Well, I've been having ideas for a new Fairy Tail Fanfic I could write. Unlike most of my fanfics up until now, this one ISN'T a crossover! (I know, shocking, end of the world!) Essentially, this story starts around when Erza joined Fairy Tail, so this starts QUITE some time before the main events of the series.

Chapter 1: A Fateful Meeting

Early in X776...

It's been 7 years since Percival's home-country, Tria, was destroyed, and he barely escaped. Tria was a hidden nation noted for its Shadow Magic users: Trian Shadowmancers were taught from the tender age of 2 to begin using their magic, with some developing capabilities at 4. These abilities frightened some people, which eventually lead to the destruction of the country.

Percival only survived due to him escaping into the East, and running into a dragon: the Crystalline Dragon Dymistra. For the 7 years since, he'd learned Crystal Dragon Slayer Magic, while, at the same time, Dymistra, knowing Trian traditions, kept Percival training in Shadow Magic as well, knowing it'd "be useful for him". Dymistra was heavily impressed when Percival began mixing the 2 magics, although such attempts were unrefined, and were only useful in aesthetics. However, Dymistra claimed that, if he kept at it, he'd come up with something practical soon enough. Finally, he tended to use his magic to make crystalline armor and weapons, in addition to typical Dragon Slayer attacks, so learning swordsplay was another thing he learned.

Today, however, this life too would be wrenched away from Percival. It was early morning, when Percival was awakened by a shriek from Dymistra, and the sounds of destruction wrecking their valley. He left the cave...to see a massive, black dragon, with blue markings, and a pale chest, attacking Dymistra. Percival ran to help, but Dymistra called to him, "NO! RUN! This foe is beyond either of us!"

"I...I can't just leave you!" Percival cried.

"YOU HAVE TO!" Dymistra shouted, despair in her voice, "You HAVE to leave! I'm sorry I have to go like this...but PLEASE! RUN!"

Percival hesitated. He looked at the attacking dragon, which was now tearing huge chunks from the crystal dragon, and the crystal dragon looking back at him with a pleading expression. Tears in his eyes...Percival ran. He kept running until he was a long distance away from the fight, at which point, when he was a safe distance away, but still within viewing range..."There! COME AT ME, DRAGON KING!" Dymistra cried defiantly...before a massive explosion engulfed her, throwing crystal shards into the air. Most of them disintegrated in mid-air...although one shard survived, flying through the air towards Percival and landing on the ground near him.

Percival tentatively picked up the crystalline shard, which pulsated with blue energy at its core. He teared up, and clenched the crystal in his hands. Sobbing, he muttered, "Good bye...Dymistra..."

2 Months later...

It'd been a couple weeks since Erza managed to leave the Tower of Heaven...since she was forced to abandon all of her friends. Erza still came to tears over this...She tried to stop them, but, try as she might, she couldn't. She looked around, seeing nothing but path and grassland around her, with a few large rocks scattered around. Looking up to the sky, she checked to see if she was still going the right way. Once she determined which way she had to go, she continued on.

However, soon, she heard something. She looked around, spotting a few large rocks along the path. As she approached...

"Lookie here...a little girl, out in the wilderness...all by herself..." Bandits. They were not uncommon this far from cities, out in the middle of nowhere. One of the bandits approached her, and Erza lifted the sword she'd brought from the Tower of Heaven. Before she could strike, however, the bandit struck, knocking the sword from her hand. She tried accessing her magic, like back at the tower, but another bandit raised some kind of stone, which produced a beam that, when it struck Erza, left her drained of magic. "Nuh, uh, uh...Now then..." The bandits approached Erza, as she tried to find some escape route.

Suddenly, a dark shape moved across the ground, and, coming up under a cart the bandits brought out, came a set of crystalline spike. "What the shit?!" one of the bandits exclaimed. Then, the dark shape moved to near the group, and spikes shot up around some of the bandits, locking them in a crystalline prison. The remaining bandits leapt back, away from the unknown assailant. Then, the shadow rose from the ground, revealing...

...A young man, in a black cloak, supposedly around Erza's age, if his size was anything to go by. A mass of crystal started to form in his hand, molding into a sword-like shape. He then pointed the sword at the Bandits. The Bandit with the anti-magic stone pointed the item at the young man...who melted into the shadows again. The bandits hastily looked around, trying to find the young man...who immediately appeared near the bandits' mage, and snatched his anti-magic stone weapon from him, before sinking into the shadows again.

"What the hell is WITH this kid?!" one of the bandits asked, as the kid in question materialized again next to Erza.

The kid looked down at her, and asked, in a calm, even voice, "Are you alright?"

Once Erza managed to come out of her stupor, she respond, "Yeah...I'm fine..."

"Should I just get you out of here, or should we finish these guys?" the kid asked.

"We can't let them keep getting people out here..." Erza said.

"My sentiments exactly," the kid said, before producing another crystalline blade, passing it to Erza, and dropping into a combat pose.

Erza felt surprised how light the crystal was, and how balanced the blade felt, despite its jagged appearance, as though it was weighted equally on both sides. She readied for a fight too. However, the bandits, however, were beginning to think that it'd be unwise to continue this course of action. They began to back off, and when the did, the kid just went, "Tsk tsk tsk...", and, shaking his head, he put his hand to the ground...producing a sheet of crystal, which shot towards the bandits, locking them in a crystal cage. "Well...that's that..." the kid said, and he began to leave.

"Wait!" one of the bandits cried to him, and the kid looked back. "You're...not gonna just leave us out here...are ya?!"

The kid sighed, before pointing a hand in the air, shooting off several crystal shards that exploded in mid-air. "That should get someone's attention, maybe some Rune Knights will happen upon you..."The kid then turned the other way, and walked off again, the bandits whimpering behind them.

Erza thought for a bit. She just wanted to continue moving towards Magnolia, and Fairy Tail, but...this kid just saved her...in the end, she went after the kid. "Hey!" she called to him. The kid stopped and looked at her. "Thank for...helping me back there."

"I saw you were in trouble. It was either leave you to them, or help you out...a no-brainer really." Erza seemed surprised by the answer. "My guardian taught me powerful magic, skills, and abilities, then she taught me to use these abilities to help others. After learning under her...it was truly a no-brainer what to do in this situation."

"Still...thanks..." Erza repeated. The kid nodded, and turned to leave. Then, Erza thought of something. "Wait!" The kid turned again. "Where exactly are you going?"

The kid thought for a moment, before saying, "Anywhere...nowhere..."

"What do you mean?" Erza asked, "You mean, you don't have a home?"

"No...not anymore..." the kid said sadly, "Do you?"

Erza shook her head, "No...but, a...friend of mine...directed me to a place, where I could find one..."

"I see..." the kid said.

Erza thought for a moment, before asking, "Would you...like to come with me? We could probably both find a new home there...if you want..."

The kid thought for a minute or so, before lowering his hood, proving what Erza had already guessed: the individual was indeed a kid her age. "Alright. My name's Percival. Percival Phalanx. And you are?"

"Erza...Scarlet," Erza replied.

"Nice to meet you, Erza...now, let's get going. You know where we're going, so...lead the way..."

1 Week later...

Percival and Erza finally reached Magnolia, and were now in front of the Fairy Tail building. Both individuals looked the structure over, before looked at each other. "You first...you're the one who trekked so long to get here, so...you go first. I'll be right behind you..."

Erza looked at him for a moment, and nodded, before advancing. Looking over the building one more time, Percival followed. Once they reached the door, they heard someone complaining, "-fell into a ditch on my way here this morning, and now I can't find my stupid wallet. Today totally sucks." The talking stopped when Erza came through the door. Everyone appeared to be watching the new girl coming in, from her simple clothing to her eye-patch, covering her removed eye.

Even more surprising was the cloaked young man her age not far behind her, a jagged crystalline sword on his belt.

"This is it..." Erza said, more to herself and PErcival than anyone else, "The guild grandpa Rob told me about..."

"You sure?" Percival asked.

Erza looked around, before nodding. "Positive..."

Soon, they were met by a small old man. The way everyone looked at him, the duo could tell he was the guildmaster. Percival certainly sensed a high level of power coming from him. "Welcome to Fairy Tail," the man said, "I'm Makarov, the Guildmaster here. And you two would be...?"

"Erza Scarlet," Erza replied.

"Percival Phalanx," Percival answered. Makarov motioned them to follow, so they could be introduced to the rest of the guild.

Well, that's it for chapter 1. Tell me what you think should happen next...and what you think, as well...