Fairy Tail Bluemage (Chapter 9) (Patreon)

The train bounces and buckles underneath us as we return to Magnolia. My requip space absolutely full of dragon scales and bone. 

It's practically full. 

Three hundred pounds worth of scales around fifteen hundred worth of bone, claws, teeth, and the 'important' organs like the eyes, heart, and lungs. 

I've got two skulls that have been cleaned and sterilized. 

"So... you can just flat out do that?" Levy questions. "Seriously?!" 

"If you want to know the truth, just ask Natsu or Gray." I shrug idly. 

"..." 

"Is it possible to unlock it normally?" She quietly asks. 

"I'm sure it is possible. Just... extremely unlikely." I admit. 

She stares at me for a long moment. 

"Unlock it for me too." She all but demands. "I don't want to be weak anymore." 

"Levy, you're not weak." I shoot down instantly. 

"But- But you said that it unlocked new abilities! Like Dry Ice and White Flame mode! Maybe this will expand my repertoire even further!" 

"The spell I've been using is imperfect. Would you rather feel indescribable agony for ten hours now, and gain access to the boost now, or would you rather wait until I figure out how to reduce that time? It started at twenty, and let me just say not a fan." 

"Wait- you- you suffered for twenty hours?!" 

"Yes. But I did it for Fairy Tail." I nod quietly. 

"Then... what's so differient about me doing it for fairy tail?" The girl questions. 

"Levy. You are probably my closest friend in Fairy Tail." I begin. "I don't want that to change because you internalize 'This guy tortured me for ten hours straight'." 

"I wouldn't!" 

"Not intentionally, maybe. But... if you flinch every time I show up. Or use magic... that would... it would crush me." I whisper. 

She stares for a long moment, then lets out a long sigh. "F-Fine... but the second you manage to get it under ten hours, even by a minute, I want you to tell me. If you don't, I won't forgive you." 

I'll add an extra week to that time. 

"Alright." I whisper, turning to glance out the window. 

We sit in silence for a long moment. Eventually I break the silence. 

"So. Read any good books recently? I'm looking for something after I finished the Dueling Sages." 

"Hm?" The girl hums, she seems to ponder. "I could lend you a couple." 

"No. Stopping you right there. No lending. Just tell me the names and I'll go out and buy them. I've been burned far too many after someone lends something to me. I'm always terrified like 'oh god. What happens if I accidentally damage this?!' 'what will I say to them!' 'What if my house randomly detonates and this thing I borrowed is destroyed. How can I live with myself?!' Soooo to save ME unneeded stress. Just tell me the names, please." 

She looks at me, then lets out a quiet sigh and shakes her head. "You have a bunch of silly little quirks, you know that? They're just books." 

"Well, sure. But they're your books. I'd feel like shit if they got damaged as a result of my actions... so please... just let me do it my way... for me?" 

"Fine." The girl sighs before a small glint appears in her eye and she points at me. "But in exchange you use that spell on me as soon as possible!" 

"..." 

"Pick one. Feel bad about my books, or feel bad because you think I'd be shallow enough to hate you for making me stronger!" She declares. 

"Why are you being so difficult about this?" I groan, rubbing my forehead in exhaustion. 

"Because... I'm tired of being weak." She frowns. "Today... you showed me that I can be so much more. I used to be nothing but a utility mage, but... today I took out a Wyvern... all by myself! Not many mages in fairy tail can claim the same thing... and, well, with Phantom Lord provoking us... I-I don't want to hold everyone back." 

A quest has been received: 

I massage my temple idly reading through a screen that appeared in front of me. "Fine. I'll do the thing... HOWEVER. Give me a couple of days. I might be able to figure out how to knock off a couple hours of- FUCK!" 

"What?!" The girl gasps, looking around widly.  

"I just remembered! I need to speak to Lucy now." I frown, glaring at the floor. 

"H-Huh?! Why?!" 

"Loke... Is Leo the Lion... a Celestial Spirit. One of the twelve zodiac." 

Lion's Last Roar: 
Loke is a celestial spirit. That's news to me! Oh... wait... he should have been chumming up to Lucy right about now. Protecting her from the likes of Gajeel... yeah. That didn't happen so Lucy has no real need to follow him around after he quits the guild. And at this point? He's considering quitting. 

Objectives: 
Make Leo Survive: [ ] 

"..." 

"What?" The blue haired girl blinks. "That is- huh... that's weird... but... why do you sound so... urgent?" 

"You have no idea what happens to a celestial spirit out here, do you?" 

"..." 

"A celestial spirit summoned into this world must have a source of magical power from their summoner... otherwise, they'll use their own... their own which they don't regenerate without a celestial spirit wizard." 

"Wait- then-" 

"As a being comprised of magical power... he is probably in immense agony. His continued existence is eating him inside out. What do you think when you look at him? Playboy, sometimes drunk, terrified of celestial spirit mages. That's all just coping." 

"He- he's trying... to enjoy his last moments." Levy whispers, hands coming to her mouth. "He- He has been a part of the guild for years at this point!" 

"I know where Lucy lives!" The girl declares. "He might be a playboy, idiot, and a bit of a pervert but... but he's family!" 

~~Linebreak~~

Knock Knock Knock 

"Lucy!" I call out. 

Knock Knock Knock 

"Lucy!" I exclaim again. 

Knock Knock Knock 

"Lucy!" I call a third time. 

"What?!" The blonde woman eventually snaps as she opens the door. "How did you even figure out where I- Levy?! Levy what's wrong?" 

"Lucy... what... what happens when a Celestial Spirit is forced to stay in the human world?" The girl questions. 

"H-Huh?" She blinks. "With a summoner, they'll be fine pretty much forever, why?" 

"What about one without a summoner?" I ask. 

"..." 

"What's going on?" Lucy frowns. 

"Using my sight, recently I figured out Loke from the guild is actually Leo. One of the twelve zodiac." 

"H-Huh?! That playboy?!" She balks. 

"It's not that he's a playboy, Lucy... what would you do if you only had a couple years to live?" I ask. 

She freezes, eyes growing wide in understanding. "He... he's dying..." 

"He's been in Fairy Tail for nearly three years at this point." Levy announces. 

"THREE YEARS?!" Lucy snaps. "WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT SORT OF CELESTIAL WIZARD DOES THAT TO THEIR SPIRITS?!" 

"Someone who thinks of them as tools, maybe? There's got to be some underlying reasons as to why he can't go back. Beyond the fact of a bad master. The issue is... we don't know his situation." 

"Well. We're about to." Lucy declares. "Come on! Merlin. You're my muscle here! Levy, if he tries to run handcuff him! We're getting answers! As a Celestial Spirit Wizard I will NOT allow him to suffer like this!" 

~~Linebreak~~

We peer around the guild hall's basement. Seeing no sight of our target. 

"Mira!" Lucy exclaims. "Have you seen Loke around here? 

"Oh, he seems to have gone home for the night." The ditzy white haired woman smiles. "Why, is there something you want to ask him?" 

"Yes." Lucy nods once. "Do you know where he lives? I need to see him right away!" 

Mirajane blinks slowly. "Did he peek on you while you were bathing or something?" 

"No!" Lucy continues. "But it's vitally important!" 

"It could save his life." I admit suddenly. 

"Eh?" Mirajane blinks, tilting her head slightly. "What do you mean by that?" 

"That's Loki's story to tell, I'm afraid. I only know thanks to my ability to see magic. Just know that we are trying to find him to help him."  

The woman frowns slightly, eyes hardening. "Hm... alright. I can give you his address." 

"Thanks Mira!" Lucy beams. 

~~Linebreak~~

"He doesn't like celestial spirit wizards, so he'll probably try and slip out the back if he sees you... or he just won't open the door." I continue. "So. Levy. You knock on the door. Lucy. You hide somewhere." 

Levy slowly steps forwards and raps her knuckles on the door three times. 

Knock Knock Knock 

"Loke?" She calls out. "I want to talk to you about something pretty important." 

The door eventually cracks open as the sunglasses wearing wizard stands there, he looks tired. Dark circles under his eyes. His skin's a little pale. 

"Levy! What brings you to the love shack?" He asks before pointing at her with a wink. "Don't tell me you want a date, hmmm?" 

"We're kidnapping you." She declares. 

"Wait. Wh-" 

He can barely blink before a set of manacles are around his ankles. 

"..." 

"What are you doing?" He questions. 

Lucy steps out from behind me. 

"GAAH!" He gasps, flinching back. "A celestial spirit wizard!" 

"Leo the Lion." She declares. 

He suddenly grows very still. "How did you- wh-" 

"Merlin's eyes are quite good." Levy notes. "Now. This is how this is going to go. You are going to tell us your story... and we are going to save your life." 

"I... I cannot be saved." He frowns, eyes narrowing slightly. 

"Bullshit!" I snap. "You know fairy tail. You know what we're capable of. You knew what you were signing up for when you joined. No. Dying. Those are the rules of the guild! I won't allow you to break guild rules." 

"This isn't something you can change!" He tries. 

"Says who?" I question. 

"Yeah!" Levy agrees. "Says who?!" 

"The Celestial Spirit King." Loke sighs. "Listen... I understand that you want to help me, but this is my punishment. I have committed a grave sin. My last..." 

He falls silent for a moment. "My last summoner was killed because of my actions. It's a long story and-" 

"We've got time." Lucy narrows her eyes. 

"I-I'm not getting out of this... am I?" 

"No." Levy shakes her head. 

"Nope." I smirk. 

"No way." Lucy replies. 

Loki lets out a long sigh as he opens the door. "Come in." 

After we step inside her closes the door and waddles forwards, legs trapped by Levy's spell. 

We sit around his messy living room. 

"Alright. Tell us." Levy demands. 

"It all started... well, about five years ago. My previous master, Karen Lilicia joined Blue Pegusus... I was a fool. Blinded by lust. She put on this kind ditzy persona... just long enough to get me to agree to her contract, but then she changed. She grew more and more just... sadistic." 

"About a year later, she formed a contract with Aries, and that's when it got really bad... she would physically abuse her, use her as a shield, use her as entertainment for her many boyfriends." 

"Eventually. I had enough. I heard that she planned on forcibly keeping Ares in the human world for days at a time... so. I summoned myself and I just... stayed... I planned on staying summoned until she got the message and stopped torturing Aries like that... an agonizing month passed. Then two. She begged me to go back, but even still, I refused. Then. On the third month. When I finally grew used to the pain... I was told by guildmaster of the guild Karen was a part of... that she tried to take a mission and didn't come back... she was killed." 

"She wasn't able to summon another spirit to defend herself... it's my fault that she died. So... I was cast out of the celestial spirit world. I failed my contractor and was the cause of her death. So... I was cast out." 

He smiles sadly. "It's not all that bad, though... after I die, a new Leo the Lion will be born. The space I'm taking up will fill with someone who's more worthy. Someone who isn't such a failure." 

"Loke." Lucy frowns, eyes narrowing. "You are not a failure! You- you just wanted to protect Aries!" 

I pull a pen and paper from my requip space, quietly beginning to write. 

Hm... how do I put this... 

"It- It doesn't matter, Lucy!" Loke growls lowly. "I don't matter! I'll be replaced when I die. You can't change it!" 

"SAYS WHO!" Lucy snarls. "YOU JUST WANTED TO PROTECT ARIES! YOU SHOULDN'T BE PUNISHED FOR HAVING SUCH A BAD MASTER!" 

"I-" 

I hold out a hand to Lucy. "Invoke." 

With a flash the pink haired form of Virgo appears. 

She blinks slowly, looking around blearily. "You called for me Princess?" 

"Wh-" three sets of eyes look to me.  

"What are you doing, Merlin?" Lucy questions as I fold up the letter and put it in an envelope. 

I force it into Virgo's hands. "Take this to the celestial spirit king." 

"Hm?" The pink haired maid blinks. 

"You- You can't!" Loke exclaims. 

"Invoke." I whisper again. 

Lucy shudders slightly as the gate forcibly closes. 

"What... what did you just do?" Lucy questions. 

"I forced you to open and close Virgo's gate." I answer. 

"What was that letter?" Levy asks. 

"I realized that I have acted very... Un-Fairy-Tail like in my solution to problems... the king of the celestial spirits has irritated me. Allowing Loke to suffer like this... So I'm going to kick his fucking ass." 

"Merlin?!" Lucy gasps. "Wh- You're Crazy!" 

"The Celestial Spirit King cannot be beaten! He- He could fight on par with even the strongest existences in this world! The only time he could ever enter this world under the power of a summoner is if a golden celestial spirit key is broken! And- and that's the EASIEST of the requirements!" Leo shouts.  

I rise to my feet, tilting my head to the left and right, earning satisfying cracks. 

"Yes. I would lose... if I played fair... that is why I designated one. Sole. Stipulation." 

"What- What did you do?" Levy asks. 

"Let's just say... that I have something to tilt the odds in my favor and leave it at that." 

"Let's go." I declare. "Time passes differently in the celestial spirit world. One day there... is around ninety here... so roughly, every hour and a half that passes out here, a minute passes there." 

"Where are we going?" Levy questions. 

"Well. It'll be quite shocking to have a giant of a man appear above Magnolia, wouldn't it?" 

"..." 

"Merlin..." Lucy whispers. "I hope you know what you are doing." 

~~Linebreak~~

"So... this is it?" I note, gazing at an elaborate gravestone. "From what you've told told of me... it seems too good for her." 

"Shame she died." I scoff. "I would have liked to punch her myself." 

"Still... this is thematic enough, I suppose." I gaze up at a massive water fall. A cold mist seems to spray upon us as I let out a long breath. 

I gaze up into the sky. 

S̷̶̴̵̸̴̶̵̸̶̴̵̸̶̶̴̴̶̷̸̷̷̴̸̴̸̶̸̷̥̍ť̸̴̵̵̵̵̴̷̶̷̶̷̶̸̷̴̴̴̴̸̶̷̵̵̴̴̶̷̴͎ä̴̴̴̶̴̶̵̶̸̴̶̸̸̴̴̸̵̸̸̵̵̵̵̷̸̷̶̵̶̗r̶̸̸̸̵̵̶̴̶̶̵̴̴̷̸̷̴̴̵̷̴̴̷̵̷̸̵̵̵͉̔s̶̵̶̵̴̵̴̷̶̷̴̸̶̵̴̴̴̶̶̸̸̷̴̷̸̴̴̵̶̪̆ ̶̴̵̶̵̵̶̷̷̶̶̴̴̴̷̶̴̷̸̷̷̸̵̸̷̴̴̸̵̖̅Ạ̴̸̴̴̸̸̷̵̷̴̵̴̵̷̵̴̸̸̸̶̶̸̵̸̴̵̶̶̷͂ḇ̵̶̶̶̵̶̴̶̸̶̵̵̸̴̵̵̵̴̶̸̷̷̵̶̷̴̷̷̷͆ö̸̷̸̵̵̶̶̵̵̷̵̴̷̵̴̶̷̴̶̵̵̴̸̷̶̸̶̴̶́ͅu̴̷̸̷̸̴̸̶̶̵̵̴̵̴̷̸̷̷̵̷̵̶̶̴̶̵̷̴̷͍̿ņ̶̸̵̴̴̵̵̴̴̷̷̸̸̷̶̸̵̵̴̸̶̴̷̴̵̴̶̵̵̾d̴̸̶̶̸̷̴̴̶̴̸̶̷̶̸̸̴̵̷̸̵̴̶̴̶̵̶̷̶͇͗ ̴̵̴b̵̸̸r̵̸̵e̴̷̷a̴̷̸k̸̷̷t̷̸̷h̵̶̸r̵̵̴o̵̵̶u̸̷̵g̵̸̸h̶̶̷ ̶̵̶t̸̵̷h̴̷̴e̶̸̸ ̷̴̶r̷̸̸e̸̷̶a̵̸̷l̶̷̴m̸̶̶s̶̵̴ 

I clutch my eye, letting out a pained gasp as I hunch over slightly, breathing heavily. 

"MERLIN!" Levy gasps, rushing over to my side. "Are- are you alright?!" 

I take a deep breath, hand coming to my chest to calm my thudding heartbeat. "So... You're finally here. Celestial Spirit King." 

And suddenly... crickets stop chirping. The ambience of the night is snuffed out. The crashing waterfall becomes eerily quiet. 

The sky seems to spin. The stars themselves leaving long lines of light in the sky. 

Abruptly the waterfalls stops flowing. Reversing its flow entirely and shooting into the sky a moment later. 

It rushes up into the sky, seeming to flow into a black hole that quickly grows brighter and brighter. 

There's a slight twinkle... 

"W-What's going on?!" Lucy questions. 

"He- He really came..." Loke whispers, eyes growing wide. 

Then... 

BOOM 

The very air itself seems to shudder as suddenly he appears. 

He towers above us, floating in the sky. The man is absolutely monstrous in scale. He is adorned with bulky armor of pale blues and greens, there are golden stars emblazened across the armor in key locations. 

Around his shoulder is a cape that seems to twinkle with starlight. 

He has an incredibly large mustache as well, white in color. His skin tone appears to be a little inhuman, greenish blue, more of a light teal. 

His arms are crossed as he stares down at us. 

"Hello... my old friend." He speaks. His mouth doesn't move but his voice echoes out as far as the eye can see. He gazes upon Leo- or rather Loke- in his disheveled and pained state. "As you well know... both wizard and spirit must obey celestial law... and taking the life of a keyholder is forbidden under any circumstance." 

"Oh yeah?!" I question. "You said both Wizard AND Spirit need to obey, right?! Then where THE HELL does it say in celestial law that a wizard can torture their spirits all they want?! Leo summoned himself to PROTECT Aries from that monster! You have the GALL to call yourself 'King' when you allow your people to be assaulted. Tortured. And RAPED?! Don't make me laugh!" 

"Should it not fall to the celestial wizard to not overestimate their own abilities?!" I shout. "To treat their spirits with respect and Compassion?! To accept when they were wrong?! One woman's stupidity and arrogance should not result in the death of a spirit who wanted to do nothing more than save his friend!" 

"He- He's right." Lucy declares meekly before shaking her head and continuing with more conviction. "Why should Leo suffer when it was just an accident that Karen died! She- she could have apologized! She could have done a less dangerous job! It- it's not his fault!" 

"You... speak from the heart, boy... and girl... it has been many ages since anyone has had the gall to speak to me in such a manner... let alone challenge me to battle." 

"I have read the message you have so frivolously written. You have insulted not only me... but all I hold dear, but... your words ring deep in my own heart. I accept this duel... and its conditions..." 

"Conditions?" Levy whispers. "Merlin... how are you going to do this?" 

"Name the location of our duel and your champion." 

A victorious grin slowly works its way onto my face as I point to my temple.  

"My mindscape." I hiss out. 

The giant pauses. "You- I see... you seek to use the mailability of the human mind to fight me. Ordinarily... I would praise you for such an idea... but my power is not something a human could contain. To attempt such a thing, you would certainly die in agony." 

My eyes narrow slightly. "Try me." 

"Merlin!" Levy gasps. 

"You- You seek to put your life on the line... for a man you have just met only recently?" The king questions. "You are not even a Celestial Spirit Wizard. Why? Why go so far?" 

"Because. Leo is a member of fairy tail. In his final days he was ready to go to war for fairy tail something that would have certainly resulted in him losing his life. Why should I not repay such a gesture in kind?!" I state. 

"Merlin! You can't! You heard him! You'd die!" Lucy exclaims. 

"Don't..." Loke whimpers as he gazes down at the floor. "Don't give me the guilt of your death too..." 

"Trust me." I state as I glance towards the three wizards, the faintest of smiles working itself onto my face. "This isn't arrogance when I say I might have a better chance of pulling this off than you might think~" 

"Besides... this... this benefits me. It's a gamble. But... if it pays off, it'll be all too worth it." 

"Damn it, Merlin!" Levy growls. "You shouldn't gamble with your life!" 

"But Loke's life is on the line. I can do this." 

"I now realize something... yes... I can see it now. I didn't notice it before, but your kind might just..." The king falls silent. "Your loyalty to your friend... Leo... it has touched my heart. If you survive this. I shall make an exception to the rule." 

"And If I win?" 

"You cannot." 

"And if I do?" 

The giant falls silent. 

"Then I shall grant you any one wish that is within my power to do." 

A slow calming breath leaves my lips as I try to calm my erratic heartbeat. 

'Alright. Come on. You've got this. You expected this sort of thing to happen when you joined fairy tail in the first place... this isn't new... you... you knew this would happen.' 

I close my eyes as I take a seat in the lotus position, bringing my palms to my chest. "Healing Ruby... Extend." 

A red glow appears around me as I glare up at the giant. "Let's do this!" 

"Merlin-" 

I close my eyes... and for once... I am not immediately set on fire. 

With a dull flash a gigantic form appears in the sky. 

He gazes down towards me, letting out a low hum that causes my very body to vibrate.  

Pain begins to seep into my very core as he stares at me. 

"So... you have lived... good... It appears my suspicions were correct... one of your kind would indeed survive." 

"What do you mean by 'Your Kind'?!" I question, a hand coming to my chest as I wince. 

"You- You do not know?" 

"..." 

"Perhaps this is something for you to discover on your own... do not lose yourself... boy. Now. Let us end this. Your body is beginning to fail. You have survived. Thus I shall keep my promise. Leo shall return." 

"End this? Already? You haven't even fought my champion yet." I grin. 

"Hm?" 

His eyes widen as he abruptly whirls around, a large claw clashes against the side of his blade as he is shoved back through the air. 

The plant life below buckles and whips around as a gigantic figure, even eclipsing the king himself by a good head and torso floats there, six massive wings flapping in unison. 

GROOOOOOOAHHHHHHH! 

"What... What is this..." 

"Bahamut..." I whisper. 

~~Linebreak~~

Pov: elsewhere. 

Three figures stand around a seated teen with white hair, his eyes clenched shut. 

The giant which was towering over them just a moment ago has disappeared... 

"Merlin." Levy whispers as she crouches down next to the boy. "If you get yourself killed I'll NEVER forgive you! You pigheaded stubborn IDIOT!"  

The blonde of the trio, Lucy, bites her thumb nail nervously. 

"Damn it!" The only other boy snarls. "WHY ARE YOU ALL SO SELFISH!" 

The white haired teen's body shakes slightly, the red aura around him flowing strong. 

"Damn it." Levy whispers under her breath. 

Her eyes grow wide as she sees blood drip out of the teen's nostril. 

"DAMN IT!" She curses. 

She quickly sorts through his bag, moving the horned cat out of the way as she finds the object she was looking for. 

A long piece of wood, polished and well-carved. 

She closes her eyes, quietly praying. 'come on... COME ON!' 

"Healing Ruby!" She calls out as she swings the wand forwards. 

Sparks flicker at the tip of the wand. 

"No No come on!" She growls as she tries again. "Healing Ruby!" 

A spell circle appears at the tip of the wand, but it quickly fades. 

"Healing Ruby!" The girl tries a third time, her eyes beginning to feel a little moist. 

He doesn't deserve this. 

All he has done since he joined the guild was help people... out of the good of his heart. Trying as best as he can. 

He can't die... she won't allow it! 

The red aura around Merlin glows brightly, then returns to its original state. 

"Wait... He... He's still alive..." Loke whispers.  

"The Celestial Spirit King never lies. He- he lived. But why isn't he back yet?!" 

Suddenly there's a blinding flash 

Three sets of eyes snap to the sky where the giant of a man reappears. 

Those eyes grow wide at the sheer state he is in. 

He coughs, hand brought to his side. Cape tattered, armor cracked. Glittering black blood seems to seep from his armor, little white dots throughout shimmering and shining like an expanse of stars. A nebula. 

He's missing an arm and leg. 

The three fairy tail wizards can only stare up in sheer shock, but their stunned silence is broken by the white haired boy abruptly hunching forwards and coughing. Blood stains the grass as he looks around blearily.  

"C-Cura!" He exclaims as a large globe of healing energy explodes off him. 

He lets out a long breath, his eyes drifting shut for a moment as he touches his chest with a hand. 

"You... YOU IDIOT!" Levy roars as she slugs him in the shoulder. 

"Ow-" he winces. 

"WE CAME HERE TO SAVE LOKE! NOT LOSE YOU TOO!" 

"I'm sorry..." The teen whispers. "It was the only way I could think of." 

"..." 

"It is my loss." The giant floating in the sky declares. 

The two girls and the celestial spirit's attention snaps back to the giant. 

"H-Huh?!" Lucy whispers. 

"Wait... What?" Levy blinks. 

"Thats- that's impossible!" Loke gasps. 

Three sets of eyes slowly stray back to the white haired mage. 

"Leo was forced to commit his crime to protect his comrade... Aries... and yet this boy put his life on the line to save Leo... I am deeply moved by your bonds of Loyalty... and I shall make an exception in this case... Leo the Lion. You are hereby granted return passage to the Celestial Spirit World!" 

"He... He actually did it." Lucy whispers. 

"Now you... white haired magus. What is your greatest wish?" 

"..." 

"Give Lucy the ability to use Star Dress." 

"H-Huh?" The blonde in question blinks. 

"Even now... you freely give away the reward of your triumph to your friends... are you sure?" The giant questions as his wounds bubble and hiss. They seem to be healing. 

"Well, I mean, you're a celestial spirit. So you'll probably only have really good stuff for Lucy... I'd also be open to spirit keys for her to contract, y'know... maybe a black key? Wait... surely there must be a key beyond black, right? I've heard that Draco the Dragon was a constellation." 

"W-Wait- Merlin, what do you mean?! Black Keys?! Draco The Dragon?! What are you talking about." Lucy shouts. "You- stop it! Don't give me this! You put your life on the line for this! You beat him!" 

The white haired teen shoots the girl a bright smile. "Just use this strength I'm giving you now to protect the guild in the future and we'll call it even!" 

The giant falls silent. 

"I... Shall not give you Draco the Dragon." 

"But... But you said anything within your power." Levy points out. 

"Allow me to rephrase that... I shall not yet give you Draco the Dragon." 

"Draco the Dragon?" Loki Mutters. 

"Oi. Playboy. What the fuck are you still doing here." Merlin abruptly snaps. "Go back home. You're dying." 

He seems to glow, looking around in surprise... then disappears. 

"..." 

"So... what do you mean by 'yet'?" Merlin questions, looking back to the giant mustached man. 

"I am surprised that you have heard of Draco the Dragon..." The king slowly speaks. "But... I suppose I can see how you might have been able to find out... there is indeed a set of Keys beyond the twelve Black Keys... twelve keys so utterly powerful... that they even rival my own strength... Platinum." 

"I shall not give such keys to you... because it will be nothing more than temptation... even the weakest Platinum keys drains so much energy of the summoner... that even calling it once will result in your demise. Not even you would be able to supply enough power. Especially not the girl I predict you will give such a key to. I do not want to give you the temptation. But. Once this wizard is able to handle such a spirit... I will indeed grant that request... In the meantime." 

There's a bright flash, as Lucy cringes, it appears her magical energy is being drained. But... her outfit is replaced by a fairly attractive Bikini. 

"I have granted this young wizard to tap into the powers of her spirits... In addition... this one key fell into the depths nearly one thousand years ago... perhaps it is time for it to return." 

There's a flash and a key, black as midnight appears, hovering in front of the girl. 

"It is time for Vexillum the Flag to return to the mortal realm... may her ability help those around you... but be weary, he will be much harder to summon that a golden spirit, human girl." 

"T-Thank you stache face!" Lucy smiles as she gives the king a thumbs up and a wink. "You're not so bad after all!" 

A bright grin appears on the giant's face. "Thank not I... but your companion there." 

"Live well... and never lose sight of your heart, boy." 

With that... he is gone. 

"Merlin..." Lucy whispers. "I-" 

"Now... where was I?" Levy questions, cutting the blonde off. before turning on a dime and lunging for the still seated bluemage and putting him in a headlock. "NEVER DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN YOU STUPID IDIOT! I SWEAR! IF YOU DIED I WOULD HAVE DRAGGED YOU BACK FROM THE AFTERLIFE AND KILLED YOU MYSELF!" 

"L-Levy! I need to thank him!" 

"YOU CAN THANK HIM AFTER I GIVE HIM A PIECE OF MY MIND!" 

Said blue mage does the one thing that seems like it fits in this situation... "AAA-"