I don't own Fairy Tail, or much else.
Hope you enjoy
The flash of lightning and the roar of thunder marred the cloudless sky. Hypnotized by the writhing blue bands of electricity, I watched the display of martial prowess unfold in front of me. I knew that I should be focusing on the book that lay open in my lap, just as I knew that the origin of the storm would turn her ire towards me when she noticed I was neglecting my work. Despite that, I couldn't help myself. As always, I was amazed at my mother's power. As if she could hear my internal dialogue, she suddenly turned towards my gaze and fired off a thin bolt of electricity that scorched the ground in front of me, filling my nostrils with the crisp scent of ozone. Within moments she stood over me, with a sour expression on her face,
"Is there a reason your eyes are on me and not your book?"
Without skipping a beat, I composed myself and put on a sympathetic face, "I can't help it, you're just so impressive and powerful."
She cracked a smile, "Flattery will get you in good with the girls, but it won't get you out of your education." Ruffling my hair, she took a seat next to me in the grass.
"I don't have any need for girls." I said, striking a defiant pose.
She laughed at me, "Maybe not at the age of nine, but eventually you'll find something you need from them." She tapped the corner of the book in my lap, "For now, you still have an hour of studying left." In the morning, she and I would practice our magic together for two hours. After that, I would study while she practiced her martial arts katas. Normally, she would walk through them without magic, but today she decided to up the intensity a bit. After her katas and my studying, we would have lunch, followed by her teaching me katas, and finally meditation to round out the scheduled part of our day.
"Remind me why I have to study this boring stuff again."
She sighed, "To be a good storm devil slayer you must be as powerful as thunder and as sharp as lightning. Don't forget that. Eventually you'll find yourself in a position that you can't get out of with force alone."
"Fine. But this is your fault for distracting me with magic while I was trying to concentrate." I knew full well it wasn't. I needed no help in finding a distraction.
As she walked away, I pretended to read as my mind wandered. Devil slayer magic is one of the rarest and most misunderstood forms of magic. Quite often my mother and I are mistakenly called lightning mages. It is more true than false, but it is a bit of an oversimplification. The magic of storm devil slayers, and devil slayers in general, interacts with the natural world in unique ways. Thunder is created by the heat of lightning, and therefore can be manipulated and utilized by storm devil slayers in a way that most lightning mages cannot. The primary reason for this is that while all magicks require emotion, devil slayer magic thrives off turbulent emotions, which creates a more primal force of magic that can seep into the natural world. It is not uncommon for storm devil slayers to cause the wind to whip up, or to bring storm clouds based on the power of their emotions while using their magic.
Of course, the part of devil slayer magic that everyone gets right is the part about slaying demons. Granted, because devil slayers slay demons, we are often called demon slayers. This isn't necessarily wrong, it just isn't the most correct title. But yeah, devil slayers slay demons; my mother does the same. She isn't part of any guild; she is an independent wizard who hunts demons for profit. While demon slaying is quite profitable, contracts to kill demons are also very rare. Because of this, we move around from place to place so that she can find work. She doesn't let me fight demons, which I think is dumb. In fact, she doesn't even let me come with her when she goes to hunt a demon; she either puts me up in an inn for however long it takes, or I camp by myself.
I risked a look up at my mother. It's always just been the two of us, roaming the countryside, searching for demons to kill. My mother never talks about her life before me, my father, or how she became a devil slayer in the first place. My train of thought caused me to glance down at the jagged black lines that crossed my forearm in an intricate pattern. The magic of demons is inherently incompatible with that of humans, so all devil slayers have tattoo-like markings, usually on one of their forearms. These tattoos are laced with ethernano and demonic energy that acts as a catalyst to allow the magic to form properly.
Lost in my thoughts, the following hour flew by. My mother walked past me to pick up her canteen,
"How did the rest of your studies go?" she asked after taking a long drink of water.
"Oh, you know. Western philosophy can be difficult to unpack, but it is always rewarding."
"It was so difficult that you never turned the page?"
My expression fell. "It was a very long page."
"Not any longer than the other ones." She placed the canteen on the ground and walked up next to me, peering over my shoulder, "You're on page 112? Finish the book, and then we'll talk about lunch."
I stared at her in disbelief, "There are over 400 pages in this book. Are you really going to keep us both from eating until I finish reading all of them?"
She gave a full-throated laugh that caused a pit to form in my gut, "Of course not; that would be crazy. I'm going to eat lunch. Better hurry up before there's none left." She gave me a sadistic smile and a wink before walking to the center of camp to start a fire.
One speed-read and several hours later, I was finally able to eat. My mother had fried some fish, and while it was a little cold, I still found it plenty appetizing.
"Now that you've actually read the book, how was it?" mother asked between bites.
"It was alright… a little weird. I still don't know why you got that one in particular. All it talked about was how life was pointless and that we can't truly enjoy it until we accept how none of our actions matter. I understand that you want me to learn, but I don't know why I need to learn that, specifically."
She shrugged, "It was on sale. I thought the cover looked interesting, but I certainly didn't think it would be so existential."
I stopped eating and frowned at her, "so you bought the book and made such a big deal about how I need to read it, but you didn't even know what is was about… and to top it all off, you give me a speech about how reading this book could save my life. I guess being an adult really does mean that you can do whatever you want…"
"I didn't say this book specifically could save your life," she said, flinging a stray stick at me, "I said that being smart will help you down the road. Reading makes you smart. Even if this book didn't teach you any single skill that will end up helping you, the act of reading it exercised your mind, and made you smarter."
I shook my head at her, "I don't think it works like that."
"Then read a rhetoric book and write me a persuasive essay on why you think I'm wrong." She smiled as I scoffed at her. We continued eating for some time before she broke the silence, "While you were reading the book I bought you to make you a more well-rounded person – you're welcome, by the way – I scouted out the area. There's a cave a few hours to the southeast that reeks of blood and sulfur. I'm pretty sure that's where this demon is hiding out."
"I take it you're going to head there tomorrow morning to kill it, and that I'm staying behind, as always." I was glad that she found it. It'd been awhile since she completed a job, and we were running a little low on jewel. She told me not to worry about it, but I knew that she would say the same thing even if I did need to worry about it.
"That's the gist of it. It shouldn't be too eventful, just a goat snatcher. Sounds like an easy job. I can't believe the reward is as high as it is. Who knew farmers even made that much?"
"They won't continue to make that much if this demon keeps stealing their goats." She muttered an affirmation and continued eating. I wish she would take me with her. If it was really going to be as simple a job as she said, then there really wasn't any issue with taking me along with her. Besides, I'm plenty strong; I could certainly handle a demon of this caliber. Though I internally raged against the injustice, I didn't dare voice it. I've had that same conversation with her far too many times and it always ended with the two of us getting into a screaming match and not talking for a day or two.
My mother finished her fish and stood up, dusting off her pants with her hands, "Alright, I know we're a little behind schedule for today, due to your own antics I might add, but do you want me to lead you through some katas?" I looked up at her with wide eyes to see her smirk of amusement. I had almost forgotten about training. In my haste to answer, I choked on a bite of fish. She laughed and began walking away from camp, already knowing my answer. I scarfed down the remainder of my meal and ran after her.
As I reached her, I immediately knew which kata she would have me start with, so I got into position and started to go through it. She rolled her eyes at my readiness but a prideful smile painted her face. The smile soon melted off her face as she began coldly assessing me with bright blue eyes that matched my own. She circled me as I went through the well-practiced motions. "Very good. You have a habit of dropping your shoulder and exposing your chin, but besides that, your motions are crisp and clean. Show me form II." Without need for further prompting, I shifted my body to acquiesce her request. Again, she silently analyzed me.
I completed the kata without interruption and looked to her for criticism, but to my surprise, she offered none. Instead, she pulled her light brown hair back into a ponytail and got into a stance of her own. "Your form is impeccable. Practicing the motions won't help you much more, but a live spar will. Try to hit me."
I blinked once. While the idea of sparring sounded like fun, I had a sinking suspicion that this would not end well for me. I shrugged and got into the stance for my first form. I knew she was waiting on me to attack, so I quickly assessed her stance to try to find some sort of vulnerability. The closest I could find was that she seemed to be slightly unbalanced onto her back foot. Planning my attack, I launched myself at her in an attempt to drive her back. Unfortunately, I soon realized that her stance was unbalanced intentionally as a way to bait me. She shifted her weight forward like a pendulum and kicked me square in the chest with her back foot, sending me flying onto my back. For a moment I lay on my back questioning all the decisions that lead me to this point, while simultaneously thanking every higher power I could name that she hadn't used her full force. I stood back up to try again, hoping that this one would go better
I ended up being grateful that my mother had gone to kill the demon in the morning because it gave me a chance to sleep in and rest my sore body. I knew it could've been a lot worse. She took it easy on me, and aside from a few scratches and bruises, I was more-or-less intact. Even if I wasn't sore, I wouldn't know what to do with myself, anyway. Days when my mother was gone, I didn't really know what to do. It would be different if we were in a city, but with money being tight, paying for a room for an unknown amount of time wasn't the most prudent option. If I were in the city, I would prefer to be by myself anyways. The city seemed so much grander when there was no one looking over my shoulder to make sure I wouldn't get in trouble. Usually I'd sneak off to some tavern, hopefully one that wasn't too seedy, and play cards. I had discovered that no one ever expected a nine-year-old to be a card shark, and so I often walked out with a full belly and some spending money.
I also wouldn't have to deal with strange men flirting with my mother if she wasn't around. Just another positive. Few things irritated me more than when some idiot tried to chat up my mother in front of me. One of those few things was when they tried to use me to get in her good graces; this amused neither her nor me. Telling me how beautiful and young my mother is, or subsequently how much I look like her, doesn't ingratiate them to me or her.
I suppose we do look alike. We have the same fair complexion, and same blue eyes, which conveniently match the color of our lightning. Her hair is so light it is almost blonde, and lays flat, which I don't understand due to how the static electricity always makes my hair stand up. My hair is also several shades darker than hers is. In addition to that, we have the same straight nose and high cheekbones.
Thinking so much about my mother was making me start to miss her. Aside from when she goes away on jobs, we're almost always together. She several hours ago, so she shouldn't be too much longer. Pushing the thought out of my head, I get up and do a few stretches before grabbing my pack to pull out something to eat. I found some dried meat and walked over to a big, shady tree to relax and eat breakfast…er, lunch.
After eating, I walked over to the small clearing where I had sparred the previous day and began to go through my katas, full of pride in my perceived competence. I was so wrapped up in my routine that I didn't notice the figure behind me until it grabbed me by the hair and threw me across the clearing. I skidded across the ground, tearing up patches of dirt and grass. When I finally came to a stop, I looked up in the direction of my assailant. Two large figures, with thick shoulders and arms stared back at me. One was blue and the other red. Both had patches of gray fur that spread across their shoulders and onto their backs, as well as ram-like horns, and large, distended jaws. Most alarmingly, I could see a murky black aura surrounding both of them. They were demons.
"This is the camp of that bitch who killed Muztagh, so that must be her runt." The red one said in a voice that was unpleasantly low and gruff.
The blue one grunted, "We came looking for some payback. What's better than killing her kid?" they both started laughing, an unnerving sound, as they approached.
I have been trained as a devil slayer as long as I can remember, but the sight of two demons in front of me froze me. I had never seen a live demon before, much less two. Knowing I needed to calm down if I had any chance of surviving, I began to take deep breaths. The demons could seem to smell my fear, and began to laugh menacingly. I would need to fight. I would need to live up to my title. Besides, they insulted my mother and for that, they deserved to die.
"Lightning Javelin!" I yelled as I thrust my tattooed arm forward. A bolt of lightning shot out of my palm, hot enough to melt the air it touched into plasma, allowing it to cut through flesh. The demons seemed surprised by my sudden defiance, and the attack hit the blue demon on its right side, below where I assumed its rib cage would be. The bolt tore through the demon, cauterizing the flesh as it went. The subsequent spasms of pain caused the seared flesh to crack and break, allowing blood to seep from the wound.
A look of shock crossed both of their faces before the blue one started howling in pain. The red one howled and ran towards me on all fours, running like an ape. The two were much larger and likely more physically powerful than me, so I planned to avoid them and attack from range to waste their advantage. Unfortunately I was a bit overzealous in my panic and used an advanced spell that took a lot out of me, so I would have to be more prudent with my spell selection from here on out.
I waited for the demon to get closer to me before rolling to my right. I sprung to my feet as fast as I could and channeled lightning through my body to dart forward at an inhuman speed, hearing the satisfying roar of a thunderclap as I made my move. My maneuver managed to land me behind the demon with 20 feet of distance. I fired off a bolt of lightning struck it square in the back, singeing its hair and filling the air with a disgusting aroma. This attack was not nearly as powerful as my lightning javelin and did significantly less damage, though it still provoked a pained grunt from the demon.
In my rush, I had neglected one of the main rules of fighting multiple opponents: I took my eye off one of them. It turns out that the blue demon had not been hurt as badly as I had thought and the next thing I knew, a heavy blow struck me in the side of my face, sending me once more careening across the ground. My head rung and I saw stars as I staggered to my feet. Both demons stood before me with looks of rage in their faces. I felt a warm sensation on my cheek, when I went to touch it my hand came back stained red with blood. Things were not looking good. The blue demon, understandably more upset than his kin leapt towards me and, had I not dove out of the way, would have pummeled me into the earth with both his fists. Dirt saturated the air, and I quickly scrambled to my feet. He continued to punch the earth, but by some divine providence, I managed to avoid all of them. As I stumbled around his attacks, I spied his wound and had an idea. I lunged forward and drove my hand into his wound causing him to forget his rampage and scream in pain. I drove my fingers into his burnt flesh, causing more blood to flow from the wound. Yelling, I tore my hand out, ripping the blisters and causing an open cascade from his body. He fell to his knees, howling in pain. Coating my fist with a veil of lightning, I thrust it to the sky with all my strength, crushing his agape jaw with enough force to elicit a sickening crunch. The scream ceased and the demon crumpled forward in a heap.
Panting with exertion, I made eye contact with the remaining demon, whose face was contorted with shock and fury. He beat the ground furiously before unleashing a primal cry and barreling towards me. I tried to take a step back, but I underestimated how much magical energy I had expended and how exhausted I was. My leg gave out from underneath me and I stumbled back, bracing myself with my hand to save myself from landing square on my rear. I soon realized that catching myself was the smallest of victories when the demon grabbed my leg and lifted me high over his head before slamming me down in the ground. The force jarred me, but strangely, I felt no pain. It was as if my body had gone numb. I was vaguely aware of him slamming me into the ground again, and my vision started to darken. I was beginning to get very sleepy.
All of a sudden, I remembered the gravity of the situation and shook myself back to awareness just in time to make contact with the ground again. I heard the crack before I felt it. All of the pain that I hadn't been aware of suddenly washed over me in waves. Quickly assessing my injuries, I determined that I had a broken rib, a dislocated shoulder, and some sort of head injury. There were probably more but I would have to worry about those later. For some reason the demon let go of my leg, leaving me spread across the ground like a shattered porcelain doll. He leaned his face over mine. I felt the hot stench of his breath saturate the air around my face
"Your bitch mother killed Muztagh, and you killed Krantrep. You both deserve to suffer. Don't pass out on me; I'm going to eat you alive and I want you to feel every bite as I strip your flesh and crunch your bones." I tried to think a way out of my situation, but my head was shrouded in haze. If I was going to come up with a plan, it was going to have to be simple. Devil slayer magic. It was dangerous, but more than that, it was toxic to demons. I didn't have much left in my body, but maybe if I channeled enough into this demon it would be enough to incapacitate him. Lifting my arm I brought it to his head, wrapping it around the base of his horn and started pouring as much storm devil slayer magic as I had left into my body into his skull. Electricity crackled and spread across his scalp. His eyes went wide as the pain registered. I pushed harder and more errant sparks spread. He started shaking violently, but I kept my grip on his horn. A thick white foam started to drip from his mouth and his eyes started to bulge and smoke as if they were going to pop from their sockets and assault me. Despite the tension, all I could hear was the tame popping of sparks and the beating of my own heart in my ears. After an unknowable amount of time, I heard a rattle deep in his throat and he collapsed on top of me, which certainly didn't help my bruised body. I laid under the behemoth, panting raggedly. I wouldn't have been able to move even if I wanted to. I lay helpless as shadows creeped at the edge of my vision and the world faded to darkness.