Fairy Tail is one of my all time favorite franchises, so I felt it was appropriate to finally write a story about it. My name is not Mason (its John for anyone who cares) so this is not me inserting myself into this universe. I just thought that Mason was kind of a Fairy Tail-y name.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
Narration
Spells
Phantom Dragon Slayer: Chapter 1
(Year 777)
In a dark cave, on an unknown mountain, was a beast with jet black scales, two muscular wings, and a long whiplike tail, a dragon. This was Buruut the Phantom Dragon, a creature rumored to be the one responsible for carrying mortal souls to the afterlife upon death. His head was shielded by a large bony skull giving him a ghastly appearance. But what's really unusual is that laying on top of the legendary beasts powerful back, was a small boy with red eyes and pure white hair.
"But, why do you have to go?" The boy asked, struggling to keep himself from falling asleep.
"Don't you remember what I always tell you boy?" A booming voice fitting of the phantom dragon answered.
"Nothing in life lasts forever, that's why you must make the most of it while you can." The boy answered solemnly, knowing there was no use arguing with the Dragon.
"I don't want to part with you my son, but it's the will of fate." A large black tail, like a tree trunk in thickness, gently nudged the top of the boys head. "I've done my best to raise you properly, and it's been one of my life's greatest joys but it's my time to leave you, but I will leave you with one final request. Mason Alastor! My son, when you awaken tomorrow I will be gone, but don't think you will be alone. Their are others like you, the children of the Dragons, the Dragon Slayers. You must find the Dragon Slayers."
"Dragon Slayers? But why? Why do you have to leave?" Mason layed down on his belly and using his arms and legs, grabbed the most of the Dragon as he possibly could. "Don't leave! I'm not ready for you to go!" Tears began to form in the child's eyes, but there was nothing he could do at this point.
"Ssshhhhh, my son don't cry. This is how it must be, and you must be strong. This is goodbye, but by no means does it have to be forever, but for now you must sleep." A purple magic circle opened above the boy and his eyes began to get heavier until eventually closing and the world was replaced by blackness.
(The next morning)
"Whhaaahhhh!" Mason screamed as he woke up to a splash of water washing across his face. He quickly sat up, that's when he learned he was no longer in the cave, but in fact on a beach. "AAAHHHH!" He quickly climbed back to his feet and surveyed the unfamiliar location.
"The beach? How did I get here….. " That's when he noticed something was different. On his back was a black, hooded cloak with a strange magical aura. "Is this a from Buruut, it has a similar smell, that means he must've brought me here." He looked around for any signs of a Dragon, but didn't see anything. "Maybe he hasn't gotten to far. Buruut! Buruut!" He called out to the ocean and to the forest behind him, but was met only be the sound of waves crashing onto the shore. But that wasn't enough to desuade the hopeful boy.
"Buruut! BURUUT! Dad! DAAAAAADDDDD!" He called out for almost 3 minutes, before giving up on that approach. "I know, I'll search the forest. I'm sure I'll pick up on his sent."
The boys feet slowly began to rise into the air as his body became cloaked in a purple light. Now levitating, the boy jetted off to the woods, moving much faster than if he had chosen to go by foot, but he was met at the entrance by two strangers.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" A fat man with a strange mask towered over him. On the mask was a symbol looking like a sideways S.
"He looks like a little mage, I think he'd be a strong worker. If not, maybe a good sacrifice. Hehehehe." Another man wearing the same mask let out a gross chuckle.
"Excuse me, but have either of you seen a drag-AHHHH!" Mason tried to speak to the two men, but was met with a staff to the gut. And while the young wizard was down the slim man put a magic cancelling collar around the boy's neck.
"I don't know how good of a worker a weakling like this will be, but we can always use another body." The fat man hoisted an unconciouMason up by his cloak. "Bring him to the tower."
(The tower of heaven)
"GRRRR! Put me down! I'll blast you to pieces!" A depowered Mason growled at the fat masked man as he struggled and squirmed, desperately tried to free himself.
"Shut it kid! Your whining is getting pretty annoying!" The fat man forcefully shaked the boy up in down as he approached one of the many cages that made up the walls of the tower. "Here we go." The man unlocked the door and prepared to toss the child. "This is your new home you brat! HAHAHA!" With a chilling laugh, the man hurled mason into the dark cage, slamming him against the wall at the back of the cell.
"GGRRRR! I'll get you for this!" Mason charged for the cell bars, and desperately began grabbing and clawing at the fat man who was getting further and further away, laughing the whole time. "GGGGRRRR! Come back here you coward!" Mason was to busy venting, he hadn't realized yet that he wasn't alone.
"H-hey!" A small, weak voice callled out from the corner of the cell. Mason looked over to find his cell mates clustered together shaking in fear. "K-keep your voice down. If you make too much noise the guards will come back, and they'll be angry." The one to speak up was a small boy, his skin was darker than the others but he had light hair that spiked upwards.
There was a whole group of prisoners locked in this tiny cell and most of them were children. Along with the blonde boy was a small girl with bowl haircut, a kid with spiked hair and a very defined chin, a boy with shaggy black hair and narrow eyes, a girl with red hair that reached down to her shoulders, and a blue haired boy with strange red markings around his right eye. Behind all of that was the only adult, a shriveled old man with a long white beard and grown out eyebrows.
"So what?" Mason fired back abrasively. "I don't care if those jerks are mad, I'm not staying in this cell! I have to find my Father! Every second I stay in here is a second that whatever scent he may have left behind begins to fade." The young boys intensity startled the frightened children, but they weren't about to suffer for his misbehavior.
"Hey look!" The boy with the narrow eyes spoke up. "Maybe you don't care what happens to you, but don't drag the rest of us down with you. We don't want to get whipped because you broke the rules, so sit down and shut up."
"Hmmmm….." Mason eventually backed away from the cage and calmed down… Momentarily. The boy lifted his arm straight upwards and pointed his palm towards the cage bars. "Phantom Dragon Shot!" A ball of purple energy formed in the boy's hand.
"Woah!" The group of children marveled at the boy's magical prowess.
"That's magic!" The blue haired boy's interest was definitely peaked. "Awesome…"
"It's incredible, he can use magic." The Red haired girl's eyes sparkled. "He's a real Wizard, and he's only our age."
"HAAAAAHHHHHHH!" The boy thrusted his palm forward, but the energy ball faded into smoke. "URRGHHHHH!" Masons eyes went sharp and he glared down at the special collar and began clawing and biting at it. "Stupid Collar!" The boy started rolling around, trying to get the collar of his neck.
Meanwhile the blue haired boy had become the first to work up the courage to approach his new cell mate. "You know magic?"
Mason took time away from clawing at his collar to acknowledge him. "Yeah…" He said with a glare. "But this stupid collar is keeping me from using my really strong magic."
"Oh that's too bad…. But still, it must be pretty cool to use magic right?" The blue haired kid got really excited and started asking a lot of questions, that made Mason socially uncomfortable. "My name is Jellal by the way, nice to meet you." The boy put hand out to the Mason.
"Uh…. Mason…" The boy took Jellal's hand and climbed back to his feet.
"And these are my friends." Jellal dragged the young dragon slayer over to the other children. "This is Millianna and Sho." He gestured to the timid girl and young blonde.
"Uh...hi…" Millianna said shyly as Sho justed nodded along.
"And this is Wally." Jellal pointed to the kid with defined chin.
"Sup!" Wally was a bit more of a extrovert than the other kids and managed to actually greet Mason.
"And those to are Simon and Erza." Jellal pulled Mason over to the boy with the narrow eyes and the Red Haired girl. "And over there is Rob, he's really nice." Jellal pointed at the old man behind the children.
"Umm…. High, I'm Mason." Mason definitely wasn't use to other people. In a moment of shyness, he flipped the black hood up over his head, hiding his face.
"So you're an actual wizard?" The red haired girl krept up to Mason. "Can you use any of your magic."
"Y-Yeah.." Mason quickly shook his head, clearing his nerves and shyness. "But nothing big, I can only use weaker spells. Something like this." Mason through his hands out in front of his body and closed his eyes. In the corner of cell, a small stone about the size of a baseball began to float in the air.
"Oh wow." The Red head Erza marveled at this spell.
"This is nothing." Mason dropped the stone. "If I didn't have this stupid collar around my neck, I could rip those bars off the cell with the same spell." Mason bragged a bit, but he wasn't exaggerating.
"Really?" Erza continued, and at this point Jellal and returned to feed his intrigue. "Where did you learn Magic."
"My dad taught me." Mason replied.
"Oh, so is your dad a wizard too." Jellal asked.
"No, he's a Dragon."
"WHAT?!" Jellal and Erza Jumped at this revelation.
"Ha! Hahahahahaha!" Simon, who had been listening in on the conversation suddenly burst out laughing. "I knew it! You are cray! You do know Dragons don't exist right? Hahaha!"
"Hey! You take that back." Mason was about to charge the other boy, when Rob stood up with a smile on his face.
"So that would make you a Dragon Slayer, would it not?" The old wizard said in a calm tone that helped comfort the boy.
"Yeah, that's right. I'm the Phantom Dragon Slayer, my dad Buruut is the Phantom Dragon." Mason got really excited, finding someone who believed him.
"Rob? Do you think he's telling the truth, was he really raised by a Dragon." Jellal asked, still on the seat about believing this tall tell.
"Yes I believe so." Rob sat down in the center of the children as if he was planning to tell a tale. "Dragon Slayer magic is a lost magic, legends say that one could only learn it by being taught by a Dragon. So that would explain how a young boy would be such an advanced mage at such a young age."
"That's right." Mason nodded. "But how did you know that? Are you a wizard or something?"
"I've dabbled with magic, and I like to think I know a thing or two about legends." Rob answered, still smiling.
"What's it like being raised by a Dragon. Was he super scary?" Jellal began bombarding the hooded boy with more of his questions and curiosity.
"Um, I guess he was kinda scary to look at. But after you got used to that he was really nice." Soon Mason was surrounded by the whole group, each with their own questions and opinions. Unknown to the Dragon's son, but he was slowly starting to build what would be his first friendships.
(Some time later, Mason's point of view)
The time I spent in the Tower Of Heaven, brief as it may be. Was some of the worst days of my life.
Every morning the guards would wake my comrades and I and immediately send us to work, we would receive the minimum amount of food and water. Just enough to keep us alive and working. Nights were cold, we would often huddle together to keep warm. It was on the second day of my tenure there that I learned Jellal and the other kids had been planning to escape.
"Hey Mason." Jellal whispered to me as I scarfed down a piece of stale bread. "You said you were desperate to get out of here, and go find your dad right." I knodded, being as my mouth was still full. "Then come on you gotta follow me.
Jellal took me to a small whole carved into the wall, Inside was a passage carved into the stone, the purpose being to escape.
"Do you think you could use a bit of magic to help with this tunnel?" As Jellal was asking I placed my palm on the stone at the back of the tunnel and channeled as much magic as I could muster.
Boom!
A small explosion bursted from my palms and shook the tunnel, cracking the stone slightly. "Haahhhhh… If I had more time, I could probably break through a bit more stone, but our break is almost up and the guards will come looking for us."
"Really? You think you could do it." Hope began to rise up in Jellal's voice. "That's great! Don't worry about time, we can come back tonight. If everyone helps we could be out by morning!"
"I hope you're right." I didn't want to disagree with the boy, and part of wanted to believe him. Unfortunately we would never finish that tunnel.
Almost as soon as we exited the tunnel we were abused by guards. "There he is, the young wizard." One of the guards grabbed me by the cloak and lifted me into the air.
"Hey let me go!" I screamed as I fruitlessly struggled to free myself.
"Put him down!" Jellal yelled at the guards, and received a knee to the face in response.
"Let's go." The guards took me away, kicking and screaming the whole time.
(Later)
"GGGGRRRRR! I swear, I'll get you for this!" I yelled to my captures, who simply ignored me. They chained my arms to a large crystal and unlocked my collar. "What?... Ha! I big mistake! Now you're gonna pay!" I began to charge energy balls in both my hands, little did I know I was giving them exactly what they wanted.
"Now!" One of the guards called out, and his partner pushed a button on a strange remote and the crystal I was tied to started to radiat a white magical aura.
"What are you doing to me!" The strange magic didn't hurt, rather it forced me to release more of my magic. The energy balls I had originally created began to grow in size, from palm sized to the size of beach balls. The crystal behind me changed color, from white to bright yellow.
"That's exactly the reaction we hoped for. Your body has the perfect amount of magical potential to be a suitable host for the God Zeref. Our God will tear your body apart and reshape it into a more suitable form." The guard explained before canceling the crystals strange spell. "Now hurry, but the collar back on the kid."
As the guard said this, the tower began to shake. Resulting in a loud, BOOOM!
"What the hell was that?" One of the guards asked, and the two of them rushed out of the room, leaving me alone.
"Huh? They just left." I paused for a second, then a smile formed across my face. I blasted the chains of my arms and ran out of the room myself.
(Later)
"Woah! What the hell is going." I came across a full blown revolution had erupted in the tower of heaven. Guards and soldiers against armed slaves, brutal fighting across the caverns. In the corner of my eyes I spotted a few of my comrades, surrounded by what appeared to be floating corpses. So I flew over as fast as I could.
When I arrived, my friends were huddled together each clinging in fear to a weapon of their own. "What's going on here."
"Whah! Where'd you come from." Simon cried out in shock.
"That's not important. What are these things?" I asked as I summoned a standard magic circle of protection. "And where are Jellal and Erza."
"Those are magic soldiers." Wally called out, he was usually calm but he was shaking in fear. "They are stronger than normal and can use magic spells."
"They're really scary ghost guys." Millianna called out, shaking behind Wally.
SNIFF SNIFF…. I took a deep wif with my nose, I picked up the scent of the magic soldiers and it was tasty. "Mmm…. Don't worry they won't be much of a problem."
"Whooooooohhhhhh!" I began inhale with my mouth, until I created a vortex that began pulling the magic soldiers into my mouth. I sucked up at least ten corpses and converted their magic power into my own. "Mmmmm, tasty."
"Ew! Gross! You can eat magic soldiers." Simon reeled back in disgust.
"Well duh. I'm a PHANTOM Dragon Slayer, I can eat death, sins, and souls that have been separated from their bodies." I explained, making my comrades shake.
"You eat souls…. Like a monster in a scary story?" Wally asked uncomfortably.
"Well, not really souls more like the energy left behind when someone dies. But I can't take that energy from a living person, that's too difficult." I explained.
"I don't wanna talk about this." Simon said, shivering. "Besides you left some." Simon pointed out the 30 remaining magic soldiers.
"Those guys won't be a problem either." I took another deep breath and my lungs filled with magic energy. "PHANTOM DRAGON ROAR!" I opened my jaw and a swirling spiral of radiat purple Phantoms flew from my mouth. Each phantom was made of Kinetic energy and exploded on contact with the magic soldiers.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"Whoa you did it." Sho commented as, defeated Magic soldiers began to rain from the sky.
"You guys never answered my question, what happened to Erza and Jellal." I repeated.
"I'll answer that." A familiar voice called out, but something felt off. Extremely off.
We turned to find Jellal slowly walking towards us, a misty magic aura swirling around him. "Erza left. She betrayed and abandoned us for her own selfish reasons."
"What?" "No way?" "She wouldn't do that!"
Jellal nodded. "Yes it's true she left us behind. She betrayed us?"
"That doesn't make any sense." I interrupted. "Wasn't it your plan to escape this whole time? She didn't betray us, let's just follow her and get out of here."
"True my plan was to escape, but then I was enlightened." Jellal clasped his hand, causing magic power to surge from his fist. "I learned the true meaning of the tower, it's not evil as we thought it was. It's purpose is that to achieve the ultimate freedom."
"No!" I argued back. "The guards told me. The purpose of this tower is to resurrect some dead god."
"That is Freedom!" Jellal yelled at me. And that's when I saw his eyes. I should have trusted my senses, his soul has been tainted some how. "Zeref will bring about the trust freedom on this earth. He'll purge his enemies and reward those faithful to him with power beyond belief."
"That's crazy! Jellal something's wrong with you. Your soul is so black, it smells rancid. You need to come with us, we need to get you help." I turned to the others who's heads had been lowered. "Come on guys, get to the boats we gotta go."
The others remained silent… Until Wally spoke up. "But where are we gonna go. We don't have a dad to go home to, our parents are dead…"
"Erza left us. She got her magic and left, now you wanna leave too after you got your power back." Sho continued. "We don't have power. I want magic too!" He yelled tears flowing from his eyes.
"If you stay…" Jellal said in a sky voice. "ZEREF WILL GIVE YOU MORE POWER THAN YOU'VE EVER IMAGINED." With that Jellal used telekinesis to shatter a nearby boulder.
"You can't really be buying that crap!" I was getting frustrated and my friends remained silent. "Simon! Millianna!" I looked over and the two nodded along to Jellal's promise. "GGGRRRRR! Fine! If you guys want to stay in this tower and worship some death god than, fine! But I'm getting out of here. I gotta find my dad. DRAGON SHOT!" I blasted a hole in a wall opening it to the air, before jumping out, before landing in the ocean I caught myself mid air and began flying towards shore.
A few hours later I collapsed on the sandy shore, without any idea where in the world I was, but completely out of magic power. Even though I was physically exhausted, I was happy because that was the last I'd see of the tower of heaven, so I thought.