They received the reward in full for the mission, Lucy received her Key, and the whole massacre had been covered. The villagers took care of… well, cleaning things up, and the Rune Knights came for the Puppeteer, who was apparently an escaped prisoner. On their way back to Fairy Tail, the atmosphere was tense. Now that the actual shock of the mission had worn off, everyone was extremely aware of what had happened and what they had seen.

Lucy had no doubts she’d have trouble sleeping for a while, though she didn’t mention it. Kaelys felt sorry enough as it was and learned the lesson, though more harshly than the blonde would have liked. The Master had already been informed before they reached the Guild, and graciously omitted to mention it to their fellow guildmates. If Kaelys was to be rejected for her mistake, then there’d be no going back.

Natsu, though mildly disgusted –it hadn’t exactly been clean-, just pushed it in the back of his mind. What was done, was done, and, frankly, all Mages were at risk of losing their lives every day. It was no different for criminals, and it just ended up being at the girl’s hand for these guys. Even if he didn’t like the idea of it reflecting on Fairy Tail, he knew people would probably never even consider the possibility of the guild having a hand in it. He could guess that much, no matter how carefree –for not saying stupidly- he could act at times.

Erza had gotten over it. Back in the Tower of Heavens, things were always ugly, sometimes more than what she witnessed the day before. She felt terrible, for she should have been able to prevent it as Team Leader, but knew it was merely another obstacle they would all have to overcome.

Kaelys forgot, kind of. While she now understood why it was bad to kill people and had learned what ‘guilt’ was, she still couldn’t bring herself to care much. Yes, stealing their chances at life put an uncomfortable weight on her heart, but it's not like she knew these people either. In the end, they were lost for the greater cause, so to speak.

Gray, though… Gray still kept his distances. He tensed whenever she approached, remembering each time how easily she wiped out all the bandits without even breaking a sweat –an arm, maybe, but that was after-. While they both apologized, he couldn’t bring himself to feel at ease with her. Yes, Kaelys was a kid. Yes, she obviously had lost a few screws over the years. But did it fully excuse the bloody mess she had created? Not in his books, it didn’t. It was like with Deliorah, when the monster destroyed his village. When that happened, he felt so ridiculously helpless… and that same, horrible helplessness came back when she went on her little killing spree. How was he supposed to feel? How was he supposed to react? She killed them and he couldn’t do a damn thing but watch as it happened.

So, when they arrived at the Guild, needless to say that they were all eager to part ways for the rest of the day, each planning on returning to a familiar routine as soon as possible so as to forgot what they had witnessed.

“Are you coming, Kae?”

The girl glanced back to the Guild Hall.

“If you don’t mind… I think I’ll stay at the Guild for an hour or two,” simply replied the girl. “I’m allowed to, aren’t I?”

“Uh? Yeah, sure.”

The blonde watched as her charge left and went inside, unsure of what to make of this new development. After all, Kaelys had never initiated contact with the others for the few days she had been present, always seeking Lucy’s reassurance.

Who knows, maybe she’s warming up to everyone.

“I’ll leave Lucy and the others alone for a while” muttered Kaelys, closing the door behind her. “It’s obvious they’re wary now, I should leave them be…”

‘Well, they did assist at a massacre. Leave them some time, I’m sure they’ll be back on their feet by tomorrow’

‘Ugh. They’re just feeble-hearted. Who reacts that strongly at a little blood?’

‘Little blood? It was a bloody mess that smelled of intestines and released excrements!’

‘How charming’

“Guys, shut up,” she grunted.

“What’d you do?”

Startled, the girl was about to break all the bones in the hand now on her shoulder, before faintly recalling her promise, and directing her surge of power to the nearest chair—which exploded.

“Okay…” The black-haired man let her go, lifting an eyebrow. “Nervous much, pipsqueak?”

“Don’t come from behind,” she simply answered, frowning. “I might hurt you.”

“Fair enough,” he hummed. “Now, what’d you do?”

The teen stared at the older guy for a moment but was unable to recall his name. Seeing her struggle, he let out a really, really weird laugh.

“Gihihi, Gajeel Redfox. So, you’re the shrimp that was with Oración Seis?”

“Kaelys,” she simply answered. “And yes, I am. Though, I am no shrimp.”

She was obviously missing the point of the comparison. The Mage sweatdropped, before going back to the main subject. The first thing he had smelled when she came in was the blood. Even though none was to be seen, the smell clung to her like a second skin.

“So, who died?”

She stared for half-a-second, before looking away.

“The bandits we were after. They were going to hurt Lucy, Happy, Natsu, Erza and Gray, so I killed them.”

“Well, that sure explains the weird air you guys had when you arrived,” he snorted, gesturing for her to follow. “And what, they saw everything?”

“It wasn’t done very cleanly, to be honest.”

He nodded, taking a seat at the bar. After a moment, she did the same. While most people would be wary around Gajeel, she found herself finding comfort in the aura they shared.

An aura tainted with red.

“Well, about damn time they lost some of their goddamn illusions,” he snorted.

“Illusions?” echoed Kaelys, confused.

“Look, kid, you and I aren’t that different,” he pointed out. “I killed, you killed, all for the sake of missions. Ain’t something I’m proud of, but ain’t something I regret either. It’s what was necessary. In that stupid cheery Guild, though, killing isn’t exactly appreciated.”

“Fairy Tail doesn’t kill,” Kaelys repeated Gray’s words almost religiously.

“Exactly,” nodded the Iron Dragon Slayer, rolling his eyes a little. “But, the world ain’t just black and white, as they’ve been believing since day one. You know that, I know that, and now they do too. It was about time they opened their eyes, it’s all. They’ll come around before the day is over, though, knowing them.”

“Gray was really angry, though,” she mumbled, her eyes fixated on the floor.

“To hell with that pansy, it’s not like he can change what happened,” shrugged the Steel Mage.

He gestured for Mira to come over, and the white-haired woman approached with a gentle smile. When she noticed Kaelys, her gaze softened.

The old geezer must have told her, he mused internally.

If there was one thing Gajeel could respect about the she-demon, it was that she was one of the few in this happy-go-lucky Guild to know about the true shades of this stupid world they were living in. Her very magic was considered demonic and, believe it or not, but many had died when she lost control of her powers in the past. It wasn’t something much known, but her Take-Over Magic was dangerous, for herself and for those around her.

Now, Gajeel wasn’t saying Fairy Tail knew nothing of darkness. All the members he could think of –those a minimum worth remembering, at least- had a dark past, or at least some sorrow tainting it. However, what they failed to realize was that people weren’t made of just evil or just good, and that pissed him off sometimes.

“Hello, Kaelys. Did you enjoy your first mission?” then asked Mirajane.

“It was interesting,” answered the girl, tilting her head in wonder. “In a good way, I guess. I had always been alone on the missions before, or it was always about the Dark Guilds under our command. Helping people was different. I think it was the first time people were greeting me with cheers instead of terrified screams.”

Gajeel choked on his drink, laughing, and Mirajane simply offered another gentle smile. The teen’s blunt honesty was refreshing, to say the least, if not a little scary at times. However, neither minded. Gajeel because he found it funny as hell, and Mira simply because she could see beyond the teen’s harsh words that she was simply stating a fact.

“Anyway, what would you like to drink? Or maybe you’d like to eat?” then proposed the barmaid.

The teen was about to answer that she didn’t have any money, before remembering that she was just coming back from the mission and thus, had her pockets full.

“Orange juice,” ordered the girl. “Please.”

“Coming right up,” winked the woman.

“Orange juice?” repeated the Dragon Slayer.

Kaelys simply shrugged. She liked the taste because it made her remember that she no longer was in the asylum, where her meals were bland, without any taste.

“There you go, sweetheart!”

“Thank you.”

Kaelys offered a few Jewels, and prodded the liquid with the tip of her finger, before bringing it to her lips. After a few seconds, seeing as nothing happened, she started to sip on her drink, relishing in the flavor now engulfing her taste buds.

She tested her drink to see if there was something in it, the man next to her realized.

“So, kiddo…” Gajeel downed his own drink. “What happened to have you so messed up?”

“I’m not crazy,” she instantly shot him a glare.

“Never said you were.”

‘He’s not lying’

‘Don’t answer! You know nothing of that guy!’

‘Well, at least he didn’t treat her like a ticking bomb since she arrived!’

“Torture. Abandonment. Treason. More torture,” she listed off.

“Ain’t that fun,” grunted the red-eyed wizard.

“Not as fun as getting them back for it, that’s for sure.”

Gajeel let out his weird laugh again, slamming his cup on the counter. “You’re a riot kid.”

‘Well, there’s one who seems to appreciate your humor’

‘Must be as fucked up as she is’

Both voices fell quiet when, for the first time, she ignored the jab at her mental state, and engaged in a conversation about past bloody missions with the Dragon Slayer.

When Kaelys returned to Lucy’s apartment, the sun was slowly setting down. Going in, she found the blonde already eating, the table set for two.

“Oh, you’re back,” beamed the Celestial Mage. “Come on, now, it’s getting cold.”

“Right.”

The teen took a seat, and quickly checked the food, before eating. If Lucy noticed, she didn’t say a word about it. It was silent for a while as they ate, until the blonde sighed, and placed down her fork.

“I wanted to apologize.”

Kaelys startled at that. “Apologize?” she repeated under her breath. “What does she want to apologize for…?”

“Because I knew this was going to happen,” admitted Lucy, looking away. “I knew that there were still many things you didn’t know about our way of doing things, yet I let you go anyway, and you got hurt because of that—“

“I got hurt because of myself. You are not to blame,” replied the teen.

“Still… from now on, I’ll do my best to look out for you! I promise!”

At the girl’s sudden eagerness, Kaelys leaned away slightly.

“… look out… for me…?”

“I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but I already feel as if we’re connected,” insisted the mage, serious. “And I want to help you, in whatever way I can. So, I’ll do my best to be a great friend, I swear it! After all, you’re a part of Fairy Tail, now, and Fairy Tail is family.”

“… friend?”

‘Maybe you should consider it. I mean, you are going to pass the next five years together. Plus, she’s trustworthy’

‘To what extent? Though I like Blondie, there’s always a limit to what a person can take, ya know. When she sees how fucked up you really are, do you think she’ll still be able to manage?’

“Fairy Tail… is family…?” then murmured the girl.

Her mind wandered back to her father, who killed himself when she was but a child, if not a baby –she couldn’t remember what had been said at the time-. She thought back to Miss Kelly, who betrayed her, and her mother, who left her alone in that hellhole. She lingered on the Doctor’s face, unable to remember his name despite the two years he had passed torturing her.

Family had never been an option for her. Family meant trusting people, and that’s something she couldn’t afford to do freely. The only ones she could trust were the voices, after all. Oración Seis hadn’t been a family. She was loyal to Brain because it was the only mean to survive in this new world. As for the rest of the members, she had grown to actually like them: Angel with her soft side, Cobra and his asshole comments, napping with Midnight, playing chess with Hoteye, sparing with Racer… It still wasn’t family, though, even if she genuinely regretted that she wouldn’t ever see them again.

The girl then looked down at the warm plate of food before her. She glanced at the clothes on her back and the roof above her head. She stared down at the guildmark, fully displayed since she got rid of her gloves.

“… family?”

Crimson red would always be tainting her hands. There would always be a shadow in her eyes, burns on her body, and scars in her heart. Her mind would always be troubled by ghosts, and she couldn’t erase her past, no matter how hard she wished she could. Fairy Tail, though… No, Lucy brought back light to chase the shadows in those purple orbs that were originally hated by most. She gave her clothes to hide the burns and gave comfort to heal the scars. She gave support to ease her mind, and reassurance to chase the ghosts.

Lucy gave her a chance to look forward instead of stalling in the past.

The red would never go away. The shadows, the burns, the scars would never disappear. The ghosts would always haunt her, and her past was a part of her life she could never forget. However… However, maybe this was it. Maybe this was her chance. Not to become someone new, but to become someone better.

‘For once, don’t worry about things. It’s your chance, and you deserve to take it’

‘Well, I guess that if worst comes to worst, you can always wipe them out once you’re free or something’

Kaelys took a deep breath, before looking back to Lucy, who was awaiting her answer with slight tension.

“… can I call you nee-san, then?”

They passed the evening watching movies and eating popcorn. It’s only passed midnight that they finally agreed to go to bed. Lucy summoned Plue, before leaving the small Spirit in the teen’s company for the rest of the night. Sitting down on the mattress –they still needed to buy her a bed- and leaning against the wall, Kaelys hugged the Spirit tightly. Nikolas cooed, hugging back and snuggling in her arms for some more warmth.

Once she found a comfortable position, the teen drifted to sleep. This time around, no nightmare came to trouble her night.

The next morning, Kaelys woke up alone. Guessing the Spirit had returned to its own world while she was asleep, she didn’t make a fuss about it. After all, while his Gate wasn’t taking much magic, keeping it open for so many hours unconsciously wasn’t an easy feat.

“Oh, morning, Kae!”

“Morning, Lucy-nee,” mumbled the teen, rubbing her eyes.

“Slept better?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“No problem!”

The two exchanged a smile, Lucy’s bright and wide, Kaelys’s smaller, but as genuine.

‘You’re really going for it, then? All this sisterly crap and family jazz?’

‘She has nothing to lose, right?’

‘She could be hurt again!’

‘If she lives her life doubting everything and holding back because she might be hurt, then she won’t ever get anywhere’

‘She doesn’t have to get anywhere, she just wants to be free, right?’

“And what if I want more, uh?” retorted suddenly the girl in question, slightly annoyed to be excluded from the conversation when she was the main subject.

“What would you need more?” wondered Lucy, curious.

“Oh, no, don’t bother. Just the voices annoying me,” Kaelys answered, somewhat apologetically.

“Right… anyhow, I’ll go get some of the pancakes I made yesterday morning,” the blonde proposed, going into the kitchen. “Want some?”

“Yes, please!”

As soon as she exited the room, the teen reported her attention on the still ongoing conversation.

‘—she has a right to decide’

‘I’m just saying she’s taking things fast! If she wants to be free, then bonds will only tie her down’

“What if I want more, then?” she repeated her earlier words.

‘What ‘more’ could that be?’

“… I don’t know,” she bit her lower lip, glancing around. “It’s just… I don’t want to be alone either, you know?”

‘Then you don’t have to be. Fairy Tail is your new beginning. You can be free AND have friends you can count on’

‘The same could be said of her mother until she dumped her in a fucking asylum’

“This isn’t the same,” protested the purple-eyed Mage. “I was already Fairy Tail’s enemy when we met, yet they invited me to join and are ready to welcome me with open arms despite our differences. That has to count for something, right?”

‘Exactly’

‘Tche. Just don’t come crying when they hurt you too’

“It won’t happen,” swore the girl.

And somehow, she found herself believing this assurance.

Later on that day, Lucy offered to create a contract before Kaelys. The teen was curious about the blonde’s magic, thus accepting right away. Sitting eagerly on the couch, the Celestial Mage grinned at her before brandishing the key before her.

“It must be the one she received for the completed mission…” mused the teen.

"I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate!" chanted Lucy with a confident tone. “Bootes!”

‘… she got a nice ass’

‘Don’t you start!’

There was a flash of light before a man appeared in the middle of the room. He seemed in his fifties, with brown hair going gray and sharp, green eyes. Rubbing his beard, he took a look around, before reporting his attention on the one who had summoned him.

“Might you be my new Master?” he asked, his tone even.

“I am your new contractor, yes,” confirmed Lucy with a kind smile. “But I don’t like being called ‘master’ or any of the sort. Just call me Lucy, or Princess, if you really want to.”

“… very well, Miss Lucy,” he agreed, deep in thoughts. “Anyhow, I am Bootes. I can be summoned once a week, whenever you want, for an hour. I am an assassin type of Spirit.”

‘Now that sounds like a fun Spirit’

The two girls startled at his introduction, and Lucy blinked.

“Assassin type? What do you mean?”

At that, the man looked away, a shadow covering his eyes.

“I can create poisons,” he explained, his tone somber. “I am usually used for assassination missions, to get rid of my Master’s enemies and such.”

“Oh, so you’re a support type,” relaxed Lucy.

He looked at her for the first that at that, genuinely surprised. “I beg your pardon?”

“Well, I would suppose you can create antidotes if you can create poisons, can you not?” she raised an eyebrow. “And poisons aren’t always used to kill. They can cover a much larger brand of operations, mainly tranquilizers, medicines, drugs… I want to make one thing clear, Bootes: I will never send you to kill someone, and even less to beat my adversaries for me. I may be somewhat weak, but I know how to handle myself, and I rather fight alongside my Spirits than let them do the work.”

“… I see.” Finally, a smile graced his lips. It was faint but genuine. “I am happy that my key ended in your possession, then.” He bowed slightly. “I will gladly help whenever you will need me.”

“And I’m happy to have you as a friend, Bootes,” she replied kindly. “See you next week!”

“Farewells, Miss Lucy.”

With that, he disappeared. Lucy let out a satisfied sigh, and Kaelys whistled lowly.

“Well, that one’s cool,” she remarked. “Can you imagine if Angel had had him? We wouldn’t have had to worry about Cobra growing hungry anymore! Damn, now I want to go see him just to rub it in his face… Wait, he escaped Nirvana, didn’t? Oh, of course he did. Cubellios must have gotten him out of there. Must have been captured by the Rune Knights, though, along with the others… I hope they’re okay… Maybe I could go see them?”

The Celestial Mage stiffened at the mention of the white-haired mage’s name, glancing at Kaelys as the girl mumbled under her breath.

“Kae…” The teen snapped her eyes at her. “I know that they were your… friends, but you have to be careful. The Magic Council always have had their eyes on Fairy Tail because of our reputation, but it only worsened when we accepted you within our ranks. They’re digging for excuses to use for the Guild to be disbanded, and if they ever catch you trying to do something…”

The black-haired girl stared for a moment, before looking away, shame clearly written over her features.

“I’m sorry… I don’t want Fairy Tail to be disbanded,” she apologized, rubbing her wrists. “I just wish they could be here too… They never had a choice either, you know?”

“What do you mean?” Lucy couldn’t help but ask.

Kaelys shifted in her seat for a second. She had learned everything because of how much time she spent with each member, and they usually ended up babbling about their life from before. However, none of them had actually asked her to never tell anyone, so it was okay, right?

“They’re from a place called… err, Dark Tower? Shithole? Tower…”

“… the Tower of Heaven?” paled the blonde.

“That!” confirmed the teen, nodding. “Anyway, they were all kidnapped when they were children and forced to build that thing. At one point, though, Zero showed up and took them away. He trained them with their Magic and made them grow stronger because they would eventually become his weapons or, otherwise said—“

“Oración Seis,” understood the Celestial Mage, her tone darker.

“Exactly. I came along a year or so ago, and Brain at first simply wanted to make me a new member. The more the merrier, right? But I learned Thief Magic, and it gave him the idea of me copying Nirvana, which led us to where we are today.”

“… what could they possibly gain from activating Nirvana, though?” then wondered the blonde, hoping she wasn’t crossing a line.

The Thief Mage thought about it for a moment.

“Freedom,” she finally offered with a slight shrug. “They’re not bad people. Sure, they did really awful things, but so did I, you know? They weren’t after destroying the world or anything, they just wanted to make a place for themselves inside it. And, if it meant killing some people to do so, why not? They had no one but themselves… We had no one but ourselves.” Kaelys let her eyes wander outside the window, where the sun was shining brightly. “We may be a bunch of monsters, but it doesn’t make us any less humans,” she concluded, slightly clenching her fist. “Can one really be blamed for wanting a place to belong to?”

“… no.” finally gave in Lucy, looking down. “No, they can’t. Hey, Kae?”

“Hmm?”

“… tell me more about you and Oración Seis?”

“Sure.”

“Good morning~!”

“Gah! L- Loke!?”

“Kae-hime, what a joy to be reunited with you at last!” cried dramatically the Spirit, twirling her around.

“Let me go!”

She managed to escape from his grasp and glared at him. He simply smiled, obviously teasing her.

“What, not happy to see me?”

“I don’t know.”

He sweatdropped at little at her bluntness, before going back to his cheery attitude, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

“We get to spend the day together, isn’t it fantastic?” he asked.

“The day?” repeated Kaelys, surprised. “Where’s Lucy-nee?”

He gaped at her for a second, taken aback by the honorific she had just used, before trapping her in a deadly embrace once more, suffocating the poor girl.

“So cute!”

“Loke!” protested the girl. “Where’s Lucy-nee? Doesn’t she want to spend the day with me? Oh, I must be a burden for her again, of course she has other things to do than keep an eye on me… then again, I’m supposed to always be with a member of Fairy Tail… wait, Loke’s got a mark, so I guess it counts. But he’s a Spirit, is it the same jurisdiction? I—“

“Alright, calm down a second,” the Leader of the Zodiacs ruffled her hair, earning a squawk of protest. “Lucy had something to discuss with the Master, but she didn’t want you to be alone and so asked me to hang out with you until she’s done.”

“Oh, alright,” blinked the teen, swatting his hand away. “Guess I’ll grab some breakfast, then. Do you want some?”

“You know how to cook?” he seemed surprised.

“No, but it mustn’t be that hard, right?”

Kaelys had been wrong. Cooking was harder than whatever hellish training Cobra had put her through when she arrived, and that was saying something. Damn it, even learning Thief Magic had been easier, that much she was certain of!

“That’s it, you’re not touching a frying pan ever again,” swore Loke, covered in flour and some sort of green paste mixed in his hair. “Or a cookbook. Or the kitchen in general.”

‘I can only agree on this one’

‘Why did you take the flour anyway? You were making toasts!’

“I already said I was sorry,” she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “I don’t like cooking anyway. Plus, it’s not my fault my Magic snapped!”

“Then again, using Fire Dragon Slaying Magic wasn’t exactly the best way to toast the bread,” retorted Loke with a scoff.

“Then why didn’t you stop me!?”

“Because it was funny!”

“You damn—“

The door of the apartment suddenly opened, making the both of them freeze in their tracks. They turned around as Lucy came in, smiling brightly.

“Hey guys, I’m home—WHAT HAPPENED TO MY KITCHEN!?”

‘She’s going to kill us’

‘Yeah, no kidding. That chick’s scary as fuck’

The next day, it was decided that Loke would help her out for her training. After some digging, he and Lucy had discovered that while Thief Magic allowed its user to copy the Magics, it didn’t mean they could copy their control. Kaelys had never bothered learning to control the spells she stole. After all, as long as the work was done, the rest didn’t matter, even if it was overkill. However, she wanted to cook, not burn down the house. Seeing as it actually demanded some serious control –which she obviously lacked- it didn’t turn out in the greatest of ways.

The teen had agreed to train, though begrudgingly. While she loved to train, she had only ever exercised control over her telekinesis. Also, she would lose even more energy with the spells, seeing as she had to first use her Thief Magic so as to be able to use them.

Yep, a real pain.

When she finally arrived at the clearing that had been chosen as their unfortunate training grounds, Lucy and Loke were already there, apparently discussing something of importance.

When they noticed her, though, they instantly dropped the subject.

‘Weird’

‘Terribly suspicious, yes. Be on your guards’

“No,” growled lowly Kaelys. “I promised I’d give them a chance. I won’t be the first one to turn my back.”

At her resolve, the voices could only fall quiet. And, while a doubt still nagged at the young teen’s mind, she merely pushed it aside. If she gave in her delusions, then things would only grow worse, that much she knew.

She could only wait and hope she wouldn’t regret it.

Three days passed with the same routine. Lucy would make breakfast in the morning, then they would head to the training ground. Once there, Lucy would summon Loke, who would then help Kaelys while Lucy herself meditated. It had been Kaelys’s idea. After all, meditating always helped to strengthen one’s magical core and sources. So, the blonde was doing her own training. Meditating while keeping Loke’s gate open drained her quickly, and she whined more often than not about her exhaustion. Kaelys stopped her from backing down, though. After all, while Lucy was strong, she could be much stronger. She only needed to make some efforts, something she wasn’t very keen on doing right now though.

“Hey, Kiddo.”

“Yo.”

If there was one other person Kaelys really liked in the Guild, it was Gajeel. The man didn’t do sugarcoating –which she considered lying, to some extents, and he was really fun to hang out with. He also was one of the rare that never believed her to be crazy, which was a plus in her books. Oh, and he agreed to let her copy his magic once she was done training with those she already had. That did help strengthen trust.

“So, anything good happened?” he wondered, gesturing for Mira to bring a drink.

“Training,” shrugged the teen, sipping at her orange juice. “We stopped earlier, though. Master called Lucy-nee, so we had to come back.”

He hummed in understanding, and the barmaid then arrived with a mug, handing it over with her usual smile.

“Hello, Gajeel.”

“Thanks, Mira.”

“Of course. Do you want anything else, sweetheart?” the woman glanced her way.

“Nan, I’m fine.”

Mirajane was also really nice to have around. The woman always smiled genuinely, and never took offense to Kaelys’s remarks. Also, she often offered her the juice for free, seeing as it wasn’t much and the teen usually forgot to bring some money—well, more like she didn’t want to ask some from Lucy, but anyway.

“Kaelys, dear?”

The girl blinked, turning around to spot Master Makarov on the second floor.

“Master?”

“Would you come to my office for a few minutes please?”

“Uh? Sure.”

She shot a wondering look at the Iron Dragon Slayer, who simply shrugged, ruffling her hair as she headed away. She shot him a glare, earning one of his infamous laughing fit. She was apparently a walking comedy. Trying to put back some order in the nest that had formed, she flew over to the second floor without much of a thought.

‘I hope it’s not something bad’

The teen froze, her hand almost touching the handle.

‘Great. Now you’ve scared her’

‘But it’s true! I mean, we’ve only been here for a few days. Why would he call her in his office?’

‘Who knows?’

“Guys, you’re not helping,” she grunted, before going in. “What is it, Master?”

Lucy was also there, sporting a very strange look. It was as if she was barely able to contain her smile or something. The Master had a much more serious air, though there was a slight twinkle in his eyes that softened his features.

“Come, my child. We have important news to share,” he announced.

Growing a little worried, she sat nowadays. When he saw she was paying attention, the small man nodded.

“Alright… Lucy here has convinced me of a certain… project. She has talked to me about your worries for your ex-comrades of Oración Seis and, after talking over the technicalities, I have decided to accept her proposition. I have talked over it with the Magic Council, who has also agreed to take part in the said project,” he explained.

“What project? What does it have to do with my friends?” blinked the teen, confused.

“From what you have said, the other members of the Guild didn’t have much of a choice either. Therefore, the Magic Council has agreed to give them a chance to redeem themselves, just like they did for you,” he announced.

The girl’s mind went blank for a second.

‘Wait, does this mean…’

‘They’re joining Fairy Tail…?’

“You mean… they’re coming here…?” Her voice was small, she didn’t dare to believe what was happening. “Joining the Guild as I did? They’re… they have a second chance?”

“Yes.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it, unable to come up with anything else to say. Noticing her state of shock, the Master decided to explain the last few details.

“Each member will be given the choice of either joining a Guild –either Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus or Lamia Scale- or staying in jail and pay off their crimes as previously judged. Of course, they cannot all be sent at the same time, or it will hinder their process of rehabilitation. So, the Guild will welcome a new member each month. The same rules that apply to you will apply to them. Should they prove unable to be restored into society, though, they will be taken back to prison and return to their previous atonement. I know it may seem sudden, but—“

“Thank you,” she cut him off, hiding her eyes behind her hands. “I don’t think… I don’t think you understand exactly what it means to me… what it could mean to them…”

The Thief Mage took a deep breath, before looking back at him, determination settling in her purple orbs.

“We won’t let you down. I don’t think it’ll be easy, but none of them are stupid enough to pass that chance,” she then assured. “At least I think so…”

Makarov chuckled lightly, jumping onto his desk.

“Anyhow, a first member should be joining us at the end of the week. Until then, well, do as usual. I will do an official announcement later today to warn the other members of the Guild. Lucy, child, maybe talking to your Spirits…? After all, they may have a hard time working with Oración Seis members.”

“Of course. Thank you again, Master,” she nodded, bowing a little.

“No,” he shook his head, smiling softly. “Thank you, the both of you. I believe that thanks to your work, a few more people will finally be able to find their own light. Now, off you go! You have training to return to, I believe.”

Lucy groaned in despair, making the teen snort. They then both bid goodbye to the old man, before leaving. As soon as the doors close, the Celestial Mage was startled by the sudden embrace Kaelys trapped her into.

“K- Kae?”

“Thank you,” whispered the teen, hugging her tightly. “Thank you so much.”

After half-a-second, a soft smile stretched Lucy’s lips, and she hugged back with as much strength. If there was one thing she had been expecting from the teen, hugging wasn’t one of them. After all, since the very beginning, Kaelys hadn’t been keen on physical contacts. It meant leaving her back open, something she couldn’t afford. So, for her to actually initiate the contact was an enormous show of trust that Lucy wasn’t about to forget.

“Anytime."