Aspire to your Future
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fairy Tail. No storylines, characters or forms of magic. Absolutely none of it. I don't even own characters that I come up with, self-made forms of magic or my own storylines. And, like some authors tend to put in their disclaimers, I don't get paid for writing this.
On another note, I hope you all enjoy the story and will review and favourite.
"If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter." - George Washington, 1st US President.
Chapter 1.
(Fiore Capital; Crocus - Outside the Academy for Aspiring Mages - 4th September, X778)
"What's with that look on your face, Morticia? We're you expecting more students to be turning up?"
The thirteen year old girl, currently being addressed by her father, looked up at him with a slightly perplexed look on her face.
"Yes, father, I was. But I guess not everybody knows about this place or has the money to send their child here." Morticia replied, looking over the building where she'd be studying in a short while, taking in its features.
It looked as if somebody has smashed a modern secondary school and a medieval castle together.
Normal glass doors were surrounded by brick and flanked by two massive spires, both of which had the flag of Fiore strung up; waving gently in the light breeze. Several double-glazed windows were on either side of the doors and beyond the doors appeared to be an extensive church hall.
A statue of a winged dragon was also situated on the roof above the glass doors, its stone eyes coldly glaring down at them whilst its mouth was twisted into an enraged snarl, revealing two rows of sharp, stone teeth.
A couple of large chimneys, both composed of navy blue bricks and set upon slanted roofs, could also be seen. A fireplace was likely burning as one of them was billowing grey smoke.
An on-going class could be seen through one of the windows. Only the teacher - dressed in all-black and expensive clothing and seemingly furious at someone, if his red face was any indication - in addition to three students and walls with expensive looking wallpaper and information posters were visible through the window.
Stood directly behind the glass doors was a giant of a middle-aged man - likely somewhere in his mid-fifties - who appeared to be 6'5ft, had short, graying hair, a neat goatee, a sturdy, barrel-chest which was pressed tight against the buttoned shirt that he wore and massive arms which was littered was scars and had biceps bigger than her head.
The man's face; also littered with a few scars, was unreadable and his arms were also crossed, giving Morticia that impression that he was the no-nonsense sort of person with lots of authority and the kind of guy that you didn't want to get into a fight with.
"Indeed," her father said, recapturing her attention, the age lines on his face creasing as he smiled down at her, "I just know you'll do me proud. Right?"
"Right! Maximum effort."
He laughed, drawing the attention of some of the parents, "That's the spirit, and from the looks of it, you'll be one of the oldest students here."
Morticia took a moment to pass her eyes over the other new arrivals to the academy, briefly catching the eye of a boy who had a slight smirk on his face.
"Seems so. Although I hope I won't have to be the 'mum' of my class group. It's bad enough just doing it with you." She said, grinning up at her father.
His eyes widened by a fraction, "My, you cheeky little madam. You definitely get that from your mother."
"Yes, yes, and I drained you of your good looks. L-Look at you now. Old... and craggy." She said, giving him a mocking sniffle as she poked him in the cheek.
He laughed again, placing a hand on his chest, "You absolute killer. I'm going to need surgery to fix that blow."
Morticia was about to take another jab at her father when she noticed someone approaching them.
It was one of the other new students who had short brown hair and black eyes which immediately flickered to the ground when they noticed her looking; cheeks quickly turning pink.
They both waited for the boy to speak, but he simply fidgeted with his hands and anxiously shuffled his feet as he kept his head down.
Morticia looked up at her father, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
He cocked his head in the boy's direction, his eyes saying 'maybe he's shy or nervous and wants to talk to someone. Say something'.
"Hey, are you alright? You can talk to me, I promise I won't bite." She said, eliciting a snort from her father.
The boy mumbled something inaudible.
"Hey, hey, come on, look at me, buddy." She cupped a hand underneath his chin, noting how he tensed under her touch, and raised his head.
As his eyes met hers, Morticia noted how his eyes were filled with uncertainty, unconfidence and nervousness.
"Hey, what's your name? Mine's Morticia Broughton, and this is my old man." She introduced herself, letting go of the boy's chin and resting it on his shoulder.
Her father let out a huff, "I'm not an old man, don't listen to her. I'm a spring chicken and I always will be. My name's Jason Broughton."
The boy looked back and forth between them, mouthing their names as if trying to memorize them before he forget.
Then, the boy spoke.
"I'm Hunter Brandenburg. It-It's nice to meet you. Um, I hope we can become friends." He said, stuttering slightly, his face immediately flushing, as if he were not used to saying much.
"So do I. And Hunter is an awesome first name" She replied, giving him a kind smile as he blushed at the compliment.
His eyes flickered away from hers momentarily, "Um, thanks, I-I never thought about my name that way, but I suppose it is. Y-Your name sounds nice too."
"Alright, alright, alright, enough with the flirting."
Morticia pouted and punched her father in the leg, getting a small groan out of him.
"I'm not flirting. We're just getting to know each other, starting with our names." She told him, then turned to Hunter who's eyes were flitting about.
"Don't worry about what he says. His brain is still stuck in 'stupid teenager' mode."
Hunter looked back up at her and let out a small laugh, one that she would've missed had she not been paying attention, at Jason's distressed sound of protest.
"Oh, daughter, why must you kick your father when he's already down? Woe is me." He whined.
Morticia just sent him a look that said, 'stop it now. You're being embarrassing'.
Jason just grinned and let out a hearty chuckle in response, smugly patting the top of her head as they heard the doors to the building swing open.
The trio looked over to see the middle-aged man from before holding one of the doors open, allowing a blonde woman of taller than average height to step past before following her out.
As they began to talk about something that Morticia was too far away to hear, she turned back her new friend who appeared to be studying them.
"What're you thinking about?" She inquired.
"Oh, um, t-thinking about which one of those two will be teaching us. The b-big guy seems to be headmaster material, w-whilst the woman looks like a teacher."
"Could be the other way around," Jason piped up, "Like the saying goes 'Never judge a book by it's cover'."
Hunter nodded slowly, his eyes brightening at discovering a phrase that he'd never heard of before.
They watched as the two adults finished talking and the middle-aged man retreated back into the building and disappearing from sight, leaving the blonde outside.
Then, Morticia lightly nudged the brunette with her elbow, "So, Hunter, do you have any hobbies? Like, you know, stargazing, reading, exercising?"
"Oh, no, exercise has never been for me," Hunter said, jumping slightly as her nudge, 'I do, h-however, enjoy reading books, especially those murder mystery books. My f-favourite is the Killer in Hargeon Town."
Jason smirked, "I've read that one. Never felt so much suspense before from just a book. It's really well written. It's a shame Morticia won't read it, no matter how much I pester her."
The brunette chuckled softly, "I guess the m-mystery and suspense genre isn't for her. W-what's your hobby?"
"Rowing. I love it. The noise of the oars against the water is just so comforting. I think it's a wonderful stress reliver." Morticia replied, smiling as she reminisced.
"Hmmmm, rowing? D-Do you do it solo or with a partner?"
The auburn haired girl smirked, her leaf green eyes glittering, "Solo. My mother isn't interested in rowing; she'll do a light jog in the morning and some yoga as her daily exercise and as for Oldie here, he'd have a heart attack if he tried."
Jason cried, "Why, daughter, why?"
"Because you're so fun to tease. You know I don't really mean it." She replied, poking him in the stomach, causing a slight jolt to run through his body.
"Um, sorry to interrupt, b-but how far can you row?" Hunter cut in, hoping he wasn't being rude by interrupting their father-daughter moment.
"At the moment, 3.3 kilometres. Not outstanding, especially compared to those who do it for sport, and I hope to hit 9 kilometres by the time I'm eighteen, maybe even by seventeen." Morticia answered.
The brunette nodded supportively, "I'm s-sure you'll reach your target. How long have you b-been rowing for?"
"Five years. Since she was eight," Jason answered in her stead, "I helped her out in her first two and a half years until she was strong and confident enough to row by herself."
Morticia nodded enthusiastically, her face flushing under the look of pride aimed at her by her father.
Jason chuckled, glancing at some of the other parents present who appeared to be conversing with their own children, besides one father who stood stiffly by his blonde-haired daughter, almost as if he didn't want to be there with her.
He turned back to Hunter, noticing how the boy was nibbling on his lower lip and fidgeting with his hands.
The older man tightened his jaw, briefly clenching his hand as he thought over the difference between his daughter and boy she'd made friends with a few minutes ago.
She was confident and always ready to speak when addressed, but Hunter always seemed to hesitate and stutter.
Her hands were relaxed, but Hunter's arms were tensed and he was constantly fidgeting with his hands.
Morticia wasn't afraid to maintain eye contact, while Hunter could barely lock eyes with himself or his daughter for more than a second.
"Hunter, do you mind if I ask why you seem to be so hesitant and anxious?" He asked, softening his gaze to ensure he didn't frighten the boy with a stern gaze.
"Oh, um, t-that..." Hunter trailed off and looked away, interlocking his fingers to cease their fidgeting.
Morticia moved so she could stand beside him, "You can tell us. Whatever it is, even if it's ridiculous, we won't laugh."
The brunette signed, then spoke, "M-My father is a very strict man. Faults, of any kind, are unacceptable. I developed a-a nervous stutter because of him; whenever he called my name, I-I immediately assumed t-that I was in trouble. He's the sort who b-believes that a man must only be strong, dominant and hard-working."
"I'm sorry to say it, but your father's a dickhead." Morticia deadpanned.
Under any other circumstances, Jason would've reprimanded his daughter for using such crass language.
"Take a look at my father. He's strong and hard-working, but is chill with my mother and I bossing him about. He's more of a man than your prick of a father could ever hope to be. A man doesn't always have to be the dominant sort." Morticia told him.
"I agree. Someone like that, and I mean no offence, is just a brainwashed, misogynistic moron. And he probably had that mindset drilled into him by his father." Jason added, tilting his head sympathetically.
The auburn haired girl nodded, "Don't let his attitude convince yourself that you can't eventually be a man in your own right. Grow up and be your own person."
"I'll try." Hunter replied, looking at her with a smile that was beginning to fill with newfound resolution.
Then, a loud whistle tore through the front yard, silencing any on-going conversation and drawing the attention of everyone to the person who whistled.
It was the blonde woman who'd remained outside after the middle-aged man and gone back inside, and she was gesturing for everyone to come closer to her.
Morticia, Hunter and Jason looked at each other and then walked over to her, noticing part of a dark red tattoo on the right side of her neck.
"What's that tattoo thing on her neck?" Hunter asked.
As the other newcomers and their parents, include Hunter's mother, formed a wide semi-circle around the woman, Jason narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look at the tattoo on the side of her neck.
"I believe that's what the mages call a guild mark."
"A guild mark?" Morticia repeated, tilting her head in confusion.
"A marking etched into the flesh of a mage via a handheld magic guild mark printer. It supposedly shows which guild a mage belongs to and can apparently come in any colour." Jason explained, glancing down at his daughter.
"Huh, sounds pretty cool."
The blonde woman cleared her throat, smiling when Morticia's gaze snapped over to her.
"You newcomers will become the 1st Year students of the Academy for Aspiring Mages. You will learn and grow to become mages in your own right. You'll be staying here all year round; exceptions being half-term holidays, summer and Christmas holidays and bank holidays. I understand that will be shock to you, but you'll just have to bear through it. Students, come, more will be explained once your inside. Parents, you may stay at the nearby accommodation to see your children at the end of the day or return home."
And with that short introduction speech, the blonde woman turned on her heel and walked over to the door, opening it and holding it open.
When nobody moved, the woman cocked her head to the open hall behind her.
"I'll see you later, father." Morticia said, giving Jason a tight hug which he eagerly reciprocated before she detached and waited for Hunter before heading for the opened door.
Morticia was the third to enter the building, immediately followed by Hunter, and she paused upon noticing some older students, complete with a snogging pair, lounging about on many of the benches.
She looked back at Hunter who was looking down at his feet, probably avoiding the eyes of the older attendees who were probably sizing them up.
"Aw look, I was wondering when the babies would come in." One of them piped up and Morticia bristled at the blatant disrespect.
One of her fellow newcomers glowered at them, "Babies? Call me baby again and I'll punch your teeth in, assholes." He sneered.
"Ooooh, look at him, seems one of them has a pair. Can't say the same about the rest of them." Another snickered, bumping fists with the one who'd spoken first.
"We'll if your not so sure as to whether us dudes have a pair, why don't you come and check us out. Or are you too afraid of your fragile sexuality crumbling as you see a pair that aren't your own?" The boy from earlier, the one who'd wore a slight smirk, said.
The blonde woman behind them guffawed.
Morticia let out a very unlady-like snort while Hunter chuckled lightly.
Several of the old students burst into raucous laughter, grinning as the insulted student blushed cherry red and looked away with a furious scowl.
"Dude, are you really gonna take that?"
"Aw man, I don't even know the kid and I like him already."
"Shit, Michael, you just roasted."
"Alright, alright, that's enough. You can mock each other later. Right now-"
"Hey, Ms. Oxton, who's gonna be teaching these newcomers?" One of the older students inquired, giving Ms. Oxton an apologetic look for cutting her off.
"Mr. Wilhelm will." She answered.
"Oh man, I don't know whether I should be excited or worried for those kids. Eh, I'll go for both. Less hassle that way."
Morticia leaned towards Hunter, "I wonder what he meant by that?
"Maybe e-excited for us because this Mr. Wilhelm is a really helpful t-teacher, but also worried for us because he might be a r-really strict guy." Hunter replied, softly shrugging.
They jumped as Ms. Oxton recaptured their attention with a loud clap.
"Before I take you into your first lesson, I'm going to show you around necessary parts of the academy. First off, this area here - where we're standing - is where you can have your morning and lunch breaks, unless you want to eat outside as well as your post-lesson breaks. This is pretty much a lounge area."
The students followed the blonde as she marched over to the left side of the building.
Stopping by a heavy oak door with a rectangular window, she motioned for the students to have a look for themselves.
Morticia peeked through the window after Hunter took his turn looking into the large room.
From what she could see through the window, Morticia took notice of the 9ft tall and 60 ft wide eighteen shelves which were stacked completely with books, so perfectly full that none of the books tilted.
"This is the Academy Library. The left side shelves contain fiction and non-fiction books, but the shelves on the right contain books detailing the history of the Kingdom of Fiore, magic, monsters and anything which will help you progress." Ms. Oxton told them.
"T-This'll help us out a lot." Hunter murmured.
Morticia nodded, "Hell to the yes. I feel like I'd take me more than a row to get through just one of those shelves.
"Come on." They all turned around and followed obediently as she pushed her way past them to the opposite end of the building.
After checking some of the other rooms, presumably to ensure a lesson wouldn't be disrupted, Ms. Oxton stopped outside one and opened the door.
Morticia peeked inside and almost yelped when she saw the middle-aged man from earlier, having not expected anyone to be in the room.
Her face must've been a spectacle of surprise and shock as he chuckled at her.
The room, on the other hand, had navy blue wallpaper draped over the walls. A whiteboard was at the front, three rows of three chairs and tables had been set up and blank posters were pinned down to the walls.
She moved away so the others could have a look, and once they'd all had a chance to look inside the classroom, Ms. Oxton spoke.
"This is where you'll be taught in your 1st year here. In the following years, you will be moved about to the other rooms in order to accommodate your advanced learning and your growing magic power."
"Ma'am, what's magic power?" Another student asked, a girl with chocolate coloured skin, raven black hair set into a crown braid and soft, brown eyes asked.
The boy with the smirk answered before Ms. Oxton could, "Magic Power is the source of a mage's power. Without it, they can't fight. It's composed of Ethernano, which are particles of magic, and stored in a container within the body."
"That's correct, Mr..?"
"Caesar. Zephyr Caesar, ma'am." He answered, his smirk having grown slightly
"That's correct, Zephyr. Before I go on, does anyone know how the body harnesses that magic from the container mentioned by Mr. Caesar?" Ms. Oxton asked.
"Through the magic circulatory system?" Morticia supplied, making a complete guess.
"That's also correct, Ms..?"
"Oh, Broughton. Morticia Broughton, ma'am."
That's also correct, Morticia. Now, you've probably noticed that this building has more than one floor and I'm going to talk you through them so we don't have to physically go there at the moment." Ms. Oxton said.
"Thank goodness, that'd be tiresome." A voice murmured somewhere within the bundle of students, and due to Ms. Oxton's unchanged facial expression, nobody knew whether or not she'd heard.
"Top floor, or the 4th floor, is where the boys and girls dorms are. You're separated by year and gender so you won't all have to sleep together. Boys with boys, and girls with girls. Simple enough?"
"Yes ma'am." They corused.
"Year dorms are also soundproofed from 10:30 pm to 7:30 am so you don't have to listen to the older years doing the nasty with each other." Ms. Oxton continued.
"You mean have sex?" Zephyr deadpanned, causing a few snickers.
"Yes... have sex." Ms. Oxton grumbled, wincing as she hoped none of the newcomers would be knowledgeable enough to know what she was talking about.
Who was she kidding? They were between the ages of thirteen and eleven!
"The 3rd floor is where the cafeteria is. You'll have all of your meals here; breakfast, lunch and dinner, although there's no rules on not being allowed to take your food outside." The blonde continued.
Hunter raised his arm, "U-um, Ms. Oxton, h-how long are we expected to h-have for all three?"
"Thirty minutes for breakfast, forty-five minutes for lunch and an hour for dinner. So for those of you who happen to be slow eaters, you better learn to eat quickly or you may not be able to finish your breakfast." She added.
The raised arm was lowered as Hunter nodded in understanding.
"You're not a slow eater, are you?" Morticia nudged him in the ribs.
"No. Are you?"
Morticia shook her head, "Nope. I often have to be told to slow down before I choke on my food."
Hunter smiled, "I'll k-keep that in mind."
They turned back to Ms. Oxton as she finished up with explaining with what was on each floor of the building.
"The 2nd floor is where you will train after acquiring your magic. The floor is reinforced to take the hits of the best of the best S-Class Mages, so when you get around to training, I wouldn't worry about accidentally destroying the room. And you'll also be able to train your bodies with our fully kitted out gym." She finished.
"Any questions?"
"When will we be able to use the gym?" Zephyr asked.
"If you so wish, immediately after your classes today." Ms. Oxton answered.
Morticia stepped forwards and raised her hand into the air.
The older woman's gaze moved from Zephyr to her, "Yes?"
The auburn haired girl lowered her arm, "I know you said that we can train ourselves with the gym, but is rowing still possible? And I don't mean using a rowing machine, but actually being able to row in a river."
"That can be arranged for you, yes."
"Thank you, ma'am." Morticia replied, satisfied with the answer.
Ms. Oxton waited a few more seconds, presumably to allow the other newcomers to ask their own questions, but when nobody piped up, she hummed and walked into the class where the middle-aged man had been standing in.
The group of to-be students followed her into the class, randomly picking any of the seats.
Morticia glanced around around sitting down, finding Zephyr sat to her left, Hunter sat behind her and to the right and herself sat in the middle of the nine newcomers.
A loud, cleared throat brought her attention back to the front.
The middle-aged man grinned and clapped his hands together, "Alright, I'm Edgerton Wilhelm, your group teacher and the lady who showed you around is Anastasia Oxton, and she'll be my teaching assistant. We'll be teaching and guiding you for your entire attendance period of 4 years and we WILL make sure that you become the best versions of yourselves. Is that understood? Gimme a YES-SIR!"
'This is guy is really something.' Morticia thought as the class coursed, "Yes, sir."
"What was that? Are you shy!? COME ON, put some effort into it. Again!"
"YES, SIR!" The class bellowed, causing Edgerton to cackle.
"Excellent! Now I'm going to point every one of you out and I want you to introduce yourselves. I want your name, age, hobbies and future aspirations." He declared, pointing at the center-front student.
The student sat up straighter, scratching at his messy, brown hair.
When he didn't immediately start, Edgerton waited patiently.
"Alright, I'm Lazarus Savage, I'm 12 years old, my hobby is studying insects and as for my future, I hope to create a guild with a bug-like motif."
With an approving nod, the finger moved to several others, but Morticia had toned out the talking until Edgerton's finger came to point in her direction.
"I'm Morticia Broughton, I'm 13 years old, my hobby is rowing and improving my maximum distance and I hope to become an S-Class Mage and be a role model to future generations."
"That's good." Edgerton mused and his finger moved to Zephyr.
The boy leaned back with a cool smirk, "Zephyr Caesar; also 13 years old, my hobby is rock-climbing and stargazing, and I hope to become a renown mage, one who has their tales told beyond Fiore."
Edgerton raised an eyebrow and nodded approvingly, but said nothing as he moved his finger to point behind Zephyr.
Morticia turned to see who he was pointing and found herself looking back at petite girl with rich, blonde - almost golden - hair.
"Um, right, I'm Lucy... uh, Heartfilia; 11 years old, my hobby is reading and identifying stellar constellations and I hope to become a successful Celestial Spirit Mage, just like my mother.
'Heartfilia? Like the Heartfilia Konzern?' Morticia thought.
Edgerton faltered for a moment, "Your mother was Layla Heartfilia, yes?"
Lucy nodded and he gestured to Anastasia for her to come over.
"We have two of Layla's keys in the library, right?" He whispered into the older blonde's ear.
"Yep. They've been stored with the book regarding Celestial Spirit Magic." Anastasia replied, returning back to her original position once she was dismissed.
Morticia had heard about the Heartfilia family, but couldn't understand why Edgerton seemed almost shocked when Lucy mentioned her surname.
One glance at Zephyr told her that the cocky teen was just as confused as she was.
"Alright, last one." Edgerton said, nodding at Hunter.
"Right, I-I'm Hunter Brandenburg, I'm 12 years old, m-my hobby is reading, especially the murder m-mystery books and I h-hope to become strong in my own right."
"Excellent. Now, for our first lesson, the history of Fiore."
A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Do be sure to review, favourite and follow.