A/N: Alright! So, this is my first Fairy Tail fanfic. I actually just started reading the manga (and sort of watching the anime) about a week ago. I finally caught up to the rest of you Fairy Tail mavens yesterday, so sorry for being a newb. =P
Anyway, yeah, I know how much people usually despise OC-comes-from-our-world-and-goes-to-manga-world-and-steals-[insert character name here]'s-heart, but deal with it. xD Besides, it's not a romance story. It's an adventure story!
Plus, I sort of have a thing about creating OCs…read my Naruto stories "Pawns of Fate" and "The Whole Story" and you'll understand my unnatural obsession with creating my own characters and storylines. -_-
Meh. So. Just give the story a shot, will you? I swear, I won't make the characters go all OOC on you guys. Just trying to put my own unique spin on the story.
ANYWAY! READ AND REVIEW! SAY WHATEVER YOU WANT! FLAMES ARE TOTALLY ACCEPTED, SO LONG AS THEY'RE POINTED AND MEANINGFUL! BUT, OF COURSE, ENCOURAGING REVIEWS ARE ALSO VERY, VERY WELCOME!
Here goes nothing.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL. But I do own my OC – Ayelin.
Expanded summary: Ayelin Blue is a 17-year-old girl from another world, where magic doesn't exist except in fairytales and myths. Little does she know, she possesses magic. Not only that, but the dragons of Earth Land need her and her magical powers in order to protect not only their worlds, but her own. With only a note from Igneel and the hope that she'll be accepted by the one guild she'd been dreaming about since she read about them in her world, she sets off on a journey to protect the worlds and find out who she really is. All she can do is listen to the dragons and hope they have some sort of plan in mind. Takes place pre-time skip. Possible OCxcanon character.
LISTEN TO THE DRAGONS
Chapter 1 – To Be Called Upon
Year 777
They had left in silence.
Why they left remained a secret to all those who inhabited Earth Land. It was probably one of the biggest mysteries they had ever encountered. Perhaps, some theorized, they were scared away by some dark, mysterious force? Did that mean that Earth Land was in danger?
Still others were convinced that they simply disappeared because it was the end of their lives. Dragons die too, you know.
Hearing these sorts of rumors always made Igneel's skin burn fiercely. It was just his pride, really, that made him act this way. Dragons running away? Dragons dying? Just like that? He wouldn't hear it. After all, he was the Igneel, the one and only fire dragon.
Metalicana would respond similarly, though he tended to avoid hearing these small pieces of news from the land he left. It didn't matter what they said, he would tell himself. What's done is done. And, with that, he would go on being his usual selfish self, uncaring.
But Grandeeney could see through his simple-minded façade. Unfortunately, bringing these sorts of topics up with both dragons was not something she wished to do since she wanted to avoid argument, but she could tell that Metalicana was inwardly worried about his foster son, Gajeel. He would often space out, staring at the blank nothingness of the everlasting clouds surrounding them, until Igneel startled him back into reality.
She, herself, was particularly worried about her own foster child, Wendy, though she did her best to hide it for fear of triggering any sort of negative emotion in Metalicana. Igneel, however, did nothing to hide his worry. Day and night, he would tell stories of his days with Natsu, proudly showering his foster child with kind words of praise. That is, until he remembered that he left this child he was so fond of and became silent again.
These sorts of things happened every day for days on end. The days blurred. Where they were, time moved much faster than in Earth Land, so whenever they switched out of watch duty and returned their attention to the world they were in, they realized how long it had actually been. In fact, one day in Earth Land was easily three months for them. Just like the Spirit World.
It's not like they had a choice. They wouldn't have left Earth Land if they could help it. Still, if they had stayed…
If only. If only they could have stayed. But it was safer where they were, far away from Earth Land, solemnly watching over it like the gods would, if they existed. And this remained true for a long time, even longer in their cases. A little less than 630 years.
Then, he made an appearance.
And whenever he makes an appearance, that means something is up.
"Igneel," Grandeeney said, panicked, her eyes fixated on the image in front of her. She wished she could say it wasn't real. She wished she had the power to go back to Earth Land and fix whatever was wrong.
"I know," Igneel replied through gritted teeth.
Metalicana, who appeared behind them to see what was wrong, quickly went into an angry rampage. "What? What is this? Why is he there?"
"Calm down, Metalicana," Igneel ordered, glaring intensely at the angry steel dragon. "You know as well as I do that he isn't the real problem here."
The three dragons remained in silence for a few moments before Grandeeney spoke up.
"So, what do you think caused him to show up, now of all times?" she asked, worriedly.
Igneel shook his head. "I don't know. That's the issue." He turned his attention back to the foreboding image.
Metalicana stomped his feet. "We must figure out why he's there! This is an emergency!" He gave an oddly uncharacteristic pleading look at the image. "If he's there, then Earth Land is in danger."
Igneel sighed. "Then, I guess we have no choice." He opened up a magic portal which allowed him access to other worlds. The only hole that was blocked was the one to Earth Land. It bothered him that the world he wanted to visit the most was out of his reach, but that could not be helped. His only option was to ask for help from other worlds.
And he knew just the person to ask.
"Igneel, what are you doing?" Grandeeney asked as the swirling blue and green portal glowed, an indication that it was ready to use.
"Calling on someone from another world," he replied.
"Another world?" Metalicana repeated, bewildered. "Someone? Do you even know this person?"
"It's the only person I know who could help us." Metalicana was about to interrupt when Igneel stared at him with an intense, pleading look. "Please, Metalicana. Trust me."
The steel dragon backed down reluctantly. "Okay then. Who is this person?"
"She's a girl from the planet Earth."
Metalicana immediately went on the offensive again. "What? What do you mean, Igneel? You know those people are unaware of their magical powers. How can we trust such an important mission to someone so inexperienced and unknowledgable?"
"Because," Igneel explained, "like I said, she's the only one who could help us. We need someone who would be on equal ground with him, right?" The other two dragons nodded. "Well, she can do that. She's the only one."
They stood there in silence again. Igneel simply stared at the swirling blue and green, wondering exactly what his plan was. But there was no turning back now.
He spoke confidently to the portal. "Bring out Ayelin Blue."
The swirling colors began to swirl even faster, glowing brighter than ever before. Suddenly, a single thick string of light shot out of the middle of the portal landed on the ground next to Igneel. The light formed into the shape of a human and suddenly dissipated to reveal the bewildered, slightly shaky form of a small human girl.
Her eyes bulged. Her mouth gaped open. She shook violently as she stared at the dragons surrounding her.
"Looks like she's scared shitless," Metalicana said with a sneer.
"You, be nice," Grandeeney scolded. Her warm gaze fell upon the small girl. "Hello, Ayelin. Are you okay?"
The girl looked down, still shaking. "J-Just one question…" she said quietly.
"Yes?" the three dragons asked in unison.
Suddenly, she glared up at the creatures and yelled, "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"
Never in her entire life would she have seen this coming.
She'd read the books. She'd learned all the different, twisted fables and myths. She'd almost believed them at one point in her life. But never would she have expected anything to happen to her.
Sure, she'd had dreams about these sorts of things. But since when do they actually happen, anyway?
There could only be one explanation for this. She was insane.
And now, she was staring at the bewildered faces of three mythical creatures. Great. Wonderful. I really am delusional, she though, sighing to herself. She even let herself go enough to yell at them, no less. Not like it really mattered. They were simply illusions.
"Er, Ayelin?"
Ayelin glanced up wearily at the white dragon who, she realized, had been so kind to her. "Uh, hello. Sorry. Didn't mean to yell."
The dragon simply shook her head. "No, we're sorry for frightening you. But, you see, there's something extremely important we need you to do for us, so it was necessary to bring you here like this."
Ayelin blinked. "Um, what?"
The rude dragon snorted. "Remember? She doesn't know what magic is."
Ayelin blinked again. "Magic?" Then, remembering that this was all a delusion, she decided to play along. She took on a haughty stance and smirked. "Oh, of course, I know what magic is! I use it all the time. In fact, I'm the best magic-user in the world!" She chuckled. "So, I'd be careful what you say, Mister I'm-All-That."
The rude dragon narrowed his eyes at her. "What did you just call me?"
Ayelin smirked again. "If you had proper ears, you'd have heard me."
"Oh, I heard just fine," the dragon growled as he began to advance towards her. However, the white dragon gave him a look that told him to lay off. He snarled again. "Who invited her here anyway? I don't want this bitch taking care of something that I could take care of myself!"
Bitch? Ayelin narrowed her eyes at the dragon. "Well, I don't recall being informed that I was gonna be interrupted from my homework just so I could talk to an ignorant, selfish bastard like you!" Before anyone could interrupt, she continued ranting. "But delusions don't work that way, I guess! They just kinda happen when you least expect them to, right? So whatever. I'll play along. I'm already insane. Can't fight what's already done."
After her short rant, she realized that the dragons were all staring at her, again in bewilderment.
"What did I do now?" she growled angrily. "Did I hurt your egos? Jeez, why did my imagination create such idiotic, stupid illusions like - !"
"Ayelin, you think we're illusions?" the third dragon interrupted.
Ayelin crossed her arms stubbornly. "Well, of course you are. What else could explain…this!"
The dragon shook his head. "Ayelin, I'm afraid you're mistaken. This is real. I have summoned you here."
"T-That's what an illusion would say!" Ayelin blurted out, her previous confidence diminishing under the pitying gaze of the dragons. She glanced at each of their faces staring at her as if she were really crazy – and truly, she felt like she was, at that moment – and stepped backward. "Why…why are you all looking at me like that?" She looked down, her eyes betraying her fear. "I might actually believe you if you keep looking at – "
"Oh, this is ridiculous!" the rude dragon interjected, stomping towards her angrily. She jumped and moved backwards until her back ran up against an invisible wall. The rude dragon moved closer to her, close enough that his face was only a foot from hers.
"We. Are. Real." He said this assertively, giving her no reason to argue. Somehow, she could tell that he was telling the truth.
As he backed away, Ayelin fell onto her knees, staring at the ground. "I…can't believe this," she muttered.
"It's okay, I know it's hard to believe…" the white dragon began.
"I can't believe…I just yelled at real dragons," Ayelin said as if surprised and disgusted at her own actions. She shook her head. "I am so sorry. I thought…I thought it was my imagination so I could say whatever I wanted. I didn't mean any of it."
"Say that while looking me in the eye," the rude dragon ordered mockingly, almost teasingly.
Ayelin looked up at the dragon, a fierce, determined look in her emerald green eyes. "I'm sorry," she repeated slowly. "I mean it."
The dragons froze, surprised at her solemn expression and determined resolve. Somehow, there was no fear in those eyes. Only determination. Only acceptance. Only regret.
Ayelin hesitated, looking down again. "Actually, I have been dreaming of something like this happening to me for a long time. I just can't believe I rejected it when it finally did happen…" She trailed off, her eyebrows furrowed. "Wait, why exactly am I here anyway?"
"Now she asks…" the rude dragon muttered.
"Metalicana, please," the white dragon said, sighing. "There's no need to patronize her."
"Grandeeney's right, you know," the third dragon added with a stern look. "I didn't exactly give her fair warning."
Metalicana… Ayelin's eyes widened. And Grandeeney? She looked at the third dragon. Then, is that...Igneel? That means that this is…
"Fairy Tail?"
The three dragons glanced down at Ayelin, who was now standing at staring at them with awe and amazement.
"…what?" Metalicana inquired, confused.
"You guys are from Fairy Tail, right?" Ayelin practically shouted. Then she hesitated. "I mean, not exactly from Fairy Tail, but…well…you know…the world of Fairy Tail…"
"How do you know about Fairy Tail?" Metalicana asked, his eyes narrowing. "You're not from that world…"
Igneel smirked. "Exactly. She's not from our world. But she knows about Fairy Tail." He glanced at the other two dragons. "Catching on yet?"
"But…how?"
"I've read books," Ayelin answered matter-of-factly. "But…I never thought that this place was real…"
"What do you know about Earth Land?" Metalicana asked.
Ayelin brushed her long brown hair back from her face and sighed. "Well, I know that there's a land called Fiore in it. That's really the only place I know in Earth Land. Are there more?" She shook her head. "Never mind. Don't answer that yet. Anyway, I know about the existence of mages and mage guilds, in particular one guild called Fairy Tail located in Magnolia. The books I've read all cover the adventures of that guild."
"And what do you know about Fairy Tail?"
Ayelin raised an eyebrow. "It would take all day to explain that. Do you really want me to?"
"Just give me the basics."
Ayelin sighed again. "Well, uh…Lucy is a Celestial Spirit mage or something like that. She's the main character of the stories I've read. Natsu, the dragonslayer, brought her to Fairy Tail…" She saw them perk up when she mentioned "dragonslayer."
"You know what a dragonslayer is?" Metalicana asked, this time with even more interest.
Ayeline smirked this time, knowing that she knew more than these dragons expected her to know. "Well, of course. The tradition dragonslayers have dragon parents, as far as I know, though there are some that have dragon lachryma implanted inside of them or something. In fact," she paused for a second as she racked her brain for a name, "some guy later in the story said something about there being three different types of dragonslayers, those like Natsu, those like Laxus, and those like him, who had both dragon parents and an implanted dragon lachryma…or something like that."
Ayelin glanced up at Metalicana's surprised face. She smirked again. "And, yes, I do know that you once raised a dragonslayer. Gajeel, right? Good thing he ended up a good guy in Fairy Tail, huh?"
Metalicana and Grandeeney both stared at her in awe. "How do you know all this?" they both asked in unison.
"Like I said, books," Ayelin replied with a satisfied grin.
Igneel chuckled. "Impressive, isn't it?"
Grandeeney nodded. "Most certainly. However…I'm still curious to know how she could help us."
"Oh, yeah, about that!" Ayelin exclaimed, facing Igneel. "Why me?"
Igneel sighed. "I am going to explain it in the simplest way possible. Do not interrupt me until I am finished, okay? It may seem surprising."
"I'm pretty sure all the surprise has been sucked right out of me," Ayelin joked. "So, go ahead. I won't interrupt."
"Well," Igneel began. "I've been watching other worlds for a while now, practically since we had to leave Earth Land in the year 777. You know about that, right?" When Ayelin nodded, he continued. "I was searching for something which may be able to help us in case a crisis came up. When I came across Earth – your planet Earth –I noticed there was some magical power there."
Igneel nodded his head. "Yes, it's hard to believe, but that's how I found you, an ordinary girl, the only girl on Earth who possesses magic. You see, you have an extremely interesting power…a power even I can't exactly explain. In any case, I would probably consider you an Elemental mage, for you have the power to control the elements. That includes ice, fire, earth, air, water…certainly a step up from just having access to one of the elements, hm?"
"Whoa," Ayelin breathed. "Really? I have that power?"
"Yes, you do," Igneel said, chuckling. "But you also have another power, a power which is far more crucial to us." He paused for a second.
"And…?" Ayelin persisted impatiently.
Igneel looked thoughtful. "Have you ever heard of a dragon called Acnologia?"
Ayelin nodded. "In the stories I've read, that dragon nearly destroyed Tenrou Island and, like, half of the Fairy Tail guild. Super powerful. Even Zeref fears it, from what I understand."
Igneel nodded. "Definitely powerful. But, let me tell you this, Acnologia is actually not our enemy.:
Ayelin was confused. "What? Seriously?"
"Yes," Igneel said. "He's supposed to be the most powerful defender of the worlds. Not only ours. Any world where there is any trace of magic. However, he only shows up when there is something terribly wrong…"
Igneel fell silent. Ayelin was silent as well as she tried to process this information. Then, she finally understood.
"Acnologia is back, isn't he." It wasn't a question. It was a fact which the three dragons confirmed solemnly.
"Unfortunately," Igneel said, hesitating. "That's how it is."
"But what can I do about it?"
"Ah, I was just getting to that," Igneel answered. "Remember, no interruptions." Ayelin nodded silently, and he continued. "Now, we dragons can't go back to Earth Land yet. I can't tell you why, but that's that. However, we need to speak to Acnologia as soon as possible. And, besides us, you are the only one he will listen to."
Ayelin blinked. "Me? But, why me?"
"I'm not entirely sure. I told you that even I can't exactly explain this power that you have. But, somehow, you have this way, this power, over dragons. Even us. Even Acnologia. He will listen to you."
"A-Are you sure?" Ayelin hesitated. "I mean, how do I know - ?"
"If Igneel says it, it's probably true," Metalicana interrupted, his voice somber. "Even I can detect something different about you…"
Ayelin glanced at Grandeeney, who nodded in agreement. "They're right," she said.
Ayelin look back at Igneel. "So, let me get this straight. My mission is to find Acnologia and convince him to talk to you?"
Igneel nodded.
"And, if everything you've said is true, then it shouldn't be problem?"
"Essentially…but you have to consider the fact that finding Acnologia will not be an easy task."
"Okay…" Ayelin said slowly, thinking. "Okay. I think I understand what's going on. Is my task really as simple as that?"
The three dragons exchanged glances with each other before nodding their heads simultaneously.
Ayelin beamed. "Awesome. You can count on me!"
"Good," Igneel said, nearly smiling.
"Um…" Grandeeney said, nudging Igneel. "I think I should mention a few bits of information that might help you out on your journey."
"Like what?" Ayelin asked. "Oh, wait, give me a second." She pulled out a small pad of paper and a pencil from her pocket. When the dragons only stared at her, she smiled again and said, "Aspiring journalists have to be prepared at all times, right?"
Grandeeny glanced at Igneel, and then continued. "First of all, you should know that Grimoire Heart, which is a – "
"A famous dark guild in the Balam Alliance, yeah, I know," Ayelin said, scribbling on her pad. She paused to glance up at the white dragon. "And…?"
"We have confirmed that they are based somewhere in the Grenadine forest about fifty miles north of Magnolia," Grandeeney finished. "Chances are, Acnologia knows this. He'll probably be hanging around there quite often."
"It's a start, anyway," Ayelin said, sighing, as she scribbled more notes. "Anything else?"
"Be especially careful when it comes to Grimoire Heart," Igneel added, his voice taking on a darker tone. "Somehow, I wouldn't be surprised if they knew about your power and tried to use it for their own purposes…"
"Of course," Ayelin muttered, still writing. She sighed. "Any suggestions as to where I should go first?"
"Well," Igneel said, "I would probably try to find a permanent place to stay and join a guild."
"Wait, wait, wait," Ayelin protested, "I thought this was supposed to be a simple mission? Just find Acnologia and take him to you! Why do I have to do all that pointless stuff?"
"Pointless?" Metalicana brought his head down to her level so that she could clearly see his cold, serious eyes. "Girl, you don't understand, do you?" Ayelin, whose eyes were wide with surprise and confusion, shook her head slowly. Metalicana laughed coldly. "Acnologia isn't something you can just find. You have to earn the right to find him. Do you get it?" She simply stared at him unblinkingly.
"You have to become a proper mage," Metalicana said slowly.
"Proper mage…?" Ayelin repeated.
"That's right. A proper mage. And that means being part of a guild and building up your skills to a point where you can rightfully call yourself a mage. Do you understand?"
She understood perfectly, but somehow, she couldn't get her body to move. She was paralyzed. With fear? No – with anxiety. She thought that she understood everything she needed to know about this world. After all, she was practically a God in that she knew everything that happened with everyone (almost). But now, she wasn't so sure. Sure, she knew about this world. But did she have what it takes to live in it? Did she really understand what she was getting herself into?
That uncertainty scared her the most.
Still…
I can't give up this opportunity.
And with the strength of that thought, she nodded her head.
"I understand."
Metalicana scrutinized her face, the determined expression, the anxious but resolute look in her eyes, and grinned. "I see." He looked at Igneel. "I think she's ready to go."
Igneel nodded. "Okay, then." He nodded towards the magic portal that they used to watch over Earth Land. "That, there, is a portal. It'll take you to a special place in Earth Land, protected by various magical enchantments. It's not an easy place to find, but that's simply to protect our location. If you ever need to talk to us, simply go to that location, touch your hand to the large stone that you'll find there, and say one of our names. Depending on the situation, we'll either take you back here or talk to you from there, though the latter takes up less magic so we'd prefer that."
"Yeah, that makes sense," Ayelin agreed, nodding. "Okay, so I can just walk through that portal then?"
Igneel nodded. "Go ahead. We'll be watching over you."
"Yeah, try not to do anything stupid, 'cause we'll know," Metalicana teased with a wink.
"Be careful!" Grandeeney added.
"I will!" Ayelin said as she made her way over to the portal. She waved one time, a huge grin plastered to her face. "I'll be back in no time!"
Then, she disappeared into the portal.
Ayelin opened her eyes. Where am I? she thought, disoriented. Then, suddenly, she remembered the task that the dragons had given her.
She looked around her. Currently, she was laying against a large rock, which was centered in the middle of a small clearing surrounded by trees and bushes on three sides and a giant rock wall on the other. Looking up, she realized that the rock wall was the side of a mountain. Past the trees on the opposite side of the wall, sure enough, was another cliff, overlooking a vast forest.
So I'm on top of a mountain, she concluded. Cool.
With that, she stood up and searched for a pathway, only to find that the only way out was to jump off the cliff or climb up the mountain. She sighed. Of course. They said it wasn't an easy place to find, after all.
She began walking towards the cliff on the other side of the trees to see how long the drop was. Much to her dismay, directly beneath the cliff was a giant, dark chasm. She turned back around to try to find another way, when she realized that the rock in the center had disappeared.
Is it the magical enchantments? She thought, panicked. Oh no, what if I can't find it again…!
However, she realized that, as she moved closer, the rock appeared again as if it had never disappeared. She sighed in relief, and fell to the ground.
"I'm tired…" she mumbled. Laying on her side, she decided to pull out her notes and read them again, in case something inspired an idea to get her out of this mess. She read through the notes, focusing on every single detail, until she reached the last page. She threw her notebook across the clearing out of frustration.
"You stupid piece of crap, you're not helping me at all!" she shouted angrily. Tears felt like they would fall at any moment. This wasn't what she had expected to happen in her first minutes in this world.
It was about then that she noticed another piece of paper had fallen out of her notepad. Quickly, and hopefully, she raced over and snatched the piece of paper. On it, in nearly illegible script, a message was written.
Ayelin,
I couldn't mention this around the others for fear of upsetting them, but I have another task that I want you to do.
Take care of Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy, okay? I'm worried about them, particularly where Grimoire Heart and Acnologia are involved. I feel as if they might be in danger.
That means that you should join Fairy Tail. Don't worry about your current skill level, Makarov will understand. More than you realize, in fact.
Igneel
Ayelin read the message twice, three times, and nearly smiled.
"Fairy Tail, huh…" she said to herself, her excitement growing. "That should be fun."
She was going to meet Lucy and Natsu. And Happy. And Gray. And Mirajane. Erza. Gajeel. Elfman. Makarov. Maybe even Laxus and Gildarts, if she was lucky.
A dream come true…
She peered down at the message again. At the bottom, in tiny writing, there was a short postscript.
P.S. To get out of here, just jump off the cliff. Trust me.
She didn't so much as hesitate before she ran past the trees and leaped off the cliff.
"FAIRY TAIL, HERE I COME!"
A/N: Aaaaaaand, that's it for chapter 1! Sorry, it's kind of a boring chapter what with all the talking and stuff, but it's necessary, you know?
Please review! I wanna hear what you have to say about this story.
A preview of what's to come…
Ayelin has finally made it to Magnolia. However, getting into Fairy Tail isn't going to be as easy as she thought, not with all the suspicion in the guild surrounding her sudden appearance, inexplicable knowledge, and mysterious background. What is she going to do? Find out in Chapter 2: To Be Suspicious.
