The Divine and the Demon

A/N: Hey guys, it's been like... several years. O_o But I'm finally back with a new story idea that I hope to at least finish this one. But with work and school coming up soon, along with other stuff I do, I cannot guarantee that chapters will be uploaded or made in a timely manner. My aim for now is to get at least three chapters done by the time my sophomore year of college begins (August 20th or so). Anyway, welcome to my first attempt at a Fairy Tail fanfiction. I just caught up with where the series is now and had an idea for an original character (OC for short) and wanted to see how it would turn out. Let me know what you think of it as you see fit. Without further rambling, I present the introduction chapter of my new story. Enjoy! :D

Chapter 1: A Past of Blood

I only remember a slight amount of my childhood vividly. But perhaps, from what I do remember, it's for the best that I forget. My original parents died when I was close to two years old, so I was taken in by my new adoptive parents soon after, as the rest of my biological relatives were nowhere to be found, apparently. I also had a sister, about a year or two older than I was, named Rochelle. She was about how I looked; white skin, deep blue eyes, and a few other things. The only notable differences was that I was a boy with black hair, and she was a girl with crimson red locks. We lived in a small house on the hillside, away from everyone else.
Only it was more of a laboratory than a home. My new father was a scientist, obsessed with magic. He used us as guinea pigs for experiments on creating new types of magic, against my adoptive mother's wishes, which he beat regularly when she tried to stop him until she went crazy as well and went along with it. I couldn't tell if she was okay with it at the time, or if my abusive father brainwashed her over time.
My sister and I were poked and prodded with needles, injected with different serums that would sometimes cause us pain beyond imagination, all just to try and awaken some sort of 'ancient magic' he researched. This went on for years, until I was about twelve years old, when my sister stood up in defiance in an attempt to protect me from harm, as she normally did. This time, however, was different. Our adoptive 'parents' were rather intoxicated, and proceeded to a wall in the back, where they hung different disciplinary tools, as they liked to call them. Whips, boards with tacks in them, and other objects for striking were displayed in the dark cellar where we were kept in a cage. My father grasped the whip's handle and swung at her head, giving her gashes across her forehead. She fell on the floor flat on her back, crying out in agony, as I was paralyzed from fear.
He then stepped towards me.
I tried telling myself, "Run, hide, and get away!" but I couldn't move. The look of my sister on the floor, writhing in pain with her hands over for face to cover the tears coming from her. I then heard the only words I remember any of my parents saying to me.
"You kids are useless to my research. I think I'll just get a new set of test subjects."
He then raised the whip while he frowned upon me, wide eyes filled with rage that would haunt me for years to come. As he swung down at me I raised up my arms to protect myself from the blows. I counted the strikes as they landed upon the bare skin of my forearms.
One, two, three….
Stop, I thought to myself. I managed to get one of my eyes to lock on my sister on the floor, and my mother looming over with something metal in her hands that I've never seen before.
Four, Five, Six….
Stop it….
Seven, eight, nine, ten…
I hear a loud crack sound from behind my father and a small flash of light from the metal object in her right hand alone now. Some sort of steam was coming from the end of it as I found out what it was. A pistol. My sister had rolled over a little after the flash, and I found that she had a hole in her forehead, spewing blood as her eyes went from the deep blue that I remember to a more pale shade.
It was then that I felt something take over, as one more lash came from my father, I see a bright light before me, and then everything went black momentarily, only to cut to a more horrific scene. I was outside in a thunderstorm, as the house I stayed in for years was burning to ashes before me. I look at my hands to find my skin a dark red color, dripping liquid in the moonlight. I did the only thing I could think of doing at that moment.
I screamed and balled as I figured out what had happened. I killed my abusers, just as they had killed my sister, and lit the place ablaze. I take off in a mad sprint towards a nearby forest to attempt to escape the terror.
Even though the terror was myself.
I kept running for what seemed like an eternity, my head spinning, the rain making me cold as the whiplashes in my arms were burning as I moved them. I tripped over a tree root in my mad dash and fell face first into a stream of water. I took this moment to wash my face and arms of the dirt and grime they had accumulated, turning the water a shade of red as if flowed down stream. I took a second to look at my reflection in the water… and was filled with fear at it.
The first half of my face seemed normal, my Caucasian skin tone the same, blue eye unharmed, hair still black as usual. But the right side of my head was different. My skin was much paler, hair was white as the moon looming overhead, and my eye, instead of being white on the outside and blue as my other eye was, it was a pitch black orb with a deep red ring around it. I took a look at my arms and chest, covered in soot still, and it was in a similar fashion, one side normal, the other corrupted by something and didn't appear human other than its shape.
"Wha- What have I become? WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME?!" I screamed at myself at the top of my lungs. I then back away from the stream, still staring at myself, and eventually my back hits a tree and I slide down into a sitting position. I then pass out from either exhaustion or just not breathing for long enough after noticing what a monster I was.
I woke up after being nudged a bit by something on my right side at what appeared to be noon. Still groggy from being asleep, I didn't notice someone was there for a few extra seconds. I jump back from them, startled, and land on my back in a mud puddle, breathing heavily. The person that was nudging me was actually a girl, no older than me at the time, with scarlet red hair like my sister. I was excited for a second thinking my sister was alive, but it turned out to not be the case once I saw her eyes were a shade of brown rather than the sky blue of Rochelle.
"Are you okay? Did I scare you?" she said, looking down at me on the ground.
I took a second to find the words, but I manage to say "No, you didn't as I sat up, keeping my head down. I noticed that my skin had changed back to normal on my right side, which let out a sigh of relief. I then began to remember what happened last night, and start to tremble uncontrollably.
"You don't look okay… What are you doing out here, anyway? Don't you have a place to stay?" she asked, as I continue to shake.
"Not anymore…." I manage to get out before losing my ability to speak clearly. I couldn't tell if I was crying or not, but I was now choking on my own breath a little.
She sighed. "Well, that's not good is it? Come on, let me show you to where I call home!" She grabbed my wrist and tried pulling me to my feet. Unfortunately I still had the whip marks on my arms so it hurt like hell and I let out a groan, so she let go immediately. I eventually get up myself, bearing the pain and regaining some composure.
"What's your name?" I managed to ask. If I was going to follow her as I intended to I may as well find out what to call her.
She smiled as she responded. "Erza Scarlet! What's your name?"
Her gentleness was comforting. She seemed strong like a leader, but along with that she seemed like my sister; wanting to help me, make everything better in their own way.
"Desmond… Just Desmond." I reply. I didn't have a last name I could recall. Never had.
"No last name? Shouldn't everyone have one?"
"I don't know…. I guess so?"
"Then what should we call you then…." She looked at me while in thought, her hand clasped over her chin, looking at me with a slightly tilted head. "…how about Desmond Ebony?"
"Ebony? Where did you get that?"
"Well, the color of your hair!" She lost her smile for a second, then looked away as she continued. "Someone did that for me too, a while back, so…"
"Desmond Ebony…. Has a nice ring to it." I respond to close the topic. It appears that something I said was discomforting to her and I wouldn't want to alienate my one acquaintance I had over a name.
She giggled a little and took my hand. "Come on, Desmond! Let's go!" She said, as we took off towards a town.
A fresh start was being given to me. I can be something other than an experiment. These were thoughts that were going through my head, along with everything that had transpired the night before. But for a brief moment, I was relieved. I wouldn't have known what to do if Erza didn't find me against that tree.
I owed her everything.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After traveling for a while, we get into a city named Magnolia. Erza continues leading me towards a building we'd eventually reach after about an hour's walk. It had a large sign on an archway before the door. It read Fairy Tail.
"Fairy Tail?" I asked. I had no clue what it was supposed to mean.
Erza simply smiled and let go of my wrist to step forward. "Welcome to your new home!" she said, raising her hands after crossing the arch with the sign. She gestured me to follow her as she ran towards the door, so I did as she asked.
Once I caught up, she opened the door to the building, and I got a look inside once we stepped through. People lined up at tables drinking from mugs, a large board with posters on it, for a purpose I didn't know, among other artifacts and a second floor above, which appeared relatively empty. Erza called out for something once we entered.
"Master! Everyone! I have someone you should meet!" she said, then pointing at me. I started looking around as everyone looked at Erza for a second and then at me. I got a bit nervous and contemplated hiding somewhere before I heard a voice in the distance.
"What? Someone for me to meet?" a man said, probably significantly older than me. He was sitting on the counter, somewhat shorter than I anticipated, with a mustache, wearing a hat with droopy points, covered in orange and blue stripes. He was also wearing a similar shirt and pants, and a white shirt under that with a symbol on his chest. He takes a look at me for a second before leaping from the counter and walking over. His height was actually quite small, only coming up to about my stomach at the time. But for some reason he appeared to be strong. I couldn't say why, but there was something about him that seemed powerful.
"Where exactly am I? And who are you?" I asked, as I heard my stomach grumbled. I haven't realized until this moment that I haven't eaten in two weeks; my 'parents' would forget to feed us, or so they said.
"My name is Makarov. You're here at Fairy Tail. There will be more time to answer questions- and get you something to eat- after we get you a shower and bandaged up. I'm not going to ask about those…" He pointed to the wounds on my arms. "…afterwards. And we'll answer your questions as well."

After taking a shower, I was taken back to the main room to receive medical attention. I had my arms wrapped in bandages to cover the gash marks from last night and was given a hot plate of food. It wasn't like what I usually ate; most of the time we just got a block of bread back at the lab, but this was light and fluffy, with what appeared to be butter. I guess this is what my parents called mashed potatoes. I also had a glass of orange juice to go with it. Since I never had mashed potatoes before, I was hesitant on trying it, but I didn't want to deny their hospitality, so I ate the plate clean and downed the tangy liquid. Still the best meal I've ever had.
A man was sitting next to me at the time, talking to the girl at the counter who gave me the food with a flier in his hand. I didn't understand what they were talking about, but it looks like he was getting a drink too as he set his stuff on the counter beside me and had a seat. I took a look at the stack of belongings… and noticed a pistol on the top of it.
I froze for a moment, then received a flashback of my sister's murder. I could feel something bubbling up inside of me as I reach for the pistol. I've noticed that my hand was starting to change color again, and that it was glowing a black hue, like an outline. I grasp the end of the gun's barrel as hard as I could and stare at it, unsure of what to do. Then I remembered the fire that took place at the house, and the gun in my hand lit ablaze an onyx color in my hand. Out of fear, I threw it as far away as I could from me into an open barrel of water. However, the gun was ruined by the time the fire was put out.
"Hey, kid! That wasn't some piece of trash, y'know!" I hear behind me. It was the owner of the firearm, and he was pissed. I got scared and immediately ran to the corner, back against both walls creating it. The man was cracking his knuckles.
"Don't hurt him! I'm sure he didn't mean it!" Erza's voice called out, as I was now paralyzed in fear with the man looking down on me.
"Well, SOMEONE's gotta teach him to not mess with other people's things!" he replied. He pulled his fist back….
Then Erza manages to latch on to him and sink her teeth into his left shoulder. He yells in pain then throws her off and she collides with the wall to my left. Why? Why would she want to do that for me?
"Stinking brats!" He yells, raising his fist again. I do what I felt was the best thing to do and stand in between them. "Aww, how touching! You two want to protect each other from harm, eh? Well, fine! Both of you should be disciplined then!" He throws his fist at me, and I try to block with my arms like I did with the whips my dad used on me as I closed my eyes to brace for impact….
But nothing connected with me. As I open my eyes a little to see what was happening, I see a bright golden glow in between me and my adversary. I had no idea what was happening, but now I felt a different sort of presence within me… This one was warmer and seemed gentler than the other one I had a moment ago. I look at my arms and my skin tone was back to normal as well. The man raises his fist again and immediately throws it, only to collide with this light shield in front of me. He punches it again multiple times before he finally steps back and the light fades away.
Then a giant hand comes from my left side of vision. And I mean GIANT. It took up most of the room. I just gazed in awe at it for a second before realizing it was from Makarov.
"You DARE harm my children?! NOW you've angered me!" He said, grabbing the violent man and throwing him through the entrance. "AND STAY OUT!" His arm shrunk back towards him and returned to normal.
I turn around and look at Erza to make sure she's okay. She was crying, but tears were only coming from her left eye. I kneel before her to get eye level.
"Are you okay? Did I scare you?" I asked.
"Did you just copy my line?" she said, slowly forming a smile.
"Uh…. I guess so. But seriously, are you okay? You're crying, after all…"
"You defended me. Thanks."
I never thought she'd thank me for basically getting her injured. I manage to get her on her feet and turn around, and see a crowd of people behind me, Makarov standing next to me.
"I think I speak for all of us that you have caused a little trouble…" he said.

And I agree. I lost control to an inanimate object out of fear. I should be punished.

"…but it appears that you have a heart of one of us. In other words, welcome to Fairy Tail!"
Those words echoed in me for a second, and I didn't know why.
"You hear that, Desmond?" Erza said behind me. "You have a home now!"
"So Desmond is your name, eh?" Makarov stated.
I started to tear up. I was so happy to have a place I could actually consider a home. I've never had one all my life. And even after seeing the monster I am and not even knowing my full name yet, they accepted me as one of their own. I could never believe it. "Yeah," I replied. "Desmond Ebony."
"Why don't you tell us about yourself?" Erza asked. I forgot I still have yet to tell these people my back story. I went and told them every detail I knew, and they listened intently.
They eventually told me that this was a wizard guild, a place where they develop magic power and use it to help people with tasks as they grow together. I also learned that my skin changing color, the burning of the gun barrel, and the wall of light was all to do to magic… My magic. I never thought I had any magic power within me, but I guess I happened to have some. And since I was going to be in a guild now, it would be best if I learned to develop it, as I couldn't control it very well at first. What better place to learn was there, anyway?
I was given an insignia to represent that I was a part of Fairy Tail on my back, in a bright shade of red, which I chose because of not only my sister's hair, but due to Erza's as well. After all, without her, I wouldn't have found this place.
That happened ten years ago today.