"Fairy Tail." She read off the banner waving above her head. She had spent almost a year making her way towards the magic guild. She had traveled through dry wastelands, over rocky seas, and through numerous town and cities to get to the fabled guild, and now here it was looming in front of her. She reached out and placed both hands on the wooden handle. It was smooth, probably softened from the many people who had opened these doors before her. Powerful wizards called this guild home, wizards whose stories had spread so far parents told them to children while they were curling up for bed at night. She had heard so many of them while she was on her journey. There was a red-headed warrior who could take out entire armies single-handedly, an ice mage who could freeze your blood in an instant with only a single glance, a dragon slayer who could melt cities with only his breath, and even a celestial wizard who held the power to summon gods. All of these wizards and more belonged to this guild and had opened the same doors she now had her hands frozen to.
There was a rustling in her backpack and soon a fuzzy head popped out. It yawned before making its way out of the bag and sitting on her shoulder. The animal had the build and size of a small cat with brown spots, but the head of a rodent with two long straight ears and a red bandana that circled its neck. She didn't actually know what type of animal it was, but it was her faithful companion none the less. "Bandit you're awake!" she smiled at the small creature. It nuzzled her cheek with a small purr before joining her to gaze at the large guild hall looming before them. "Well, we finally made it," She sighed. "Now all I have to do is actually open the front door…" She gazed back at her hands which hadn't moved from their frozen spot on the handles. "You know what, maybe I should come back later. I mean it's still pretty early, there might not be anyone inside." Her hands quickly released the handle, but before she could take a step back Bandit was on top of her head swatting at her with his long tail and chattering angrily.
"Alright, alright, OKAY!" she snapped, swatting at the small animal. It chittered again before jumping back to its spot on her shoulder. "Little demon." She muttered under her breath. There was a small gurgling sound which she recognized as him laughing at her. She grabbed the handles once again before taking a deep breath and pushing open the large wooden doors.
"Good Morning!" Behind the counter stood a woman with long white hair who was currently wiping off the table and setting up for the upcoming day.
"You're Mirajane." She blurted out, taking in the S-class mage.
The white-haired mage smiled in response. She was used to people recognizing her from her modeling in sorcerer weekly. "Yes, I am. And you are?" she asked staring at the newcomer.
"J-Jaclyn Leroux. I'm a wizard." She stammered. "But you can call me Jackie." She was making a fool of herself and she had barely been there for five minutes. She felt a small bump on her shoulder. "Oh, and this is Bandit."
"Well welcome to fairy tail Jackie and Bandit," The older woman smiled. "You look pretty young to be traveling on your own."
"I'm not alone, I've got this furry jerk with me," Jackie poked one of Bandit's cheeks affectionately, only to have to quickly move it to avoid being bitten. "Also, I'm fourteen so I'm plenty old. Is the master around?" She asked. It was then that she noticed Mirajane was staring at her eyes.
Jacklyn knew exactly what she was looking at. Her left eye was a nice chocolaty brown, fitting in nicely with her dark color skin complexion and light brown hair. However, her right was a startling violet and always drew the attention of other people. At first, it had bothered her, it had made growing up hard with all the teasing and bullying she went through. Even as she got older she would still notice people whisper and point at her.
She could remember her mother sitting in front of a warm fire with her curled on her lap as a young child as she cried from the constant teasing about her eye. Back then she lived where the air was always warm, and the nights sounded like a symphony of insects. It was on a night just like this when she was crying on her mother's lap yet again asking why she had her weird eye. Her mother would always hold her close and rub her back trying to soothe the small child. "You wasn't born like that cher, one night when you was a baby, a witch done snuck in and gave you a smooch, giving you that there color. Maybe this might turn it back!" Her mother would always end the story by covering her in kisses until her tears turned to that of laughter. Not long after that, her mother died, and her father quickly shipped her off to live with a grandmother she had never met, eager to get rid of his devil child. Jackie had since learned to ignore those who stared and eventually they would look away, which is exactly was Mira did.
"The master is here, let me go grab him for you." Jackie watched the mage drop her towel and hastily disappear into one of the hallways.
"Would you look at that, I even weirded out the great Mirajane." She whispered to Bandit. She stroked his chin softly while taking the opportunity to look around the guild. It was early so it was no surprise that the guild was empty, but it was big and looked like it could easily hold over a hundred people. "Pretty swanky huh?" she observed as she looked around the great hall. "Although it's got nothing compared to home." Her mind quietly wandered to a place outside of Fiore, where things were a bit more advanced than things here.
"Jackie?" she shook her head clearing out the memories and turned to see Mirajane. "Master Makarov will see you now." Together they made their way towards his office, where the small man was sitting on his desk going through a large pile of papers. Every once in a while, he would take out a paper and chuckle before crumpling it up and throwing it in the trash. "Anything interesting?" Mira asked the small man.
"The town is demanding we pay for a cart that was destroyed during one of our missions." He read off one of the papers. He grinned before crumpling it up and throwing it into the ever-growing pile of papers.
"I'll leave you two alone." Mira smiled, before exiting the room leaving Jackie with the master of fairy tail.
"Aren't you going to pay the council for the cart you destroyed?" Jackie asked looking at the old man.
"The owner of the cart will find a new one made by one of my children in a day or two." He placed the rest of the papers down and turned his attention toward Jackie. "You'll find we do things a little differently here at fairy tail, something you should learn if you wish to join us."
"Who said I wanted to join you?"
"Well, do you?"
"With all my heart." She admitted to the master.
He stared at her, seeming to take her in before speaking again. "Well, why do you want to join fairy tail? There are plenty of other guilds out there."
"Fairy Tail isn't like other guilds," Jackie explained. "Back home in Pergrande, I would hear about you guys all the time, about all the amazing things you guys would do as a guild. In my eyes, there is no other guild. I'm having…issues, with my magic. Being around other strong wizards might help me learn to get a handle of it."
"Hmm, Pergrande Kingdom is a bit far from Fiore, you've come a long way," The master stroked his beard while still looking at her. "Tell me about yourself child, what magic do you use?"
"There isn't much about my past. My grandmother recently passed, and I had nowhere else to go." She replied, her eyes quickly dropping from the master. There was no use telling him about her dead mother, a father she hadn't seen since the day he sent her away, and the bad luck she seemed to bring everywhere she went. People had died because of her. Plus, she was trying to make him like her, not scare him off. This was her time to start a fresh new life. Makarov stared at her feeling like there was more to her story, but when she didn't continue he dropped it.
"It's okay, many of my children have a broken past. It's what makes them stronger. How about your magic." He inquired.
Jacklyn took a moment to think about her options. She could simply tell him about her magic but out loud it didn't sound like much. It had to be experienced to be understood properly, but that came with…risks. She glanced at the old man who was waiting for her to answer. She sighed before coming to a decision. "I think it's better if I just show you." She said with a hint of caution. At that moment there was a small knock at the door, and Mira walked in with a cup of tea interrupting the two.
"I thought you could use something to drink master." Mira smiled, handing over the warm cup.
"Thank you." He responded before taking a sip of the hot tea. To his surprise the flavor changed in his mouth, turning from a green tea to what tasted like hot chocolate. He looked questioningly into his cup which a moment ago was filled with tea, but now had hot chocolate and then looked up at Mira. Before he could question the mage she took a step back and began to dance, raising the master's eyebrows even further. She was twirling like a ballerina when the biggest surprise of all hit him, and suddenly he could hear the music. Within one breath and the next Master Makarov was sitting in the audience of a theater watching Mira dance on stage to the music of an orchestra. He could feel the chair he sat on, and the beat of the music as it flowed through him. He was so engrossed in the performance that he hadn't noticed a shadow start to creep in from the edges and make it was towards him. However, Jacklyn did and as quickly as it had all appeared it vanished, leaving him sitting on his desk alone with Jackie once more.
"Illusion magic," Jackie explained, answering the question she could tell was going through his head. "Everything you saw was made up."
"B-But I could feel it. You're not supposed to be able to feel illusion magic unless it's extremely powerful." He insisted, remembering the way the tea turned to chocolate in his mouth.
"I know." She responded, locking her mix-matched eyes onto his. Using her magic on him was a huge risk, but she had managed to keep control. In her backpack, Bandit shuffled before popping his head out and jumping onto her shoulder. He had a walnut in his hand and was nibbling away at the hard shell.
"Is that a curily?" Master Makarov asked staring wide eyes at the small animal.
"I don't know, is he?" Jackie responded. "I always assumed he was some sort of mutated squirrel or something." She used a finger to scratch behind his ear which he replied to with a soft purring.
Makarov looked at the small animal, taking in its long-spotted tail, and its pointed ears. "My dear what you have there is a curily, an animal only found on Tenrou Island," He explained. "How you came to find it is a mystery."
"Oh, it's no mystery. I found him alone and hungry on a boat back on Pergrande nearly half dead, so I took him in and we've been together ever since." Bandit made a snuffling sound and affectionately rubbed his head against hers. "He's my best friend."
"All the same." Makarov hopped off the desk and opened up one of the drawers. "Where would you like your stamp?"
"That's it? I'm in?" Jackie asked in non-belief.
"When someone comes to me in need of a family, it's my sworn duty to accept them," He found the stamp and walked around the table until he was standing in front of Jackie. "And for you to arrive with an animal from our holy land should be a sign on its own."
"But my magic-"
"Whatever problems you have with your magic, you will learn to overcome. Fairy tail is more than just a guild, it's a home for people like you. Mages who need a strong foundation to become the people they were meant to be. We learn together, we grow together, and if you choose to join us than you can be a part of that as well." Quickly she chose a violet color that matched her right eye and showed the master her shoulder. It stood out like a beacon against her dark skin, and she turned proudly showing it off to Bandit.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail Jaclyn Leroux."
Initially, Jackie had planned to be in and out of the master's office before the guild had really picked up, but by the time she had finished signing papers and going over the rules and guidelines of the guild, she could hear noise right on the other side of the door. She opened it slowly before stared at the people who had come in. At the bar, Mira was pouring a drink for a man with several metal pieces in his face and a head of messy black hair who looked like he rather be anywhere but there. Besides him was a small woman with blue hair who had her nose buried in a book. On the far end of the bar sat a woman with long auburn hair who was currently chugging a whole barrel of beer. All around the guild were people who looked like they had come from all walks of life. From a woman with blue hair who looked unbelievably sad for some reason, to two older men who seemed to be casually chatting about the day. These were all fairy tail wizards, the best of the best, and to Jackie they seemed, well…regular.
"Jackie!" She heard her named called from the bar. She quickly turned to see Mirajane waving her over. She made her way slowly hoping that no-one would notice the new face. "I see you got your emblem. Welcome to Fairy Tail," The older woman poured a drink and handed it over with a smile. "This one on the house." She winked. Jackie looked at the drink before taking a sniff and realizing it was just juice. Besides the large man, the small woman with blue hair looked up suddenly from her book taking notice of the new face.
"Hey, you're a new member!" Suddenly she closed her book and rose to greet her. "I'm Levy McGarden, leader of team shadow gear." She shook her hand warmly. "And this big guy next to me is Gajeel Redfox. He's an iron dragon slayer." The man next to her didn't even glance her direction as he kept his attention on the people around him. "Don't let his attitude get to you, he's actually a big softie." The blue haired mage giggled.
The man did look at Jackie then, and the look in his eye showed that he was anything but a big softie. However, the small girl seemed to be comfortable enough around him so who knew. "My name is Jacklyn Leroux." Jackie stated. "And this fuzzy guy is Bandit." She said introducing her companion.
"That's a curily!" Levy said marveling at the small creature on her shoulder. "There only supposed to be found on Tenrou island, how did you manage to get one?"
"I found him when he was a baby abandoned on a boat, so I took him in and we've been together ever since." Levy smiled at the small animal and offered it a small peanut from the bar, which he took greedily. "This place seems pretty nice, nothing like I was expecting from all the stories I hear about the guild," Jackie said, looking at all the people just sitting around.
"Well we do get into our fair share of trouble every now and then, but Natsu and the others are away on a mission at the moment so it's pretty quiet."
"Natsu. He's the fire wizard right? The one who can burn down entire cities with a single breath?" Jackie was surprised when she heard giggling from beside her. She turned to see Levy trying to suppress laughter while even Gajeel had a look of amusement in his eye. She was thankful for her dark complexion in moments like these because it hid the blush she knew would be visible.
"I wouldn't say Natsu is all that," Levy managed after she was done laughing. "Think of more a firecracker that goes off without warning sometimes. Don't get me wrong, he might be one of the strongest in the guild, but he could hardly burn down an entire village in one breath."
"What about the wizard who could summon gods?" Jackie asked.
"You mean Lu-Chan? Her keys summon celestial spirits, not gods. Although she does have some pretty powerful keys."
"And the red-headed warrior who could take out entire armies?"
Levy did stop for a moment. Even Gajeel seemed to be stumped by the mention of the redhead. "Well that one may be accurate, Erza can be a bit scary when pushed too far."
"Oh," Jackie mumbled. She had traveled all the way with hopes that the people here would be amazing, but apparently, they were just regular wizards. "I have to go unpack." She mumbled.
"Okay. But if you need anything, feel free to reach out okay?" Jackie nodded before heading away from the bar and out of the guild. The guild was so far underwhelming, but who knows maybe it would surprise her. Also, according to Levy some of the wizards were pretty powerful so maybe they would still prove helpful for training.
Master Makarov had told her about the fairy hills dorm that was just a short walk away from the guild. The pay would be one hundred jewels a month, so she would have to start going to missions to make money. In the year that she had traveled she had picked up rules about traveling that had kept her alive. Among some of them were to not trust the promises of certain dark guilds and to always keep a source of water nearby. However, on the top of her list was to never lower your guard no matter how safe you felt. She thought by now these rules would have become second nature, so she was surprised when she heard a low growl come from Bandit. Before she had time to realize what was happening a figure draped in black lunged out of the alley towards her with a sword drawn. They were fast but her reflexes were faster as she managed to jump out of their reach. She tumbled to the ground losing her footing for a moment before looking up at the figure. Whoever it was were clothed head to toe in black but on their chest, they had the red emblem of the dark guild phoenix grave. She also noticed that they had covered their eyes with dark glasses and cursed. She couldn't use her magic unless she could actually make eye contact. The guild had been chasing her for months and she thought she had lost them in Oak-town, but apparently, she was wrong.
She knew from her countless encounters with the guild that they wouldn't kill her. Whoever had sent them after her wanted her alive. The figure came at her again with the sword raised high this time Jackie was ready and managed to dodge the sword and retaliate with a leg sweep. The figure grunted and fell on its back. From the sound they made Jackie could tell it was a woman. Quickly it rose back onto its feet before rushing forward with its sword at its side ready to thrust it forward the second it got close enough. There was no way for her to go around the blade and she planned to jump above it, but a before she could make her move she felt a rustling on her back. From above her head, a small red item was thrown, and she had just enough time to cover her face before it exploded. It wasn't a large explosion but it was just enough for the figure to stop and shield its face to avoid getting burned.
This was all the time Jackie needed to rush forward and pull off the hood and glasses locking eye contact with the attacker. It only took a moment of her mix-matched eyes to lock onto hers. Suddenly from the shadows of the same alley the attacker had come from a low growling could be heard. They both turned their heads to see three giant wolves come forward. They were skinny and covered in mange and they kept their eyes on the woman. "I know your tricks." The woman said. Her accent was heavy and reminded her of her mothers. Still, Jackie could see a tinge of fear in the woman's eyes as she backed away from the animals. She couldn't allow her to get away if she did she would tell the rest of the guild where she was. The wolves separated now encircling her while keeping their sharp teeth bared. The woman tried to strike at one with her sword, but it avoided it and knocked the piece of metal out of her hand. While Jackie was wondering what to do with the woman the same shadow that had appeared in the office with master Makarov appear again. It seemed to slowly spread over the floor towards the woman.
"No." Jackie gasped. Immediately she tried to drop her illusion, but the three wolves remained snarling and moving closer towards the woman. One of the wolves darted forward, snapping at the woman's ankle. She cried out and managed to kick at the animal until it released, but now she was stuck on the floor as her ankle seeped blood.
"Please, I beg of you." The woman pleaded. There were tears on her face now as her eyes were wide with fear.
"I'm not doing this I promise." Jackie tried to rush forward to help the woman but one of the wolves turned to her instead. She tried again to stop the illusion she had created but it stayed. The shadow that had been slowly creeping had finally reached the woman now. It leaped from the ground to the woman latching itself onto the bare skin of her exposed ankle. It seemed to shiver in delight before it slowly making its way from her foot to the rest of her body until she was entirely enveloped in the dark substance. Jackie had tears of her own as she knew what was going to happen next. The three wolves that had been waiting patiently jumped then, all three of them descending on the woman. Jackie could hear them tear at flesh and bone as the woman screamed. She covered her eyes not wanting to see, but still, she could hear the woman cry out in agony as the wolves tore into her. Eventually, the screaming stopped, and she could hear a gagging sound before everything went quiet. She moved her hands slightly to see that the illusion had finally dropped, and the wolves and shadow were gone. She rushed over to the woman who was currently on the floor convulsing, but still in one piece. There was blood coming from the corners of her mouth and her nose as she gagged, and her eyes had rolled into her head with red trails of blood coming from the corners. Jackie could only hold her as the woman spasmed violently in her arms until suddenly she stopped. This is how it always went.
Miraculously the street had stayed empty during the whole ordeal and she took this opportunity to drag the body towards the dark alleyway. She tried to hold back more tears as she positioned it in a way it seemed like the woman had collapsed. Hopefully, by the time someone found her she would be far away. She quickly composed herself before heading out of the alley towards the directions of fairy hills. On her shoulder, she saw bandit quickly put away the collection of small red cherry bombs he had stashed in his cheeks.