The first time he saw him was on a rainy afternoon in the guild hall.

From the looks of the adults in the guild, no one knew who the boy was either. The boy himself wasn't helping things, sitting at a quiet corner in the guild with his nose buried in a book. He was all alone.

Naturally, he asked his grandfather about the boy. Gramps is the Guild Master. He would know everyone in the guild.

"Hey Gramps. Who's that?"

Makarov's attention was brought away from the mug of alcohol in his hand and to his grandson.

"Oh? That's a kid I brought back to the guild a day ago. How about the two of you make friends with each other?"

Laxus beamed. There's no one his age in the guild. There's finally someone that he can play with!

With an excited nod, Laxus made his way to the black-haired kid eagerly. Laxus held out his hand to the boy, catching his attention.

"Hey, my name's Laxus. What's yours?"

The kid looked up at him and Laxus started to get a little uneasy at how the boy his age is staring up at him with those black eyes. It felt like the boy was not just merely staring at him, but something beyond that.

"I… don't know."

"Huh?"

The kid slowly put down the book in his hands, the look on his face a mixture of confusion and sadness.

"I don't know. I don't know who I am, what I did, or the name of the place where I even lived. Makarov said that I came from Middlemist village, but I…"

The boy winced and unconsciously used a hand to clutch at his head as if in pain. The look on the boy's face caused a feeling of dread to pool in Laxus's gut.

"H-Hey, it's alright! Are- GRAMPS!"

The boy had suddenly curled up on the floor, mouth opened but no sound came out of it as if screaming in silent pain. His eyes are closed in obvious pain, hands clutched at his head protectively and his fingers dug into his scalp so deeply that blood began to seep out.

Gramps was beside the boy in an instant, hands glowing with magic. That magic with such a warm presence that the entire guild had grown to love.

"Boy? Can you hear me? Calm down. You are alright. You are safe. Breathe."

The presence of Makarov's magic seemed to soothe the boy's pain a little. He managed to slowly calm down and take slow but heavy breaths.

"It's fine. You are safe. Fairy Tail won't let any harm befall you."

The boy managed to open his eyes after what seemed like a long while.

"I… I-"

"It's fine." Gramps patted the boy on the back soothingly. "There's no hurry trying to recall your lost memories. Take as long as you need."

Everyone in the guild had noticed the commotion by now. Someone among the crowd handed the boy a cup of hot chocolate.

"T-Thanks."

"Name's Wakaba." The habitual smoker grinned good-naturedly when the shaking boy received the cup with both hands. "Nice to meet you, kid."

"I'm Macao." The Fire Mage said jovially as he slung an arm around Wakaba. "You joining the guild?"

The boy without a name looked lost.

"I… don't know." He whispered as his gaze returned to the floor from where he was sitting on the floor, back against a wooden pillar. "Why am I even here? Why am I even alive? Who am I?"

"Hey now, let's not go there." Wakaba ruffled the boy's hair with a hand. "I don't know what you've been through and I don't think I can say that I understand, but take my word for it that it's always better to be alive than dead."

"Wakaba's right. Hey, how about we give you a name if you don't have one?"

"Yeah, let's do that!" Laxus shouted excitedly over the din as he put both hands on his friend's (?) shoulder.

The boy winced once more.

"I… I still want to try and remember." He said softly. When he looked up to see the concerned expressions on the faces of the entire guild looking at him, he added a near inaudible "Sorry".

"There's nothing to be sorry about, kid." Makarov said firmly and reassuringly. "Just know that if you ever need a hand or a listening ear, we are always here with you, okay?"

An awkward silence fell upon the guild hall and Laxus took this chance to reintroduce himself properly once more.

"My name's Laxus Dreyar!" He said with pride. "Let's be friends!"

"Huh?"

The boy looked genuinely confused. Laxus narrowed his eyes a little.

"You… you know what the word 'friends' mean, right?"

"Y-Yeah, I do, but-"

"No buts!" Laxus immediately rejected any possibility of them not being friends. "As of now, you are my friend!"

"Okay…?"

"Come on!" Laxus whined at the unsure tone the boy used. "Is it such a bad thing to be friends with me?"

"N-No! But-"

Laxus's eyes narrowed once more.

"But what?"

"…Nothing."

That was how their very first meeting went.


"So, what kind of magic can you use? Gramps said that you can use magic."

"I don't know."

That was his new friend's default response to anything. It seems that he really had lost any and all memories he had prior to meeting Gramps. He doesn't have an identity because he had lost it. He had lost everything that could make him, him.

"You don't know? But Gramps said that you used magic."

"Yeah, I did, but I don't even know how I even managed to use it."

The two boys sat in a corner of the guild, safe from all the fighting happening in the middle of the guild hall.

"How does it look like then? Did you maybe grow bigger like how Gramps did? Or maybe you can summon paper like Pops? Or maybe simply destroy everything like Gildarts?"

Laxus got more and more excited the more he thought about the possible magic his friend could wield. It got to be interesting, right?

"It's just this…" His new friend did some vague gestures of his hand in the air in front of him, struggling to find an appropriate word. "…thing."

"Thing?"

"I don't know how else to describe it." The boy sighed. "I do know that it is solid, solid enough to prevent me from getting hacked into little pieces."

"Metal-make, maybe?"

"It's not metal. It's like… solid air? I really don't know how to describe it to you."

"Then try using it! Your magic!"

Laxus tried his best to give his new friend the best encouraging smile he can manage, but from how the boy looked away awkwardly and how his body shifted uneasily, Laxus probably didn't succeed.

"I… don't know how to call upon it."

Laxus blinked. How can someone born with magic not know how to use it? It's as natural as breathing!

"Er… try closing your eyes!" Laxus tried his best to remember how his father and grandfather taught him how to use magic. He had never really needed the lessons because he could use magic so easily, so he didn't remember much of it. Magic comes easily to him, but he guessed not everybody has it as easy as him.

"Close your eyes, relax, and…and… and then feel it deep down into your core!" Laxus tried his best to recall the lessons and to not fumble with his words. That was the exact words Gramps told him, right?

The boy blinked twice, but heeded his words in the end. Laxus watched as his new friend crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and remained still.

Laxus watched in silent anticipation.

It happened.

A burst of raw magic blew him off his feet that was accompanied by a pained scream. When Laxus regains his bearings, his friend is on the floor again, writhing in pain and clutching onto his head and screaming himself hoarse.

"W-W- Gramps! GRAMPS! IT HAPPENED AGAIN!"

Laxus tried to help his friend. He tried to reach out to him, only to knock face first into something.

"OW!"

Laxus rubbed his aching forehead and stared at the space ahead. What was that?!

Something translucent shimmered into view. Something that wasn't there before. It surrounded his new friend in a dome as if trying to protect him from harm.

"We need to get him out of there!" Even the guild brawl had stopped the moment everyone heard his friend's screams. He is still screaming and writhing in pain, almost as if every time he tries to remember something a splitting headache will be there to prevent it from happening.

"Get back!" Macao stepped in and Laxus moved aside for the adults to handle the situation. A blast of Macao's unique flames impacted against the barrier looking thing but to everyone's visible surprise, it did not even leave a scratch.

"What the-"

"Step aside." Makarov finally made an appearance as the guild parted for him. With some funny swipe of his fingers, the barrier dispelled itself.

His friend is still a sweating and writhing mess when Gramps gently picked him up from the floor.

"Someone go get Porlyusica."


As they soon learnt, his friend's condition is something that not even Porlyusica can cure. She does not specialise in mental trauma.

"The boy's loss of memories may be tied to his magic." Laxus remembered what she said to his grandfather in the infirmary from where he is eavesdropping outside, ears pressed against the door.

"Whatever it is, the boy's loss of his memories is not natural. It's like his memories were intentionally wiped for whatever reasons."

Laxus's heart contorted in a mixture of rage and disbelief. Why would anyone do that to anyone else?!

"Intentionally wiped?"

"I have no answers, Makarov." Laxus can hear a sigh coming from the elderly woman. "I'm torn between saying that it is wiped, altered, or simply lost. It's too muddled for me to make any heads or tails out of it. The boy's case is a first, even for me."

"So he may never remember who he is."

"It's a possibility. In fact, I doubt his memories would ever return."

Laxus had no idea what to do. That is his friend. His first friend and yet he has no idea what to do. To not know who you are, how painful is that? Laxus cannot even begin to imagine the feelings of loss and confusion that his friend is constantly feeling.

Laxus silently walked away from the infirmary, leaving his grandfather to continue talking softly with Porlyusica.

There's nothing he can do. He claimed that he is the boy's friend, but in the end there's nothing he can do for him.

He is a failure as a friend.

It was when he was almost out of the guild's doors when an idea struck him.

He may not be able to do a thing but someone else can. The person who is almost Gildarts' equal in strength. His idol.

With a newfound determination, Laxus began to run through the streets of Magnolia as fast as he could.

He needs to find his father.


"And why would I-"

"Please, Dad." Laxus pleaded, ignoring the tears in his eyes. "H-He…"

"Fine." His father spat. "If only to get rid of your incessant bugging so that I can finally have some peace and quiet."

His father began to walk out of their house. Night had fallen upon the city, the skies dimly lit by the streetlamps that lined the roads. Laxus quickly ran to catch up with his father, excitement showing on his face.

There's no one else in the guild right now other than the chefs and waitresses that were hired to prepare the meals for the guild and to keep it clean. They were too engrossed in their own work to pay much attention to the father and son duo.

Ivan and Laxus silently made their way to the infirmary without hassle. Nobody else but his friend is here.

His new friend is still sleeping silently.

Laxus watched as his father drew up some strange magic circle with his finger that glowed in an eerie purple. Moments later, a small beam of purple light from the magic circle shot into the forehead of his friend.

"There, that should do."

Laxus looked back up to his father.

"Dad? What did you do?"

"Gave his brain a little… something to fill."

Laxus's eyes widened as he filled in the unsaid portions of his father's cryptic words.

"You… c-created…no, faked his memories?!"

Ivan snorted.

"Not exactly, but merely gave his mind a probe. It may trigger some buried memories within him, but the gaps that are not filled from his own memories will be filled by… some of his own imagination. Imagination that he will think are his memories but in actuality, something his brain cooked up on its own to fill the hole in his mind in the most logical way to compensate for the memories he lost."

"D-Dad! You can't just-"

Ivan practically growled.

"You were the one who bugged me to do something about it, and I did it. Stop complaining before I lose my patience."

Laxus stood rooted at the spot, his hands and feet still shaking from the revelation of his father's words.

"B-But… that's not…"

"The boy's a lost cause anyway." Ivan stated without a care in the world. "This might be a better arrangement."

"B-But then, he w-won't know which memories are r-real and which are… f-fake, right?" Laxus stammered.

"That's the point." Ivan's irritation began to visibly show. "This is supposed to make him believe that he recovered his lost memories. In a way, it will. He just won't know which ones he recovered are his real memories and which are imaginations that his mind made up to fill in the missing pieces."

"If Gramps know-"

"Then for all our sakes, it's best that nobody else knows." Ivan's tone gave a sense of finality that shut Laxus up. "I did as you asked, so shut your mouth. Get back home, we have training to do tomorrow."

Friends are supposed to not keep secrets from each other, but that is one secret that he still kept close to his chest and never told a single soul.

A secret whose revelation is so devastating, that Laxus dreads the day if his friend actually found out about it.


"I think… I…" The boy frowned a little as they both watched the guild brawl erupt for the fifth time that day.

It had been four days since his friend first came to Fairy Tail.

"I… I think my parents used to call me…"

Laxus awaited with eager anticipation. He won't know if the name his friend recalls is something that is from his lost memories or something that is a side effect of the spell his father casted on his friend. For all anyone might know, the recalled name may be something formed from his friend's imagination without him realising it.

The worst thing is that no one will ever know which ones are his real memories, and which ones aren't.

And it is all his fault.

He wanted to come clean with his grandfather about what he and his father did, but Laxus never did manage to work up the courage to confess.

How could he? How could he confess after he saw his friend's face lighting up with joy every single time he recalled something, even if it is something as insignificant as the fact that his father was right handed?

It would be too cruel. It would be too cruel to give his friend hope and then rob it all away from him by telling him that these memories may not even be real.

"I think my name starts with… an E?" His friend frowned again before he gave up and sighed.

"I-It's fine. Take your time to recall."

"I know that." His friend replied as he rested his tired head on the tabletop. "But I really want to at least recall my name instead of being some nameless nobody in a world that doesn't exist until your grandfather found me."

Laxus really does not know how to feel about that. He had committed something unforgivable to his friend.

"Oh, you wanted to see my magic, right? I got a grasp of it now."

Laxus perked up.

His friend held up a hand in front of him and concentrated. A few seconds later, a small wall of something translucent manifested in the space in front of them.

Laxus hesitantly used his finger to prod it. Like the first time he had bumped into it, it's solid.

"Wow. What's this?"

"I have no clue." His friend admitted. "But your grandfather and I both think that it is very likely a type of barrier."

"Barrier? Barrier magic? What's it even made of?"

His friend's gaze returned back to the floor as the barrier dissipated into thin air.

"I don't know."

"Well, let me show you mine then!" Laxus tried his best to cheer his friend up in the best way he knows how. Of course, magic! Magic always cheers people up!

Laxus fired a bolt of lightning at the tangle of limbs in the middle of the guild hall, eliciting yelps from those unfortunate enough to be in the way of Laxus's magic.

"Lightning Magic." His friend stated with certainty. "That's one overpowered magic if you know how to use it right."

"Uh huh!" Laxus nodded excitedly in agreement. His great grandfather was said to have been a Lightning Mage as well and he was crazy strong if the words of his grandfather was to go by.

"Kid! We're heading back!"

Wakaba called out to his friend as he waved him over. His friend is temporarily staying with Wakaba until a better arrangement can be worked out. For now, Wakaba is his friend's foster guardian.

"Well, see you tomorrow, Laxus."

"See you tomorrow!" Laxus waved back with enthusiasm as opposed to the dull words his friend spoke. Still, his friend smiled! He smiled!

This counts as something, right? Does this mean that he did the right thing to ask for his father's help? It did help in the end, so it must have been the right thing to do, right?

Right?


It was at the end of the first week when his friend finally remembered his name.

Or at least, Laxus hoped that it really is his friend's real name and not some fictitious one his friend's mind had unconsciously cooked up to fill in the missing gaps. His friend seemed to remember most of his life that he had led until he was found by Gramps, but just couldn't seem to remember his name.

Laxus still remembered the day when his friend suddenly grabbed him by his shoulders, excitement clear in his eyes.

"L-Laxus, I-I…"

He can still remember how his friend practically vibrated in excitement.

"I remember! I remember!"

The shouts of joy were so loud that the entire guild stared at them in sudden silence. All of them waited with bated breath.

"I remember! I remember my name!" His friend couldn't seem to care about anything else right at that moment as he grabbed Laxus with strength that Laxus never knew his friend possessed.

"Elden! My name is Elden! Elden Tyrell, that's my name! My name is Elden Tyrell!"

The expression on everyone's face slowly morphed into big smiles as they suddenly crowded around the both of them.

"You remembered your name!"

"Elden? That's a nice name!"

"Good job, kid!"

"Stop calling him kid! His name is Elden!"

"LET'S PAAAAARRTTTYYYYYYYY!"

The guild partied non-stop, even if it extended deep into the night.

His friend remembered his name.

His name is Elden Tyrell.


It's been more than a month since they became friends that they started to practice their magic together. Elden had officially become a mage of their guild and had gotten his guild mark. He had stamped it on his right shoulder and chose it to be of a shade of dark blue.

Elden had been under Wakaba's tutelage up till now and Laxus was eager to see how much his friend had improved. Gildarts happened to be around, so they roped him in since Gramps had made it very clear that adult supervision is needed whenever they want to practise their magic on their own.

"Come on, Laxus, that all you can do? You can do better than this. Or are you getting tired already?"

Laxus gritted his teeth as the two of them sparred in the clearing. That Barrier Magic is annoying as hell.

"Alright kiddos, timeout."

Gildarts forcefully separated the both of them as they both heaved for air.

"What the hell are your barriers made of?!" Laxus exclaimed as the two of them lay with their backs on the ground, trying to catch their breath. "They just won't break!"

"That's the whole point of having barriers." Elden snarked back. "Why would you need barriers that break easily?"

He had a point there.

"That's some unique magic you have." Gildarts mused as he sat beside them on the ground. "Not many mages like to use Support type of magic even if they can use them and defensive type of Support magic are even less common. Not many will want to use such magic since that means that they wouldn't be able to attack at all, making them useless in a solo fight."

Elden huffed as he crossed his arms.

"That's because they are idiots that lack imagination. It's not what type of magic you have, but how you use magic. Barrier-Make is absolutely broken. Wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."

Laxus scoffed.

"Yeah, right. All you did was to be a sitting duck."

"For now. I already have many ideas on how to properly use defensive magic for offense. If it's a Maker type of magic, then I can create anything. As long as it has a form, I can create it."

"You know, there's such a thing called confidence, and then there's arrogance." Laxus pointed out immediately. "You did nothing the whole time but stand there and defend against my attacks. Your Barrier magic made nothing but rectangles and circles."

"Just rectangles and circles? That's more than enough to knock you down. You want a go Sparky?"

"You are on, Bookworm."

"Now, now, let's not-"

Gildarts words when unheard as the two boys immediately clashed with their magic.

"Hah! So much about the big talk! You can't even attack!"

Streaks of lightning attacked Elden relentlessly, who only conjured a barrier to protect him from harm.

"Watch your words, Lightbulb. Here I come!"

Laxus was in for a surprise when Elden placed a palm on the rectangular barrier in front of him, and he pushed.

The wall of barrier came crashing into Laxus as Elden ran and pushed it into his direction. Laxus felt as if he got steamrolled by a train.

Laxus groaned and sat up from the ground, still feeling a little groggy. That hurts.

"It's not just talk if I can really do it. Right, Yellow?"

Laxus's right eye twitched.

"Fine. You win this one."

That didn't stop him from grumbling the entire day about how absurdly hard those blasted barriers are.


Elden is a madman.

"How… How are you still going?"

It's been eight hours. Eight hours since they started training.

"Some… Someone's getting tired, I see."

Laxus glared at Elden as he shakily stood back up on his feet. Even when they are both a panting mess, Laxus wouldn't be bested by his best friend so easily.

Elden held out a shaky arm in front of him and concentrated.

"Barrier-Make: Cone!"

A large cone manifested in front of him and Laxus watched as his friend visibly concentrated. Slowly, but surely, the cone started to move and point its tip at a large boulder ahead. It then began to spin along its horizontal axis like a drill.

"Go!"

The spinning drill was launched and Laxus watched in awe as the drill obliterated the debris in front of them.

Isn't Barrier-Make magic a Support type magic? How can it cause so much destruction?!

"Perfect." Elden had a predatory grin on his face that usually couldn't be found there. "My hypothesis was correct."

"You were experimenting?"

"Duh."

Elden gave a shrug and Laxus is starting to notice that this shrug is quickly becoming his friend's trademark gesture.

"My magic is so unique that I have no idea what it can do, Laxus. I need to know the possibilities of my magic. How far can I manifest my barriers away from me? Can I move them remotely? How big and how small can I create them? How hard can I make them? Can they do anything more than simple blocking? My barriers can appear as translucent or opaque, so can I make them invisible? If so, can my barriers manipulate the properties of light? Can it-"

Laxus's jaws dropped as his best friend went on and on and on about the list of things he needed to find out about his magic. All of the training, all eight hours of training he did today was just to simply test whether he can move his barriers?

"-and if all of these holds true, I can start to create even bigger things. I can create a freaking titan. An avatar bigger than the size of the cathedral to do my bidding. Can you believe it, Laxus? Imagine, a giant warrior made of my barriers that is of the same size as Master in his full Titan form. I'm going to be unstoppable-"

His friend's a madman. What's dangerous is not his magic, but rather what he can visualise he can do with his magic. Who the hell makes giant warriors with barriers? HOW is Elden even going to do it in the first place?

"-and I can already see it! My ultimate finishing move! It- Laxus? You still there?"

"Yes, I am." Laxus snapped back. "What now?"

"Great! Help me test something out!"

Laxus sighed, but conceded anyway.

"What do you want now?"

Elden made a rectangular wall of barrier the size of a door.

"Let's try combining our magic, I just want to see if my barriers can conduct electricity."

Laxus's confusion must be clear on his face for Elden immediately explained his rationale.

"If we can do this, it means we can combine our magic! My barriers can give form to whatever we desire to manifest, your lightning can provide the power needed! Can you imagine it? Between my defence and your offense, my form and your power, we will be unstoppable!"

Laxus can slowly feel a smile forming on his face upon the realisation.

The both of them got severely reprimanded by Gramps after that for training until they couldn't get out of bed for the next two days, but it was worth it.

Elden's crazy idea worked. Their magic could mesh with each other. It's not a Unison Raid that they achieved, far from it, but their newfound discovery just opened up a whole new world for them to discover.

If they worked hard enough, their dream of becoming an unstoppable duo can become a reality.


If Laxus had to list three things Elden did that occupy most of his time, it would be training, reading, and sleeping.

Yes, his new friend is a lazyass that couldn't be bothered to lift a finger if his magic can help him with moving around.

Need to move from Point A to Point B? He moves around using his barrier like a magic carpet. Need to retrieve something that is out of his reach? His barriers will somehow bring it within reach for him. Need to sweep the dust off the floor? His barrier can do it by gently moving against the floor like a broom. Heck, it's even more efficient than a broom.

And he sleeps, a lot, for reasons that eluded even Laxus.

"Oi, wake up."

"Leave me alone, Sparky. I'm beat." Elden groaned as he tossed about on the reclining chair he is lying on.

Laxus zapped him with a voltage of electricity. This is way faster.

"You slept for the entire day already. Wake up, sleepyhead! It's about time we start going on missi-"

And he received a wall of barrier to his face, courtesy of Elden.

"That's it, Sparky! You are going down for waking me up from my beauty sleep!"

Another thing Laxus quickly learnt was that Elden gets extremely grumpy if he is woken from his nap. Waking Elden up prematurely from his nap is one sure way to piss him off.

Still, Laxus himself is also itching for a fight. He charged himself up with lightning as it crackled and roared to life.

"Bring it, lazyass!"

A huge cube of barrier fell from above that Laxus dodged. The nearby bystanders weren't so lucky.

"Damn it Elden! Watch where you are throwing those things!"

"Raging Bolt!"

Elden blocked that as expected. It takes more than a Raging Bolt to bring Elden down.

"Alright, kids, stop-"

"OUT OF THE WAY!"

Macao was sent flying by a punch each from the both of them.

The two of them started a brawl in the guild hall. Anyone who tried to stop them were swiftly taken out. They are unstoppable.

Numerous chunks of rectangular blocks smashed down from above and it is taking Laxus everything he has to even dodge it. He knew from first-hand experience how much it hurts to get hit by one of those things.

"Cut it out!"

Gildarts appeared between them without warning before smashing the both of them into the floor.

"O-Ow…"

"Alright! If you brats have so much energy to spare, then more training for the both of you!"

Laxus groaned. Not again.

"Sure, why not?"

Of course, the madman which is his best friend is actually excited at the prospect of more training under Gildarts.

Joy.


"M-My name's Cana… Nice to meet you…"

"Uh… N-Name's Elden…"

Laxus resisted the urge to sigh out loud. It's been two years since Elden joined the guild but some things still didn't change. What didn't change, you ask?

Elden's social awkwardness.

Elden can converse properly with him since they are best friends, but for anyone that is not him or Gramps or Gildarts or Wakaba?

Elden is a stuttering mess that has no idea how to talk to others, period.

The new girl called Cana is the third from their generation to join. She's a shy thing and it does not help that Elden is equally socially awkward.

"So… uh… nice weather, huh? Haha…"

Laxus facepalmed. Way to go, Elden.

"We are wasting time. Let's go, El. We have a mission to do."

Laxus saved them all from further embarrassment by physically dragging Elden out of the guild. He is a lot stronger now since his father had implanted a lacrima in him, a lacrima that gave him an immense boost in power and made him healthy. He is no longer the sickly child that he once was.

Elden was both horrified and worried when he first saw the new scar on his face in the shape of a lightning bolt, a result of the implantation process. Gramps had been furious at his father when he first learnt of it but no one could argue with the results. It is a fact that Laxus now has a much healthier and stronger body.

"That wasn't nice, Sparky. I was trying to be nice and leave a-"

"Good impression?"

Elden scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Uh… in hindsight, maybe it was not that good of an impression."

"The only impression you leave on people is that you are lazy."

The edge of Elden's lips visibly twitched in irritation at that remark. Laxus counted that as a win.

The two of them went on many missions together as a duo. Despite their young age, they are already starting to make a name for themselves. Many of their guild members are already starting to run bets on whether they could become S Class mages in the future.

"Let me handle the vulcans later, I have a new idea that I have been dying to test out."

Laxus opened his eyes from where he was sitting beside Elden on the train, listening to the music his headphones are blasting.

"What kind of crazy idea this time?"

Elden smirked.

"You will see."

That was the first time that Laxus truly caught a glimpse of what Elden can achieve when he put his mind into it. The new spell that his friend had named as 'Shinra Tensei' obliterated an entire section of the forest, a feat that even he was unable to achieve at that point in time.

It is Elden's answer on how to use his magic to both attack and defend at the same time. The invention of the Shinra Tensei was the start of Elden's rise to power as a mage.

So much for Support-Defensive magic. Elden's Barrier magic can cause so much destruction that it isn't even remotely funny.

"Here. This is for you."

It was Christmas. They both exchanged presents as per usual.

"Open it up, you will love it."

Laxus really loved it. He still kept it to this day.

It is a large, brown coat with light brown fur trimming around the neck and the sleeves' edges. Laxus draped it over his shoulders like a cape and decided that he really loved this look. He ended up buying many similar coats in the future, although he only wore the original one that Elden had given him when he is not on missions because he didn't want to damage it. The coat would later be a part of his usual attire that he still wore to this day when he eventually became the Fourth Guild Master of Fairy Tail.

Funnily enough, he had gotten Elden something similar.

"A jacket?"

"Yeah, I chose dark blue because that's your favourite colour. Funny how we both thought of the same thing."

Elden looked at the jacket in his hands, then back up at him before they both laughed together.

"How do I look?"

Elden had immediately worn the jacket. It fit him perfectly. It would also be a part of his usual attire to this day although Mirajane had to often patch up the holes in the jacket because it kept getting damaged from the number of missions Elden went on.

"Perfect." Laxus said with a grin. "Now that we have matching attires, we can truly call ourselves a duo."

Elden said nothing, but the smirk and the mirth in his eyes told Laxus everything he needs to know.

They will both climb their way to the top and stand at the very pinnacle of magic, like they had both promised each other.

They will be the strongest.


He wasn't expecting to form a team so soon.

The Thunder God Tribe.

The name… it sounded nice.

His team. Their team.

They are the Thunder God Tribe.

He is a step closer to reaching his dream, his dream of becoming the next Guild Master of Fairy Tail. Elden had promised to be his Ace. Laxus will be the sword of the guild, Elden will be the shield of the guild. Together, they will be unstoppable. They will be so strong that none can stand in their way.

"Break time's over! Saddle up, boys and girls!"

"E-Elden-sama, we-"

Laxus had gone through some pretty crazy stuff thanks to his father's training methods. Even then, Laxus swore that even his father had nothing when compared to Elden.

If you are too slow, you get smashed. If your spells are too weak to block his attacks, you get smashed. Even if you are on the floor, you get smashed.

And Laxus can testify that getting smashed by Elden's barriers is really, really painful. He would know. No one in the guild got smashed by Elden's barriers as frequently as him.

For some reason, Laxus cannot help but let a vindictive smile cross his face as he watched his future Ace toy around with the remaining members of their team. Nothing helps people to bond together faster than shared pain.

Yes, he would not suffer alone. Someone else other than him needs to feel the pain of getting hit by one of Elden's barriers.

They got even stronger as a duo over the years. Elden is on track to perfecting that crazy spell, the Susanoo, that stupid avatar that Elden claims will be bigger than the Kardia Cathedral. Not only that, the both of them achieved Unison Raid for the first time. It was what saved Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen from a life of slavery.

No matter how tired Elden seemed to be, he can always keep pushing himself forward. He never stops. He just, keeps, going no matter what you try to do to put him down.

He took pride in being a shield. He took pride in having the best defensive capabilities in the entire guild. He took pride in being incapable of getting put down by anything thrown his way. To him, that is who he is, his identity. He is an unbreakable shield.

It was because of Elden's promise to him that Elden chose to learn Fairy Sphere, a spell whose only purpose is to protect. They both hid the fact from Gramps that they literally stole the knowledge of how to use two of the three Great Fairy Magics from the guild's library. Gramps will be more than just furious if he ever learnt about that.

But they are a step closer to reaching their dream. Not only to be the Guild Master, not only to be the Ace.

They want to be the strongest duo.


Elden's barriers had gotten annoyingly versatile. Laxus blamed Erza's recent arrival for that.

Elden had another of his crazy inspiration the moment he saw Erza's magic for the first time, something about he should have thought of the idea of recreating something similar to the 'Gates of Baby-something'. Whatever that baby-something is.

The basic idea is that Elden could possibly create an endless supply of weapons with his barriers. With the near indestructible properties of his barriers, whatever weapons he made will also be indestructible.

Laxus had no problems with that. The only problem he had was that he had effectively become Elden's guinea pig for his new idea, again.

The things he does for his best friend.

From where Elden learnt how to expertly wield the various types of weaponry, Laxus had no idea. All he knew was that Elden just got harder to beat even if they are equal in strength.

Even after sparring with his best friend to improve his proficiency in close combat, his friend still wouldn't stop and rest.

"The ultimate finisher?"

"A Unison Raid." Elden nodded as the five of them rested in the clearing that is their usual training spot. "I told you many times before, right? Theoretically, my barriers can create anything as long as the object in question has a form. Your only job is to be a glorified battery to power it."

"Battery? That's it, lazyass. You are going down later."

"It will be big, Laxus." Elden ignored everything else as his imagination began to run wild again. It is one of those instances where Elden will have one of those crazy moments on how to create a crazy spell that can do the unthinkable.

Problem is, Elden always made the unthinkable a reality.

"How big?"

Laxus had learnt by now that Elden will definitely find some way to make this new crazy spell possible.

"Bigger than a complete Susanoo."

"Complete Susanoo? You are telling me that the one you have right now isn't a complete version?!"

"Don't get too worked up about the details." Elden waved it off casually with a hand. "How much damage can your Breakdown Fist do?"

Laxus scoffed.

"Plenty to go around."

"What if you have a thousand fists, each the size of a giant's?"

It's not just him. The rest of the team had that incredulous look on their faces too.

"A thousand-armed buddha, Laxus. That will be my final spell." Elden grinned back up at them. "It won't be easy. I won't be able to even start forming something as complex as that for a good many years, maybe even for the next decade, but I know I will get there. You can charge it up with your Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic. With something the size bigger than a complete Susanoo, something with a thousand arms that allows you to punch something one thousand times and with you powering it with lightning, lightning imbued with Dragon Slayer magic, we might be able to even take on a freaking dragon in theory. Even Natsu's Dragon Slayer techniques will have nothing on this."

Laxus blurted out the first thing on his mind.

"You are fucking insane."

"I have to be to get to where I am now."

"Elden-sama, what would you name the spell?"

"True Several Thousand Hands."

"That sounds lame." Evergreen said, her distaste in Elden's naming sense clear in her voice.

"I agree with Ever, El." Bickslow added.

Elden only clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"I don't care."


"Mission accomplished!"

The five of them bumped fists as per their team tradition upon another successful completion of their mission.

Well, successful as far as it goes for Fairy Tail mages. They had to take a pay cut for the collateral damage they accidentally caused, but eh, semantics.

They are the strongest team in Fairy Tail, that's what matters.

They headed to their favourite eatery the moment they returned to Magnolia, the one that they always been to after the end of their missions. He looks forward to drinking his favourite orange juice, even if the rest of his team had done all they could to wean him off it and never succeeded.

They are a well-balanced team. As the leader, he has the power to blitz through their enemies. Freed, Bickslow, and Ever are also plenty strong in the power department and their respective magic brings a lot of versatility to the team. With Elden around, none of them suffered even a scratch on their missions.

In fact, people had started to call Elden The Aegis of Fairy Tail simply because he is the best shield there is in Fiore.

Monster extermination, stealth, taking out dark guilds. It doesn't matter what kind of missions they are on; they maintained a 100% successful mission completion rate ever since their team became official.

They are the strongest.


The first turning point in his life was when his father was excommunicated from the guild.

He doesn't know why, he doesn't understand why. All he has in his head are 'whys' and nobody is willing to explain to him why.

He begged his father to not go. He begged his grandfather to tell him the truth. None of them listened and he got increasingly angry and frustrated at how he is being brushed off like that.

It was also the time where people started to doubt his skills as a mage, saying that he only became this famous because he is Makarov's grandson. Elden told him not to listen to these people because they are just jealous of his rise to power, the rise he made from his own effort and hard work. Elden told him to just do what he is best at and continue to strive to be the strongest. The idiots will naturally stop talking when he can prove that he is the indisputable number one and that his grandfather had nothing to do with it.

He had listened to the advice of his best friend. It had worked for a while, but the combination of the stress of being Makarov's grandson and his father's departure still got to him. He tried to talk to his grandfather, knowing he would understand, only to find that his grandfather doesn't seem to understand a single thing he is going through. He got angry, he got mad. He lashed out, they argued.

He got very bitter. Nobody seems to understand him, his desire to prove himself as a capable mage. Not just capable, but the strongest mage in not only Fairy Tail, but in the whole of Fiore.

From then on, his relationship with his grandfather quickly soured. Why talk to him when he couldn't understand? He worked harder than ever, trained himself harder than ever. Elden obliged to each and every of his demands and trained with him until they can no longer move. Only Elden could understand him and only he would provide a listening ear when he needs one. Elden had always been good at listening even if he always acted like he never listened.

Elden advised him to talk to his grandfather again and work things out. He said that he is lucky to even have a grandfather. Unlike him, who doesn't even have a family and doesn't really recall who they really are.

Those sincere words and those sad eyes convinced Laxus to try one more time. Just one more time to talk to his grandfather.

He found his grandfather and they had a talk.

It ended up being the biggest argument the two of them ever had. His grandfather still doesn't understand why he is eager to prove himself, still doesn't understand the stress from being Makarov's grandson, still doesn't understand that he really doesn't like having his abilities doubted simply because he is the grandson of a Wizard Saint. His grandfather still doesn't understand that above all, he just wants to be acknowledged. He wants to be a mage stronger than what his grandfather can be and make him proud, make Fairy Tail proud, but only if he does so through his own strength, not because he had help because he is Makarov's grandson.

He hates those two words with passion. Makarov's grandson.

So, he stormed out of the guild and demolished the unlucky training field that had caught his eye. His Thunder God Tribe stood by him, their leader.

It was also at that moment that Laxus made a vow.

To prove his grandfather wrong, he would make Fairy Tail the strongest guild in Fiore, the strongest guild in the whole world. If his grandfather cannot understand him and his desire to become stronger through his own power, then he would force him to understand.

Using any means necessary.

To force his grandfather to acknowledge him and to admit that he was wrong and his grandson is right, the best wake up call would be to usurp the position of Guild Master of Fairy Tail and shape the guild in his image. His Fairy Tail will be the strongest guild in the world, consisting of only the strongest mages. The weak will be weeded out. And when he finally proves to his grandfather that he is right through making Fairy Tail the strongest guild using his methods, then he will understand and accept his view.

He knows he can do it because he has the Thunder God Tribe by his side, because he has his best friend by his side.

That's why it came as such a shock when Elden tried to persuade him otherwise. Why? Why is it that even his best friend cannot understand where he's coming from?

That was his breaking point.

They had a big fight as they screamed at each other, the other members of their team watching by the side in fear and not knowing what to do. He threw the first punch packed with his full power and was shocked when Elden didn't even block it. He knew Elden could have blocked it. He had pulled his punch back a little at the last second because he is his best friend. Elden could have blocked it, he should have blocked it.

So why didn't he block it?

Elden suffered some serious injuries. He actually coughed up quite a bit of blood and suffered several broken ribs. Porlyusica had healed him quickly enough and the Thunder God Tribe all visited him at Porlyusica's place, him included, when she had given them the green light.

He apologised. Elden accepted his apology with a kind smile on his face like he always does. They actually held a normal conversation for a while until that topic was brought up again.

His friend was firm on not supporting his plan because he feels that it goes against what a guild really is. He doesn't want to go against Fairy Tail, the guild which had given him an identity when he had none. Laxus could understand but he still cannot help but be furious that his best friend is also like his grandfather.

It's like nobody can understand him anymore.

He let his anger get the better of him. He threw him a plethora of unkind words that he would never usually say, especially so to his best friend but he had really lost it in the heat of the moment. Throughout it all, Elden bore it with a sad look on his face and never said a word.

"If you don't want to help me, then get the fuck out of my way! Get lost! If you don't want to help me, FINE! I don't need you! I only need my Thunder God Tribe!"

He regretted his words the moment he said it out loud but he was too prideful back then to admit that he was wrong. It was one of the biggest mistakes he could have ever made.

He and his fucking pride.

Elden looked at him. His face betrayed nothing but his eyes did.

Slowly, Elden moved to get out of bed despite his injuries, despite how Freed, Ever, and Bickslow are persuading him that he is in no condition to move around. Elden slowly limped until he stood in front of him even if it is obvious to all of them that he is in pain just by trying to stand.

"Is… that really what you truly feel?"

No. It's not. He wants him back, his best friend.

But his fucking pride said otherwise and he let his pride got the better of him.

"Yes."

"I see." Elden whispered softly, his gaze slowly going back to look at the floor. "I see."

Wait, maybe Elden is going to change his mind and support him instead?

"I understand now, that I'm not going to be the one who can bring you back. One day, somebody will, but that person won't be me. Where I failed, whoever that person may be will succeed. I know you mean well, Laxus, you always have the guild's best interest in mind but what you wanted for the guild is not what the guild needs. Your path is one of self-destruction. I can only hope that you will still have the chance to turn around when we can finally understand each other."

Laxus could remember that he just stood there rooted in shock.

"EL!" He can remember Freed exclaiming in worry when they all heard this, trying their best not to believe that what is to come is going to be real. Elden slowly limped to grab the dark blue jacket that he had gotten him for Christmas before making his way out of the door.

"From today onwards." Laxus couldn't see it, but his nose can smell the salty tinge of tears coming from Elden's direction. "I… I will n-no longer be a part of the T-Thunder God Tribe. I-I c-cannot go against Fairy Tail, Laxus. I… I really can't, even if it is for you. They mean the world to me, you know this."

"So you are just gonna leave like a fucking coward?" He seethed, fists clenched, despite how much he is hurting on the inside as well. He knows just how much the Thunder God Tribe, their Thunder God Tribe, means to Elden. It is part of the identity that Elden had built for himself, just as he had built an identity for himself as The Aegis of Fairy Tail. The Thunder God Tribe is precious to Elden because he is a part of it. It is what makes him Elden Tyrell.

He's gonna leave, just like that? He's going to give it all up, just like that?

He's going to discard his identity as Elden Tyrell of the Thunder God Tribe, just like that?

"... Yes."

"THEN LEAVE!" He screamed. "LEAVE! YOU FUCKING TRAITOR! I… I DON'T NEED YOU! WE DON'T NEED YOU! LEAVE AND NEVER APPEAR BEFORE ME AGAIN! LEAVE YOU FUCKING COWARD! BEGONE! I WILL BUILD MY OWN FAIRY TAIL WITHOUT YOUR FUCKING HELP! I DON'T NEED YOU AS MY ACE! I WILL BE THE STRONGEST! I WILL PROVE YOU AND GRAMPS WRONG! MY FAIRY TAIL WILL BE THE STRONGEST GUILD THERE EVER WILL BE!"

"I wish you all the best."

Laxus remembered that Elden left, just like that.

Elden left before he could stop his best friend from leaving his side.

He and his fucking pride.


The entire guild knew about the fallout they had by the time the next day came around. It's hard not to, what with Elden not sitting with them in the guild hall and all. It's obvious something had happened between them. Many brushed it aside and laughed it off as a little spat between nakama, they didn't laugh when they realised that Elden really is not part of the Thunder God Tribe anymore.

Elden really took his words literally. He really never appeared before him again unless he could not help it. If the Thunder God Tribe is out on missions, he will be in the guild. If the Thunder God Tribe is in the guild, he will be out on missions that lasts anywhere from weeks to months.

They never had a chance to reconcile.

Almost everybody had tried to get them to make up with each other, including his grandfather, but both him and his best friend can be really stubborn at the worst of times. His grandfather kept dropping hints about how worried he was about Elden because he was quickly regressing back to the state when he first arrived in the guild. He doesn't talk. He doesn't socialise anymore. The members of the guild which he used to talk to, he didn't talk to them anymore. Not even Wakaba could get Elden to open up. Everybody is worried about him but yet there's nothing they can do. Elden is hardly in the guild anymore. He just goes on missions, come back, go to the job request board, takes a few more missions that will bring him out of the guild for a long time, and the cycle will repeat.

Deep down, Laxus knows that he is worried about Elden. As his best friend Laxus had long since figured out the true weakness of Elden's impenetrable Barrier Magic. The longer and more he uses it, the faster he succumbs to his exhaustion. Going on so many high level quests on his own is a stupidly dangerous thing to do with such an innate weakness found in his magic. The chance of him never returning back to the guild had never been higher.

But his stupid fucking pride continues to get in his way.

He and his Thunder God Tribe also ended up doing what Elden did. They keep going on dangerous missions one after the other without rest. But together they are four people while Elden was alone.

Elden is alone once more while he had the Thunder God Tribe by his side.

The S Class Trials came around, he made S Class before Elden. Elden simply mumbled a 'Congratulations' before disappearing. His fucking pride held him back from making use of that opportunity to reconcile with him. Another chance lost.

He tried again, this time, right after the S Class group got back to the guild from the exam venue. He tried to talk to Elden again, only for them to have an argument even more violent than the previous one because of their differing views. Laxus soon learnt not to bring that topic up and not to say anything because anything they spoke to each other that is more than a simple greeting of hello and goodbye will quickly turn into a shouting match that either Gildarts or his grandfather have to personally intervene.

Like Elden said, they could no longer understand each other.

Elden continues to act like the worst combination of a madman and a recluse. He only trains and goes on missions. His fame started to spread across Fiore like wildfire because of how active he is in his job. It was then that the moniker of The Aegis of Fairy Tail really started to become known in every town and village of Fiore. Tales of his exploits often spoke about him casually taking on blows that would kill any other mortal man but Elden will walk out of it without a single scratch.

The guild is happy for him in his rise to fame, but also got a lot more worried with how anti-social and cold he is starting to be. Not even the idiot Natsu can get to him. Not even Cana who knows them the longest. Not even Levy who shares the same love for books as he did.

Elden has nobody. He is still alone.

Meanwhile, the Thunder God Tribe became a household name as well. Like The Aegis of Fairy Tail, people often talk about how powerful his Thunder God Tribe is and how strong Fairy Tail is becoming.

His Thunder God Tribe, not their Thunder God Tribe. For some reason, Laxus felt a void that he cannot fill when people refer to the Thunder God Tribe as his and not theirs.

His best friend, his future Ace, was supposed to be a part of it as well.

His stupid fucking pride.

He still kept tabs on his best friend through his grandfather, who kept hinting that somebody should go and have a proper talk with Elden and keep telling him the places that Elden's current missions bring him to. Of course, being that stubborn fool back then, he didn't listen.

He and his stupid fucking pride.

It was on a particular rainy day when things started to change. He was resting on the second floor of the guild, a place reserved only for S Class mages. A perfect place where he and Elden will never bump into each other because Elden was not an S Class mage yet. That would change soon. He was confident that Elden would become S Class in the next S Class Trial. There is no fucking competition now that Laxus Dreyar is one. They had always been each other's biggest competitors, constantly pushing each other to be better, stronger, to be each other's equal.

They were the sword and shield duo. The strongest duo in Fairy Tail. The strongest team in Fairy Tail. Individually, they are powerful. Together, they were unstoppable.

He likes his spot on the second floor because it is where he can see the entire of the first floor of the guild from where he is on top without anybody spotting him. He spotted Elden coming through the guild's doors, finally returning after a particularly long solo mission. It must have been difficult. The other idiots in the guild may not have spotted it, but he can. Elden is obviously exhausted and is about to drop dead. You can see it in his eyes.

It was also at this time that a new batch of job requests were being posted on the job request board on the first floor. Elden got himself a drink from the bar as he stood in front of the board, his eyes slowly reading through the quests available. He probably wanted to just snatch up on the good quests before anybody else could do so, sleep for an entire day, and then get back to work with the new quests in hand when he recovered his energy. It is his modus operandi by now.

That's why everybody who were in the guild back then were startled when he suddenly snatched a particular job request from the board, just a single one instead of the usual handful, before bolting out of the door. He didn't even bother to set down his mug properly like he usually does and let the mug drop onto the floor and the contents spill all over messily. He didn't even bother to register with his grandfather that he had taken up the job. That is not standard protocol and is a violation of the guild's rules.

Obviously, people were concerned by that sudden unexplainable behaviour. The guild kept a log of the copies of the job requests that came in and out of the guild and they quickly narrowed down just which job request had gotten Elden acting like that. It was the only thing the entire guild talked about for the rest of the day because something must be really wrong for Elden to act like that.

He can tell that even his Thunder God Tribe was worried. They were so close to just running after Elden to help him in whatever he might need them to help in because that was not an expression usually seen on Elden's face.

They found out later that the job request was a simple escort mission. Ranked at C at the most. The pay was honestly not appealing at all. The location was so out of the way that nobody would want to pick it. The only thing that stood out was the big fat bold word on the job request.

URGENT

Somebody posted an urgent job request to their guild to ask for help. They need someone to escort them out of their village and to Magnolia because the journey here is undoubtedly dangerous for any ordinary civilian. The client wanted to get out of the village ASAP because they cannot stay in the village any longer. If you read in between the lines, it is like the client is fearing for her and her families' lives.

It was then that Laxus realised that his best friend is still the kind boy that he befriended many years ago. It was him that turned his best friend into that cold and anti-social person today. His friend hid his kind nature beneath a mask of uncaring aloofness, no longer wanting to associate himself with anybody else after he removed a big part of his identity, Elden of the Thunder God Tribe.

They had both changed and at the same time, never changed.

He didn't know it back then, but that client would later be a member of Fairy Tail.

Her name is Mirajane Strauss.


When Elden finally returned days later, he had a few more companions.

Laxus didn't know what he was thinking. Scratch that, he wasn't thinking. All he knew was that his body was on autopilot when he finally spotted his best friend walking through the doors of the guild, another mission successfully completed.

He would never admit that during the entire time Elden was missing, he came to the guild everyday to wait for him to return. He was here everyday from dawn to dusk because he was worried that Elden had finally messed up for taking another mission when he was in such an exhausted state. If his grandfather was to organise a party to search for Elden, he and his Thunder God Tribe will be the first to go, screw his fucking pride.

But Elden had returned. Exhausted, yes, but he returned and completed the mission successfully like he always did.

Three people returned with him. A girl around their age who is wrapped in a dark cloak from top to toe and only revealing her face and a little of her long white hair, a dark-skinned boy with white hair, and a little girl with white hair. Obviously siblings from the looks of it.

People didn't seem to notice Elden's return, but he did. He smelt his scent the moment Elden took the first step into Magnolia. By the time he was finally aware that his body was actually walking towards his best friend it was a little too late. They were already standing across each other face-to-face.

Fuck. What should he say?

"El." He greeted with his usual poker face. He really doesn't know what to say beyond that.

"Laxus."

It was the first time in a long while he heard Elden's voice again, the first time in a long while they actually greeted each other properly. It seems like they are off to a good start. Maybe there is a chance that they can go back to old times like before. Elden felt a little different this time. Laxus could not put a finger on it but he definitely felt different.

Laxus' gaze travelled back to the siblings. He can sense a great amount of magic emitting from the oldest girl, especially so from her right arm. It's like the bulk of her magic is being concentrated there and she doesn't know how to turn it off. Transformation type magic, perhaps? It felt like it.

His gaze must have felt like it was hostile for the cloaked girl instinctively put herself in front of her siblings in a protective manner even though she obviously fears him.

"Who are they."

"My clients. If all goes well, maybe they would be our nakama as well."

Nakama?

His gaze went back to the three siblings. It was then he saw it, the look in her eyes. The look in the eyes of the girl wearing that dark cloak.

The look of somebody who doesn't know who they are.

It was then it hit him harder than a fucking train. Elden must have seen a little of himself in that girl in the cloak. She has the same look he had, the look of not knowing who they are. He wants to help her because he knows better than anyone the feeling of being a literal nobody.

Elden, he… He is still helping people regardless of whether he is a part of the Thunder God Tribe or not. Just like how they both had helped Freed, Ever, and Bickslow free themselves from a life of slavery, Elden is now helping the siblings standing behind him. Laxus can see the fierce protectiveness in his eyes towards the three siblings behind him despite the obvious fatigue. God knows how much he had actually slept. Elden doesn't need him anymore, doesn't need the Thunder God Tribe anymore, because he can survive just well on his own.

He doesn't need him anymore, his best friend.

And that fucking stung like a bitch.

He is sure his face contorted into an ugly scowl at the thought. His pride got the better of him once again.

"Them?" He pointed a finger at the youngest sibling. "That weak little-"

"Laxus. Get out of my way. My client wants to meet Master Makarov."

Elden's tone was one of finality and hostility. For once, he is not budging. Elden had always been the one that was too considerate of others' feelings, always the one making the concessions between the two of them because he views him as his best friend and brother. This time, he stood his ground because he wanted to protect the siblings. He chose them over him. He chose strangers over him.

It stung even more.

He released his magic out of unjust anger. So did Elden. From the difference in magical density released Laxus could tell that Elden was really close to exhausting himself and that if a fight between them breaks out, there might be irreversible consequences.

But they are both too stubborn. Always had been too stubborn.

"Laxus. El."

His grandfather saved the day when he appeared and they both reined their magic back in. The siblings have dropped onto their knees from the suffocating magical pressure they both released. Good, let them know their place in the pecking order. Fairy Tail doesn't need weaklings.

Elden doesn't need weaklings like that weighing him down. He could be so much more. He was the one who promised to be his Ace when he became the Guild Master.

Laxus stormed past his best friend in silent fury, their shoulders brushing past each other in a rough manner. He casted the siblings one last glare before he left.

Elden doesn't need these weaklings. His best friend doesn't need anyone else other than him and their Thunder God Tribe.

It was only when he finally cooled his head that he realised that his stupid fucking pride had gotten the better of him once more.


He fucking hates Mirajane but at the same time was fucking glad that she came to Fairy Tail.

Her presence is definitely good for Elden. It takes a damn while, but he is slowly opening himself up once more because of her. At the same time, he is angry that she can easily do what he cannot, to be Elden's best friend.

Yes, that's right. Elden's best friend is no longer him, it is that fucking demon Mirajane.

He did manage to find an opportunity to sow some seeds of doubt in Mirajane when Elden left to complete another mission, because the Thunder God Tribe was in town. It wasn't of much use though. Mirajane's friendship with El only got stronger.

Time passed in a blur. Elden became S Class, not like Laxus ever doubted him but it finally became official. They are both S Class. Elden made good on his crazy promise and actually created an avatar out of his barriers that is bigger than the Kardia Cathedral. He showed the fruits of his training during his S Class Trial. It was fucking crazy and awesome at the same time. He was there to see it. Even Gildarts have nothing but praise for Elden.

More and more people from their generation then started to be S Class. Erza, even Mirajane, Mystogan. Fairy Tail is getting stronger and stronger but it is still not strong enough in his opinion. Fairy Tail can be even stronger.

Elden also adopted a sibling during this period, a sibling he raised together with Mirajane. If Mirajane was the one who got Elden to finally open up Yukino was the one who helped him connect with the rest of the guild. Yukino's presence is good for Elden, that is for sure. Elden saved her when he found her all alone in some unnamed woods. Like him, she had lost everything too. Even after so long, Elden is still helping people in need out of the kindness in his heart.

He can afford to be a little selfish.

The next big incident was the mission that nearly went belly-up for the Strauss siblings. Somebody would have died if it wasn't for Elden arriving on the scene in time. It was fucking obvious that Mirajane has an obvious thing for that lazyass after that. She already had a thing for him since she came into the guild but it seems that she only really realised it after the mission with The Beast.

And it is making him want to fucking cringe from how Elden and Mirajane both have pathetic crushes on each other but are both not taking the initiative to do it.

There was one day that he finally snapped because he could not carrying on watching that fucking debacle playing out in front of him. It has been going on for days. He and his Thunder God Tribe had left for their mission and got out of Magnolia because he couldn't stand seeing Elden and Mirajane acting like a pair of lovesick puppies but yet too shy to confess to each other. It makes him want to fucking puke at the sight of that.

And when the Thunder God Tribe returned from their mission the two idiots were still at it. Oh God, they still hadn't settled whatever is between them?

The entire guild finds it amusing and bets are running high. He couldn't be bothered and went home to take a nap because the mission cost him his sleep and he needs his sleep right then. He finds that he couldn't take the fucking nap that he wants when his traitorous nose picked up two scents. One belongs to Elden, the other is Mirajane. They are both circling Magnolia Town in a cat-and-mouse game with Elden constantly evading Mirajane.

He can ignore it when they circled Magnolia Town the first time. But it was getting really fucking irritating when his nose told him that they had already circled Magnolia for the second, third, and even the fucking fourth time with Mirajane still not able to catch up to Elden.

For fuck's sake, he just wanted to take a damn nap after he returned from his mission. He hasn't had fucking sleep in forever because that mission took all night to complete. The two shitheads had been circling around Magnolia for the entire morning and Laxus fucking Dreyar just wants his sleep goddamit!

He lost it. He really lost it. He jumped out of bed, grabbed his coat that his best friend had given him before throwing it over his shoulders and disappeared in a bolt of lightning. It is not hard to track down Mirajane even without his nose. She has one of the largest magical reserves in the guild as an S Class mage.

He also found the rest of their generation with Mirajane save a few that are not around. They are all laughing at her plight at not being able to find Elden.

"Fucking pathetic."

That was how he made his entrance, because this scene is so fucking pathetic that he cannot even bring himself to watch it any longer. He just wants this cat-and-mouse game to end so that he can finally have his goddamn sleep.

"I'm sick of seeing you and that lazyass going about in circles like some lovesick puppies and making my head spin. It's making me want to puke. He's on his way to Lake Scilioria, shitheads. You might catch him if you are fast enough."

Fuck, it's obvious that Elden's next destination has to be Lake Scilioria if these idiots actually bothered to use their heads to fucking think.

He then turned to Mirajane, who was all dressed up. She is actually wearing a fucking dress, probably to impress that lazyass. Joke's on her. She could probably be in nothing but in just an old wrinkly shirt and that lazyass would still look at her like she's the world's greatest wonder. That lazyass obviously likes her just as much as she likes him.

But he still cannot stand just how fucking stupid Mirajane is. She's a fucking S Class mage and she doesn't even fucking act like one. With how much magic she has and without her keeping it in check, Elden will obviously know that she's coming after him if she didn't make an effort to hide her presence. If she wants to finally catch up to Elden without him realising, she will need to clamp down on her magic and stop it from brightening up their magic sense like a fucking lighthouse in the dark night sky.

It's so, fucking, simple.

The thing he does for his best friend. Seriously.

"And don't fucking flaunt your magic that much. It's like seeing a wildfire approaching you at midnight, it's fucking obvious that you were coming. You are an S Class mage, act like one and fucking get a handle on your magic."

His point made, he disappeared in a bolt of lightning and headed back to his house to finally get his sleep.

It was only when he woke up from his nap when a certain thought hit him.

Fuck, did he just acted as El's wingman?

The fact that El and Mira became an official couple that very day told him that yes, he did.


Two more years passed. Things happened. Things changed once more.

He got excommunicated for his foolishness.

It's fine. He should have seen it coming. Elden had told him time and time again that his path was one of self-destruction. It was him that didn't listen. He got what he deserved.

At least they are each other's best friend again. He had finally gotten a handle on his stupid pride and it will never get in his way ever again if he has a say in it. It had been a bitter pill to swallow and a tough lesson to learn, but it is one that he will never forget.

Elden still believes that he can be Guild Master one day and he will still continue to strive to be the Ace, his Ace. He has no words for that because words can no longer explain the gratitude he has for his best friend.

So this time, he will prove it through his own actions, that he is still a viable candidate to be the next Guild Master of Fairy Tail despite his excommunicated status.

They kept in constant contact through communication lacrima. Sometimes their conversations are brief, sometimes it can be a little long. Elden is helping him to keep an eye out on their Thunder God Tribe in his stead.

And when Elden called him one day to tell him that Fairy Tail needed his help on Tenrou Island, he rushed back without delay. It was just in time when he saved Bickslow from Bluenote.

Nobody touches their Thunder God Tribe. Nobody touches Fairy Tail.

It was then that he finally acted like a true S Class mage of Fairy Tail during the battle on Tenrou.


Years passed again.

Right after the Tenrou incident, through the guild's collective request (or more like demand), he got reinstated as a member of Fairy Tail once more. The last time he shed tears was when he was excommunicated. He shed tears once more when he was so readily accepted into that family again.

He swears that he will never repeat his mistakes. It had cost him too much.

Elden and Mira got married. They settled down, had a kid. He became the godfather of that little demon. Erza's the godmother. The Thunder God Tribe bowed to her every whim and so did the guild. The world is doomed.

Gildarts stepped down and slowed his pace the moment he found out he had a daughter all along. Gildarts no longer disappear for months on end and come back regularly to the guild to mingle with the members. What a fucking surprise. Gildarts and Cana are father and daughter. Who would have known.

Elden eventually became the new Ace of the guild when Gildarts decided to retire from his position. Gildarts is still an active member, but he decided that he prefers spending time with his daughter and family more than he prefers going on missions. He still goes on a long mission every now and then, but that will be his father-daughter bonding time between him and Cana when that happens. He no longer goes on missions alone.

However, with both Gildarts and Cana going on the same mission, the stack of complaints the guild received only piled even higher.

He himself worked his way up from scratch again in order to redeem himself. This time, he wants people to acknowledge him through the right way. This time, he will protect the guild the right way.

And when he became the Fourth Guild Master of Fairy Tail, Elden was there beside him as his Ace. Elden was the first to address him as "Master Laxus" as per their promise.

It took a long while and they definitely went about a big circle to do so, but they both fulfilled their childhood promise to each other.

He is the sword of the guild and his Ace is the shield. Together, they are unstoppable.

Fairy Tail got even stronger and livelier. You could mistake it for being a mini childcare with how members of their generation are starting to pop babies out left and right. They are still the number one guild in Fiore but they have to cut down on the member intake because they are starting to get a little too popular. The acceptance criteria for newbies got a lot more stringent out of necessity. A guild that became too big without any checks in place would just be a ticking time bomb waiting to explode, so they don't really have a choice for the sake of the guild.

Then again, it's not like the acceptance criteria is that hard to meet.

All the aspiring applicants have to do is to prove that they have a good heart. It is more like a secret test they hold. If the members feel like the applicants are good people, they accept them without question. If the only reason the applicants join is to have that number one title hanging on their head then they will kick them out without a second thought. It's that simple.

Fairy Tail doesn't care if you have a lame as hell magic or a super cool one. What matters is who and what you are within as a person. A guild is more than just the strength and prestige that comes with it. A guild is all about its members.

Now that he is Guild Master, he is supposed to be the one with the highest authority in the guild, right? Apparently a little demon doesn't think so.

"Brat, I know you are hiding right there. Come out."

"Ehehehe." His goddaughter climbed out from behind his shelf in the guildmaster's office, his office, her hand rubbing the back of her head in a sheepish manner just like how her father would do. The only kid in the entire guild that would frequently trespass into his office is her. The cheeky little demon with hair as black as her father is the only one with both the smarts and guts to do so.

This is Mirel Tyrell, the little demon spawn and he is said demon spawn's godfather.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get out. Shoo, I need to continue doing the paperwork."

"But Uncle Laxus~"

"It's Master Laxus."

"But Uncle Laxus! I just made mummy mad again and you know how she is when she's mad! Just let me hide here for the day, pretty please?"

"Your problem is not my problem."

Don't you dare, Laxus Dreyar. Don't you dare to look up and stare into those blue eyes. Those stupid puppy dog eyes that can make his mental resistance crumble faster than he can say Fairy Tail.

"Ah, what a pity. And I purposely brought a bottle of freshly made orange juice for a certain favourite uncle today." That little demon gave a long sigh. She's only four and yet she already mastered the art of bribery down to an art form. The fact that she can speak so fluently at the age of four speaks volumes about her intellect, something which she definitely inherited from her father. But those bribery skills? Who did she take after in this regard? Certainly not her parents.

Must be Yukino's influence, or Cana. Either her or Cana.

Then again, it is working. That orange juice bribe is working and he hates himself for it.

Without looking up from his paperwork, he asked the little brat.

"Is there pulp in it?"

"Uh huh. But you don't seem to want it since you want me to get out of the office… so…"

That little demon took the bottle of orange juice with her (where did she even pull it out from in the first place?) and slowly walked in the direction of the door, that insufferable dramatic sigh leaving her lips. Laxus took a silent whiff with his nose and goddammit, it is really fresh orange juice. Like plucked and juiced today morning kind of fresh.

"Brat."

The little demon immediately spun around on her heels and put on an innocent looking face. It doesn't fool him but it still works on him. The brat might as well be the secret Guild Master of Fairy Tail with how he is under her thumb.

"Yes, Master Laxus?"

"Put the bottle here on my table."

"Why should I?"

"Because the only other option is for you to go out and get a scolding from your mother."

She jumped onto his lap with a cheer.

"Yay! I know Uncle Laxus is the best! The best uncle! My favourite uncle! All hail Uncle Laxus! Best uncle in the world!"

"It's-"

"-Master Laxus. Yes, yes, I know. Hey hey Uncle Laxus! Let's go out and play! Come on, it will be fun!"

"No. I have work to do. See?"

The pile of unfinished paperwork on his table makes him feel exhausted just by looking at it. Natsu is responsible for at least half of those. Goddamit Natsu, you are a father now! Set a good example for your daughter and stop destroying public property!

"Awwwwwww. And here I have another bottle of fresh orange juice hidden somewhere~ What a pity~"

He facepalmed. Who on earth told her about his weakness to orange juice? Freed? Bickslow? Ever? Who spilt it? WHO?!

He picked her up from his lap and let her sit on his shoulders, just like how Gramps let him sit on his when he was a child watching the Fantasia Parade. He walked out of the door of his office with the little demon cheering at the top of her lungs the entire time. In his right hand is the bottle of orange juice the little demon bribed him with. Draped over his shoulders is the same brown coat he received from his best friend more than a decade ago.

"Yay! Woohoo! Playtime!"

"Only twenty minutes, then we are coming back here."

"One hour!"

"Thirty minutes or no deal."

"Deal!"

Goddammit he had really spoiled her rotten.

Not like he actually regrets it though.


AN: I will be posting a total of three Sidewalk chapters that serve as a bridge to a timeskip while explaining Elden's past with the three important figures in his life that happened before the start of the first chapter. Elden's relationship with Laxus is the first of three. The other two would be Mira and Yukino. I actually finished writing Mira's chapter before Laxus's but I thought it is better to post Laxus as the first given that Laxus and Elden were best friends. I wrote Yukino's last and I decided to post her chapter as the last one as well because among these three people, she entered Elden's life the latest.

You can take these three chapters as an apology for making you guys wait this long. You can also take it as fanservice. Either way, I myself really love these three chapters, especially the one about Mira. Word of warning, hers is really long. For readers who love reading a chapter without disruptions from beginning to end, you might want to make sure you have some actual spare time before reading it because it will definitely take awhile to finish reading the story about Mira. If all goes well I can post a chapter a day until all three Sidewalk chapters are posted.

As always, RIP to my sleep schedule and I hope you enjoy this chapter. I swear, these three Sidewalk chapters are going to be the death of me for the lack of sleep they are causing me.

Then again, I don't regret it because these three chapters are in my opinion, the best chapters in TAOFT and will probably remain this way.