The Tale of Tales

Chapter 47

After a whole day of unsuccessful searching Lucy and her friends decided to head back to the cottage. She was very disappointed and melancholic that they had failed to find Natsu and she was beginning to fear that she had lost him forever.

"You alright?" Erza asked noticing Lucy's discomfort.

"Yes...No."

"Don't worry Lucy we'll find him. We just have to keep looking."

"But what if we never find him? Or what if by the time we do find him it's too late?"

"Now don't talk like that. You have to keep looking and have hope. You'll never get anywhere if you give up."

"I don't know how much hope I can hold on to. After my parents died, I found it harder and harder to remain hopeful with each passing day. I had promised my mother that I would always have faith no matter what but when you've lived a life like mine, how can you still have faith?"

"I can't answer that but you're not the only person who has trouble with faith. I myself find it hard to do so but my Granny always said that if you don't have hope then you've pretty much given up on living. Hope and faith is what gets us through the toughest time so don't let either of them go Lucy."

"Okay...Thank you Erza."

"You're welcome."

"Hey take a look at this!" They heard Romeo call.

They followed his voice to find him pointing toward a statue.

"It looks just like Elfman!" He pointed out.

"Wow..." Gajeel said examining it skeptically. "It's got every detail on tact. It even has the birthmark in the right place. Now that's spooky."

"Hang on a second." Evergreen flew over to the statue and placed her ear on it's stone chest. Three seconds later she jumped back in horror. "Oh my God!"

"What? What is it?" Gajeel asked.

"This isn't just some statue of Elfman! It is Elfman!"

"What?!" Gajeel and Romeo gasped in confusion.

"I heard his heart beat! He's alive! And he's been turned to stone!"

"No way!" Gajeel said. He gave Elfman's head a little knock. "Elfman? Is that really you?"

"He can't talk or move." Evergreen said.

"Poor Elfman." Romeo said. "Can any of you fairies change him back?"

"No this was a spell cast by dark magic and fairy magic isn't strong enough to over come it. He'll remain this way until the source of the magic used to cast this spell is destroyed."

"Wait a minute! You said dark magic did this to him right?!" Gajeel cried in realization.

"Yes."

"And that old witch Minerva is the only one with access to dark magic as of now so if she's done this to Elfman then that means..."

"Juvia!" Levy gasped. "We have to get back right away!"

The group hurried back to the cottage as fast as they could but it was a futile effort. Once they arrived they found Juvia lying on the floor with no breath or pulse coming from her body.