"The one who banished me was the Celestial Spirit King."
Loke did not wish to live on—living would only bring more pain and guilt.
In fact, looking at the grave, he was almost glad to see this outcome finally arriving.
"Permanent exile?" Lucy gasped.
Loke turned around and looked directly into Lucy's eyes, his expression full of sorrow.
"This is my sin. I would even accept death. I am a traitorous Celestial Spirit. I was the one who killed... my owner... Karen."
He took a shaky breath before continuing his confession. "That happened three years ago. Karen was the owner of both me and Aries, the Celestial Spirit of the Ram."
"But she never truly understood or used Celestial Spirits properly," Loke's fists clenched. "She often used Aries as a tool to please men, or even as a shield in battle, treating Celestial Spirits as mere objects without hearts."
"Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore. I forcibly opened my own gate and used my own magic power to stay in the human world, replacing the abused Aries to send her back to the Celestial Spirit World."
"Since I used my own power as a Celestial Spirit to stay, I was not under Karen's control. However, a Celestial Spirit Mage can only sustain so many spirits at once. Karen only had enough magic power to open one gate at a time. My unauthorized presence made it impossible for her to summon any other Celestial Spirits."
"I intended to use this as leverage to force Karen to release both me and Aries from our contracts with her."
Loke looked back at the tombstone. "I arranged to meet her in the ruins west of the city, telling her to come find me after she had thought it through and agreed to change her ways."
"Three months... For three months, no matter how much Karen pleaded or raged, I did not compromise."
"I thought three months would be enough time for Karen to reflect on her actions."
"But Bob, the Master of the Blue Pegasus Guild, told me the news... Karen had taken on a job without his permission. Desperate for money, she went on a mission without her magic and died."
As he spoke, Loke broke down in tears, clenching his fists and trembling all over.
"I just wanted her to understand that Celestial Spirits are living beings with feelings too! I never meant to harm her... I never wanted her to die!"
"But once a life is lost, it can never be regained. The only way to atone for this sin is for me to disappear as well."
As he spoke, Loke suddenly shuddered violently and collapsed heavily to the ground, his body beginning to flicker and turn transparent.
"What should we do?" Ultear asked urgently from the tree line.
Although Loke was usually unreliable and flirtatious, he was still a member of the guild.
Kagura remained silent, but her eyes were full of deep concern.
Raizel shook his head helplessly. "There's nothing I can do. This is a matter of the laws of the Celestial Spirit World."
Loke lay on the grass, looking at his fading hands. "From that day on, I could no longer return to the Celestial Spirit World."
Lucy watched in horror as Loke's hand flickered in and out of visibility.
"Your hand..."
"This is the rule... the absolute law of the Celestial Spirit World... There's nothing that can be done about it," Loke whispered.
"Since that day, all I could think about was Karen. Maybe it's better this way—after death, I won't have to think anymore."
"I've been living only for this moment, waiting for the time to disappear before Karen's grave."
He looked up at Lucy with a weak, grateful smile. "But at the very end, I was fortunate enough to meet a wonderful Celestial Spirit Mage like you. Thank you, Lucy."
"Wait, hold on! I will definitely save you!" Lucy shouted, stepping forward.
"Please take care of everyone in Fairy Tail. Tell them I was proud to be a member of Fairy Tail."
"No! I can't accept this!"
"Shouldn't words be spoken face to face? Loke."
Raizel, Ultear, and Kagura finally emerged from the woods, stepping into the moonlight.
Though in agony, Loke forced a smile onto his fading face. "You're all here too? That's great... I can see you all one last time..."
BAM!
Lucy angrily punched the ground, tears streaming down her face. "What do you mean 'last time'?! If you could return to the Celestial Spirit World, you'd regain your life force immediately! I'll definitely make you go back!"
"Arc of Time: Restore!"
Ultear stepped forward and attempted to use her time magic on Loke to reverse his fading state.
"I can't do it... It's not working!" Ultear gritted her teeth. "Celestial Spirits are living beings too... My magic doesn't work on organic life!"
Despite her full effort, she produced no effect on his condition.
Loke smiled weakly and shook his head. "Don't waste your Magical Power on me, Ultear."
Seeing Ultear's attempt fail only made Lucy more furious and determined.
"You didn't kill Karen! That was just an unfortunate accident!"
Lucy rushed over and half-supported the now incorporeal Loke, her hands passing slightly through his shoulders.
"Open, Gate of the Lion!" Lucy commanded, summoning her magic.
"Open, please!"
"Lucy, that's enough," Loke pleaded. "Just let me disappear like this."
"No! I absolutely won't stand by helplessly watching my companion vanish before my eyes!"
"OPEN! GATE OF THE LION!!!"
Lucy unleashed all her Magical Power, transforming herself into a conduit.
A towering golden pillar of light erupted from her body, enveloping both her and Loke.
Within this light pillar, Loke regained some temporary life force.
Lucy wasn't just forcing the gate open—she was using her own Celestial Spirit Mage's power to nurture him and sustain his existence.
"Lucy, stop! You can't release all your Magic Power at once! You'll die!" Loke shouted in panic.
"Didn't I tell you? I will definitely save you! I'm going to forcibly... open the gate to the Celestial Spirit World!" Lucy screamed through the torrent of magic.
"I'll help!"
Raizel stepped forward and placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder.
"Link!"
He transferred his immense Magic Power to Lucy through their connection, stabilizing the flow.
"Open! Gate of the Lion!" Lucy roared, her power amplified. "Rules, regulations, whatever—if such rules still exist to kill my friend, then I'll change them myself!"
With Lucy's shout, the world shifted.
Suddenly, the waterfall reversed its flow, rising upward.
The wind died down, and time seemed to stop moving completely.
Then, a colossal figure slowly appeared before Lucy and Loke under the moonlight, looming over the cliff.
"Time... has stopped," Ultear observed the changes around them in shock—the waterfall that had reversed course now hung motionless in the air, and Loke's glasses that had flown off during his fall were suspended in midair.
Loke's eyes widened in astonishment as he stared at the giant entity.
"Celestial Spirit King... why are you here..."
As the absolute ruler of the Celestial Spirit World, the Celestial Spirit King wouldn't easily appear in the human world.
Unless summoned by a Celestial Spirit Mage at the terrifying cost of destroying a Zodiac Key, the King would remain forever in his realm.
"So this is the Celestial Spirit King..." Ultear murmured, gazing at the massive figure clad in full teal and gold armor, his starry cape flowing in a non-existent wind.
He was most notably characterized by his distinct facial hair—a long, flowing mustache.
The Celestial Spirit King's appearance wasn't accompanied by the anger Loke had expected.
Instead, he looked down and explained calmly to Lucy with a booming, resonant voice.
"Old friend... According to the ancient covenant with humans, we are forbidden from killing key holders. Though not directly, Leo of the Lion Palace indirectly caused his owner's death. Thus, he is forbidden from returning to the Celestial Spirit World."
Completely unafraid, Lucy stood up, glared at the giant Celestial Spirit King, and argued.
"Wait, that's too harsh!"
Loke was terrified by Lucy's attitude, fearing the Celestial Spirit King might redirect his anger toward her!
"Lucy... don't be like that! That's the King!"
"Old friend, human maiden... that particular law alone cannot be changed," the King stated firmly.
"Three years... Loke has suffered for three years! For Aries, there was no other choice!" Lucy shouted back.
"I, too, grieve for my old friend's wish, but the law is absolute," the King replied.
Lucy didn't quite understand what the Celestial Spirit King meant by his constant references to an "old friend," assuming he meant the stars themselves, but she pressed on.
"What are you talking about? I'm not some 'old friend'—I'm talking about what's happening to our friend right before our eyes!"
"Listen to me clearly, you bearded old man!"
"Karen is already dead! Even if Loke dies, Karen won't come back to life!"
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