Fairy Tail: The Celestial Priestess, Keeper of the Crystal Key (a Nalu Fanfiction)

Chapter 7

(POV Lucy)

I sat with my legs tucked under me on one of the pillows across from the large man. Hyisan had taken a seat at the end of the table, as far from me as possible. The man poured me a cup of tea and then one for himself. I gratefully took the steaming cup and took a sip. The hot water was heavily spiced with herbs that I couldn't quite place but I decided that this was one of my new favorite flavors.

The man took a sip from his own cup and sighed with delight before turning back to me. "Now Lucy, I'm sure you have many questions to ask. Which one shall I answer first?" He grinned at me and there was something about it that made me feel calm. I knew he would tell me the truth, at least it seemed like he would. I frowned realizing that I had no real reason to trust either of these two men. I just did.

I took another sip of the tea and gripped the cup tightly to force my hands to stop shaking. "Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Caehir Thais, and this is my son Hyisan Thais. We are Monks on this mountain."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're...monks?"

Caehir nodded. "I am the Chieftain Monk actually, the highest authority here. Under the Sisters of course." He motioned to his son who was staring me with that same smirk that made it hard not to stare back. "Hyisan is the next Guardian. It is his fate to protect our next Priestess."

"Who's the Priestess?"

Caehir smiled. "You."

I nearly choked on my tea. "Me?! "

Caehir nodded and I glanced over at Hyisan. His smirk widened slightly but his eyes were looking at me with such intensity I had to look away. What was it about him that had me all flustered? Clearing my throat I turned back to the Chieftain. "What makes you so sure I'm the Priestess?"

"It has been written in the stars. Or so The Fates say, and they are rarely wrong."

'The stars? ' I shook my head. It seamed that with every question I asked I only got more questions. None of this was making sense.

"Perhaps I should explain a bit more about who we are," Caehir suggested. I nodded and reached out to pick up a little tart laid out on a tray in front of me. I just realized how hungry I was. Caehir smiled and began to refill my glass. "The history of our people dates back a long time ago. It is one that is filled with strife, pain, victory and a great power. Our people are directly tied to this land and our fate is sealed by our very existence on this island the moment we are born."

I leaned forward on the table, absentmindedly eating another tart. Caehir's deep voice made it sound like he was reading from a fairy tale. One that felt so oddly familiar...

"It is said that the spirits created this mountain long before humans had learned magic at all, when the earth was a very different place. Others say the land was once part of the Spirit World itself and somehow came here when the planes of our two worlds crossed long ago. The land itself is rich in magic energy, particularly Stellar Magic, hence the reason it is believed the spirits had a hand in this mountains creation.

"Ten thousand years ago the first of our people came to this mountain. A clan of monks and their families settled here and quickly built a thriving society. They cared for the land and all the creatures that lived here, seeing themselves as protectors of the land they had come to call home. For centuries they prospered and in that time they discovered the magic energy that runs through this mountain.

"The monks dedicated their lives to understanding the magic in the earth and sought truth in the wisdom the stars above provided. They quickly learned to master the many forms of Stellar magic, but the rarest and most powerful form, Celestial Magic, was held above all others. These wizards were seen as children of the stars and were greatly revered by all. With all this magical power lying beneath their feet one would have thought such power would have corrupted at least some of the monks, but our brothers had pure hearts, as all Stellar Mages do, and it was this ability to stand in the presence of great power and remain humble that sealed their fate."