"You know where he is?!"
Gray and Mira both stared at Kael in shock.
"Are you serious, Kael? Do you really know where Loke went?"
Gray asked, his voice tight with anxiety. Loke was one of his closest friends, and the sudden, cryptic departure had left him deeply shaken.
"More or less,"
Kael replied calmly.
As someone who had watched the entire Fairy Tail series in his previous life, Kael knew Loke's story inside out. While Loke wasn't always the center of attention, his arc was one of the most memorable.
"Well, where is he?"
Gray pressed.
"Most likely... at his Master's place."
"His Master?"
Mira and Gray exchanged a confused look.
"What do you mean, 'Master'?"
"Oh, right. I forgot you didn't know,"
Kael said, realizing he'd slipped up.
"Loke isn't human. He's a Celestial Spirit."
"A Celestial Spirit?!"
Mira and Gray were absolutely floored. They knew what Celestial Spirits were, of course. While Celestial Spirit Wizards were rare, they weren't unheard of—the guild's newest member, Lucy, was one herself.
"No way... how can Loke be a spirit?"
Gray stammered.
"Yeah, Kael,"
Mira added, her brow furrowed.
"How could you possibly know that?"
"Think about it. My Take Over magic involves Heroic Spirits. Both Heroic Spirits and Celestial Spirits are ethereal beings; I can sense that his soul isn't human. Plus, after the Galuna Island mission, I saw the spirits Lucy summoned. Their magical signature is identical to Loke's."
"Then who is Loke's Master?"
Mira asked.
"I'm not entirely sure about that part,"
Kael lied. He didn't want to explain the whole tragedy involving Karen Lilica just yet.
"Then let's go find him,"
Mira said, her eyes full of concern.
"No need. I'll go alone,"
Kael insisted.
"Do you even know where to start looking?"
Kael nodded.
"I have my ways."
"Full-Body Take Over: Ulquiorra Cifer!"
In a flash of cold, green energy, Kael transformed into the stoic Fourth Espada. He knelt and pressed his palm against the floor.
"Pesquisa."
Kael closed his eyes, projecting a pulse of spiritual awareness that radiated outward from the guild. This was the Arrancar's signature sensory ability, allowing him to gauge the strength and location of every soul in the vicinity. In his mind's eye, the inhabitants of Magnolia appeared as flickering flames.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Azure flames ignited in his mental map. Most were dim—ordinary citizens. A few bright blazes marked the wizards of the guild. The brightest by far was Master Makarov, a sun-like inferno that dwarfed everyone else.
Finally, he felt it. High in the mountains west of town, a tiny flame was flickering. It was weak, dancing like a candle in a gale, ready to be snuffed out at any moment. The magical signature was a perfect match for Loke.
Kael opened his eyes.
"Found him."
"Really? That's great!"
Gray and Mira sighed in relief.
"Go tell the others to stop searching,"
Kael commanded as he stood.
"I'll bring him back safely."
"Right!"
they agreed.
Kael blurred into motion, heading toward the town center. He knew where Loke was, but to save him, he needed one more person.
A few minutes later, Kael arrived at Lucy's apartment.
"Lucy!"
"Eeeek!"
Lucy had just stepped out of the shower. Kael's sudden appearance startled her so badly that her bath towel slipped, revealing her stunning figure. Kael blinked, his pulse quickening. 'As expected of Lucy,' he thought. 'She really does have an incredible body.'
"Yaaah!"
Lucy shrieked, her face turning crimson. She scrambled to cover herself, crouching down to grab the towel.
Kael turned the tables before she could yell at him.
"Why aren't you wearing clothes? Have you been hanging out with Gray too much?"
"I just got out of the shower, you idiot! Of course I'm not wearing clothes! This is trespassing! Breaking into a girl's room in the middle of the night... wait... what are you doing here? Are you... are you trying to make a move on me?"
Kael raised his hands dismissively.
"Relax. You're not my type."
"Hmph! Then what do you want?"
she huffed, wrapping herself tightly in the towel.
"Loke has left the guild. He's in serious trouble, and I need your help to save him."
Lucy's expression immediately shifted from embarrassment to worry.
"Loke left? Why?"
"I'll explain on the way. Get dressed. Now."
"Then turn around!"
Later, at the waterfall in the West Mountains, Loke stood before a weathered tombstone. His eyes were hollow as he stared at the name of his former Master: Karen Lilica. He hadn't wanted the guild to see him fade away. He wanted them to remember him as he was, not as a dying spirit.
"Loke!"
He spun around, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Kael? Lucy? How did you find me?"
"Sensory magic,"
Kael said, stepping forward.
"Locating you wasn't that difficult."
Loke let out a weary sigh.
"I should have known better than to hide from you."
"So... is this her grave?"
Kael asked, nodding toward the tombstone.
"You... you know about her?"
"Did you really think you did a good job hiding your identity? I've known you were a Celestial Spirit for a while now."
Loke was stunned. He had guarded that secret for years, yet Kael spoke of it as if it were common knowledge. But then again, Kael was full of surprises.
"I guess I'm not as clever as I thought,"
Loke muttered.
"A Celestial Spirit?!"
Lucy cried out, her jaw dropping.
"Loke? How? I'm a Celestial Spirit Wizard—how did I not notice?"
Kael looked at Loke's translucent hands.
"You're dying, aren't you?"
Loke nodded solemnly.
"There's no hiding it from you. My time is up. Just as humans can't survive in the Spirit World, spirits cannot survive in the human world indefinitely. Our life force is slowly drained until there's nothing left. I've managed to hold on for three years."
"Three years?!"
Lucy gasped.
"Most spirits can't survive more than a week without a contract!"
"I've hit my limit,"
Loke said, his voice trembling.
"I don't have enough strength left to return. I didn't want to worry the guild, so I thought it was better to just... disappear. Lucy, please. Tell them I went on a long journey. Don't let them know I died here."
Kael crossed his arms.
"Sorry, but I'm not a messenger. I especially hate delivering last words. It's bad luck. If you have something to say, you're going to have to say it to their faces."
Loke gave a bitter smile.
"I can't go back, Kael. I'm a criminal."
The dam broke, and Loke finally told his story. He spoke of Karen, a cruel Master who treated her spirits like toys. He told them how she used Aries as a shield to get rid of unwanted suitors, and how she would beat and starve them.
To save Aries from further abuse, Loke had forcibly stayed in the human world, preventing Karen from summoning any other spirits until she broke their contracts. He had only meant to teach her a lesson, to force her to be kind. He never expected that she would take a high-level mission without her spirits and get herself killed.
Because his actions indirectly caused his Master's death, Loke was banished. The Celestial Spirit World refused to let him return.
"I can feel it,"
Loke whispered as his body began to sparkle with fading light.
"I'm disappearing. Thank you for listening... it feels good to finally tell someone. I can die without regrets now."
Kael watched him calmly, then spoke in a voice that brooked no argument.
"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, you aren't going to die."