Blanc's smile faded as he looked at the girl before him, whose eyes had reddened slightly with anxiety. His voice was gentle, but carried a deeper meaning:
"That's exactly why I gave you the task of finding the Sixth Key, Lucy."
He leaned forward, resting his chin on his clasped hands.
"Loke is almost at his limit. The only one who can pull him out of his despair is you-his friend, and an excellent Celestial Spirit Mage."
Lucy caught her breath and stared straight at him. "Blanc... if you've known all along that Loke is a Celestial Spirit, do you also know exactly why he ended up like this?! What's wrong with him?!"
Faced with Lucy's frantic questions, Blanc merely shook his head. He sighed and spread his hands helplessly.
"It's not my place to go behind Loke's back and tell you. That's his secret. He has to tell you himself."
"But..." Lucy's face was full of anxiety, her shoulders slumping in frustration. "Loke keeps avoiding me! These days, whenever he sees me coming from a distance, he runs away like he's seen a ghost. I can't even get near him, let alone ask him what's going on!"
"Tch. What a pain."
Beside them, Gray propped his chin on one hand and curled his lip disdainfully. He set his cola bottle down hard on the table and raised an eyebrow. "That's easy. If he won't sit down and talk willingly, why don't we just tie him up?"
"Huh?! K-kidnap him?!" Lucy's eyes widened.
"Sounds good to me!" Natsu instantly perked up, smacking a fist into his palm as he grinned excitedly. "Leave it to me. I'll go grab him right now!"
A few hours later.
In a secluded forest clearing on the outskirts of Magnolia.
Beneath an enormous tree,