Author's Note:

Welcome everyone. I know the wait for this was quite long. But it's finally here. So for all the readers who were awaiting this and for any new readers, I'm glad we can finally begin Pursuit of Eden.

As many of you know, I have taken to dating each section of a chapter. This heading has never been as important as it is for this story. Please be aware of what this heading says or you might end up lost.

Although this is a Fairy Tail story. It will have little resemblance to Fairy Tail or OC guild stories in general. The reason for this is simply because of the lore and content that I was lucky to have many of you all give me. This in conjunction with the lore I developed made the final product much different from both Brightholt, Knights of Fiore and The Most Free.

So I hope you all enjoy it.


February 3, XX20, 11:00 A.M, Out of Time

"I've waited so long," said a tall grey haired man.

His hair was kept short with 3 small spikes just above his forehead. The tall master wore a velvet maroon suit, a matching tie, black drees shoes and a pair of similarly colored gloves. His skin was fair and though he was around 50 years of age, his body hadn't suffered any physical deterioration as he was still quite muscular.

His name was Halford Jackson and he'd spent most of his life struggling and persevering all for a moment that was soon to come. He sat in his office thinking over his life and there was a small bit of anxiety and excitement that took hold of him.

"20 years," he said. "20 years in this wasteland and we've still come so far. This life hasn't done me any favors, but. I don't want from it either. All that we've worked for is soon to be underway and should they all complete their tasks, no. Even if they don't complete their tasks, this dream will still be recognized."

There was a knock at the door and when Halford called for them to come in, a young man and woman entered the office.

"Master Hal, they have arrived," said the woman.

"Are you ready father?" the added the young man.

Hal looked over his son and the young woman.

His son, Yochanon, had come to be one of Hal's most trusted members. He dwarfed even the tall Hal Jackson at over 6 and a half feet tall. His slick black hair was combed back and his eyes possessed a tint of red. He was muscular which was evident by his lack of a shirt, something he often noted as a hindrance. He wore black jeans with armor pieces on them, combat boots which were tied together by pieces of cloth. A belt which stored his weapons of choice and a skull mask hung from his neck. He was 28.

The woman was a few years younger. Her eyes were a soft yellow and her blond hair was tied back in a bun. Her name was Annabelle Babbage. She was a whole foot shorter than Yochanon. While he was muscular, she appeared more lanky than anything else. She wore a double breasted corduroy jacket which was bronze with green accents, buttoned and oddly form fitting. She had khakis, a brown scarf, and black rimmed glasses.

But to call them members would be an odd statement. They were what remained of Hal's Grim Riders, the elite group which operated within Hal's organization.

"Yes, I'm ready," said Hal.

He walked out in front of them and stood on the balcony which the only staircase up his brock tower opened into.

Hal Jackson looked up at the sky, smirked and said, "It's a beautiful day isn't it."

His comment earned a chuckle from Annabelle, but Yochanon rolled his eyes in slight annoyance over hearing the same tasteless joke every day.

"It isn't real father," said Yochanon. "You had this sky made. It never changes."

"It changes sometimes," said Master Hal. "Sometimes, it's cloudy."

Knowing he'd get no further, Yochanon gestured for his father to continue on.

They were heading to the front deck. This organization operated out of a structure designed by Hal himself. It was large and circular. While Hal always treated as a ship more than anything else, it functioned more like a metropolis of incongruent parts. There was the part of the organization where the core members resided, a large black bricked castle situated towards the center of the metropolis. Within the castle were several towers, each dedicated to something else. One housed the Grim Riders, or what remained of them. Another housed Hal Jackson and another housed a man who had been influential in the process of getting this far.

The Metropolis itself was bustling with activity. Merchants, traders, businessman, bakers, and everything in between comprised the metropolis' personnel.

On their way to the deck, Hal Jackson and company passed several other members of their organization. Foot soldiers, but people who were loyal to their cause. They passed other citizens and exchanged pleasantries. But their appearance just before they reached the front deck prompted the appearance of Hal Jackson's partner.

This man's once green hair was now a silvery gray color and though it was parted down the middle, it still retained a few rebellious spikes here and there. He showed no signs of his age. In both his body and mind he remained strong and well-built. But unbeknownst to most people, he was easily the oldest person within the metropolis. His silvery beard coated his square jaw lightly and he was dressed in a green tunic. Both his arms and legs were protected by metallic gauntlets and greaves. Draped over his shoulders was dark red cape that fell to the ground.

"Nice to see you Tidus," said Hal. "I take it everything is in order."

"Yes, my friend," said Tidus. "They're all awaiting your arrival and our explanation."

"I see. Then let's begin the final stretch," said Master Hal with a genuine smile.

Hal Jackson stepped out onto the front deck of the metropolis and stared into a crowd of people.

There were murmurs from within the crowd and then eventually every quieted down as they realized someone may finally answer their questions.

"Good day everyone," said Hal Jackon. "I am Hal Jackson and the master of this metropolis. Many of you are wondering a lot of things. Why you're here. Where you are. Who we are. Or any number of things. I'll try my best to quell any confusion."

He stepped forward into the crowd and walked among them as he continued his explanation.

"You all are in a place called Out of Time," said Hal Jackon. "The world is not as small as many of you thought. Beyond your country, oceans and skies, are entire universes. They exist alongside one another. Each one different from the other in some form or fashion. Tallying them would be impossible even if you had forever. So where you are right now is outside this fabric of space and time."

His words caused confusion and fear to take root once more and everyone began yelling for answers.

This dragged on for a few minutes and eventually Yochanon hollered for everyone to quiet down and await an explanation.

Hal nodded to his son for the assist and continued. "I have lived here for 20 years," said Hal Jackson. "This place was built with our blood, sweat and tears as a haven for those like us. People like us, who life has given no favors. At every turn something has occurred to deny us our full potential. For 20 years, I have toiled with a dream in mind. Do you all have dreams? Not some physical thing you want? But something that you could never accomplish in your whole life?"

This time the massive group was silent. They seemed locked in thought at their own lives of misfortune or bad luck. They slowly nodded in agreement. That, what Hal Jackson said was true. That for many of them, a fresh start wouldn't be so bad.

"My dream!" shouted Hal Jackson. "Is Eden! I've been in Out of Time for 20 years working towards entering this place. I have no reason to share with you my dream, but I will. I will because it's the right thing to do. Since the beginning of time, Out of Time, has existed. It is a place where the accidents of time go. Time is always trying to correct itself. Things like Déjà vu are the result of the timeline correcting someone slipping through. Someone or something has probably slipped through and as such a version of them exists out of time. To anyone watching, it would appear as if you simply disappeared for a second and then reappeared, while in actuality you were pulled from or slipped through time. It happens from time to time or one can force themselves here."

He could see the confusion on their faces. It was expected. There was a lot to take in and only few people would ever really believe what he said. And he hadn't even gotten to the truly crazy part.

"But within this realm is a place called Eden," he continued. "A place where anyone who sets foot inside obtains immortality. However, entering there is not as simple as walking through the door. There are qualifications. Eden itself deems your worthiness and the residents there vote. If you pass, you become a guardian of time. Someone who exists outside of time forever."

There were murmur of disbelief which wouldn't have normally bothered Hal Jackson, but as this moment was pivotal to the plan he slowly became infuriated.

"I was accepted!" he yelled. "I, but not my family. They were deemed insufficient by a group of pretentious immortals."

Before he could continue, Tidus stepped down beside him. He placed a reassuring hand on Hal's shoulder and said, "My name is Tidus E. I've been alive a very long time. You may be skeptical of what this man speaks, but I am the proof. I am from Eden. I don't remember how long ago, but I was betrayed and cast out. Then this man took me in and as fate would have it, he shared my desire. To break into Eden. You wanted to know why you all were brought here. The answer is to help us achieve that goal and in doing so, we'll help you achieve the wildest notions your heart contains."

He scanned the group and could see the hesitation and mix of emotions on their faces.

"I know," said Tidus. "I know every frustration. Every disappointment. Every Achievement. I've seen all your lives with this decision and without it. I've lived so unfathomably long. Coasting through different universes. I've lived every second of every day of your lives alongside each of you. That's how we knew who to bring this offer to. For some of you, life gets easier. For some it gets harder. Some get famous and some wither away and die. So if you want to know whether or not this offer is a good idea or worth it, I won't be telling you."

He and Hal walked back to the front of the group and Hal said, "If what we said interests you, then don't move. If you wish to return to your homes, then step forward and all of this will be no more than a dream. One hour is all that I can give you."

The hour slowly came to a close and several of the people brought there had decided it wasn't worth the risk. But a select few remained. A group of people who had decided that they and their loved ones needed a chance at happiness they might not experience any other way.

"Wonderful!" shouted Master Hal. "From this moment on, there is no returning from where you came. This is your last chance."

When no one moved still he stepped down and looked around at the group.

"We are family now," said Hal as he motioned for Tidus to show them the true sky. "No secrets. We look out for one another and no one person is more important than the next. There's no need to rush anything. We have all the time in the world."

Tidus waved his hands and the sky above them slowly dissipated, revealing that it had simply been the result of an illusion placed on a dome surrounding the metropolis.

The dome slowly became transparent and all of the people could see beyond it.

Beyond this dome was a vast, violent warping of space and time all around them.

"This, is the flow of time," Hal announced. "Each of you has been brought here from your own time and universe. Tidus will be giving you the tasks most suited to your capabilities. There are a number of things that must be completed. Some of you will face challenges akin to conquering countries, saving whole nations, developing medicines, the possibilities are endless."

"Why?" asked a voice from the crowd.

The owner of the voice stepped forward. His name was Colt Draiman. He was truly curious. To say that the situation had gone from real to fantasy was putting it lightly and he truly wanted to know why and how they were doing.

His shoulder length, messy black hair match his fitted black that were pants tucked into knee-high black boots. The boots had three metal buckles towards the tops of each of them. He wore a white v-neck t-shirt with a fitted, dark blue leather jacket over it. He also had on a pair of fingerless, black leather gloves.

"The reasoning is simple," said Hal turning to the man. "To break into Eden should be impossible. But spread across time and space exist people and artifacts that separately are powerless, but together will open a door there."

Then as if he read Colt's mind he continued, "Travel to each of these times, was at one time, impossible. But we've managed to anchor our metropolis to several times already using these gates."

He gestured for Yochanon and Annabelle to open the gate nearest to the group.

There was an unlocking sound and then from the middle of the front deck's floor, rose a circular door way. Its border was made of a red and white steel-like material, but the door itself appeared as if was glass.

The mages could see themselves in it.

"Beyond that gate lies a whole other universe," said Master Hal. "Welcome to Red Mirror."


Author's Note:

Special thanks to all of my readers.

How's it going?

The lore for this story came from a combination of lore created by myself and several other readers. However, Red Mirror, the name of the organization/guild, was originally created by The Impostor for a story of mine that was canceled called Knights of Fiore.

I rewrote this prologue several times. Sometimes introducing all of the Knights who were returning from Knights of Fiore and sometimes without any of them introduced immediately. I eventually settled for a brief introduction of one of the more light hearted ones. But all 6 of the 9 nights who were allowed to return will be making an appearance next chapter.

Speaking of next chapter. This is an SYOC story. The group of mages who chose to stay will amount to no more than 20 members. 6 spots have already been filled. So when the next 14 are accepted, I will close submissions for a time. They will open up throughout arcs though, so keep your eyes peeled for it, if you're interested.

This chapter may have been short and possess more monologues than I'm used to having, but it touched on a lot of science concepts that are really important to me, so I found myself ranting through the writing quite a bit. I swear it won't be like that as we get into the story.

Origm2012 News

If you read all three stories or, you've already seen this. My apologies. The tentative date for a release may be on my profile, but all notifications will be handled through my forums. I think it's a great way to let you all know when something happens or when they'll be a delay. Or if there's a poll that needs to be voted on as soon as possible, I'll let you all know through the forum. So if you're interested in any of that, I'd recommend following the forum. If you're worried about a lot of notifications, I'll lock the update one so that only I can post in it and I promise to not flood your inbox or if that is impossible I hope anybody following it will be respectful of those who want to be updated, but don't want random messages coming into their inboxes. So feel free to visit the forum for news and then message me with questions. I'm usually quick to respond. The discussion one will remain open for everyone as I truly want to see more interaction there.

Thanks again for reading.