Hello, minna!  I have the next chapter for you; I hope you all enjoy it!  Finally, you all get to here Zeke's strange past and everything starts coming together! :')  I dedicate this chapter to j_viklimlovesanime, since she's an amazing person and such an incredible writer! :D  I hope you all enjoy; feedback is very much appreciated!♥ Until next time!

♡{я у - ¢ н α и}

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"Natsu?"

Natsu felt himself reach outwards with his mind, and realized he was waking up.  Grasping consciousness, he struggled to open his eyes.

"C'mon, Flame Brain.  When're you going to stop sleepin'?"

"Nat-zu.."

Opening his eyes, Natsu was flat on his back, staring up and the clouded sky.  Happy was on his chest, with Erza and Gray beside him.  Wendy was nearby, healing Zeke, who was still unconscious.

"Are you okay, Natsu?"  Erza asked, seeing if he was going to fully stir.

Natsu was about to reply, when pain as hot as fire raced up in throat.  He abruptly turned over, and blood pooled from his mouth.  He coughed over and over, pain raking at his shoulders.  Leaning on his hands and knees, Natsu's body shook as the last of the pain receeded away.

"It's alright, Natsu."  Happy mewed, putting a paw on Natsu's arm.  "Wendy fixed you; you're okay now."

Natsu looked over at Zeke, who was still unconscious as Wendy progessed her healing.  "What..happened?"

Everyone looked solemn.

"Poison."  Erza answered, shocking him.  "Somehow, you and Zeke were injected with it.  It was a very powerful type, too; Wendy barely saved you."

"It was Coven."

Natsu and the others turned their head, looking at Zeke.  His expression was strained; he seemed to still be going through some pain, since he had been hit with the poison's impact the most.

"I know..what that was..."  He clenched his teeth.  "Damn, if only I had remembered sooner..."

"It's not your fault."  Erza replied calmly.  "You're still getting most of your memories back, right?"

Zeke nodded, but still seemed to blame himself.  "That was Coven's ultimate attack; extremely deadly.  It's called Poison Extract.  When the beam of darkness hits you, it immediately seeps poison into your body - along with dark magic - through your skin.  The dark magic brings down your defenses and curses you with paralyzation, leaving you defenseless for the poison to attack and devour your insides like acid."

Natsu blinked, his eyes wide and stupid awe on his face.  "B-But...it didn't hurt towards the end before we blacked out-!"

Zeke sat up, the pain receeding from his body as well.  "That's because it's sneaky.  Ever heard the term "silent and deadly"?  Well, it applies here.  The poison stopped flashing pain through your body near the end, showing you that you were nearing the end of your life."  He dragged his fatigue-filled eyes over to Natsu, who flinched.  "When you moved then, it only made the poison spread twice as fast."

A bead of sweat fell down Natsu's forehead.

"Glad it wasn't me.."  Gray muttered, freaked out.

"In that case, we'd better look out for that attack the next time--wait.."  Erza replied realization dawning on her face.  "..What exactly happened here?  Where is Lucy?  Coven?"

Natsu and Zeke blinked a few times in innocent surprise, but then there faces turned problematic.

"Lucy!"  Natsu exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

He turned and looked around and was shocked that the trees that had once been alive were now charred and burnt.  He realized then, when he lifted his hands to examine them, that they were also dirt-stained.  And at one point - before Wendy had healed him - Natsu was burnt in some areas as well.  His clothes certainly showed it.

But somehow, his scarf was okay.

Natsu turned to Zeke.  "Where is she, Zeke?!"

Zeke looked just as troubled as Natsu was.  "Her and Coven are..gone."  Suddenly, he gasped.  "Wait a minute..."  He slowly stood, walking over to the place the pair had disappeared.

There was an indent in the ground where Lucy and Coven had once stood, and Zeke kneeled down next to it, everyone watching from behind.  Reaching his hand out, Zeke rested his fingertips on the dirt which was still tousled and warm.  Closing his eyes, he focused on using his powers to see what had happened over again; like a replay button.

Light flashed through his mind, and his eyes shot open in realization.

"Zeke?"  Natsu asked, when Zeke had been silent for a few minutes.

Zeke stood, his face grim and his posture back to being mysterious.  "Their gone."

Everyone froze.

"What?"  Gray asked, slightly angered.  "What do you mean?!"

Zeke's eyes were narrowed in anger.  "Coven took Lucy to his hideout."

"What?!?"

"Are you serious?!"  Natsu exclaimed, his eyes contracting to black dots in anger.

Zeke nodded, clenching his fists.

"Damn it!"  Gray exclaimed, grinding his teeth together.

"How did he do it?"  Erza demanded, walking to his side.

Zeke turned to her.  "The Caballeen Stone."

"What's that stupid thing have to deal with all of this, anyways?  Why is it so important?"  Natsu growled, anticipation churning through him.

"The Caballeen Stone is the key to resurrecting Daronyt; it's the key to open the portal to The Black Stars..Etoiles Noires."

"The key..?"  Wendy murmured, shocked.

"So that's what it's used for..."  Erza murmured, wandering off.

"It's pretty obvious the stone has to have quite a bit of magic power, which it certainly does in general."  Zeke explained.  "The current magic that was combined inside the Caballeen Stone with Lucy's powers - including her Star Mist - turned into a rich formula of power.  So much power is stored, in fact, that its soul purpose is as the key to open the portal."

"But I thought Lucy was only needed for her 'knowledge'.  And since it was so trivial, Coven could have survived without it."  Erza countered, narrowing her eyes.  "Why does Coven need her body too?"

Zeke paused, wondering if he should answer.

But then he sighed.  "It's because Daronyt is partly sealed in Lucy."

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"P-Partly.."  Wendy started.

"..S-Sealed in Lucy?!"  Natsu finished, his eyes wide.

"When Rater jumped into the light beam to stop the Dark Mage from summoning Daronyt for the first time, there was only one way to do it.  Seal it not only in a powerful seal in a holy building, but on a soul.  Rater had to do this because Daronyt was just that destructive; that powerful."

"I don't get it..."  Gray started, staring over at Zeke.  "How did Rater know it was Lucy who would contain the Star Mist after him?"

"He didn't."  Zeke stated simply, and everyone looked at him with awe.

Zeke sighed.  "I didn't say Rater put it on Lucy's soul."

"Then who's soul did Rater put it on?"  Happy asked, floating in the air.

"The word 'soul' is incredibly dynamic.  It can mean a humans soul, an animals soul, or even a plants soul.  Or..."  He glanced at them all.  "A powers soul."

"Power can have a soul?"  Carla asked, intruiged.

Zeke nodded.  "The Star Mist is an inexplicably rare thing; you all know that.  But all magic has its own soul; its own progressions.  The seal was enfused on Star Mist, not Lucy.  Sort of like a curse, but for a type of magic."

"Incredible."  Erza replied, stunned.  "To think someone had to think of this solution so quickly..."

"I know.  Anyways, when Lucy was born - or just given Star Mist; she could've been given it at any point in life without even knowing it - the seal had instictively latched onto her soul in the Star Mist's stead."

"How do you know all of this..?"  Natsu murmured, awestruck.

Zeke looked at him.  "Rater and I used to be friends."

"Really?!"  Wendy exclaimed in surprise as everyone else flinched instead.

Zeke nodded, closing his eyes and smiling slightly as if recalling a pleasant memory.  "I used to exist in that far-away time.  But, after the resurrection was prevented by Rater, he had sent me to this time, way into the future.  He knew the same thing would happen one more time, but not until the distant future.  Since he was dying from sacrificing himself to seal the devilish monster from The Black Stars, he had recommended me.  Wanting to help, I had gladly excepted."

Everyone stared at him with incredulity.

Zeke then frowned.  "However, when I had gotten here four years ago, Coven took ahold of me while I was still weak.  I was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time."  He turned to look into the sky, which was covered by dark clouds.  "So, instead of searching for the Junsuina and helping them on their journey, I was hunting the Junsuina."

Breathing out, Zeke felt like he had a load off his chest now that he said his story to people.  "Lucy didn't know, but after she'd left Rater and I alone, we had recognized each other after all these years."

"How come you got here only four years ago, if you were sent over hundreds of years ago?"  Natsu asked, taking a step forward.

"Because I had been in a deep slumber; similiar to your Seven Year Sleep on Tenrou Island."

"I see..."  Erza murmured.

Zeke turned back to them.  "Now you know my story.  And now we have to go and save Lucy.  I have to prove to Rater I am dedicated to helping the Junsuina."

"But where will we go?"  Carla asked, crossing her arms.  "We don't know where Coven's keeping Lucy."

Zeke smirked, pointing his thumb at himself.  "Have you forgotten?  I was under Coven's control for over four years.  I know where he hides everything."

Natsu smirked, though his determination to save Lucy shined in his eyes.  "Alright; let's go!"

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Stay tuned for the next chapter, Chapter 32: Rescue Mission, and the Start of the Final Battle!