Chapter 1: Astraphobia

The forest was alive with an abundance of animals and insects alike, birds singing loudly and frogs croaking deeply. The animals seemed happy the recent thunder storm had passed its peak, though. The clap of thunder occasionally sounded and the last rain of the storm trickled through the trees. Laxus used the forest trail as a shortcut back to the guild. It was easier than taking the train. Unfortunately, he had yet to find a cure for his profound motion sickness, and limited himself to trains only when it was absolutely necessary.

It had been another job well done, as usual. The jewel jingling in his wallet vouched for that. Nothing he couldn't handle. He was much too strong for such simple jobs.

"That old geezer underestimates me," he muttered with a scowl. "I should be S-Class by now."

A certain smell reached his nose and interrupted his irritation and he paused to let it register. It was a smell not unfamiliar to him, but it wasn't what he expected to smell in the forest. "Smoke?" Had lightning struck somewhere and caused a fire? No, it couldn't be. The animals seemed unfazed by the smell. Surely they would show some sign of panic if their home was on fire?

The blonde teen marched forward, curious now about the smell. Normally, he wouldn't care, but something twisted in the pit of his stomach. Another smell was invading his nostrils and turning his stomach with disgust. The scent of burning flesh.

The end of the forest trail came and the next scene that came into view through the soft drizzle of rain. There was smoke alright, but not any simple lightning strike was to blame. Before him was smoldering mess that used to be a town. It hadn't been very large to begin with - mainly just an in between town used for stocking up on supplies and resting for a night while traveling. He himself had passed through it only a day prior. There hadn't been many people, only a hundred at most. He remembered a portly baker that had offered him many varieties of warm breads and a kindly innkeeper woman that accidentally dropped a bucket of mopping water at his feet. But now, it was burnt to the ground. There were only ashes smoldering now, the recent rain having been successful in putting the worst of it out. He heard a support beam collapse into piles of wood below it, orange embers jumping up, only to return to the ground as ashes.

Laxus walked through the destruction and surveyed for any survivors, though he doubted there were any. He'd spotted a few limbs visible under debris, but when he would check for pulses, he would find nothing. The lightning mage came upon one of the only walls still standing and found an answer to the destruction.

Crudely painted in what seemed to be blood was a symbol he didn't recognize. It looked like the remnants of a magic circle. But, what circle was ever drawn in blood instead of magic? The only reasonable answer was the work of some kind of dark guild. He needed to talk to the old man in case he knew the answer.

Satisfied with his findings, he continued to make his way out of the village. He heard the loud rumble of thunder rolling through the sky and then something else. A sigh, maybe? Or even a whimper? Either way, his muscles tensed up, ready for a fight.

Searching for the source of the sound, he prowled around the area, not allowing himself to be caught off guard. To better hear, he removed the headphones from his ears and let them hang around his neck. Now his hearing was twice as effective. His ears brought him to a pile of bricks and wood, still smoking like the rest of the cindered town.

"Who's there? I know you're in there so come out." He was expecting a battle. A monster or a wizard faking weakness to disarm him. Instead, a choked sob and a fit off coughs was his answer. Surprised, he dropped to one knee and crouched down, peering into an opening in the crumbled building.

He was met with one of the dirtiest faces he'd ever seen. And he'd seen that Natsu kid after a meal. Ash, dirt and mud caked the small, round face before him. It was obviously a little kid - a girl. He could tell that much from the dirty dress on her body. Scowling, Laxus held out his hand. "Get out of there, kid. You'll get hurt if the building collapses."

She only responded by pressing herself further inside.

This was not his job. He should just leave and let the kid figure out this thing for herself. Scolding himself for wasting his time, he got down on both knees and peered at her, disgusted at feeling the mud soaking his pants. "What's your name? I'm Laxus Dreyar."

Still no response.

Sighing in aggravation, he reached out again. "Whatever happened here, it's over. Come out and you can wash your face."

Looking at his outstretched hand, the kid seemed to try and figure out his motives as she looked back and forth between the hand and the man it came from. After a few moments, she reached out hesitantly, small and dirty fingers brushing against his own. He felt the coldness of her fingers against his palm when he heard another thundery rumble and the hand pulled back with a startled cry.

Laxus scowled. "It's just thunder. How is that scary? It's sound caused by lightning. Just come on."

Obviously, this was getting him nowhere. He couldn't reach in and grab her, that wouldn't help. Kids could be so stubborn, and he didn't want to be here all day, so he was going to try and reason with her one more time.

Pulling his hand back, he focused magic to his fingers and created a few sparks of electricity. "See? I'm a wizard." He used his free hand to pull his shirt up enough to show his torso. "I'm a Fairy Tail wizard. I control lightning. It can't hurt me. If it can't hurt me, it can't hurt you." The golden sparks faded and he held out his hand to her again.

This time, his efforts were rewarded when he felt the chilled hand again, this time he was able to firmly grasp it and pull her from the pile of rubble. Seeing the wet, dirty mess she was, Laxus pulled off his brownish yellow shirt that covered his black long sleeved one and pulled it over her head. The shirt went down past the hem of her dirty, torn dress and covered most of her body. It was going to be easier to pick her up if she wasn't coating him with mud and dirt as well. He reached under her arms and lifted her up, cradling her legs with the other arm. It was annoying when kids wrapped their legs around him when they jumped up onto him. He couldn't tell if her long hair was brown or just dirty, but he could tell her eyes were a bright hazel. They stood out from under all the dirt. She was tiny, maybe around the same age at Mira and Elfman's kid sister. He couldn't really tell. He kept an eye out as he walked through the town. Didn't need the kid to freak out over seeing a dead body. One of them had to be a relative or something. Near the edge of the demolished town, bright orange caught his attention. He turned the kid's head to face away as he want to investigate.

It was a guild mark on a leg that stuck out of a pile of burnt bricks. The amount of blood pooled around the limb left no doubt that the wizard was dead. Though, he recognized the mark and grimaced.

It was a Blue Pegasus mark.

His lips pulling into a firm line, he strode out of the town, heading straight for the guild.

I know this was a bit short but I hope you enjoyed it and look out for the next chapter. I'll release it soon and please review. It helps a lot.