Chapter 297: The Star That Cannot Return to the Sky
"I didn't expect you to figure out I was a Celestial Spirit..."
Loke fell silent for a moment, then lowered his head and smiled bitterly.
"I'm a Celestial Spirit Wizard who has made contracts with many spirits, so I noticed your true nature.
"But I should have realized it sooner. I always felt like I had seen you somewhere before. Since you're a spirit, that feeling isn't strange. I saw you in the Spirit World when I visited as a child."
Lucy sighed.
"Indeed. I remember you were just a tiny thing back then. Hard to believe you've grown up so big and beautiful in the blink of an eye," Loke said nostalgically.
Seeing the Heartfilia family and Noah in the Spirit World felt like yesterday, but now things were completely different.
"But it's strange. Normally, when a keyholder dies, the contract between them and the spirit is broken. The spirit is forcibly returned to the Spirit World until a new owner appears.
"After Karen died, the contract should have been dissolved. Yet you remained in the Human World.
"There must be a special reason why you couldn't return to the Spirit World."
Hearing Lucy's words, Loke lowered his head and didn't answer.
Lucy paused, then continued in a heavy tone, "Just as humans cannot survive normally in the Spirit World, spirits cannot survive normally in the Human World. Their life force gradually drains away, and death eventually follows."
"It's been three years," Loke said calmly.
"Three... three years! Even one year should be impossible!" Lucy exclaimed, shocked.
"Yeah... I've reached my limit. I have no strength left..." Loke sighed.
"Maybe I can help you... No, I definitely can help you!
"Noah told me I could help you. It was thanks to him lending me Grandpa Crux's key that I found out your previous owner was Karen Lilica.
"Tell me why you can't go back! I'll try to open the gate!"
Lucy spoke with intense emotion. Loke turned away, looking at Karen's gravestone.
"Noah, huh? He certainly knows about me. He offered to help before, but I don't need help."
"What are you saying?! If this continues, you really will die!"
"The reason I can't go back is simple."
"What is it?"
"I violated the sacred law between keyholder and spirit. The result is permanent banishment from the Spirit World."
"Permanent... banishment?"
"That is my sin. I am willing to accept death as my punishment. Because I am a spirit who betrayed his owner. I killed Karen with my own hands."
Lucy's pupils dilated rapidly. She was stunned by Loke's words.
"You... killed Karen... your owner?"
Loke was silent for a moment before speaking. "A spirit who kills their owner cannot return to the Spirit World. I will gradually fade away, right here in front of Karen's grave."
"How could that be..."
"It happened three years ago..."
Loke began to recount the events of that year.
In X781, Loke—Leo the Lion—and Aries the Ram were both contracted to Karen. However, Karen abused her spirits, beating them and using Aries as a tool to distract men, even using her as a shield in battle.
Finally, Loke couldn't take it anymore. He forcibly swapped places with Aries while Karen was beating her, manifesting in the Human World. He demanded that Karen release him and Aries from their contracts.
Karen refused and tried to force close his gate, but it didn't work. Since Loke was using his own magic to stay in the Human World, he wasn't affected by Karen's magic or drained by her mana supply.
Furthermore, Karen wasn't strong enough to summon two spirits at once. As long as Loke occupied her summoning slot, she couldn't summon a second spirit. This meant she couldn't perform her guild jobs properly.
Loke intended to use this as leverage to force Karen to release them or at least change her attitude toward spirits.
He went to a ruins on the outskirts of town to wait for her answer.
Ten days passed, and Karen didn't release them. Thirty days passed, and still nothing. Three months later, Loke was about to forgive her when Master Bob of Blue Pegasus found him.
Without Master Bob's permission, Karen had taken a job. She tried to gamble, attempting to summon a second spirit by releasing a massive amount of magic all at once. She failed, and her body couldn't handle the strain.
"That is my sin. Once a life is lost, it can never be returned. The dead can never come back. The only way to atone is through my own destruction," Loke said painfully.
Lucy remained silent.
Suddenly, Loke groaned in pain, his legs giving out as he collapsed to the ground.
"Loke!" Lucy cried out, rushing to his side.
"Is it... time..."
"What do you mean?"
"The time for me to disappear..."
"What are you saying?!" Lucy panicked.
"Because of me, Karen couldn't summon other spirits... going on a job in that condition... she lost her life... It's the same as if I killed her," Loke gasped out.
"Wait! Stay with me!"
"Since that day, I haven't been able to return to the Spirit World. The Spirit World refuses to accept a spirit who disobeyed their owner's orders."
Loke raised his left hand. It was starting to turn transparent.
"This is the law of the Spirit World. It's absolute. It cannot be broken.
"Since that day, Karen has never left my mind. I tried doing all sorts of things to distract myself, but I could never forget.
"I lived for this moment. The moment I disappear before Karen's grave. And now, that moment has finally arrived."
Loke struggled to lift his head, giving Lucy a weak smile. "But I'm glad I met a good Celestial Spirit Wizard like you at the end. Thank you, Lucy..."
"Wait! There has to be a way to save you! I will save you! Don't give up!" Lucy shouted desperately.
"Please take care of everyone in Fairy Tail for me."
"No! I won't accept this!"
"Lucy..."
"As long as you return to the Spirit World, your life force will recover immediately! I will definitely send you back!"
"It's impossible. Rules are rules."
"But it's weird! That doesn't count as you killing Karen! It was an accident!"
"Lucy..." Loke said weakly.
Lucy grabbed Loke's shoulders firmly, pouring her magic into him. "Open! Gate of the Lion! Let Loke return to the Spirit World! Open! Please! OPEN!"
"Lucy... that's enough... stop..." Loke tried to push her away, his body fading further.
"NO! How can I abandon a friend who's disappearing right in front of me?! WAAAAHHH!!!"
Lucy gripped his shoulders tighter, unleashing all her magic at once in a desperate attempt to force the gate open.
"Lucy! You can't release all your magic at once!" Loke shouted in panic.
"He's right, Lucy. It's best not to dump all your magic in one go."
A hand landed on Lucy's shoulder. A massive surge of magic flowed into her body, instantly relieving the strain of her magical exhaustion.
Lucy turned to see Noah. Behind him stood Natsu, Gray, Erza, Mirajane, and the others.
"So, we're here to help," Noah smiled, continuing to pour magic into her.
The air and ground trembled. Bolstered by Noah's support, Lucy's magic erupted into a pillar of light that shot into the sky.
"Lucy is right. We can't just stand by and watch a friend disappear! Noah, what can we do for Loke? Transfer magic like you?" Erza asked.
"Me too!" Natsu tried to rush forward to give Lucy magic.
Noah stopped him with a hand. "No need. Your Dragon Slayer magic is unique. Transferring it directly to Lucy without processing it would hurt her. I'll try first. If it doesn't work, then you guys can step in."
Natsu stopped. Erza and the others nodded, watching Lucy and Loke tensely.
"Everyone..."
Loke looked at them with a mix of happiness and helplessness. He had wanted to leave quietly; he hadn't expected so many people to come.
But seeing Noah, he realized it was inevitable. Since Noah knew his secret, he wouldn't pretend nothing happened.
With Noah's support, Lucy sighed in relief. Releasing all her magic at once had been agonizing.
She nodded gratefully to Noah, then continued to pour magic into Loke, trying to force open the gate to the Spirit World. "I told you! I'll find a way to help you! I'm going to force the gate open right now!"
"Please stop!"
"Open! Gate of the Lion! OPEN!"
"It won't open! A spirit who has disobeyed their contractor cannot return to the Spirit World!" Loke shouted over the magical storm radiating from Lucy.
~~~
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