Hello, everyone! ♥ Here is another chapter for ❝Fαιяу тαιℓ : Lєgєηd of тнє Fαllєη❞ ~!  I hope you all like it! ♥ I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, just because we get to start diving into Alys' life and who she was. c;  I hope you all find it interesting, ne?  Alys' past might surprise you, just sayin'.  I dedicate this chapter to yummysushi; thanks for being a fan of my stories! c':  I hope you especially enjoy this!  I love your books!  Feedback is greatly appreciated, and until next time, everyone!

я y - c н α η ,

т н є  и α ℓ υ  ω я ι т є я --★☆

❧☸❦☸❧☸❦☸❧

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Huh?

I...where am I?

Gasping, Lucy opened her eyes, and she found herself floating in a white void.  Slowly she righted herself, and she floated to the ground on her feet gently.  As her shoes his the ground, they made a soft clack against the floor.  Lucy looked around wildly, confusion on her face as she saw nothing ahead of her.

"Hello?"  Lucy exclaimed, her voice echoing into the void.  "Is...anyone there?"

Lucy suddenly heard a swoosh through the air, and she gasped as things began to form around her, slowly becoming visible under the white blanket that surrounded her.  Lucy recognized shrubs, grass, trees; then mountains and so on.  As the area cleared like a screen, Lucy was standing in the middle of a flower field, her hair blowing across her face in the summer breeze.  The sky was blue, and birds chirped peacefully in the scattered trees around her.  

Lucy looked around in awe, and saw that she was back in her clothing from before they arrived at the floating island.  Spinning in a full circle, Lucy saw that ahead was the edge of a village.  Walking through the field of flowers, Lucy made her way across the way, the village coming more into view with every step.

I wonder where I am...  Lucy thought, looking into the sky as she walked.

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Natsu sat against the wall next to Lucy, who was still unconscious.  He had decided to look after her as she went through Alys' memories, and sit here with her.  Happy had stayed with him, and was sitting next to him quietly.

"Nat-zu?"

Natsu blinked, coming out of his reverie to look down at his partner.  "What is it, Happy?"

"How long do you think Lu-shee is going to sleep there?"

Natsu stopped for a minute, but then looked back at Lucy, who was still glowing and unmoving.  "Hell if I know,"  He replied, sighing.  "Hopefully not for long, I guess."

Happy nodded.  "I wonder how long it will take for someone to go through a person's lifetime memories."

Natsu sweat-dropped.  "Hopefully not a lifetime!"

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As Lucy entered the village, she saw the villagers were wearing ragged clothing, and carried baskets on top of their heads.  Shops lined the streets, which was made of cobblestone.  Musicians played energetic music which made Lucy smile as she walked through the street, children running around and playing fullheartedly.

Lucy almost didn't notice as two kids ran towards her.

"H-Hey!"  Lucy exclaimed, her voice making a weird echoing noise as she dodged out of the way just in time as they ran past.

"This way, Nagaharu!"  the little girl yelled, her short blonde hair flowing behind her; her voice sounded normal.

The boy followed, laughing.  "Slow down, Alys!"

Lucy froze in her tracks, her blood running cold as the two familiar names ran through her ears.  Turning back around abruptly, Lucy stared at the two kids who began to retreat.

That's...  Lucy began to think, realization dawning on her.  

She held out her hand to them, trying to get them to halt.  "Matte!  I need to talk to you two...!"

Luct stopped, realizing that they couldn't hear her; heck, they couldn't even see her.

Lucy was stuck.

"Wait!"  Lucy called again despite her new knowledge, racing after them.

Lucy followed them back out of the city, and into the field where she had just come from.  They laughed, Alys raising into the air what looked like a home-made doll of some kind.  It was made out of different fabrics, and had ragged string for hair, and mismatched buttons for eyes.  However, Alys seemed to love it anyways.

Lucy came to a halt, panting heavily as the two also stopped, playing in the grass.  Lucy walked towards them, watching in awe as she saw the child version of Alys laugh with the child Nagaharu, who Lucy realized really had been Alys' childhood friend.  Lucy, since she was invisible to them, walked up to them closely and watched the two, who played with the doll happily.

"Ne, Naga..."  Alys replied, her childish voice making Lucy smile at her innocence.

She must not be able to pronounce his full name, considering she's still a child...  Lucy thought with adoration, a bit of amusement spreading on her features.

Nagaharu responded to it easily, though.  "What, Alys?"

Alys played with her doll, making it dance in the grass.  "Will you protect me if the Horsemen ever come?"

So the Horsemen existed even now...  Lucy thought, watching the scene play out with interest.

Nagaharu stopped, looking at Alys in surprise.  But then he blushed slightly, biting his cheek as he looked away embarrissingly.  "Oi...it's not like they'll come here..."

"I know!  But what if they did?  Then would you protect me?"

Nagaharu looked back at Alys, still blushing slightly.  He rubbed the back of his head.  "Ano...sure.  If they come after you, I'll protect you."

"Promise?"  Alys asked, delighted.  Her eyes shone.

Nagaharu nodded, his expression confident.  "Ah.  I promise.  We're best friends, remember?"

"Yeah!"  Alys exclaimed happily, and they both laughed.

Lucy watched the two with happiness, enjoying the peaceful aura that emanated from them.  And Lucy continued to; visions went by of them playing in the field, in town, and spending time at each other's houses with their parents.  They started to grow up, and Lucy began to see how happy a childhood Alys had had.  Lucy was sort of envious, but knew what happened in her past made her who she was today, so she couldn't complain.

Lucy flashed into another vision which seemed like her hundreth one.  It was just another day, which Lucy guessed took place a few years after, when Alys was around eight years old; same as Nagaharu.  

They were hanging out at one of the store shops, buying something from the stalls.  When Lucy looked closer, she saw they were two apples, and she watched as both Nagaharu and Alys digged in entirely.  Lucy followed them as they went to the edge of the city, sitting in one of the alleyways and enjoying the small snack they had gotten.

"What are we going to do today, Nagaharu?"  Alys asked, and Lucy watched with mild interest.

Nagaharu shrugged.  "We could--"

Suddenly, both Lucy and the two children were startled as an explosion rang out through the large village, shaking the ground.

What the...?!  Lucy thought, almost loosing her footing.

"W-What was that?!"  Alys exclaimed, her voice cracking in fear.

Lucy left them and ran back to the street to see what was going on, and saw people coming in waves down the street.  They screamed and ran, dragging children with them and knocking over stalls.  More explosions rang out, but Lucy could only see the smoke clouds of them a ways away.

Is it..the Horsemen?  Lucy wondered, her eyes widening.

"Let's go, Alys!"  Nagaharu exclaimed, grabbing her hand and pulling the girl with him and past Lucy.

"Wait a minute!"  Lucy exclaimed, though her voice just echoed uselessly.  "It's too dangerous; stop!"

"We have to find Mama and Papa!"  Alys exclaimed as they ran through the crowd.

"I'll help you!"  Nagaharu exclaimed, making quite an effort to push through the adults.

Lucy followed after the two, worried.

"Nagaharu!"

Lucy abruptly stopped and moved out of the way as two adults came running back through the crowd, grabbing the boy by the arm.  Lucy recognized them as the boy's parents, and watched in shock as Alys was severed from Nagaharu's hold.

However, Alys hadn't been seen by the parents.

"Let me go!"  Nagaharu exclaimed.  "I have to help Alys!"

His parents didn't listen, especially since the screams of the villagers was too loud to bear.  

"Alys!"  Nagaharu exclaimed.

"Nagaharu-kun!"  Alys exclaimed, pushed away in the crowd.

"Alys!"  Lucy exclaimed, looking back and forth between the two to make a decision.

Deciding on Alys, Lucy found her against a wall holding her ears as more explosions rang out, a fire starting on the other side of the village.

"I...have to find Mama and Papa!"  Alys was saying as Lucy reached her.

"No, Alys!  You shoudn't go by yourself!"  Lucy exclaimed, trying desperately to let the girl hear her.

However, Lucy's attempts were in vain as Alys bolted, running along the side of the road.  Lucy yelled her name again, and raced after the small girl to make sure she ended up being safe.  As she followed, the village just got more and more desolated and destroyed.  

Lucy stared in horror at the changed surroundings, which had been peaceful just a few minutes ago.  A few bodies were stuck under piles of rubble, and some were burned from the fire.  Houses were ablaze and some collapsing, and the smoke flew through Lucy's lungs, intoxicating her.  Alys had soot on her rag dress, and her bare feet were stained with dirt and ash.

"Mama, Papa!"  Alys exclaimed, looking for her parents, who could be anywhere.

"You have to turn back,"  Lucy exclaimed, her face in panic.  "You'll get hurt if you stay any longer--"

The image abruptly changed, and since Lucy had been running, it seemed as if she went into slow motion, her eyes widening as everything went white in a split second that seemed like an hour.  But when it cleared, Lucy's breath left her and she gasped in horror, staring in disbelief at the new image before her.

Alys was in the middle of the fire, sitting on her knees as her doll rested in her small hand.  Her other arm was rested saggedly against her side, and she was crying and sobbing, her head bent upward.  

Tears sprung to Lucy's eyes and poured down her cheeks heavily and she pressed her hands to her mouth in grief, seeing the two grown bodies next to Alys.

H-How cruel!  Lucy thought, shaking.  The Horsemen did this to her!  They...

They took away her parents and destroyed her hometown!

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It was the afternoon, and it was the next day since Lucy had gone into unconsciousness.  Everyone was sitting in the throne room, hoping Lucy would wake up soon.  As they sat there, Happy glanced at Lucy's face, and spotted something.

The exceed gasped, catching everyone's attention.  "Look!"  Happy exclaimed, pointing in disbelief.

Tears gathered at the corners of Lucy's eyes and growed, despite her eyes still being closed.  They began to pour down her face, and Lucy's hands twitched before going back into her comatose state, despite her tears still flowing.

"Tears...!"  Wendy exclaimed, her along with everyone elses eyes growing wide.

"Oi!  Why is Lucy crying?"  Natsu asked, turning to look at Alafan seriously.

Alafan looked sad.  "There must be a sad memory of Alys that Lucy's facing.  She can't help but cry."

Everyone turned back to Lucy, and Natsu's face became strained.

Lucy...

.

.

.

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Lucy's treck as taken her to a horrible moment in Alys' memories, and shown her how the Horsemen influenced the Goddess' life!  

What else will Lucy learn as she goes through the memories of the Celestial Goddess, who is also the person she reincarnated from?

Find out what happens next in Chapter 11: Through the Pain.