'huh? Where am I?' thought Karl Ruprecht Kroenen as he now found himself in a completely different place than a moment ago.
The last thing he remembered doing was that he was trying to remove the grenade from the portal device.
He faild as the last thing he remembered was the grenade going off then came a burning sensation as if being dipped in molten lava then he found himself here.
He must have fallen in the collapsing portal and he should now be in hell he thought.
But on a closer inspection of the background found that he was in an alley in a some what modern city.
The sky was blue and he is hearing children laughing not far from where ever he was.
So unless the scriptures and all recordings of hell were wrong them this place isn't hell.
On another note he found himself now wearing rags as he clothes were burned during his travel here and is now falling apart.
Fortunately his black skin tight undersuit is still intact as only his outer nazi uniform was burnt.
While he was checking his burnt clothes he also found that his body was reverted back to his youngerself as his mechanical arms was replaced with that of a child.
He could feel his heart beating and blood pumping through his vaines which was strange since he has already removed his heart and his blood should have already turned in to sand.
He also noticed that his eyelids and lips have regrown as he already had them surgically removed.
He also felt his skin tight undersuit a lot loose.
Putting all these toghter he came to the conclusion that his body has been reverted back to a younger state around 9-12 years old as his remembered voice sound like this during his days at the opera.
He checked for anything salvageable that came with him.
After finish searching he came up with his gasmask, his less favorite broom handle pistol (with no ammo), a few reichsmark coins, his black body undersuit and his wrist mounted blades.
'Not much' he thought as he discarded his ragged nazi uniform.
He then walked out of the alley he was in and started to explore the area.
When he exited the alley he saw a bustling street fill with humans of all things.
'where am i?' he thought as he examine the strange city and it's inhabitants.
He wonders around the city trying figuring out where he was all the while drawing attention for hhis strange outfit.
After wondering around for a bit he came to the conclusion that this place isn't earth.
At first he thought that he is some where on earth as this place is inhabited by humans but on a closser inspection he found few percularites about it.
Like for example this city is mostly built in a western style, the people of this place are mostly white and the people of this place dress mostly western clothes.
With that it would suggest that he is in europe or america, as the people are very care free and with no signs of war he at first thought he was in america but soon he found that woman here wear very revealing clothes as he saw girls walking around wearing a very short skirts and they are also revealing their belly button.
Completely unacceptable in the modern(1940s) world, they walk around as if nothing is worng and people treat them as if nothing is worng.
On country (at the 1940s) he knows of would allow their woman to dress such revealing outfits, hell not even prostitutes are this daring.
Karl couldn't think of any civilized nation that matches this places.
He then hears some people talking which is not strange but the language is unfamiliar to him but strangely he knows what they are talking about.
Then he saw 'wizards' performing magic in broad day light while people treat it as if nothing special happened and this is not the fake magic using optical illusion this was genuine magic.
While the magic the wizard used was strange to him as it was quite different than the one he was used but he could still tell if it's optical illusion or not.
With all these put together he came to the conclusion that he is in a parrallel universe where people could use magic in broad day light and woman dress in revealing outfits.
'Well now what?' he thought as he wasn't on earth anymore that means that he can't just go to an allied nation and call in for a pick up.
That means he is on his own and he needs find his own food as he can't count on anyone to take him in.
he looks around thinking of what to do.
The first thing he needs to survive in civilized world is naturally money, so he tried to think of ways to acquire money.
He thought of robbing a few people but quickly changed his mind as he still doesn't know the capabilities of the people of this place, since the people of this place can practice magic openly, chances are a large portion of them know magic and with body being that of a child it is very unlikely for him fight anyone any time soon.
He then remembered at the end of WW1 with germany being the lossing side a lot of childern were orphaned and the economy being shit.
He would often see childern searching through the garbage for anything of value.
Not coming up with anything else, he just do what orphaned street kids did.
Of course he didn't do it in the middle of the street infront of so many people, he isn't that deperate yet so he when to an isolated alley in the richer parts of town and began there.
He found a few coins here and there but mostly garbage.
Then found a white dress witch still looks fine just about his size.
'this brings back memories' the thought thinking back to his opera days where he would often be forced to play the part of an innocent princess because of his angelic looks and his gentle voice.
As he was reminiscing about the past then he got an idea.
He took off his mask and his black undersuit then puts on the white dress.
He then looks at a broken mirror to see how he looks.
'yep just like back then' he thought seeing his reflection.
Soft long golden hair flowing freely as the wind blow passes him, back in the days he would be often be forced to grow his hair as wigs aren't as good as real hair.
Seeing as nothing is worng he walks back out to the main street all the while drawing attenstion as he passes by.
This kind of attestion is different from his previous attestion, this kind is more like 'cute young lady' while the other is 'weird creepy kid'.
Once he arrived at suitable location he sets a handkerchief on the ground.
"ehmm" he cleard his throat the began to sing.
People then gathered to watch a cute young 'lady' sing.
A first only a few people gathered then more poeple came until there's a crowd of the gathered.
While he the song he sing is in german which nobody understands but it only serves to captivate them even more as the song he sings has an exotic feel to them.
People gathered as Kroenen sang a few more songs before stopping.
He then bowed signaling the finished of his performance then there was silence.
Clap
A clap then rings out ot break the silence then more fallowed suit.
Soon people are cheering and throwing coins at the handkechief some people also throws in a few bills.
At the end of the day he made quite a sum and should last him for a while if the only food he buys is dry bread.
Not wanting to spend money staying in an inn he sleeps on in an isolated alley where nobody will ever go.
The next few days he the same thing, he went to the same place in his girly white dress and sang a few songs then gets back here for the night.
As he was sitting there looking at the pile of money (mostly coins).
'while it okey for now but i can't keep on doing this forever' he thought as he recalls a particular conversation happening between to boys as they were passing by him.
They were saying saying something about a wizard mercenary like organization called the ...the Fairy Tail guild? but to join one must first know magic.
While Kroenen knows magic but it's not the kind they were using, his type of magic is a...a much darker and deeper kind of magic with the user having to pay a price for each time he uses it.
The magic here is...shallower more user friendly.
From looking at the happy people all around him, he gots a feeling he should not use his type of magic openly.
Besides he mastery of the dark arts is barely basic, he tried to compensate it by merging magic and technology togather which is kind of successful and kind of not.
While his master achived his immortality through magic alone, he achived his by turning himself in to a cyborg more dead than alive, while it did achieve some results but he finds it quite lacking especially compared to his master's and best find another way to get immortality.
Yeah using his apocaiypse army of undead cyborgs would most definatly end up with him being chased by armies of super powerful wizards.
So he can't use the dark arts here or at least publicly meaning that he would have learn the local magic.
The next day after finishing his performance he told the crowed that this will be his last day.
Hearing this the crowd were sadened as they wanted to hear more of her singing so asked why.
With that question Kroenen simply replied with a lie saying that 'she' only came hear with 'her' father on business trip and now they are going back home.
Hearing that the crowd came to a realization and found answers to a few question that has been bothering them since they first heard 'her' sing.
Why nobody knows her dispite being this cute and having such a wonderful voice? Why is 'her' songs are in another language that nobody seems to know?
The answer is simple 'she' came here with her dad on a business trip from a country that is most likely far away. Thing like this happen quite often so the crowed didn't doubt 'her' and she looks innocent enought.
With that the crowd had no choice but to accept and reluctantly said good bye.
Also a few young boy's dream of marrying 'her' once they grow up also got crushed that day.
Of course some of them didn't got discourage instead like a hot blooded protagonist from some novel, with fire in their eyes and an unbreakable will they vowed in their heart 'one day when I grow up. I will find you and marry you'
Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing no one knows.
Anyway after that Kronen puts back on his gas mask and his black body undersuit.
He then walks to near by store that sell magic tomes.
'how convenient' he thought as he searches for any magic that interest him, remembering the the times where he is searching through old ruins and old scriptures to learn just a bit more about magic, he also remember the times when he was trying decipe nonsensical writing thinking that it is the key to immortality.
It is only thanks to his master Grigori Rasputin telling him that it's simply cave man nonsense that he finally stopped wasting his time on that.
Anyway after browsing through finally picked out three magic tomes that peaked his intereats.
The first is spactial magic requip which allows him to summon things from an dimensional pocket, very handy especially for a blade master like him.
The second is sword magic, since he is a blade master it's only natural to learn blade magic.
The last gun magic, while he dislike using guns that doesn't mean he will never use guns after all he is still quite a good marksman and would use it if necessesary.
A few months later he finally gasped the basics of requip magic meaning that he can now join the guild.
He then goes to near by guild to sign up.
The fairy tail guild the sign says.
He then walks in to the guild house all the while attracting attention more due to his attire than being a new face or in his case a mask.
He walked up to the guild counter to get registered.
Once completed he saw a pink haired boy around his age came infront of him and stared at him.
Meanwhile all the surrounding people stayed silent wanting to know how'll turn out.
Kroenen returned the favor and stared back at him.
The pink haired boy then asked "what are you hiding there?"
Kroenen stared at him for a while before turning his head and ignore the pink haired boy.
Not like being ignored the boy yelled "hey I'm talking to you!" as his tried to grab his gas mask.
Kroenen evaded but the boy then tried again and faild again as Kroenen evaded again.
The boy seem to run out of patiants as charged boldly randomly swinging his arms hoping to grab his gas mask.
But unfortunately for him Kroenen evaded all his attempts.
Not wanting to waste any more time he trips the pink haired boy while his attention is on his mask.
The boy fell to the ground, he pick himself back up now seemingly mad.
"you masked bastard!" he yelled and tried to tackle him.
Kroenen evades to the side and taking the chance Kroenen knockes out the boy with a chop to the neck the boy goes sleeping.
Seeing the pink haired boy goes down a girl with short white hair comes running to the fallen boy.
"Natsu! Are you OK!" she holds the unconsious boy worrying what might have happened to him but after a closer inspection she hears the boy or Natsu as she calls him snoring meaning that he is only sleeping.
She lets out a sight feeling relived that Natsu is safe.
Then red hair girl in armor shows up and asked "Lisanna is Natsu OK?"
The white haired girl or Lisanna as he seems to be called replied "he is fine, he is only unconscious"
Seeing as there is nothing more for him here it's best to leave but it seemed like the girl had other ideas as she now tries to reach out and grab him but her attemp fails just like Natsu's.
She then changes strategy to try and hit him to teach him a lesson but Kroenen evades making her miss.
Then a white haired girl with long hair commented "oh my, Erza lost to the new guy"
A vein pops on Erza's forehead as she then pull out her sword taking the new guy seriously now.
She charge expecting this to be quick and easy win as her opponent is unarmed but then Kroenen did some thing unexpected.
He also charged in stunned by his action Kroenen quickly took her momentary pause to strike.
He grabbed on the her wrist stopping her strike then he squeezed on her tendons making her grip on her sword weeken.
His othe hand the grabs on to the blade (yes people could actually grab the blade of a sword with out geting themselves cut as long as they do it properly).
Then it only a matter of laverage with a bit of power Erza lets go of her sword.
Gravity to hold and the sword falls to the ground but before the sword touches the ground Kroenen kicks the sword back up.
He catches it and now points it back at Erza, every thing happened in an instant then it was over with their position now reversed.
Erza and every one else around became wide eyed as they couldn't believe what had just happened.
Erza lost to the new kid and he used her own sword against her no less.
Kroenen then flips the sword making him now holding to the tip with his fingers, he then throws the sword back to Erza and the sword shoots back in to it's sheath.
Everyone is still wide eyed and still stunned silent so Kroenen took this chance to leave, he came he saw and he conquered.
After he stepped out the door he heard every one in the guild burst out and began discussing what they had just seen.
"did you just see that!"
"yeah"
"i can't believe it"
"me to"
"Erza lost"...
Anyway Kroenen just ignored the chatter and continued walking.
The next day whe Kroenen went back to the guild.
Every one became silent when he stepped through the door.
To dayhe is joing to take his first job, as he walks to the mission board a certaine red hair girl steps infront of him babling something about family and should fight each other.
Meanwhile Kroenen just looks at side, Natsu and a blue haired boy with only his boxer's on are fighting on the corner, it seems that she ether oblivious to it or she is ignoring it.
During their fight Natsu acedentally throw a rock at Erza's direction, the rock hit her head.
A pops on her head and she went over there and sent those two flying.
They hit the wall fell to the ground unconscious.
'well aren't you a hypocrite' thought Kroenen as right after she said we're all family here and shouldn't hurt family.
Seeing as she is full of shit he ignores her and continues to walk over to the mission board.
Seeing her being ignored a vein pops on her head and she rushes to him to teach him manners.
In the end Kroenen is naturally the victor after all he is a war veteran in two world wars, there is naturally no way he would lose to a girl who just picked up a sword.
With the annoyance dealt with he went over to the mission board and picked up a few missions to do in the next few days.
The missions were nothing hard just easy jobs that pays low to get him warmed up.
A few days later he went back to the guild to report the success of his mission.
Once steped through the door Erza sees him and immediately challenges him.
She didn't give him time to responed as she just attacked him, Kroenen easily dodges her attacks.
'seems like she has been training while I was gone' thought Kroenen as her attacks are much faster than before and her strikes are much more accurate.
'looks like I'll have to step it up a notch' he thought as having the body of a child and with her having improved this much, it would be very hard to beat her bare handed now.
So he summoned a weapon.
A light flashed on to his hand and his weapon appears.
When Erza saw him use requip she thought he finally stated taking her seriously but when the light died down and she saw the weapon he summoned she only got furious.
The weapon he summoned was a butter knife.
Truthfully specking the weapon originally wanted to summon was a knife but as he is still very new to this new type magic he got the mixed up and besides butter knife are still knife, right? The only differece is that, one has an extra word While the other is a little pointyer then the other.
In the hands of a true master anything is deadly including a butter knife.
Anyway seeing her enemy is mocking her with a joke weapon she lost het cool and blindly charge him.
Seeing his opponent lost her composure and is now full of openings, he took this chance dive in for the kill.
Seeing a downward cut he blockes it with his butter knife.
He stoped he cut and now since the blade isn't moving it means that it's easier and safer to grab it.
He grabs it with his other hand and pulls the sword to him, since Erza has a tight grip on it the sword didn't budge but that was not his plan at all.
He only grabs it to keep her hands occupied for when he attackes.
he jumps forward and since he is now grabing the sword that means that thre is no reason for him to keep him lock blades with her.
He lets it slip pass her sword towards a new target, Erza's neck.
Fortunately for her Kroenen has no intention of killing or wounding her as it will waste all his effort to join the guild so he stops right before his butter knife touches her skin.
Seeing the knife going to slit her throat she lets go of her sword and falls down on her ass.
Kroenen is thinking what to do next as fighting her every time she sees him would be to bothersome, the an idea came to him.
Since he and Erza is still a child they could still make up, he isn't expecting for them to be best friends or anything like that but he at least hope that she would stop being a hassle.
He unsummoned his knife then steped forward and said "not bad", this sudden action shocked everyone as they didn't expect the weird kid to do that.
He stretch out his hand to help her up.
Erza is stunned for awhile but ultimately accepts his hand with a smile, once back on her feet she said "I'm Erza Scarlet..."
With that the hatchet is buried and all the mean things he did in the past forgiven.
'kids being so forgiving and so easily fooled and manipulated' thought Kroenen with a relaxed smile on his face as he talkes with her.
He remembers his happy carefree childhood days before being forced in to the opera career by his parents, those happy naive days playing with other children.
Seeing this scene the atmosphere in the guild lightens up.