The sun was high in the sky as I got off of the train cart. I nodded to the cabin helper at the door as I stepped onto the platform. A soft breeze whipped a strand of hair across my face. Using my pinky I swiped it back to the strand. Taking a big breath of fresh air I walked into Magnolia. I shielded my eyes and turned to the one guild I have set my sights on since the moment I became a wizard; Fairy Tail.

Wiping the few beads of sweat off my forehead I strutted along the street edge.

"Hey Little Lady, where you headed?" A man asked walking from around a corner of a rather dirty brick building.

His sudden appearance made me jump back a bit gripping onto my only red and white polka dotted knapsack.

"Sorry to startle you, but can you answer my simple question?"

"I am going somewhere." I answered him begrudgingly.

"Aww, that doesn't answer my question baby." He sighed walking around the corner.

I stepped back tripping on the uneven pavement. Screaming I fell back almost landing butt first on the ground until the mystery man grabbed my wrist. Pulling me back to my feet he tightened his grip on my arm. Wincing I tried to pull away.

"Oh sorry baby, am I hurting you?" The creep asked.

"Ahh. Let go you big creep."

"But I am going to bring you to where you want to go?" He smirked tugging me closer.

"Help, somebody!" I screamed tears streaming from my eyes. But the citizens of Magnolia just stepped right by us.

The creep leaned into my ear his breath causing shivers down my spine, "Aww you don't want to spook them out." My vision clouded with a blue haze.

"Illusionary magic! Your a wizard?" I gasped still attempting to escape. The skin on my wrist is glowing red. Wincing I yelped falling to my knees, biting my lip I sat there shaking in anger.

"Aww calm down there is no need to get all mad about this I am just being a civil man helping a woman to her destination."

"Men like you give wizards a bad name." I cried out. Looking up I finally got a good look at his face. Two goggles rested atop a big mass of blonde hair. His robes are a deep cyan color with gold trimming. His shoes are a sky blue color that reach halfway up his calf. I gasped, "I know you, you're Duncan Jones, of Sabertooth!"

He chuckled, "You bet, and I know you are going to Fairy Tail, am I right?"

My eyes widened the breath getting caught up in my throat.

"That means yes, I was heading there too. I want to challenge an old rival." He smirked. His eyes showed the determination to kill. I gulped backing off as much as I could with him still stuck to my arm with his iron grip. "I heard that he was in town and he rarely shows by the guild but I know that he will be there today."

"Fine then just let go of my arm and we can walk there together." I stated standing up.

"Deal." He smirked letting go of my arm with a quick tug in the direction of the guild hall.

I bit my lip walking off to the Fairy Tail guild hall. It is a large castle like structure I had to strain my neck just to be able to barely get the structure into my vision. Turning behind me I saw that Duncan was still following me he stopped himself with a goofy grin plastered on his face.

Walking through the doors of the guild hall my eyes grew wide. I covered my my mouth quickly. What I saw was incredible and terrifying at the same time.

All the guild mates were knocked out on the floor. There was no damage to the guild so there was no sense of a struggle.

Duncan scoffed as he stepped up next to me, "yeah he is here alright."

I gasped turning to him, "Wait! Your rival is the one who did this!" I gestured to the guild hall as I said "this."

Duncan chuckled closing this eyes and putting his head down to the ground, "Yeah that is him alright, been my rival since the first day we met, 8 years ago."

Hearing rustling my head whipped in the direction of the noise. A man wearing a long white coat with purple trimming. The shirt underneath was ripped and gray and his dark red pants were also ripped as well. His dark black boots reached up to just below his knees. He turned to the door noticing us stopping he dropped paper that was in his hand. His purple eyes were wide as he stared right at us.

"He seems rather familiar." I turned to Duncan.

"Wait you've seen him?" Duncan gasped at me.

I held up my hands in defense, "No, no, not, really but for some reason I feel like I've seen him before."

The Fairy Tail wizard took a step towards us. As Duncan pushed himself in front of me defensively.

Mad I smacked him in the back of the head. "I don't need your help you scoundrel. I only let you follow me because you were looking for this guy." I stepped around him. "I am a wizard as well."

Duncan scoffed, "Yeah, but you can't beat this guy."

I growled at him, "you've never seen my magic you creep?"

My hand lit up in a soft yellow glow. "I use Phoenix Flame magic." I looked back to the Fairy Tail wizard he stopped in his tracks a few feet away from us. Taking a step back I asked, "just who are you?"

His eyes flicked over to Duncan, glaring at him. I swear that I saw his eyes change somehow. I took a step forward to him, but something held me back. "Stop grabbing on to me!" I yelled. I used my magic to heat up the skin on my wrist but Duncan just grabbed on harder. "Ack!" I yelped falling to the floor. It is almost like my magic is being cut off from exiting my body. I tried to wiggle my way out of his iron grip but he just help on tighter.

I looked back to the Fairy Tail wizard, "You know if you are causing this magic you can put it off for right now since we have this guy to deal with."

The Fairy Tail wizard lowered his head he spoke in a foreign accent, "This magic isn't mine. It belongs to another wizard that passed by getting a job. His magic should be wearing off in five."

People began to stir.

"Four."

Wizards began to breath faster.

"Three."

Some groaned.

"Two."

Most began to open their eyes.

"One."

As if on command the wizards of Fairy Tail got up as if nothing happened. A blue haired woman stumbled a bit before she walked over to where we were standing. "Wait who are you three?" She asked us.

"I'm new and this, ah!" I yelped, wincing. "Someone help!"

The first wizard glared at Duncan, "I would stop hurting Zoey if I were you."

My eyes widened. How did he know my name, I never told it to him? "So that is your name huh?" He gripped my wrist harder.

Tears welled in my eyes, "Aaaah! Stop hurting me!"

The wizard vanished with a Vwoop sound. "Teleportation magic?" The blue haired wizard gaped.

I felt the hand release my now aching wrist. Turning around I saw Duncan pushed back farther with the Fairy Tail wizard between us. His right hand was laced with a static charge, while the left had a dark red and black bubble glow around it. "If you want a rematch then that is with me. Leave Zoey out of this." He growled taking a step forward. Duncan stepped back slipping on a rock that was under his heel.

"Stay away from me, I don't want to fight. Not after you've learned another slayer art!" He scampered away running off towards the train station.

The wizard turned around to me his eyes focusing right on me as the lightning and bubble glow faded away. His purple eyes almost seemed to glow. I gasped my own eyes widening, "Wait, you're?" His eyes creased, he was smiling. My eyes began to water and the air in my throat got caught. My stomach folded into knots. It felt almost as if I was seeing a ghost from my past. "But I thought... How are you...How did you..." I collapsed to my knees as tears trickled down my cheeks. I covered my mouth with one of my hands as another braced myself from falling forward. "How are you alive?"

He took a few steps towards me. Kneeling down in front of me he grabbed onto my wrist. "You have know idea how long I have been waiting to see you again." I looked up at him. Standing up with him I looked down to the ground.

"Why wait?" I asked.

"Huh, what do you mean?" I asked a puzzled look on his face.

"Why wait all this while. If you've been alive all this time, why just wait?" I almost yelled at him tears flooding my vision. I wiped my arm to the side. "Why did you just hide away and wait? I thought you were dead!" I felt the anger building with in me. "I don't know why I am so mad at you but I am. You would think that I would be happy to finally see you again." I gripped my hand into a fist. "But I am so mad. So very mad. I can't find a reason why, I can't." Tears flooded down my face. I clenched my teeth my nails digging into my palms. I clenched my eyes and turned my head to the side. "It has been eleven years since I saw you last. Eleven years since I ran away from you at that tower. Eleven years and you don't even come to face me and say that you're alive. I thought they killed you in that tower. Why didn't you_" My eyes widened as a strong body embraced me. "What are you_?"

"I am sorry for not coming forward and talking to you. I was afraid I would make you mad. I didn't want to see you mad again. I remember when you were mad and scared in the tower. You ere mad at the guards for enslaving us, for enslaving kids. You were mad at the people for not standing up for their rights. You were mad at the world because they let this happen to us. Yet you were scared of dying. You were scared of them being mad. I get that you were scared and I felt powerless that I couldn't help. No one there had magic at the time except for Master Rob.

"I was also afraid to see you cry again. I don't want you to be sad. I don't want to see you cry. I stayed away because I knew I would make you mad or cry again." He scoffed. "Which in the end is what happened. But I was always watching." My eyes widened as he pulled me closer to him. "I was always making sure that you were safe on your travels."

I relaxed embracing my life long friend back, "I'm sorry I yelled at you, Rythian."