*There is bits of violence and hints of r*pe in this chapter. Please know the signs and speak up if you or a loved one has suffered. You have been warned.*

Song: Mercy (Extended)
By: Max Richter

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~Two Days Later~

~Natsu~

My life is a mess. If I was asked how I was doing, I would say my life is a complete and utter mess full of confusion and undermined rage. My wife, the one I watched in despair as she was erased from existence, somehow ended up in Drakonia with my dream child. If I was told that three days ago I would see Lucy alive I would have laughed after beating the person senseless for saying such a thing. But now...now I'm lost all over again. This wasn't supposed to happen. Lucy shouldn't be alive...no matter how badly I wanted to be happy about it. I couldn't be because of the confusion about why she was alive. Why was she here? Why did she have a child? Why...Why was she alive? I thought I would never question that. Yet here I am, questioning it.

After I cried over my unconscious wife I left the house to find someone to bring her and the two children to take them to the castle. That was my last order to a soldier ever since then. I had become restless and hadn't gone to anyone to explain what has happened. I'm still trying to wrap it around my head that Lucy is alive. I've been in the Training Ground ever since seeing Lucy hitting anything I could get my hands on. I haven't put my sword down once cutting and destroying every practice dummy we had. Two days without rest or food. Only two days...but it's felt like I saw her face only a second ago. I remember her face again. I remember the shape of her eyes and the plumpness of her lips. That's what her face should be, but they weren't. I don't know how long she's been alive. But what I do know is if someone gets to that point of starvation where Lucy was it had to have been months. Why was she in Joya if she was here for that long? Why was she following their laws? Why did Lucy take Elain under her care? Gods, there were so many questions that I couldn't find the answer to. None of it made sense. The thousands of questions made it all the more maddening to figure this out.

I destroyed the toughest dummy with ease after attacking it for hours. The metal on the post was trashed and battered as was the wood. I kicked it aside ready to go find the next dummy to kill until I found Dahlia leaning over the fence post. She was still in her civilian clothes with her unkempt-braided hair falling over her shoulder. Yellow-slit eyes watched me when she wrapped her hands over the fence. "Hey." Said Dahlia. Unconsciously, I felt my grip tighten around the hilt. "The Councilors asked me to come find you when you've been missing for two days. Last place I expected was to find you here. Everyone is on break."

"I'm never on break." I snapped slogging over the fence to go find a practice dummy. Dahlia followed a step behind me. "Igneel and the others are too busy with the army going to Bosco, but your father needs to speak to you. Is it true you wanted three refugees moved to the castle?" I quickly turned to face my Assist Commander pushing my fist to her chest. "Dahlia, for once, you better be listening to me. Stop. Talking." I pushed her back. "Go home. I don't need to see anyone and I don't need to be sent to my father like a child. I'm your Scale Master."

"Yeah, my Scale Master that's acting like an ass right now." Dahlia wrapped her arms around herself. Her face frowned. "What's going on with you? Does this have something to do with the veiled woman?" My fists were clenched to the point of bleeding. "Dahlia, I'm warning you." I seethed with my teeth clenching. For the first time since I met Dahlia, I noticed she backed pedal on pushing for more answers. She flinched back without realizing it. "Woah. I'm sorry...I'm not trying to upset you Natsu. I swear I'm not, but you're starting to worry me. What...What's wrong?" Her soft question almost cracked me. Almost. For a split second, I was about to break and succumb to the insanity of what I have seen. The anger was poisoning me yet keeping me afloat. The fact I have seen the face of my child I dreamt years ago was now real made my chest tremble and my body shake. My breath was taken away when I remember Nashi's perfect features. Everything about her was perfect. That was another reason I was too angry to be happy. When would that perfection be taken away again? I have lost Lucy over and over; failing every single time to save her. Knowing my past mistakes, I knew I couldn't protect my child. If she was even mine...

Dammit. Gods...this was too much.

"Leave me be, Dahlia. I can't...I can't discuss this with you. I don't even understand what's happened." I turned back to where I could find more dummies when small, calloused hands wrapped around my arm. Dahlia's eyes were still looking at me. "You're actually scaring me Natsu. What's wrong? What are you talking about!?"

"Didn't you just hear me!? Gods sake Dahlia leave me alone!" I pulled my arm out from Dahlia's grasp. My head was swarming with thoughts one after another. It was to the point I was growing dizzy. That, or my two days of no rest or food was starting to catch up with me. I trudged to the barracks to get the next dummy I saw. Dammit, there weren't any left. "Son of a bitch." I muttered. Suddenly I felt something against my back. My head looked back once again seeing Dahlia holding a wooden khopesh. "Scale Master Dragneel I, Assist Commander Dahlia, challenge you to a skirmish." I turned the rest of my body to face her. Her eyes were focused, her face showing only a passive expression. I scoffed. "What are you skirmishing for? My rank? My title?"

"None of those." She threw me a practice khopesh with her other hand. I caught it still holding onto my sword in my dominant hand. Both of my hands were blistered and bleeding, but I couldn't even feel it at this point. Dahlia walked away to go to the ring for our skirmish. What she said perplexed me. I hadn't been declared to skirmish anymore for the last year in a half. No one has beaten me in a skirmish, so what is Dahlia thinking about challenging me? What's even more confusing is she's challenging me not for my rank. What is she wanting from me? "You comin' or what'?" Dahlia yelled back already in the practice ring swinging the khopesh in a circle. I grimaced when I leaned my sword against the brick wall of the barracks. "Fine. Whatever it is you want, you're gonna have to rightfully earn it." I returned to the practice ring while stretching my sore muscles. My wings were tightly laying against my back as I haven't been wearing my cloak, but they should be fine for a while longer. Dahlia's attention went to my hands and for a split second, I saw her face become worried. Her lips tightened when she went to battle stance with the khopesh ready by her side.

She was already at a disadvantage. I could read her next move easily. She wanted to be seen. She wanted me to fall to her disadvantage. I grit my teeth when I jumped for the first strike. Dahlia rounded the weapon around to counter my attack as I threw her off balance causing her to stumble. She caught herself by pushing herself back up and moved to hit my legs. I avoided her attempt round-housing a kick to her face which caused her to cry out. Blood was flowing out of her nose when she wiped the bloody mess off her face. "Had enough?!" I yelled with my arms raised. Dahlia spat a mix of saliva and blood. "I'm just gettin' started." She said grinning. Her hand came up and threw a mix of dirt and rocks to blind me. I coughed swinging the khopesh between my sides until I felt a hit strike my shoulder. Instinctively, my wings unfolded and began swatting to beat Dahlia from gaining another hit. My wing hit her which helped me find her to strike the khopesh at her. She blocked and turned her weapon to where we were locked struggling to see who would break first. Both of us were glaring at each other. "Come on then! Don't go easy on me!"

"It's too easy to fight you." I retorted smugly. Without a second beat, I swiped my foot to kick her leg out of place causing her to fall on her back. I tugged the weapon from her hand and trapped her neck between the ground and wooden khopesh. "Game. I win." I breathed with her eyes still looking at me. She chuckled before smirking. "Think again." Said Dahlia now looking at my chest. I followed her gaze to see a dagger aimed for my liver with the shiny blade resting on top of my shirt. I met her eyes again with her smile growing bigger. "I think a dagger in this position is a fatal hit." I raised my eyebrow. "That's foul play, even for you, Dahlia."

"Oh? So we're letting you slide the fact you hit me with your wings, but I can't use a dagger to kill my so-called enemy?" She twirled the dagger around her fingers before returning it to her bootstrap. I pulled back the khopesh before sighing. "Shall we call it a tie?" The Dragon rolled her eyes. "Can't lose that winning streak can you?"

"You know I don't care about that," I replied standing back up with my hand out to her. Dahlia grasped my hand and heaved herself up when she winced about her bloody nose. "Dammit Natsu, I think you broke my nose." I rolled my eyes. "Your nose isn't broken. You just have a cut." Dahlia tenderly poked at her nose. "No, no I think you broke it."

"Dahlia, you wanted the skirmish, and you got it. What did you want out of challenging me?" I asked holding a firm grip on the khopesh. Dahlia wiped the excess blood off her face. She rubbed her hands over her cheeks when she puffed her cheeks out. "I want to know what's going on alright? You're worrying me. I've known you for a while now, and for the time I have known you, I've never seen you make an irrational decision. You're always careful, and when you're lost, you ask for guidance. Why, out of nowhere, are you so angry? Why send three refugees when one of them isn't even responding?"

"She hasn't woken up?" I asked feeling my chest tighten. Lucy...Sunny...I don't know who to call her...she stirred to call out for that child Elain. I heard her voice. It was my wife's voice. The same voice that I talked to about anything and everything. I might have forgotten her face, but how could I forget her melodic voice? Or the sweet aroma of strawberry and vanilla that smelled so delicious? Yet, how can I think this is my wife? It couldn't be...even now I doubt the possibility that it could be Lucy. Her soul was erased. I watched it being erased. I didn't magically imagine that traumatizing memory. What kind of sick joke is this? A child that I think is mine... and a wife I lost has somehow come back to life. It's not possible.

It can't be.

Dahlia crossed her arms. "No." She finally admitted. "Physically speaking the healers can't find anything wrong. Though she is malnourished, they did find what appears to be beatings of some kind. Her wounds haven't properly healed." My eyes snapped up to the female Dragon. Beatings?! What did she mean by beatings!? Dahlia flinched when she noticed the intensity in my eyes. "A-And they found what appears to be scars...on her back. They're unsure where it came from, but they concluded she must have been-"

"Whipped?" My voice asked full of sadness. Dahlia's eyes widened. Her mouth was gapped when she bobbed her head. "Uh...y-yeah. She has whip marks on her back. Wait...how did you know that?" The scars on her back answered my unsureness. It was Lucy. This woman that has a child is my wife and daughter. How could this be possible? How was Lucy pregnant with my child? "She...She would have told me." I muttered not able to stand much longer. I grasped my hand out to find the fence post only to fall on my ass due to my head becoming lightheaded. Dahlia was suddenly by my side spurring questions about my fall. "Hey! Hey, what's wrong? What do you mean?" She asked wrapping her hands around my shoulders. She trailed her attention from my hands to my face looking for any sign of illness. I wanted to throw up. I felt sick with my stomach close to collapsing. Dahlia looked frightened at this point. "Natsu, what do you want me to do!?"

"Tell me how it's possible," I said tears threatening me all over again. The same heartbreak that I felt the day I lost her was coming back. The same helplessness of my futile attempts to save her grew fiercer than a hurricane. I clenched my hand over my chest. My arm and eye were throbbing as the phantom pain increased in agony. I gasped, tears spilling down my face. "How is it possible my dead wife is alive!? Why is she here?! Why is my Lucy here as a refuge, carrying my daughter that shouldn't exist!?"

Dahlia could only stare. Her expression alone was that of utter bewilderment. She let go of my shoulders and slumped down next to me. "I...I don't know. I don't know what to even say. You didn't say much about your late wife, but you said she was gone. Why do you think it's her?" I laughed whilst shaking my head. I knew it sounded too insane. I could barely believe it myself; so what makes me think Dahlia would believe it too? Would Igneel believe me? Grandeeney? Anyone from Fairy Tail? "I know you think I'm crazy, but I knew my wife. From the way she smelled to the sound of her voice. When I saw her face I could suddenly remember her. It's her, Dahlia. It's my Lucy." I grimaced with my head between my knees. My body felt too weak to move. I was trapped. The space around me was claustrophobic as my mind continued to drown in a state of madness. "You don't believe me do you?"

"No! I...I believe you." Dahlia replied which surprised me. The Dragon rubbed her arms with her eyes full of sorrow. "I believe you, Natsu." She said again meeting my gaze. I was too stunned to speak. Dahlia, my closest friend, believed me. I don't have any proof or evidence. For all she knows I could be insane, but for my sanity, she believes me. I didn't realize how badly I needed to tell this to someone. Or how badly I needed someone to believe what I was saying. "You do?" I whispered when she nodded. Dahlia showed me a soft smile. "I do." I raised my head. A strength came over me when I sat upright to look closely at my Assist Commander as she clapped the back of my shoulder. "I don't understand it, not yet anyways, but you have never lied to me before. We have a kinship not just between soldiers, but as friends as well. You could tell me to pack a bag and leave Drakonia with you tomorrow and I would. Do you know why? Because I trust you. I trust not just my Scale Master, but also in my friend." Dahlia leaned closer to where our shoulders touched. She sighed resting her head in the crook of my neck. "How are you going to figure this out?"

"I don't have the slightest clue," I replied tiredly. With the secret off my chest, exhaustion welcomed itself. I was debating on lying down right then and there to get some shuteye. Dahlia, on the other hand, decided that wasn't going to happen. "We need to tell the Councilors about this. I may have not known much, but your wife was the Savior, which means we might have found who the Dark Guilds were looking for." My tiredness ebbed away upon hearing that. That's right, our potential witness the Dark Guild was looking for. If they were after my wife I had to stand up and protect her. Not just her, but two children now. "I won't let her be taken."

Dahlia was standing now. She stretched out her hand with a lopsided grin. "Then let's find you some answers." I didn't smile, but a flicker of hope bloomed in my chest. I took her hand and picked myself up.

~~~~~

I decided to talk to Igneel alone about all that's happened. Not only was he the only person that knew the story from what I told him; but he was also the only one I could talk to. My mind was groggy as was my body. I was loopy and haggard when I finished telling my dad everything that happened two days ago. We were outside on a balcony that overlooked the city with the sun beginning to set over the horizon. His hand over his mouth, concentrating and taking in all I said. I leaned my body over the balcony waiting for him to speak. My dad faced the opposite direction, silently thinking to himself for what seemed like minutes. "I don't want to rush your critical thinking but I'm about to fall asleep over here." I explained as I rubbed my baggy eyes "Forgive me, I'm just, I'm taking this all in. You should have come to me sooner. It's hard to wrap my mind around this."

"You and me both." I leaned more into the ledge with my head hanging upwards to the sky. "She would have told me," I said again thinking back to Nashi. I saw her again after two days of avoiding the castle. The baby was latched onto a wet nurse eating whilst her mother was still unconscious to the world. The baby was hungry having left the wet nurse only once while I was away. My mind thought back to Lucy again. What could she have gone through when she came back? Elain said she had to teach her to read and write. That and Lucy didn't remember her name so she was given one. Is it possible that Lucy doesn't remember me? Could there be the slightest chance that I'm wrong about all of this and this is some random woman I decided to take in? No, it couldn't be. I saw her face. I saw my wife under the black veil. I could have been seeing things though... Seeing Nashi in those bundles of blankets for the first time made my world turn upside down. I could have only thought I saw Lucy. Now I'm second-guessing myself. All the more to fall into the madness I was fighting against. Igneel grabbed my shoulder with concerned eyes. "Think about this Natsu, is there a reason why she wouldn't have told you if she was with child?"

"Of course I can!" I threw my arms up. "We were in the middle of a war! The End of the World was at our doorstep and she knew! She knew she was going to sacrifice her life! It's the only logical answer as to why she didn't tell me! She must have been pregnant when the last war happened. Lucy didn't tell me because she knew I would have stopped her from fighting. She knew...but that didn't stop her. She sacrificed not only her life but the life of our child!" My father pulled me into his arms hugging me tightly. His hand was over my head as he shushed me. "It's not your fault."

Pain. Unimaginable pain pierced through my heart. How could I have not known my own wife was with child? How stupid was I to not notice anything? We were Connected, and I still didn't know anything about Lucy. I said awful things as my last words to her. I failed to stop Lucy from giving her life to save us. And now...I failed in saving my child too? I was grateful for Igneel hugging me because I would have fallen to the ground feeling my chest being torn open. It was my fault. This was all my fault. The tears I held in for two days broke once again. I bawled into Igneel's shoulder breaking all over again. I screamed into his shirt not fighting against the emotional torment I was going through. I should have been there nine years ago! I should have stopped her! I should have done anything to protect Lucy and Nashi! Now, despite being here with me, I have failed them all over again. It was just the same as before. Lucy suffering and me not doing anything to help her. It wasn't just Lucy that has suffered this time, it was two children that have suffered. Why?! Why, why WHY!?

I wanted to curse the Gods once more for doing this. They take the woman I love and my unborn child...make me think I lose them in the Abyss forever...and now bring them to my new home to torture me all over again. I wanted to kill them. I wanted to destroy them. I couldn't reach them, however, no matter how hard I tried. I could go find their Bringer. They created a new Bringer...perhaps I could take that away from them. Maybe I could take the Cosmos Heart and crush it right in front of the Gods's faces as they watch in horror. Yes...maybe that's what I'll do. My crying slowly ceased away. Igneel held onto me, keeping me planted from the ocean of insanity sweeping through me. He was whispering, but I didn't hear him. The more I thought about going back to the Abyss the further my dad sounded. He could have still been holding me, but I didn't notice. The last time I was in the Abyss was two years ago; since then I never wanted to go back. Seeing the candles or Lily would remind me of what I lost. What I should have lost...

The world seemed to grow darker. A loud ring echoed in my ears no matter how hard Igneel shook me. He was staring at me with fearful eyes, his mouth mouthing my name. I didn't hear his voice. All I could think was going back to where I lost everything. I wanted blood spilled, screams crying out for mercy, flesh torn by my steel. I wanted pain. I wanted to not be the only one that hurts. I wanted to kill. My back gravitated away from my father when his hands attempted to grab me in a panic. His slit-irises were narrow and fearful when Igneel watched his only child fall into a dark hole that wasn't there before. I dived backward allowing the portal to close behind my panicked father that reached out to me one last time. He screamed out my name, but again I didn't hear him. His voice was a distant memory.

I was ready to make a Bringer bleed.

It was all the same. The darkness, the loneliness, the stagnant air. It felt like two years never passed in this infinite space. My sense of direction in the Abyss had long since left me, but I knew it wouldn't take long for her to find me. I had to feign my reason for suddenly showing myself in the place between life and death. I had no explanation to be here, but I couldn't let Lily see any reason to keep her guard around me. I had to reel her in. Make her feel safe until I had the chance of taking her life. If I'm able to kill the Gods Bringer I'm sure that'll get their attention. They'll come to me. When they do...I'll kill them next. I was ready to see these immortal beings bleed. I wanted them to know the pain I have endured for nine years. The pain I will continue living with after death. The pain they had inflicted on me! It was only fair. They were the ones to take Lucy and my child from me...and they brought them back. What was their next plan now that my wife and child were alive!? What were they going to do next to torment me!?

My breath was haggard. I felt my tense shoulders were caved around my chest as I tightly gripped the hilt of my sword. Screw the plan! The second I see the Bringer I'm going to cut her open! I wanted to tear her heart out of her while it was still beating! I wanted blood! I want to see death die today!

"Natsu..." It was a whisper. The voice was close enough that I knew if my reflex was fast enough I could land a fatal blow in Lily's chest. Without a second to spare, I pulled the sword out of the sheath and let out all my anger in a scream. My body swiftly turned with the sword that was pointed at Lily's chest. I put all the fury I have forced back and hidden into the puncture I was ready to give. The metal of the sword burst to life with Solantir's white flames. Before my steel could meet flesh a burst of energy spiraled out causing me to be thrown. I lost my grip on my sword as I landed on the ground back first and rolled another few yards away. My fist was on the ground which helped me pick my head up to see who I was facing that had such power.

The energy was the one I felt nine years ago. The same energy the Gods had used and failed to destroy all I knew and loved. Not one, but four people stood in front of me. Lily was in the center holding her chest where I was about to stab her. Her grey irises suppressed something far away in their depths. Her body shook enough to where I noticed. Her hair had become longer reaching almost her lower back. With her hair long I thought I was looking at Hades, but her features were still soft and rounder. The other three were two men and one woman that surrounded the Bringer in a protective stance. Their aura was the same as the energy that was used. I was facing the Gods. "YOU!" I yelled about to grab my sword until I was forced to kneel in place.

"Stop this nonsense before you regret doing something." I assumed Ankhseram said 'he' was always the one to speak first. I fought the hold that was over me. "WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT TO TAKE FROM ME!?" I screamed out thrashing more. "WHAT MORE CAN YOU DO TO HURT ME!?" My hand moved. Ankhseram's eyes widened seeing me break the invisible hold. Ankhseram stepped forward. "Please, listen to reason. I can understand your anger. I know you are confused and most of all angry about what I have done."

"Why would I ever listen to you! You took EVERYTHING from me! You killed the woman I love! You murdered innocent people! You took-" My stomach coiled. All of my muscles tensed as if I was suddenly burned. "You took my child!" Tears were stinging my eyes. Lily looked away with guilt on her face. "Natsu, we didn't do it to hurt you." She said with closed eyes. Ankhseram raised his hand to silence her. "Say nothing. He will not believe you if you say the truth."

The truth? Hah! As if they would ever tell me the truth! They were nothing but lying murderers. They would kill a child to get their way! "Why would I believe in anything you tell me? You took my right to take my own life! I know you relish in my misery. To have the last laugh after all Lucy has done for you! She saved your creations, and in return you mock her! You mock me by sending her and my dream child back to me! What do you plan on doing to them, hmm? Do you wish for lightning to strike them as I watch! Are you going to flood the world so they will drown! WILL YOU MAKE IT RAIN FIRE SO THEY CAN BE BURNED ALIVE!?"

"We plan none of those things," Ankhseram said. 'His' voice was poised and calming. I hated it. I hate 'him.' I hate all of them. The hold on my body was waning. Soon, I could kill them. "Then why do you keep torturing me?"

"We don't wish to torture you, Natsu. We wanted to keep our promise to your wife. To Lucy." 'He' must take me for a fool. Like I would believe anything that comes out of the God's mouth. It was another trick. "You promised Lucy death. You erased her soul!"

"Her soul wasn't erased!" Lily said when she clapped her hands over her mouth. Ankhseram tightened his lips. "Forgive me for speaking out of turn." The Bringer whispered through her hands. "No. Speak, child. Tell him what you tried to say two years ago." Lily put her hands down. Her face was full of sadness. It was the only emotion I could place on her stoic expression. I could see it now; the emotions hidden behind her eyes when she stepped closer. Remorse. Guilt. Sorrow. Lily sat on her knees when she was standing in front of me. The Bringer silently sighed. "I'm so sorry for all you've endured, Natsu. I tried to tell you. I did. You were in utter shock you didn't hear me. I was trying to tell you her soul wasn't erased. She was saved. I didn't know the proposal at the time, but after you vanished I returned to the Gods to tell them what happened. They already knew. They were waiting for her all this time. You were the only way she and your child could go back. You had to save her soul before the Gods could send them back." Lily's eyes held her chest as if she was hurting. "You saved her, Natsu. You saved her soul from being erased."

"I don't understand..." The madness began to wash away. The drowning stopped. I looked back to Ankhseram when 'he' stood over me. "Will you listen?" The God asked arms crossed over each other. I didn't know how long I had before I couldn't think straight. Without a word, I nodded. Ankhseram placed his hand over my head. "Watch my memory, and see for yourself."

I was being pulled. My vision was distorted until I refocused to see who was standing in front of me. It was the Gods in their true forms standing before my wife. Their true forms couldn't be seen by my naked eye I could only make out the light that emitted from them. Lucy appeared the same as she did nine years ago. Her golden hair fell past her shoulders as her different color irises stared straight ahead. Behind Lucy were people I thought I would never see again. It was all the loved ones Lucy has lost. Her adoptive parents, Teral, Seraphina, Talon, Gwen, and even Solantir in his true form. They stood together for Lucy. This was the woman I knew and love; the one that took my breath away. I wanted to run over and pull her into my arms. I couldn't move. I was only an apparition rewatching what has already happened. "Lucy Heartfilia, you have shown me a new light. You have moved me, and for that, I must apologize for all the trouble and anguish I put you through; which is why I have a proposal. Lend me your attention for a moment longer and we will end this discussion." Ankhseram sang not with a voice, but with music. Somehow, I could understand him without knowing the language he spoke. Lucy blinked, waiting with patience. "I cannot allow you or your child to live after the ceremony is finished. In the end, you must die to give the Cosmos its heart, and your child must expunge the chaos that wreaks havoc. Once this is finished, your child will come to Heaven, and you will be trapped in the Abyss."

"I know this already." Said Lucy. Hearing her voice almost made me groan. To hear her angelic voice again! It was even more beautiful than the music that came from the God. "Yes, you know this already." Replied Ankhseram. "However, do you believe in your love for that mortal man?" The God asked. Lucy inhaled blinking more in thought. Then, she smiled. "More than anything," Lucy answered. If Ankhseram had a face I'm sure he was also smiling.

"You have shown us your love for our creations. You are even willing to die for mankind if it means keeping the ones you love safe. Here is my proposal. You shall stay in the Abyss, and if the man that says he loves you, finds you, then you will return to Heaven. We will mend your soul to where it is your own as well as your child's, and send you both back to EarthLand. If he proves to us that his love for you is the same, we will return you to him. However, if he fails, then you will stay in the Abyss until you are erased. Your memory will be forgotten until not even those that have passed cannot remember you. You, and your memory, will be erased forever." The souls that were there for Lucy were outraged. Some said it wasn't fair that the Abyss was endless. It was impossible to find one single soul out of the millions here. Meanwhile, Lucy thought only to herself. She looked away to where I couldn't see her face. What felt like minutes, but was only a few seconds, Lucy answered. "I accept your proposal." A warm smile lit her face. She was like a candle in the dark space they stood. The souls of her loved ones begged Lucy to reconsider, afraid of forgetting her if I fail. Lucy shook her head still smiling. "There's something I know that most of you don't," Lucy said holding her belly. My heart gave a hard thump when I saw she wasn't talking to the people or Gods around her. She was talking to our daughter.

"I believe in Natsu. I know he will save us."

I grit my teeth hearing what Lucy said. The memory vanished when I returned to where I was frozen in place by the God. The 'man' let his hand go and return to his side. "She still believed in you. Even in the face of death, in her final moments, she had hope." I hadn't realized tears streamed down my face. Choked sobs escaped me until I was released from Ankhseram's hold. I fell on all four gasping for air. Tears still fell from my eyes. The realization that Lucy entrusted me to find her was healing. Without even telling me of their proposal I was the one that would find her. Lucy knew even then that I would find her in the Abyss. She believed.

She believed in me.

"Luce..." I sobbed trying not to choke on my tears. The anger in my soul was washed away. The unbridled feeling of pain and fury was taken off my shoulders. I could only bawl learning what I saw. It didn't matter how long it would take to find her, Lucy would have held on for as long as she had to come back to us...to me. And here I was about to kill the ones that helped bring her back to me. What had I become? I wanted to look to the Gods and apologize, but shame overcame me. How could I say and think such awful things about them? They were blind to a cause years ago, but they have changed. Did they become more... sympathetic? I wouldn't say compassion, maybe a bit more...understanding. I couldn't find the right words to describe it, but I knew what I was trying to do was wrong. Lily wasn't even a part of any of this. She's innocent in all of this mess and I was about to kill her simply because I wanted to. I wanted to hurt others. I wanted to take life. Here I believed I was growing as a better person...until all of this happened. Shouldn't I be happy? Even now the idea of Lucy being alive hurts. Another thought occurred to me. "Wait," I said looking up to the Gods and Bringer. "Lucy... the child she watches over said she had no memories when she was found. Does Lucy not remember...anything?" Ankhseram's eyes dilated like I struck a nerve. 'His' body tensed as Ankhseram clenched 'his' jaw. "We did the best we could to salvage her. She wasn't entirely human, Natsu. When we made her living form—it's...how do I explain?" Ankhseram asked himself. The God uncomfortably looked elsewhere. "To help you better understand, Lucy was reborn to a certain degree. She was 'born' as a human while being in Heaven. Lucy grew with her new body reliving her past life so we could ensure she would return with the memories of her loved ones and her characteristics. However...her body and mind had become fragile as a regular human. The trauma of all she endured was too much. So, Lucy repressed her memories until she could no longer remember them."

"She experienced trauma that dramatically forced her to repress it? After all you did for her, she came back with no identity or any memories of who she was. Who her family was?" I asked loudly with my hand over my heart. Once again I was holding myself together whilst being told my wife is still gone. She may be alive now but she doesn't remember anything. Everything that I loved about her and more was gone. The woman now was a blank slate. Lost with no clue who she is. Ankhseram raised 'his' hand to silence. "If we had forced her to remember her past life it would cause irreversible damage. At the time, she was with child. The risk of her mental stability being upturned was far greater than returning her to EarthLand with no memories. But Lucy has her memories! They're locked away in her turmoiled mind waiting to be unlocked. When she came back to EarthLand...Lucy was lost. She is still lost, Natsu."

"How can I help bring her memories back?" I asked as though I was begging for an answer. Knowing that Lucy had her memories caused my hope to spark alive once more. It was possible to bring Lucy back to me! Ankhseram cocked 'his' head to the side. "My dear child, you are the only one that can help her."

"I don't understand," I said once again. How could I be the only one that can help her? I haven't been able to help anyone, much less myself for nine years. Ankhseram must be mistaken. He thinks as though I can heal. "She needs a healer. If anyone can help Lucy it's gotta be Grandeeney."

"She still sleeps." The God asked. I glumly nodded. "The damage is not that of the body. It is the mind. It is her soul that needs healing. Her soul is sick with anguish."

"You speak to me as if I can help Lucy. I can't! How am I supposed to help her soul!?"

"How else? The same magic that you use to come here! The magic that keeps you from being a Half-Soul. The one being that has the magic capable of letting you see her soul." It clicked. The Dragon that became a part of my soul nine years ago. Solantir. Lucy did it once, long, long ago. She used Solantir to glimpse into my soul. She put herself in the case where my soul was as I burned internally. Lucy doused the flames when I thought she would also be burned alive. Could I...do the same? "What will happen?" I asked. Ankhseram didn't move. 'His' face contorted trying to think of an answer I could make sense of. The God shook 'his' head. "My siblings and I create souls and the case. Not once have I entered the case of a soul. Possession takes control of the physical body, but what Lucy did was something else entirely. It's something I have never seen in my existence. Not only can you see the soul of that person but you can feel it. You can touch the soul."

"That doesn't make me feel better about this. Alright, it doesn't make much sense to me, but I can't let this chance slip from me. I'll go back to Lucy and heal her soul. I'm not exactly sure how I do it." The God smiled. "Solantir will guide you. The Spirit Dragon has been silent since Lucy's passing, but he has been with you all this time. Protecting, mending, and reassuring you. As have we, the Gods, done the same. For the sake of a promise we needed to keep."

"Years ago, I wanted to take my life. No matter what I did nothing worked. I thought I was cursed which made me hate you even more. You stopped me so I could wait for Lucy, didn't you?" I asked with clenched fists. Ankhseram nodded. "We intervened in your attempts. It was painful to watch you suffer, Natsu. Even when we knew the good that would come...it was—it hurt us more than you could imagine." The God's eyes went to my forearms where the long scars showed. I didn't realize they weren't covered like I usually kept them. "I'm not ashamed of my actions. The agony of losing Lucy like that was a pain worse than death. I would gladly accept death then suffer through such pain again. You're Gods. You will never feel the same as humans can. When Lucy died...and when I thought she was erased...there was no sense of Heaven or Hell. I was already dead. I wasn't a Half-Soul. I was Soulless."

"Yes...we witnessed every moment of it." Ankhseram whispered. The God closed 'his' eyes like 'he'd' been struck. "I will never hurt you that way again, my child. You will suffer no longer." I smirked but it wasn't a gleeful kind of smirk. It was one where it showed 'I've-heard-that-one-before' and was once again proven wrong. Even now I couldn't trust the promise of a God. I've become so ridiculous. "Trust in Solantir?"

"Trust Solantir. He will help."

"Alright. I guess I'll be heading back to EarthLand." I returned my hands to my pockets. A portal opened behind me as I turned to walk out of the Abyss. "Natsu!" Lily called out halting my progression. The Bringer kept her hand over her chest whilst biting her lower lips. Her eyes seemed to tremble with a display of emotions crossing her soft features. She clenched her teeth holding back a choked sound. "Once you leave...you can't ever come back here," Lily said with her head downcast. I was surprised by the sudden declaration. "Why?"

"Even if you have the Spirit Dragon you are still human. Protecting the balance of Order and Chaos in the Cosmos is all that matters. To keep the future safe it is best if you never come back and tamper with the precautions of delicate conformity. You are a liability between Man and Cosmos." Lily didn't bring her head up so look at me. Her shoulders were beginning to shake. Lily's body became rigid as she tried to hide any signs of being upset. It was clear as day though. "So I can't even visit my favorite Bringer?" I asked in a joking kind of way. Lily didn't laugh. "It's alright. You didn't come back for two years...I've grown accustomed to the silence in the Abyss." Suddenly my heart throbbed as my stomach coiled. Lily saying that made me feel guilty. Did she miss me all this time? "Can't you come to visit me?" I asked politely. Lily shook her head. "New rule, the Bringer is to stay in the Abyss. After the last one grew too close to human emotions it compensated the downfall of the Five Realms. I can never leave to see the Realms." The Bringer slowly drew her head up to where I saw her eyes. They were full of sadness, like a chalice ready to spill over. Her opaque grey irises fought back against the misery for the sake of the Gods being next to her. She was a Bringer. Lily wasn't meant to be feeling any of this. Words caught my throat. I didn't know what to say. "I—I'll miss you." Was all that came out of me. In a sense, I was speaking for both of us. A part of me would miss Lily, but to her, she must have been losing her only friend. I wasn't a part of her world, and she couldn't be a part of mine. Lily did her best attempt to smile. "Yeah. Me too." Her lips quivered. I had to leave now.

"Lily, we'll meet again someday. When I'm a ghost that can't find his way to a destination, you'll be there helping me." The Bringer blinked back her oncoming tears. Fight back your emotions Lily. Don't show the Gods... "Yes. We'll meet again." Lily feebly raised her hand to wave me goodbye. It was pitiful to the point it was agonizing. Her heart was hurting so much that I wanted to hold her until she felt better. Lily helped me through and through to save Lucy, and the way I thank her is by never coming back. I'm officially the worst person ever. Lily blinked back her tears. "Go. You need to go and save your wife. She needs you." Lucy...my Lucy needed me. My daughter...she needed me. I gripped my fists tightly as my jaw clenched. Lily held her heart, watching me with tearful eyes. I hadn't noticed the odd shade of her irises changing. They swirled from the lifeless grey to dark, rich violet. It was the same as Hades. I was looking at the face of a former friend. I was about to call out his name when Lily closed her eyes. "Goodbye, Natsu."

My chest tightened. "...Goodbye." I whispered backing away until I passed through the portal. The Abyss vanished from my sight and the last thing I saw was Lily letting the tears she held fall down her face.

~~~

Traversing through Realms never felt all that great. My body would ache as I struggled to find my breath and I gasp for fresh EarthLand air. This time, it felt worse than usual. The portal spat me out when I crossed back to my Realm and I tumbled with dead weight. I rolled until I came to a skidded stop coughing and struggling to breathe. The area was brightly lit which blinded my sense of sight for a minute as I rubbed my eyelids raw. The sun was overhead and scalding hot like the hottest summer day with no clouds for cover. I managed to sit up on my elbow when I finally could see where I was. I was on the roof of the castle in Drakonia nearly about to fall off the ledge of the roof tiles. How I managed to find myself here was less confusing than how I was going to get down.

How long had I been away? How many days or even weeks passed while I was in the Abyss? "Only one way to find out," I gritted out and forced myself to stand up. My sense of balance almost failed me that I was about to fall until I steadied my footing. It was so hot on this particular day. There was no gust of wind or a white cloud in the sky. The sun was bathing the land in its scorching heat. I surveyed my surroundings until I found a balcony that didn't look like would be too painful of a fall. Without thinking I jumped from the roof until my chest landed on the balcony's ledge knocking the air out of me. Once again I was coughing not able to find my breath; this time due to my own stupidity. "Dammit." I wheezed curling myself to catch my breath easier. I waited until I could breathe properly again then leaned on the ledge to continue breathing. I had to think things through instead of being an idiot. After I berated myself I turned around and opened the unlocked French glass doors inside to see the library. This was one of the smaller sections that carried mostly history books or Drakonia's upbringing through documents. Some of Drakonia's important treaties and documents were kept safely here in this library. I closed the doors behind me to find anyone. It was unusually quiet during this time of day. Where were the sounds of gossip from the maids or the barking laughter of patrols that marched the castle hallways? Where were the Councilors? I ebbed along the bookshelves until I found someone sitting at a table with books strewn about.

She was reading a book that was too big for her to hold so she was reading with the book down. I noticed the color of her light brown hair that was neatly done into a wrapped bun. She was in a new white dress that went down to her ankles with pretty yellow bows and frills on the neck and sleeves. Her striking-blue irises read the book in her hands when she reached her hand out to a bowl that was full of sweet grapes. It was the little girl Lucy was taking care of. It was Elain. Her face was still thin from hunger, but her baggy eyes and chapped lips were long gone. I let out a breath of relief to see Elain here, but my sigh caught the girl's attention. Her irises became small when she squeaked and shuffled out of the chair to back away. "Hey, hey it's alright! It's me, remember? The man that you saw a couple of days ago?" Elain kept her guard up. "I remember you." She said with her hands wrapped tightly behind her. "I'm sorry. Did I startle you?" I asked kindly. Elain's shoulders relaxed when she nodded. "It's always quiet in the library. Usually, the nurses come to check on me with Nashi, but they were here already. I got scared..."

"I'm sorry I scared you." I said again with my arms hiding behind my back. With my forearms out in the open, I didn't want the child to see the self-harmed scars that ran down my skin. Elain returned to her seat. "It's alright. You don't scare me." I edged closer to the table. "Do you know where the Councilors are? Or if you've seen any foot soldier by chance?" Elain shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno. Everyone's looking for you."

"Me?" I asked. She nodded. "You've been missing for three days. Mister Igneel has been very stressed when you vanished." That's right. I fell through the portal in front of my old man. Who knows what he thinks happened to me? For all he knows the world could have just eaten me right before his eyes. "Are they still in the city?" Elain shrugged again. "I dunno. Mister Igneel or Miss Deeney comes to check on me. Everyone has been very kind to me. And Nashi is doing well too." My heart fluttered again. I wonder if my heart will always feel that way when I hear Nashi's name. Nashi. My daughter Nashi. I had a child. I had a daughter...a daughter that's mine. "I'm so happy to hear that." I said with a smile. Elain bashfully looked away. "Nashi's the happiest I've seen her. Well, not as happy as when she met you."

My smile gradually fell as I thought back to Lucy. "And...Sunny? How is she doing?" Elian's smile also fell. Her fingers fiddled with the corner of the book when she shook her head. "This is the longest Sunny has ever slept. She stirs, now and then, but it's nonsense really. She'll say names, like mine or Nashi's. But...she'll also say..." Elain's sentence drifted as she thought only to herself. I found myself holding the chair on the opposite side until I sat myself down. Elain grabbed another grape from the bowl, slowly eating it. "What does she also say, Elain?" I asked. The small girl returned her eyes to me. "She...Sunny will whisper your name too. She cries when she calls out to you. Like, she's thinking of sad memories. But, Sunny doesn't remember anything about her past." Elain dropped her hands on the table with the half-eaten grape pinched between her index and thumb. Her blue eyes searched into my irises. Eventually, Elain began to speak. "I haven't been told much, but I listen. You knew Sunny before she lost her memories. That day...when you unveiled her...I had never seen someone recognize Sunny. It never helped she had to hide her face, but you saw her, and you know her. You cried for her. You called her by her real name...are you...were you and Sunny together? Or am I overthinking this?"

I was shocked. Elain might have been a child, but she was observant for one so young. She might not understand the entirety of the picture, but she can see the basic design. Not only that, but she wasn't trying to be pushy in her questions. Maybe she didn't want to come off as rude. I smiled and nodded. "You call her Sunny, but her name is Lucy Heartfilia. Or I should say Lucy Dragneel. She—" Do I say 'was my wife' or 'is my wife' to her? How can I explain the actual story without seeming crazy? I had to play it safe for now. "She is my wife."

"So, Sunny is married. That means her status isn't tarnished. She doesn't have to hide her shame." Elain smiled and quietly thanked the Gods. Then her attention returned to me. "How did Sunny lose her memories? Why was she found in Joya while you were here? Were you two separated?"

"I can't explain." I said honestly. There was no way to explain how everything had occurred. How do you tell someone the fact my wife, whose been dead for nine years, came back to life along with my unborn child? There was no way to explain this. Elain sagged in the chair. "Sunny doesn't remember anything. When I say anything, I mean she didn't even know how to talk. The nuns and I did all we could to teach her..."

"Nuns?" I asked. Elain's eyes brightened. "Ah! You haven't seen Sunny—I mean, Lucy...I'm sorry. Is it alright if I continue to call her Sunny?" She asked to which I nodded. "Of course you can." I said. Elain returned to her story when she closed the book. "Sunny was brought to a convent that was run by nuns. They were our volunteered doctors and midwives in the town we lived. They also took in children that were declared orphans or abandoned. I lived at the nunnery for about six years until I met Sunny. She came in by a humble couple that found her lost on a forest path. From the looks of her clothes they had given Sunny spares to wear." Elain thoughtfully smiled at a memory. "She was the most beautiful person I had ever met. Even with no hair I couldn't take my eyes off her. I, along with the Matron and two of the Sisters helped Sunny get cleaned up and properly dressed on the first night. She didn't speak once. Her eyes alone told us something had happened. And on her back..."

"There were marks on her back weren't there?" I asked quietly. Elain flinched. "Yes...they had been there for a while. They appeared almost silvery as we bathed her from head to toe. Sunny was so lost, and though she couldn't describe it with words, she was terrified. It didn't take the Matron or Sisters long to realize they had been given a woman with amnesia." Elain caressed the cover of the book she had been reading. "We decided to begin teaching the basics. Just like a toddler, we helped her learn the alphabet and the basics of mathematics. Adding, subtracting, and counting. I had been the one to read to her on the days we were both given free time. We would sit in the small courtyard next to the fountain as I read the holy book to her. Sometimes, I'd sneak fantasy novels when I knew we wouldn't be caught reading them. Sunny liked listening to fantasy novels."

"She loved reading and writing." I murmured to the girl. Elain smiled. "Huh, I thought my book reading was rubbing off her. Thankfully, Sunny was a quick learner. She was able to start writing and counting basic math after two weeks. Almost a month later was when she began to speak. It was also...when she began to show signs." Elain's eyes fell as did her happy smile. "It didn't take long to find out Sunny was with child. At the time, we all tried to keep it under wrap to not notify the authorities or the hierarchy of the convent, but it was too late. Without solid proof or even knowledge from Sunny if she was married or not she was arrested due to consummation before marriage. It was a grueling few weeks until she was able to come back to the convent, but by then the damage had been done."

"That's awful. Lucy was a special case since she didn't have any memories! How could they arrest her if they didn't know the entirety of the story? How could they trial her when she couldn't defend herself!?" It made my blood boil thinking about what could have happened while she awaited trial. Elain shook her head. "If anyone is exempt from the laws of Joya, then everyone would have to be exempted. That is how the Judge explained it." Elain placed her elbows on the table as she rested her hands over her face. "It seemed after the trial everything went downhill. There were rumors of Dark Mages scourging the smaller villages. As months went on, the rumors were proven true. All children and women had to be evacuated, and that was when our entire lives turned upside down. The nuns stayed behind on the frontlines to be nurses for soldiers, but since I am a minor and Sunny was pregnant we were evacuated. After we left Joya...it all becomes so fuzzy. So many things happened. Awful...terrible things. Things I wish to unsee or undo. People treated us worse than filth on the ground. The things Sunny had to endure...it was—..." Elain closed her eyes and shook her head. "The only reason why either of us are still here today is because of the Gods." Elain wiped away oncoming tears. Behind her words was a story of itself. Seven months of memories Elain wanted to repress. If a child like her didn't want to speak of the occurrences that happened...what did Lucy endure? What did the love of my life have to go through to get here? I hated the unknown. I hated myself. I should have found her sooner. I should have known that Lucy was still alive.

"Mister Natsu, it's none of my business, I know it isn't, but Sunny is the only person I have left in my life. Sunny and Nashi. Is Sunny...is she going to die?" The little girl asked her voice breaking halfway. My perception tumbled thinking of Lucy dying again. My heart seized to the point I thought it would stop beating. "No!" I gasped feeling the color in my face drain. Elain jumped from my abrupt shouting when she looked away. "Then why isn't she awake? It's almost been five days. Sunny's health has never been the best, but she hasn't been unconscious this long before. The healers won't admit it but I know their looks. They can't heal her. They don't know what's wrong with Sunny."

"She is sick. Not in a physical sense though. Not in a way we can see on her body. She's experienced...trauma. Trauma can damage the mind to the point it only wishes to forget." I explained as best I could. Elain nodded, vaguely aware of my banter. "Sunny's life has been hard to moment she came to the convent. Every day was a battle for Sunny. I just," Elain looked away again. Her hand was covering her mouth as her eyes began to tear up. She was fighting against another set of oncoming tears. "I wanted to see her smile again. That one time when we snuck out of the convent to read on the hillside together. She didn't know it, but that one smile made my world brighter. It's why I named her Sunny. It was that smile which gave me hope for the future...and I haven't seen that bright, happy smile since." Elain closed her eyes succumbing to her grief-filled tears. The library was consumed with the soft weeps of a child that missed the one good thing she clung to in her life. Elain did her best to stop her crying, but it was futile when she sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

"It's alright, Elain. You can feel sad; you have more than a right to feel sad. You miss her." I whispered. Elain nodded. "I do. I'm lost without Sunny. My life wasn't awful, but I was lonely. Everything changed when I met Sunny. She cared for me in ways the nuns couldn't. She treated me as a child, not like a work laborer. Sunny wanted to get to know me, and she protected me time and time again when I should have gotten in trouble. She saved me..." Elain shook her head. "Please help her. You know her as Lucy, but she is Sunny to me. We both must love the same person if you cried the time you saw her. Heal her, Mister. Save Sunny! Save the woman we cherish!" Elain cried out with both hands on the table. Her face was wet with the continuous tears flowing past her cheeks as her nose became pink. I curled my fists tightly. "I'll do all I can to save her, Elain. You may not understand but I love this woman more than all my life. I will save her." The child gasped upon seeing my face. Her lips trembled until she looked away. "I know you will. You saved us once Mister Natsu. You can save her again." I gave a gradual nod. "Stay here and continue your reading. Is Sunny in one of the rooms above or below?"

"They placed her in the infirmary but moved her yesterday to the upper floor rooms. It was decided that Sunny should be situated comfortably when they couldn't do anything else." I nodded again. "Okay. If anyone comes in tell them I'm with Sunny, alright? If Igneel checks on you again you make sure to tell him I'm home." Elain sat back down. "I'll tell him. What're you gonna do?" The child asked after wiping a tear away from her right eye. I walked to the exit door and placed my hand on the door frame. "I'm gonna go find Sunny and bring her back to us." Elain didn't ask any more questions when I left the library.

My feet were already taking me to the spiral staircase the servants used to move swiftly throughout the castle. It was more discreet as I had no intention to be sidetracked to go see Lucy. I moved with swiftness avoiding any ruckus of servants that were cleaning the halls or doing laundry. The only door closed was the one I was looking for when I walked in so much without a knock. I closed the door behind me waiting to turn to confront my greatest fears. Everything up to this point had come down to this. This was the last hurdle I had to jump through to see Lucy again. After nine years...I could be with my wife again. Gradually, I turned my body around to face the bedroom. The balcony doors were open to let fresh air inside. The canopy sheets swayed with the wind that blew inside which hid the woman I was waiting to see again. The chair closest to the bed was empty as if the last person here had been sitting next to Lucy for some time. I wonder who could have wanted to sit and watch over my wife in my absence? I sat down in the plush chair drawing the canopy sheets back to see Lucy.

She hadn't aged a day. Lucy was the same all those years ago. Despite the bags underneath her eyes and chapped lips, there was youth underneath the stress she has endured. Her hands rested over her stomach with the bulky comforters pulled up to her chest. Someone had washed and cleaned her hair which was still short. With the gentle light coming from the balcony I saw streaks of gold that curled at the ends of her ears. I couldn't move, only watch the love of my life quietly breathe. Lucy was breathing again. She was alive... "Luce..." I whispered unable to speak much further. Is this how I would always react to seeing Lucy? My chest felt tight with butterflies tickling my ribs. Would my eyes always find a way to tear up as the knot in my throat grew tighter? I had to remember to breathe. I had to remind myself this wasn't a dream or nightmare. This was real. Lucy was here, breathing, and living. I didn't want to touch her for fear of hurting her. She was far more delicate than she was nine years ago. I was afraid I could bruise her for simply holding her hand too tightly. What if I hurt Lucy by touching her so much? Would she want me to touch her? My wife doesn't even remember me. For all she knows I was a stranger watching her sleep. She never liked it when I snuck into her apartment and I was just her guildmate at the time. If she could wake up would she throw me out like she used to? Remembering that made me chuckle. Everyone would call me hot-headed, but they didn't see Lucy when she was angry.

I kept my smile, but deep down a forlorn feeling overwhelmed me. I cherished all the memories I had with Lucy. Every single one from the moment I met her. Did any of my memories mean anything anymore if Lucy couldn't remember? What happens if she can't remember her memories? What would I do if Lucy can't remember me? I laughed again already knowing my answer. I would win her over again. Though Lucy doesn't remember herself I know deep down she's still the Lucy I know and love. Her naming our daughter Nashi gives me hope that it can still work out if I can't heal her. I'll always love Lucy, so maybe I can help her fall in love with me again. My right hand reached out until I caressed her wrist gingerly pulling her hand close to me until I was holding her soft hand in mine. Her skin was pale, but warm. Comfortably warm I thought I could never let go again. A shuddered gasp escaped me. Again I had to remind myself this was real and not a dream. "You're real." I murmured rubbing the pad of my thumb over her knuckles.

How did I do it? How did I survive nine years without her touch? Her smell? How was I able to live without being near this woman?

I pulled her hand to my face; my forehead rested against her wrist whilst both of my hands held hers. There has to be a way to help her. Ankhseram said only I could help her, but how? How can I do it? How do I find her like she found me all those years ago? "Solantir, if you can hear me, I'm ready to find her. Help me out, old man. Help me find Lucy." I whispered firming my grip around Lucy's hand. I had never asked help from Solantir the moment he was forced upon my soul, and I had never spoken to him either since that day in the infirmary room. Solantir was just as much a part of Lucy as I was with our Souls Connection. Now, I was about to fall to my knees and beg the Spirit Dragon to help me. "Help me reach Lucy's soul, Solantir. Please...help me." A sudden power flourished within me that traversed to my hands. The warmth wrapped around Lucy's hands when my eyes unconsciously closed shut. A deep, ebony voice whispered only for me to hear.

"I am here, Natsu. Find her. Find Lucy."

.
.
.

My eyes opened to a vacant void. I looked around not seeing anyone or anything for that matter. The space around me was dull in color, not necessarily white but an off-tone grey that appeared blurry. Everything was blurred, smeared, or scratched out. The space wasn't smooth or comforting; it was decaying. Was this the 'case' Ankhseram was talking about? The case where the soul stays? It wasn't how I imagined. My space when Lucy saved me was bright and slightly cracked until Lucy healed me, but this space was wilting away. "Lucy?" I called out wandering forward. The space was empty as my voice echoed all around me. Nothing seemed to happen; not even a reply. "Lucy! Where are you!?"

There was a soft sound of a single water drop. It fell in what sounded like a pool of water, slowly, over and over again. I looked behind me unaware how a shallow pool of water suddenly appeared behind me. A woman in black sat in the center, staring into the reflection with her veil over her face. The water dripped causing a rippling to stretch the pool of water, which made it difficult for the reflection to remain clear. It was disoriented and broken. "Lucy." I said taking a step until my foot was within the water. I stared down to where my feet were noticing visions within the water. They were far away, but the ripple from the water drip hadn't affected the visions that were far away. I kneeled searching further within the reflection of the water until I could see the visions. Only these weren't visions. They were memories.

Sunny's memories.

I was suddenly no longer in the case of where the soul lives, but in a different dimension altogether. It was a room, a white room so vast I thought it could never end. The room morphed from one thing to another. From dirt to sand. From day to night. It was ever-changing but bright. I looked around until I saw a person sleeping in a fetal position. They were naked with their arms folded over their chest and knees tucked close to their flat belly. Their eyes were closed as they seemed to be cocooned within an energy that buzzed with life. The energy danced on top of the person's skin, coursing within their very blood. It was healing them, reviving them whole. I knelt to where I could see them better when I realized it was a woman. My woman. My Lucy, or Sunny. This must be when she was in Heaven after I found her. This is when she was 'reborn' as Ankhseram put it. I reached out to touch the energy wrapped around her, but the second I touched the memory fell like a grain of sand and I had traveled to a new memory.

I was back in EarthLand standing over a large crater of a fallen star. The same star I had seen a year ago. Once again, the same person from before lay in a fetal position with steam rising from her skin. She was bald with no trace of hair and no item of clothing. I watched, entranced when she opened her eyes for the first time and blinked away the drowsiness. Her bright chocolate-brown eyes stared at the trees that surrounded her as she cocked her head to the side. The lost woman struggled to stand with her arms and legs wobbly until she found her sense of balance. Her hands explored the bark of the trees and the grass that survived the crash of the fallen star; her eyes remained curious as she walked through the woods unaware of where she is or who she was. I followed though I knew I wouldn't be seen. The lost woman walked for hours looking at the smallest of things and the tallest of barks. It was like a child seeing for the first time; the unbound curiosity of an unknown world. The sheer idea of learning astounded her star-lit irises. The lost woman stumbled onto a dirt road when she stared at the new texture of the ground beneath her feet. She bent down and picked up the rocks in her hand and pinched the dirt between her fingers for minutes when the sound of a horse neighing a distance away caught her attention. She stood back up thinking of what to do until she stumbled and fell back. The sound of the horses came closer just as the figure of two people sitting on a wagon appeared. It was a man and woman chatting until the wife pointed at the lost woman lying on the road with dirt covering her body. "Negan! Stop the wagon!" The wife exclaimed when she jumped out of the moving wagon. The husband pulled the reins with a shout. "Marissa wait! It might be a trap!"

"Oh, hush! A wandering woman in naught but her skin means no trouble. She needs help." The kind stranger knelt on the ground in front of her. "Hello, sweetheart. Are you lost? Do you need help?" The woman, Marissa, asked with her hand extended out. The lost woman stared blankly between Marissa's face to her hand wondering what to decide. Marissa reached closer noting the hesitance in the lost woman's rigid frame. "Where's your company? It's very dangerous to walk these back roads alone. Are you with anyone?"

"Nissa, be careful. Here, I grabbed a shirt of mine and some of your spare undergarments. We shouldn't stay here too long. Let's give her some clothes and leave her on her way." Negan whispered handing the clothes to his wife without raising his eyes to the nude woman. Marissa rolled her eyes and took the clothes. "Here sweetheart, you need some clothes if you're gonna get to town. Can you tell us what happened?" Marissa inched closer until she grabbed the woman's shoulder and pulled her closer. She stiffened upon seeing her back. "Negan..." Marissa began when she turned her face to look at him. "She's hurt."

The couple helped the lost woman in her borrowed clothes and took her to their wagon. They spoke to her never receiving any answers. The only information they had were the dreaded scars that covered her back. Marissa and Negan concluded she must have been a prisoner that escaped, and due to the trauma of being imprisoned, she was unable to speak to them. Both of them knew they couldn't take the woman in, but they also knew they couldn't leave her there alone. What if she was being hunted? What would happen if they find her? They agreed to take her to the nearest town that had a convent that would take her under their guardianship. It was the safest option for all lives on that wagon that Negan could think of. Marissa let the woman sit beside her and talk of their travels whilst Negan kept the reins on the wagon. The wife spoke of the coming Dark Guilds that seem to be growing antsier as the year moved, but then she would steer the conversation to a more heartfelt tone. She and Negan were going to visit her in-laws in celebration of their wedding anniversary and were happy to have found her along the way in times of travelers not being kind to those in her situation. "Why, for a pretty girl like you, I can't imagine what kind of monster would do to you. It makes me so angry! The world has known peace for eight years, thank the Savior, and now people like Dark Mages want to bring more chaos. I'll never understand their way of thinking. It makes no sense!" Marissa exclaimed with a hot temper. The hours moved slowly until they came through a town with a convent run by nuns. Negan and Marissa went to the convent which was a stone temple with a fairly small courtyard in the center. Negan and Marissa explained to the Matron about finding the lost woman, and after minutes of talking, Marissa and Negan said their goodbyes. The Matron and nuns beside her brought the lost woman inside, and the door closed behind them.

The memory fast-forwarded. The lost woman was now on all fours washing the floor with a rag. Her dress was white and went to her ankles as she rolled her long sleeves up to her elbows to scrub harder. She didn't feel the small pair of eyes watching her as she cleaned. "Excuse me," The voice began saying. Her voice was timid, but the atmosphere was so silent it caused the woman to jump in surprise and knock the bucket of water over from her sudden fright. The voice squeaked and hid behind the door afraid she would hear an earful for scaring the newcomer, but when no one piped she looked back into the room and saw the woman sitting on her knees in curiosity. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Her small frame appeared and stood in front of the woman. She was a child, also in a white gown with brown shoulder-length curls around her face and oceanic blue eyes. "I'm Elain, the youngest in the convent. You're the new arrival. The nuns talk of you not being able to speak. They said you might have 'amnesia?' I don't know what that means, but you seem lonely." Elain stepped into the room. "Wanna be friends?" She asked the woman. She stared at Elain, fascinated at seeing a person so small. I'm sure she imagined being small like that at one point. Elain was smiling so she thought she should also smile. The lost woman did the best impression of smiling, but it looked all constricted as if she was trying too hard. Elain didn't notice because her smile grew bigger until she giggled. "I'll take that as a yes! You're my friend now!"

The memory fast-forwarded. Elain and the woman were sweeping the stairs whilst practicing vocabulary. It must've been a couple of weeks at this point. "Y'know, you still don't have a name." Elain said thoughtfully to which the woman shrugged. "I...have no...name?" The woman whispered. Her voice was hoarse and very scratchy, but I know that voice. It was the voice I thought I would never hear again.

Elain resumed sweeping. "Well, maybe you should give yourself a new name!" The woman solemnly looked away also sweeping again. "What about...my name?"

"You can't remember your old name. I can't keep calling you newcomer or friend forever! You need a name, or how about a nickname? Yeah! A nickname! You have a name but you don't have to keep it forever. When you remember your old name you don't need to be called by your nickname anymore." Elain said enthusiastically. The woman kept sweeping before giving a subtle nod. "Okay." She agreed stoically. She wondered when she would remember her memories. It had been weeks since she woke up alone in the crater. She wondered if she had any friends or family looking for her. She thought of the possibility of her not being alone in the world. Was there anyone out there that missed her? Was there someone in her life waiting for her? Her thoughts were more muddled than usual on this particular day. It felt like an important day...but she couldn't remember.

The memory jumped again. Elain and the lost woman had snuck out and were lying on a sloping hilltop together. The sky was cloudless and sunny with a gentle breeze brushing against their faces. The lost woman was beginning to show signs of hair on her head which caused her to scratch in annoyance. Elain held a book in her hands as she read aloud. "Oh, this part you're gonna love! The hero comes in and saves the princess from the Dragon!" Elain said excitedly to which the lost woman frowned. "B-But the Dragon...it was nice to her." The older woman replied shyly. Elain scrunched her eyebrows. "We don't know that. It took her from her home! The Dragons in this book aren't like the ones living on EarthLand my dear friend. Though it's a little scary that we have living Dragons upon us again. I hear they can bite off mountains and cause the ocean to evaporate with how hot their fire is." Elain said over dramatizing it. The lost woman looked away; her eyes suddenly looking far from where she was. "I...like the Dragon."

Elain closed the book and then sat up. "Okay. How about this, let's make up our own ending for the story. Let's say the Dragon was nice to her, and if the princess wanted to stay with it, the princess would tell the hero to go beat it and she's happy where she was! She becomes friends with the Dragon and they go on super awesome adventures together! They go do everything they ever wanted together!" The lost woman returned her gaze to Elain. Her heart quickened imagining such a creature befriending someone so different compare to it. A normal human being friends with a creature so strong, the woman couldn't help but imagine herself in such an unusual situation. She smiled, this time it being on her own accord. Her eyes gleamed thinking a Dragon could save her like the one in the story. A Dragon that didn't want to take her from her home, but wanted to protect her and care for her. "I like that ending." She said still smiling. Elain only watched in awe of her friend. It was the first time she saw the newcomer genuinely show signs of happiness. A sign that they were beginning to get closer. It was a smile that was brighter than any sun she had ever seen in her life. "You know, I like it when you smile." Elain finally said also smiling. "When you smile, and I mean really smile, it's like a cloudy day suddenly seeing the sun for the first time. You're like the sun the more I think about it. Warm, comforting, and always there when someone needs it most." Elain suddenly had an idea strike her. "Hey! How about Sunny for a nickname? We'll name you after your first smile!"

"I've smiled before." The woman said bashfully. Elain shook her head. "Not like the one I just saw. It looked like...like you were remembering an old memory. Maybe your memories are coming back?" The woman tried to think of her unknown memories again. Nothing came to mind, and no matter how hard she tried nothing seemed to make sense. It was only a story about Dragons and princesses. Nothing more to it. She wasn't a princess, and she could never have a Dragon like the one in the book. "No. I don't think so." She admitted returning to her solemn gaze. Elain shook her head again, this time in a panic. "No, no I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bum you out. Let's go back to the nickname. Do you like the name Sunny?" Elain asked hugging the book to her chest. The woman pondered over the name for a few seconds. It didn't make sense why a name like that held any resemblance to her, but for Elain's sake, she would like it. "I do." Elain cheered almost rolling down the hill due to her uncontrollable excitement. "You have a name! I'll call you Sunny from now on. This is so exciting I can't wait to tell the others you have a name now!" The last of the memories were of Elain giggling and Sunny watching with a calming smile on her face.

Time progressed. Sunny was in the convent holding her stomach after finishing throwing up again. It had been consecutive for days, almost a week now. The matron and nuns had whispered behind closed doors and began to fear the worst. Sunny and Elain walked side by side until the matron called to see the older of the two. "Stay outside dear child. I must have a word with the newcomer."

"Mother Meredith I told you her name is Sunny. Even Sunny said we can call her that." Elain said wrapping her arms around her torso. The matron nodded. "Alright. I need to speak with Sunny privately. Go dust the tables in the mess hall while you wait." After the child threw her fit to go do more chores, Sunny and the matron were in her office sitting between a desk. "How are you faring dear? Any more sickness?"

"Mostly in the mornings, Mother. It's a rare occasion later in the day, but sometimes depending on what I eat I can't keep it down." Sunny explained embarrassingly. It was getting close to autumn, around the time sickness would be considered inescapable. The matron, however, grew worried upon the news. "Child—no. Sunny. This is very important, it is getting close to the laws we follow, so I must ask, when was the last time you bled?"

"Bled?"

"Yes. Your ovulation cycle dear. Do you recall...lying...with a man?" Sunny's stomach twisted so hard she thought she was about to throw up again. Lie with a man? What was the matron asking her? She doesn't remember anything after waking up alone in a crater. How could she know if she had been with anyone up to that point? "Mother, I don't know what you're asking." The woman admitted holding herself tightly. The mother of the convent stood up. "Our laws state any woman out of wedlock cannot consume to their desires. Only those bound by marriage can enact such instincts. I am asking you, for the sake of your life and your child's are you married?"

Sunny sat blankly in front of the matron. Marriage? Child? Instinct? None of those words made sense. Whatever Mother Meredith wanted to know Sunny couldn't answer. "I don't remember..." She whispered with chattering teeth. Had the room been this cold before? The matron's eyes fell. "Then as of right now, you need to be detained for consummation before a legal marriage. You will have to be arrested for this treason against the Gods you made a vow to!"

"A vow I had been forced to recite when I was dropped here, Mother! I cannot... I can't... I don't remember anything! I don't know if I am married or not! I woke up with nothing! No memories, no clues. Nothing to even cover the sins on my back!" It was the most I heard Sunny speak, and it must have been the most the matron heard as well. The old woman recoiled back with every word Sunny said with raw emotion it could cut through solid steel. Mother Meredith found her seat again and recouped herself. "There are no exceptions to our laws, Sunny. You are not sick, but with child. Until there is legal documentation, or a spouse to speak for you, I cannot help you in any way. Not unless there were reasons you left your marriage without going through the legal proceedings to leave your spouse." Sunny ran her hands through her face, lost and scared. The baby suddenly in her stomach felt vile and parasitic. It was a child she didn't even know was growing inside her. Who had done this to her? Why use her in such a way and leave her for dead!? The matron could see the visible display on the woman's face. "Sunny, these cases like yours of women in your predicament...they don't often get the kindness they deserve. Our laws are strict. Even women with terrible husbands are never given the approval to leave their spouse, but it was the laws our Gods gave us. We must abide by them, and when you recited the vows to stay you are bound to those laws."

"I have no chance of defending myself. How can I even defend my case if I don't have my memories to help me?" The matron moved her hand across the desk until it rested on Sunny's wrist. The old face looking across to Sunny held compassion. "I don't know." The matron said with honesty. "But, I will not let harm fall on you or your child. The Gods work in mysterious ways to test their followers. I will do all I can in your favor. Have faith, and the Gods shall reward you."

Sunny didn't like the idea of her faith being the only way out of a death sentence.

Time passed once again. Sunny was arrested in front of the convent with all the nuns and orphans to see. Elain, being amongst the crowd, begged them to not take Sunny. That it was all a mistake and she wasn't a bad person. The constables ignored the child's cries and took the eligible "mistress" to their small county jail. She was paraded among the villagers that threw rotten food or spat in her line of direction to shame her. Her gown was no longer a pristine white but had now been covered in disgusting food or mud mixed with saliva. She waited for help in her prison cell. Slept on the floor for days, hardly ate food that was considered edible. She hated the baby that was inside her, yet knew it was the only one there with her to keep her company. Sunny hated that she was growing to love the child that had caused all of this.

Then her first dream appeared. Sunny didn't recall having such vivid dreams as this one, but it was too close to reality. Her dream began with her in a birdcage, staring at a town too far to see. She could only see large buildings and canal waters glistening from the sun. No matter how much she tried to escape the cage, she couldn't. Her hands held the bars in defeat until the sound of a bird chirping caught her attention. Sunny looked up and noticed a small bird flying in front of her. It was pink, and beautiful with a long feather tail. It was as of the pink bird was telling her to stay strong. The bird reminded her to not give up. Her face became determined after seeing the bird fly off toward the town. Somehow, she knew she had to follow the bird. The dream ended before she could escape.

A month passed until her trial came. Sunny looked like a person that had been through hell when she stepped into the trial room with hateful eyes watching her every step. The judge had admitted with the condition Sunny had it wouldn't be "fair" to end her life so short due to her "negligence" of being a pure woman. The matron stood up and offered to take her under her wing and ensured the judge she would reprimand Sunny's decision in consummation before marriage. It was decided Sunny would not be sent to death but would have to live in shame for the rest of her life. The only color she would be allowed to wear was darkest night with a veil to hide her face from others that must see her walk during the day. After the trial, Sunny returned to the convent being stripped of the clothes she was taken a month ago only to be given one dress and a long, black veil. "It was all I could do. You no longer will be considered a part of society, Sunny. Whoever lays their hand on you has every right to strike or harm you, because you had defiled the gift the Gods had given you. You will never be greeted or treated fairly. You will be hated by all of those around you when you leave the grounds of the convent. Some will not even treat you as a person but as filth." The matron explained as Sunny sat on her bed. Her eyes were hollow and empty listening to every word the matron said. All the while, her hands hugged her belly.

Time moved on once again. Word of dark mages sweeping the land had made the village whisper in fear. Sunny, now in all black with a veil covering her face, had hardly left the convent if at all since she returned hadn't heard of the rumors. Not until it was right at their doorsteps. The nuns and matron had to go to the front lines to do their part in being the healers for the foot soldiers, but the orphans had to be evacuated. The matron pulled Sunny aside amid the chaos in the convent. "You must evacuate as well, Sunny."

"What do you mean?" Sunny asked. The matron wrapped her hands around the young woman in a motherly manner. "You cannot go to the front lines while being with child. Your life may not be innocent but that child deserves no part in encountering a war such as this. You must leave, but you can't go on the boat with the orphans. You will have to leave on foot and cross the countries to go to those that will help. Go to Fiore. It is a kind country that will take people in, even those like you."

"I...I understand, Mother. Who will take the children?"

"You must, dear Sunny. All you have to do is take them to the harbor and find anyone that will listen to you. Tell them they're going to the boat to Fiore and you are only taking them to the boat's port. After the children are on the boat follow the people traveling west. Your journey will be a hard one, but you must survive. If not for your future survive for your child. Survive for his future." The matron had always said Sunny's child would be a boy. Deep down in Sunny's heart, however, she believed she would have a girl. Sunny collected herself. "Alright, take them to the harbor. Find someone that will tell us which port to go to. Drop them off at the boat, then head west?" Mother Meredith nodded. "Your memory is not so bad after all." The old nun smiled. "Gods watch over you in life Sunny. I pray you find happiness down the road."

The harbor was chaotic. Sunny told the orphans to link arms so none of them would be separated as she begged the port master for direction. The man turned his nose up and barked at her to leave his sight. "You aren't wanted here, bed warmer! Away with you from my harbor!"

"Please, sir, I am only trying to evacuate the children. I was given strict orders to take them to the boat to Fiore! I have Jewels for their tickets." Sunny held the pouch of jewels which caught the port master's attention. "Jewels you say? Hmm, well as long as I don't see you on that boat you'll take them to the third dock on your right. Get outta my sight now wench." The port master took the Jewels and handed enough tickets to the orphans. Sunny bowed her head in compliance. "Thank you." She struggled to hold onto the line of orphans following after as the crowd pushed and shoved them around. The boat was beginning to ready its sails when Sunny made it to the plank for the boat. "Alright children, you must get on the boat. It'll take you directly to Fiore where you will find help and new homes." Elain shoved past the other orphans until she was in front of Sunny. "What about you?" She asked worryingly. Sunny's face flinched, but thankfully was hidden under the veil. "I will be traveling on foot. I cannot take the space from someone else to go with you. All of you must take care of each other and respect the adults that try to help you. I will try to make it to you if I can."

"Sunny, no. No, you can't you have to come with us!" Elain begged grasping the skirt of Sunny's dress. Sunny shied away whilst starting to push the children towards the bridge. "I can't, sweet Lanie. Even if I wasn't with child I would have stayed behind to be at the frontline. I have to go on foot, but I promise I will find you again when I reach Fiore." The little girl gasped as tears freely flowed down her cheeks. "Sunny...don't leave me."

"This isn't goodbye, Elain. I will see you again. I promise." The woman smiled under the veil, hugged the child despite the glares around her, then pushed Elain up the plank. All of the orphans were on the boat safe and sound when Sunny knew it was time to start walking. She walked back to where she came from from the harbor and went to go the West Road where the other evacuated civilians were traveling. Halfway across the town, Sunny heard someone calling her. "Sunny! Sunny, wait for me!" Sunny sharply turned her head and almost fell to her knees when she saw Elain running to her. The little girl gasped for air from running to find Sunny until she ran herself into Sunny's arms. "I'm not going to leave you, Sunny! We travel together or not at all!"

"Elain, what are you doing off the boat! You must go back before it leaves!"

"It already left! I got off before they took the plank." Sunny was close to fainting. It was hard enough that she would have to take care of her child and herself! Now, she was the guardian of another child! "Elain, don't you know what you've done? You set yourself on a dangerous path to reach Fiore!" Elain looked up. "I'm not scared as long as I have you Sunny! When we're together I don't fear anything. Not even Mother Meredith when she finds my fantasy novels!" Sunny was astonished. Deep down she knew she should be mad, but the idea of a companion to be there for her, to talk to her and not judge her for her sins...Sunny couldn't help the smile on her face. "Oh, sweet Lanie. I wish I could be happy about this but I am very disappointed. The boat was for your safety."

"True, but I sold the ticket and got us some Jewels! He practically threw me his money when I got off the boat. 54 Jewels! We're practically rich!"  Elain showed the pouch in her hand and gave it to Sunny. Sunny wasn't quick with math, but even she knew 54 Jewels wasn't much money. As long as they didn't go to an inn or buy expensive food she was sure they could make the money last for a month. "Thank you, Elain. Come on, you can't leave my side as of this moment until we reach Fiore. The roads are very dangerous. We will encounter many things and you must be ready for anything." Elain held Sunny's hand tightly before nodding. "I'm ready."

I stared in amazement. Elain is just a child who wanted to stay with her only friend. She left the easy path to a new life to be with Sunny. It must have been naivety, but it was honorable the more I thought of it. I found myself having more respect for the child that left her old life to follow Sunny so she wouldn't be alone. The memory moved on, and I was greeted by the sight of death. Just close to the border of Joya, an all-out slaughter had started. Bodies littered the ground, maniacal laughter echoed in the night sky, and two girls hid out of sight with their hands clasped around their mouths. Elain had tears falling down her face whereas Sunny kept her attention on their surroundings. Dark mages would grab women who had blonde hair until they realized it wasn't who they were searching for. They would end their lives seconds after. "Find her! She must be here! Under no circumstances there be any survivors! Find the woman and kill everyone else!" A man barked returning to their search. Sunny ducked her eyes away gasping under her veil. They were trapped. Until every last person here was dead the killing would continue. Until they find the person no one could run. "S-Sunny-" Sunny placed her finger over her lips to sign Elain not to speak. It was only a matter of time before their hiding spot would be found. "Stay close to me. Don't let go of my hand." Sunny whispered latching her fingers around Elain's hand. The little girl gripped tightly in return. There weren't sight of any dark mages within the vicinity as Sunny readied her feet. "When I say run...run."

The night was slowly being silenced by the begged scream of women and children. Fathers, husbands, and brothers were the first to be killed in the hope to fight against the Mages for women and children to escape. It was all for naught. Sunny shakily exhaled until she knew it was time. "Run." Both of them took off in a sprint. Sunny took the lead keeping her hand on Elain as she looked back and forth to see any sign of danger. They were in luck. Most of the Mages had moved inward to find any straddlers that were hiding. They kept their pace despite their hearts beating in their ears, their legs wobbling at every step threatening to make one of them fall. Elain was gasping for air, yet she still ran. I felt my heart pounding every second watching the two girls run for their very lives. Sunny looked back and her heart fell. Someone was chasing after them. Someone was about to catch them. Sunny looked about her surroundings until she noticed the tall grass fields a hundred yards ahead when she changed course to hide there. Elain questioned why they were moving course until she heard the shout of a man threatening to break her bones. Sunny pulled Elain into the grass field and fell on all fours fighting against gasping for air. She directed Elain to stay low on the ground and begin crawling as the man cursed that he lost sight of the two girls. "Find em'! I don't care how long it takes! Burn the field if you must! None of them escapes!"

Sunny panicked. Her and Elain's hiding spot will work for only a matter of time before they're burned alive. Mages with fire magic called out their spells and set the edge of the grass on fire. Smoke immediately took to the sky shrouding the land in more darkness. Elain suppressed her coughs but was failing as her body felt like jelly. "S—Sunny..." Elain whispered with her throat constricting. The field was burning faster catching up to them where they were crawling. Sunny bit her lower lip as her hope dwindled. It was futile. There was no chance of escape from the fire or the dark mages looking for them. It would take a miracle to save them now, or it would take the Gods to intervene in their agonizing fate. "Merciful Gods, I beg of you...save us." Sunny pleaded with tears hiding behind her veil.

Then the wind began. It pushed against the two girls forcing the fire to crawl backwards towards the Dark Mages which caused them to retreat for a moment. Sunny grabbed the little girl next to her and ran with all her strength. With a wall of smoke behind her Sunny was certain she wouldn't be seen and would have enough time to create distance between her and the Dark Mages. Elain pitifully coughed into Sunny's shoulders feebly clinging onto the woman. Sunny ran and ran until the break of dawn. There was no sign of any Dark Mages. No sign of danger. All was quiet, and all was peaceful. Sunny stopped for the first time since escaping a fiery death and fell to her knees. She cried loudly and hugged the sleeping child in her arms, visibly shaking, and thanked the Gods for their mercy. They had escaped the jaws of death.

I looked away to get ahold of myself. These memories were gutting me every second I watched. Every second that Elain and Sunny endured was another painful reaction my body was feeling. While they were surviving to find a place to call home again I was in Drakonia happily living my life. It wasn't just these two girls that suffered...it was an entire country that succumbed to this. Where were we when this happened?

The memory came to phase when I noticed more time passed. Sunny was now showing signs of pregnancy with her belly roundly protruding. The two girls were sitting together each of them holding a bowl with food that didn't appear so appetizing. Sunny stared out where the street was visible as market traders were shouting over each other with prices. She watched a family of three walking together, laughing, and talking. Sunny felt a tug on her skirt. "You haven't eaten yet," Elain said pushing her empty bowl aside. Sunny smiled with sad eyes. "I had a few bites. I'm not too hungry today. You should eat my meal." Elain stared hungrily at the bowl when she bowed her head detachedly. "Are you sure? You need to eat for the baby."

"The baby and I are fine, Lanie. Now please eat the food." Sunny passed her bowl which Elain graciously accepted and began eating. Sunny thought of their long travels through Joya and Stella. Soon, in another week they would make it to Bosco. They must have been traveling for almost five months now; which means Sunny was six months pregnant. While Elain licked the bowl clean she asked a question. "Did you have another dream?" Sunny looked away thoughtfully. "I did." She answered. The child placed the second bowl next to her first one. "Tell me about it. Did you dream of the talking doll? Or, did you see the warrior princess that fought against the lava and ice monster! I like that dream." The child giggles thinking back to the story-telling of said dream. Sunny shook her head. "No, none of those I'm afraid. This one wasn't a dream...it was a nightmare, I think."

"You think?" Asked Elain. "Normally, nightmares scare the ones that dream it. I wasn't scared seeing it. I...don't know what I was feeling." Sunny admitted with a frown. Elain said nothing to show she was listening. "It was like I was in a different world. A world like this, but twisted with darkness. There were creatures made of shadows and glowing silver eyes. They wanted to catch me, but when one of them almost grabbed me a man with armor and wings appeared. He fought against all of them. One man versus a hundred monsters, and he won. For some reason, I felt sad for the shadowy monsters."

"Woah, that is one of your wildest dreams yet. Was the pink bird there? Y'know he's always there just like in every one of your dreams." Sunny smiled under the veil. "Yes, my bird was there. He was with the winged man. It was like he was trying to protect me? I don't know. He's a bird so there's not much he could have done against monsters." Elain laid down using Sunny's lap as a pillow. "I dunno Sunny. I think it's the opposite. Whenever you have a dream, the bird is there trying to do something to help you. If it's just trying to simply guide or protect you, no matter what, he takes the form of a bird. He's the one constant thing when you have your dreams. He might be trying to help you." Sunny leaned against the column being used to sleeping in a sitting position. "What could a bird in my dreams be trying to help me with, Elain?" The child shrugged whilst pulling her knees close to her chest to use her dress as a blanket. "Maybe...he's helping to regain your memories?" Elain suggested shortly yawning. Sunny didn't smile at the thoughtful suggestion. She had given up the idea of regaining her memories. Whoever left her in the crater abandoned her. Why should she want the desire to remember a life that didn't want her before? What would be the point to remember the person that left her behind? Was that what even happened? Sunny shook her head to push the thought away. "It's just a dream. There's nothing more to it." The woman whispered gently caressing Elain's brown hair. Sunny whispered under her breath. "I've given up on my past." The memory vanished.

My chest ached. I felt my heart tremor hearing what she said.

Sunny's belly had grown some more. Joya citizens fell into a single line waiting for scraps to be given to them by Bosco guards whilst Sunny rubbed her aching belly. She hadn't eaten in days. Her bone felt brittle and heavy like lead. Deep within her stomach Sunny's baby feebly kicked as a sign she was very hungry. "Shh, it's alright little one," Sunny whispered now holding both hands to her belly. The pregnant woman patiently waited in line despite the constant prod and bruising pushes of the man standing behind her. "Filthy whore." The man muttered wondering if he should backhand the black-veiled woman in front of him. Sunny closed her eyes when her breath hitched in fear. This was the reason she didn't want to bring Elain to the breadline. If it weren't to save the child's ears from hearing cruel words it was to also save her from witnessing the beatings Sunny received. The man again pushed his palm with brute strength into the center of Sunny's back. The woman yelped until she fell to her knees barely able to catch herself from falling face and belly first in the dirtied cobbled streets. "You're in my way! Piss off and starve!" He walked on top of her ankle which sickly popped. Sunny gasped then bit her bottom lip from crying out. She wouldn't cause a disturbance in the breadline.

"P-Please," Sunny stammered as she struggled to stand herself up. "the food is for a child I am watching over. She's not of my blood but an orphan that fell into my care in unfortunate circumstances." Sunny limped on her feet whilst leaning on her good side. "Have mercy this once sir on a sullied woman. The food will not even go to the babe growing in me." The man sneered when he turned his entire body around. "There's not enough food as it is! Bosco is falling on a two-edged sword as I starve in their streets. Even now you are beneath the ground I walk on. It is despicable of you to even dare stand amongst us! We are the ones to suffer! You—are nothing." The line had moved itself to where Sunny was no longer in line. Her baby kicked again, begging for a bite to eat. The woman curled her hands until her knuckles became white when she left to return to the chantry.

It was once a place to say farewell to loved ones that have parted this life, but now the church had become a sanctuary for the victims of war to stay as long as they needed to. Sunny stepped through the opened doors with her head down as she went to find their designated corner. She last left Elain reading the novel that she had borrowed from the local library. Elain drank from a waterskin when she saw Sunny walking to her. The child got up with her book in hand and hugged the pregnant woman. "You're back!"

"Empty-handed, sadly. I'm sorry Elain." Sunny whispered with both hands on Elain's shoulders. The child shook her head. "It's okay. Maybe, we can go to the library today? I finished the book! It was so good just as I predicted from the title. Maybe there'll be another breadline we can go to while we walk?" Elain hugged the book to her chest waiting for her guardian to decide. Sunny couldn't stand the puppy dog eyes Elain always did when it came to wanting to go somewhere or stop at the nearest library. The woman sighed until she nodded. "Alright. One more trip to the library, but you mustn't let go of my hand. The city is dangerous for girls like us." The child gleefully celebrated when she held tightly onto Sunny's hand. "Thank you! Thank you!" Elain said with adoration. The two of them walked hand in hand through the mucked city. Sickness plagued the street as some were sleeping next to buildings. There were breadlines around every corner of every street. Elain rubbed her belly with the pain of hunger stabbing her stomach. "Can we eat today?" Elain asked. Sunny gripped firmly while passing the line. "I'll do what I can to get us food. Wait a little longer." The child nodded and smiled, but her stomach rumbled like a tunnel about to cave in.

They made it to the library to find it closed. Sunny looked down at Elain and sadly sighed. "I think we're out of luck today, Lanie. Let's head back so I can get in line again for food."

"Wait! There's another library we can go to! It's a lot bigger and has more books we can read together!" Sunny bit her lip in deep thought. "I don't know, Elain. The second library is a farther walk. It'd be best if we head back to the sanctuary before it gets too dark..." Elain pouted her lips. "But, I wanna find our book! We need a new book!"

"Elain..."

The child had brisk tears in her eyes. "I'll go alone then! I'm almost 10 so I can go by myself! I don't need you!" Elain ran with her eyes shedding more tears. She hated this place. She hated being cooped up in the sanctuary away from people. The only way to escape the hatred was through reading the books she and Sunny got. She wouldn't go back until she had her books to keep what was left of her sanity. Sunny called out to Elain to stop. She couldn't run too fast because of the pregnancy. Sunny went after her as she held her belly to relieve the tension in her back. "Elain wait! We can go first thing tomorrow! Please come back!" The sun was setting by the hour when she found the second library. Elain was outside sitting in front of the doors with her head bowed to her knees. Sunny sat down next to her with her eyes looking at the child in concern. "Were they also closed?"

Elain didn't reply. Sunny looked behind her to see the doors locked shut and no lights on inside. "They were locking up when I got here. I couldn't go inside just to return the book. They couldn't wait another minute for me to grab one."

"I'm sorry. I know you want another book but the libraries are closed today."

"It's not that. I wanted to escape from the real world. The worlds in the books all have happy endings. I don't want to live in this world. I want to be saved by the knight and live happily ever after! I don't want to keep running from a war we don't know why we're fighting!" Elain looked up with red cheeks and a runny nose. Her eyes were also bloodshot from crying so much. "Why can't things be the way they were at the convent? I miss the Matron mother! I miss school! I even miss the dumb chores we had to do! I miss our reading sessions and my friends! I want to go home. I hate it here..."

"Lanie," Sunny began when she pulled the child into her side and she wrapped her arms around her. "life is never fair to those that live. The Gods made it that way so it's worth living. Someday, the running and bad days will be worth it. You'll meet new people and make new friends that will be with you for life. You'll have a forever home and be happy. The bad thing things in life are how we can make good things happen. And, if it helps...I don't like it here either. Bosco isn't a nice place. The stench of urine in the streets doesn't add any charm to the city." That last comment made them giggle. Elain wiped her nose and her eyes when she huffed. "I'm sorry for running off."

"I forgive you. Come on, let's go back and I'll try to get us food." Sunny grabbed Elain's hand again when they stood up. The sun was gone as the girls slowly walked back in the direction of the sanctuary. There were no stars out due to the smog that covered the city. People were standing around fires to keep warm and sleeping on dirtied blankets whilst they passed by. Every person they past Sunny gripped Elain's hand harder. They cut into an alleyway to spare time when the sound of a bottle falling over rattled the thick silence of the narrow pathway. Sunny turned back and saw two men that were behind them. She gripped Elain's hand again. How long had they been following them? Sunny and Elain went left blocking her sight of the men in her peripheral. "Please go the other way. Please go the other way." She whispered under her breath.

They also turned left, still following them. Sunny was gripping Elain's hand so tightly the child yelped. "Sunny, you're hurting me."

"Sorry." She slacked her grip but kept her attention on the men. They were very sleazy as they murmured to each other. One of the men grinned and pointed at both of them. They were being followed. They were talking about them. What did they want? "Elain," Sunny said with a hushed voice. "Yeah?" Sunny didn't know what to say to not alarm her. If she told Elain they were being followed it would scare her and cause a ruckus. No one would help them if there were any people on the street, to begin with. They were the only four people that were out now. The best thing to do is to run as fast as they could back to the sanctuary. Should she tell Elain to run while she distracts them? How could she confront two grown men and walk away unscathed?

She knew she couldn't.

Sunny knew she could bear any beating that they would give to her, but not Elain. She was just a child. She shouldn't even be out here. Sunny's only goal was to make sure no hair on Elain's head was harmed. "When I say run, you run. No matter what don't stop until you're back at the sanctuary. If anything happens stay with the Joya refugees."

"Wh—What do you mean?" Elain asked wanting to stop walking until Sunny forced her to keep going. "Bad men are following us. We're going to start running. When we let go of our hands you run and don't stop no matter what."

"Sunny...I'm scared."

"Don't be scared. Think of it as a game. It's a race. Fastest to the sanctuary is the winner." Sunny wanted to smile at her to show Elain it would be alright. Now more than ever did she disdain her veil. To show Elain that it would be okay she squeezed her hand three times. The men were walking fast ready to pounce on them. Their hearts were racing, hands shaking as a cold sweat went down Sunny's neck. She could feel the men's hands out to grab them. "RUN!" Sunny shouted as they were now racing. The men cursed also on the chase after them.

My heart was beating out of my chest as the men raced after the two girls. The bigger man told the other one to go after the little girl while he went after Sunny. Elain cut to another alleyway which separated her and Sunny as she ran ahead. I heard every fast heartbeat in Sunny's chest. With every breath, she fought with one hand underneath her belly. She had to keep running. She had to make it out of there. "Run Lucy!" I shouted for the first time while watching the memories. My voice wasn't heard of course it wasn't when she ran around a demolished building to catch her breath. Sunny hissed from her injured ankle. "I—I have to find her." Sunny peeked around the corner finding no sign of the male that was after her. She sighed a quick breath of relief and slid her body on the ground as her energy was zapped. I was on my feet urging and begging the memory of her to keep moving. She wasn't safe. She was still out in the open ready to be found any second. "Don't stop moving! Keep going!"

She didn't hear me.

"Please, please keep moving Lucy! You have to move!" Sunny laid her head on the wall of the building closing her eyes for a brief second. She didn't see the shadow looming over her. My blood ran cold when I saw the large man standing over her, grinning with malicious intent. He jumped and grabbed her shoulders with such roughness I'm sure he could have broken some bones. Sunny screamed when she realized she had been found only to have her mouth be covered by his hand. "Save the screaming for what I'm about to do to you." The man uttered licking his lips. My stomach twisted with such vile feelings I thought I would double over in pain. Sunny's eyes were dilated while staring at her captor. She knew she was going to die. At this point, she begged the Gods that Elain was at least safe or that she managed to get away from the second man. The large man in front of her backhanded Sunny on her cheek she saw stars and became dizzy. Blood oozed out of her nose as a loud ringing echoed through her eardrums on the side of her face that was hit. Fear consumed Sunny's body when she froze in place which made her lose her voice. "Such a pretty thing." The man whispered now pawing his hands over her body.

"Stop it." I said thinking he could hear me. He was touching places a man shouldn't touch. He groped. He rubbed. He slapped. He. Kept. Touching. "STOP IT!" I screamed again.

"Boss, shit, I lost the other one. Little shit is too quick!" The second said finding them when the large one let out a devilish laugh. Sunny inwardly thanked the Gods for protecting Elain, but the man grabbed her throat choking her in the process. "We only need one to fulfill our desires." He said licking his lips again. The second one approached grinning like a rabid dog. "You got the old one? Good job boss, perhaps this night will be eventful after all."

"St—Agh!" Sunny sputtered with saliva trailing out of her mouth. She didn't want to die here. The boss threw her to the ground when the two men towered over her. "Let's see the goods. If she has good traits we'll take her with the rest of 'em. Either way, let's make it a fun night."

Oh. Gods...

Sunny looked up in horror at them with her throat still feeling the effects of being choked. They weren't going to kill her, she realized. They were going to use her for their sick satisfactions. She backed away at this point and kicked until the second man grabbed her bad ankle and pulled her towards them. "N—No!" She pleaded turning on her belly to crawl away. The boss laughed grabbing her other ankle. "It's always the good ones that put up a fight!"

"Don't touch her!" I ran through them like they were sand. There was nothing I could do to stop this. It was a memory. My wife's memory. All I could do was watch this horror unfold. Someone must have stepped in to save her! Someone must be coming to save her from living through this! "Please, please let someone save her!"

"You watch the streets while I get first grab. I want no interruptions." The boss began undoing his belt as the second one walked away without a word. Sunny kicked and begged to be let go. He continued to laugh. "Don't make it too difficult for me. I hate to bash your pretty face in if you so much as attempt to call out for help. No one is coming. You're in my city. I always get what I want." He pinned Sunny down with him on top and pulled the veil off her face. "Hah! Blonde hair and brown eyes. That'll make some Jewels!" He then grabbed the front of her dress the ripped it showing the parts only I have ever seen. He ogled and laughed more. "A fine gem indeed!"

Sunny begged for help. For anyone to save her even in her indecent state. Her body felt dirty with every touch the man craved. He ripped the dress down to her belly when he cursed loudly. "SHIT!" The man roared now standing and walked back and forth. "What is it Boss?"

"The bitch is pregnant! No one is going to pay for a pregnant whore!" He pointed at Sunny with fury in his eyes. The woman wrapped her arms around her belly vividly shaking as she backed away into the wall. The second man scoffed. "Well, if we can't sell her, then let's just have some fun. Why waste product that's showing goods like that?"

"Don't you even think of laying a hand on her again!" I threw useless punches between both men when the Boss grinned. "We went through the trouble of catching her. May as well enjoy my night." The large man was on top of Sunny again and forced her hands over her head. "Do try to make this enjoyable for me. I'm not the type that goes soft on a woman." Sunny attempted one last cry out for help until her vision was distorted and full of stars again. Her lip was busted this time after being slapped once more. She felt the rest of her dress torn off now exposed for even the Gods to see. Hands traveled wherever they pleased to touch. An echo of laughter was trapped in her mind on repeat by both men.

Then pain. So. Much. Pain.

I could feel every second that she endured. The painful pleasure traversed her body as she begged and begged for it to end to both men. It was hours that felt like days to her. Every second more painful than the last. She wanted death now to take her. Dying would be better than this. Being in the breadline enduring the physical torments was nothing. This was hell. It was hell for me to listen to her cry out to anyone that would hear her only to be hit again. And again. And again until she had no choice but to bite her tongue. The only thing she could do was cry through the men's continuous assault.

It was over now when the sun dawned over the horizon.

She endured through the night when the two men were finished. Her body was covered in blood and bruises, and her face was also bruised and bleeding from both beatings the men had given her when they laughed in triumph. "Shame you're having a little fetus growing in you. You would sell for a fortune." The boss threw Jewels next to her as a mockery of what they had done to her. "For the little one on the way. If you want another go come back here tonight and I'll have some more boys with me. Thanks for a good night!" Sunny lay on the ground motionless, like a dead person. More than anything did she wish she was dead. The two men left the rubbled building going on about their day as if they hadn't laid their hands on a defenseless woman. Sunny laid there for some time thinking if she fell asleep now chances were she wouldn't wake up. She considered the option until she thought of Elain anxiously waiting for her at the sanctuary. She forced herself to sit up despite the gruesome headache that made her eyesight unable to focus. Her body was torn; her bones felt heavy. She felt like the dirt beneath her. She felt like a stain; dirty, and tarnished that could never be cleaned again. Silent tears fell down her face when she grabbed her torn dress and slowly put it back on even with the ripped fabric. Her veil returned over her face which thankfully covered the situation of her dress when she looked at the money next to her.

That money could buy food for Elain.

She placed her hand over her mouth to muffle a sob that wanted to come out. Deep down, she felt that she wasn't assaulted in her past life. That the baby growing inside her was made from love between a man and a woman. Her baby couldn't have been made this way. She held no feelings towards the baby in the beginning, but now all she felt towards her unborn child was love. It was another reason why she couldn't stay where she was waiting for death to take her. She had life growing inside her. A baby made from love. Not from...that. Sunny grabbed the money, hating herself for taking it, and stood up until she leaned against the wall for support. Her legs had no sense of balance as her stomach twisted and coiled until she threw up the remainder of stomach acid and water from yesterday. There was no food in her belly to throw up. She wiped her hands on her dress to clean the blood from them and rolled her sleeves to hide the bruise marks around her wrists. After thinking she looked decent enough, she limped out to find a bakery shop open to get breakfast for Elain.

She arrived at the sanctuary still limping with a bag of bread and sweet pastries when she saw Elain at the entrance. The little girl had bags under her eyes as well as old streaks of tears when she saw Sunny and ran with open arms. "Sunny!" The girl rammed herself into Sunny's chest when she heard a stifling whimper escape Sunny and backed away. Sunny was shaking and somewhat convulsing as if she was about to throw up again. "Are—Are you okay?" She asked noting the specks of blood underneath Sunny's fingernails. Sunny handed the bag of food to Elain, patted her shoulder once, then went to their little corner to sleep. Her body was tired, but her mind wanted to simply stop thinking.

The memory ended.

I closed my eyes and took my first breath after what seemed like an eternity. My head fell to my hands when I fell to the ground and screamed for the memories to end. "This shouldn't have happened! Why wasn't I there to protect her!? How could I have let this happen!?" I screamed with my heart falling to pieces. Sunny, my wife, survived at the cost of others. She didn't beg for death for the sake of my child and Elain. The only two people in her life at the time that meant more to her than the sweet release of death. I should have been there to prevent it. I should have protected her as a husband should. I should have done something. Something to stop what I witnessed.

The new memory began when I shook my head. "No more! I can't continue watching this! I can't do it..." I begged but was unable to get my wish. Sunny and Elain were once again traveling with the Joya refugees. They were in the far back of the group holding their hands together as Sunny had her hand under her belly to support it. She grimaced and clenched her teeth at the tight sensation that would come and go. She had been pregnant what she assumed was around eight months at this point. Her due date wouldn't be but at least three more weeks. Sunny hid the abuse that transpired in Bosco fairly well for the most part. She managed to sow the damage of her dress to where it was decent again to wear in public and did her best to lean her body whenever she had the chance. She still felt dirty. Her lip had a deep cut that she feared would leave a scar. Another reminder of what happened to her.

Elain gripped Sunny's hand. "You okay?" The little girl asked gently squeezing her guardian's hand. "I'll be fine." Sunny replied. She was used to saying it at this point. She said it dozens of times daily ever since she returned to the sanctuary after that tormenting night. Sunny didn't want Elain to know what happened because a part of her feared the girl would blame herself for what she endured. Sunny explained she simply got lost and managed to find the Jewels lying on the sidewalk for her breakfast. She's kept to that story since. Elain clenched her jaw. "But...you're not fine. Please, Sunny, talk to me."

"I'm...very tired, Lanie. I'm ready for us to lie down and—AGH!" Sunny doubled over from the extreme tightness that jolted her body for a couple of seconds. It lasted until the woman gasped and placed both hands on her belly. "Not now. Not now!" She begged repeatedly. Elain cried out asking hundreds of questions all at once. "W-We need to find you a doctor!" Elain ran ahead to the refuge group running to anyone that she saw close to her. "Are you a doctor! Are you one!? Please! My guardian needs help I think she's going into labor!"

"Hah, like we would help someone like her." A man sneered walking away from the crying child. Elain looked around with pleading eyes at the refugees. "She—She needs help. Please...someone..." Elain begged when Sunny fell to her knees holding back a cry. Elain ran back and went to grab Sunny's arms until she fell back with her arm raised in defense. "Don't touch me!" Elain stifled back a cry when she saw a bruise that was mending around Sunny's wrist. Elain didn't need to see Sunny's expression that she was afraid; her cry alone was that of a battered woman. Sunny gasped and pulled her sleeve back down over her wrist. "I—I fell and bruised my wrist. It'll be alright, Elain."

"Those bruises...someone hurt you." The child whispered stepping back at the realization. Sunny sat back up on her knees gently reaching out to her. "No, no I'm okay. You startled me is all. I'm...I'll be fine. It was just a small contraction. I'll be able to make it to—" Another contraction tighten Sunny's belly to the point she thought she would be torn open. Sunny couldn't hold back the cry when sudden wetness trailed down her legs. Elain and Sunny looked at each other when she felt between her skirt and gasped. "My water... my water broke."

"Oh Gods..." Elain helped Sunny stand up and let the woman lean on her body for support when they rushed to make it to the refuge group. The little girl cried out to the group and begged for help. A baby was on the way and they were in desperate need of support. "Please! I'll do whatever I must to pay you back! Please, anyone, help my guardian give birth to her baby!" Elain cried out when Sunny screamed at the next contraction. They were growing worse and worse with every contraction. "Elain... I fear we are on our own." She whispered under her breath. Her body was shaking as cold sweat fell down her face and neck. The tightness in her stomach grew worse every second just as the baby kicked in defiance to be let out. Elain sharply looked up to her guardian, a new expression Sunny had never seen before. "I—I don't know how to deliver a baby! The nuns at the convent were the ones to help the baby and mother. I can't do it! Mother Meredith should be the one here with you! I can't do anything right. I should have stayed on the boat and waited for you, but I'm too selfish! All I've done is stress you and get you hurt. Everything that's happened is my fault!" Elain blubbered with ceaseless tears falling down her cheeks. Sunny fought back a cry and hugged her closely. "None of that is true Lanie. Without you, I wouldn't have made it through Joya, Stella, or even Bosco. You were the light at the end of the tunnel. You were the one that kept me strong when I didn't think I could be. I'm lost without you Elain. I would have never made it this far if you hadn't been with me." Sunny said biting back her tears. Elain hugged her back with a tight grip. "I'm scared Sunny."

"Me too, but we'll get through it. Just like we always do. We'll manage to get past this." The two girls leaned their heads as an act of comfort for one another. Sunny rocked her body to alleviate the contractions as well as comfort the crying child. "Help me up. We need to find shelter to get this baby ready."

"You can't do that without help." Elain and Sunny looked up to find three women that walked back to them. Each of them had a satchel around their shoulders and one of the women was holding a child. The oldest woman, with the child on her hip, stepped forward and pulled Elain to stand. "On your feet. The refuge group is making camp for the night and is setting a birthing tent for you as we speak."

"Why? Why are you helping us?" Sunny asked. The younger two women were on each side of Sunny and pulled her up to her feet before wrapping her arms around theirs to keep her standing. The old woman looked at the child in her arms and then looked back. "This is my grandchild. She lost both her parents in the fall of Joya. I know the feeling of losing a child, and I swore no child will ever suffer in such a way again. I have experience being a midwife, and these girls will help every step of the way. Now, come. You will have a long night ahead of you."

"Thank you..." Sunny said eternally grateful for their help. The old woman simply nodded. The group of women made their way to the refuge group that had finished making the tent when Sunny cried out from another contraction. The old midwife barked orders at the men to steer clear and grab fresh water from the stream. Some of the men uttered under their breath wanting to retaliate. Most of the people wondered why the old woman was helping someone like Sunny. "She's an insult to our belief and the Gods. Why should we help a woman of sin?" A man uttered to which one of the ladies snapped. "Does the babe in her deserve to be called a sinner as her mother!? Does the child growing in her deserve to have little chance at life because of the sins her mother and biological father enacted!? I think not. No child, especially one of the Gods' children deserves this accusatory tactic you and so many others have shown. Now get the damn water!" The man looked at the midwife's helper in disbelief. "You will talk to me in such a way?! Where is your good conscious woman!?"

"Where my husband is buried after saving cowards like you from our homeland..." The woman glared pointing her finger into his chest. The man flinched away with her heinous eyes looking down at him. Eventually, he cracked and put his head down. "I'll bring you water." The woman sneered her nose up. "That's a good idea."

Sunny was hauled inside the tent and she was ushered to lie down on the makeshift bedroll. The midwife threw her skirt up noticing a trail of blood going down Sunny's legs whilst checking her dilation. "8 centimeters dilated. Someone get me water now! I will also need any clean cloth that can be spared." Sunny breathed out of her mouth in an attempt to catch her breath. "I can't do this. I can't..." She cried tears stinging her irises. The midwife slapped Sunny's knee. "You must! Whether you're ready or not this baby is being delivered tonight! You need to continue to breathe and fight through the pain. You were made for this. Prepare for your child." Elain was on her knees when she grasped Sunny's hand. "I'm right here Sunny. It'll be okay." Elain reached out to take the veil off when Sunny pulled away. "No! I can't have it off. Please, don't take the veil off."

"She's right, child. Her veil must stay on to hide her shame. Foolish law, but it's our law. Just support her and talk gently." The midwife said thanking her assistant that brought in the water. The second assistant had sparse clothes that were somewhat clean for the delivery. "It'll have to do. Another centimeter in dilation. You're doing well Sunny."

"It—hurts..." Sunny cried out shaking. Her body became cold all of a sudden. Her hands and feet were numb when her vision started to see stars. Sunny's head swam with dizziness that when the next contraction hit she realized it hadn't hurt so bad. Where they alleviating her? The midwife worked as fast as she could to stop the bleeding. "Sunny. Sunny you must stay awake. You're losing blood too fast. Stay awake while I get you ready."

"Sunny, have you had any dreams? Tell me one of your dreams." Elain asked tightly holding onto Sunny's pale hands. Sunny's vision started to see a dark tunnel. "My dreams...no. No new dreams. I've—only seen my bird. My beautiful pink bird. You know, the night I came back to the chantry he sang to me when I was asleep. It was a beautiful melody. I swore I heard it once...long, long ago."

"That's good! Maybe he's helping you closer to regaining your memories. Can you sing it for me?" Elain asked fighting back the oncoming tears that wanted to come out. Against the dark veil, even Elain noticed Sunny's pale face. Her eyes had terrible bags and a bruise healing on the right side of her face. Even her right eye was swollen and black. Her bottom lip was crusted with old blood that ran down to the top of her chin from a deep cut that was done. "Sunny..."

"I can't sing, Lanie. I don't know if I can." Sunny admitted letting her painful tears fall. Her tunnel vision grew worse. "I want to remember, but I can't. If I think too hard about my past it feels like I'm getting farther out of reach. It's like trying to catch a ribbon in the wind; so close you could touch it but unable to grab it in time. I've given up on my past, Lanie. I—I can't remember." Sunny wept holding onto her belly for the next contraction. Her jaw was clenched she thought her teeth would break as she closed her eyes to hold herself together. "I want—to remember him."

"Who? Remember who Sunny?" Elain said with her tears cascading down her face. The midwife looked up. "It's time! You must start pushing Sunny! You're fighting for you and your baby's life right now!" The pregnant woman bawled. "He's my bird! But, he's also the one that comforts me with his bird songs. I can almost hear his voice, but it's too far away! He's too far away!" Elain gripped tighter to her guardian's hand. The small girl looked back and forth from their conjoined hands to Sunny's veiled face. There had to be a way to help! There must be something Elain could do to push her into remembering! "Call for him!" Elain cried out. "If you hear him then he's right there! Reach out, now more than ever, and call his name!"

Sunny screamed out when she pushed. The midwife consoled and then told her to do a second push. "Call for the one that sings to you! Call for the man that comforts you in your darkest days! Call out to the man that flies for you!" Elain urged further squeezing as tightly as she could. Sunny screamed again. "N—Nnn—!" The woman gripped the sheets underneath her and sat up some resting on her elbows. "N—Naa—!" Elain screamed with all her heart. "CALL FOR HIS NAME SUNNY!"

"NATSUUU!!!" Sunny screamed out my name pushing with all the strength that was left in her hollow body. A flare of pain washed from her legs up to her head that made her fall back down on the bedroll. Then, the pain ebbed away, little by little when her belly felt like it had been emptied. Sunny couldn't feel her hands or legs. The dizziness had become lightheadedness with more stars swimming in her tunneled vision. The voices crept away that were working in a panic, and the sound of Elain sobbing also became less and less to Sunny's hearing. "I'm so tired...please let me just sleep. I'm ready to lie down now." Sunny thought drowsily allowing herself to fall. She was tired. Tired of being strong when she knew she wasn't. She was tired of the pain she had endured for so long. Sunny didn't believe it. She couldn't after everything that's happened. She didn't even know the name 'Natsu' that came from her mouth. Who was he? Her bird? She wanted to laugh at the absurd idea. They were just dreams. Nothing more. Her bird and this Natsu were all but a part of her imagination. "If he was real...why did he leave me? Why am I not with him? Why abandon me? Because of the child? Am I so disgusting even he decided to leave me? My heart... My heart hurts too much to think about him. He isn't real. What's the point..." Sunny willingly fell further into the pit of darkness. She welcomed it after fighting against it for so long. Can't she be selfish for once and want the release from life? Was that so awful of her?

...Come back...

I gasped at the voice. Still falling, Sunny opened her eyes hearing a voice that she had never heard before. But it was a voice I knew because it was mine. How was she hearing me?

...I need you...I miss you...

"Who are you?" Sunny asked falling into the infinite darkness. "Why does my heart hurt when I hear you? Why do I feel like I've hurt you?" She asked more questions.

...You promised...don't leave me...

Sunny bit her lip with tears falling. "I didn't promise anything! You're the one that left me! Why—Why didn't you protect me?" Sunny hid her eyes in her hands, sobbing with every passing heartbeat hurting her internally. "What did I do to deserve this? Is this my punishment?"

...Come back to me...stay for Nashi...

Sunny gasped looking up from her hands. "Nashi...that—that name...that's her name." Sunny looked around when she held herself. "My daughter! My baby! Nashi!" There was a sound of a baby crying in the distance when Sunny searched to find her way to the crying baby. "Wait for me, Nashi! I won't leave you! Not again!"

Again? It seemed like Sunny didn't notice what she said when she fought against the calming darkness to go back. The woman threw her arms to be released from the pit of darkness to go back to where she came from. Every breath brought back the ache and pain Sunny wanted to leave behind. And with every heartbeat, the sound of her baby grew louder. "NASHI!" Sunny cried out until she gasped for air and quickly sat up. The midwife gasped and thanked the Gods in relief whilst one of the assistants was cleaning the baby and the other assistant consoled the older crying child. The midwife threw Sunny's veil up just to her hairline and looked her over. "You have cheated death today, child. I thought we'd lost you." The midwife placed her warm hands over Sunny's wounds that battered her face. "Who did this to you?" She asked to which Sunny just shook her head. "Please, let me see her."

"Are you certain?" The midwife asked as she called for the assistant to come and bring her baby. Sunny again shook her head to the midwife's question. Elain cried out Sunny's name and ran to be at her side. "Sunny! I knew you wouldn't leave us! The midwife s-said you might not m-make it! But you proved her wrong! I knew it!" Elain bawled hugging Sunny tightly close to her. Sunny wrapped one arm around Elain and held her newborn baby in her other arm. "I'm still here." She whispered tiredly. Sunny cooed both Elain and the crying baby when she rested her forehead against Nashi's. "I'm still here." She said again this time to her child...and to me.

She was talking to me. Without even knowing it, Sunny spoke to me through her memory. She kissed Nashi's head then lied her head back and fell asleep. The memory vanished and I was brought back to the shallow pond and the veiled woman sitting in the center. I was in front of her now watching as she looked at his distorted reflection due to the constant drop of water breaking the surface. She was ghostly and silent; I wasn't sure if she was breathing. I knelt closer hesitating to reach out to her. "Lucy?" I asked slowly extending my hand out. The woman didn't move away from my touch but continued to stare at her broken reflection. "Lucy?" I called to again grasping her arm when she let out a sharp, painful gasp. The woman looked up and threw her hands over her ears when the screams began. "NO! NO, IT'S TOO PAINFUL! I CAN'T—I CAN'T!" I looked around and saw the water rapidly rising and the risk of drowning distressed me. The single drop of water was now a waterfall beating on top of us and pushing us into what was now a sea. I grabbed the veiled woman to drag us both to the surface of the now ocean, but when I pulled her into my chest I felt her thrash and scream as if she was burning. "NO!!!" She screamed not even caring if she drowned. I looked at her, my heart begging for me to fight against her and push us to the surface, but I realized it was me holding her that was doing this. Was I hurting her? Is my wanting to help her the reason we drown here?

I knew then why this was happening. 'She isn't ready. Not yet.' I said to myself. She can't remember her memories now. Maybe she can never remember... I flinched at the idea of never talking to my wife again. After all that she had endured, and nine years of being separated I would still have to come to terms that my Lucy could never come back. I looked at the woman in front of me that was still fighting to get away from my touch...and I let her go. The water that was rising was now draining and the waterfall was back to being a single drop. When the water cleared back to the shallow pond the woman held herself with her head hiding behind her knees. "I can't—I can't remember...it's so painful. The memories...the past...it hurts..."

"You don't have to remember Sunny," I said resting on one knee instinctively reaching out to comfort her but retracted my hand back. The woman looked up when she let out a soft gasp. "You...It's you." She said. Her eyes went from my hair to my wings when she gasped again. "You're my bird."

"Yes. It's me Sunny. I've been waiting for you to finally listen to my bird songs." I said playing along with her dreams. Sunny looked around in confusion. "Am I dreaming? This...feels different. Why are you not in your usual form? You're a man now!"

"I wanted to talk to you." I explained when we both stood up together. "You've been asleep for a while Sunny. You have to wake up to go back to Elain and Nashi." Sunny held her head as if she was getting a headache. "My girls...how long have I been asleep?" I counted how many on my hand. "Around five days."

"Dear Gods...and I left them to fend for themselves. Gods, forgive me!" She cried out holding her hands on her chest. I reassured her once again wanting to reach out and hold her. "You don't have to worry. They're safe. They're being taken care of. You're being taken care of as well." Sunny looked at me even more confused. "Why would anyone take care of me?" She asked to which her eyes fell to the floor. "I'm sullied and tarnished of my virtue. They're wasting their time taking care of someone like me."

"That isn't true!" I yelled with fists clenched and my jaw almost cracking teeth. Sunny looked up flinching from my outburst. "What happened to you—it should have never—you shouldn't have gone—...it's not your fault Sunny. It isn't your fault that those 'things' did that to a defenseless woman! You had to do everything to survive. I should have been there...I should have protected you!"

"But you're just a bird. You live in my dreams." She smiled, but behind her veiled eyes, I could see misery and sadness being repressed. "You're a strange bird; almost too lifelike. Still, I wanted to talk to someone about what happened. It built up for so long I thought I would drown."

"But you are drowning! Look around you Sunny! Let me help you float back up for air. Let me be your raft until you're ready." I held my hands out for her to take. Sunny eyed my hands and face, still smiling when she shook her head. "This is too real to be a dream. It's a wonderful dream, nevertheless."

"Sunny...please," I begged hoping she would take my hands. She looked to her feet back at her broken reflection in the water. "I'll make it through this on my own." She decided to return to the floor and stare at her reflection. My heart fell I thought my chest would break open. I took a step back needing to catch my breath. "Do you think I'm only a dream, Sunny?" I asked not even caring how my voice broke. She looked up in concern about how upset I sounded but then shrugged it off. "You're a bird that lives in my dreams. I decided that you're a part of my psyche that wanted a hero that can protect me, but that isn't real life. Look at what's happened from the moment I woke up to now. I don't have a knight in shining armor...I don't have the Dragon that I wanted so badly to protect me. I'm too broken to believe taking your hand could fix me. In the end, I will wake up and go about my day; not remembering my past or knowing what my future holds. That is life...that is my life."

"It doesn't have to be. Let me protect you, Sunny. Let me prove to you that your life is more than feeling broken. Trust me...I know you feel that your life can never get better, but it will! You proved that to me by coming back! You proved me wrong that life gets better!" Sunny blinked in confusion. She started to stand up with a defensive look in her eyes. "You are...too real. Who are you?" She asked backing away now. "I am your bird in your dreams Sunny. That's how you're trying to remember me. Everything that you've dreamt about is real in a certain sense. They're more than just dreams. You're trying to remember."

"I can't remember. It's too painful..."

"Yes, your past life was very painful, but you were also happy. We had a life together. We...We have a child together." Sunny staggered back as if she had forgotten to walk. The water was rising again around us. I was pushing her too hard. "Who are you!?" She yelled in fear of my answer. I trudged through the water until I was in front of her. Gently, I grabbed her veil and pulled it back so we could see each other. It brought me back to the memories of our wedding when I pulled her veil back. I could remember how beautiful she was. Her wedding dress that fit her frame perfectly was still in the closet we shared in Magnolia. Her engagement ring was still around my neck as I looked into her frightened irises. Tears fell past her cheeks. "Who are you?" She asked again under her breath. I looked at her lips for mere seconds then back up to her eyes.

"Someone that still loves you after all these years," I answered backing away before the water swallowed us whole. Sunny held her head like it was being split open. "It—hurts!"

"No matter what, I will always love you. I love the old you, and I love you even now. Even if you don't remember, I love you."

"Stop! Why are doing this to me!? I don't even know you!" She yelled clutching her head. The shell around us trembled in retaliation. We were going to wake up soon. She must be desperate to get away from me. "I hope one day you'll remember me. There's so much I want to tell you."

"Please...stop!" She begged crouching over in pain. "It hurts!"

"I hope you find that it's worth it to remember. Either way...I'm happy you're back. It's all I ever wanted was to see you again."

"STOP IT!!!" Sunny screamed when I was suddenly pushed out from the shell. The water that was drowning us evaporated when the last thing I saw was Sunny holding her head in agony.

.
.
.

I was back in my own body. I blinked a couple of times to get rid of the sleepiness when I sat up and looked around until I saw the woman silently sleeping in her bed again. Her eyes squeezed when she slightly threw her head back and forth until she moved her hand to rub her eyes. She let out a breath of air until one of her eyes opened before closing again due to the brightness. I let go of her hand now wanting to retreat before she saw me. It was too late because her eyes opened again and this time they stayed open. Her eyes searched the room when they landed on me. I froze, now stuck to the chair as she analyzed me. There was a moment of familiarity when she sat up and looked around. "Where am I?" She asked and looked at me again. "Who are you?"

My heart shattered.

"You're safe. Don't worry, your children are safe too." I explained wanting to bite back the bile that was wanting to come out. Sunny moved her hand to her face when she hid her face in her hands. "I'm sorry for our intrusion!" She said looking away from me. "I thank you for your generous hospitality, but we shouldn't be here. Where are my clothes? My veil?"

"You do not need those clothes anymore Sunny. You will not hide your face in my city and you will wear any color of clothing you like. In Drakonia, you are not tarnished." Her face lifted for a second as if she wanted to look at me, but she hid her face again. "You...you are very kind, but I cannot walk freely like a normal woman. I'm...sullied." She whispered now starting to shake. I grabbed her hand gingerly pulling them down when she looked at me with a sadness so great I thought it would break me. "You're safe, Sunny." I said again holding her hand. Her eyes searched through mine when I saw the look of familiarity again. "Have we met?" Sunny asked outright. "You remind me of someone, but I don't think we have met. Have we?"

I wanted to tell her everything right there. I wanted to tell her from the very beginning all to where we are now, but doing that would break her. 'She isn't ready.' I reminded myself then smiled. "My name is Natsu Dragneel. Scale Master of Drakonia, son of Igneel Dragneel, one of the six members of the Council."

"Natsu..." She whispered. I wanted to cry when she said my name. It had been too long since I heard her say my name. It still sounded so sweet to my ears even during these circumstances. Her eyes looked at my back to see my angelic wings. "My...bird." She said to herself but out loud. "You asked if we've met then call me a bird?" I joked to which she blushed. "N—No sir! I meant no offense." She stuttered looking away again. I laughed wishing I could tell her everything again.

"I'm just kidding. I might have bird wings, but I prefer to be called a Dragon." I said when I noticed her shoulders hitch. 'You may think I'm part of your psyche, but I will be your Dragon. I'll protect you and our children no matter what.' I said mentally when her stomach growled in hunger. She blushed again then looked away. "I'm sorry." She murmured holding her stomach. "You must be famished. I'll have someone send you a proper meal."

"Oh! There's no need—" I cut my eyes to her which made her stop talking. "I insist." I replied smiling as I stood up. Her cheek grew red when she lied back down. "Thank you, Sir Natsu," Sunny said. I cordially bowed and gave her another smile. "Please just call me Natsu. I have enough people being so pretentious with my title." I said realizing I didn't want to leave. Sunny smiled and then gave a curt nod. "Alright. Thank you...Natsu." I wanted to melt where I was standing. If I stand here for another second I'll decide on just staying and wanting to talk to her, but she was starving. "I'll be sure you have a hot meal." I said one last time then forced myself to leave after a second cordial bow. I closed the door behind me and gasped for air as if I was breathing for the first time.

"She's alive. She's alive!" I said holding onto my chest to prevent my heart from jumping out. I held the wall to support myself when I saw a maid walking past a corridor. "You!" I pointed to which stopped her. "S-Sir Natsu?! Where have you been the Council, your father, has been looking for you!"

"No time for explanations! I need you to send someone to find my Assist Commander and bring a hot meal to the woman in that bed chamber." I pointed behind me when her eyebrows rose in confusion. "But Sir, the woman in there has been unconscious-"

"She's awake and hasn't eaten in almost five days. Do I need to repeat myself or will you go get her a hot meal to eat?" I asked with a cold tone in my voice. The maid shook her head. "I-I'll get Yeri to fetch Miss Dahlia, and I'll bring the madam a warm meal." She replied looking down at her feet. "Thank you." Is all I said then turned around to go back to my room and do business. I was already planning and ready to write with my heart's content to send my team for their out-of-country mission.

I was in my room for half an hour finishing with the report when my door slammed open to both Dahlia and Igneel standing in the doorway. "Where were you!?" They both shouted and ran up to see me. Igneel pulled me into a bear hug while Dahlia punched me multiple times. "Do you know how worried we were when you decided to fall off the face of EarthLand!?" Dahlia yelled then also hugged me. Igneel snickered. "You truly know how to make a grand exit, but you gonna need to work on your entrance when you return."

"I'm sorry for worrying everyone, but I'm back now. I won't be going to the Abyss again." I explained then returned to writing. Igneel leaned on my desk whereas Dahlia sat on the foot of my bed. "The Abyss? That's where you were?" My father asked to which I said yes. "Originally I was going to kill the Bringer because I was so angry, but the Gods helped me. I came back to see Lucy."

"The servants were talking about her suddenly waking up. Did you wake her up?" Dahlia asked and I nodded. "She needed help and only I could do it with Solantir." I summarized and then wrote my signature at the bottom of the report sheet. I handed the papers to my father when he took them and started reading. "What is this? You want an extraction mission done in Bosco? Where did this come from?" Igneel asked reading it more. "Oh. Oh..." He finished then put the report back down. Dahlia squinted her eyes. "I wanna read it." She said standing up to grab the papers, but I had already grabbed them and handed them to her. "You're going to have to read it Dahls. You're going to be running this mission." I explained when her face became surprised. "Me? What is this mission?" She read the report, and slowly as she read it, her face grew angrier. "Those sick sons of bitches! We're going to put a stop to that one way or another." She threw the papers back on my desk then ruffled her hair to ease the anger that was boiling. I looked back at Igneel with my arms crossed over my chest. "Will you sign off on it Igneel? The Council doesn't need to know and I'll only be sending at least half of my team to go. That's all they'll need to put a stop to this, and I'm even willing to not go. I want to stay close to Lucy. I trust Dahlia can lead this mission and save these girls."

"Yes, of course. The Council cannot know of this though. We normally agree on signing off everything together, but I'm sure they'll understand the dire need to go through with this now. How soon can you get your forces ready?" Igneel asked signing the papers and handing them to Dahlia. Dahlia folded the papers and put it in her chest plate. "We can leave at first light tomorrow."

"Excellent. Ensure none of you are seen and do it quietly. If there is so much as a whisper of any Dragons in Bosco's Capital that aren't with the other team you retreat and feign being here. Save those girls and destroy anything that is in your path. Quietly of course." Igneel explained then patted my shoulder. My father left and closed the door behind him when I turned my back to write more on a blank sheet of paper. "There's something I want you to do Dahlia...while you're out there." I said writing the descriptions of the two men in Lucy's memory. I gave her the paper after I was finished and let her read it. "Is this for an assassin hit?" She asked with an expressionless face. I only nodded. "I want you to find these two men and make every last bit of their life a living hell. Do not show mercy. Put aside your oath and give them a merciless death. I will pay for the consequences when you return."

"They did something to her...didn't they?" Dahlia asked to which my fists clenched. Dahlia nodded in understanding upon seeing my reaction. "You won't pay for anything Sir. I'll make sure they suffer. When I return I'll replay the details of their demise." Dahlia bowed with her fist over her chest. I did another curt nod. "See that you do, Commander," I said allowing her to leave without another word. I slowly eased my fists until my body grew weary. Before I decided to go to bed for the day, I wanted to see Lucy one more time. I went to the bathroom to put my long hair up with Lucy's blue ribbon and changed into my formal uniform to look cleaner. After washing my face and brushing my teeth I left my room to go see the woman I have missed for so many years.

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We have one more chapter. The last chapter...and maybe an Epilogue. I'll see. I'm sorry for the long wait, but this was a very important chapter so I decided it also needed to be long. I hope the wait was worth it my dear Lovelies.

See you in the final chapter.

As always...love you all.❤️