Hello, everyone! :D  Here is the next chapter for you all~! ♥  I hope you all like it, ne! ^^  Soo, it seems things are finally starting to become the big battle of Daronyt and Coven, huh? c:  I wonder what's going to hapen. ;)  Haha, sorry, I like to tease. x3  Anyways, I dedicate this chapter to NightFallVP!  Thanks for reading my stories and all; it means so much~!  Minna, you guys gotta fan her. ;)  Aha, I hope you all enjoy, as always! ♡  Feedback is very much appreciated, don't forget! ^^  Until next time, minna!~

♡{ яу-¢нαи | тнє иαℓυ ωяιтєя }♡

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Lucy felt a scream rise in her throat, but before she could emit one, the other Natsu evaporated into shadows, flying across the ground and straight to Natsu and Loke.

"Natsu!"  Lucy exclaimed, still not sure what she saw was real.  "Loke, look out!"

Just as they both jumed away from Coven, they were in mid-air when the shadow mysteriously exploded, sending dust clouds and debris into the air.  Natsu and Loke exclaimed loudly, but Loke disappeared while Natsu slammed into the wall nearby.

After a minute of trying to regain his breathing, Natsu looked up.

"W-Who--?"  He asked, pushing himself to his knees.

His eyes widened.

There was no one there.

An illusion?  Lucy wondered, her eyes wide.  Was Coven just trying to--?

Lucy was slammed into from the side, and she was sent sky-rocketing and into the wall.  Crying out, she dropped to the ground, landing on her stomach.

"Lucy!"  Natsu exclaimed, pulling himself up.  "Oi, Lucy!  Get ahold of yourself!"

Natsu, fury in his eyes, turned to face Coven who had striked at Lucy.

Coven narrowed his eyes.  "This has gone on long enough, Salamander.  Don't you think it's about time to give me the Junsuina?"

"Of course not!"  Natsu exclaimed, taking a threatening step forward.

"Fine."  Coven simply stated, containing a snarl.

He lifted up his hand, and Lucy floated up off the ground and into mid-air.  He pulled the necklace off him, throwing it towards Lucy's unconscious body and making it snap right onto her neck.

"Oi!"  Natsu exclaimed, rushing forward.  "Leave Lucy out of this!  And take that damned thing off her neck!"

Coven instantly disappeared, reappearing behind him and grabbing onto his arm and leg.  He slammed his knee into Natsu's back; so incredibly hard that Natsu exclaimed loudly as he was sent propelling forward.  But Natsu was able to slam his feet into the wall and stop his heavy collision, dropping to the ground and shaking slightly.

Again, Coven chopped his hand through the air and a rumbling was heard from above, so Natsu looked up.

His eyes widened as boulders came out of the shadows from the ceiling, piling on top of him and causing a ricocheting-boom to flow through the air.

And then, everything was silent.

Coven relaxed as no movement came from the pile of rock, and turned his head to look at Lucy, who was still unconscious as she floated there.  Her pig-tails had come undone from the impact, and her loose hair was now floating in the breeze that made by Coven's magic.  She was strangely pale, and Coven had moved her to a postion that looked like she was being crucified.  Lucy had a tear mark on her left eye, though she was no longer conscious.

Lucy - even in her sleep - was in despair.

The Caballeen Stone started to glow, but then it dimmed, humming slightly.  It did this repeatedly, sending a wave of power through the room.

Coven walked right up to Lucy, looking at her face.  With the bruises, scrapes, and the grime; along with the paleness of her skin and the sorrowful look on her face, Lucy looked like a stranger.

Like a prisoner.

However, Coven saw none of those things.

Closing his eyes, Coven and Lucy disappeared, leaving a room of destruction behind.

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Zeke and Happy were continuing to travel up the steps, having passed three rooms already.  He remembered - from being under Coven's control - that this building went slightly into the nearby mountain.  It seemed to be build on the incline of the mountain, one part having more wall sticking from the ground than the other section.  So, who knew how high they were.

"H-How many more rooms are left?!"  Carla exclaimed, panting from the need of breath despite the fact that she was flying.

"We should be coming close!"  Zeke exclaimed, seeing another opening ahead.

Please let this be the one...

When he came to a stop, his expectant face turned to one of shock.

The room - despite it being cave-like - was clearly in ruins.

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Natsu!

Nat-zu, are you okay?!

Salamander, wake up!

Natsu stirred slighty, realizing those voices weren't in his head, but outside it.

Natsu slowly opened his eyes, his muscles stiff.

He was lying half buried inside a pile of rock, dirt covering him in spots from head to toe.  He had a few bruises, and he gasped for air as he felt the suffocation from being buried earlier go away.  Zeke, Happy, and Carla were over him, worried looks on their faces.

Natsu panted heavily, urgency racing through his veins.

Lucy!

Despite slouching forward and leaning on one arm, Natsu grabbed a hold of Zeke's vest and pulled him forward, fury in his eyes along with a slight bit of fear.

"Where is Lucy?!"  Natsu exclaimed, his voice husky.  "Where is she?!"

"Calm down, Natsu!"  Happy exclaimed, but Zeke looked angry.

"Where is she?!"  Zeke re-quoted, anger eminating from his voice.  "Damn it, Natsu!  Coven got her, didn't he?  Do you realize what this means?!"  

Zeke pulled him fully out of the rubble, and Natsu thought he was going to hit him, but instead Zeke just dropped him to the ground.

He did, however, turn to look at him with frustration.  "Coven's probably gotten to the ritual grounds by now!  We're in some serious trouble, since you couldn't protect Lucy from Coven!"

Natsu growled.  "It's not my fault!  There was another version of me out there, and it distracted me!"

"It was an illusion!"  Zeke exclaimed, exasperated.  "Be more careful next time!"  He paused, his eyes dark.  "I thought you promised to protect her?  What're you doing here, then?!  ...If Lucy's killed because of your foolishness, I won't forgive you!"  Zeke spat, turning and continuing on up the stairs.

Happy and Carla watched him go with conflicted emotions, and then they turned to look at Natsu.

His eyes were covered in shadow, his mouth twisted.

Suddenly, he drew his arm back, his eyes appearing which were full of defeat and blame; blame for himself.  Slamming his fist into the ground, Natsu cracked the rock from the amount of the anger he had inside.  He let his head hang low, not saying anything as his body shook.

"Natsu..."  Happy murmured, his face sad.

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Wendy, Erza, and Gray all had been walking inside the cave for awhile now.  But the thing was, was that it had started to slant upwards.  They didn't know, however, that they were heading up a secret passageway along the mountain that was leading straight to the room the summoning was going to take place.  Which, of course, was the very top of the royal building.  But they did eventually figure it out; there was a gaping hole in the cave with stalagmites and stalagtites sticking from the walls, but Wendy was the first to see the building so close.

They saw that the cave's indent from the mountain curved and dropped right over the top of the building, so they just continued on.  When they did reach it, Erza fought to make out the details of the top floor.  She could do this since there was no ceiling, which partly made sense.  What's the point of having a ceiling if you're going to bring about a monster almost as tall as a mountain itself?

But then Wendy gasped in horror, being able to see better than the others because of her Dragon Slayer Sight.  "Lucy!"  

She pointed wildly, and Erza and Gray followed her guesture to look down inside.

Lucy was on a platform, crucified against a wall of black light.  She was unconsious, the Caballeen Stone around her neck.

And she did not look good at all.

Shock and fear erupted into the three's eyes, but then it was replaced with anger.

"Let's go!"  Erza commanded, and they yelled in agreement as the wind whipped at their faces.

Jumping through the air - Erza first, Gray behind, and then Wendy - they landed with a heavy thud inside the top room to hear silence.

Where was Coven?

Just then, Erza used her intense reflexes to jump out of the way as Coven's familiar black ray of stunning magic sailed under her.

That was the magic that paralyzed Zeke and Natsu!  The one that poisoned them!  Erza thought wildly as she landed a few feet away, staring into the shadows as Coven appeared from them.  Gray came near her, his anger clearly showing.

"Hey!  What've you done to Lucy?!"  He exclaimed, clenching his fists as he was poised for attack.

Erza narrowed her eyes at Coven.  He seemed different.

Wendy, however, had her mind set on trying to free Lucy.  

She ran towards her.  "Lucy--"  She let out a yelp as she hit a barrier, and it forced her back roughly and she slammed to the ground.

Skidding against the ground, she looked up at the crackling black barrier before it became invisible again.

"A barrier..?"  Erza murmured, her eyes slightly wide.

"Coven made a barrier to keep us from Lucy?"  Wendy exclaimed softly in question, fear for her friend evident.

Erza shook her head.  "That's not Coven's doing."

Coven stepped forward, a threatening aura around his body.  "Correct.  It's not me."  He smirked.  "It's Daronyt's doing."

"Daronyt...?"  Gray muttered, clenching his teeth as he glanced back at the unconscious Lucy again.

Coven smirked.  "Of course.  It's already started, to; the Caballeen Stone was practically bursting to let out the legendary monster himself."

"You bastard..."  Gray muttered, taking a step forward.

Coven's face twisted into contempt when a faint rumbling appeared.  "Looks like he's ready."

Coven raised his hand, and a symbol appeared on it.  It glowed red, expanding from his palm like a lazer light and flying into Lucy.

Lucy yelped, and she sent flying backwards.  But then she stretched back to her original position since the dark magic held her there.

"Lucy!"  They all exclaimed.

They started to run to her when Lucy sent a pulse flying through the air, slamming into them and knocking them clear across the room and into the wall.

"Release!"  Coven commanded, excitement in his eyes.  "Be free again!"

There was suddenly an intense silence, and everyone froze in confusion.

But, soon, a throbbing noise started to pick up.

And then chaos erupted.

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Is Lucy gone?  What about Star Mist?  Why hasn't it activated yet?!

And why does Zeke care so much about Lucy?  Is there a secret there no one can see?  ...Or even comprehend for that matter?

Found out what happens next in Chapter 39: Daronyt's Summoning & Arrival!