FAIRIES!
Makarov, Lucy, Erza, Gildarts, Cornelia, Cana, Laxus, Levy, Sting, Wendy, Juvia, Lisanna, Jura, Gray, Aquarius, Capricorn, Loki, Aries
DEMONS!
Zeref, Mard Geer, Jiemma, Natsu, Jellal, Gajeel, Rogue, Ultear, Lyon, Meredy, Minerva, Mirajane, Zancrow, Elfman, Kyouka
A/N: This chapter may be a bit confusing -I apologize in advance. It will be explained in more detail later on. If anyone catches a mistake I made, let me know.
Some of the family lines are altered in this story. Lyon, Gray, and Ultear; Erza and Cana; Sting and Rogue; Zancrow and Natsu (this is weird, I know, but it'll make sense later on). Try to bear with them. If
Their powers are also different -if it wasn't explained well in this chapter, I'll try to elaborate later on. I tried to make them relatively close to their powers in the show.
Questions can be asked in PM or in reviews; I'll answer all to the best of my ability.
I hope you enjoy.
The great divide began, legends say, with darkness. "Night had fallen," the old man said, his mouth set with a grimace as he spoke, "and the patrols had left, just like every other time before-"
"But they didn't come back this time," a child whispered, her eyes bright.
"That's right," the man said, ignoring the interruption. "They were scheduled to return at midnight, and they never came back. We waited for a while, giving them time, seeing if they would show up and give us an explanation for their delay, but dawn arrived and still no one. We sent out search parties, instructing them all to check every corner of the forest. Three were sent out, and when night fell again, only two returned.
"People started to panic, wondering what had become of their loved ones. They began to accuse the higher ups of failing with their duties, claiming we couldn't protect them. We had no other choice but to go out and look ourselves. I went, along with Gildarts and Cornelia Clive, and Jude and Layla Heartfilia." The old man pressed his lips together, pausing with his story to toss the last of his drink down his throat. The drink was bitter, stinging as it slid down his throat, leaving an unpleasant taste on his tongue, much like the story he was telling. "Jude and Layla Heartfilia of my group never came back."
The children were silent now, a few looking at the little blonde girl that sat on the otherside of the room. While Lucy usually loved when Master Makarov told his stories, she always slipped away when someone asked about the Demons and Fairies. Years later and it was still too real for her, the night she had been orphaned.
Four years earlier...
Lucy had been waiting for her parents for hours. She sat coloring at the dinner table, forcing her eyes open as she scribbled pink circles onto the already colorful piece of paper.
"It's late, Lucy," Aquarius told her for what she knew was at least the tenth time. "You need to go to bed. Your parents will be mad when they get back to find you still awake."
"They'll be back soon," she told the pretty woman, her words slurred from exhaustion. "They have to come back soon."
Aquarius looked at the four-year-old with pity. She was too smart to be so young.
"Twenty minutes," Aquarius acquiesced, at a loss for words to say. She refused to promise the child they'd be back, afraid that her kindness would turn out to be a lie by the time the run rose again.
Twenty minutes passed and Lucy had finally given in to sleep, her head laying on the table beside her indistinguishable scribbles of color. Aquarius picked her up carefully and placed her on the couch, that way she would at least wake up to the sound of her mother and father's entrance. Without meaning too, the water user fell asleep herself.
A harsh knock on the door woke the girls several hours later. Aquarius sat up, stretching before she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She stood and made her way to open the door as another hard knock sounded. Her stomach was tightening; she found herself unable to swallow.
"Hello?" She asked with repressed anxiety, opening the door to find a sullen Jura looking back at her.
"Makarov's returned," he told her, and for a moment she was relieved, nearly collapsing with happiness. Layla, Jude, they'd-
"Mr. and Mrs. Heartfilia were not among them."
Lucy's heartbeat was too loud for the first few seconds, pounding within her. She found she couldn't force herself to breathe and sparkles clouded her vision. Mr. and Mrs. Heartfilia were not among them. Her parents hadn't come back. They were gone, just like the others before them. And, just like the others, she probably wasn't going to see them again.
Erza Clive sat on one side of Lucy while her sister, Cana, sat on the other side. They were chatting idly, their voices loud enough to be just barely be picked out over the buzz of the room but quiet enough to where their conversation couldn't quite be deciphered.
"What happened to the people that disappeared?" Young Sting asked, oblivious to the tension around him.
"They became demons," Makarov told the youngsters with a rasp. "Our brethren had been reborn in darkness, trading their tails for horns. Their wings were made of leather, like those of a dragon, rather than the soft skin they'd had before; their ears, rather than pointing up, pointed down. They had transformed into something sinister, evil, and they had come back to take our kind out. They told us light no longer reigned, and soon the world would embrace the same darkness they had.
"The attacks continued afterwards. The demons began to attack our home, killing many of our people and stealing many of our children-"
"My brother was taken," Sting said quietly, his former excitement gone.
"My brother and sister were too," said Gray.
"Same here," Lisanna said quietly. Their parents had all been killed as well, but none of them were willing to point it out.
"Why did the attacks finally stop?" Levy asked, her eyes wide with sadness and wonder. This was a favorite story of hers, though she'd lost her parents to this tragedy as well.
"We never really knew," Gildarts answered the girl. "The demons, we discovered, had built their own city inside of the volcano in the middle of the forest. Since then, we've seen them a few times, and those encounters have always ended with horrible fights."
"What about the prophecy?" Lucy asked from across the room, surprising Makarov. Erza and Cana stood beside her, both with solemn looks. They'd nearly lost their mother the night Lucy's parents had disappeared, making this a story they disliked as well.
"It says," Makarov told the children quietly, "that a demon born of fire will rise to meet the stars and a spark will burn between them, so brightly, so hotly, it will burn away the darkness in him, and the downfall of their horrendous race will finally begin."
Ten years later...
Lucy crept forward silently, looking around the forest with caution. She took another step, flinching when the leaf crunched beneath her boot. There's no way she didn't hear that, the blonde thought.
Sure enough, the river to her left began to rise. It shaped slowly, taking on the form of Juvia. Her long, blue curls fell prettily around her shoulders, framing her pale face. She took one step forward, raising her hands, and the river rushed out of its bed. Just before it could hit Lucy, another blast from somewhere above hit, freezing the liquid on the spot.
"I can't fight my one true love," Juvia declared with a gasp, dropping the water that had not been frozen. It was perfect for Erza, who stepped out from behind a tree on the other side of the forest, raising her hand to beckon the water. It rose as a solid wall behind Juvia, towering over her. Erza flicked her wrist and the water swept over Juvia, taking her out with one strong current.
"Juvia, you're out," Makarov called from a distance once the water witch broke the surface.
Erza's going to win this, Lucy thought fearfully. It was a given. At just nineteen, she was an absolute legend, being the youngest fairy ever to master two elements. Two very strong elements that she uses very well, Lucy added to herself.
Gray dropped down from the trees then, facing Erza with a proud smile. "I've got you this time," he called out to her, raising his hand to prepare his attack. Erza smiled in return, fire forming at the tips of her fingers. The fight would've been interesting, truly, but Lucy decided to take the opportunity she had. Summoning her own power, the light of her star -everyone always called her little balls of light stars- she took a deep breath and hurled it towards Gray. It caught him off guard, just as she'd hoped. He hissed and stumbled, turning to face her as quickly as he could. The light was making quick work of his shirt, but seeing as Gray had a habit of taking his shirt off anyways, he hardly noticed. She fired another star quickly, using his lack of balance to her advantage, and the force of it sent him tumbling into the river.
"You're out, Gray," Jura shouted. Gray cursed quietly, swiping at the water, before he stood. Juvia, who'd melted into the river earlier, looked at him with unabashed admiration.
"You were inside of me," she whispered loudly, excitement replacing the admiration. "I was beginning to think we'd never reach this stage in our relationship."
Gray visibly shuddered, walking past Lucy as he did so. "Good luck," he told her with a sympathetic glance. Juvia returned to her physical form, following the ice user out of the designated arena.
Lucy realized with no small amount of panic that Erza had disappeared. The competition had began with the fearsome redhead, Gray, Juvia, Cana, Levy, Sting, Lisanna, and herself. It was down to three, including Erza and Lisanna. Lucy hadn't been afraid of Lisanna until she'd seen the sweet girl command a wolf to take Sting out. He hadn't been hurt -the wolf had merely knocked him down- but it was still a tactic Lucy didn't want to experience first hand.
As if sensing Lucy's thoughts, a growl sounded behind her. She turned slowly, fighting the urge to run once she spotted the mountain lion standing a few feet away. Why not bunnies? Lucy thought desperately. Her eyes were glued to the teeth the animal was bearing as it crouched, preparing to lunge. She raised her hand, a star in her palm, and was prepared to throw it when the animal's eyes suddenly lost their focus. The great feline shook its head, as if to clear it, and then leapt past Lucy. She squealed despite herself, jumping to the ground so quickly she scraped her elbow.
"Lisanna, you're out," Cornelia called from close by.
Lucy barely had time to register the announcement before a shadow rose over her. She looked up to see Erza standing over her, a playful smile upon her lips. The blonde gulped and smiled, raising her hand to wave pitifully.
Erza made a sort of beckoning motion with her hand. Lucy thought the redhead was telling her to get up. She was trying to do just that when a very large, very cold wave of river water fell on her. She was forced back down, somewhat shocked, when she heard Cornelia call that she was out and that Erza had won.
"Can't say I'm surprised," Lucy laughed, taking the hand Erza offered to help her up. "Congrats, Erza."
"Thank you," she said sincerely.
"You've worked hard," Cornelia said, landing softly beside her daughter. "You deserve this."
"We're done with our final exam!" Cana announced happily, throwing her arm around her sister as she came up behind her. The others were forming a circle around them.
"I'm so glad we're done with it," Levy agreed.
"You all performed wonderfully," Makarov said as he dropped down from the tree he'd been in. "You have all earned this."
"Hell yeah we have," Gray muttered beside Lucy. She nudged his stomach to silence him but smiled nonetheless.
"I want you all to know now that no matter what your scores are, we are proud of each and every single one of you," Makarov went on, ignoring the comment. "Most of you here have never had it easy -you grew up alone, as orphans, with no families to guide you, but you have come far and exceeded all of our expectations."
"We couldn't have asked for better teachers," Lisanna said softly, tears brimming in her eyes.
"You're more than we ever could've asked for," Sting said. A silence lingered, the weight of the moment finally settling on the group.
This is it, Lucy thought. In a few hours, we'll be graduating from our training phases.
"All right," Gildarts said, cutting through the silence with his approach, "get back to town and change. You're not graduating looking like that."
Lucy looked down at her soaked clothes and scraped knees. The rest of her friends looked similar with small cuts on their cheeks, arms, and legs. Lisanna's clothes were torn and Gray was shirtless, though that wasn't exactly new.
"See you back home," Cana told her parents. She took Erza's hand, dragging her away from her mother's grasp. "Love ya."
Lucy was about to follow the girls when Cornelia took her hand gently. "Lucy, can I have a word?"
She hesitated for a moment, wondering what the beautiful woman could possibly have to say, before finally nodding. "Of course."
"You're going to hear this plenty of times tonight, but I am truly proud of you." Cornelia's hand came up, brushing a stray strand of Lucy's hair behind her ear. "Your parents would be too."
A thick lump formed in Lucy's throat, making it hard to swallow. "Thank you," she forced herself to say. "That means a lot coming from you." The Clives had been close to her parents before their deaths -Cornelia had been there when Lucy's parents had been murdered; she'd nearly died trying to save them.
The woman kissed Lucy's forehead, lingering for a moment before she drew away. Gildarts took his wife's hand as he came to her side, bringing it to his lips for a quick kiss. "Good job, Lucy," he grinned.
"Thanks," she laughed. "I guess I better go get ready."
"We'll see you tonight," Cornelia nodded. With that, Lucy turned and jumped into the air, letting her wings catch the wind. She caught up to the others quickly, landing between Erza and Gray.
"What did my mother want to talk to you about?" Erza asked, trying to keep the curiosity in her tone light.
"Nothing," Lucy responded, waving her hand dismissively. "Just wanted me to know I shouldn't let my wings stay wet for long."
"I'm so ready to do this," Sting told Gray. "I can't wait to start my own training. I can finally start hunting down those Demon scum. I'll finally be able to avenge my brother and my parents."
"I hear that," Gray called up to him.
Lucy silently agreed, her own desires for revenge rising.
"Don't get ahead of yourselves," Erza warned the boys. "We still have to get our scores."
They were mere hours away from getting their scores. Once they had those, they would officially be free to join the rest of the adults in the war against the Demons, and then they could finally avenge their families. It was what they'd all been working towards, and after years of constant, relentless training, it had finally arrived.
The wrath of the fairies would soon be known.
Natsu cracked his knuckles, jumping up onto the table. "Say it again!"
Gajeel was standing on a table himself, his arms crossed over his large chest. He raised a brow at Natsu's command, his grin widening. "Did I say it too fast, salamander?"
"Knock it off," Ultear snapped from the table beside Natsu's. "Master Zeref won't be happy if he finds you two fighting again."
"I don't give a damn," Natsu shot back, turning towards her. "I'm going to teach that asshole what happens when he calls me stupid."
"You're both stupid," Rogue hissed. "Sit down before-"
"Natsu, Gajeel," a smooth, quiet voice said from the balcony above. The gathering hall fell silent. Natsu inwardly cringed, turning slowly to look up at the blue haired demon. "Is there a problem?"
"No, Jellal," Natsu muttered, coming out of his fighting stance. His wings drooped behind him.
"None at all," Gajeel agreed sullenly, stepping back down. Natsu followed suit, taking a seat beside Mirajane. His brother, Zancrow, sat on the other side of the table snickering.
"That's what you get for acting stupid," he sneered. Natsu's eyes narrowed, his own lips drawing back in a snarl. He may have said something if not for the appearance of Mard Geer, Master Zeref's second in command.
"Hello, hatchlings," he drawled, smirking down at the teens below. "Master Zeref would like Mard Geer to apologize for him; it seems he'll not be able to see you off on your little initiations. He told Mard Geer to relay this message: 'Spill every last drop of Fairy blood and bathe in it. Only then will you truly be one of us.'"
"Do this not just for yourselves, but for your parents, your brothers and sisters. Take revenge for the families that were taken from you," Jellal told them. "This is your night. All that was robbed from you so long ago can now be avenged. If nothing else, let that be your motivation!"
The assembled raised their fists, shouting their excitement. A new determination set in with Jellal's words, its strength evident in the voices that echoed throughout the tunnels. Natsu felt he could already taste the blood of the Fairies on his tongue.
For my father, he thought. I'll make you proud.
Mard Geer's smirk seemed to widen at this statement. "Happy hunting, little hatchlings. Run along."