Fate [HIATUS]

Chapter 4: Resurrection

Chapter 4: Resurrection
"I choose to go back, to Fairy Tail, to my Nakama... and to Sting."

Lucy POV

Ugh... What's with the sudden bright light...? I groggily opened my eyes, sat up, and scanned my surroundings. Where... am I?

I was on a small hill, in the middle of a lush green meadow, surrounded by colorful wild flowers that gave off a sweet fragrance. Somewhere a little far off was a small river with crystal clear waters winding its way through the field. The sky was clear and blue, and the sun shone just right. Is this... Heaven? I stood up and eyed my surroundings with awe. What I was seeing was a truly magnificent sight. I could see a gigantic castle far in the distance, laden with presumably gold, diamond, and precious stones. "How beautiful..." I muttered.

"Isn't it?" said a kind and gentle voice. I turned around to the source of the voice, and my eyes widened. 

"M-Mama? Mama!" 

Mama smiled and spread her arms wide. "Mama! I missed you! So much!" I ran towards her and gave her a crushing hug, not bothering to wipe the tears threatening to fall. "Now, now, Lucy, don't cry. I missed you too, sooo much." She brought her hands up and wiped the tears off my cheeks. She tilted my chin up to face her and she smiled at me. "Now, turn around." I did as she told and, once again, my eyes widened. 

"Good to see you again, Lucy."

"P-Papa...?"

He smiled and walked slowly towards me. Then he tenderly wrapped his arms around me, enveloping me in his warm embrace. Unconsciously, tears ran down my cheeks. "Papa, I... I'm sorry, I... I was a bad daughter..." The words came out broken because of my muffled sobs.

"Hush, Lucy. It's okay," he comforted. "Now that I have seen you again, safe and sound, I couldn't ask for more." With that, he loosened his embrace and held me in arms-length. He brushed his thumb across my cheeks, wiping my tears, and smiled - a sight that I have missed seeing all these years. I muttered a 'thank-you' and the both of us turned around and walked to Mama. We walked, hand-in-hand, down the hill and across the flower fields, with no destination in mind.

"You did a splendid job, Lucy. I'm proud," Mama started, as we sat on the side of another hill, overlooking the crystal clear river.

I looked up at her from the flower crown I was crafting. "What do you mean, Mama?" Her expression softened, and she averted her gaze from me to the vast open field in front of us.

"You did a good job destroying the Soul of Dread to save your friends. You made such wonderful friends, too." At her words, my happy mood dropped. Bits of the incident started filling my mind, and I couldn't help but feel sadness and regret; not to mention the feeling of longing to meet my friends, because I wasn't able to see their faces before I died. Apparently, Mama and Papa noticed my sullen expression and they each put a hand on both of my shoulders.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" Papa asked. I smiled a sad smile. "I-It's just that... I wasn't able to see their faces one last time. And I didn't give them a proper goodbye before I left... A-at least, that's how I feel," I replied. I saw them glance at each other knowingly, like they were having a silent conversation. 

Slowly, they stood up. Papa held a hand in front of me, motioning me to get up. "Come, we'll show you something," he invited. Curiously, I accepted his invitation and he helped me up. He held my right hand tight, while Mama took the other.

We walked silently past the fields and through a small forest. Luckily, there were no sharp vines and thorny thickets, but only clear pathways and tall trees. After quite some time, I found myself in a vast clearing. The place looked beautiful. No, scratch that. It was heavenly, pun intended.