Hello once again my lovely readers! Time for the usual.
Raidentensho: Why whatever do you mean. There's absolutely nothing that could cause the man with a mission to crack. Nothing at all...
anzafay21: We won't get to the proper Bosco Revolution arc for a bit, but it is coming. I'll naturally have dashes of ongoings with it here and there, but for now this arc is primarily gonna be about Matt's character development.
Smenton: Sorry to dash those hopes, but I have zero plans for a One Piece fic. Not because I hate it, but because I don't wanna write for something that doesn't have an ending/cutoff point. Makes planning infinitly harder and has the serious chance of burnout occurring. Appreciate the kind uh... essay though!
Alright, with that all done, let's get going!
Matt and Makarov huddled around the bar counter as the latter was showing the young man where the island in question was and the specifics he wanted investigated.
"It's about a two hour boat ride from Hargeon to the south." He pointed at an area of the map.
"Got it." He nodded, "Anything else I should check on while there?"
Makarov placed a hand to his chin in thought. "Well, make sure the springs are working too. They possess healing properties too so perhaps a dip into one would be good for you right now."
"I'll keep that in mind." Matt rolled up the map and placed stored it in his Requip space. "Guess I'm off then."
Makarov nodded as Matt made his way out of the guild, ready to get this over with.
"Where are you going Big Brother?" Kagura asked him with some concern.
He smirked and patted her head, "Just going on a little errand. I'll be back later."
The girl wanted to speak up. To tell him to take her with him. To ask him to be safe. However, she held her tongue due to the nervous potential of rejection.
The familiar Red-Eyes was summoned as the teen hopped onto the dragon and headed in the appointed direction. Matt could see some concern from the others since he still wasn't in good physical health, but it's not like the island is dangerous... to him. Makarov wouldn't have allowed him to do this if it was. Besides, it's not like anyone would live on an abandoned island that's guild property right?
"Wow, Master wasn't kidding when he said the island had a massive tree on it." He looked at the colossal tree at the island's heart in awe. It must've been the height of a mountain.
It had been smooth travels to here, though the blistering heat on the journey wasn't appreciated. After training to use fire runes on top of fighting Xanxo and God Serena, heat didn't really phase him anymore. It'd take some crazy fire to get him to even consider sweating.
Red-Eyes landed by the rocky coast of the island. Matt hopped off and immediately felt a wave of relief and empowerment wash over him.
'The hell?' He looked at his free hand, clutching and releasing the appendage. 'I feel really good right now. Is this what Master meant by the islands protection for guild members?' Matt shrugged and pressed on deeper into the island. 'Man, the trees here aren't anything to write off either.' He gazed at the serene forest he walked through without a care.
The overall feeling of the island was actually quite nice. Though an odd nagging feeling was eating away at him. Like something was calling out to him. Matt forced the feeling back as it wasn't that strong.
"Let's see here." He pulled out a list of the local wildlife on the island. His eyes turned to the trees for his first target. "Tenrou Squirrels: check." The name was crossed off the paper.
The next tree cluster held the Chameleon-like Backsye. Matt crossed it off the list. A stampeding noise deeper into the island made him gaze over to a herd of Hodras' charging him.
"Huh. Those things are here too? Wonder if that means the water level was much lower a long time ago." Matt pondered this as he scared the animals off by releasing a bit of his Magic Power, subsequently crossing them off the list.
As Matt walked around, he heard the distinct cries of a flock of birds. The Clippers were flying straight for him.
"Okay is all the wildlife that looks threatening also man-eating? Because that definitely raises some concerns about having kids on this island." Matt sighed as he crossed them off the list and axed off this flocks existence with a few swords shot at them.
The massive sounds of footfalls caught Matt's ears as he turned to see a Doscasaurus eyeing him.
"… Are you just a rejected design for some children's card game?" He questioned out loud as the beast roared and charged him. Matt, still with a hand in his chin, simply raised his leg to meet the skull of the animal.
The Dinosaur's head collided with Matt's foot, the teen didn't budge an inch as the beast fell over, unconscious.
"… Nah, you're more like one of those rejected designs of those dinosaur robots." He walked away. "I wonder if I could make giant mechs with my magic? Be pretty cool to say 'Bite me I have a mech army'… no, if I could've done that I already would have." He sighed at the pointless idea.
Rustling in the trees above Matt lead him to see the cute Curily looking at him curiously. "Ya gotta wonder if one of these cute animals is gonna go all berserker on my ass." He stopped and put a hand to his chin. "Though if the guild could utilize it..." Matt decided to file that thought under the Later Projects tab of his brain.
Next on the list was…
"…" Matt's eye twitched as he observed the Kubina Gamaru staring at him.
"…" The beast was also silent, staring at the teen.
"Look here you-" Matt started.
"Look here you." The beast spoke.
Matt looked at it in surprise.
'This thing can replicate human speech?'
As this slowly dawned on him, a cheshire grin crept onto his face as he decided to give this animal some needed culture education.
Once that was over, Matt just had one animal left to check on. To his ease, said animal was currently charging at him with the intent to devour.
"I'm too old to deal with this shit." Matt sighed and waved his hand which held a card.
The beast stopped dead in its tracks as Blue-Eyes terrified the giant Rollidillo back into its hole. Matt sighed and scratched the back of his head.
"Who the hell names a giant man-eating animal Rollidillo? I mean calling it Death Gazer or Chasm Beast would be overkill, but there's gotta be something better." Matt thought out loud as he walked passed the cowering beast. It swore that Blue-Eyes pointed at its own eyes and then at it.
The teen gazed at the list. "Looks like that's all the native wildlife. So the ecosystem seems intact and undisturbed." He nodded in satisfaction before putting the list away.
"Now to find those hot springs." Matt gazed at the map. "If I were an old guild and wanted magic healing baths, where would I put them." The teen paused. "Wait, old guild? Where the hell did that come from?" He scratched his head in confusion. "Guess I read about it in a book. Huh, weird time for my head to recall that." He shrugged and walked off towards where he thought said springs would be.
'Gotta admit, outside the man-eating animals and whatever the fuck those giant guys are, this palace is pretty nice.' Matt genuinely enjoyed the atmosphere this island brought. It definitely made him feel at peace. Not that the guild didn't, but the feeling of being an outsider there was still just too overwhelming at times.
After a few more minutes of walking, the sound of running water caught his ear. He increased his pace and eventually found the springs. The greenish water and herbs floating on the surface definitely told the teen this was the spot.
"Well. It could also not be…" He pondered how to test it before shrugging. "Well, you only live once… unless your life is technically restarted in another world. Does that mean I've lived two lives or is this like a respec in a video game?"
Matt decided that would be best asked for later and embraced his inner reckless teen by skinny dipping in the spring.
He hissed as the water made contact with his wounds, the feeling identical to medicinal alcohol. Matt held his right arm as he eased himself into the green fluid. Once his lower half was submerged, he'd grown used to the stinging sensation.
"I imagine these herbs help the process." Grabbing one, Matt rubbed it on his face and hissed in pain, dull stinging sensations overlapped with his wounds.
Once that was done and he'd rubbed every wound with the plant, he sighed and gazed at his damaged arm. "Shame all the damage was inside. Otherwise this might've helped more." A bitter chuckle left his mouth as the teen turned to look up at the sky.
He stared at the vast blue, as if in longing to reach it. The teen then fully submerged himself in the water for a moment.
"Ha!" A loud exhale came from Matt as he rubbed his face. His dual-colored locks stuck to his head and shoulders.
"Should probably get a haircut soon." He twirled one of the locks between his fingers. "What do you think Kagura-" The teen looked over to where the girl normally would be before remembering. "Oh. That's right, I'm alone here. Heh, stupid me." A sad smile made its mark on the teens face.
Deciding being in this bath was now doing more bad than good, he exited it and dried off with a towel he kept in his hammer space. After putting his clothes back on with a bit of difficulty, Matt had prepared to leave the island.
A gust of wind and an odd gut feeling made Matt turn his head. The teens eyes widened in shock as he saw what was there, looking right at him.
'Is that a person?' He questioned as he gazed at the figure hidden in the trees.
Said figure noticed the teen's gaze and ran away.
'I can't risk having an unknown person being here for the Trials.' Matt then gave chase to this person.
Their chase spanned a good portion of the island. Over large rocks, they hopped and bounded across small gaps. Matt didn't know if this person knew the island well, or was some mugger that'd just arrived.
'This guy is fast!' Matt exclaimed as he hopped over another large root.
Thankfully fortune favored the dimensional traveler today, as the figure tripped and fell down a hill, tumbling rather harshly to the field below. Matt reached the top of the hill and gazed down at the figure on the ground.
He had black hair, fair skin and wore black robes with a gold trim and a white toga.
"Who are you?" Matt questioned as he slowly got closer to the figure.
"Stop! Don't come any closer!" The man yelled at Matt.
"Look buddy, I'm not gonna hurt you if you just explain a few things to me." Matt defensively raised his hands.
"No! I'll hurt you if you don't run!" His cries caused Matt to pause.
'That… didn't sound like a threat. That was a genuine warning.' The teen went on full alert.
"I don't know who you are, but if you got a problem then maybe I can help." Matt continued his slow and cautious approach.
The boy clutched his head as darkness swirled around him. He cried in agoninzing pain as a wave of darkness overtook the area, sending Matt backwards to the dead grass.
His consciousness slipped away as the last thing he saw were the tears of the person in front of him.
"This feels… familiar." Matt thought as he drifted in the vast, unending darkness.
"Can't be heaven, and this is a weird punishment for hell. Though drifting aimlessly for eternity is probably hell to most people."
No matter where his gaze fell, it was darkness that greeted him. Like a cocoon of everlasting despair had ensnared his very soul.
"Purgatory sounds right. Or, maybe there is no afterlife and I'm just an aimlessly wandering soul now."
As he voiced his thoughts, a bright light shined above him. He covered his eyes and averted his gaze at the light grew brighter and brighter.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The ravenette cried as he gazed at the fallen form in front of him.
"Uuugh. Man talk about a rough landing." Matt groaned as he sat up and rubbed his head, his noggin hitting the ground quite hard.
The man in front of him was immediately silenced and looked at the teen in the purest shock he's ever seen.
Matt sat up and coughed a bit before getting a better look at the person in front of him. 'Huh. Looks familiar. Wonder where I've seen him before.' He thought briefly, but brushed it aside as it could he his head messing with him.
As Matt was thinking, the man slowly approached him. He placed his hands on Matt's face.
"You're... warm." He muttered.
"Uhhhh." Matt looked at him oddly.
The man's hand fell to Matt's neck, checking his pulse.
"You're heart, it's beating." Another mutter from the man.
"Y-yes, it would be quite a challenge to speak if it didn't." Matt remarked awkwardly.
The man then pinched Matt's cheek.
"Ow!" He cried out and slapped the man's hand away.
"You feel pain."
"Well of course I do jackass!" He rubbed his cheek and looked at the man.
Matt fell silent as he saw something in this man's eyes. A faint light glowing once more in them, like a candle standing strong in a blizzard.
"You're… alive." He muttered.
The teen opted to remain silent.
"You're alive." His voice grew louder.
Before his very eyes, Matt saw a person's very soul emerge from the darkness.
"You're alive!" He cried out and immediately hugged the teen so tightly it hurt. The man terrified of the prospect that if he let go, this person would be just another memory.
The man kept saying those words over and over as Matt felt tears on his shoulder.
"There there." He awkwardly hugged the man back. "Man I normally do this for girls, kinda weird doing it with a guy for once… wait did I just innuendo myself?" Matt thought out loud.
After a moment, the man let go and wiped his eyes.
"Okay dude, I'm pretty sure that counted as first base in some countries and you haven't even taken me out for dinner yet. So I'd appreciate an explanation as to what the hell just happened." Matt inquired to the man.
"How?" The man sniffled.
"How what?"
"How did you survive the curse?!" The man demanded an answer.
"Curse? You mean that black wind?" The nod of the man confirmed it to him.
"I mean… sure it knocked me out for a bit, but that's about it. Sorry dude, you gotta work on your magic a bit before calling it a curse." He shrugged and looked away from the man.
"N-no, you don't understand. That was not magic." His tone turned very serious. "That was a curse placed upon me by Ankhseram."
"Ankhwhonow?" Matt raised a brow at the man.
"He's the God with dominion over life and death. This curse is the Curse of Contradiction." He looked at his hand. "It kills everything around the person if they cherish life. But if they don't cherish life, it won't take it away."
Matt looked around and saw how all the trees and grass had died for a good twenty feet.
"So it doesn't make sense how you managed to avoid a curse like that." The man rationalized to Matt.
"I see what you mean." He pondered how he was immune to a curse from a God of life and death of this world... wait. "It can't be…" The teen put a hand to his chin.
"What's the matter?" He asked Matt.
"Well…" The teen sighed as he glanced at this man, something in him telling him that this person was trustworthy. Something told him that the individual in front of him would never tell a soul something personal of an unknown associate. "Can you… keep a secret?"
"Of course." He nodded in response. Genuinely curious at this point.
"I'm... not exactly from around here." He sheepishly looked away from the man.
"What does that mean?" A brow was raised in confusion.
Matt sighed, "I mean I'm not from this world."
The man's eyes widened.
"I woke up in this world about ten years ago. Don't know how I got here or why my appearance had changed and turned into a five year-old."
As Matt was talking, the man nodded along.
"I see now!" He cried out, spooking Matt. "Your soul doesn't follow the laws of this world! Meaning any curses that could damage it are rendered moot!" The man stood and paced with a smile.
"Oookay. That's uh, cool, I guess."
"You guess?! With this kind of ability so many things could be done!" He cried out in joy as he muttered out words in rapid fire afterwards.
"So uh, I get the excitement and all, but could I get a name? Otherwise I'm gonna have to start calling you Mr. Bipolar."
The man stopped and face palmed himself.
"Of course, how rude of me." He awkwardly chuckled and extended his hand. "I'm… Zeke."
"Matthew Atlas, but everyone-" Matt started but got cut off.
"Calls you Matt. Got it." He nodded with a small smile after finishing Matt's sentence. "So, what is this world of yours like?"
"Hoo boy… ya got some free time? This'll be a long one."
The duo sat down by the cliff overlooking the horizon.
"Electronic devices that can send messages across the world in a second? Interesting." Zeke smiled as Matt told him about his world.
"Yeah, technology was developed at a ridiculous rate. In a hundred years we went from crummy cars, shoddy phones and coal power to touch screen devices, cars that go hundreds of miles an hour and nuclear energy."
"Nuclear energy?" Zeke questioned.
"Sorry, that's something I'm taking to the grave with me. That kind of power should be in no one's hands." Matt ended that thought immediately.
"Of course." Zeke nodded in agreement. "So I take it those cards are your magic?" He eyed the deck box.
"Mmhm." Matt pulled out a card. "I pump these cards with some Magic Power and poof! The Monster in it comes out."
Zeke's eyes narrowed, "I've never heard of that magic before…"
"Well that's not surprising, apparently I'm the first guy to use this magic period. Woke up with this deck box on me. Once I summoned Dark Magician, the others just followed after him." Matt explained with a small smile.
"I've been meaning to ask you about that."
"Ask away." Matt placed the card back in the deck.
"Well, something you said caught my ear." Zeke started.
"Mmhm."
"You said you can't recall certain memories right." Matt nodded, so he continued. "You also mentioned how you just knew that the body you woke up in was five right."
"Correct." He nodded as he followed along.
"Well. What if you were here for those five years and don't remember?"
Matt immediately went to dispute that, but stopped. His expression twisted from confusion to legitimate deep thought.
'There's no way. But, how did I wake up in that forest? How was I wearing any clothes? Why did I have my deck box on me then?' More questions rose up in Matt as he thought it out.
"It's weird isn't it?" Zeke looked at the ocean. "Even when we think we have everything figured out and can focus on one thing, some minor detail we brushed over comes back to strike once more." A bitter smile made it's way on to his face.
"Yeah… no kiddin'." Matt absentmindedly spoke as he racked his brain.
"By the way," Zeke changed the subject, "What happened to your arm?"
"Hm?" Matt looked confused for a moment before realizing what he meant. "I busted it up pretty good in a fight. Can't heal it with medicine since the process is too delicate for anyone to heal and not potentially mess up my arm even worse."
Zeke stared at the arm and reached out with his hand.
"What are you- whoa." Matt was about to question the man as a golden light came from Zeke's palm and enveloped Matt's arm. A warm, pleasant sensation overcame it as he could feel the bones and muscles reconnect. It wasn't even remotely painful, hell it was downright enjoyable. It died down after a moment and Zeke wiped his brow.
"It's been a while since I used magic to help someone." A genuine smile came from the man. "It was nice."
Matt moved the appendage in shock. The permanent nerve damage was still there, but the entire healing process was immediately skipped over.
"Thank you." Matt spoke as he stared at his arm.
"No, thank you." Zeke shook his head. "This is the least I can do in comparison to what you've done for me."
"What do you mean?" Matt looked over to the other teen, smiling and gazing at the sun.
"For so many years now, everything I every valued either died by other causes, or by this curse." He scowled as he looked at the ground, "But then you came along. The one who lived. You've given me hope that maybe, just maybe, I'm not alone anymore."
Matt looked at him and understood what he was saying all too well.
"Loneliness sucks doesn't it?" The teen muttered as he gazed at the horizon.
"Yeah." Zeke nodded as he joined Matt at looking ahead. "If you want, I could try and look through your memories. See if anything odd sticks out."
Matt gazed over to the teen surprised, but nodded, eager to get his answers or at least know if nothing is wrong.
"Alright then." Zeke stood and walked behind Matt. He placed his hands on Matt's temples. "This may feel weird, but bear with it."
Matt silently nodded as he felt said weird feeling. Ever hear a super loud version of an insect crawling and think it's in your ear so your body cringes? Yeah it's basically that. The King did a full-body cringe with a crumpled expression as Zeke worked away.
Zeke's eyes closed shut tightly as the magic forced him to shift though any memories Matt may have hidden away by choice or outside interference.
After a moment, the spell ended and Zeke stepped back with heavy breaths.
"Well," Matt rubbed his ears vigorously, "Anything of note I wouldn't know?"
Zeke remained silent for a moment before shaking his head.
"I see." The teen's expression was downcast for a moment before he perked up. "Well at least I know there's nothing locked away up there. Means I just gotta keep looking for my answers."
Matt stood with a stretch.
"Well, I better get back to the guild. Don't wanna worry Master or anyone." He turned to face Zeke. "Thank you."
Zeke smiled at the teen.
"I promise I'll come visit once in a while. We can catch up and chat." He smiled at the man.
"Yeah. I'd like that." Zeke nodded in gratitude.
Matt nodded and summoned Red-Eyes. He waved goodbye to the man before flying off to the mainland.
Zeke watched him go and waved goodbye. Once he was out of sight, Zeke lowered his arm.
"I'm sorry Matt. But no one should every have to relive that…" His expression turned sorrowful as he gazed in the direction of his friend. His first friend since her…
"I'm back!" Matt kicked the door to the guild open. A rise of mugs and greetings came from the guild as Matt walked towards the bar.
"Matt! Look at what I found earlier!" Natsu ran over with a giant egg in his hands.
The teen raised a brow, "So you gonna cook that or something?"
"Of course not!" Lisanna chided the teen as she approached. "Natsu and I are gonna raise it!"
"That's right!" He confidently smiled at the girl.
"What? Like parents?"
"Yup!" They both nodded in excitement
"Hoh? I see now." Matt nodded with his arms crossed and eyes closed.
"See what now?" The little girl asked curiously.
A devious smirk rose on Matt's face.
"You better send me invitations to that wedding in a few years."
Both of the younger duos faces became more like tomatoes as Matt looked at them with a sly expression.
"Sh-Shut up Matt!" Natsu got out in spite of his embarrassment.
Matt belly laughed as he walked away from the pair.
"Looks like you're in good spirits my boy." Makarov spoke after taking a swig from his mug.
"Well what can I say." Matt rolled his right shoulder, "Those springs work wonders."
"It… seems so." The old man eyed Matt's arm, genuinely surprised that such a method worked. "How'd the rest of it go?"
"Fine." The teen sat down, "The ecosystem is alive and well without any disturbances. Though the number of animals that tried to kill me is a bit worrying."
"Bah, this is a promotion to S-class anyways. Handling some primitive man-eaters should be no problem." The man wrote off the teen's concern.
Matt sighed, "Fair enough I guess."
"Then if that's everything, I suppose preparations need to be prepared for December." Makarov nodded and walked off to head into his office.
The teen sighed and walked behind the bar to make himself a non-alcoholic drink.
Kagura plopped herself atop a seat and smiled at Matt. Noticing the older teen using his dominant arm once more caused the smile to deepen.
"Hey Big Brother!"
The teen gazed over and smiled, "Hey there Kagura, you want something?"
"Hmmm." She placed a hand to her chin, "Whiskey on the rocks!"
"When you're older." He immediately responded in a dry tone.
She pouted, "That's what you told me a year ago."
"Yup. And you're still the little one here." He teased the girl and ruffled her hair. The girl giggled and smiled widely at the act.
"Whiskey on the rocks Matthew." Bransish sat down and excalimed, a bored expression on her face.
The duo looked at her with a dull expression.
"Brandish you're still too young for that." The teen remarked to her.
"But Big Brother~!" She cried out.
"No means no."
The greenette pouted and crossed her arms. A Shirley Temple was slid her way, causing her to pull a 180 and immediately start sucking the sweet beverage down.
"Same as always." Kagura smiled as her own drink, an Arnold Palmer, was set in front of her.
"Yup." Matt chimed in after his Roy Rogers was finished.
"Hey Big Brother." Kagura spoke up nervously.
"Hm?"
"Are you… gonna have to do more scary things like you did on that last job?" Her concerns for his safety were finally voiced out.
"… I don't know." He responded completely honest. "Maybe they will, maybe they won't."
"Don't you get scared?" Her eyes met his own.
Matt remained silent for a moment, "Yeah. Yeah I do Kagura. There's some real scary people out there. Outside the confines of this unbelievably peaceful little city is a big world. And this big world has a lot of very bad people. People that enjoy hurting others. People that hurt others for money. People that hurt others because they just want to." Various images of the people he's fought over the years flashed in his mind.
"But." He raised a finger and lightly smiled. "There's even more good people in it. You're in a guild filled with a small percentage of them." Matt gestured to the other members of Fairy Tail as they started to beat the piss out of each other… it was out of love though.
"Will I… eventually meet some of those bad people." She asked him with a hint of fear.
"… Yes. Yes you will Kagura. It's just how things are for Mage's like us." He reached over and patted her head. "But don't think for even a second that you'll ever be alone." His words slowly filled her with hope. "Even when you think you're alone, I'll always be there. The girl who acts more mature than she is will be too."
"Hey!" Brandish cried out.
"All those snooping idiots behind you will be there."
"""Hey!""" Those listening in secret cried out.
"So whenever you feel like you're alone. Whenever you think you're stranded." He pointed to her heart. "Just remember the people you hold dear in there. And everything will be alright."
The girl smiled, "Thanks Big Brother."
He patted her head, "It's my job."
After this, Matt noticed a table ablaze in the corner of the hall. A group of people scrambled around to put it out.
"Huh. They're new." Matt commented at the sight.
"Yeah, that's Judeau Caristio and his group of friends. They joined not long after you left earlier." Brandish finished her drink with a satisfied exhale.
"I see." He nodded and left it at that.
"Hey Big Brother." The Greenette spoke up.
"Hm?"
"Do you think we could go on a job together?"
Kagura did a spit-take at her words as Matt shrugged.
"Sure, if nothing pops up tomorrow we can do it." He nodded at the girl who used a mask of indifference to hide her genuine excitement.
"B-Brandish! I thought we agreed to do a job together first?!" The purple-haired girl cried out in betrayal.
"But you aren't Big Brother."
The very soul of the poor girl shattered after hearing those words.
"It's alright Kagura, you can come along if you want to." The teen patted the girl's head in reassurance.
Brandish pouted, but didn't refute the words of her older brother.
"Now then," he clapped his hands together. "Who wants dinner?"
Brandish skipped along the road ahead of Matt and Kagura. The trio were currently heading out to deal with a group of bandits terrorizing a small settlement.
"Ah this takes me back." Matt nostalgically smiled.
"Did you do these kinds of jobs a lot?" Kagura gazed up at him.
"Yup! This was my bread and butter for a while until I moved up to B-Rank." He remembered the sheer number of bandits that got their asses kicked by Dark Magician Girl and snickered.
"So if Big Brother can do it, I can too!" Brandish puffed out her chest.
"Oh? And here I thought I heard you nervously muttering about how you could impress Big Brother on this job last night." Kagura smugly smiled at the girl.
"Th-That's not true!" She stuttered out with a blush.
Matt sighed at the antics of the two girls that made themselves out to be his younger siblings. It'd been a long time since he'd had this kind of relationship with others. Though it's not like he lacked the experience, his little siblings back home definitely gave him that. He was slightly annoyed being called such a formal title by the girls. Normally his brats back home... uh...
Matt stopped in his tracks.
'What… were their names again?' He searched his brain desperately for the information. 'R-Right! It was Joshua and Iris… r-right? No! Those have to be it…!'
"Big Brother?" Kagura looked up to him with concern.
Matt shook his head and gazed at her, "Y-Yes?"
"You just stopped all of a sudden. Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, just remembering if I did something or not last night is all." He chuckled to try and relive the tension.
Kagura nodded and played along, but she wasn't stupid. Watching Matt for long enough taught her a lot of things. One of these things being how to read and tell when someone is lying. Matt was a true master of hiding any minute tell of his body, but when caught off-guard like he just was, he rubbed his palm with his fingers nervously.
'What's going on Big Brother? Does this have to do with that mission?' She thought out in worry for him. While Kagura did dearly miss Simon, Matt was also just as important to her, especially since he was here. So of course the girl was gonna do everything she could to protect him. It's why she threw herself into training her magic and swordsmanship.
Hell, Kagura could tell that was the reason Erza was also desperately trying to grow stronger. They'd both seen the slow degeneration of his body over the years. From his left shoulder which she could tell still bothered Matt even after almost six years. To this latest arm wound which she knew would never fully heal.
At the rate he was going, Kagura was slightly terrified of having to roll around Matt in a wheelchair as he simply lost the ability to walk at such a young age. That was something she refused to accept until he was old and grey. She knew his promise to not be stupid anymore was never going to last. But she hoped it would long enough for her to be strong enough to protect him.
Eventually the trio reached the village in question. It was near Mt. Hakobe so it was rather chilly out. Cold winter air stabbing the exposed skin of the trio.
The second Kagura gave a shiver, a warm embrace was around her. She gazed up to see Matt walking ahead, lacking his distinct purple jacket. Kagura smiled and held it closer, still feeling his warmth. It comforted the girl second only to his heartbeat.
"So do you know where to go?" He asked Brandish as she looked around the square of the town.
"Of course, I just need to find the mayor and get the specifics from him." She confidently spoke and gazed around. Her eyes eventually falling on an approaching man. He wore a massive brown coat and a warm hat. His pale skinned face and impressive beard being the only parts of his body exposed to the cold.
"I assume you three are the wizards?" They nodded and made the man sigh in relief. "Thank goodness, I was concerned our job may get looked over for a bit. Now allow me to point you in the right direction."
"Are you sure you're okay Brandish? I think I see icicles growing from your nose." Matt asked the girl who marched ahead of him and Kagura.
"I-I'm f-f-fine! A l-litlle cold i-is n-n-n-nothing!"
The other two sighed as they scaled the mountain. According to the mayor, the bandits have taken refuge in an ice cave after booting out some Vulcan's.
Brandish didn't want to waste any time by wearing warmer clothing and insisted they get the job done quickly. Matt and Kagura went along with it since she had to learn her lesson sooner or later.
Eventually the group reached an uphill climb that lead to a cave.
"B-B-B-B-Bingo." Brandish's attempt at a smirk was moreso her mouth trembling to one side. "Y-You two h-h-hang back."
Kagura and Matt nodded, but stayed at the ready.
Brandish walked up to the entrance of the cave as confidently as her shivering form could muster. The second she charged in, the duo rushed up the hill and observed from the entrance.
"Well, at least she can fight even in her condition." Kagura sighed as Brandish shrunk a sword coming towards her and shrunk the foot of the men around her, causing them to slip and slide all around the cave.
The Macro mage ducked below a punch and caused an icicle she grabbed to grow upwards, striking the man and causing him to crack the ceiling.
Matt scowled as he gazed at the damaged roof to the cave. The damage wasn't superficial, but it wasn't structurally shattering.
Brandish smirked as she saw only one member of the bandits remained.
"Damn brat!" His hands glowed a bright orange.
"Oh no." Matt perked up as he recognized the type of magic.
"Hmph, don't get too cocky." She shrunk his feet, causing him to fall face-first to the icy ground.
"Brandish, move!" Matt cried out.
"Huh?"
The girl didn't realize the bandit used fire magic akin to Xanxo's. And she didn't realize just how quickly the ice undisturbed by the snow would melt. She and everyone else fell into the pool of ice water that had now become the floor.
"Brandy!" Kagura went to jump in when Matt beat her to the punch.
Without hesitation he dove into the freezing water. His skin stung as the chilling liquid bit into his pores. After a moment of diving, he saw the girl desperately trying to swim up. Unfortunately, she couldn't swim, so she was burning valuable energy and air.
By the time Matt reached her, she was motionless. He wrapped his arm around her tightly and began to swim up. Partway up, he suddenly felt much lighter. In fact he felt so light that he and Brandish were being lifted out.
Sweat beaded down Kagura's face as she lifted Matt, Brandish and about thirty gallons of water too. This was easily around five hundred pounds, the most she's ever lifted so far. But she had to help her family as much as she could.
Eventually the bubble containing her siblings came out and landed nearby, the duo being thoroughly drenched in the ice water.
"Are you guys okay?!" She rushed over as Matt laid Brandish on her back.
"She took in water, I gotta do CPR." Matt tilted the girls head back and opened her mouth.
Kagura blushed as his lips met Brandish's, the older teen filling her lungs with his own air. He then pressed his hands onto her chest a few times.
"C'mon damn you." He swore as he went in another time.
Kagura looked on with extreme concern, but most of all helplessness.
After the third time, Brandish coughed up the water in her lungs. Matt patted her back as he sighed in relief.
The other girl ran over and hugged the girl.
"Thank goodness." She spoke in relief as she felt truly how freezing the girl must by, and by extension, Matt too.
He gazed over to the cave and stood. As he approached the edge, he let out a breath as the bodies of the bandits floated in the water that was already starting to freeze again.
"Let's go." He spoke as Kagura nodded. Red-Eyes was summoned and carried to trio back home. Matt would simply send a message to the mayor that the job was done later.
"Aa-choo!" Brandish sneezed as she laid in her bed.
As expected, her actions had caused her to get sick.
"Here you go!" Lisanna handed her a tissue which she silently took.
The girls of the guild took turns keeping an eye on her. Lisanna volunteered first so she could go back to the egg immediately afterwards.
"Are you okay?" Lisanna looked at the girl with some concern.
"… I'm fine." Given that Brandish wasn't making eye contact and muttered out her words, Lisanna knew she was lying.
"Its pretty amazing though," Lisanna started with a smile, "How Matt saved you and everything. It was exactly like what Mira would've done for me or Elfman. He really cares about you."
The girl from another continent looked down at the bedsheets as her grip tightened.
"He wouldn't have had to save me at all if I wasn't so reckless."
"That doesn't matter," she shook her head, "What matters is that you're alive and well."
"But I wouldn't be if he wasn't there!" Brandish yelled. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes. "I wanted to show him that I could handle myself. That I could take on any challenge thrown my way so he wouldn't have to worry." She bit her lip in frustration. "And look where that idea got me: needing him to risk himself to save me."
"Brandish…" Lisanna looked at the girl sadly. She could relate. While her magic was nowhere near as strong as Brandish's, she still made that promise to protect her sister. Yet Mira was so much stronger than her that it was a pointless endeavor to ever catch up.
"He has to deal with so much, I thought if he saw me handle myself, he wouldn't have to worry anymore."
"That's his job though." She smiled at the girl and shook her head.
Brandish silently looked up at her.
"It's the job of older siblings to watch out for their younger ones. To pick them back up when they fall and to worry for their safety and wellbeing." Lisanna smiled fondly as she remembered how Mira took care of them after their parents died. How even when she hurt so much after abandoning their home and being labeled a demon, she made sure they were fed each day.
"But that's not fair to them!"
"It isn't, but it's a job they accept with a smile."
"Then… what should I do?" Brandish practically pleaded to the girl for an answer.
"Live."
Brandish's eyes widened at the answer. Tears fell down her cheeks as she wept with Lisanna cradling her head.
Matt rubbed his aching temples as he leaned against the bar.
"You okay Matt?" Gray sat across from him.
"Yeah, just nursing a headache is all." Matt half-lied.
It'd been a couple days since the mission with Brandish, and that unfortunate swim in ice water had done a number on him. Matt desperately tried to fight off the effects as he didn't want to worry anyone. Though it didn't help he'd been doing way too many mental gymnastics with a memory he slowly realized, to his horror, was fading away.
Unfortunately, the eyes of a certain redhead had grown far sharper to see through even his crippled master-level deception.
"Let me feel your forehead." Erza waved him over with a scowl.
"I told you Its nothing major."
"Then this shouldn't be an inconvenience at all." Her simple rationality made Matt realized he'd subconsciously trained these kids way too well.
The redhead placed her palm to his forehead, her eyes resembled saucers.
"You're red hot!" She exclaimed.
"I'm fine," he calmly spoke, "Believe me when I say I've dealt with worse." The teen tried to escape, only to feel Erza's hand grip his wrist.
"And you won't be dealing with worse anymore as long as I have a say." She scowled at the teen. Erza knew her threats had no effect on the teen, but she couldn't display the kind of weakness she was truly feeling in front of everyone.
Matt yanked his hand free and rubbed the wrist, "Trust me Erza, this is nothing." He ended the conversation by walking off towards his room.
"Ah! You must be Matthew Atlas!" An unfamiliar voice spoke to the mage.
Matt turned to see a teen roughly his age with blonde hair and grey eyes. He wore a white jacket with a red undershirt and beige pants with black boots.
"I'm Judeau Caristio! I just joined a couple weeks ago." He smiled.
Matt looked at him for a second before snapping, "Table fire guys."
The blonde flinched, "Geez, not a great first impression."
"Eh," he shrugged, "Most people do some property damage on their first day here. Don't let it get to ya."
Judeau smiled and nodded before walking off. Matt slowly walked over to his room. To the his own misfortune, he was lying considerably about his condition. Between this, his preexisting lack of sleep, paranoia over a shot memory and constant work around the guild, his vision was halfway black by the time he opened the bedroom door and shut it.
Matt only got a single step in before collapsing for the first time in his life.
And that wraps up another chapter.
Apologies for the delay, but trying to write in 100 degree heat in a room with poor ventilation is absolutely impossible. God, heat waves suck.
Anyways! We had a lot happen this time around so lets get to it.
Matt and "Zeke". Oh boy, this is gonna be fun as we go along. Now as you saw, yes, Matt is immune to the Contradiction Curse for plausible reasons Zeref theorized, but they may not exactly be correct. Regardless, Zeref and Matt are going to have one of the more unique dynamics between canon characters and Matt.
Brandish tries her best, but she's still a kid and inexperienced. I'll be doing more with these two later, but I wanted to give a sort of update towards their current feelings with Matt. Kagura does have the legitimate concern of Matt permanently crippling himself with his luck... I will not confirm just how accurate this gets down the line.
The biggest thing though: Matt's degrading memory of his old life. I don't think I even need to explain how much this is gonna fuck him up. That's his entire goal, his whole purpose being erased before his eyes, and he can't do a thing to stop it. As for why this is happening, it's not the obvious answer you'd expect.
Off topic: I got my third story up and going. It's a Persona 2 Eternal Punishment fic (for now), so give it a look if you don't care about major Innocent Sin spoilers or have already played it. I'm serious about that spoiler part though, there's just a big section that basically says what happened in IS. Not my fault, blame the bonus scenario on the PSP version. More details about it on my profile or in the AN of that first chapter.
With all that said and done, I bid you all adieu.