"Do fairies really have tails? Do they even exist... Like them this place's as an eternal mystery...A never ending adventure!"
—Makarov Dreyar, Fairy Tail Gulid Leader
Outskirts of Magnolia Town
. .
End of Summer, X784
. .
Summer has come to a close, blistering with every sweat bead it could produce. The scorching sun has gone away, settling back to yet another fine winter coming ahead.
I miss the summer days I was a child no higher than a tree stump cut down for harvesting firewood.
I step forwards reaching the outskirts of the merchant city, trees lining the outside of it all. The autumn leaves will settle down crinkling up their vibrant colors and trade in for an array of oranges to browns.
I prefer the fall weather more than any other season but it makes my heart ache with a hollow beat, like it is almost what I need.
Glancing up from the dirt path and aging trees there lay reaching into the city limits the finely made cobblestone path and with the early afternoon sun overhanging my travels through it all. I set on continuing my trek across the colossal town, there is a plan at stake and I will not fail to make it a success.
My trekking of the whole town have started to dull my senses, but more so tire me find a bed to retire to, the streets turn to monochrome blurs, citizens words drop out from my ears to noisy buzzing as I step into a grand open square of town. Must be a market place or theater production, if a poorer town this might have been a sight for the dead and dying.
"Oy, you sure you don't want to try the fish, it's fresh today~"
A rather pudgy but more than less built man called out to me again, demanding in a what most believe to be a friendly tone. Saying I should buy the day old fish he claims is fresh now in the wooden cart he put out on the market street of Magnolia.
If only he knew I have the nose to know such small details, but then what's the point to mention such details, he might die tonight or the next, just another person in this world, no use in getting to know the dying much.
"No, but thank you sir." I bow but avoid the gaze of the man with the beaded little coal like eyes, continuing away fro the cart.
I walk on knowing he'll give up and badgers another, by the sound of it his voice booms with even more enthusiasm to it.
.
.
So this is where the powerful Dragon slayers are, interesting.
Fairy Tail Guild, Magnolia Town
. .
Present Day, X784
. .
"Ice-head you're going down!" Natsu yelled out as he kicked back to Gray, knocking him back a few feet away.
Just an abnormal but absolutely normal day for Fairy Tail and the ever classic rival of Nastu Dragneel & Gray Fullbuster.
"Heh, Hothead you're getting ahead of yourself." Gray smirked postioning himself to get this fight on the next level.
"Ice make, Hammer!" translucent blue the ice shines as it spreads out it frozen body out and as quick to appear itself it comes crashing back to the wood floor where Nastu perviously stood laughing like a mantic monster.
"Fire Dragon Claw!" from the left nearest the bar side Nastu blasted a red hot flame, hitting back at the ice Gray summoned out before.
"Dammit, Nastu!" Gray jumps back as the ice scatters about the area.
"Stop it now you two!" a thunderous voice called as the rivals came rushing back at one another with a fit clenched on both holding there. At the voice they freeze, by the looks of it quivering in fear.
"Ah, Welcome back Erza, how was the mission?" Mirajane clapped in joy as she walked back to get a plate of cake for Erza.
Still Nastu and Gray stood frozen for another beat or two before Erza turned back to them and they jumped up shaking hands like nice best friends they were.
"I see, you guys have become so close while I was away." She nods and gives a approving smile to this behavior.
"Yeah Gray & I are totally buds!" Nastu smiled though trembling to do so and gave a quick glare back at Gray.
"Yep, totally buds!" Gray smiles and sends the glare right back.
"Erza what is that?" completely unaware by now the massive decorative vase Erza had behind her everybody turn to notice it as Lucy stares wide eyed at it.
"Oh the town gave it to me as a thank you for taking out the bandits roaming the place." Again Erza nods before looking over at Makarov, who sat at the bar already drink a pint of sake laughing about something Bickslow said just then.
"Master, about the information I was intended to search for on the mission." Erza steps over to Makarov and they share a look before nodding with a mumbled grunt.
"Ja, we'll talk upstairs." he steps off the table and heads for the stair with Erza near behind.
"Everyone, back to work you can't slack off!" Erza puts a fist to the air as her expression disguises over from the concern look to determination everybody nods and off Erza goes leaving a curious vibe to the guild members.
"Juvia wonders about Erza's expression, is something wrong?" A few of member jump at Juiva appearing behind them. Her hands huddled near her chest slowing clench tighter as her worried expression increases.
"Why is that, what could be wrong?" Lucy in a panic at the thought of yet another danger with Erza involved.
"Eh, there might be just news on some new dark guilds or something, she gets that way." Gray absent minded pulled off his jacket and shirt as his spoke out to Lucy.
"Gray-sama your clothes!" Juvia flustered but dare not to turn completely away from the man's perfect body still glistening with sweat. Not like Juvia Lucy already turned away blushing at Gray's lack of decentness in front of a woman. Course Natsu took the opportunity to fight Gray again and on the day went, perfectly normal, completely normal for the guild.
The sun came to a setting, red, pink, oranges lit the skies, bringing the day to a close.
"Bye guys!" Lucy waved off to the remaining guild members, her brown purse in hand and Pue holding onto it for dear life as she walked out with a silly smile before she grabbed out a pen and paper jotting a few words down on her way back to her apartment.
Today was good, I hope for many more days like this~
Mother I wish you could see this, me being happy following a dream of mine, I love you so much.
Lucy smiles even more at the words she has just written and nods then puts the items away before the sudden pair of footsteps sound beside her.
"Excuse me." A shadow comes, looming above herself.
"AAAAIIIIEEEEE!" She flings back putting up her arms and accidently sending off her bag and Pue to the stone street.
Lucy's eyes shut tight her whole self trembling a few moment before she finds nothing is happening, no stalker was kidnapping her or a pervert feeling her up, so she turns back inch by inch as she opened one eye open to the person standing in front of her. Even more shock came at looking at the person, a strange, never before seen girl stood before her.
Very tall, in fact, well not like a giant tall but obviously taller than Lucy by a simple glance.
Still she was odd looking, not completely scary, kind like Erza; pretty and strange.
Blond wavy hair that went down to the girl's neck, and it seem that was the only color on the girl since her entree beside her hair, black gloves and mechanic goggles; which were black with sliver x's on them, were a clean white t-shirt, bright white jeans of some kind, and her arms covered completely with clean white bandages.
Worse of it, Lucy instantly came to think this girl would fit right in with Fairy Tail's odd collection of people by the looks of her. Realizing she was staring with a shocked look Lucy reaches out her hand.
"Umm, he-Hello, sorry about that, I wasn't even looking around to notice anybody aroound, hehehe." Lucy forced a laugh but it came out very weak and frigthen, not what she was going for in this random meeting.
Lucy looks up, though having to crane her neck a little at a discomforting angle, the girl took her hand in a firm hand shake, it felt dry and lifeless like sand in the desert.
"Would you know of a Hotel called, HalfCocor, around here?" the girl's voice monotone, slate enough to cut metal, but rather polite with her words. Still it made Lucy nervous not being able see the eyes of this dominating figure.
"Su-Sure I do, ah it's kind of far from here but you ca-can make it over before the sunsets of you hurry." Lucy stumbling over her words gasp to find her calm before getting back to girl's question.
"Go past the Central Path and make a left over three streets head down the third street till the end of- oh right you might not know that-"
The girl places her hand Lucy's head, silencing Lucy at her panicking, but Lucy caught the lingering scent of alcohol and baked bread on the arm of the girl.
"No, I know where to look, thank you, Miss." The girl turns away patting Lucy's head like a little kid before waving off casually with her back turned away from the stunned Lucy.
"Umm, I'm Lucy, glad to of helped you, ugh.." Lucy bowing deeply and then embarrassed to not say her name at the beginning of the conversation.
"No worriers you don't have to introduce yourself, I mean we're not going to see each other again, goodbye Miss Lucy."
"Ugh.." Lucy at a lost of words to her pessimistic comment stood quiet as the girl left on her way taking an alley street out of sight of the still stunned Lucy.
Lucy bent down grabbing for her bag and Pue who stood behind her the whole encounter just now.
"Who was that?" Lucy wondered bewildered by the girl, but soon enough had to move on to home if she wanted to get a good night's rest for the mission Nastu finally picked out for them to go. Hopefully she could pay her rent on time this time, it always scared her to think of being without a home to stay in at night.
The lanterns all lit up now at Lucy's house met Lucy and her weary self.
"Awww, finally I get to take a long hot bath and maybe I could write some more of my manuscript today!" Lucy beamed gleefully with starry eyes while opening the door and heading up with somewhat lighter steps at the promising night to come.
Pulling the door open her girlishly gigle turn to a shout of shock.
"Nastu, what are doing here!" Lucy drops her stuff, but this time Pue moves out the way and stays unharmed.
"Yo, Lucy where have you been!" Nastu sat at her table eating what was left of her hard work's effort of a lamb stew she was going to finish tonight rather than cook up what might be left from her small freeze. Plus Happy was here making a wreck of her packed bag for the mission tomorrow.
"Oh good, Lucy your shower was broken pouring water everywhere so I froze the pipes till morning comes." Gray popped out from the bathroom door only wearing a towel and making a small trail of ice follow after him.
"Ahh Lucy, good, good I had some questions on these pages, is this something you're writing?" Even Erza was here, sitting at Lucy's work desk in her purple pajamas, reading her story!
"What are guys doing HERE, go home!" As if it were possible to break the sound barrier with just a yell, Lucy tired but still even that didn't budge them to motion out.
"Huh, but since we're heading out tomorrow we should hang out as a group!" Nastu the ever oblivious hot head just smiles as Lucy's losing her peaceful night to another Fairy Tail gathering, at her house.
"It is good to bond with your team mates, it's crucial to the mission that we work well together." Erza agrees to Nastu's statement then continues to read on but Lucy runs over hiding away the pages in a trunk by her bed.
"You can't it, it's not finished yet." Teary eyed Lucy sits at the table with Nastu and Happy, putting her head down in a gloom.
Erza pouts at the actions of Lucy but goes along back to a large landed out nice and neat looking map hanging up on one of Lucy's wall, it's stabbed in by three of Erza's swords.
So Lucy's night not quite what she expected but thinks back to early today.
"Oh you guys I met this, umm, tall girl with blond hair, had some goggles on as well and in all white clothes, would any of you know of her?" This slightly got the four's attention but still on a sidetrack note.
"Oh, somebody to fight, bring it on!" Nastu jumping up not really even listening to what Lucy's saying becomes all fired up, but sadly catches a stray pillow on fire.
"Nastu!" Lucy shrieked as she swat the pillow into a smushed pile darken a bit by the smoldering sparks.
"Lucy's being self paranoid again." Happy sprung up from the table as he wore a revealing red shirt of Lucy's as a cape.
"Shut it Happy, I'm not paranoid , I really did meet that person!" Lucy ranting flustered by Happy's antics and Nastu's destructive nature.
"Lucy," Erza called to Lucy with her head at a tilt once Lucy looked over done with her rant."Was this girl suspicious?" Lucy shagged a little at Erza's contradiction, practically everyone here was suspicious.
"Well no, but she just stood out so much I thought maybe you guys had seen her before." Or at least her eyes, Lucy added in her mind before glancing back Erza.
"I can't say I do, but if you meet again hopefully we all can as well."
"Ah, that won't be needed!" Once more Lucy flustered at the thought of having the whole guild swarming the unsuspecting stranger.
"Why not, she could join the guild, might be a favor to her actually." Gray after all this time finally put back almost all his clothes besides his shirt.
"Alright, I will if that happens," Lucy half heartily agreed but come bak to the main problem at hand.
"Now, you guys got to go back home!" Lucy throws her arms up in a dramatic show of her words.
"Heh, we don't want to." all four say in union as they look at Lucy with a full expression.
"Lucy's being Scary!" Happy exclaims at Lucy's gloomy smile.
The moon twinkling bright shines out as from the inside of Lucy's house is filled with even more shouts an good company, even of Lucy's doesn't say aloud.
Away from Lucy's house, at the Hotel HalfCocor the blond headed girl still dressed in her pure white shirt and jeans crouches over the ledge of a fourth story window peering out without a care as the wind blew swiftly. She speaks in a hush voice with only the winds to reply at her rhetorical thoughts.
"One week without the fire dragon slayer, this could be the prime moment." She peers sideways, to the lights scattered about the town still lit up, blankly gazing at the vastness of the life living here.
"Still it is best to act with caution at the other two, they might react badly or worse, make me wait for the fire dragon." Her eyes never downcast or show even the slightest distress at the words hinting at trouble for herself. She looks away from the lights staring at the cement holding herself and this window up here.
"They may have information I'm looking for, they do appear to have the abilities to obtain such, legendary like resources." Again no sign of wonder or concerted thought going on as her lips seal shut in a firm line of wind bellows catching at the drain pipes with a haunted sound, moaning like a dying soul.
"Hopeful there's gambling joint somewhere in this lighted up town, I do wish to make this trip worth my time than just another errand in my days." At that she rolled her neck sighing at the small popping noises sounding from her body.
She lifts up steady on the ball of her feet and inches forwards right to very edge and peers dull eyed at the beckoning moon ahead if her and holds out her open left palm to it leaving right limp to her side.
"This will be going as planned," She turns up peering at the night sky in a dazed look but continues to speak in her dry voice to the sky. "Father you shall see me again, no mater what it must cost to do so."
She stands frozen as her words wisp away leaving nothing but her quiet breathing to fill the absolute calm surrounding her. Then from the few seconds she let pass by without motion she drops back to the room in a bound of a step and pulls her arm back even slower than before, looking at the moon with her lifeless eyes in some unknown trance at it.
"Father, please return safety..."
Still her eyes gaze out, her lips practically closed shut and her form relaxed not tensed up like her hands hanging to her sides suddenly clenched and lurking out comes a dark strand of flames ensnaring about her lower half.
Fairy Tail Guild, Magnolia Town
. .
The Next Day, X784
. .
The day bright once more from the night before looking vibrant yet beginning to become humid as well. Fairy Tail guild up and running as usually, member rushing off for missions, laughing friends share yet another barrel of beer to set their bets. Lucy on the other hand looked exhausted, as she hang on to thee bar stand with puffed eyes.
"Aughh, why did they have to do a battle at 3am?" she weakly groaned plopping on the bar stool beside herself. Natsu in hand laughing his head walked over sitting next to her with a goofy grin.
"Yo Lucy, thanks for the great night sleep, awwww I'm ready for this mission." Nastu could hardly contain himself trembling with the exciting mission to come today.
"But Nastu we have to ride the train there." Happy poof from behind Lucy's tried form commenting on Nastu forgetting the terror to come for him.
Instantly Nastu greened regretting ever thinking about the terror train. He fell over cringing at the upcoming motion and pasted out for a while leaving Lucy to some peace and quiet till Gray came along, strutting about in nothing but himself.
"Oy, Gray put some clothes on!" Cana chucked a empty cup at him. It startled him but got the intended result she wanted.
"Gray, please give me another hour to pack, I need some new gear for the trip." Erza called to Gray, once he was dressed properly and headed out for magic shop blocks away from the guild.
"Sure Erza, just don't go over board." A slam of a door shut before he could warn Erza of her hoarding.
Later on the day, still early to go on the train they booked for but over two hours since Erza left for her extra supplies. The gang grouped at a table waiting for Erza's return.
"LUCY!" A high squeal of joy bubbled out loud in the guild just as the door swung open holding three figures at it.
"Levy you're back!" Lucy suddenly revived from the dead tiredness ran forward dropping her notebook at the table with Nastu gorging himself on everything considered "Good Meat" and Gray arguing with Cana about her drunken self this early in the day.
The two girls embrace twirling about in glee to finally have a chance to see another , Droy and Jet stand by with wide smiles at Levy's laughing face.
"We finished the mission pretty quick this time, even got a little extra money for the well done job, now I can get more spell books!" Levy spoke proud of the achievement, Lucy smiled congratulating her but warning on over spending her money.
"Jet, Droy you made sure to keep Levy safe, to be a man means to protect her at all cost, If you're a man, Then you are a man, Man!"
Both Droy and Jet question in thought what Elfman's words are even suppose to be.
"We don't understand." In unison they say as they shake their head in utter doubt.
"Welcome back, Levy!" Bisca waved from across the way as she fixed up her rifles for a mission she and Alzack would be going on soon.
"Ah, that's right I have funny story to tell you." Levy clasped her hands together just as her amused look spread to Lucy and the others, also wondering what Levy would say. "But first have anyone of you guys, meet a real tall blond girl-"
"Who had goggles on?" Lucy squeaked out looking a bit shocked and waiting on Levy for a response, Levy's face told it all.
"Yea, you met her as well, where at?" curiousity mixed in her voice as she stepped close to Lucy as if they were tell secrets.
"But I just met her yesterday evening, weren't you all on a mission near Balsam Village?" Lucy holds her hands at her face confusion starting to hurt her brain as Levy gives a nod of reassures.
"Really, I met her as we were heading out for our train after 3, maybe she rode a express train or something, could of been her magic to move places quick?"
Lucy muddling over the words Levy speaks of and find herself, wanting to know about that girl, she sighs mentally at that thought.
Great getting involved with more trouble as we stand here.
"How exactly did you, meet her?"Lucy drawled the words out hoping to make sense of the completely random encounter and our it behind her soon. Please Levy make the questions go away, I need to understand better.
"It will be a few minutes to tell it all if you are up for it now, alright?"
Lucy nods vigorously, while the rest just do a simple up nod.
"Oh well it was," Levy turned back to Jet & Droy beckoning them forwards before continuing "After buying the train tickets, Jet and Droy went out to get us something eat and I headed over to an odd looking shop with the words Magical Research on it."
"Magical Research, what it has books on magic spells?" Natsu asked as he gulped down a hunk of meat.
"Nuh uh, it's a rare shop around world where they collects & compiles the history, data, and legends of anything since the earliest foundation of magic was born." Levy stops holding her hands close to her heart. Her excited expression turns solemn then.
"Since of the rarity of the shops it has lost many of their most prized and important documents in the process of moving them to one another of the shop in more recent years," She pouts out her lips still her hands hold tight to her chest "Because of the dark guilds looking for Zereff magic."
Levy suddenly brightens and waves her arms in front of herself.
"Sorry, that wasn't the point of the story, but at this shop I was going up a set of back room stairs into a small attic like space."
"Heh, why did Levy go to the attic?" Jet and Droy pipe up showing great concern at Levy's wandering off alone, she smiles reassuring them of her total safety, they quiet down at Levy continues the event.
"The attic was filled with stacks of untouched books and there she was surrounded in a cirled fortress of open books just scanning everything in front of her with her eyes hidden under the goggles."
"Did you talk with her or just stare and leave?" Gray asked pulling up a seat closer to this apparently interested by the tale.
Levy shakes her head letting the wild strands of hair slip over her face.
"No, I stood for a second and she looked up without a single expression change as if she were still scanning about not actually seeing I was there, I thought i'd made her angry or break concentration." At the memory a few sweat drops appear on her face then she went on trying to piece back the encounter just as Lucy did before.
Balsam Village, Magical Research Store
. .
One Day before, X784
. .
In that attic the other day Levy stepped into with a curiosity to search and got a surprised by the odd blond girl just searching through stack of books there in the attic as well.
"Ah, sorry I had been exploring about, sorry to disturb you." Levy had bowed hoping to not start a fight especially amongst precious books.
She begun to turn away but the girl had spoken up in a dull voice, stopping her quick escape.
"You're fine, there isn't anything to apologize for, please continue your exploring if you like Miss." The girl looked away leaving Levy to the silence surrounding the space the two occupy now.
"Uh, sure.. " Levy stuttered out and had wondered what then, would it be better to leave or stay and explore about the room with this blond girl searching intently?
Levy peered around hoping to find answer to her doubtful situation. There by a broken ladder maybe five feet away lay a massive book with just what levy needed then. She flopped down at the book looking closely to its cover nodding at her keen eyes.
"Heh, was that the book you told us about on the train?" Jet asked with a drawl as he process the thought out aloud.
"Yeah, it's suppose to be delivered soon." Levy smiles at him and turns back to Lucy as Jet smirks at Droy who seethes darkly.
"What, so what's it about?" Cana joined in once she chugged down her fifth drink for the afternoon.
"Well, it was locked so I'm not sure beside it something really important." A cold draft settles on them at the odd words Levy spoke.
"A book locked, why is that?"
"The girl told me it was locked and knew a few things-"
"The blond knew what that book was, wait you bought it for her?" Gray looked confused but keeps seated.
The book was lying there just out of place in this creepy room, it's massive size swarming with a charcoal colored leather binding wrapped tight between two parallel chains across it. Levy brushed the dust settled thick on the book front with a stray cloth laying by it, loosen bit of dust clumps flutter up like birds in the streams of light peeking from the ceiling above.
Now the dust moved off Levy peered to the side, the girl still sat flipping through another book not worried on Levy's actions. Knowing she wasn't disturbing the blond she took back to the book, but stopped at grabbing the cover once the girl spoke.
"Please take caution that book has been cursed, the chains are there for protection." Levy looked back, the girl hadn't looking away from her reading to talk.
Levy walked over in front of the book fortress, sitting on her knees and asked.
"What curse?" Levy leaned forward and the girl looked up but no change to her face beside her mouth moving.
"That book, by my findings from rumored news must have something to do with old magic," She adjust her goggles and nods over to the book. "In the middle of the cover beneath the dust is a hexed green-blue gem, I have heard of people losing limbs and being repelled by trying to open it."
She shuts her book and steps up over the fortress walking to the book and looks down at it then to Levy's direction.
"Whoa, so there hasn't been anyone to open it, isn't there a way?" Levy stunned by the long speech from the girl and shutters at the thought if she had tried to open it before.
"If anyone could read these text and break through the barriers across the front then that might help." Still looking at Levy the girl kept a foot distance from the book not daring to touch it.
"Wait read it, I could do that!" Levy shouted, then clamped her mouth shut.
The girl mumbled something getting Levy's attention once again.
"Would you happen to be a wizard?" The girl's cold voice asked as she stepped away from the book.
"Ah, that's right I haven't introduced myself," Levy skipped over and bows "I'm Levy Mcgarden, Fairy Tail Wizard!" The girl bows as well at Levy's introduction.
"Miss McGarden, good to be introduced, so-" She paused as she stood back up and puts a hand to her lips, the glove even the bandage to the left arm were covered in a dark muck, some of which resemble the color of dry blood.
"Heh, she had blo-Blood on her?" Lucy shrunk away at the scary thought of the perfect and pure white the girl had wore only hours before and to know they had been soiled in another's blood beforehand. She inched back to sit down but found the floor instead of a chair. Levy then stopped her retelling to comfort Lucy realizing even she was scared by the memory still fresh and confusing. Levy came over to the fearful Lucy & patted her head gently to soothe her.
"Don't worry Lucy I'm just saying it looked particularly like it, but it might as well be her own, she did say how people were hurt by opening that book, so she must have tried before I came along, right?" Lucy takes a deep gulp of air but won't leave the floor right then but a few more words of Levy's get her back up.
"Just to sum up the rest of our encounter, she didn't tell me her name but gave me some critical information about the book; such as the old magic is primalry link to being with Zeref." Levy gulped at that and grabbed ahold of Lucy's hand.
"She had also obtain a hex charm to deactivate it, like she said it's kind of acts like a key to the book. I wanted to know what it was, but I was afraid if she was a dark mage member, so after she gotten back to her pile of books and made her leave I bought the book without her noticing and left."
"Heh, but then didn't she seem to want that as well.." Gray spoke up looking less confused by the highly unbelievable tale now but said nothing more.
"Oy, Natsu, Gray, Lucy," Erza came walking in with a slightly over stuff duffel bag rattling of metal and glass objects within it; probably cooking materials but later they would actually know. "Are you all ready to head out, the train should be arriving in a hour and a half."
The odd tale left the group in a hesitation for a moment but shaked it clear off their conscious at the time and headed out with Erza on the, planned to be, week mission to first Clover town and if the dark mages they were on the hunt for were encounter, as rumored to, then off to Oak town as well.
They head out with the guild members waving their "see ya's" & "Good luck's" and then they were gone leaving the place a little more clam but never to quiet to keep them from going crazy in silence.
What now?
Fairy-Tail Secrets, an estranged new person & missions to dark guilds!
A Story of everything that could and did break apart to an abyss so far from life in the present.
