behind. He couldn''t agree more with her desire to get the hell out of this place. Not only was the surroundings pitch black, but the only noise was the waterfall crashing into the disturbingly dark lake.


    There was also the feeling of being watched, and he didn''t like it. It was just like being in front of the tapestry.


    The two were about halfway there when Luke saw something from the corner of his eye. It looked like a tentacle of some kind, slowly slithering across the rocks towards them. The thing was thick, over a foot in diameter, and had a greenish black color to it from what he could tell.


    He gave it a curious and suspicious look. Tentacles and pretty girls did not do together, and Luke had no intention of getting Ntr''d by a tentacle monster. Just as he was about to call out to the petite girl in front of him, who hadn''t seemed to notice, the slimy looking thing shot towards her.


    "Shit, Levy!" he yelled, rushing towards her and pushing her out of the way. Levy yelped as she was sent forward, falling onto the cold hard round. She turned back, ready to enact her feminine fury on him, but the sight she saw stopped her in her tracks.


    "Luke!" she shouted, seeing him struggle against a massive tentacle. He tried to pull it off, but the suction cups on its underside held firm. "Hang on, I''m coming!" she shouted.


    "No, don''t!" he yelled, making her stop.


    "But why!?" she yelled back. Was this a machismo thing? If he was stopping her because he didn''t want to be saved by a girl, she was going to kick his ass. He didn''t seem like the type, but you never know.


    "If you get too close it might get you too! Try cutting it from a distance or something!" he yelled.


    "Oh, right!" She called back, feeling somewhat silly. Her panic may have made things worse for them. Using her magic, she wrote the word Sever in the air. It was one of the best ways for her to cut something that was living.


    While something like cut or slice would probably work, her imagination, the thing used to fuel her magic, didn''t necessarily connect those words to cutting off what was essentially a limb. There were other swords she could have used, sure, but this is one she was more familiar and practiced with, meaning it took less magic to cast. With her magic running low, it seemed like the best option.


    The word appeared in the air and raced towards the tentacle, taking on a crescent shape. It cut deep into the thing holding her friend, but it wasn''t quite strong enough to cut all the way through it.


    It wriggled in agony, shaking poor Luke something fierce. It was like the worst amusement park ride ever, and for once he wished he wasn''t tall enough for the ride. It slammed him into the floor, knocking the wind out of him.


    "Luke! Dang it, one more try!" Levy shouted, preparing to use her magic once again. But the creature from the black lagoon had something else in mind. Another one of its appendaged shot out from the water, its fleshy tip aiming to skewer the Solid Script user.


    She jumped out of the way, doing what was essentially a somersault, barely avoiding the attack. The force behind the strike was strong enough to crack the rock. When she came out of her tumble, she looked back, only to see empty space.


    "Luke!" she called out, fear and panic setting in. She had a sneaking suspicion about what that creature was and if she was right, Luke was in a whole lot of trouble.


    "I''m in a whole lot of trouble," Luke thought as he was dragged through the inky black waters towards whatever the hell attacked them. This would be bad under normal circumstances, but with his low magic power at the moment and having the wind just knocked out of him coupled with how hard the thing was squeezing him, things were looking particularly poorly.


    "At least Levy''s safe, so that''s something," he thought. Safe may not have been the best word to use, at least not until she escaped this place, but she was in a better spot than he was right now.


    He tried using what magic he could to create some light, so he could at the very least see what horrible beasty wanted to have him over for dinner. He didn''t create a ball of light this time, choosing instead to release the magic form his own body and project it outward. Takes less mana that way.


    But what he saw when he reached his destination made him regret wanting to get a look at it. "Big," that was the first thought that came to his mind. His second was, "Ugly."


    Going by the tentacles of the creature that was currently trying to squeeze the life out of him, Luke had a pretty decent guess as to what it was, but seeing it only confirmed his belief. It was a Kraken, or something that looked remarkably similar, like the Watcher in the Water from Lord of the Rings.


    It had two enormous eyes that looked like they were made from obsidian. It blinked as it stared at him in a combination of hunger and curiosity. Must not get many humans down here.


    Its skin was the same nasty looking color as the tentacles, though there appeared to be more gray around its eyes. Luke couldn''t be sure exactly, as getting clear details while submerged in such murky water with barely any light was damn near impossible.


    But the worst part was its massive mouth. Luke expected to see a beak, like a regular squid, and he was not disappointed. Three massive appendages moved independent of one another, and he was sure that if he were on dry land it would be drooling.


    Those things were nightmare fuel on a normal sized squid, but when they''re the same size as you, that fuel could get a rocket to mars. Somebody should call Elon Musk and let him know.


    Luke kept trying to struggle but he was nowhere near strong enough to break free. The Kraken gripped him a bit tighter as its curiosity could no longer keep its hunger at bay, bringing him towards its mouth. Luke''s eyes widened at the sight, his fear making the light projecting out from him shine even brighter.


    The Kraken flinched back, shaking its massive head from the pain. It squeezed its prey even tighter, making Luke let out a silent scream, precious bubbles of air leaving him and heading for the surface.


    "Shit, that''s not good. I need that air! But at least I have a pretty good idea of how to get out of this," he thought to himself. If the thing didn''t like light, then he would just have to show him the sun.


    Luckily, Luke''s arms were still free, meaning he could pull this off. Maybe. He did practice making his light brighter in the ruins, but he didn''t have the opportunity to actually try the Solar Flare.


    "Well, no time like the present," he thought, bringing his hands to his face as the massive beast brought him near again. He would only have one shot at this, better make it count. He spread his fingers wide around his eyes while shutting them. He didn''t remember if that was necessary, but he couldn''t risk blinding himself either.


    Well, he could, considering how dark it was down there, but he''d still rather not.


    Gathering his magic right between his eyes, he focused on nothing else but making it as bright as possible. He pictured how the technique was supposed to work, imagining how it blinded even the strongest of foes. Once the image was cemented in his mind, he was ready.


    "Take this you bug eyed bastard! Solar Flare!"


    The Kraken halted its movements as it was assaulted by unimaginable pain. It screamed in pure agony, releasing Luke from its grip as it tried desperately to numb the pain. But nothing the creature did worked.


    Luke felt satisfaction as he watched the massive creature writhing in pain. "That''s what you get for trying to eat me-woah!" he thought, barely getting out of the way of a floundering tentacle.


    "Note to self, gloat later, escape now."


    He started swimming upwards, his lungs burning as they''ve never burned before. He had no idea how far he had to go, but he had the feeling that this wasn''t going to cut it. His first thought was to transform again and fly up, up and away, but he didn''t have enough magic left to transform.


    But he didn''t need to. While thinking of a way to possibly escape his almost certain doom, he remembered Goku, using a Kamehameha to propel himself through the air. Maybe he could do the same. His magic was pretty low, but he still had to try. He wasn''t ready to die just yet, not on his second day here. No way in hell.


    Pulling his arms back and cupping them at his side, magical energy began to gather between them, shining a bright, luminous blue. As he focused more and more of his limited power into it, the light it emitted also grew. Because of that he could barely make out the recovering form of the monstrosity below.


    "Ka¡­"


    "Me¡­"


    The beast shook the last remnants of pain from its body, looking around for its prey and saw that accursed power that hurt it so. Letting out a roar, it sped towards Luke, anger and hatred clear in its pearly, black eyes.


    "Ha¡­"


    "Me¡­"


    The Kraken was almost on him now, its gargantuan beak opened wide, ready to devour him. It took everything Luke had no to flinch at the sight. Afterall, it was only a couple of days ago that he was a completely normal person. Hell, even after being isekai''d, he didn''t think he''d be facing anything like this. Not so soon at least.


    Images flashed through his mind. Of his brother, Angelo, being so damn good at everything while he struggled to stay even in his shadow. His parents and everyone around him, showering his brother with praises while complaining that he should be more like him. Hundreds and hundreds of scenes went by in a single instant, causing his anger to rise and with it, his magic.


    To them he always came in second to his brother. But right here, right now, he would do something that his brother could only dream of. As much as he loved him and hoped he had a long, fulfilling life, it was time for Luke to truly come out of his shadow, and be the man he always dreamed of.


    As the Kraken''s jaws, or whatever the hell the beak was attached to, started to cover him, ready for its next meal, Luke thrust his hands forward, releasing all the pent up energy he was storing between his hands. But more than that, he was also releasing years and years of anger and resentment, letting it all out in one blast.


    Best therapy one could ask for.


    "Ha!"

 Escape

    Levy stared at the blackened water with an air of nervousness, the word Light shining above her head. Not too long ago there was a massive explosion of light, enough that the whole cavern temporarily lit up. It was so bright that Levy had to close her eyes. She can''t imagine what it must have been like at ground zero.


    When she was able to open them again, she was hopeful that Luke would pop up out of the water, but much to her consternation, the water appeared deceptively calm. But at least she knew he was still fighting, which meant that she couldn''t give up either.


    But that had been nearly a minute ago, and Levy''s concern was skyrocketing. She doubted he had much air left, so if he didn''t do something soon then¡­


    Levy didn''t really want to think about it.


    "Come on, Luke. Where are you?" she questioned out loud, her eyes darting across the water''s surface, searching for any sign of him. That''s when she spotted it, from somewhere deep down below, another light. This one wasn''t nearly as bright as the first, but she could almost feel the magic being gathered.


    Scratch that, she could feel the magic being gathered. As the light grew in strength, so too did the magic. She could only surmise that Luke must be doing something, but what?


    The water, which had been almost unnaturally still, started to ripple. Levy could almost feel a buzzing sensation tickling across her skin. The ripples quickly turned into raging, churning water as if caught in an earthquake.


    "Is this really Luke?" she thought. She knew his magic was pretty strong, but he was almost on empty last time she saw him, just like she was. And this¡­ this reminded her of Gildarts.


    Well, it reminded her of that time he was constipated and tried to force it out and lost control of his magic, but it was still pretty impressive. The fact that he managed it with little to no magic made it doubly so.


    The water was practically glowing at this point, and Levy could only stare in amazement. Then, everything seemed to stop. The water stopped churning, the tingling of the magic stopped tickling her senses; everything stilled to a tranquil calm.


    And then, an explosion of power shattered that calm. It was almost as if a balloon had reached capacity and popped. That was the only comparison that came to her mind.


    The water once more started to shake, and as Levy stared into the glowing depths, she felt the raging power responsible for all of it racing towards her at blinding speed. She barely even had time to feel shock before Luke rocketed out of the water.


    His hands were cupped in front of him shooting out a brilliant beam of blue light, which he must have used to propel himself out of the water. It was pretty ingenious, Levy had to admit, and not something she likely would have thought of. But then again, they both used different magic so it was really a moot point.


    Luke sailed over the petite girl''s head landing painfully on the rocky shore, tumbling over the hard ground before coming to a stop, his body unmoving. Seeing this snapped Levy out of her astonishment as she raced towards the downed man.


    "Luke! Oh my gosh are you alright!?" she shouted, kneeling beside her soaked friend. Placing her hands on him seemed to bring him back to life as he started coughing violently, water gurgling out of his mouth.


    He rolled onto this front before getting to his hands and knees, expunging the rest of the water from his lungs. Levy could do nothing but try and comfort him through this process by rubbing his back.


    "There, there, it''s ok. Better out than in," she said soothingly. Several seconds went by before he seemingly rid himself of excess water, devolving into dry heaves. Levy wouldn''t lie and say she enjoyed hearing those sounds, but it was far better then the silent alternative.


    Namely, him being dead.


    "Feeling better?" she asked, when the dry heaving finally stopped. Luke took a few more shuddering breaths, trying to get as much oxygen into his lungs as he could.


    "Yeah, thanks," he said, giving her a shaky smile, one that she returned. Luke then sat down, completely exhausted.


    "So, what happened down there?" Levy asked, a mix of intrigue and worry.


    "Let''s just say I wouldn''t recommend going for a swim," he said, not bothering to hide the sarcasm. Levy rolled her eyes and was about to press the issue when a loud rumbling caught their attention.


    Several large tentacles spouted from the water, wiggling angrily. How did they know that you might be asking? Call it intuition.


    "Damn Blooper! Looks like story time will have to wait. We need to go, now!" Luke shouted, jumping to his feet. He gave a wince, nearly collapsing from the sudden influx of pain coming from his right ankle.


    Glaring down at the offending appendage like it just insulted his mother, he tried to put some pressure on it, only for the pain to flare up again.


    "Shit," he grumbled.


    "What''s wrong?" Levy asked, having stood up with him. Her eyes darted back and forth between Luke and the monster, worry etched deep within them.


    "Think I twisted my ankle," Luke informed her, making Levy bite her lip in thought. If he was injured, they might not be able to make it out in time. Not to mention, they still don''t know where the path in the wall leads. For all they know, it could lead to a dead end.


    But that''s a risk they were just going to have to take. Eyes filling with determination, Levy grabbed his arm and placed it over her shoulder. Normally she would have made a stretcher or something similar with her magic, but she didn''t have enough. She''d probably run out along the way and drop him back on the ground. If her mana fell that low, she might not be able to walk, and then¡­


    Snack time.


    "Levy?" he asked with mild confusion.


    "You didn''t think I''d leave you behind, did you?" she asked, glaring up at him. Luke stared into her eyes for a moment, noting the fear in them but also the steely resolve.


    "Guess not. Alright, let''s get the hell out of here," he said with a grin. That seemed to bolster her confidence as well, the two of them racing towards the exit. Luke did his best to ignore the throbbing agony in his foot, but it wasn''t the easiest thing to do.


    He stared down at the small young woman gritting her teeth as she held up his weight. Or at least some of it. Her face, resolute as they struggled towards the exit, might have been the most enchanting thing he''s ever seen. She really was an amazing girl.


    Thankfully, a roar brought him out of his thoughts before he could be fully absorbed into them. As much as he''d love to think about the beautiful girl pressed up against him, it wasn''t the time or place for that. Last thing they needed was for him to trip and fall.


    The beast from the deep rose out of the water, its anger palpable as it bellowed. Levy looked back, barely able to see its hulking form. The small light generated by her magic doing very little to illuminate the creature.


    But what she could see did not make her feel any better.


    "That thing is huge!" she shouted. Luke had to force down the natural juvenile response of, that''s what she said. He was sure he could get that reaction out of her another time. Right now, he needed to focus on surviving.


    Luke chanced his own look back, glaring at the thing that just tried to make a meal out of him. Or a snack, at any rate, given how big the thing is. Levy''s light glimmered off its almost incandescent eyes, letting him know it was staring right at them.


    Not good.


    "Think! There has to be something I can do!" he shouted in his mind. They were nearly to the exit, just another 20 feet, give or take. But with the monster''s attention firmly on them, it was unlikely that they could make it.


    "Wait¡­ its attention¡­ That''s it!" he thought, a metaphorical lightbulb turning on in his mind. The kraken''s attention wasn''t on them, not really, it was staring at the light of Levy''s magic. If that''s the case, then¡­


    "Levy, send your magic in another direction," Luke said, making Levy give him a confused look.


    "What, why?" she asked, her breathing heavy as they charged towards the exit. She could hear the monster moving, likely getting ready to send more of those disgusting tentacles at them. Her every womanly instinct demanding she stay far away from them.


    "To distract it. It''s not looking at us, it''s looking at the light. If we send it away, it just might go after it instead of us," he said. Levy thought about it for a moment. It made sense, but there was just one flaw in his plan.


    "But then how are we going to see? It''s not exactly the brightest down here, in case you didn''t know," she asked/complained, her tone dipping into the sarcastic end of the pool.


    "The path in front of us is mostly level, and as long as we head straight, we should be just fine," he countered. He wasn''t sure how accurate that was, but there wasn''t much time to think of something better.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Alright, fine. But if we die, just know, I''m blaming you," Levy said, getting ready to do as Luke suggested.


    "Duly noted," he responded with a chuckle. Looking back, he could see the kraken raising its NSFW appendages, ready to strike them down.


    "Now!" he shouted. Levy gave a grunt of acknowledgement, her dimly shimmering light spell shooting off to the left. The kraken screeched in surprise and of course, anger. But much to their relief, it seemed like Luke''s plan was going to work.


    The kraken, not wanting its prey to escape, slammed its mighty tentacles down, the tremor it caused making the two stumble. Thankfully, they managed to stay on their feet, but the reminder of just how powerful the creature was did not help with their anxiety.


    "Almost there, just a little more. How are you holding up?" Luke asked, casting his gaze towards his blue haired friend/love interest even though he couldn''t see her.


    "I should be asking you that Mr. Sprained Ankle," she snarked back, gripping him tighter. Luke chuckled, increasing his own hold on the beautiful woman.


    The monster behind them made a confused sound as it shifted its tentacles off of its supposedly crushed prey. But where it thought it would see a pair of delicious, mangled corpses was nothing but stone.


    Its massive, iridescent eyes frantically searched for its food. It didn''t take it very long to spot them, hobbling towards the wall through the darkness. It let out an angry roar once more, stretchy appendages racing to stop them from whatever schemes they had planned. Never in its life had it had to deal with such tricky prey, but that would make them taste all the sweeter.


    "Well, I think it knows it''s been tricked," Luke commented, out of breath.


    "Gee, you think?" Levy asked back, her breathing no better than his.


    Seeing as there wasn''t much point in trying to be discreet anymore, Luke gathered the miniscule amount of power he had left and created a baseball sized sphere of light, sending it in front of them. The action made his vision blur for a second before he shook his head and forced it back into focus.


    Now that they had a bit of light, they could see just how close they were. Just a few more feet, and they''d be home free. Or at least, away from the big ugly monster that wanted to eat them.


    Said big ugly monster wasn''t just about to let its food escape. Its tentacles shot out, speeding towards the pair. Luckily, krakens don''t have the best aim, its fleshy limbs slamming into the wall on either side of them.


    They ducked their heads as bits of rock and debris cascaded down on top of them. None of the pieces were particularly large, so at least there wasn''t a risk of injury. Silver linings and all that.


    A dust cloud surrounded them, obscuring them from sight. The kraken waited, watching for the slightest sign of movement. Just when it thought it finally managed to kill its prey, it saw them reach the wall.


    "Quickly, squeeze through!" Luke shouted, pushing Levy towards the opening first. She knew what he was doing, and while she appreciated the sentiment, she did not want to be coddled or protected.


    She had enough of that treatment from Jet and Droy, she did not need it from him.


    As soon as Levy was fully into the crevice, Luke made to follow. It was a tight fit, but he was just able to slide inside. But before he could get too far, a familiar sensation stopped his progress. Looking down, he saw a wet, slimy tentacle wrapped around his waist.


    "Gerbah!" he shouted, unable to form actual words as the enormous beast started to squeeze the life out of him. Levy turned around at hearing his yell, which wasn''t all that easy given the tight squeeze, and saw him desperately clawing at the slick, rocky walls.


    "Luke! Hang on!" she shouted. She had to think fast. She needed a word, something that would cut through the disgusting thing trying to drag away her friend. Sever didn''t work last time, she needed something stronger.


    Her eyes drifted upwards, staring at where she knew the hungry maw of the creature lay, and a word suddenly popped into her head. It wasn''t one she used very often, barely at all in fact, and it would likely consume the rest of her magic, but that was far better than the alternative.


    Raising her hand, her index finger shining, Luke could see that pretty face of hers lit up by the magic. Her eyes were hard, focused and determined. He wanted to tell her to run, but seeing that look gave him hope. So he gathered his second or third wind, he wasn''t sure at this point, and clutched the wall even tighter.


    Her finger danced through air, writing out the word that would either save him or doom him. He wasn''t sure what he was expecting her to use, but her choice certainly surprised him.


    Guillotine.


    Luke watched as one by one the letters shot out of the crevice they were in. They soared above him, taking on a metallic sheen. The bottoms gained a razor-sharp edge to them, forming a blade in the shape of an actual guillotine. Once that was done, it dropped, speeding towards the unsuspecting kraken''s tentacle.


    The blade struck true, slicing through flesh with little resistance. The beast howled in agony, pulling away from the wall and looking at its tentacle. Blood fell in rivulets from the wound, dripping onto the ground below.


    Luke sighed in relief as the pressure stopped. He wiggled his body to get the filthy thing off of him, which was pretty darn difficult given the limited space he had. But once he heard the fleshy wet splat beneath him, he couldn''t help but feel grim satisfaction.


    That damn thing deserved everything that happened to it.


    "Luke¡­ are you ok¡­?" Levy gasped out. She was exhausted, her hold on the wall likely the only thing keeping her up. Both of them were pretty much drained of mana. Even casting the smallest of spells would likely render them unconscious.


    "Yeah¡­ thanks Levy¡­ You saved me¡­" Luke panted, wincing at the pain in his ribs. Hopefully they weren''t broken. It didn''t feel like they were but then again, he''s never had broken ribs before, so he wouldn''t know.


    "No problem¡­ Now let''s get out of here¡­ before that thing comes back¡­" she suggested, and Luke couldn''t agree more. The two continued through the crevice, ignoring the sounds behind them. The kraken hasn''t given up on them just yet, but hopefully he would soon enough.


    The path they were on was long, or maybe they were just slow. Either way, it took them several minutes before they reached the end. Luke was able to keep his little ball of light up, though it did flicker several times. The strain of keeping up even such a small spell was great, but it was better than them being left in the dark.


    Levy gently popped out of the other end, looking around her new surroundings with no small amount of trepidation. She couldn''t see much, but it didn''t look like there was anything that wanted to kill them immediately.


    Then again, neither did the last couple of rooms. Fool her once, shame on you. Fool her twice, shame on her. But fool her three times, and she shows you why she''s a Fairy Tail wizard.


    The cave opened up, though not nearly as wide as the last room. The walls were around 15 feet apart at their widest point, and she couldn''t even see how far the path went.


    To her left was a small stream, gently flowing past them into parts unknown. Small and large rocks jutted out from the ground in various locations, each one smooth and cool to the touch.


    She heard Luke exit the crevice as she finished inspecting their new surroundings. He looked about as tired as she felt. His left hand was resting against the wall, keeping him steady, and he was leaning on his left foot as well, keeping the pressure off the injured one.


    "You doing ok?" she asked, her tone soft and quiet.


    "I''ve been better, but I''ll live," he responded, trying to put some cheer into his voice. But he couldn''t quite get rid of the fatigue that seeped into his tone.


    "Good. We should probably get away from the exit, just in case. How much longer can you keep up that spell?" she asked, gesturing to the small ball listlessly floating near them.


    They would probably be fine resting right here, but she didn''t want to chance that the kraken could squeeze itself through. She knew octopuses could force themselves into places they had no business being, so she really didn''t want to take the chance that a kraken could do the same.


    "Not long. A couple minutes maybe," he said, right hand going to his forehead, trying to stave off the headache he could feel coming. Magic exhaustion was no joke. If it was anything like Chakra exhaustion from Naruto, then he was in trouble.


    They couldn''t afford to wait around for a week while he slowly recovers.


    "Ok, that should be enough. Let''s hurry and find a place to rest," she said. Luke nodded, pushing himself off the wall, wincing as the pain in his ankle flared up. Seeing this, Levy was quick to offer her shoulder to him.


    "Thanks," he said.


    "No problem. You know, you''re heavier than you look," she commented.


    "Did you just call me fat?" he asked, adopting a fake outraged tone.


    "More like insinuated it," she said, smirking.


    "Well, I never," he huffed, getting a cute giggle from the girl. The two slowly made their way down the winding path, following the stream, until they reached a rounded area. Rocks formed a circle around the middle, almost looking like they were placed there intentionally.


    "This looks like a good spot," she said, more than ready to take a break. Luke couldn''t agree more, his light losing a few more lumens. Pretty soon, they wouldn''t have any light at all.


    The pair maneuvered to a rock before sitting down next to each other. Both of them sighed in relief, thoroughly enjoying being able to rest. The light Luke had been doggedly keeping around flickered one last time before going out, leaving them in total darkness.


    "Guess we made it just in time," Luke said with a light tone.


    "No kidding. Man that was scary," Levy said, shivering at the thought of that massive sea monster coming after them. And she barely caught a glimpse of it before escaping.


    That reminds her¡­


    "Ow! What was that for?" Luke asked, rubbing his arm where Levy gave it a good smack.


    "That''s for pushing me into the crevice. I already have to put up with Jet and Droy treating me like some frail maiden, I don''t need that from you," she said, and though Luke couldn''t see her face, he assumed she was glaring right at him.


    "Wait, what are you talking about?" Luke asked, confused. "I didn''t push you first because I thought you needed protecting."


    "Then why did you?" she asked, her anger reducing to a simmer.


    "Um, well¡­ it''s because you''re small," he admitted, with some reluctance. That brought her up short. Of all the reasons, her height was what he was going with? She wasn''t sure if that was any better.


    "You want to explain that?" she asked, and Luke could clearly hear the threat in her voice.


    "The opening in the wall was narrow, and I was worried that if I tried to go first, we''d get bogged down. I just thought, given that you''re much more slender than I am, it would be faster if you went first," he explained.


    "That¡­ makes sense, I suppose," she acquiesced after a moment of consideration. Her righteous feminine fury abating, leaving only a sheepish girl in its wake. "Um, sorry about that."


    "It''s fine. But maybe start with your words next time," he teased.


    "Yeah, I''ll remember that," she said, her head in her hands, feeling incredibly embarrassed. She was acting like everyone else in the guild. Wasn''t she supposed to be the calm one? The voice of reason? But it seems like ever since she met Luke, she''s been letting out her inner Fairy Tail more and more often.


    She still couldn''t believe she suplexed that other woman.


    "But you know, I don''t really think there''s anything necessarily wrong with wanting to protect your friends either," Luke said, getting her attention.


    "I mean, wanting to keep your friends safe is pretty normal, isn''t it? Aren''t there people you want to protect?" he asked, making her think about it. Obviously, there was pretty much everyone in the guild she would fight for. Makarov, Cana, Mira, Elfman, Natsu, Gray, Laki, Bisca, Alzac, Macao, Wakaba¡­ Heck, even Jet and Droy.


    "Yeah, my friends in the guild," she said. Luke nodded at that, not that she could see it.


    "Right, and it''s not because you think they''re weak or that you''re better than them or that they''ll fall madly in love with you if you save them," he said, making her blush at that last part.


    "It''s because you care about them, right? Well, it''s the same with me. I want to keep you safe, not because I think you''re weak, or because I''m a man and you''re a woman, or even to make you fall in love with me, though I wouldn''t mind that last part¡­" Luke mumbled, getting another smack on the arm from an embarrassed Levy.


    "Hey!" she complained jokingly, suddenly very glad it was so dark. She was actually surprised the room wasn''t lit up by how hard she was blushing right now.


    "Sorry, sorry," he laughed. "My point is, you''re my friend, and I want to keep you safe. And I hope you''ll watch my back too. I have a feeling I''m going to need it."


    "Sounds like a full time job, but I suppose I could do that," she said, sliding a bit closer to him. But only because it was cold down there and she wanted to share some warmth. There was no other reason beyond that!


    "Great, I''m counting on you," he said, grinning down at the girl. The two of them sat there for some time, alone in the dark, slowly recovering their magic. A friendship had already blossomed between the two, but a new seed had been planted. Who knows what would grow out of it.

 Wild Imaginations

    The sun had set some time ago, and the moon had come out to play. It shone its pale light down on the world below, watching with satisfaction as those tired from a weary day laid their heads down to rest.


    However, a curious sight caught its attention. There were two men who were not heading for dreamland. One was pacing back and forth at speeds that were purely unnatural, wearing a deep groove into the dirt road. Another sat on some steps watching him.


    "Who are they?" the moon wondered, curiously. Who were these humans who eschewed the natural order, staying up way past their bedtime? What reason could they possibly have for doing so?


    "Where is she?" Jet mumbled, walking back and forth in front of the inn/tavern, completely unaware that he was about three inches shorter now. He''d been at this for some time now, his worry preventing him from rest.


    "Listen, I''m sure she''s fine. You know her, once she gets absorbed into her work it''s almost impossible to drag her away," Droy mentioned, hoping to calm his friend down, even if he was just as anxious deep down.


    "I know that, but she''s with that¡­ guy. Who knows what he has planned for her," Jet said, his own words fueling his anxiety and making him speed up even more, kicking up a small cloud of dust in his wake.


    "Well, maybe he isn''t actually up to anything. Maybe we just misjudged him," Droy suggested, making Jet stop and stare at him in disbelief. A few moments went by with them just staring at each other.


    "Ok, yeah, he''s up to something," Droy finally admitted, unable to lie to himself.


    "Right! Why else would she say those things last night? He clearly brainwashed her somehow. Maybe with Charm Magic," Jet mumbled, his mind wandering back to the previous night.


    Levy had just come back inside after running off, due to no fault of their own. She then approached their table, and for a moment, Jet believed she would apologize, admit she was wrong for yelling at them like that and everything would go back to normal.


    Except¡­ that''s not what happened. Instead of apologizing for her mistake, she doubled down. She told them, under no uncertain terms, that she never wanted to date them. That they were friends and would never be anything more than that.


    It was like being told your dad is the mailman. Devastating.


    Then she left, going back outside to be with¡­ him. Hearing those words brought their whole world crashing down, leading to the unfortunate events that followed. Namely, them drinking themselves sick.


    Which is exactly what that bastard wanted! Jet and Droy saw how quick he was to offer himself to the Quest, and that''s when the two of them realized his true motives. He clearly charmed their friend, made her say all those lies to them, and probably even had a hand in them drinking so much, all to get Levy alone with him.


    That sneaky bastard!


    "That means it''s up to us to protect her. He could be trying to take advantage of her right this very instant!" Jet continued, eyes brimming with determination and no small amount of fear.


    His words caused the two of them to start imagining what that might look like.


    Levy, all alone in the ruins, cowering in fear on the ground as Luke approached her, his face set in a malicious grin. He licked his lips with desire, staring at the helpless girl before him.


    "No, stop, please! I''m not that kind of girl!" she yelled, backing away as far as she could, only to run into a wall. Once she realized she couldn''t escape, her eyes went wide with terror.


    "Muahahaha, there''s no one here to protect you now! I have tricked you into believing your friends were awful and that I was someone who could be trusted. You should have listened to your friends, who are way more handsome than I am," Luke said with a mocking laugh, horns growing from the top of his head, revealing he was a demon the whole time..


    "Oh no, how could I be so foolish! Jet, Droy, please come and save me! I''m helpless without you!" she cried out. But no one would be coming.


    "Foolish girl, no one is coming to save you! Now, prepare yourself as I violate you with my incredibly small penis! Don''t worry, I''m also a quick shot, so your agony won''t last very long! Muahahahaha!"


    "Nooooo!"


    Their eyes snapped back into focus at that, their panic increasing tenfold. If someone were able to see inside their minds, they would think the two of them were completely delusional.


    Which wasn''t far from the truth.


    "We have to save her! We can''t let that vile beast have his way with her!" Droy shouted, jumping to his feet. The two of them agreed wholeheartedly. They needed to get to her before something awful happened.


    "I agree, now come on! Who knows what could be happening right this very moment!"


    *Line Break*


    Levy couldn''t believe what was happening. She was alone in a deep, dark, and not to mention, damp cave with a hot naked guy right beside her. The poor girl''s face was practically glowing from the embarrassment.


    It was a good thing Jet and Droy weren''t here. They would probably be freaking out. Actually, given how late it was, they probably already were.


    But you might be wondering what led to Luke stripping and baring it all to the bookish girl. Well, after sitting in the dark for about 30 minutes, give or take, Levy felt she had regained enough of her magic to pull something out of her Requip space, namely, a Heat Lacrima.


    The temperature in the cave wasn''t too bad, probably in the mid to low sixties. (Fahrenheit) Still, she wouldn''t exactly call it comfortable either. So, that was what drove her to selecting this particular Lacrima. She could have chosen a light one, but she figured it would be best to save that for when they''re ready to head out. The Heat Lacrima would make waiting to recover just a bit more manageable.


    No to mention the fact that it did produce light, but mostly as a byproduct of the heat. Pulling it out, she placed the egg shaped thing in between her and Luke. It was about the size of a person''s head and swirled like an ice cream cone.


    "What''s that?" he asked curiously.


    "You''ll see," Levy said with a smirk. She then activated the device, which started to glow with a warm, orange light. It almost looked like a small fire, which is probably what the creator had in mind.


    She saw Luke''s face through the dim light, watching the object with wonder. He reached out and gently poed the thing, mouth making an "O" shape when he realized it gave off heat. She couldn''t hold back the giggles as she saw it.


    "What? What''s so funny?" he asked. But Levy merely waved him off, giving him a smile.


    "Nothing, nothing at all," she said. Luke gave her a suspicious look, feeling like he was the butt of some joke, but decided to drop it. There wasn''t much point in starting an argument over it.


    The two of them sat for some time, simply enjoying the warmth of the heat giving object. After several minutes, Luke opened up his rucksack, rummaging through it. Levy had almost forgotten he even had the thing.


    "Whatcha lookin for?" she asked, peering through the gloom to observe.


    "A change of clothes. I should have some in here," he said. Levy nodded her head at that. Given how wet he was, it made sense he would want to change. Even with the Lacrima taking away most of the chill, it couldn''t be very comfortable. Thankfully, she herself wasn''t nearly as wet, having been riding him like a toboggan while sliding down the sewer system.


    She watched him pull out clothes one by one. A black shirt, a pair of pants, some red boxers, and socks. Seeing his underwear made her blush a bit, which it shouldn''t have, considering how often Gray walked around in nothing but his skivvies, but for some reason, this was different.


    He was different.


    "Alright, that should just about do it," he said, before peeling off his soaking wet shirt. Now her face was really red as she got a face full of hunk.


    "W-wait a minute! Don''t tell me you''re changing here!?" Levy shouted, or at least, she meant to. But she couldn''t get past the embarrassment to actually form the words. And by the time he started taking off his pants, there was no hope for her.


    Her hands went to her face to cover her eyes, listening through her rapidly beating heart as his clothes came off. She tried to resist the urge to look, but she was only human. Parting her fingers, she was rewarded with quite the eyeful.


    "Oh my God his ass is perfect!" she squealed in her mind, unable to take her eyes off the specimen in front of her. A part of her was hoping he would turn around, so she could get a glimpse of something else.


    "What am I thinking!? Damn it Cana, I blame you for this!" she thought. She could just picture the smug look the other girl would give her if she knew.


    Which meant she could never know.


    The whole scenario was like one of those trashy romance novels she not so secretly indulges in. Well, her and Erza. But there was no way it would end up like that, right? Luke wasn''t about to push her onto the ground and have his way with her, was he?


    Why was she imagining how it would go!?


    She was sitting down on the cold hard rock, the warmth from the Heat Lacrima starting to fade. She wrapped her hands around herself, trying to keep warm


    "Levy, are you alright? You''re not too cold, are you?" Luke asked, looking at her with the utmost concern, wearing only a pair of pants. The soft glow of the Heat Lacrima gently exposing each and everyone one of his mouth watering muscles.


    Her heartbeat quickened at the sight. She tried to deny anything was wrong, but he could see right through her.


    "I''m fine. This is nothing. Ah¡­Achoo!"


    "That doesn''t sound fine. You''re not getting sick are you?" he asked, sitting down next to her. She could feel the heat radiating off of his body, warming her better than any Lacrima ever could. She could feel herself instinctively leaning closer to the source.


    "Of course not. Like I said before, I''m not a delicate little flower that needs to be constantly protected," she said, doing her best to glare at him. Unfortunately, her body chose that moment to betray her, releasing a violent shiver from the cold.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "And didn''t I tell you that getting help from your friends doesn''t mean you''re weak. Won''t you please let me help you?" he asked, taking her hands in his own and staring deeply into her eyes.


    "How?" she asked, barely above a whisper. He then cupped her face with his hands, giving her a look filled with unbridled passion.


    "Like this," he whispered back, pulling her body against his and leaning in to plant a kiss on her lips¡­


    Back in the real world, Luke stared at the nearly comatose girl with worry. Her eyes were glazed over as she seemingly stared at the wall, unblinking. Not only that, but he could see a small trail of drool coming out of her mouth, a peculiar smile on her face.


    But the worst part had to be the small giggles she would release from time to time. He worried she might have hit her head or something and was having a stroke.


    "Hey Levy, you alright?" he asked, receiving no reply. Now getting really worried, he made his way over to her, waving his hand in front of her face.


    Nothing.


    "Now what?" he asked himself. With no other options available to him, he decided the best course of action would be to startle her out of whatever trance she was in. To accomplish this mission, he pulled his arms back, and clapped them together as loudly as he could, right in front of her face.


    "Wah!" she yelled, jumping in fright. The sudden departure from her debaucherous thoughts, right when it was going to the good part, sent her careening backwards over the rock she was using as a seat.


    Not that Luke knew that.


    "Levy!" Luke shouted, racing over the where his friend fell over, wondering if he may have made a mistake. He saw her, laying on her back, her legs up against the rock she fell off of, moaning in slight pain.


    "Hey, you ok?" he asked.


    "Yeah, I''m fine. What was that for? " she asked, glaring up at the man she was just daydreaming about. As she did so, she took notice of his current state of dress. He had some pants on, which was¡­ good. Yes, it was definitely a good thing. But he was still missing a crucial piece of clothing.


    Namely, his shirt.


    "Sorry, you''d been spacing out for several minutes and I didn''t know how else to get your attention. Here, let me help you up," he said, holding out a hand to her. She stared at it for a moment, noting the concerned look in his eyes. It reminded her far too much of the beginning of her fantasy.


    "Oh God, this is so embarrassing. And is that¡­ am I drooling!?" she thought in a panic. She quickly wiped away the offending material before reaching up to grab his hand. She couldn''t believe she had been fantasizing about him for that long.


    As he pulled her up, she desperately tried not to think about how warm it felt, or how rough and manly it was, just like they were in her imagination when his hands started traveling up her shirt and¡­


    Levy violently shook her head at that, confusing Luke who was watching. "Don''t go there girl. That''s the last thing you should be thinking about. You need to cool off and that is not helping!" she mentally chastised herself.


    But it was easier said than done.


    "You sure you''re ok? You didn''t hit your head or anything did you?" he asked after getting her to her feet.


    "Um, no I''m good¡­ Thanks," she mumbled, refusing to look him in the eye, glancing bashfully over at anything else.


    "No problem. Sorry about scaring you. Just what were you thinking about so hard anyway?" he asked, making her face go red.


    "Nothing! Nothing at all! More importantly, why did you start stripping in front of me!?" she asked, turning her embarrassment into rage. Luke had the good grace to appear bashful at that, taking a cue from her and looking away.


    "Yeah, sorry¡­ Wasn''t really thinking, I guess. I just really wanted to get out of those smelly, wet clothes. Probably should have gone behind a rock or warned you at least," he mumbled, looking apologetic and utterly exhausted.


    Levy sighed, shaking her head. She supposed she understood. They did just go through a sewer system after all, she''d want to get out of those clothes as well. But still, to just start removing your clothes without even thinking about where you were or who you were with?


    "Apology accepted. Just try and think these things through next time, will ya? We already have one stripper in the guild, we don''t need another," she stated, making him sigh in relief. He''d been a bit worried she wouldn''t forgive him for flashing her.


    "Right, I can do that. No more stripping outdoors," he agreed.


    "Close enough," she responded with a sigh. It was at this point that Levy took a glance at his bare torso, something she had been avoiding but she just couldn''t help taking a little peek. What she saw made her eyes widen in shock. Not because he was hot, which he was, but because of the nasty, black and purple bruising that covered his whole upper body.


    "Oh my gosh, are you ok?" she asked, staring at the injury with growing horror. It wasn''t just the bruising that caught her attention, but the rips and tears marring his flesh as well. They were peculiar in shape, appearing almost perfectly circular.


    That''s when she realized what they were from. The suction cups on the kraken''s tentacles. They must have pulled off part of his skin when they were removed. It looked incredibly painful.


    "Hm? Oh yeah¡­ Didn''t really notice it at the time, but that damn fish sure did a number on me. It''s not as bad as it looks," he said, trying to assuage her worries. But if the look she was giving him was any indication, she wasn''t buying it.


    "Nice try. Sit down, I have some cream that should help," she commanded.


    "No, it''s fine, really. You don''t have to waste it on me," he told her.


    "It''s not a waste to help my friend. Now stop being stubborn and sit down," she ordered once more. Luke sighed, seeing he wasn''t getting out of it. But deep down, he was happy someone cared enough to voluntarily use some kind of healing ointment on him.


    His parents would only do so begrudgingly, not wanting to waste any resources on something other than his brother. Made him want to injure himself sometimes, just to spite them, but he figured if they ever found out he would be left to wallow in pain, likely in a psych ward as well.


    "Yes ma''am," he said, sitting down on the rock near the Heat Lacrima, legs on either side of it. Levy nodded with satisfaction before she began concentrating on her Requip Space. Seeing a small flash of light made Luke turn to look back at her.


    "Hey, you sure you should be using your magic right now?" he asked with worry. Both of them were pretty much on empty after escaping the kraken, and he himself was only back to around 5 or 6 percent his full capacity. He doubted she was doing much better.


    "It''s fine, this doesn''t use up much magic. Besides, it''s too late anyway," she said with a cheeky grin, holding a container in her hand. Luke sighed, shaking his head at her sass.


    He heard her sit on the rock behind him, as well as the hiss she made at seeing his back. It made sense, considering the kraken slammed him against the rocky floor earlier. Even though he couldn''t see how bad it was, he could sure as hell feel it.


    "Geez, and I thought the front was bad¡­" she mumbled, reaching out to gently trace her fingertips along the bruises. The color was so much deeper than the front.


    Once her fingers made contact, he jumped, making her retract her hand in worry. "I''m sorry, did that hurt?" she asked.


    "No, sorry, just startled me a bit is all," he assured her, making her sigh in relief.


    "Alright, I''ll start applying the cream. Fair warning, it''s probably a bit cold," she informed him, twisting the cap off. Luke hummed in acknowledgment, waiting for her to apply it.


    He didn''t have to wait long. As soon as he felt it touch his sensitive skin, he gave another little jump.


    "Woo, that is cold," he said, before settling down.


    "I told you. Now hold still," she said, before continuing to doctor the man. She gently rubbed the thick cream into his wounded flesh, taking note to be careful around the wounds that were seeping small drops of blood.


    "So, what exactly is this supposed to do, doc?" Luke asked after a minute. The cream itself stung, like he was being bitten by ants, or poked with needles. It didn''t really hurt, per say, but it was uncomfortable.


    "It should help reduce the swelling as well as keep it from getting infected. It also has a mild numbing property to it," she informed, moving lower on his back.


    "Really? So it''s not supposed to feel like I''m being swarmed by bloodthirsty ants?" he joked, making her roll her eyes.


    "Don''t be such a big baby," she replied, a small smile on her face. After several more minutes of making sure it was rubbed in properly, she gave a satisfied huff.


    "There, all done. How does that feel?" she asked. Luke slowly swiveled his hips, stretching his back. He did so carefully and cautiously, not wanting to risk further injury, especially not when Levy was there to chastise him.


    "Feels pretty good. That numbing sensation finally kicked in," he told her.


    "Good, now turn around so I can do your front," she said. Not bothering to argue, he did just that, standing up and flipping around to face the pretty blue haired girl, her face lit up by the soft glow of the Heat Lacrima, a determined look on her face.


    Not saying a word, he let her get to work, gently rubbing the cream into his torso, starting with his chest. He tried to say something, to start up a conversation, but the intimate atmosphere prevented him from doing so.


    He wanted to tell her he could handle the front, that she didn''t need to worry about it, but it seems like she didn''t even notice how close they were. How that could be, he didn''t know, but he wasn''t going to be the one to make it awkward for her, not when she was going out of her way to treat his wounds.


    Maybe later, when they were all out of this mess, he could tease her then. But for now, she was safe.


    It took several more minutes before she was satisfied. Luke thought for sure she would realize their closeness when she moved onto his abs, but nope. She continued to be extremely professional about it.


    And he continued to enjoy the touch of a beautiful woman. Sure it was diminished somewhat by the pain her touch brought as well, but overall, it was an enjoyable experience.


    "There we go, all done," she said, leaning back with a satisfied smile. "How does that feel?"


    "Better. Thanks Doctor Levy," he said, making her roll her eyes at him.


    "You''re welcome, glad I could help. What about your ankle?" she asked, remembering he had twisted or sprained it when he shot himself out of the water.


    "Hmm, let''s see," he said, standing up. Placing some weight on his ankle, he did give a small wince. "Not as bad as earlier, but I''ll still be walking with a limp."


    "I thought so. Here, put some of this on it," she said, offering him the nearly empty jar.


    "So that''s where you draw the line huh?" he joked, taking the jar from her.


    "I''m not into feet," she shot back, a little smirk on her face. She then began stretching her body out, removing the kinks built up from the slightly awkward position she was in. The action didn''t distract Luke at all. Nope, not even a little bit.


    Sitting back down on the rock, with both legs on the same side now, he grabbed his left foot and began to apply the cream. Levy flipped over to the same side to watch, making sure he did it right.


    Once he was done applying it, he sighed in relief as the numbing took effect. Hopefully it wouldn''t be a hindrance in getting out of here. Staring down at the now empty jar, he felt a bit guilty for using up all of her medicine.


    "Hey, what''s that face for?" Levy asked, giving him an annoyed, half lidded glare. She had a sneaking suspicion about why he was looking so glum all of a sudden.


    "Nothing. Looks like that''s the last of your cream. Guess I won''t be doctoring you now," he said, sounding sad. Levy''s face went red at the thought of him rubbing the cream into her skin. His big strong hands gliding all over her body¡­


    "Nope, sorry. You''re the only one injured here," she rapidly put out. She really hoped he didn''t hear the stutter in her voice.


    "That''s too bad¡­" he said, before noticing her raised eyebrow at the statement. Realizing what he said, he quickly tried to backtrack.


    "I mean good! It''s good that you''re not injured! Yeah¡­" he trailed off, looking away from her smirking face. Levy gave a snort as she gently gave him a little shove.


    "You are such a dork."


    "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Here," he replied, holding the jar out for her, still refusing to look at her. But she rejected it, pushing it back towards him, making him turn back towards her.


    "Nope, that''s yours now. You used it, so you must deal with its remains," she said.


    "You made me," he pointed out. But if he thought logic would sway her, he had another thing coming.


    "And?" she replied, a smug grin on her face. Seeing as he wasn''t going to win whatever this was, he settled for rolling his eyes at her before placing the empty jar in his rucksack.


    No one would accuse him of littering, no siree!


    But as he shoved his garbage into his pack, he took note of the rations he had left. Barbara saw fit to give him a few days worth, probably figuring he would get lost in the wilderness. Well jokes on her!


    He got lost in a cave! Wait, did that still count as being in the wilderness? Naw, he didn''t think so. Those were two totally separate things. One had trees.


    Seeing them made him realize they hadn''t had dinner, and his stomach took the opportunity to confirm his hypothesis. Well, no time like the present. Not like they were going anywhere anyway.


    "Hey, you hungry?" he asked, pulling out a couple of bars. Each one had roughly 600 calories to them, meaning he needed to eat at least four of them a day to meet his needs. More if he expended extra energy.


    Levy opened her mouth to answer when her stomach did so for her, joining his own in a hunger fueled duet. It sounded like two bullfrogs having angry sex.


    "I could go for some food," she admitted with a small blush. Chuckling, Luke handed one to Levy. He also took out his Blanket Canteen so they had something to choke it down with. The ration bars weren''t bad, but they did tend to be on the dry side.


    "Thanks," she said, taking the offered food. She opened the package and gave the plain looking bar a suspicious look. She''s had these things before, and decided from there on, she would only eat them in an emergency. While they weren''t in any danger of starving yet, they were very low on mana, and the calories from the food should help speed up the recovery process.


    Tentatively taking a bite, she was pleasantly surprised by the taste. "Peanut butter and jelly?" she asked in disbelief. The last rations she had tasted like cardboard left in the sun too long.


    "Not bad huh?" Luke said with a grin, taking a bite of his own. The two ate in comfortable silence, enjoying the warmth provided by the Heat Lacrima.


    "By the way, how long is this thing supposed to last?" Luke asked, swallowing a bite before taking a swig of water. He then passed the canteen over to her, which she gratefully took her own drink from.


    "At this setting it should last approximately three hours," she said. He nodded, taking another bite of his meal. That should be enough time for them to recover enough magic to continue on.


    Hopefully, there wouldn''t be any more surprises like the kraken waiting in store for them.

 A Journey Through Darkness

    The time spent inside the cave went by much faster than either Luke or Levy expected. They''d spent the last few hours talking and getting to know each other better, sharing experiences and having an all around good time, which made the time fly by.


    Luke nearly bust a gut listening to one of her adventures. Normally, Team Shadow Gear, as they were called, tended to do Quests that involved ruins or translating, things of that nature. But occasionally they would partake in an extermination type Quest as well.


    Mostly because Levy felt guilty about all the jobs they did where the other two were practically useless. Besides, it was nice to switch things up once in a while. This particular Quest had them travelling to a farming community in eastern Fiore, where a monster had been destroying their crops.


    The monster in question was a Bunnicorn, a rabbit with a spiraling horn on its head, capable of shooting lightning out of it. It wasn''t as dangerous as it sounded, at least to a wizard, as the attack didn''t have all that much power behind it. But to a regular person, it was a different story.


    After tracking the beast for some time, they decided to take a break. Droy needed to use the bathroom and apparently, the Bunnicorn must have thought a certain appendage of his looked like a juicy carrot, and well¡­


    Long story short, Droy is now circumcised. Mazel tov.


    Luke found the story hilarious, and even Levy giggled at the reminder. Droy wasn''t seriously hurt, and apparently the taste was so bad it knocked out the monster right then and there. Hopefully that story didn''t get around, or he would never be able to get a woman to go down on him.


    Probably didn''t help his already rock bottom chances with Levy either.


    Luke shared a story of when he went camping with his family only to end up lost in the woods. Or abandoned, it was hard to say, but they were packing up the vehicle when he was returned, so¡­


    Anyway, as he was wandering through the woods he stumbled upon a rickety old house. Against his better judgement, he decided to venture inside, hoping to find some long lost secret treasure.


    He mostly found rusty nails and graffiti. But as he continued through the house, a rotten board snapped beneath him, and he found himself plummeting into the basement. Surprisingly, the basement itself was rather pristine, like no one had ever been inside before.


    He explored the hidden room with excitement, feeling like he was Indiana Jones. (Luke promised to tell Levy more about him later) Of course, that excitement soon dwindled to horror he realized he had no way out.


    He called for help but naturally, no one came. It was up to Luke to save himself. Eventually, he managed to discover the boards leading to the stairs were behind a secret bookshelf. Why the exit was hidden, Luke had no idea.


    But it made him curious to find if anything else was hidden, and lo and behold, there was. It was behind an old and tarnished painting of some angry dude who looked like he was beaten with an ugly stick every day during his life.


    But what was behind it was far from ugly. It was money, and lot''s of it. Not only that, but precious metals and jewelry. Luke felt like he had hit the jackpot.


    That is, until he found out it was a drug dealer''s safe house. Apparently they liked to keep a few million hidden away in case they ever needed it.


    Well, they needed it. They sure as hell weren''t expecting to run into a kid, especially not when fleeing the cops after a deal gone bad. But unlike the movies, they were surprisingly chill with Luke finding them out. He was only 8 at the time, so that might have helped.


    Had he been a pimply faced teenager, well¡­ the story might have ended up differently. But instead they merely tied him up and left him. But they did let him keep a silver coin for the inconvenience.


    He was just glad they weren''t Nazis, because Indiana Jones always seemed to be running into Nazis.


    It would be nearly midnight when the dogs found him.


    The police naturally rescued him and returned him to his parents, who were, of course, overjoyed at his safe return. Well, they were happy they wouldn''t have to file a missing person''s report at any rate.


    Them piling up the truck, or the Magic Mobile, and getting ready to leave was conveniently believed to be them heading for the police station. Luke, however, had his doubts.


    Levy shook her head, wondering if the person next to her was lucky or unlucky. Probably an unhealthy mix of both. But that just made him pretty much like everyone else in the guild.


    As the last light of the Heat Lacrima started to flicker that seemed to be the signal both of them were looking for. As much as they enjoyed swapping stories and just talking with each other in general, both were eager to escape the cave.


    Besides, nothing was stopping them from talking later.


    Levy used her Requip Magic to bring out a flashlight, or as they call it, a Light Lacrima. But it was conveniently shaped the same, so¡­ he was going to call it a flashlight. She then placed the Heat Lacrima back inside her Requip space.


    "Alright, I think it''s time to head out!" Levy said, standing up and stretching her body. Luke did the same, sighing with relief as his back popped. That had been bugging him for ages.


    "Sounds good to me. How''s your magic doing?" Luke asked. Levy hummed and concentrated for a moment, feeling for the mana, or Ethernano as it was called, inside of her.


    "I should be alright. I''m back to about 30%, give or take. What about you? How are your wounds feeling?" she asked, giving him a concerned look. Made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.


    "Wounds are fine, that cream of yours worked wonders. I can barely feel any pain and it doesn''t hurt to stand. My magic''s about the same level as yours, I think," he said, getting a nod from the girl.


    "Good, then let''s get going, shall we?" she said.


    "Ladies first," Luke said, bowing like the man of high society he was, all the while indicating she should take the lead with a hand gesture. Levy rolled her eyes, but had a playful smile on her face nonetheless.


    "My, what a gentleman you are. Sending a girl into the dark ahead of you," she commented. But Luke only smirked back at her.


    "Of course. I know what a strong and capable, not to mention beautiful, woman you are," he said, making her blush. She knew he was just basically throwing her words from earlier back at her, but she still liked the compliment.


    "All those things are true, yes, but are you certain it''s not just because you''re afraid?" she teased back.


    "With you at my side, I have nothing to fear," Luke said, giving her his most charming smile. But by the dull expression she gave him in return, it may not have had the intended effect.


    "Too much?"


    "A little, yeah," she responded. The two stared at each other for a moment before breaking out into giggles. Or in Luke''s case, manly chuckles.


    "I can go first, if you want," Luke suggested, once the two of them calmed down. Levy smiled, but shook her head.


    "That''s ok, I don''t mind taking the lead. Just make sure to watch my back, ok?" she said.


    "I can do that, no problem," Luke said, giving her a salute. Levy rolled her eyes but turned to face the cave, shining her light into the unknown.


    "Then let''s get going, shall we?"


    The two then started to head deeper into the cave, with Luke making sure to keep a close eye on her backside. What? She never said which part of her back to keep an eye on. It was just too bad that damn coat of his kept getting on the way.


    As they continued on, they came across several pitfalls. Sometimes literally. But with Levy''s frankly absurdly versatile magic, it was almost childs play to overcome most obstacles.


    Like when they came across a chasm. It seemed clear that there used to be a rope bridge or some equivalent at one point, but time and the elements had rotted it away.


    But don''t worry! With magical girl Levy-tan here to save the day, they managed to cross with no problem. All she had to do was write the word Bridge in the air and viola! Problem solved!The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    It was somewhat disconcerting to cross a bridge made up of letters, but Luke trusted that Levy knew what she was doing. The two of them safely crossed the gap without issue.


    Then there was the part where the path sloped down at a steep angle. It looked like there used to be stairs there, but like the rope bridge, it had been screwed over by things outside of its control.


    To continue traversing the cave of many dangers, Levy called upon the wellspring of power dwelling deep within her to create¡­ stairs. Seriously, her magic was too useful. Luke would, hopefully, be able to do something similar in the future by converting his normal Light Magic into hard light, but that was still a ways off.


    Even then, he still wouldn''t come close to all the things Levy could do.


    Levy herself was fascinated by the discovery of the rope bridge and the stairs, constantly searching for some indication of the previous civilization as they traveled through the cave. But much to her chagrin, they have yet to find anything. No carvings, no stonework; nothing. Just circumstantial evidence at best.


    So they continued forth, with Levy pouting the whole way, determined to find some proof of the past. If it was here, he was sure she would find it.


    Making it past those two obstacles took a decent toll on her magic, but thankfully, she did have time to rest inbetween, since they were about an hour apart. But even so, Luke was doing far better in that department.


    However, after nearly four hours of traversing the cave, they came across something that her magic wouldn''t be good for. Right in front of them was another chasm, but unlike the previous one, they couldn''t see the other end.


    Luke even tried sending out a ball of light to determine how far it went, only for the ball to disappear into the darkness, revealing nothing. If there was another side, it was too far for even his magic to reach. Which also meant him transforming and flying them across was also a bad idea.


    It sure would suck to run out of magic before they could reach the other side and plummet to their deaths. That was the last thing either of them wanted.


    Luckily, there was an old, worn and weathered path connected to the side of the cave wall. Though, calling it a path was being rather generous with the term. It reminded Luke of a video game, where the protagonist had to shimmy across a stupidly thin ledge.


    So basically, the path was only about 16 inches wide. It was enough to cross, sure, but it had the word precarious written all over it. The two of them share a nervous look.


    "I don''t suppose you see another way forward, do you?" Luke asked.


    "Nope," she answered simply.


    "I was afraid you''d say that," he sighed.


    "No use overthinking it. Just, try not to look down," she suggested, making her way towards the start of their new "path".


    "Don''t know why that matters. Can''t see the bottom anyway," Luke snarked, following right behind. Levy carefully maneuvered herself with her back against the wall. Thankfully, due to still having Luke''s jacket, the chill of the rock surface never touched her.


    Once she was safely in position, she scooted her right foot to the side, partially stepping onto the dangerous platform. She gulped, gathering her courage, before moving her left foot and stepping fully onto the narrow ledge.


    She breathed a sigh of relief when it didn''t collapse on her. She glanced over at Luke, who was too nervous to speak, opting instead for a shaky thumbs up. She snorted at that, some of the tension leaving her as she slowly and carefully continued on her way.


    Seeing this, Luke had no choice but to follow. Levy made the whale thing look easy, and he admired her for her bravery. However, things weren''t quite as simple for him. You see, Levy is very small, easily a foot shorter than Luke, and petite in the best way. It made balancing on the ledge far simpler for her as opposed to him.


    But that wouldn''t stop him. He was tasked with watching her backside and as Barbara as his witness, he would not fail in his task. So he too maneuvered onto the ledge, one foot after the other. Levy stopped a bit ahead, waiting for him to advance.


    Luke did have one advantage over the dainty girl to his right and that was Take Over Magic. If he fell, he could simply transform and fly back up to the ledge. Might be kind of hard to get back on with wings coming out of his back, but hey, at least the threat of falling to his death was minimized.


    Although, if Levy did fall, he would certainly dive after her.


    With the Light Mage now fully onto the path, the two began the agonizingly slow journey across. Luke had conjured up a ball of light to help them see, because the flashlight in Levy''s hand could only do so much.


    It made things both easier and harder at the same time, at least for Luke. Easier, because he could see the narrow ledge better, yet harder because he had to concentrate on keeping the ball of light floating where he wanted it.


    It was damn good training, if nothing else. Nothing beats experience when it comes to learning. It was just such a shame it charged so much for tuition.


    Things went fairly well for the first hour or so, but both were getting fatigued. Not only was it difficult from a physical sense, but it was mentally taxing as well. Not knowing how far you had to go, or even if there was an end, all the while the abyss of death looms right below your feet really dulled the sharpness of one''s mind.


    And that''s when it happened. Levy, as she was making another step, grew somewhat careless. She didn''t see the small rock that was resting in her path. So when her foot came down on top of it, she slipped.


    "Ah!" she screamed, tumbling towards the endless dark beneath her. Luke however, reacted, pardon the pun, at the speed of light, his arm darting out to hold her up and keep her from falling into the great unknown.


    "Levy, are you alright!?" he yelled, using all his strength to keep her in place. Levy grabbed hold of his arm, holding it against her like a lifeline as she slammed herself back against the wall, her heart beating a mile a minute.


    "I''m¡­ yeah, thanks," she said back, breathing rapidly. She rested her head against the cool stone behind her. She still clutched onto his arm, the warmth and the muscles she could feel rippling beneath the skin making her feel safe and secure.


    Which she most definitely was not at the moment.


    However, as she held onto his arm she noticed a peculiar sensation, and a rather pleasant one at that, centered around her chest. Right where she was holding his arm in fact¡­


    "Um, Levy?" she heard him ask cautiously. No, nervously is more like it. She opened her eyes to look at him and saw he looked¡­ embarrassed? What was he embarrassed about? He just saved her life for crying out loud! He had nothing to be embarrassed about.


    "What''s wrong?" she asked. He refused to look her in the eye, focusing instead on the gently bobbing ball of light.


    "Nothing''s wrong, per say, it''s just, well¡­ my arm," he said, getting an even more confused look from her. Was he upset about her clinging onto him? That didn''t make much sense, given the way he flirted with her earlier.


    Deciding that she wouldn''t be able to solve this mystery with logic alone, she cast her eyes downward to see what had him so freaked out. It took her a moment to realize what it was and even when she did her brain had to work overtime to comprehend what she saw.


    It wasn''t that he was mad about her clutching onto him, it was where he was clutching onto her that was the problem. When he thrust his arm out to prevent her from falling to her death, his hand went straight to her chest to do so.


    A hand that was currently squeezing her right boob.


    Face turning bright red, Levy had to control her every impulse to thrust his arm away from her in embarrassment. She knew he didn''t mean to grope her, or was extremely doubtful about it, so she wasn''t angry. Not to mention that she was the one holding onto him and preventing him from moving it in the first place.


    It did at least explain the pleasure she was feeling.


    Slowly she released her hold on his arm, feeling him unfurl his fingers that were gently squeezing her boob. His arm moved away from her body at a snail''s pace, almost like he was afraid he would be attacked if she saw it move.


    It was kind of funny.


    "Sorry about that," he apologized as his arm returned to his side, still refusing to look at her.


    "It''s¡­ it''s fine," she muttered, looking away herself.


    "Yeah it was¡­" he mumbled to himself, almost too quietly to hear. But Levy could, and while it didn''t do anything to relieve the situation of its awkwardness, it did make her feel somewhat¡­ proud.


    Here was an admittedly attractive guy claiming to enjoy the feeling of her chest. It shouldn''t have made her happy, but it did. As a woman who was on the small side when it came to cup size, she had always felt insecure about it. Especially with women like Erza, Mira and Cana around.


    Hell, even Laki and Bisca were pretty darn stacked.


    Speaking of Cana, this was another thing she must never know about. Levy didn''t think she would be able to survive the teasing that followed.


    Back at the Fairy Tail Guildhall


    A beautiful woman with luscious brown curls wearing a pair of tight pants and what amounted to a bikini top that barely held her breasts at bay, sat by the bar with a literal barrel of booze placed to her lips. Say what you want about her drinking habit, you couldn''t deny the strength she had to drink from a full barrel like it was a regular pint.


    Her skin was bronzed like she spent all day in the sun and her stomach was flat and toned. Above the left side of her waist rested her Guild Mark, proudly displayed for all to see.


    But suddenly, she moved the enormous container of alcohol away from her lips right before letting out a loud sneeze.


    "You alright Cana? Not getting sick are you?" asked a kind voice to her left. Turning to look at the girl, who just so happened to be the guild''s poster girl, Mirajane, giving her a look of concern, Cana sent her a reassuring look.


    "I''m just fine. Probably someone thinking about me. I do tend to have that effect on people," Cana responded with a grin. Mira giggled in response, the action causing a chain reaction in her chest, making her breasts jiggle like a bowl full of Jello.


    "But you know¡­ I''d be even better if you let me have a little squeeze," Cana stated, staring directly at the She-Devil''s rack. Mira rolled her eyes, but still had a pleasant smile on her face.


    "Cana, you''re drunk," she stated simply.


    "I know. But I''m suddenly in the mood for some Jello, if you catch my drift," she said, giving the other woman a grin while waggling her eyebrows suggestively.


    "So am I Mira!"


    "Me too!"


    "Get in line!"


    "I''m the Master, so I get first dibs!"


    "Like hell you do old man!"


    "That''s it, it''s go time!"


    "Rahhhh!"


    Mira gave Cana a blank look as the other girl nervously chuckled, watching the guild devolve into another fight.


    "Um, oops?"


    Back in the cave¡­


    After getting over the embarrassment of being inadvertently fondled, Levy and Luke continued their journey. Both of their thoughts were a bit of a mess, with the blue haired girl trying, and failing, to not think about how warm his hand felt. And Luke, well¡­


    "Boobies!"


    Luke was just excited to have touched boob for the first time.


    The journey to the other side would take another three hours, and the two of them would be thoroughly exhausted when they reached the end. Both of them collapsed when they made it back onto safe ground, happy to have survived the ordeal.


    It was also more than enough time to forget all about their earlier mishap. Both of them were far too tired to worry about Luke reaching second base.


    After regaining some energy, Luke looked over towards the far end of the cave, to the road yet traveled. But what caught his eye was a dull blue light he could see coming from a crack.


    "Hey, what''s that?" he asked, getting the petite girl''s attention. She cast her tired gaze in that direction, the sight removing some of the fatigue, replacing it with curiosity.


    "I don''t know. Only one way to find out," she said. Luke sighed, but forced himself to stand. He then held out his hand to Levy, who happily took it, letting him pull her to her feet.


    "Alright then. Ladies first."

 Oasis in the Dark

    Luke grumbled as he squeezed through the narrow crevice, not enjoying being in such a tight space. Not one little bit. This whole adventure was making him feel claustrophobic. Not only was he trapped in a cave system, but having to take such tiny passageways wasn''t helping any.


    Thankfully, the road wasn''t a long one, and soon enough he was free and clear. He let out a sigh of relief, breathing in the sweet, sweet scent of freedom.


    As he was enjoying himself, he heard a grunt coming from behind him, one that could only be coming from a single person. Turning around, he saw the ever petite Levy making slow but steady progress through the slender path. You''d think she would have an easier time with it, given how much smaller than him she was, but nope. She was actually having even more trouble.


    Probably due to her extraordinary derriere. Not that he would say that out loud, but her generous backside did keep getting stuck. It was quite the sight to behold, and Luke made sure to sear it into his memory.


    Guess it was a good thing he went first this time. He did make the oh so generous offer of allowing her the privilege to take point, but she merely handed him the flashlight in response.


    But seeing her struggle made the gentleman inside of his wrestle control from the horndog staring at her butt. He could, and would, think about that later. Right now, he needed to help her get out of that crevice. He offered her his hand, which she gratefully took, allowing him to pull her out of the gap.


    "Woo, thanks," she said, giving him a small smile.


    "No problem. Fingers crossed that was the last one," he said, eyeing the path they just took. If he never saw another small, narrow passageway again, he wouldn''t be bothered.


    "Don''t jinx it," she told him with a grin. "Now, where did we end up¡­ this¡­ time¡­ woah," she muttered, having looked past Luke to see where the path led them. Seeing the wonder in her eyes, Luke turned around as well.


    "Woah," he repeated. There wasn''t a better word he could think of to describe what he was seeing. It was like something straight out of a fairy tale.


    Ironic, don''t ya think?


    First off was the enormous Lacrima crystal descending from the ceiling. It was easily hundreds of feet long and almost just as wide. It was a dull blue color and gave off a soft glow, which explained the light they saw earlier.


    Directly beneath that was a pure white temple that looked like it belonged in ancient Greece. Thick stone pillars rose up in front of the entrance with intricate carvings that neither of them could make out from this distance decorating it. The entire structure seemed unmarred by the passage of time, without a single crack or piece of moss covering it.


    It was nestled on a small island in the middle of a lake, who''s water was crystal clear, unlike the previous one they encountered. Luke wasn''t sure how the water could have gotten so clean when it came from somewhere so filthy. Perhaps there was some kind of natural filter within the cave or maybe even magic being at work.


    Hopefully, this one wouldn''t contain a horrible monster. And if it did, please let it not be of the tentacle variety.


    All around the temple was bright, green grass with a few trees even dotting the landscape. How they were able to grow inside of a cave was a mystery. Perhaps the Lacrima provided not just light, but actual sunlight.


    The rocky path they were on was cobbled, looking far more like it belonged in a city than down in a deep, dark cave. It appeared impossibly well maintained and led directly towards the temple.


    All that it needed was some small, woodland animals and the picture would be complete.


    "Well, that''s something. I didn''t think we''d find something like this down here," Luke said, once the awe had dissipated. To a manageable degree at least.


    "Can''t say I did either. It''s so beautiful," Levy whispered. Now Luke could have said something like, "Not as beautiful as you," or something along those lines, but he figured that would be laying it on a little too thick. So instead, he simply agreed with her.


    "That it is. I suppose we should check out the temple next, right?" he asked, giving her a look. The question finally snapped her out of her reverie, and an excited gleam entered her eyes.


    "Heck yeah we should. Come on, let''s get a closer look," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the lake. Luke chuckled and let himself be dragged along to her beat, not at all minding the feeling of her hand in his again.


    The path sloped downward at a gentle angle winding past a massive slab of granite. They couldn''t see it from the other side, but once they got in front of it, Luke noticed something carved into it.


    "Levy, hang on," he said to the hyper focused girl. He squeezed her hand tighter and forced her to a stop, something she didn''t really appreciate.


    "What is it? Come on we need to hurry," she said impatiently, yanking on his hand to get him to move. Made him wonder why she didn''t just let go. Or did she not even realize she was doing it.


    Again.


    But far be it from him to point that out. Besides, he had other things to point out to her. Like the carving of the woman in the stone along with writing beneath it.


    "Levy, it''s not going anywhere. Besides, I think you''ll want to see this," he said, gesturing towards the boulder. Levy huffed but gave it a look anyway, her eyes widening at the sight.


    "Wow Luke, look at that," she said, making him roll his eyes. He was the one who pointed it out to her.


    "Yes, I see it. Can you translate it?" he asked. She hummed, walking closer towards the carving, letting go of his hand in the process. He pouted at the lack of contact but did little else, merely walking up beside her.


    "This is remarkably well preserved. And it looks like it''s in the same language as earlier. Let''s see¡­" she mumbled, her dainty fingers tracing the words with almost reverence. She really did love all this ancient stuff.


    "Before you lies the tomb of Queen Anastasia, put to rest after giving her life to defeat the foul creature who took possession of the King. If you have come to disturb her eternal rest with foul intent, know this, you shall be judged. Her Guardians await, ever vigilant, to ensure her peaceful slumber. Should your intentions be pure, touch the Waystone and lay your heart bare. Only then will the path open before you."


    "...Well that was cheery. What do you think it meant by Guardians?" Luke asked with a small bit of trepidation. Just a bit mind you. Levy was staring intently at the carving, her eyes trailing up the image of the Queen carved into the stones surface.


    "I''m not sure, but I don''t think we want to find out," Levy said back, turning to face Luke, eyeing him up and down, a contemplative look on her face.


    "What?" he asked, feeling like he was exposed.


    "You don''t have impure intentions, do you?" she asked, a hint of suspicion in her tone.


    "Not for the Queen, no," he replied, giving her a once over now. Levy caught the hint, her face taking on a red hue before she huffed and turned towards the temple.


    "Good. That''s good. Last thing we need is for you to get us killed. Now come on, we''ve wasted enough time," she said, marching ahead of him. Luke chuckled and followed along, feeling like he won that round.


    "So, what''s this Waystone thing it mentioned?" he asked once they were about halfway down the hill. To him, it sounded like something from a video game. You know, the kind where you touch it and it whisks you off to who knows where and you have to pray you don''t hear boss music afterwards.


    "A lot of places like these have ancient devices that perform numerous tasks. Waystones typically conceal a path, like a doorway, and activating them opens it up. Some can teleport you, but I''ve personally never seen one of those," she said. Luke nodded, even though she couldn''t see it. So it was just like a game.


    "Great. Let''s hope it isn''t one of those. We''re lost enough as it is," he mumbled. The pair continued on, reaching the bottom after several minutes of extremely scenic travel. He isn''t saying that it made up for all the BS that''s transpired in this place, but it did help to soften the blow.


    Afterall, how many people have ever set foot in this place? He and Levy were likely the only ones in centuries. And how many would set foot afterward? Both numbers are probably pretty close to zero. Unless there was an easier way to find this place.


    Once they reached the bottom, it became abundantly clear what the Waystone was. Luke didn''t even have to ask. There was a stone pillar, roughly 4 feet tall with detailed carvings along the structure. On top of it, was a bright red Lacrima, where he could see a swirling mass of energy, just begging to be used.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Imma take a wild guess and say this is the Waystone," he said, almost sarcastically. Levy nodded and began inspecting the thing, trying to figure out its purpose. Would it simply reveal a path, or would they be yeeted somewhere else.


    Somewhere the so-called Guardians were waiting for them.


    Seeing Levy do her thing, Luke decided to do some investigating of his own. Walking over to the lake, he bent down, cupping the water in his hand and letting it drizzle back in.


    "It''s so clean¡­" he mumbled.


    "Probably do to the Lacrima," Levy said, having taken out a small, leather-bound notebook from somewhere, likely her Requip space, and was jotting down notes. Luke was a bit surprised she even heard him with how focused she was on the pillar.


    She hadn''t even looked at him.


    Luke shifted his gaze to the enormous crystal above him. Like the red one sitting on top of the pillar he could see a mass of energy inside it as well. It was almost like looking at water with the way it swirled and danced around.


    Looking out at the lake, he took note of the way the light reflecting off it seemed to frolic along the still waters. Honestly, he had no trouble believing this was some kind of holy sight. It sure felt like it. There wasn''t an ounce of taint to be found in the whole area.


    "So, does that mean the light it gives off has a purifying effect?" he asked, looking back at the girl, who seemed to be finishing up with whatever she was doing.


    "Mm-hm. I can feel it. If I had to guess, it was put there to prevent the Vulcan from being able to enter. Take-Over is a form of possession after all, so anybody under its influence would be purified. Especially if that influence is malevolent," she explained, closing the book with a satisfied sigh.


    "So, does that mean I''m in danger?" he asked, getting a confused look from the girl. It took her a moment to understand what he meant, her mind still in analysis mode, but when she did she quickly put his mind at ease.


    "I doubt it. Neither you nor the thing you took over is evil, or at least I hope so, so it shouldn''t have an effect," she explained. Good thing Mira wasn''t here. Levy doubted it would do much to the woman, given her strength, but it probably wouldn''t be comfortable.


    "You know, now that you mention it, I do feel a bit more recharged," he mentioned, clenching and unclenching his fists. Levy nodded at that, not surprised at all given the nature of his magic.


    "Makes sense. You can turn into an angel," she said.


    "A hot angel," she thought to herself. Luke nodded his head at her, unknowing of her thoughts.


    "Right, so I''m guessing we just have to inject some of our magic into this thing to activate it," he mentioned, staring at the device. Levy nodded, almost eagerly, opening up her little journal and skimming through the pages.


    "That does seem to be the case. And the small inscriptions I found along the base seem to confirm this. It''s also congruent with the functionality of the other Waystones in other ancient ruins," she muttered rapid fire. Luke was just barely able to keep up.


    "So, whatcha got there? Your diary? Anything about me in there?" he asked, giving her a suggestive look, peering over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of what was inside.


    "This is not a diary, it''s an archaeological journal. And no, there is nothing about you in here," she huffed, slamming her journal shut and turning away from him. Luke sniggered at her expression.


    "Too bad. All I''ve ever wanted was to be a pretty girl''s diary entry. You have crushed all of my hopes and dreams," he said, hamming it up, placing his hand over his heart as if he''d been mortally wounded. Levy rolled her eyes at his antics, but had a small smile on her face nonetheless.


    "But seriously, you''re a pretty good artist. I didn''t know you were so talented," he complimented.


    "I''m really nothing special, I just asked Reedus to teach me a thing or two, since he uses Pict Magic. You should see some of his art. Oh, Reedus is a member of the guild, just so you know," she told him humbly. Luke did know, but it wasn''t like he could tell her that.


    "I see. I look forward to it," he said, before a thought crossed his mind, "What about the stone up the path? Why didn''t you draw that?"


    She blinked at him a couple of times, not quite comprehending the question, before her eyes widened at the realization.


    "Oh my gosh you''re right! Why didn''t I think of that!? Wait here, I''ll be right back!" she exclaimed, before charging back up that path. Luke could only watch her disappear with amusement.


    It was nearly half an hour before he saw the petite girl again. She had a satisfied look on her face as she gazed at her notes, completely absorbed in them. Luke watched her come down the path while munching on another ration bar.


    "There you are. I was starting to get worried. Another five minutes and I was going to start looking for you," he said after swallowing his food. Levy looked up from her notes, her face adopting a sheepish expression.


    "Sorry about that. I just wanted to get all the details right. Thanks for reminding me. I''d be kicking myself for years if I hadn''t got that," she said, coming to a stop before him, a beaming smile on her face.


    "Glad to be of service. You want a bite before we venture into the great unknown once more?" he asked, holding out a bar.


    "That''s probably a good idea. Who knows when we''ll be able to eat again. Thanks," she said, taking the food from him. With that the two sat in companionable silence, enjoying their simple meal. But eventually, it was time to continue on.


    "That hit the spot," Levy said, jumping to her feet. She then turned to face Luke, holding out her hands to him, an eager smile lighting up her face. "Come on, upsy-daisy."


    Luke snorted but allowed her to help him up. Her face scrunched up and turned red from the effort, and she nearly toppled forward onto him. Not that either of them would have particularly minded if that happened. But Levy dug deep down and found the strength to help him stand.


    It would have been far less tiring if he had just stood up himself.


    "Woo, that was a workout. You''re pretty heavy," she said, wiping the imaginary sweat from her brow.


    "Are you calling me fat?" Luke asked with a raised brow, though it was clear from his tone he was joking. Levy rolled her eyes at his question.


    "Of course not. It''s clearly all muscle," she responded.


    "Big, hard, strong muscles," were her more intrusive thoughts, her mind wandering back to the cave when she applied her cream to him. It almost made her want him to get injured again.


    Once more unaware of her inner dialogue, he shifted his gaze to the pillar once more. "Guess it''s time, huh? You ready?" he asked.


    His question snapped her out of her fantasy and her expression shifted to one of determination.


    "I am if you are."


    "Ok, so¡­ five more minutes?" he questioned. Levy nearly face faulted at that.


    "What the heck!? Don''t get me all hyped up and then say something like that! What''s wrong with you!?" she yelled. Luke chuckled and held up his hands in surrender.


    "Sorry, sorry. I couldn''t help myself. I''m ready."


    Levy huffed and gave him the stink eye, making her way towards the Waystone, Luke following along. Once there, the two stared at it for a moment, before Levy cautiously placed her hand on the Lacrima resting on the top. When nothing immediately happened, Levy let out a sigh of relief.


    "Ok, your turn. We both need to feed it some of our magic. It has to judge us both, since both of us want to cross," she told him, giving him an expectant look. Luke took a deep breath and reached his hand out, placing it next to her, their pinkies barely touching.


    Once more, nothing happened. The Lacrima remained dormant.


    "Alright, on the count of three. Ready? One¡­ Two¡­"


    Both of their faces were scrunched up in concentration, surrounded by a palpable air of nervousness. This was it. This would decide whether or not they would be accepted into the temple, or they would have to face its Guardians.


    "Three!" she yelled, and the both of them started to channel their magic into the crystal. The effect was almost immediate. The Lacrima began to glow as it eagerly absorbed their magic. Seconds went by with the light growing brighter and brighter, until it just¡­ stopped.


    The two stared at it in confusion for a moment, before giving each other a look.


    "So¡­ did we do it right, or¡­"


    But his question would go unanswered, at least by Levy. As soon as the question left his lips, there was a deep rumbling coming from seemingly all around them. They could feel the ground beneath their feet vibrate as whatever was happening increased in intensity.


    "Levy, what''s going on?" Luke asked, turning this way and that, trying to find the source of the noise.


    "I don''t know!" she yelled back.


    That''s when the noise shifted to something else entirely, coming directly from the lake. Looking over, the once serenely calm lake water was churning, almost like a million fish feeding frenzy.


    Only it wasn''t fish causing the upheaval, but stones. Thick, square pieces of carved stone rose up from the depths of the lake, the sound of the displacing water almost deafening. One by one they connected to each other with a flash of light, solidifying the structure.


    For several minutes they watched as a bridge was formed, connecting all the way from the shore to the small island where the temple resided. Luke expected them to be covered in moss or corroded in some way, but each stone looked like it was cut that very day.


    Magic sure was something.


    Once the bridge was fully formed, there was one final flash of light that traveled along the entire length of the structure. And then there was silence. The only sound that could be heard was the occasional drip of water coming off the bridge and returning from whence it came.


    "So¡­" Luke said after a few minutes of gaping. "Does that mean we pass the test?"


    "Looks like it. I don''t think I''ve ever seen something quite like that before," she said, a hint of awe in her tone.


    "Guess there''s nothing left to do but cross," Luke mentioned. The two shared a somewhat anxious look before cautiously stepping towards the newly constructed path. They stopped just shy of the first stone, staring at the bridge with trepidation.


    Which was fully justified in their opinion, given what has transpired on their Quest so far. Neither of them would put it past whoever built this thing to be a sneaky douche and lay out some kind of trap. Lure them into a false sense of security and wham! Dead.


    "So¡­ ladies first?" Luke said, trying to break the tension. It worked, somewhat, as Levy gave a snort at the comment. It was becoming something of a running gag at this point.


    "Nice try. How about we take the first step together?" she suggested.


    "Sounds good to me. I''ll do the countdown this time. Ahem, on three. Ready? One¡­ Two¡­ and three!"


    As he finished his countdown, the pair of intrepid explorers firmly placed a single foot onto the bridge of potential doom. When nothing happened, they released a breath they didn''t know they were holding, half expecting the bridge to collapse on them or to come alive and form a Megazord and pummel them into goo.


    Ok, that last one might have just been Luke.


    Feeling emboldened by the lack of anything trying to kill them, they took another step onto the bridge, and then another, and another, until they were walking almost casually towards their destination.


    "So, are you going to add this to your not diary?" Luke asked with just a hint of tease in his voice. But when she didn''t respond, he turned his head to see that his beautiful companion was nowhere to be found.


    "Levy?" he called out in concern, swiveling his head to try and find her. Which thankfully didn''t take too long, given that he found her inspecting the stones themselves, the very journal he was trying to tease her about in one hand with the other writing furiously in it.


    "Guess that answers that question," Luke said with a bit of a sweat drop. Well, at least she wasn''t in danger.


    "Hmm, you say something?" she called back, not taking her eyes off the bridge. Luke sighed and shook his head, a fond yet exasperated smile on his face.


    "Nope, nothing at all."


    He allowed her to do as she wished, turning his attention towards the temple, wondering what secrets it would hold. As if sensing his thoughts, the temple seemed to shine in anticipation, beckoning him closer.


    But that would be silly, right?

 Memories and New Friends

    The journey across the bridge was thankfully an uneventful one. No horrible sea monsters tried to attack them and not a single trap was triggered. The only real issue was getting Levy away from inspecting every inch of it she could.


    Apparently, there were runes carved into the stone, and Levy just had to write down each and every one for later study. Luke himself was fine with letting her indulge in her pastime a bit, but when she started to pull out her books from her Requip space, totally absorbed in her work, he had to put his foot down.


    "But Luuuuke¡­" she whined, giving him the puppy dog eyes. Normally, that might have been more effective, but Luke wanted out of this damn cave, so he did not give in to the cute and sexy girl in front of him.


    "No. You can write them down, but no trying to decipher them," he said, holding up the book she had been using, making sure it was out of reach. Levy gave a huff, glaring at the man. But when he refused to budge, her shoulders sagged in defeat.


    "Fine¡­ but if I miss something, we''re coming back," she stated firmly. Luke rolled his eyes, but handed her the book all the same.


    "Sure, whatever you say," he told her, watching as she returned the book to its rightful place. He wasn''t worried about being forced to return, knowing that she was extremely unlikely to miss anything.


    But that left him with little to do for almost an hour. He would have loved to play around with his magic, but considering their situation, that wasn''t a very good idea. So instead, he thought to meditate for a bit. Because why not? Maybe it would help him get a better feel for the way his magic traveled in his body.


    So that''s what he did. He remembered trying to meditate in his past life, but could never make it past 15 minutes. It was just so boring, being left alone with nothing but your thoughts, especially for someone who felt himself vastly inferior to those around him.


    His thoughts were very mean.


    But here, it was different. Most of those intrusive thoughts had been obliterated with a Kamehameha, so that helped. But also, instead of focusing on his breathing or chi, he focused on the actual magic within him.


    And that was far from boring. Thinking back to DBZ, he remembered Bulma, Krillin, and Gohan''s trip to Namek and the way they trained on that small ship using their minds. Maybe he could do something similar?


    So he started picturing his fight with the kraken, if you could even call it that. A fight for survival, maybe, but not much else. It took him several minutes, but eventually he found himself once more on that rocky shore, the black lake before him and a hungry beast staring him down. He could see the large tentacles as they raced towards him clear as day, the hunger held deep within its pearly black eyes.


    He dodged to the left, sending off a ball of light towards it. But the thing was clever, and used one of its appendages to block, taking very little damage. He had to jump over another tentacle that tried to get him from the side, barely managing to avoid it.


    A few more balls of light left his hands, but the monster dived beneath the dark, inky waters. He waited for several seconds, wondering where it would pop up next, until a sound caused his head to swivel to the right.


    There! He could see the displacement of some water. He gathered up the energy in his hands, ready to fire off a pair of beams, when a tentacle shot out of the water and tried to spear him. It was so fast, Luke barely had time to dodge. Unfortunately, this also meant the magic he had been gathering dissipated as well.


    That''s when the rest of the monster leapt from the depths with a mighty roar. Luke stood, ready to face off against it, when the beast suddenly shot out a jet of pressurized water.


    Damn, the kraken used Hydro Pump!


    Not expecting this, Luke barely had time to cross his arms in front of his body to try and mitigate the damage. The water struck, sweeping him off his feet and sending him speeding into the wall.


    He gasped in pain as his back felt like it was torn in two. It was even worse than when it slammed him against the ground last time. When the water stopped, he fell to the ground and struggled to get back up.


    He had only made it to his knees when the monster launched its next, and final attack. He had just enough time to glare at the creature before he was turned into paste.


    Awaking with a start, Luke gasped for air, looking all around him with panicked eyes. He was back on the bridge, and he could see Levy a little ways away, happily writing in her journal.


    "Damn¡­ didn''t think it would be so vivid¡­" he mumbled as his heart rate got under control. He had no idea if the kraken could actually shoot water like that, but it still made him glad he didn''t think fighting it head on would have been a good idea.


    Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he went over the battle in his head. The kraken was a powerful beast, no doubt about that, but it wasn''t unbeatable, not by a long shot. And it seems like Mental Image Training could be a good way to get some experience. Not as good as the real thing, but better than nothing. And seeing that Levy wasn''t even halfway across the bridge, he had some time.


    "Alright you great big asshole, time for round 2!" he said, determined to land at least one blow before it was time to move on. Levy turned to give the boy a curious look as she felt the slight fluctuations of his magic, but shrugged it off when she saw him just sitting there.


    And thus an hour went by.


    "How did you get so sweaty?" Levy asked, giving him a confused look. Luke looked like he had been in a harrowing life and death struggle again. His face was slightly pale and his hair clung to his forehead from the sweat that had accumulated. But even so, he looked immensely proud of himself.


    "Oh, just meditating," he said with a grin.


    "Mediating?" Levy asked, a disbelieving look on her face. Who gets all sweaty from meditating?


    "Very intense meditating. Anyway, you get everything?" he asked, ignoring the look in her eyes. In the end, he had managed a single decent attack on that damned creature, and he felt good about it.


    His words caused her to forget her confusion over his disheveled state, eyes gleaming with excitement.


    "I think so. The runic array is so interesting, it''s hard to make heads or tales of it at times. There seems to be inscriptions for power, as well as durability and movement, which is normal, but why they interlinked it with a rune that makes it taste bad is baffling! Was it a mistake, or was there some purpose I''m not privy to? I''ll have to decipher it a bit more and maybe ask Freed whenever he''s around," she babbled as the two of them made it to the shore.


    "Maybe it''s so the fish wouldn''t want to eat it?" he suggested, as they walked up the cobbled path towards their destination. Levy gave him a blank look.


    "Fish don''t eat rocks Luke."


    "Are you sure about that? I bet there''s some that do."


    "No. There''s not a single fish that eats rocks for sustenance."


    "What about for fun then? Or maybe one''s part bird and eats it to help with digestion."


    "That''s¡­ unlikely," she said, but sounded unsure. Luke gave her a grin at that, making her huff and look away. Looks like he won that round. But before too long, they were right in front of the large temple.


    They could see a pair of double doors barring them entrance, looking as pristine as the day they were placed. The wood had a light golden color to it, and eight squares were carved into each one. Four on the top half and four on the bottom, each perfectly symmetrical.


    "So, should we head inside or do you want to take some more notes first?" Luke asked, giving her a look.


    "Inside. I already got a rough sketch of the temple earlier," she said, but he saw she was writing something down anyway. It looked like the doors.


    "You sure? Once we go in, we might not get the chance to come back," he warned. That made her pause as she considered his words.


    And thus, Luke waited another twenty minutes for her to check the outside of the temple. But it was far better to deal with it now than have to come back later. Once she was finally done, it was time to head inside.


    They walked up the marbled steps and each took a position by one of the doors, ready to open them. They weren''t sure what they were going to find, but they were prepared. They shared a look, giving each other a nod, before pushing the doors open.


    They swung free with nary a sound. Nothing immediately popped out to kill them, which was a bonus. Taking slow, cautious steps inside, they surveyed their surroundings.


    The room itself was fairly spacious, being nearly 120 feet in length and close to 60 feet wide. The vaulted ceilings were somewhere in the middle, around 80 feet high, give or take. Everything was a pure, glossy white, without a speck of dust to be found.


    In the center of the room was what they assumed to be the resting place of Anastasia. It was a large, rectangular stone casket, delicately carved. Someone definitely put a lot of care into it.


    "Woah¡­ Luke, look at that," Levy said, making him turn away from the woman''s final resting place. What Levy was so enamored with were large paintings hanging up along the wall, each one seemingly depicting a different part of Anastasia''s life.


    The first depicted a small girl held in the embrace of a woman, smiling happily. A man stood beside her, wrapping his arm around the older woman''s waist. Though neither of their faces could be seen, the two observing could practically feel the warmth the family radiated.


    But the next was a bit of a downer. It showed the little girl, slightly older, standing in front of a pair of gravestones, tears falling down her face. As sad as it was, what really caught their attention was the shadow of someone from behind her. It gave the painting an ominous feel.


    Things didn''t seem to get better for the girl, as the next painting depicted her curled up in a ball as rain poured down on her. Her purple dress was tattered and it looked like she hadn''t eaten in a long time.


    Then it showed her holding up a bright, silver key. Her eyes displayed wonder as a massive wolf creature stood in front of her. The top part of its fur was a rich amethyst while its belly was white. On top of its head was a spiraling horn.


    "Wait, so she was a Celestial Spirit Wizard?" Luke asked, giving the painting a curious look. He could have sworn that they were fairly rare, but then again, it seemed like every arc had someone using that magic. Hell, even that freak Everlue was one so maybe it wasn''t as unique as he believed.


    "Looks like it," Levy mumbled, barely even paying attention to him, too absorbed in the story unfolding in front of her. It was so different from the history she knew, she needed to take in every last detail.


    If only she could speak to her.


    From there the paintings showed her training with the canine, fighting monsters together, saving people, and one where she even stood facing down a dragon. Talk about hardcore!


    Eventually, the little girl was all grown up and seemed to be attending a ball. She was beautiful, there was no other way to put it. She was wearing an elegant, form fitting dress that clung to her every curve.


    And boy did she have some curves.


    Apparently, this is where she would meet the king and gain his attention. After that, things seemed to go well, and it seems like they even got married. Until one day, she found a baby Vulcan.


    Now Luke knew there were various types of Vulcans, and some the anime probably never showed. This seemed to be one of them. It was black and gray with a pure white star on its chest. It looked admittedly cute as a baby, but both of the observers knew what it would grow into.


    Anastasia took pity on the creature, deciding to raise it as a pet. But once it grew up, it became jealous of the king. Whoever drew this certainly captured the hatred dwelling within its eyes quite well.


    It then showed it battling the king, using Light Magic of all things. The king was overwhelmed, and the Vulcan took him over, going so far as to copy the man''s appearance.


    The next painting showed the beast attempting to seduce Anastasia, but it was clear she knew something was wrong. After that, she used her magic to reveal his true identity, her face the picture of horror.


    The next painting was of the castle on fire.


    Then it showed her obtaining a red orb of some kind, though not the same as the one used for the Waystone. Luke didn''t think it was a Lacrima, and Levy confirmed it.


    She did battle against the Vulcan, the painting depicting her and her trusty companion riding towards it. It was pretty cool, Luke had to admit. But it seems like she was unable to defeat it.


    The next image showed her holding the fuzzy face of her longest friend and ally, a look of deep mourning on her face. Luke had a sinking feeling in his gut about where this was going.


    After that, Anastasia appeared on her knees, tears of suffering streaming down her face. Behind her was a massive form, clad in resplendent armor and wielding a massive sword. But the weirdest thing about him was the massive mustache he sported.


    "Holy shit¡­ She summoned the Celestial Spirit King? That Vulcan''s about to get cooked," Luke thought, though he couldn''t help but feel sorry for the woman. To summon him required the greatest sacrifice a Celestial Spirit Wizard could make, severing the bond between contractor and contractee.


    "Who is that?" Levy wondered. Luke wanted to answer, but how was he supposed to explain that knowledge? Best to let that sleeping dog lie.


    "Probably a spirit of some kind. And a pretty powerful one at that," Luke mentioned, gesturing to the next painting, one where the Celestial Spirit King swung his blade and cleaved the land in two. Seeing this, Levy couldn''t help but agree.


    The Vulcan was defeated and placed in chains. Anastasia then held aloft the red orb, a look of regret on her face as she sealed him away in a tapestry. A temple was then erected to keep it at bay.


    Fat lot of good that did.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    But the sealing took its toll on the weakened woman, and she soon died. The people mourned, and erected this temple in her honor. Seems like none of them blamed her for the tragedy that unfolded.


    The last painting wasn''t part of the story but one that merely depicted the woman. It looked remarkably similar to the tapestry in the ruins. Beneath the painting was an altar with a single, red lacquered chest resting on top. It wasn''t very big, and looked more like a jewelry box than anything.


    "Well, I guess we know what happened to the ancient city now, don''t we? And we know how to beat that thing. But where the heck is the orb?" he asked. He looked at each puzzle, but it only seemed like the orb and the tapestry were placed in separate locations, but it didn''t show where.


    "I don''t know. But I feel like I''ve seen it before¡­" Levy muttered, staring at the paintings deep in thought. He was about to question her about it, maybe to try and jog her memory a bit, when a flash of light distracted him.


    He immediately placed himself between it and Levy, just in case it was hostile. The blue haired girl let out a gasp at the sudden movement, staring from around him as the light slowly formed into a human shape.


    Both of their eyes went wide as they recognized the figure. How could they not, when they just spent the last several minutes watching her life unfold through the paintings?


    "You''re¡­ but how?" Levy said, awe in her voice. The translucent form of the departed queen gave a soft, gentle smile.


    "Magic," stated the queen, a small, teasing smile on her face. Levy pouted at the non answer, and the ghost let out a chuckle.


    "I take it you''re the queen?" Luke asked, relaxing only a small bit. For all he knew, this was an elaborate ruse to lure them into a false sense of security.


    "Indeed, in a manner of speaking," she said, a gentle smile on her face. At this point, Levy walked out from behind Luke to stand next to him.


    "And what''s that supposed to mean?" she asked.


    "I am but the memory of the queen, recorded and stored inside the Lacrima outside. It was the last desire of Anastasia, so she could offer aid should the need ever arise. And it seems like her prophecy held true," said the apparition.


    Luke and Levy shared a look. Both had a look of doubt and suspicion in their eyes.


    "Seems pretty convenient, wouldn''t you say?" Luke whispered to his friend.


    "True. But if she''s telling the truth, this could be our best bet at getting the information we need to defeat the Vulcan," she whispered back. Luke still had a look of apprehension on his face, but gave a nod all the same.


    "I suppose¡­ Guess we''ll just need to be careful then."


    The memory watched this all with an amused look on her face. She could hear every word the two of them said. Not much escaped her notice while inside this sanctuary. But it was good they were cautious. Had they been too trusting and naive, defeating the monster would have been nearly impossible.


    "What a cute couple you two are," Anastasia cooed, her grin threatening to split her face as she watched the girl start spluttering denials.


    "Couple! What!? We are not a couple!" Levy shouted, face about as red as it could be. Luke, however, didn''t look embarrassed at all. Hell, he actually looked proud of the compliment.


    "Thanks," Luke said, a cheery look on his face. Levy turned to look at him, disbelief raging in her eyes.


    "What are you thanking her for!?"


    "It''s the polite thing to do once you''ve been complimented, isn''t it?" he asked her, confused. He didn''t see what the big deal was. To him, it was just further assurance that they would make a good couple. Really boosted one''s confidence.


    "How is that a compliment?" Levy asked.


    "She''s saying we would make a good couple. I, for one, am flattered she thinks I could be in a relationship with such a beautiful woman," Luke said, giving her a confident grin.


    "How can he say that with such a straight face? Damn him and that stupid, sexy smile of his," Levy complained in her head. But rather than say this out loud, she merely huffed and turned away, not wanting him to see the pleased smile she had.


    But their romantic comedy routine would be interrupted by a certain apparition, who floated there, giggling at their antics.


    "My, it has been some time since I''ve been able to enjoy a good laugh. But as much fun as this is, we should discuss what has happened. I can only manifest myself for so long. Once the magic within the great Lacrima deplets, I will no longer be able to project myself thus," Anastasia stated, her face shifting to a more serious one.


    "Then what was the point of that?" Levy asked, exasperated.


    "I have been here for centuries. You can''t blame me for wanting to have a little fun, can you?"


    Hearing her response, Levy mumbled something under her breath. Luke could have sworn he heard the word "exorcism" but chose not to poke the bear.


    "Now, tell me what has happened. What brings you to my temple?"


    Levy sighed, decided to let go of her irritation and focus on the matter at hand. "Fine. I suppose I should start at the beginning. My name is Levy, I am a Fairy Tail wizard hired by the mayor to translate some ancient writing discovered recently. Things were going about as well as they could be until we were attacked¡­"


    Levy then took a few minutes to explain the situation. Anastasia''s face grew more and more harsh as the story went on. By the time it was finished, she looked decidedly grim.


    "I see. Tis ill tidings indeed. It seems as if someone has discovered the Red Orb and used it to unseal Pickles. How very troubling¡­" she muttered, seemingly deep in thought. But Luke was far too distracted by what she said to care about her worry.


    "I''m sorry, did you say the Vulcan''s name is Pickles?" he asked, snapping the floating woman out of her thoughts.


    "Yes, that was his name. All pets need a name, do they not?" she asked, somewhat defensively. Luke had to concede that point, but he still looked unnerved.


    Their great enemy, the cause for the downfall of an entire civilisation, was named Pickles?


    "I mean¡­ yeah. But why Pickles?"


    "Because he likes pickles," she replied, giving a shrug. Luke opened his mouth to say something before snapping it shut once more. He supposed it was as good a reason as any to give something a name.


    "But back to the problem at hand. If you wish to defeat Pickles, you will need the Red Orb. He is simply too powerful to defeat without it. Even the Celestial Spirit King, as mighty as he was, could only weaken him enough to be sealed away," Anastasia stated.


    The news made Luke gulp. He remembered when Lucy summoned the dude and he carved a new canyon into the world with a single swing of his sword and it looked like he did the same thing in the painting. How could a Vulcan, of all things, gain enough power to rival him?


    "But wait, shouldn''t he be weakened after being sealed away for so long?" Levy asked. Anastasia nodded, but she didn''t appear confident in the assessment.


    "In theory, yes. But tell me, has anyone gone missing in the town you are in as of late?" she asked. That made their eyes widen, but Luke was the first one to answer.


    "The whoppers!" he exclaimed. Levy turned to him with an annoyed expression on her face.


    "Seriously? Again with those things?" she asked, giving him the stink eye. Luke appeared to be sheepish, rubbing the back of his head.


    "What? It''s not like I know her name or anything. And those were her most defining features," he claimed, trying to justify his seeming fixation on the other woman''s chest.


    "I''m sorry, what are these whoppers you speak of?" the ghost questioned.


    "Not important. But to answer your earlier question, yes, people have been going missing. Mostly tourists though," Levy stated, turning away from Luke, much to his relief. He did not like being on the receiving end of her ire. For someone so small, she sure could be scary.


    "I see. Then it is as I feared. Pickles is likely absorbing people into the tapestry to regain his power. Soon, he will likely return to his former strength. If you wish to have any hope of defeating him, you must act quickly."


    "But how? Without knowing who has the orb, there''s not much we can do," Levy stated.


    "Then you must find him. Think, is there anyone who seems suspicious, even if only a little bit," Anastasia urged. Her words caused them to go silent as they pondered over the problem.


    After about a minute of this, they started to grow frustrated. Especially Levy, who prided herself on her ability to solve puzzles.


    "Ugh, this is hopeless! How are we supposed to figure out who has the orb? It could be anyone!" she yelled. It was all she could do to prevent herself from pulling her hair out. She was supposed to be the smart one! Without that, what was she good for?


    Before her thoughts could spiral further down the drain a hand on her shoulder snapped her out of it.


    "Hey, calm down. We''ll figure this out," Luke said. She turned to look at him and his reassuring smile did make her feel a bit better. At least enough to refocus on the task at hand rather than her self destructive thoughts.


    "Thanks," she stated, giving him a smile.


    "No problem. Too bad we don''t have a local with us. They would probably know if anyone in town had been acting strange," Luke said, removing his hand from her shoulder.


    "Yeah, that''s too-wait¡­" Levy said, his words shifting the cogs in her brain onto the right position.


    "What, you figure something out?" Luke asked, as he and the spectral woman stared at her. Levy''s eyes were glazed over and unfocused as she processed her thoughts. Several seconds went by before they cleared, and she had a look of triumph on her face.


    "That''s it! We''re tourists!" she shouted, much to the confusion of the other two.


    "Um, are you ok? You didn''t hit your head or something when I wasn''t looking, did you?" he asked. Levy rolled her eyes at his snark, but the grin never left her face.


    "Nope! I just figured out who''s behind this. It''s so obvious when I think about it, I feel stupid for not realizing it sooner," she said, sighing.


    "Right, so are you going to share it with the rest of the class, or¡­" Luke said. But instead of just telling them outright, she had to let them know about her deductive reasoning.


    "Think of it. The only people who have gone missing are tourists who stop by to receive the luck of the so-called tapestry, right? As far as I''m aware, not a single local has gone missing. And what happens when people go missing?" she asked.


    "Um, they call the cops?" Luke asked, confused. It seems his answer was more or less correct, and Levy gave an excited nod.


    "Correct! Normally, that''s exactly what someone would do. But in a small, tight knit community such as this, they''re far more likely to try and figure it out themselves. Especially if it threatens their livelihood."


    "I suppose that makes sense. But wouldn''t they be worried about one of their own going missing eventually?" Luke asked.


    "Yes, and if they couldn''t figure it out soon enough, that''s when they would call for help. But they wouldn''t just say it''s to find missing people. Instead, they would lure them here under a false pretense, like say¡­"


    "Translating ancient writing," Luke finished.


    "Bingo!" Levy said.


    Luke wasn''t totally convinced, but everything seemed logical enough. Luke knew people would happily throw just about anything under the rug if it meant they wouldn''t be inconvenienced.


    "Alright, but if that''s the case, why didn''t anybody in town seem more nervous? It all looked pretty normal to me," he said. That made Levy start to think again, but it was Anastasia who answered this question.


    "It''s likely due to the influence of Pickles," she stated. Luke had to remind himself that the ancient evil was named Pickles, otherwise that would have been an absurd statement.


    "What do you mean?" Levy asked. However, instead of answering immediately, she floated over to a painting, the one where she was crying in front of a pair of graves.


    "After my parents died, I was under the care of my uncle, a man who was remarkably untalented save for one thing, Charm Magic. It allowed him to amass an extraordinary amount of influence in a short amount of time. I managed to escape his control and fled, leading to a life on the streets. As miserable as it was, it was far better than being beneath his thumb."


    "However, once I became queen, he wished to use our familial ties to gain audience with the king. Knowing who he was, I convinced my beloved to turn him away. But my uncle was not so easily denied. He managed to come before the king and take control of his mind. It wasn''t long before I too was under his dominion once more. However, it was at this point that Pickles decided to use his magic and possess him. Doing so freed me and everyone else under his control, but I''ve always wondered if doing so is what led to Pickles becoming the way he is."


    The two listed intently as she spoke of the past, and Levy was furiously writing in her journal. If she wasn''t careful, a future of carpal tunnel and arthritis awaited her.


    "So you''re saying that Pickles has the ability to control people, is that it?" Luke asked, seeing that Levy was incapable of doing so.


    "To some extent, yes, though not nearly as powerful as my uncle. If he was, I would have fallen prey to him all those years ago. But I fear he has used it to make the townsfolk believe nothing is wrong," she said. Luke nodded at that and gave Levy a little nudge, breaking her out of her hyper focused state.


    "Well that explains the town, but not who has the orb," Luke said.


    "Think about it. Who was the one who placed the request? If the whole town believes nothing is wrong, why would he still send it out?" Levy asked. Luke thought it over for a minute before his eyes widened.


    "So you''re saying the mayor is behind this?"


    "Almost certainly," Levy responded.


    "But couldn''t he have issued the quest before being charmed by the Vulcan?" he asked.


    "He could have, yes. But if that was the case, he would have simply cancelled the request if the Vulcan didn''t want any Wizards interfering with his plans," Levy said, without even the slightest hint of doubt in her eyes.


    "Pickles likely wanted wizards to come looking as they are far more valuable to Take Over. Once he had regained enough strength from regular people, he probably wished to increase the rate of his recovery by luring in some Wizards," Anastasia said.


    "Not to mention, I''m almost positive I saw the Red Orb in his office. It was over on the right hand wall on a small pedestal. I didn''t think much of it at the time, but I''m certain that''s what we''re looking for," Levy mentioned.


    "Well in that case, what are we waiting for? Let''s kick this guy''s ass and return Pickles to where he belongs!" Luke cheered. Levy gave him a determined grin, excited to get a little payback for what she was put through. It was time to show this jerk what happens when you mess with Fairy Tail.


    Of course, a certain Light Wizard just had to put a damper on things.


    "Um, but first¡­ How do we get out of here?" he asked, suddenly sheepish. Levy almost face-faulted. All that hype, for nothing. But before she could lay into him, Anastasia gave another chuckle.


    "Have no fear, I can show you the way out," she said, waving her hand. As she did, the stone coffin began to move, letting out a loud grinding sound as it did so. The two watched with surprise as a secret staircase was revealed.


    "There. That leads to a staircase that should guide you out. But before you go, allow me to give you a few gifts," she said. This caught their attention, as they once more gave the spirit their undivided attention.


    "First, at the bottom of the stairs resides my private collection of books, including the history of Phnom Nonh and even my personal diary. You will have to translate them, but I doubt that is any great burden for you," she said, looking right at Levy.


    "Looks like she''s got you figured out," Luke teased, getting a punch in the arm for his efforts.


    "Shut up," Levy said, a small dusting of pink on her cheeks. It wasn''t her fault she liked books and enjoyed translating ancient languages. Anastasia once more chuckled at their behavior before turning to Luke.


    "As for you, I wish for you to take the key that resides on the altar. It is a Celestial Spirit Key, one that summons my most erstwhile companion," she said with a smile. Luke''s eyes widened at that, not expecting it contained something like that. Since she had to break the key to summon the king, he didn''t think she would still be in possession of it. Someone must have found it and brought it here.


    "I refuse!"


    Surprised by the sudden shout, the three of them looked towards the altar. There, they saw a bright light emanating from the chest. Luke and Levy were surprised by this, but Anastasia merely gave an exasperated sigh. A magic circle appeared on the floor in front of the altar and from it leapt a great wolf.


    The exact same one from the painting.


    "Same as always," Anastasia said, a fond smile on her face. The other two occupants of the room were far more wary of the new creature, staring at it, ready for an attack.


    "Your friend I take it?" Luke asked.


    "Indeed, this is Tyrian, my oldest and dearest friend," claimed Anastasia. "Now Tyrian, we''ve talked about this. You can''t stay here forever," she chided, as the enormous canine swiftly made his way towards her.


    "I swore I would stand by your side forever. I will not forsake my oath. What would happen should Pickles venture to his place?"


    "Oh Tyrian, I am long dead. Even should he do so, nothing will happen to the woman you once knew. I am merely a memory after all. I do not wish to see you rotting here for all eternity. I wish for you to make some new friends, experience new things, not wallow in the past," Anastasia said, attempting to pet the large animal, only for her hands to go through him.


    "But my lady, surely you don''t mean for me to call that man master. He is unworthy of such an honor!"


    Luke grabbed his chest like he was having a heart attack while Levy consoled him by rubbing his back. Her attempts were somewhat diminished by her snickering at him though.


    "If not him then someone of your own choosing. Go and see the world and perhaps someday you can tell me the stories of your adventures," she said, making the massive dog whine. It was clear he didn''t wish to go, but he also hated disappointing the woman in front of him.


    "Very well¡­ But if I cannot find a worthy master I will return here."


    His tone left no room for argument but Anastasia smiled nonetheless. "So be it. But I have a feeling you''ll find someone deserving of your loyalty."


    Tyrian gave her a doubtful look but didn''t argue the point. Instead, turned towards Luke.


    "Boy!"


    "Yes!" Luke yelled, standing at attention. Tyrian used the same exact tone of a drill sergeant and Luke couldn''t help himself.


    "You and I will form a temporary contract until Pickles is vanquished once more. Once that is done, I will accompany you until such a time as a worthy master is found. Understand?"


    Luke stared at him for a moment, briefly glancing towards Anastasia who gave him an encouraging nod. With a sigh, Luke nodded.


    "Fine, whatever. Damn pushy wolf," he muttered, making Levy give a nervous chuckle. She couldn''t help but wonder if they were going to be ok.


    "Wonderful. Then it is decided. My time grows short, so let me give you one last piece of advice. Once Pickles is on the verge of defeat, he will say anything to save his own skin. It is what ultimately led to my own death. Whatever you do, do not show him any mercy," she warned, even as her form started to flicker. The two humans nodded, though they didn''t intend to show any mercy in the first place.


    Seeing their determined faces, Anastasia gave them one last smile. She felt confident they would succeed.


    "Then it is time for us to say goodbye. Perhaps we shall meet again someday. But until then, farewell."


    With that said, she disappeared back into the giant Lacrima. Tyrian stared at the space where the memory of his former mistress once floated.


    "Goodbye for now, my lady. I shall see you again, I promise," he vowed before turning to face the others in the room.


    "Once you have left this place, summon me, and I shall take us to where Pickles awaits. Until then."


    Having said his piece, the Celestial Spirit vanished, returning to the Spirit World. Luke and Levy were now left alone in the quiet temple.


    "Well¡­ I didn''t expect all that to happen, but at least we know what to do now. Why don''t you go and retrieve the key while I make sure our way forward is safe?" Levy suggested. Though her words sounded perfectly reasonable, the glint in her eyes told a different story.


    "You just want to check the books out, don''t you?" Luke asked with a deadpan.


    "What was that!? Can''t hear you!" Levy shouted, already making her way down the newly revealed stairs. Luke rolled his eyes at her antics before making his way towards the key.


    At least they were almost out of this damned cave. But of course, that''s when the real challenge would finally begin.