Hiding In Plain Sight

Chapter Eighteen

Does anyone here watch Miraculous Ladybug? Because the entire scene with Loke and Nashi last chapter reminded me of platonic Ladynoir. Probably because Loke calls her "My Lady." But anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Before she knew it, two whole months searching for Aquarius had passed Lucy by.

She sighed as she unlocked the door to her small hotel room in a continent miles away from home. She still couldn't believe it sometimes- that she was actually looking for the person (er, spirit, in this case) who had practically raised her. She was just a few steps away from finally getting the friend she had missed so dearly, and Lucy couldn't be more determined to get her.

She had been in the continent of Rupti Sunt, located far south of Ishgar, for about a week now. Each country was surrounded by tens of volcanoes and was named after the tallest one. This particular country, called Coelum, had the tallest volcanoes that stretched beyond even the clouds, hence natives nicknaming it the "Country of Fire and Stars." There was also a local tale about how two deities, one of fire and the other of stars, met and fell in love on the highest peak. Eventually, they had a child who created this land to commemorate their parents' love. It was a surprising story, but one that Lucy thoroughly enjoyed listening to.

What was even more surprising to her was that the Key of the Water Bearer ended up in a place that was surrounded by everything not water. Lucy thought that in a country where people worshipped a god of fire, a magic item based on water would have little value, and she was right.

After asking around, she learned that someone had, in fact, found Aquarius's key, but had not known which key it was. After taking it around and asking mages what it was, they finally took it to the lord of their town, who decreed that it was completely useless and ordered for it to be tossed into a volcano.

She was scared by this fact at first, but after a brief talk with Capricorn and Crux, she learned that only holders of keys can destroy them, and Aquarius was still safe. This had begged the question, though, of if Aquarius was inside a volcano, but Lucy quickly found out that wasn't the case. Capricorn and Crux had told her that Celestial Spirits would find a way to protect themselves if no one was around. Lucy had determined from this that when the volcano erupted, the key came out with it, and became engulfed in lava which eventually hardened.

A few months after Aquarius was thrown in, that very same volcano erupted. Eruptions were a common event in this continent, and locals even held a festival after every one. Their festivals were full of food, dancing, and most importantly, trade. Special merchants, called Exigo, participated mainly in buying volcanic goods: beads made of high-quality obsidian, rocks of solid lava, things of that nature.

Lucy found the practice to be a bit strange ("Who's gonna pay 6,000 Mons for a rock!? That's almost 30,000 Jewels!" she had complained to Loke, who had accompanied her on her walk.), but now knew Aquarius must have been traded off to someone.

She then took a look at the records of what was traded during the festival, which included a picture of the item and to whom it was sold. Sure enough, she found a picture of a completely round, flat rock, covered in carvings and writing. It was definitely too intricate for it to be natural, and once she showed it to Crux, he confirmed it was the Celestial language. And according to the information written next to it, it was sold to a trader of the Ishgar-Rupti Sunt Merchant Guild.

Lucy had just now come back from a local library, where she spent hours jotting down their trade routes and where they're most likely to be now. She would look over her notes and decide where to go next later but for now, she needed rest.

She tossed her room key on the nightstand and tossed herself on the bed, holding the global newspaper above her to read. She smiled at the front-page headline, which read, "Fiore's Eternal Champion! Fairy Tail Will Not Let Go Of Their Number One Spot!"