Chapter 1: Why Be A Mage?
Its been three years since Fairytail disbanded and I haven't had more then an odd letter or sometimes a random visit from my former guild mates. I've had several other guilds try and recruit me but every single time I get a recruitment letter, I just look at it and wonder what's the point. What's the point of being a mage? What's the point of joining a guild, fighting people for the sake of others, and then coming home all bruised and battered? Theres no recognition, no thank you at the end of it. I used to think there was a point, I used to open my eyes and see the pink Fairytail symbol on my hand and smile. I used to think I was helping people, that I was part of something bigger.
How many times have I helped save the world though, realistically, and gotten any sort of credit? Everyone just looks at me like the girl that needs to be saved, and that Nastu, Erza, and Grey are the real heroes. Maybe if sometime during the past three years someone tried to contact me I would feel different, but it was like the guild disbanded and everything that we did together meant nothing. So that's why I'm now working at sorcerer weekly, and as of right now I'm about to go into the office to get my new assignment. I've been stuck in Crocus for the past three years as a journeyman journalist, but I just got my big pen and now I'm an official reporter.
"Ah Lucy there you are! It's always so good to see you."
"Hello sir. I'm here for my new station."
"That's right! You're getting moved away from the home office, aren't you? You're finally full-fledged reporter congratulations are in order; I know you've been working very hard for that."
"Thank you, sir, about my assignment?"
"Oh yes. Looks like you are going to…Oh your leaving Fiore kid. The guilds over in Joya are doing some nice stuff. You'll love it. The guild that will be hosting you is called Lunar Skies, you will be working and living with their vice guild master Liam this is a long-term project. Think you're up for it?"
"Yes sir. My I ask what my thesis is?"
"You can base your thesis on whatever you like, but what a lot of our readers want to see is the major differences between Joyan guilds and Fiorian guilds. You don't have to worry about supporting pictures since this is a long-term case study. The reason your being chosen is because you have in depth experience of Fiorian guilds. You will have to integrate yourself into every aspect of their daily lives all the way down to going into the field with them to get the best story possible."
"When you say long-term, how long-term are we talking?"
"The purposed time frame is a year; however, you may stay however long you desire. If you end of feeling that the Joyan guild would be a wellspring for writing, we may even start a branch over there. However, that would be based on your call. We are really putting a lot onto your Heartfilia, and that's all because we have a firm belief in your abilities not only as a writer but also as a mage and a decision maker. This assignment will either make or break your career here."
"I understand sir, I won't let you down."
"Very good Heartfilia. We've made all the necessary arrangements with Lunar Skies already. You have two days to get yourself prepared and ready to go. Don't forget to get all your mage equipment ready as well. You are doing into this assignment as a mage writer, not just a writer."
"Yes sir."
"Here's your train ticket, once you get off the train you'll be meeting Liam right away. He insisted."
"Okay."
"Alrighty that's all I got, get us a great story but don't forget to have fun. That's what writing is all about right?"
"Yes, sir it is."
It was hard to keep my head up as I left the office. I didn't want to do mage work anymore, Fairytail had at the end of the day ruined it for me. My fingers played with the keys that I knew all to well, and the broken one that pierced my heart every time I touched it. They left me even after I gave up so much, and not even an ounce of thankfulness for it. They just expected it. I gave up Aquarius for them. I didn't have a choice though, if I didn't do this assignment then I lost the only thing I had left in my life. Sorcerer Weekly, my dream job besides being a mage. I would get through this, I had to. I would just smile like I always did and pretend I wasn't hurting inside.
I went back to my apartment and packed my things, at some point Virgo came out on her own and started to help me. I still had a good relationship with all my spirits, and I still loved them all. I just didn't want to have the profession of mage anymore. They understood that and didn't say anything to me about it, just like they didn't say anything about Aquarius. Once all the packing was done I made dinner and read a book as I ate, trying to calm my mind as much as I could. After dinner I went straight to bed. The next morning came too fast and I still had so much work I wanted to complete before I left, but when I went down to my cubicle to do it there was no paperwork to file just a note that said, 'have a nice trip, relax before you go.' So, I sighed and decided to pay Hisui a visit before I left to let her know what was going on and where I was going. Over the past three years we had become very close, our experience with the Eclipse gate the starting point to a long friendship.
As I approached the guarded gated to the castle I waved to the guards with a smile and they stepped to the side, already knowing who I was from the several times over the past three years I had come to visit their beloved princess turned queen. About a year after I joined the Sorcerer Weekly team the King stepped down to make way for his daughter to make her mark as a new ruler, while he was still alive. He wanted to be able to guide her himself instead of leaving the job to someone who may not have had Fiore's best interests at heart. There as a lot of protest in the upper classes at first, nothing of the sort being done ever before. However, the protests died down as two very substantial things happened in political history. The first was the smoothest transition in Monarchs ever, the second was that almost every Monarchy around the globe started following suit one by one in the upcoming months. About a month ago the entire protest had quieted down and the political qualm about a new monarch while the previous one still lived was completely gone. Enter substantial political thing number three, quickest political protest quieted ever.
When I finally got to the doors to Hisui's office I was surprised to see Gajeel there too. After Fairytail disbanded he became a rune knight to make enough money to take care of himself and Levy. Levy decided to also stop being a mage and took up a librarian job in Crocus, but it didn't make much. Him and Levy were two of the people that I talked to her on a regular basis, so seeing him before she left was a happy occurrence. Their apartment was on the opposite side of the city though, and with Crocus as big as it was visits were harder than you would imagine. They met up with me about once a month, Gajeel was always there unless he had an assignment longer than a month that was outside the city. They were also the only people that had comforted me over the loss of Aquarius. Gajeel had told me how much it pissed him off that Makarov could just up and disband Fairytail like that, and I told him how much I agreed. When I told them how much it hurt, and how much I didn't want to be a mage anymore, they didn't have words. No comfort or support, not because they didn't want to but because they felt the same. Gajeel smirked at me as I got closer and I waved.
"Hey bunny girl, whatcha doin' all the way up here?"
"Could ask you the same, I'm just dropping in on a friend. I'm about to go on a really long assignment."
"Oh shit, where to? I got a huge promotion that allows me to stay in Crocus, like regular nine to five shit. I'm a palace guard now, once Hisui found out she snatched me up."
"Sounds like her, I'm heading to Joya. The weekly wants to have a huge article on the differences between Joyan guild and Fiorian ones. I had my foot in on the assignment because of my experience. So, I got the assignment. My boss said this is my big break, and by big I could be the start of the Joyan branch if this goes well."
"Holy fuck Bunny girl, that's bigger than a promotion, that's like Jason huge."
"I know, but it requires be to go in-depth Gajeel. I have to be a mage again."
"Shit…That's gonna be tough for you. Can you do it?"
"I have to if I don't, well as my boss said, this opportunity will make or break me."
"Me and Shrimp are here if you need us. I have plenty of vacation saved up and so does she. Just give us the word and we will be there in a heartbeat."
"I know you will, but I have this feeling that this is something that I got to do on my own you know?"
"Yeah, I got that, but you better keep up informed you hear? How long they gonna have you there?"
"At least a year, maybe more depending on how long I think I need for a good story. I think if they start a branch down there they'll keep my there though."
"Well if that's the case me and Lev will have to move, ain't no way were splitin' up the little family we got left Lucy."
I could feel tears threatening to fill my eyes then. I knew he meant it too, Gajeel always did. Who knew that out of everyone on the guild him and Levy would be my real Nakama?
"I'll let you know the second I do okay?"
"You better!"
"I will, now let me in to see Hisui, I gotta let her know!"
"All right all right, fair warning though she ain't in a good mood today. Damn nobles trying her nerves again."
"Thanks for the warning, but I think I can handle it."
"Gihi."
He opened the door and I could see her green haired head resting on the desk, as she filled out paperwork. The tell-tale sign of her being over worked. When the door closed behind me she sighed and kept working, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Thank goodness I can hear through those damn doors, so I know who it is. If it was another noble I might just die."
"Hey Hisui, tough day?"
"Understatement of the century. Heard you're going to Joya for a while, beautiful country. The way the sun reflects off the buildings in the capital tricks the eye into thinking they are made of gold off a silver sea. Truly remarkable. I think you'll enjoy getting away from Crocus."
"You think? Even though I must start being a guild mage again, even if it's temporary?"
Hisui sat up and turned to face me, her gaze stern, even though tired. I already knew she was going to tell me what she honestly thought and not what I wanted to hear, which is why I loved her and hated her at the same time. She was a ruler through and through, which is what made her a good friend too.
"Honestly I think its what you need. When we meet you were a guild mage, a strong independent guild mage. You are what saved us that day. Not anyone else. If you were not there we all would have died. Not Natsu, Grey, or Ersa could have saved us if you were not in Fairytail. It took the power of the purest hearted and fierce celestial mage I have ever encountered to stop the world from ending that day. You even saw yourself die in your own arms, and yet you kept pushing forward. That Lucy Heartfilia didn't care about anything else but making sure people were safe at the end of the day. You need to find who you are again, because Lucy as much as I love you you've lost yourself. You've lost your light. This assignment might help you find that again."
It stung. Oh, stars did it sting and the more she said the more scolded I felt. Every single word, but none of it was wrong or misplaced. She was right, I had lost myself. I had lost my will to fight, my will to carry on. Back then I didn't care about who thought who was responsible for saving the world. For all I cared an alley rat from Bosco could be the hero, if everyone was safe at the end of the day. I used to be the light of Fairytail, now I was just a scorned reporter trying to find her fake smile every morning. How far I had fallen. At some point I had started looking at the floor.
"Lucy, I want to see you shine as bright as the heavens again, and I know you can. I know you will. Maybe Fiore isn't the place for you anymore, maybe when you go to Joya you will find a new love for magic and a new family in a new guild. I don't know yet. But I do know one thing. I know there is two people here in Crocus that will stay by your side no matter what. I just heard it myself. So, go to Joya and do your job, but at the same time find yourself."
"I think your right. I have lost my way, but I don't know if I'm ready or will be for a long time. Leaving Levy and Gajeel is so hard too."
"Then ask them to join you. I'm sure of you ask they would."
"What about Gajeel? He's a rune knight!"
"He's actually a Princess's guard now, so I can give him paid leave for however long I wish. And If you all decide to stay there then I support you."
"And what about Levy's job?"
"I can give her a better position here in our royal library, she just never asked. Just ask them Lucy, besides Gajeel has already heard this entire conversation you know that. He won't let you go without them now. As for your next question, I'm the queen I can contact Joya and the weekly would love it."
Tears were streaming down my face now, when I came here this wasn't my intention. I was just coming to let her know what was going on. Now I get to go with the two people who stayed by my side for the past three years. Maybe this trip wouldn't be so bad.