Goodbye, Fairy Tail

Chapter 3: Aftermath

Hey!

Here we go with the next part!

We're still in the introduction phase, but I can't wait to dive deeper into the main story. There will be a few more 'setup' chapters, so to speak, to establish the setting and important characters after this one.

Enjoy reading, and I'll catch up with you at the end!

Chapter 3: Aftermath

The door of Fairy Tail flew open.

Lucy burst into the hall, breathless and teary-eyed. She was drenched in sweat from running all the way to the guild without stopping, her exhaustion compounded by the extra energy drain from her growing panic. Her bruised heart was beating so fast that every breath seemed to get stuck in her throat, forming a suffocating lump of air.

Memories of the last few minutes flashed through her mind, bringing tears to her eyes. Her muddled mind couldn't grasp what had really happened; she didn't even know where she had found the strength to come all the way back here while feeling so devastated. In her confusion and panic, she understood only one thing: Natsu had succeeded in putting Gray and Erza out of action before disappearing with Happy without a glance for her. Her defeated friends needed her, and unable to bring them to safety on her own, her only hope was to find help.

So, once her shock dissipated, replaced by immense fear, she had to flee the fateful scene Natsu had left behind and return to the guild.

No one noticed her dramatic entrance since the room was completely empty. Soaked to the skin by the raging downpour outside, she took a few unsteady steps forward, shivering.

"Please!" she called, realizing her friends were probably still in the infirmary. "I need your help!"

Her desperate call was answered immediately. First, she heard a door open, followed by the sound of footsteps rushing down the stairs. They reached the hall where Lucy stood, still shaken.

"Lu-chan?!" Levy exclaimed, noticing her extreme distress. "I thought you-"

She fell silent as she realized that it was precisely the reason for her distress, and her eyes moistened with emotion, halting her words. The other mages behind her also stopped at the foot of the stairs, freezing like she did at the sight of Lucy's evident confusion.

"Where are Gray and Erza?!" Droy immediately asked, as the whole group came to the same conclusion as Levy.

"And Natsu and Happy?!" Jet added.

The girl opened her lips to answer, trembling all over, but tears broke free instead of words. Mirajane rushed to her side, placing gentle hands on her shoulders in a gesture of support. The barmaid furrowed her brow, saddened by her imploring gaze.

"Natsu is... Happy... They-"

Lucy shook her head, attempting to gather the courage to speak, but words remained trapped in her tangled throat once again. Her breathing grew more labored with each passing moment and she hastily shut her eyes, as if to banish the intrusive thoughts stifling her ability to speak.

"They're gone...," she finally managed to announce, new tears covering the old ones along her cheeks. "Gray and Erza... They tried to stop him but-"

Once again, her words were interrupted by a wave of memories, or more precisely by a flash of the scene of desolation that had played out on the edge of the city. Two bodies lying unconscious at the feet of a Natsu turning his back, the curtain of rain veiling the scene in oppressive darkness, seeping deep into her being and chilling her to the core. Then, in a second flash, like a destructive lightning bolt, Natsu vanished from this grim setting, leaving only her and the poisoned legacy he had left behind. She felt so alone once more that it took considerable effort to remind herself that her friends were now near her, where her greatest support no longer was. And never would be again.