Chapter 10
The first day she woke up she felt something soft beneath her as she slowly gained consciousness. Her eyes refused to open, but she could hear the voices surrounding her. They were speaking animatedly, but the sounds were muddy.
"Gramps did you know about this?!"
"No my boy, I was not aware. Mira did you-"
"No Master, I didn't do it. Besides there's no colour like that for the stamp…"
"Then how?..."
A soft familiar voice pierced through the haze. "Ah! I can answer that!" The voice was gentle, young and caring. She wanted to open her eyes to see her, but no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't.
"First Master?!"
"Hai! That's me!" She didn't care about the others, only this one voice. Why won't she wake up?
"W-Why are you here?"
"Ah…I was getting worried so I came to check up on her…" Her voice sounded sad…she was worried?
"First Master, why does she have our stamp?"
"Oh Sixth Master! I forgot to tell you?" Her voice sounded cheerful again…she had forgotten how easy it was for her emotions to bounce back. "Why, she's Fairy Tail's very first member!"
"Whaaat?!"
Right. How could she forgot? She was-is a member of Fairy Tail.
"Hai! Who do you think took our founding member's picture?" They had been so happy then. Before everything changed…
"How did we manage to miss it? I'm sure that the stamp wasn't there before…"
"Ah Laxus I'm not sure of that myself. She must have hidden it…" She had hidden the Fairy Tail mark on her right abdomen for quite some time now. It was concealed even before she went to sleep.
"But why would she do that?"
"I don't know…" She heard a sniffle. She had hidden it because she didn't want any reminder of that life when she had woken up. It was…too painful.
"Ah! First Master! D-don't cry! Laxus! Do something about it!"
"What the hell am I supposed to do Gramps?!"
She continued to hear the sniffling. No…Don't cry. She hated when she cried.
She couldn't catch the remainder of the conversation as she felt herself once again falling into unconsciousness….
The second day she woke up, her eyes flickered open in response to the brightness of the sun streaming in. She blinked a couple times before her pupils adjusted to the light. Almost immediately after, a mess of light blue came into her vision.
"Oh! You're awake!" She recognized that voice as Levy's. "Let me go get Wendy!" The blue then disappeared from her vision, leaving her with only the white of the ceiling. She tried to move her limbs, but they felt like they were being weighed down by mountains. She tried to smell-
She started to panic. Her senses! Why couldn't she smell anything beyond this room? What's happening?! Her breathing grew heavier and her eyes darted around the room trying to look for answers. Where is she? Why can she only hear the sounds immediately around her?!
Ah. That's right. The mark. She remembered now. She was being punished, because she pushed passed its limits. She…she was reduced to merely a human's strength now. Even though she could feel faint traces of her power slowly recovering, she knew that at this moment, she was powerless.
And thus…useless.
Another face entered her vision. "Ah! Ryuu onee-san, you're awake!" The sky dragon slayer…Wendy. "Let me just check…mmm…your physical wounds have all healed…" She tuned out after that. She didn't care for those hovering around her at the moment. It didn't matter.
She was weak. That was all that was running through her mind. She couldn't protect her lands on her own and ended up relying on humans to save her. Pathetic. What would her father think of her now?
A deep voice surprisingly managed to bring back her concentration. "How is she doing?" The dragon slayer? Why is he here?
"S-She's doing okay physically, but she doesn't seem to be responding to us. We've called Porlyusica-san. She should be here by the afternoon," Wendy said.
His face entered her vision. "Oi Sunshine. How are you feeling?"
Her eyes met his stormy blue ones, but all she did was absent-mindedly blink. She saw his brows furrow. "Oi, Talk to me."
But she didn't want to.
"Oi, Sunshine!" His voice sounded agitated. She felt hands on her shoulders before she was shaken furiously.
"L-Laxus-nii please stop! If she doesn't want to talk then we'll just wait until she does." Wendy's voice was slightly panicked.
The dragon slayer sighed, before letting go of her and leaving her line of vision. For some reason, her eyes tried to follow. "You're right. Sorry Wendy. I'm gonna let the Raijinshuu know she's awake. They've been worried."
"Okay," The timid voice replied. Wendy's face entered her vision once again. "Ryuu onee-san we're going to let you sit up okay?" She blinked.
She felt two pairs of hands slowly lift up her back, before shuffling her onto something soft. Her frame of vision now changed. She could see the sun streaming in from the left side. Also on her left was Levy, while Wendy now sat to her right. It seems she was in the infirmary.
She blinked. She could see their frowns on their faces.
"Dragon girl!" Three voices. The three mages now surrounded her bed, their faces also scrunched up in worry. They all started to talk, but she began to drown their voices out. She didn't want to listen.
A little while later, there was a new visitor. An elderly face with pink hair entered her line of vision. This one she's never seen before. She quickly yelled at all the humans to leave the room. Finally she'd get some silence.
The elderly woman sighed as she sat down. "I've never treated a dragon before. Though, I'd much prefer this over humans." She didn't understand, she was pretty sure this woman was human as well.
The look in the woman's eyes was soft. "The brats told me what happened dragoness. Despite what you may think, you did well."
That's not true…she failed.
"Such stubborn creatures you dragons are. Despite being entirely physically healthy, I can tell that you simply do not wish to talk."
The old woman looked down, towards her neck, before a frown showed up on her face. "I apologize, since I played a part in this as well. I was the one who taught the boy the binding spell."
She blinked. She didn't care about that anymore.
She felt her hair being pushed behind her ear. "Take your time. When you're ready to talk there are always people here to listen."
Why was this woman being so gentle with her? Her eyes followed the woman as she stood up.
"You might not know it, but the people here truly care for you."
After that, the elderly woman left the infirmary. Leaving her to be alone.
She had another visitor during the late afternoon.
"Rairyuu!" A loud one...Natsu. He was alone. "I know I'm not supposed to be here since Erza said you needed to rest, but its gotta be lonely here by yourself!" The fire dragon slayer continued to rattle on. He spoke about many different things, but once again she drowned him out. But then she found herself tuning back in when he mentioned his father, Igneel. It seemed he also sensed that she was listening again, as his voice lit up and he talked much more animatedly. She listened to the stories about the Fire Dragon King...about how amazing and strong he was.
Everything she wasn't.
Soon after, the fire dragon slayer was found out by the requip mage and dragged out of the room. Leaving her alone once again.
Her last visitor of the day came in at dusk.
"Oi, Sunshine. Mind if I sit?" She blinked, but to both his and her amazement she had turned her head to face him when she did so. "I'll take that as a yes then."
He started to talk. "Levy said this was the mark's fault again. That you are like this. Said it will take about two weeks for your power to fully recover." She didn't want to hear this, but for some reason she couldn't tune out his voice. Why?
"Your injuries should be fully healed by now, so I don't know why you aren't talking." She didn't feel like talking. She didn't have anything left to say.
"I'm sorry." She heard him whisper. Her eyes widened slightly. "Even though none of them out there blame me, I know this is my fault. And that's why I've made up my mind. I'm going to talk to my grandfather to fix this."
He will?
She heard him getting up before he leaned over her body. Due to his proximity, she could smell the light scent of a summer storm. She looked up into his stormy blue eyes as she felt him lower her back onto the bed. She couldn't tell what his eyes were saying as he stared intensely at her. "I won't let you be like this anymore." She heard his footsteps as he left the room.
What did he mean?
After her last visitor, she felt her eyes slowly close on her again. Slowly, but surely she fell asleep.
Laxus watched from the infirmary doorway as the dragoness fell asleep. His hands were balled into fists at his side. This was worse than the last time. It was like she had lost all the fight in her. He could tell when he looked into her eyes. They were cold…and empty. Like she had given up. Like hell he was going to let her do that.
Laxus stormed down the hallway to his grandfather's office.
Flinging open the door, Laxus startled his grandfather who was sitting behind his desk, "Gramps we need to talk. I can't do this anymore."
His grandfather looked at him with a solemn face. "You're right my boy, we can't."
A soft, but determined voice spoke out from the side of the room. "But there's another way."
Laxus' eyes darted to the corner of the room as he saw the First Master staring at her founder's photo on the wall. "First Master? What do you mean another way?"
Mavis turned to look at him.
"Laxus. How much do you know about dragons?"
When she woke up on the third day, her eyes opened gently only to meet with bright, green eyes that lacked irises. Within moments those large eyes grew...watery?
"GOMEENNAAASAAAAAIII" A childish voice cried out, before she heard sniffling.
Those teary green eyes backed up to reveal the soft heart shaped face framed by long wavy pale blonde hair that she recognized as familiar. The small body was currently on all fours on her bed, leaning directly over her.
She blinked back her shock and gathering her strength she managed to sit up on the infirmary bed. She leaned back against the wall. The childish looking woman looked on in concern while she slowly sat backwards. She couldn't feel the woman's weight though she was sitting on her lap. She stared at the pastel blonde for many seconds, before her eyes finally registered the woman before her as Mavis. She felt her eyes slowly focusing on Mavis' bright green ones, which had instantly lit up.
She took a deep breath, before sighing, finally deciding to talk. "...What took you so long?"
Mavis blinked at her before her eyes watered up again. "I-I.. GOMENNAAASAAIII!" The woman started crying out again, her head tilted backwards as fat tears leaked out of her eyes.
Her arms still felt like lead, but she lifted her hand to pat the childish woman on her head, despite knowing neither of them would be able to feel it. Her action calmed Mavis down, so that she was only sniffling. Mavis brought an arm up to wipe her tears.
Laxus was napping in a chair in a dark corner of the infirmary when he was suddenly woken up by a loud cry. Snapping straight up in his chair he looked to see...the First Master?! She was on the bed on all fours, hovering over the dragoness who looked like she just woke up. He was about to go and help her up, but it seemed as if she had regained enough strength to do so herself.
He had absolutely no idea what to do with the First Master's crying. He watched with a solemn face as the dragoness leaned back and stared blankly at the childish woman with that same empty gaze she's had for the past two days. Then his eyes widened. Slowly, but surely, light and recognition came back into her eyes. Within seconds, the First Master had accomplished what they had been trying to do for two days. The dragoness even talked moments later!
He couldn't hold back a smile as he saw the dragoness try to comfort the sobbing child. It seems as if the dragoness couldn't tell that he was here yet, so he leaned back in his chair and continued to watch.
"How are you feeling?" Mavis asked, still sitting on her lap and straddling her legs.
"Weak," she answered, her voice dry. "I feel like all my power has been drained from my body. I can't see, smell or hear anything farther than I can throw. Is this what being human feels like?" Oi Sunshine, that's slightly offensive.
"To answer your question, yes," Mavis said softly. "But that doesn't mean you're weak." Damn right. If it wasn't for you weakening the wyvern, I definitely wouldn't have gotten a hit in.
"Mavis, I couldn't even protect my father's lands on my own. What kind of dragon does that make me?"
"You don't have to do everything on our own," Mavis said softly with a sad smile. "That's what having nakama are for." That's right.
She sighed. "Mavis...I can't do that again."
"Yes you can!" Mavis exclaimed. "You already have plenty of nakama here at Fairy Tail. Which reminds me..." Mavis' expression suddenly grew dark. Oi, First Master. What's with the scary face all of a sudden?
"Why did you hide your Fairy Tail stamp?!" Mavis' cheeks were puffed out and her hands were now at her waist. The First Master currently sounded like she was scolding a child. Ah, yes. Pray tell.
She shrunk back suddenly, forgetting how scary Mavis could be when she got angry. She looked down, lifting up the bed sheets to glance at her stamp, black with a gold shimmer. Letting go of the sheets, she continued to look down with a sad expression.
"Because it hurt too much to see it, "she whispered. "The concealment I placed on it must have removed itself after I lost all my power." Damn it Sunshine. Why do you have to look so sad?...
The wing-like adornments on Mavis' head drooped slightly. "I see..." Her eyes started to water again.
She quickly looked back up at Mavis in a panic. "D-Don't cry. You know I hate it when you cry. I won't hide it anymore okay?" What the hell? Why can't you be this compliant when I ask something of you?
"Alright!" Mavis' face suddenly cheered up. First Master...I can't keep up with your mood changes.
"Ah! I have something else to ask you." Mavis' voice suddenly took on a serious tone. "Did you mean what you said when you came to see me?"
She was stunned by her question, but she knew exactly what she meant.
"Was she truly afraid of him coming for me," she said as she slowly walked towards the sixth Master. Makarov's eyes followed the dragoness as she made her way across the basement room.
"Or was she afraid of me returning to him," she said cryptically just as she passed the old man. She continued to walk out of the dark room, leaving him in stunned silence.
Mavis stared at her intently, waiting for her answer.
She sighed, "I...have thought about it." What are they talking about?
Mavis' eyes narrowed, her voice low. "He isn't the same person anymore. He's...dangerous." Dangerous?! Who are they talking about?
She gave Mavis a dry laugh, "He's always been dangerous. You of all people should know that."
Mavis looked at her with sad eyes, "Yes. I know. But lately he's stopped caring."
Her eyes widened. Now that was news to her. "When?"
"Seven years ago." Seven years ago? That's when...!
She sighed, "I thought I had felt his black magic outside of my den. He was the one who woke me up then." Black Magic...?!
"Yes. That was my assumption too. I believe he will be looking for you soon, if he hasn't already." Mavis' voice held traces of worry.
She looked down at her collar, her hand coming up to touch her mark. "...Is that why you did this?"
"Yes." Mavis admitted, her voice quiet before she cried out in protest. "But it was to protect you!" First Master?! You were the one who told Gramps to get me to find her?!
"You thought if you tied me to someone from Fairy Tail, that I would change my mind about finding him." Looking for who?!
"Y-Yes," Mavis stuttered. "I didn't want you to stop caring too..." Stop caring?
"Mavis. Did you know that he was the one who made me care to begin with?" Mavis looked up at her, shock evident in her eyes.
She continued. "For the longest time...I was a monster. I destroyed cities and killed humans…for fun." She let out a dry laugh. "Granted half the time I couldn't control myself, but regardless...I wasn't always like I was when I met you. Zeref." She paused, finally having said his name. "He changed me. Two hundred years ago, he randomly started caring again. And that was when I decided to try caring as well." Zeref?!
"W-well...I won't let you go back to being that kind of person again!" Mavis cried. She didn't want to picture her dear friend like that. To Mavis, the blonde dragoness was always so caring and kind, even if she didn't like to show it. "Zeref...If you go back he'll only use you!"
Her smile was painful. "That's fine. We have a deal." A deal?! With Zeref?
"A deal?"
She stared straight into Mavis' eyes with determination. "Yes. We made a deal three hundred years ago...to kill the false Dragon King, Acnologia." Acnologia?! Sunshine. Are you crazy?!
"You can't!" Mavis cried out. It had taken all of her power just to protect Fairy Tail from Acnologia's strike seven years ago. Even if she was a dragon, to face the Dragon King is a suicide mission.
"I can." She said. "I just need to get stronger."
"You are strong enough!" Mavis shouted.
"Do I look strong right now to you?!" She cried out hysterically, breathing heavily. "Look at me. I'm practically human! I-I couldn't even protect my lands!" She took a couple of breaths to calm herself down. "Mavis, I understand what you were trying to do and for that I forgive you for doing this to me. In fact, I appreciate it because you gave me time to think. But...I can't do this anymore." Her hand was around her neck, hovering over the mark.
"It hurts too much." Her voice sounded pained. Sunshine...
Mavis had her head down, her voice low but wavering. "I won't let you turn back into a monster."
She looked on with sadness in her eyes. "I don't like it either...but there's no other way."
Mavis' head shot up, eyes shining. This was it. She was waiting for the chance to bring it up. "There is another way." This was what the First Master talked about yesterday.
She looked at the woman warily before suddenly realizing what Mavis meant.
"No." She refused adamantly, before shaking her head vigorously. "No way."
"But, it will give you the chance to be stronger!" Mavis exclaimed.
"I meant on my own Mavis. And certainty not with...him." She shuddered. OIII. What's with that look of disgust?!
"Not everything needs to be done alone. Together you'll be stronger than you could ever achieve by yourself. Think about it!" Mavis said excitedly. She had to sell this the right way or she won't bite. "You'll even gain the capacity to use magic!"
She gave her a blank face, looking utterly uninterested. "Why would I want to be able to use magic..."
Mavis teared up. "Y-you don't think magic is useful?" Sniffle. "I used magic..." Another sniffle. First Master...you're evil.
She flinched, allowing herself to fall for the act.
"O-Okay okay. Magic is very useful..." she droned.
Mavis' face lit back up. "Seeee! Just give it a chance! Pleaseeee! For me?" Mavis put on the cutest face she had in her arsenal, staring up at the dragoness with large puppy dog eyes.
She sighed, knowing she could never say no to the woman in a child's body. "You know you'll need to remove this first." She pointed to her mark.
Mavis let out a toothy grin, knowing that the dragoness was starting to consider it. "Hai!" Here was the gamble. "If Laxus doesn't make the cut then you can walk free." Thanks First Master…placing so much responsibility on me…
Her eyes widened in surprise. "Reallly?" So if she doesn't accept the dragon slayer, then she'll be free to go…without the dreaded mark...
"Really!"
She stared at Mavis for a couple seconds more, contemplating the deal. "You know there's a chance he will die." Heh. As if I'd back down just because my life would be in danger.
Mavis smiled, "I believe in Laxus."
She closed her eyes, sighing once again. "Fine."
"YAAAAY" Mavis celebrated with a dance on top of the bed. Hook. Line. Sinker. First Master, I bow down to your powers of persuasion.
She smiled at the woman. "I've forgotten how much of a child you are."
Mavis' face puffed. "What do you mean? I'm an adult! We're practically the same age!"
"Haaa? I'm over four hundred years old. You're only twenty!" she argued.
Mavis pointed a finger at her as she stood on the bed. "The years you spent sleeping in suspended animation don't count and you know it! So technically you're only three hundred. Which means in dragon terms, we're practically the same age in maturity." Mavis smiled at her own logic. Hah. So the dragoness is technically younger than me in dragon years. Filing away for future reference...
She rolled her eyes, smiling. "Hai, Hai." She never really was able to win an argument with the tiny blonde. Bringing them back to more serious terms she spoke again.
"Twelve days." Her voice adamant. "I'll give him twelve days before we do this." That was when she'd regain her powers back.
"That's more than enough!" Mavis exclaimed. Twelve days?! First Master you couldn't have negotiated more?...
I have twelve days until I have to fight a dragon…
Laxus continued to keep watch from his spot in the corner of the room, remaining undetected the entire time. He was surprised to see the myriad of faces that the First Master was able to illicit out of the dragoness. Most of them took to the form of smiles, which he had almost never saw from her before. He wondered what her relationship was with the First Master besides being the guild's first member. He found himself a little jealous over the First Master for being able to solicit those emotions from the dragoness. He absentmindedly found himself wishing that she would show those faces around him as well…
Eventually the dragoness lowered herself back onto the bed and succumbed to sleep. Laxus was about to leave the infirmary when he saw the First Master walk up to him.
"Laxus," Mavis said. "So you've heard everything that was said?"
Laxus' eyes widened. "Yes." So the First Master knew he was listening in the entire time?
"Then you understand how much is on the line. We cannot let her fall back into Zeref's hands."
He nodded. "I do." He didn't know what the dragoness' relationship with the black mage was, but whatever it was he didn't like it.
Mavis turned to look towards the dragoness. "She's very special to me. To Fairy Tail. Please help me protect her."
Laxus followed her line of sight, his eyes unconsciously softening when they rested on the sleeping blonde. "I will. I promise."
"Twelve days Laxus. You must be ready in twelve days," Mavis reminded him.
"That is more than enough time," he assured her, partially trying to assure himself in the process.
Mavis gave him a warm smile. "I believe in you."
"Laxus. How much do you know about dragons?"
"Not much, honestly."
Mavis walked to sit on top of Makarov's desk, softly swing her legs. Smiling softly she began her history lesson of the day.
"Around four hundred years ago, the dragons ruling over the world were plagued with a civil war. Dragons were pitted against dragon. Why? Because there were certain dragons that wanted to coexist with the humans. However, many others were against the idea. From there, the civil war began. However, after a while, the dragons were at a stalemate. And so, the dragons who supported the humans did something that no one had expected. They gave humans the power to slay dragons imparting upon them Dragon Slaying Magic. Thus giving birth to the dragon slayer."
Laxus looked to himself. He wasn't that kind of dragon slayer…
Mavis continued. "True to their name, the dragon slayers helped the dragons tip the scales in their favour. However, some of the dragon slayers, corrupted by their newfound power, began to slay the very dragons that were on their side. Amongst those dragon slayers, there was one who murdered so many dragons and bathed in so much of their blood, that eventually he became a dragon himself. This was the Black Dragon, Acnologia."
Laxus' eyes widened, "Acnologia?!"
"Yes," Mavis said. "Acnologia continued to slaughter the dragons, both for and against coexistence with humans and soon declared himself the Dragon King. Those who were left were backed into a corner. As a last resort to combat the Dragon King, certain dragons placed their complete trust in the dragon slayers closest to them, forming a bond with them.
"A bond?" Laxus asked.
Mavis nodded. "A bond that, if mature, was so strong that dragon and dragon slayer together would have the potential to perform the unthinkable. Those dragon slayers who had formed bonds with dragons were later coined as Dragon Knights. However, Acnologia, having caught onto this plan, immediately slaughtered those Knights and their dragons before their bonds could mature, thus crushing all their hopes. Eventually, all the dragons were wiped out from existence. Or so it is said."
Laxus finally absorbed what the First Master was trying to say. "Wait, First Master, you can't mean-"
"Yes. Laxus, I want you to become her Knight." Mavis said seriously, her eyes hard with determination.
"The first Dragon Knight in over four hundred years."
The next twelve days were considerably quiet. Her visitors remained the same and had mostly consisted of Levy and Natsu each coming in to tell her stories. With Levy, her stories came from the plenty of books she brought in with her. With Natsu, his consisted of personal retellings of his time with the Fire Dragon King. She found those stories most appealing. They reminded her of her earlier days with her father and when she marvelled over his might. Though, she did enjoy watching Levy when the iron dragon slayer, Gajeel as Levy kept trying to get her to call him, came with her as well. It was entertainment on a different level. The shy glances they kept giving each other when they thought the other wasn't looking were…endearing.
The only visitor that she did not have during those twelve days was the dragon slayer. She often caught herself wondering where he went, before reprimanding herself and asking herself why she even cared. Besides, if the dragon slayer knew what was good for him, he would be training like his life depended on it.
Her thoughts drifted back to what Mavis had convinced her to do. She tried picturing her own freedom after the cursed mark is removed from her body and she has killed dragon slayer. But time after time, all she pictured was the grief stricken faces of the guild members after she had done so. She couldn't control the way her heart clenched when she pictured it. After that she found herself remembering all the times she had spent together with the guild, in a very humanly, sentimental way.
She hated it.
She was supposed to get out of this and run. Even if she didn't go and find Zeref at least she would be free. Why was she so bothered by the thought of being away from these people? These people who only seemed to greet her with smiles…who have no idea who she is, or who she was and yet were so accepting of her. This was like Mavis and Yuri and the guys all over again…
She sighed.
On the thirteenth day she awoke, the Master of Fairy Tail entered the infirmary. By that day, her powers had fully returned to her.
"We're ready for you," Makarov informed.
She nodded, before removing the white bed sheets and getting off the infirmary bed for the first time in fourteen days. Today she wore a black and gold accented lace corset. However, unlike all the other times, it was cropped, revealing her entire abdomen and thus her Fairy Tail stamp. She wasn't going to hide it anymore. As much as she hated to admit it, Fairy Tail was as much a part of her present now as it was in her past. From there it was her simple black pants with black and gold accented boots. Her collar and shoulders were bare, as always, revealing to the world her mark for the last time.
She walked out of the infirmary and through the guild with long purposeful strides as she followed the Master. But the guild was completely empty. She looked to the old man in front of her, but he didn't say a word, simply guiding her into the forest. They walked far within and soon the forest turned into a large clear valley and she then saw where all the members of Fairy Tail had went. In an enormous ring around the valley, the guild members all stood side by side, with only a couple of feet of distance in between them.
When she approached, they all glanced towards her with curiosity and amazement. Almost all were staring at her abdomen. Whispers of 'first member' and 'Fairy Tail member?' were heard as she passed by them and into the valley. As soon as she entered, she tuned out everyone else around her, focusing on the one man that stood in the center.
Said man smirked when he saw her.
"It suits you," the dragon slayer said, motioning to her stamp. "Though I don't think I've seen that colour before."
She looked down at the gold shimmer on her black stamp. "Of course you haven't, I'm the only one who has it. Courtesy of your First Master."
He gave her a grin, "You mean OUR First Master."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Let's just get this over with."
"So impatient, Sunshine." He chuckled, hands crossing over his chest.
"How about we reverse our roles then? I'll be Master and you'll be slave," she suggested with dark sarcasm.
"No." His voice lowered. "I promised that this ends today."
Laxus looked over to Freed, who nodded at him, before beginning the counter incantation to the binding spell. The old witch had taught it to him when he visited her just the day before. She had smacked him over the head with a broom before saying 'Finally'. As he chanted the spell, his mind drifted to what the First Master had told him.
"Laxus, listen carefully. The reason why she's been fighting so strenuously against the mark this entire time is because you placed it on her when she had no means to fight it. I had miscalculated how hard her instincts would reject it."
She couldn't help but watch eagerly at her own collar as she heard the words leave the dragon slayer's lips. True to his word, the mark slowly began to fade. Opposite from when it was applied, there was no pain, only a gentle warmth as the black inky marks slowly receded. It went backwards, starting from where the marks met at her collar and slowly fading upwards, unwinding itself until it reached the back of her neck.
"Her instincts, unable to accept the fact that they had been bound without a fight, rebelled and caused her to react violently towards you."
And finally, with the last couple of words spoken…it was done.
She was…free.
For moments, there was no action within the entire valley. All eyes were on the dragoness, wondering if she would suddenly burst into lightning of some sort. But the changes started from within. Almost immediately she felt the large surge in life force flowing back into her body, filling her limbs with strength. The air seemed to clear as if a film had been lifted off her senses. The wind picked up as more and more of power returned.
Then, the rest of them felt it. A sudden pulse emitting from the dragoness, similar to the pressure that can be felt from someone with intense magical power, but at the same time, entirely different. This was pure, raw, unadulterated power and it flowed off of her in waves. The wind intensified, causing her long golden hair to flow furiously behind her.
"Which is why for this to work, you must fight to earn her approval. To earn her trust."
Laxus' initial shock gave rise to awe as he watched the dragoness regain her power. He couldn't help but notice her eyes. He had thought that they were bold before, but they paled in comparison to the sharp gold they were now. Her pupils, slit like a cats, darkened with intensity.
"Before the ritual can be performed to bond dragon and dragon slayer together, there must be a level of trust established between the two. In order to gain her trust, you must show to her instincts that you are worthy of the bond. This is an ancient test of strength."
The wind died down after a couple of moments.
The dragoness suddenly broke down into laughter. It started off as a chuckle and built until it bordered on insanity. They all watched on in worry until-
"Well! That was fun," she gave a dark grin. "Goodbye now!" She made an instant dash towards the ring of people, hoping to run through them to her freedom. She looked back at the dragon slayer, but he made no move to follow her. Within seconds she knew why.
She was two feet away from where Freed and Levy were standing when she suddenly hit a rune barrier. Like déjà vu, words once again flashed in front of her.
No participant inside this enchantment shall leave until one has lost the will to fight.
"You've got to be kidding me," she cursed under her breath. "Let me out."
"My Lady, I believe you've made a promise," Freed reminded her.
She growled and her eyes narrowed, but surprisingly it wasn't in anger. "You know there is the chance he will die."
Freed nodded, but remained firm. "This time, I will believe in Laxus."
She looked towards Levy.
"Please Ryuu-san. Give Laxus a chance." Levy said, her eyes pleading. They all knew what this was about. The sixth Master informed them the day before yesterday. Knowing how destructive this match could be, the Master commissioned every single member to be here to support Freed's rune barrier with their own magic power. However, that wasn't the main reason they were all here. Every single person here was rooting for Laxus, so that the dragoness will stay with them. With Fairy Tail.
Laxus remained standing in the middle of the ring of humans. This was going exactly as the First Master had said.
"There is an eighty percent chance that she will try to run. If so, you must challenge her. Provoke her."
Laxus called out to her. "Oi, Sunshine. Running so soon? Are you afraid of a little fight?"
The dragoness growled, turning around with her hands curled into fists. "What?"
Laxus smirked. "I asked if you were afraid to fight me."
"Never," the dragoness spat. Bingo.
The dragoness walked back towards the center of the ring. Stopping in front of Laxus, she calmly pulled her hair into a high ponytail, once again held together with a long black ribbon, its ends left dancing in the soft breeze.
"She will attempt to get you to back down."
"Dragon slayer," she said, voice calm and steady. "Today you are fighting against a real dragon." The wind started picking up once again. "This time the mark won't be able to protect you. This time, I'll be able to kill you."
Laxus scoffed. "Don't worry about me, Sunshine." Lightning started to crackle around his body.
"You think you have what it takes to be my Knight, dragon slayer?"
"Oh, I know I do," he said with an arrogant smirk.
The dragoness growled in anger before pushing forward, her fist pulling back before she tried to make contact. Laxus calmly blocked the punch, though he noted that it held much more strength than he had remembered from the only other time she dared to hit him. First Master was right. There was no room for error in this. He had to stay on his guard or else he might actually die.
Another leg swung for his head, before he ducked, her shin narrowly missing his hair.
"There's a ninety-five percent chance that she will underestimate your capabilities, opting to simply end this in a fist fight. You can't let her do that. You must force her to use her powers. To judge you with her own instincts."
Laxus continued to dodge all her blows without retaliating, which only served to make the dragoness angry. That was what he wanted.
The crowd watched on, a little underwhelmed. They hadn't expected this to be a fist fight. There was no magic involved at the moment…
"Sunshine. If you keep doing this, we're gonna be here all day you know," Laxus taunted. The dragoness growled in frustration before throwing another punch, only to have her wrist caught by him. He pulled her in so that their faces were almost touching.
He purred into her ear. "You know, if you want me to win, you can just say so."
That did it. The dragoness suddenly burst into electricity, lightning crackling angrily around her. Despite his immunity to lightning, Laxus was forced to release her. She jumped back.
"You're going to regret this dragon slayer," she snarled. With a sudden crash of thunder, wings spouted out of her back and she immediately took flight.
Laxus' jaw dropped slightly as he took in her wings. They weren't made of lighting anymore. These were real flesh and bones as they spread almost five feet to each side of her. Her wings were a darker shade of yellow as they kept the dragoness suspended in the air. Her tail had also appeared, with scales of a similar shade, with a lighter flesh underside as it curled around from behind her.
Natsu gasped as he watched from the sidelines. All he could think about was how similar her wings and her tail now looked to Igneel's….
Her smile grew as she stretched her true wings out, completely elated that she could finally call them forth. She watched as the dragon slayer looked up at her, completely shocked. She wasn't kidding when she said she would fight him like a dragon. Well...almost.
Before Laxus could compose himself, she dove down in a spiral of lightning, crashing straight into him. He grunted as he was pushed back twenty feet, his arms up in front of him to block. Damn that hurt. He looked up only to see the dragoness once again in the air. His eyes locked with hers just as he jumped.
The crowd sucked in a breath as Laxus finally made his first move. Using his lightning to fuel his jump, he leapt towards the dragon in the sky, his fist now infused with lightning. However, she easily blocked his punch, before sending him crashing to the ground with a single kick. They were all shocked at the speed at which Laxus hit the ground, dust releasing up into the air as he made impact. She was on an entirely different level compared to when she fought with Natsu…
The guild grew increasingly worried as Laxus was getting beaten around by the newly determined dragoness. He couldn't keep up. Any of his blows were immediately deflected before he was subsequently blown back by her hands or her legs. Laxus made another attempt to strike at the dragoness, but she simply turned away before whipping her tail into his chest, sending Laxus crashing straight into the rune barrier.
She dropped down to the ground, head tilted to the side. "Hmm. Guess that thing can actually serve a real purpose." She barked. "Dragon slayer! Have you had enough?"
She watched as the dragon slayer rose to his feet, his head hung in front of him. When he raised it he was...smirking? Her brows furrowed as she watched lightning gather around him as he slowly walked back towards her. She was stunned. His entire body was covered in cuts and bruises by now. How is he still moving?
"Laxus, you may not believe it, but you will have the advantage during this match. She, being a dragon, is used to her foes falling after a single blow. Due to that, she has no strategy when she fights, opting to fight solely on instinct. Use that to your advantage. You must use your brain in this fight."
His entire body hurt like hell, but he managed to learn her fight patterns when she was beating him to a pulp. As he continued to walk back towards her, his lightning crackled around him, growing stronger with each step.
Erza, watching from the sidelines, widened her eyes as she sensed the magic power flowing off of Laxus double. She looked to her right, towards the Master.
"Master, is that?-"
"Yes," Makarov answered. He didn't look to have a single shred of worry, despite having watched his grandson being knocked around like a rag doll just moments before.
Second origin.
Laxus was finally getting serious. The wind picked up around him and dark clouds rolled in on his end of the field. He let out a roar, finally activating his dragon slaying magic in an explosion of lightning. His black shirt ripped to shreds as his muscles grew in size.
She flinched as she sensed the magic coming from the dragon slayer. What is going on?
She didn't get the chance to dodge as the dragon slayer suddenly burst forward at the speed of light.
"Lighting Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"
She lifted her arms to block the incoming punch, calling forth a pair of arm guards. She gasped as they cracked under his magic, before instantly shattering upon impact. She let out a cry as she was knocked backwards.
"How-," she breathed as she stopped twenty feet back with her wings spread wide, her feet and one hand having dragged through the ground to stop her. She glanced up at the dragon slayer from her crouched position near the ground. How was this possible? She had never seen this power from him before. All this time, for the past two months, he had only been fighting with simple lightning magic?!
This...was the true power of the lightning dragon slayer?!
She didn't have much more time to think as he burst forward once again, his body enveloped by lightning.
"Lighting Dragon's Iron Fist!"
She only managed to dodge a millisecond early as she flew back into the sky. She looked back down, but the dragon slayer was no longer-!
"Lighting Dragon's Jaw!"
She let out another cry as she suddenly felt the strike to her back before she crashed into the ground. A large crater formed in the middle of the field from the resulting explosion. She struggled to rise to her feet. …How? What is going on?! She growled in frustration as she tried to fight back. Pillars of lightning came down from the sky as she called upon them to strike the dragon slayer, but he only avoided them with immense speed. The one that did strike only seemed to fuel him on.
The crowd looked on in utter surprise as the tables were turned. Laxus now had the upper hand, while the dragoness looked completely shocked, unable to block Laxus' attacks. Her armour had started to crack and she was forced to cut it down. She now stood in a cropped bustier top and a pair of dark shorts, both showing extreme wear and tear. Her feet were now bare, her boots having been lost after Laxus had blocked two of her kicks.
They couldn't help it, but all of the men were now practically drooling.
"Go Laxus! Keep stripping her down!" Makarov cheered from the sidelines, obviously happy with how this fight was turning out.
"Shut up old man!" Laxus shouted back. He may look like he had the upper hand, but he too was getting tired. This had to end soon.
"You don't need to defeat her Laxus. You only need to make her instincts acknowledge you."
This was impossible! Impossible! She continued to curse herself as she tried to find ways to turn the fight around. But it was too late. She could feel her instincts starting to step back from the fight, slowing accepting the dragon slayer.
After a couple more exchanged blows, she flew backwards, shouting. ""No…no no no NO!" She breathed heavily. They accepted. Her instincts accepted the dragon slayer. How was this possible?!
She was on her own now.
Letting out a roar, it burst outwards like a shockwave of thunder, pushing the dragon slayer back. The rune barrier wavered, causing the guild members to groan. Holding up the barrier was starting to put a strain on their magic.
She rose to the sky, lightning beginning to swirl around her like a angry tornado. The sky completely darkened as dark thunder clouds rolled in. The lightning gathered towards her, raging around her as her arms were held outwards to the side.
This was her last chance.
Releasing her power as she yelled, her hands clapped together in front of her. Her lightning burst forward, swirling straight towards the dragon slayer.
Laxus sucked in a breath.
"Lightning Dragon's…ROAR!"
The large lightning blast released from his roar collided with her raging tornado, fighting for dominance. Sparks crashed and flew at the contact site. She grunted as she struggled to stay on par as she held on, strong winds whipping around her. She looked on from above when her eyes suddenly caught bright brown ones below, staring back at her.
Levy…
Her eyes continued to sweep across the field.
Natsu…Gray…Erza…Lucy…
Bickslow…Evergreen…...Freed…
Then she looked down, catching determined stormy blue eyes piercing back at her.
She faltered.
Laxus' lightning roar suddenly swallowed up her tornado, quickly climbing up the swirls of lightning until it reached the dragoness.
She screamed as she felt his magic swallow her, smashing through the last of her armour. Her loosened hair now whipped behind her as his lightning magic shocked through her core. Her vision went black as she fell to the ground.
The crowd gasped as they watched the dragoness fall from the sky. The wind suddenly stopped raging and the clouds stopped rumbling as she crashed into the crater below.
Silence.
Her vision returned as she was lying on her back, her chest heaving. She stared up at the sky as the clouds retreated, allowing the sun to peak out overhead. Her wings and tail had disappeared.
"Impossible…" she whispered. She tried to get up, but she was immediately held back to the ground with two strong hands.
Laxus had instinctively pounced when he saw her attempt to get up and was now straddling the dragoness, his hands holding her down by the shoulders.
"Submit." His deep voice boomed.
"She will fight you to the very end. You must force her to submit completely."
Laxus watched as the dragoness continued to struggle underneath him, snarling. He caught her golden orbs with his own fierce eyes.
"Submit!"
Her chest rose up and down as she breathed heavily. Her eyes were unable to avert from his piercing blue gaze as she fought hard not to give in.
Laxus held her glare for a couple moments more, until her eyes closed. The dragoness released a sigh as her head tilted upwards, exposing the column of her neck in submission.
Laxus' triumphant roar could be heard for miles.
The loud cheers of the Fairy Tail members could be heard as they witnessed the rune barrier drop in front of them. After a couple of minutes their celebrations died down as they continued to watch the pair in the center of the field, having not moved the entire time.
"Umm…so now what?!" Happy asked from the sidelines.
The blank look on Laxus' face made the crowd sweatdrop. The First Master never told him what happened next.
The dragoness rolled her eyes at him before effortlessly flipping their positions. He was slightly in awe at the strength she still had left, before resigning himself to the fact that he really didn't defeat the dragon. But as he looked up at her, he realized that she had finally acknowledged him.
When he had first heard of this plan, he was furious. He had spent his entire life proving himself to other people as his Gramps's grandson. But as he trained and as he fought, he realized that he wasn't proving himself to her because he was Makarov's grandson. He was proving himself to her as a man. As a dragon slayer. As her equal.
And based on the look in her bright golden eyes, she had accepted him.
The dragoness sat straight up, her hair falling behind her. His eyes widened into pancakes as he finally realized her state of dress...or lack thereof. Having lost all her armour, she now sat on top of him naked. Right now he was glad he still had his pants on as her crotch sat directly on top of his own. Laxus couldn't help but stare at her neck, acknowledging just how much better she looked with her skin bare, now that the mark was truly gone. His vision trailed down her torso until it rested on her black and gold Fairy Tail stamp. The fact that she had worn it proudly today made him smile. Even though she hasn't admitted it yet, he knew she already accepted them all as nakama.
It seemed like the rest of the crowd also realized her lack of clothes at that moment as the men suddenly sported nose bleeds. Those who were standing behind the dragoness were now very jealous of those who stood to her front. Somewhere in the surrounding ring, Bisca's hands went to cover Asuka's eyes.
"Mommy! Why can't I seeee?" Asuka pouted.
"Hush, Asuka," Bisca whispered.
Somehow none of them could tear their eyes away from the scene in front of them.
The dragoness trailed her right hand over Laxus' bare chest until it stopped over his left pectoral, right above his heart. Her other hand grabbed his left one, placed it on top of her right hand and curved, signally him to grab hold. Then her left hand the grabbed his right hand and slowly brought it up. He felt his breath hitch as he realized what she was doing. Lifting his right hand in her left one, she slowly placed it above her own heart so that his hand was curved around and over the inside of her left breast.
Off to the side, Erza's face was as red as a tomato as she stood there shaking.
"W-What is she doing?!" she stuttered. Erza unfortunately had the perfect frontal view. The dragon's right hand was now on Laxus' chest and covered by his left one, while his right hand was on her b-breast with her left one on top. The nose bleeds in the field bled more intensely. Many of the men were instantly jealous of Laxus' right hand.
Neither letting go, they were now connected. She took a deep breath before beginning the ancient ritual, her deep golden eyes locking onto his. She spoke in dragon, but somehow Laxus found himself understanding her words.
I call to the light and the skies as a Great Thunder Dragon for permission to initiate the sacred Bond.
There was a light rumble in the air, but the sky stayed clear. She continued.
I accept the dragon slayer before me as my equal.
I accept the Bond as I connect my soul and my power to my Knight.
Laxus found himself repeating the words in regular speech.
I accept the dragon before me as my equal.
I accept the Bond as I connect my soul and my magic to my Dragon.
The dragoness continued as her gaze grew more intense.
Show your trust in me.
Dragon slayer. Gift to me thy name.
He spoke, his voice echoing through the silent field.
"Laxus Dreyar."
And for the first time, he finally heard his name spoken from her lips.
Laxus Dreyar.
He couldn't hold back the shiver in his spine as his name rolled off her tongue. The way her voice caressed his name made it feel exotic and foreign to him. He suddenly felt a small spark rush through his right arm.
Once again, Laxus felt himself subconsciously repeating her words.
Show your trust in me.
Dragon. Gift to me thy name.
The entire field held their breaths as they waited for her to speak. For her to finally reveal to them her name.
She continued to stare into his eyes as she fought an inward war. This was it. With this she would be connected to him as Dragon and Knight. Did she truly trust him enough to gift him her name? Unable to handle the intensity of his gaze any longer she eye contact and looked up.
Her eyes caught a lone human figure in the distance on the edge of the forest, beyond the ring of humans. She stood on a lone branch, her hand resting on the trunk of a tree. Her eyes watched as her long wavy pastel blonde hair flowed behind her. She held in a breath as memories flowed through her.
She was sitting on tree on the top of a hill overlooking the town. She watched from the distance as she saw their bright smiles and sparkling eyes as they looked up to their new guild hall in amazement. She didn't know why, but within ten days those humans managed break through all the walls she had put up when she met with strangers. Breaking out into a small frown, she noticed that one of them was missing.
Almost immediately, she sensed his approach.
"Yo!" His voice reached her ears as she turned around to face the blonde haired man.
"Yuri."
"Ugh, why are you always up here? I never understand why you don't just join us whenever you come back," Yuri complained to her. "Besides. Why were you gone so long this time? You practically missed the whole construction. You could've helped you know!" His face puffed in mock frustration.
She laughed, "I didn't want to bud in your little founder's celebration."
"Haa? What are you talking about? You're a part of it," Yuri exclaimed. "Come onnn. We're all waiting for you."
Sighing, she jumped down from the tree, landing next to the blonde man. "Fineee."
"Great!" Yuri smiled at her before it turned into a smirk. "And, for punishment for not helping us build the guild, you're not going to be a founding member."
She laughed as she placed her hands on her hips. "Reallyyy. Hmm. That's fine then. I'll just watch from here then!"
She turned to walk back towards her tree.
"Ah…ugh…wait!" Yuri shouted, before she heard him running after her. He grabbed her shoulders, turning her around. "Instead, you're going to be our very first member!"
She twisted her face so it looked like she was contemplating, "Mmm…"
"Pleassssse oh mighty dragon. It would be a great honor to have you as our first member," he pleaded with mock sarcasm, his hands pressed together in front of him.
"Well…when you beg like thaaat…Okay." she said with a smile.
Yuri laughed. "Great! Well first things first. We can't have you on our members list without a name."
Her smile dropped.
His face turned serious. "Dragon…what's your name?"
She hesitated, her eyes dropping to the ground. "Uh…"
She felt his hands leave her shoulders. "Don't you trust me? Don't you trust us?" His voice felt hurt.
She stayed silent. She could feel his somber gaze upon her. He turned around to leave-
She suddenly grabbed onto his wrist, looking back up at the blonde man in front of her. His head whipped around in shock. "Umm! My name…My name is…"
My name is…
Her eyes, large, green and irisless gazed softly back into her own, recognizing her internal struggle.
"Oh! You don't have a last name?" Her soft voice reached her ears.
She replied, confused. "Why would I need a last name? I'm a dragon."
"Aww…that's no excuse for not having one!" Mavis' hands were at her hips. "Hmm…Ah! I know what!" Mavis smiled brightly. "You can just use mine!"
She saw Mavis' smile from her place in the tree, urging her to take the leap of faith. She closed her eyes and let out her breath, suddenly felt the strength to continue. She looked back down at the dragon slayer who had been patiently waiting.
My name is…
It was barely a whisper as it was meant just for him, but Laxus heard it as clear as day.
My name is…
"Leora Vermillion."
"Umm! My name…My name is…Leora," she whispered.
"Leora..." He repeated, before his face broke out into a huge grin. "It's beautiful."
She jolted. "Thanks…"
"Leora…like the light from the sun." Yuri said. His other hand lifted to gently pick up a lock of her golden hair. "It suits you."
She smiled wide. They stayed like that for a couple more moments before his arm slipped upwards so that his hand could grab onto hers.
"Come on! You've got to tell the others!" Yuri shouted with a grin as he pulled her down the hill, running.
She laughed, carefree, as she followed him down. It didn't take them long to reach the front of the newly built guild. The others waved at them as they approached.
Yuri let go of her hand as reached them. He was panting, out of breath. "Guys! Guess what?! I've found our first member!"
They all laughed as it was obvious.
"We're finally all here! Let's take a photo!" Mavis exclaimed.
She smiled. "Let me take it. You'll have one for just the founding members."
"Haa? Yuri, I thought we agreed that we were all going to be founding members." Warrod commented.
"Heh. It's her punishment for not helping us construct the guild!" Yuri retorted with a laugh. "Besides. We have to have a first member!"
They all looked at each as it did make sense to them. She reassured them that it was fine and gave them a smile. Returning her smile, the four new founding members stood in front of the guild while she stood a little farther back, holding up the lacrima camera.
"Alright. Smile!"
And with a flash, Fairy Tail was born.
They all thanked her as they looked at the photo she just took.
"Well! Now that that is done, I think it's time we welcomed our first member!" Yuri said, pulling her towards them. "First things first. I think it's time our newbie tells us all her name."
Their jaws dropped slightly as they realized that she was finally ready to give them her name. She watched as they looked at her in anticipation. They knew how secretive she had been with her name. She looked to Yuri who gave her a thumbs up in support.
She sucked in a breath. "My name is…Leora."
"Leora…" They repeated her name slowly, trying it out on their tongues.
"Oh! You don't have a last name?" Mavis' soft voice reached her ears.
She replied, confused. "Why would I need a last name? I'm a dragon."
"Aww…that's no excuse for not having one!" Mavis' hands were at her hips. "Hmm…Ah! I know what!" Mavis smiled brightly. "You can just use mine!"
"Hah? That's a little half-assed don't you think," Yuri complained.
Mavis puffed her face. "No its not!" She turned back towards her. "Come on, try it!"
For some reason she liked the idea of having a last name despite having walked around for three hundred years without one. She tried it out slowly. "Leora…Vermillion…?"
"Leora Vermillion." They repeated her name with sparkles in their eyes before breaking out into huge smiles. She froze as she was suddenly enveloped into a group hug. When it disbanded she stepped back, slightly embarrassed.
Precht gave her a smile before turning towards Mavis. "I think our newbie is missing something…First Master."
"Ah!" Mavis exclaimed. "Right. You need our guild stamp!"
"Guild stamp?" she asked.
"Yup!" Mavis grinned. "It signals that you belong to our guild. To Fairy Tail. And wherever your adventures take you, you'll know that you will always have your nakama with you."
Nakama…she liked the sound of that.
Mavis smiled. "Now what colour do you want and where do you want it?"
She thought for a moment before answering. "Black and right here." She pointed to her right abdomen, right above her hip as she lifted her shirt. Mavis nodded before applying the stamp. She felt a slight tingle as the magic worked its way onto her skin.
Mavis stepped back, admiring her work before her brows furrowed. "Hmm…something's missing don't you think?"
She was confused as the other guys nodded in agreement. Mavis stepped forward again and placed her hand over the newly applied mark. She felt a stronger surge of magic over the stamp before Mavis once again stepped back, this time with a large grin.
Mavis' eyes sparkled as she placed her hands onto her hips. "Now that's better! Just for our very first member."
She looked down. The black Fairy Tail mark now held a beautiful shimmer of gold. Mavis must have infused a bit of her illusion magic into it to create the effect. She agreed with her. It does look perfect now.
Mavis smiled as she held out her hand, her voice soft and gentle. "Welcome, Leora Vermillion, to Fairy Tail!"
They had been walking for an hour now, her hand still in his, but she had no idea where they were headed. Suddenly his soft voice drifted into her ears.
"Little Dragon, you still haven't told me your name," Zeref mentioned as he shifted the boy he was carrying.
She suddenly stopped walking causing the black mage to stop as well. Her name? Her mother had told her to never give someone her name unless she trusted them…
Zeref looked down towards her, his eyes gentle. "Little one. What's your name?"
Her voice caught in her throat.
He gave her a soft smile. "Don't you trust me?"
"I do!" she immediately shouted. She did. Why shouldn't she trust the man who just saved her life, who promised to help her seek revenge?
She looked up at him, her eyes filled with certainty. She trusted him.
"My name is Leora."
Zeref looked at her as if expecting something more, but his blank face soon gave way to a smile as he let go of her hand to ruffle her hair.
"Leora…like the light from the sun. How…ironic."
Her brows furrowed slightly as she wondered what he meant.
A/N: Tadaaa! Officially my favourite chapter so far to write. I've been picturing this scene for quite some time now. I've also debated over her name for forever, before finally settling on Leora. The way I like to pronounce it is Ley-OR-ah. I hope it met expectations?...Let me know what you guys think!
Anyways! With the next chapter I will conclude what I now deem as the first Arc of the story. From there, the story will start to flow into GMG, which I'm also quite excited for.
Until the next chapter!