Fairy Tail
Advent of the Stars
Beginning Arc
Chapter 1
Celestial Beginning
(Year X772)
A little boy ran rampant through his small house. Laughing joyfully. He was around Five years old, with short black hair and big blue eyes. He was wearing a tee shirt with stars on it with matching shorts and sneakers. He looked around spotting his friend.
"Come on Aries, play with me." he cried. The girl, known as Aries smiled a bit, though her shy nature was still showing. She was a pink haired girl, with a fluffy mini dress made of wool, along with matching boots. She had a belt around her waist with her Zodiac sign.
"I'll play with you in a little bit, I have to help your mommy out first." She said with a bright smile. The little boy huffed.
"Okay." he said, crossing his arms.
The boy's mother walked into the room, she was a beautiful woman, around the age of 30, with long blonde hair. She had big brown eyes and a nice figure. She was wearing a pink shirt, with white Capri pants and sandals. She looked at her son, a heartwarming smile on her face.
"Don't worry Alex. You'll be able to play with Aries all you want after she helps me for a little bit. Why don't you go play outside for a bit?" She said. The boy nodded and grabbed his Toy Plane, running out the door with it. The woman sighed.
"Miss Maria, I can sense your magic depleting. I don't want to hurt you anymore." Aries said. The woman gave her a smile. The spirit could see the stress on her face.
"You're not hurting me Aries. You're one of my dearest friends. My son loves you and would miss you a lot if I were to close your gate."
"Do they know..about you're sickness?" Aries asked. The woman shook her head.
"Its best if my kids and my husband stay in the dark about it. I wouldn't want to upset them. Luka is so head strong, much more than her twin brother Alex. And you know how Jackson is, even now at that magic school. Tom will just have to man up and take care of them." Maria replied. She sighed, clutching her head.
"Maria, please close my gate. I don't want to see you like this."
"Its fine dear. Honestly. Why don't you go play with Alex now? I'll be fine."
The Ram Spirit gave her a worrying glanced before heading outside, a small frown on her face. Maria sighed and looked at the two keys in her hand. One was the Golden Key that belonged to Aries, the Second was a rare Diamond Key that she had from her Wizard Days. The Key of the Shining Star, Meissa. Both Spirits we're here dearest friends. She couldn't live a day without them. But she was growing sicker by the minute, with an incurable magic depleting disease. She had been intoxicated with it when she was younger but thought nothing of it. It wasn't until recently that the effects started wearing her down. It wouldn't be long before she left this world, leaving three children without a mother, and a husband without his wife.
Alex was running around happily, playing with his magic plane. It had a small Lacrima implanted in it, so it could fly on its own. With a bit of magic, he could control its direction. He looked behind him, seeing Aries standing there with a frown on her face. His plane fell out of the sky, as he lost focus on it.
"What's wrong Aries?" he asked, looking up at his best friend. The girl shook her head.
"Nothings wrong Alex. I'm just a little sad, that's all."
"Your sad? Why are you sad Aries?" he asked.
"One of my friends, will be going away soon. Its going to be hard and painful." She said. Alex tilted his head in confusion.
"Why is it painful? If its your friend that's leaving, then they'll always be with you, in your heart. No matter how far they are, they'll always be with you." he said. Aries teared up a bit, lip quivering. She grabbed the little boy, pulling him in for a tight hug.
"Your such a smart little boy. I don't know if I can trust those words." She said. He hugged her back, wiping her tears with his hand.
"Don't cry Aries. I hated seeing you cry, or sad. Your a happy little lamb. I don't want my happy little lamb to cry." he said. She giggled a bit, and wiped away her tears.
"Your right. I'm a happy little lamb. Lets play a game." She said. He smiled brightly.
"Okay, how about tag? You're it Aries." he said, poking her belly and running off. The spirit smiled and ran off, chasing the little boy.
(One Year later)X773
Alex was growing up fast. He was now six years old. The happy times in his house we're starting to fade away. His mother was becoming more and more ill by the day. His dad was bitter, his twin sister Luka was always crying, and Jackson was being a rebel. The oldest of the three, who had turned ten years old, didn't want anything to do with his family, and had signed up with a wizard guild in town, choosing to spend his time with them. Alex didn't know what to do. He tried staying positive, but he just didn't know what to do. His Happy Little Lamb was almost never around anymore, so he had no one to play with. He felt like crying, but knew he had to be strong for his sister.
"If you just got rid of those stupid keys, maybe your magic wouldn't be leaving your body at a rapid pace." his father yelled.
"Stop yelling at me, how was I supposed to know the effects of that poison?" his mother yelled back, trailed wit ha series of loud coughs. Alex placed his hands over his ears, trying to block the yelling. It seemed that was all he heard nowadays.
He felt like all he did was cower in his room. But if it stopped his father from yelling at him, then it was worth it. After a few minutes, the fighting ended with a loud door slam. Alex knew he had gone out drinking again. He was young, but he knew what alcohol was.
His mother came into his room a few minutes after that. She had a sad look on her face, like she had been crying. She looked frail. Alex wanted to just run up to her and hug her tightly, but he knew better.
"Alex, I'm sorry you had to hear that." She said.
"Its okay momma. I'm used to it. I just wish Daddy wouldn't hurt you like that." he said. She smiled. Alex was smarter than he lead on. She knew that her little boy was smarter than he let on. She didn't doubt him at all. Luka was strong too. It wouldn't be long until both of them started honing their magic power. She sat on his bed, pulling him closer to her.
"It'll be alright Alex. I came here, because I want to give you something." She said. She pulled out two keys from her pocket. A Golden one and a Diamond one. She gave them to him. He looked at them closely.
"Keys?" he asked. She nodded.
"These keys are special. They summon very powerful spirits. You must remember, that spirits are our friends, not tools. One of those spirits is Aries. Right now, you'll only be able to open one gate, since your small, but I can tell you have a lot of magic. Enough to keep her gate open for a while. You two have a strong bond, so she'll be able to keep her gate open herself. The other key opens the gate to the Shining Star, Meissa. Both will be your friends. Make sure to protect those keys." She said. He nodded, a big smile on his face.
"Alright. Thanks Momma. This is the best gift ever." he said. He put Meissa's key in his pocket and held Aries's key up. He tried to open her gate, but didn't know how to do it.
"Mom, how does it work?" He asked.
"You have to recite a spell, that will open the gate, once Aries is here, you'll form a contract with her."
"A spell, oh, you mean the one you said when you got her key. I remember that one." He said.
"Yes, that's the spell. Go ahead, recite it." She said.
"Okay. I am connected to the Celestial Spirit World through this key, now come through the gate. Open, Gate of the Ram, Aries." he cried. The tip of the key glowed brightly as the magic seal appeared. The gate opened and Aries passed through it, in a puff of pink smoke.
"Hello Alex." Aries said with a polite bow. He smiled and launched himself at her.
"Aries, I missed you so much." he said. She smiled.
"So did I. How about we work out our contract?"
"Oh right. What days can we play together?"
"I can be called Tuesday through Saturday at any time." She said. He nodded.
"Okay, come on, lets play a game." He said. She smiled and nodded, watching as he ran to his toy chest. The Spirit looked at her former master, a look of sadness in her eyes. She knew it was better this way.
(Several months later)
It was a sad day for Alex. He was alone, in the rain, standing before his mother's Grave. His father was gone, Luka was gone too. He had been left all alone. Months, before, his father blamed Aries and Meissa for his wife's sickness and forced him to rid himself of the keys. He forcefully took Aries's key from him after forcing him to end his contract with her. Meissa's key was taken from him as well, but Alex was more resourceful and was able to get it back before the man sold it, replacing it with a fake key. Now he stood alone, facing his mother's tomb stone. The dirt was still freshly laid out and the rain was making it a muddy mess. He had nowhere to go, no home to go back too. The guild his brother was in disbanded and had left town. He sighed and brushed his locks out of his eyes. He picked up the backpack beside him and slung it over his shoulder.
"Momma, you wanted me to be a Proud Wizard. I promise you, I won't fail you. I will find Aries and become the strongest Spirit mage I can be. I promise you. I might not be back for a long time. But I promise, I will return." he said. Thunder boomed in the sky above him. He took a deep breath and walked out of the cemetery. His new life was beginning.
Hours had passed, and it had gotten dark outside. The rain hadn't let up. Alex didn't know how far away he had walked, but he knew he wasn't near his home town of Calysta. He knew he had to pass through the mountains to get to the nearest town. He was cold, wet and hungry. He shivered, a sneeze escaping his body. He looked around, trying to find a place for the night. He succeeded, in finding an old cavern. He shivered again, his clothes dripped with water. He held his only Gate Key up.
"O-pen..G-gate of the..S-shining Star, Meissa." he chanted through chattering teeth. The key flashed a bit, but Meissa didn't pass through the gate. He realized he must have been to tired to use magic. He went deeper into the cave and sat down, shivering. He hugged his key closer to his body, a few tears slipping from his eyes.
"Well, this is an interesting sight." a voice said. Alex looked around, visibly startled. He couldn't see well in the darkness of the cave. He was scared, but the voice seemed warm and motherly.
"Who's..there?" he asked.
The creature moved a bit in the cave. He saw a large sparkly beam hit the ground, lighting up the small cavern. A fire ignited, giving the cave an unearthly glow. In the light, he saw the face of a large dragon. He gasped, pressing himself against the rocky cavern walls.
"A D-Dragon?"
"Indeed, I am a Dragon. My name is Stalwart Fang. I am the Celestial Dragon." she said. He noticed the Dragon was large, and its scales we're a bluish gold color, with several twinkling lights in it. The Dragon trained its reptilian eyes on him.
"What is a small child doing here in the middle of the storm? Do you not have parents?"
"My...my momma is dead. She died last night..my dad left me alone, and took my sister. I have no one with me." Alex said, breaking into tears. He had been strong for so long, so now that he had someone else to listen to him, he finally let it all out. The Dragon looked down sadly.
"My apologies. I didn't mean to ask such a painful question."
"Its okay, you didn't know." he said, wiping his tears away. He shivered again.
"If you do not take those wet clothes off, you will die from Hypothermia. I don't want you to die as well. One so young shouldn't be exposed to this." she said. Alex nodded and started taking off his clothes. He remained in his underwear, staying close to the fire to dry off.
"Thank you Stalwart Fang. For letting me stay here."
"Hmm, I never said you could. But I will not send you back out there. I am not that kind of Dragon. What is that object in your hand?"
"Oh, this? Its a Gate Key." He said, holding the Diamond Key closer to her. It glistened in the fire, making several little stars appear on the cave wall. Stalwart Fang looked at it closely.
"A Celestial Spirit Mage. One so young too. Not many mages choose this type of magic."
"My Momma was a spirit mage when she was growing up. She gave me this key, along with Aries's key. My dad..forced me to end my contract with her and sold her key to a really mean lady. But I promised her I would find her." He said confidently. Stalwart Fang smiled.
"And you will. I can sense it in you. A strong power that binds you to the stars. Its rare to see that in one so young. I will help you out."
"How?" He asked curiously.
"I will teach you a special art, the magic of the Dragons. Dragon Slayer Magic."
"Dragon..Slayer Magic? Why would I want to slay a dragon?" he asked.
"You don't have too. Its just a magic that is strong enough to defeat a Dragon. Its a rare kind. It will make you more dragon like, and give you the power of a Dragon. I am the Celestial Dragon, thus you will get the magic of the stars. It will help you out in summoning Celestial Spirits. But the choice is yours." she said. Alex nodded, tilting his head in thought. He smiled brightly.
"Okay. I'll take your offer. I want to be a Dragon Slayer." He said. The Dragon rose up a bit, showing its full height in the cavern. Alex felt a little intimidated.
"The Process will be life changing. Once this is over, you will have the life span of a Dragon, the Strength of one and their senses. Superior Sight, Smell, Hearing, Taste and Touch. You will also be able to eat any source of Light and Celestial Magic to replenish your magic. Even the magic of your future spirits will help you regain your own. I will fire a Dragon Roar at you, you must suck that magic into your body through your mouth. You will pass out, due to the magic's changing of your body, but you'll be fine." She said. He nodded and stood up, confidently staring at the Dragon right in the eyes.
"Alright, bring it on." he said. Stalwart Fang took a deep breath, the magic swirled around her mouth. She fired the sparkly vortex of magic at him. Alex felt a little pain from the attack, as it swirled around him. He took a deep breath, sucking the magic into his mouth. He saw the large thick strands literally filling his stomach up. He blacked out as soon as he was done eating the magic. As he fell back, Stalwart Fang caught him with her tail. She looked at the boy, a small smile on her features.
"This boy will go far. I know it." she said.
(Present Day)
It was a beautiful day in the land of Fiore. The sun was shining, and the sky was bright blue, with little fluffy clouds. The birds chirped their songs. It was a perfect day for adventuring. That's at least what Alex thought.
It was the year X791. He had turned Sixteen a few days before. You may be wondering how it was that he was Sixteen. Thing was, that he had spent a few days in the Celestial Spirit World, honing his Dragon Slayer Magic, in a secret place with Meissa. When he returned, he was surprised to see that everything was different. Meissa hadn't told him about the Time Difference in the world. He didn't mind it, though it was a bit hard on him. He was now taller than he was as a kid. He had a toned chest, with a few scars here and there. He had long spiky hair that fell down his back, with a few strands of gold and blue running through it. He wore sunglasses, to hide his bright gold eyes. He had a Midnight blue scarf around his neck, which had thousands of little stars on them. Including a few constellations he had added himself. It hid his face from the world, mostly because he took out a lot of bandit rings for money. He was wearing a light blue shirt with a jean vest over it. He had on skinny jeans, with black converse. Around his belt loop hung a key ring, which held his Gate Keys. Over the years he had collected a few. He still had Meissa's key, she was his oldest spirit. Aside from her was Orion the Hunter, another Diamond Key, one of the hardest he had to get. He had two silver keys. One was the key of the Eagle, Aquila. The woman meant well, but he still didn't get why she dressed up in that ridiculous eagle outfit. She was a great fighter so he didn't complain. The Second Silver key was the one that opened the gate of the Chisel, Caelum. Caelum was able to change between three forms, Cannon Form, Blaster Form and Sword Form. It had helped Alex out of a few sticky situations before. He looked up at the sky, smiling a bit.
"It's such a nice day. Too bad I have to track down this bandit gang." he muttered to himself.
He had taken a job from one of the legal guilds for half the reward. He didn't feel like joining a guild. He thought they wouldn't accept him. He almost never used his Dragon Slayer magic unless he was in a tight situation. He felt that they would call him a monster or something akin to one. After all, who would believe that a Dragon raised him and taught him magic?
He was in a large city. Onibus, he believed it was called. The guild, Scarlet Lilies had accepted his deal. The Request was for 100,000 Jewel, and since he wasn't a member, he would turn over 75 Percent of the profit, leaving him with 25,000 Jewel, which was still a lot for the jobs he took. He needed a few more Jewel for a tome he saw in town. One that would lead him to find the rest of the Diamond Set of Gate keys. He had been told by a few mages that the Diamond Keys we're hard to get, as they weren't in circulation. They we're all hidden. Only people who found their keys would be able to contract them. He wanted to gather them up, and become friends with the spirits attached to those keys. However, Aries never left his mind. He searched and searched for that woman who took her key, but never found her. Only having a general idea of what her face looked like didn't help. He sighed and shook his head.
"No use worrying about that now. I got a job to finish." he muttered. He dove into an alleyway, where the bandits we're known to hang out. He used his hearing to see if there were any around, but found nothing. He grit his teeth and turned to leave.
"Oh lookie here, someone came to visit." a voice said. Alex looked around, now seeing a bunch of bandits surrounding him, they blocked the exits. Some we're even on rooftops. Alex smirked underneath his scarf.
"You must be that bandit ring I've been hearing about. The Ghastly Skulls?" He asked. One of the members flashed their mark. It was a boney skull with blood dripping from it, as well as a few ghosts coming from its eyes.
"So what if we are? Looking for a problem?" he asked. Alex shrugged.
"No, but I've been tasked by the Scarlet Lilies to take care of your sorry asses for robbing the towns people. I won't let you get away." he said, withdrawing a key from his ring. One of them laughed.
"Wow, how rich. The Lilies sent a Celestial Spirit Mage after us. How weak."
"Don't doubt me. I've taken out scum stronger than you with a key alone." he said.
"Right, everyone, get him." he said.
Alex smirked and jumped out of the way of an incoming attack, landing on a dumpster.
"Open, Gate of the Hunter, Orion." he chanted. The Gate opened and the hunter passed through. He was a tall tan man, dressed in camouflage. He had dark face paint on and a headband tied around his forehead, keeping his hair back. He also had a bright golden belt with his Constellation on it.
"Alex, the hunt is on." he said, summoning his bow with three arrows. He quickly fired them at three incoming mages, pinning them to the wall.
"No way. What are you fools doing?" the leader shouted.
Alex jumped from the dumpster, landing a kick to one guy's chin. He blocked a punch and delivered a strong haymaker to the man, sending him flying back. In less than two minutes, all of the bandits had been captured. Some we're knocked out, others handing to the wall from thick steel bolts. Alex looked at Orion and smiled.
"Another successful mission." he said.
"Always glad to be of service. Call me when the next hunt begins." he said, disappearing in a flash of bright sparkles. Alex pulled out some magic rope and tied all the bandits up.
"You wont get away with this." the leader said. Alex punched him in the jaw, knocking him out.
"I think I just did." he said. He grabbed the rope and pulled them out of the alley and into the town square. After a few minutes, a few mages from the Scarlet Lilies arrived. One girl, the one who had approved the request, smiled.
"Thanks to you, this gang is finished. I'm glad you came to our aid."
"Sure. It wasn't a problem. They we're to cocky anyways. They fell in three minutes."
"Wow, your so strong." another girl said. He chuckled and shook his head. The leader of the group handed him a stack of money.
"There you go, wish we could give you more, but rules are rules." She said. He smiled, though it wasn't visible due to his scarf.
"Its alright, honest. This is more than enough. Thanks for letting me complete the request." He said with a bow. The girls nodded and dragged the bandits away, most likely to turn them in. Alex turned around, heading towards the market district. He was going to get that tome. A few people looked at him as he passed by, but he was used to the stares. It was mostly due to the scar that ran down his arm. It started, from the top of his bicep, and ran down the length of his arm, curving down to the side. He had gotten it fighting a horde of Timber wolves that had wondered into his camp. He had been Ten when it happened. He shook his head, to forget about that particular memory. He entered the magic shop, pulling his scar down and taking his glasses off. His eyes adjusted to the light in the room, as he walked further into the store. He headed over to the book section and started looking for the book. He had looked through many stores before, had tracked the book down to this one. He felt someone behind him and looked back, seeing an old woman who he assumed was the store owner.
"Hello there lad, searching for something?" She asked. He nodded.
"I'm searching for a book on Celestial Gate Keys. Specifically the ones that explain the Diamond Set. I was told in Hargeon that I would be able to find that book here." He said. The woman nodded.
"Ah, yes, we do have a copy of that book. Its at the front. Follow me and I'll show you." She said. Alex followed the old woman to the counter. He looked at all of the magical items as he went, seeing a toy plane with a small lacrima inside it. He smiled a bit, remembering his own plane. His father had broken the lacrima on it, so it wouldn't fly anymore. It was his favorite toy, one that Aries had gotten for him. He shook his head, shaking himself from his musings. He stopped at the counter, where the woman was looking though a few things.
"I know I had it here. Perhaps my husband moved it." She stated.
"Its alright if you don't have it. I've been searching for a while. I can track down another copy." he said.
"Nonsense, you came all this way. Its rare to see Celestial Mages you know." She said with a smile.
"Yeah, we're one of the fewer wizards out there." he said.
"Aha, I got it." she said. She set the large tome down before him. It was titled, the Fourteenth Gate. He flipped through the pages, finding information on the keys he was searching for.
"This is it. How much does it cost?"
"Fifty Thousand Jewel, I'm giving you a little discount because of that cute face." She said. He chuckled and pulled out his wallet, handing her the money.
"Thanks ma'am. This book will surely help me find the rest of the Diamond Keys."
"The..rest..you mean you have one?" She asked.
"Two actually. Meissa and Orion." he said, showing her the two keys. Her eyes bulged from her head.
"My heavens. I never thought someone would go after those keys."
"Well, my mother was the one who gave me Meissa's Key. I had to find Orion's on my own though. The cavern it was in was really hard to walk through and dangerous. My other two keys, Aquila and Caelum we're from missions I did."
"Four Keys. A nice collection for one so young. How about I help you out with that?" She asked. He tilted his head.
"Um, what do you mean?" he asked. She smiled and turned around, looking through some boxes that we're stacked there. After a few minutes of searching, she pulled out a black box.
"Not many people come looking for Celestial Gate Keys anymore. We had to get rid of them increase profit. I don't know where they might have gone too, since I handed them over to that Magic Store owner in Hargeon. But I do have one left." She said, opening the box. In it, lay a Silver key. It had a slim handle, the bow had a wolf face etched to it, surrounded by a blue sky, it looked to be howling. The blade of it was a wolf paw with extended claws.
"Is this..Lupus's Key?" He asked. The woman nodded.
"The Key of the Wolf. Lupus is one of the stronger Silver Keys. He's a loyal Spirit who uses Take over magic. He mostly takes the form of a wolf, but in battle, he'll change to his more human form. I want you to take it with you."
"What? I can't..let me at least pay you for it."
"No no, you can take it. Like I said, not many people come for these keys anymore. I can't sell something someone doesn't want to buy. Just promise me you'll take care of Lupus." She said. He nodded and took the key from the case, attaching it to his key ring.
"Thanks for this ma'am. I promise to take care of the key. And the book." he said. She smiled.
"I know you will, Celestial Dragon."
"Huh? How did you?"
"Woman's intuition. You have pretty eyes. A shame that their covered with those sunglasses." She said. He blushed a bit and turned around.
"Thanks again. See ya." he said, exiting the store. He didn't know what had happened, but he had gotten a book and a key. He clenched his hand and smiled.
"Ha ha, I'm going to get so much stronger. I can't wait to find all these keys." he said. He headed off to the path that lead out of Onibus. He hoped the guild in Magnolia had some jobs for him to take, because after that book, he only had Ten Thousand Jewel left. There was work to do before he headed off to get those keys. He could feel it, it was the beginning of a new adventure.