CHAPTER FIVE
ACEVEA
It's been a week since Natsu took me on that job. When we arrived back at the guildhall Natsu threw open the doors and announced very loudly, "We have a new guild member!" That announcement was met with cheers and celebration. Master Makarov did join in for a few moments but eventually just gave me a warm, proud smile. He did end up asking how Natsu convinced me to stay and join the guild, of course I told him.
"If you come after one of us, you come after all of us!"
That one line is what convinced me to stay and join the guild. It also let me figure out exactly what makes Fairy Tail the strongest guild in Fiore. Sure they have super strong wizards but it's not power that makes them the strongest guild, it's their hearts.
Today I'm at the guildhall getting my emblem. I didn't get it a week ago because Master and I had to go to the magic counsel to sort out the whole 'presumed dead' issue I had. All the papers were finally processed today so now I can officially join the guild. The only issue now is that I have no idea where I want my emblem to be.
"Hey little lion!" Leo greets from behind me.
"Leo!" I jump into his arms and snuggle into him. I will never not be happy to see my big brother. "How are you?" I ask, looking up at him - still hugging him.
"I'm doing alright, came to visit you and there are three members of the guild coming home today that I want you to meet." He answers calmly, but I sense there is more to it than that. I know him too well - even if it has been thirteen years.
"You want to see their reaction to me calling you big brother." I accuse and he feigns offense.
"I do not."
"C'mon Loke, even I have to admit some of the reactions we got when I was a kid were priceless." I reply and he grins, nodding in agreement. That's when I get an idea. "Big brother, where's your Fairy Tail emblem?!" I ask him excitedly.
I found out through Lucy that Leo spent a few years pretending to be human - which is where the name Loke came to be - because he had been banished from the celestial realm because he was accused of causing Karen's death. So he joined Fairy Tail as Loke and got a Fairy Tail emblem.
At first I didn't understand the part about Leo being the cause of Karen's death but Leo told me the full story later on, and let's just say I'm glad Lucy tore the celestial king a new one because it would have been so much worse had I been face to face with him. I still might say a few select things to him when I see him again.
"The middle of my back, between my shoulder blades, why?" He answers, as he starts braiding my hair.
"I couldn't decide where I should put mine, so I'll put it where you have yours." I explain happily. I can guarantee that Leo is smiling and probably feeling a little proud right now.
"Eve, I'm ready to give you your emblem now!" Mira calls over from the counter.
"Okay, I'll be right there!" I wait for Leo to finish the small braid and tie it off. Once he's done I head back over to Mira. Leo follows close behind and I remember the promise I made Natsu.
The scars that litter my back I usually hide with magic, I'm actually doing that right now even though I am wearing a closed shirt. I 'release' the magic hiding my back as I stop in front of Mira.
"Where do you want the emblem, Acevea?" Mira asks cheerfully.
"In the same spot Loke has his." I answer calmly. I take a deep breath then pull off my shirt.
"What the hell?!" Leo exclaims. I cover the front of my torso then turn to face him. "Ace, who did this to you?"
"Members of the Firecrest guild, it was the first guild I joined and they weren't a dark guild at the time, I was thirteen when they did this to me." I explain, keeping my voice level and calm.
Guilt flashes across Loke's face and I grab his hand, his eyes focus on me again. "Acevea, I'm so sorry, if I had gone back to you I could have brought you here, to Fairy Tail, and this wouldn't have happened to you."
"Leo, this isn't your fault and I know you would have never let this happen to me but it did happen and there is nothing anyone can do about it now, except for me. I have to try to open up to people again because that's how I'm going to get closure. I haven't allowed myself to feel things for so long, I have so much trauma and grief built up. If I don't start slowly letting myself feel these things, one day I'll just snap over something that won't really matter and I don't want that to happen." I tell him and he plants a kiss on my forehead.
"You deserve so much better than what you've been through." He kisses the top of my head.
"I know, Leo." I do know that I deserve better and that there isn't anything that I'm not worthy of. I turn around, facing Mirajane again. "Now, how about we get my emblem?" I suggest with a grin on my face. "I hope it turns out a nice shade of purple!"
I feel the emblem stamp on my back and then a mirror appears in front of me. There must be one behind me because I can see my emblem. It's a super nice purple!
"Is this to your liking?" Mira asks, smiling at me.
"To my liking?! I love it!" I squeal, bouncing where I stand.
"Oh good!" Mirajane smiles at me and hands me my shirt.
Taking my shirt back I turn it into an open back shirt, so I can show off my emblem. Yes, my scars are visible and they're going to stay visible because they're evidence of how strong I am. I'm not afraid to tell my guildmates what happened, should they ask. I trust that they won't whisper behind my back and they'll come right up to me and ask.
I turn the corner and run right into someone. Looking up I am greeted with Laxus' face. "Hey kiddo, got your emblem finally?" He asks and I nod. "Let's see it." I turn around and show him. I hear the growl he lets out. Probably because of the scars he sees. "Who the hell gave you those scars?"
"Members from the first guild I was a part of, they whipped me after murdering my boyfriend...because they found out my truth." I explain, turning to face Laxus. He looks pissed off and curious. "I'm going to tell the whole guild my full story once Erza and Gray get back, I promised Master I would wait after I meet them." I explain and he nods.
"What was the first guild you joined?" You know, if Laxus goes after Firecrest, I don't doubt he could take out the entire guild single handedly. If he and the entire Thunder Legion went they would absolutely destroy the guild.
"The Firecrest Guild, before they became a dark guild." I answer softly. Despite what I just thought, I don't want him going after the guild, even with the entire Thunder Legion behind him. "Please don't go after them Laxus, I don't doubt your power or strength but, I just have a bad feeling even thinking about you going after them. I don't want anyone going after them for that matter."
He places a hand on my head and ruffles my hair. "Sure thing Kiddo, but if they ever try to come after you again I'll make sure they regret being born." Laxus reassures me with a gentle smile.
Internally, I note to never piss him off. Laxus heads off, over to Master and I look around for Natsu and Lucy and Wendy. Spotting them, I grab Leo's hand and pull him over to the three.
"Eve!" Natsu picks me up in a tight hug.
"Need...oxygen!" I gasp out and he puts me down. "Hello to you too, Natsu!" I greet him happily.
"Sorry Eve!" He pats my head and I chuckle.
"Nah, I was just bugging! How are you three?" I make sure to make eye contact with all three of them and, at first glance they all seem to be doing okay.
"We're all good! Just anxious to hear your story." Lucy answers, a soft smile directed at me. I have told them all a little bit of it but not all of it.
I open my mouth to reply when the doors open. The guild falls silent, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. It's never been this quiet. Once the doors close, blocking out the light from outside, I see three people standing there. I recognize two of them from Sorcerer Weekly, Erza Scarlet and Gray Fullbuster. The two wizards I've been eager to meet since I arrived at Fairy Tail. The third wizard I can't quite place. Erza's eyes zero in on me and I freeze where I stand, as if Gray has used his ice-make on me or I lost control of my ice magic.
"I see the rumors are true, Fairy Tail has gained a new member!" Erza states enthusiastically. She starts coming over to us. I'm gonna die. "It's nice to meet you, I hope you've made yourself at home! What's your name?"
"Acevea Judge." I squeak out and Lucy is chuckling behind me.
"Come on Erza, can't you see the poor girl is terrified?" Gray teases and he holds his hand out to me. "Nice to meet you Acevea, I'm Gray." He gives me a kind smile and my cheeks grow warm. I bet they're pink.
He has gorgeous dark blue hair and eyes to match. His hand is surprisingly soft but his grip is firm. His smile is more than kind, it's warm and inviting.
"Darling! You're home!" My 'trance' is broken when Juvia comes over to Gray and hangs off his arm. "Acevea is just adorable, isn't she!" My blush only grows.
"Yeah, she is." Gray agrees and I feel like my face is going to burst into flames.
To distract myself I turn to the third wizard who came in with Erza and Gray. My amber eyes meet his brown ones. He's sticking fairly close to Erza and seems to be a man of few words.
"Acevea, this is Jellal Fernandes, he just joined Fairy Tail a few months before you did." Erza explains, but there is caution in her voice.
"Hello Jellal, it's nice to meet you!" I hold my hand out to him and once again the entire guildhall falls dead silent. Everyone wears an expression of shock, including Jellal. "Did...did I do something wrong?" I ask, pulling my hand back. I turn to Leo and Natsu, wordlessly asking them the same question.
"No, not at all." Erza answers with a soft voice that is laced with unshed tears. "Do you not know who Jellal is?" She asks, her brown eyes shining with tears.
"No?" I answer, confused. It clicks in my brain a few moments later, he must have a highly questionable past! "I get it, you've done some highly questionable things in your past, probably some horrible things judging by everyone's reactions but what matters is the person you are now, that's all I care about." I smile at Jellal and offer him my hand again. "It's nice to meet you Jellal, I hope we can be great friends, even if I am still just a kid."
Jellal takes my hand, holding it tightly. "It's nice to meet you too, Acevea." His voice is smooth but full of awe. He lets my hand go and I see the many emotions in his eyes, the one that I can pick out is wonderment. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about his past but that can wait until he's ready to share it with me.
"Acevea, child, may I have a word with you? You may return to your friends after." Master asks, standing in front of the bar.
"Of course!" I head over to him. He leads me over to a more private corner of the guildhall.
"Are you ready to share your story?" He asks and I look over my shoulder at everyone among us. I turn back to Master and nod.
"Yes, the sooner I tell everyone the better." I worry, everyday, that my past will come back to haunt me, and hurt all of my new friends. I have to make sure that never happens, I'll start doing that in a couple of days.
I follow Master to the front of the guild hall. Laxus comes over and lifts me up onto the counter, where I sit. "Everyone, I need you to pay attention to Acevea." Master projects his voice out the guild. Everyone turns to me and I take a few deep breaths, attempting to calm my nerves.
My hands are shaking, but I have to do this. I promised myself I would do this and they all deserve to know, before something happens. I look up from my hands and take one final breath before I start telling my story.
"My name is Acevea Rose Lian Judge, I was born to Kre and Jamisie Judge twenty years ago." I only just started but the tears already sting my eyes. "And I was born with Primordial Magic." I hear gasps from around the room. "I can use every type of magic that has ever existed except for celestial magic, requip magic, take over magic, dragon slayer magic, and god slayer magic. I can also create new types of magic if I so choose." I look around seeing everyone patiently listening to me, focused on me.
I launch into the rest of my story, I show them my scars. All of them, not just the ones on my back. For some of the scars all the men respectfully avert their eyes when I ask them to. I explain how I got all of them. I also explain that Leo raised me and why. I tell them I left home at ten, explain to them that I was actually planning on running away but my parents helped me pack a bag. I tell them about the two guilds I joined and about every person I've met and who have hurt me. I tell them about everyone I've met, how kind they've been to me and how much they helped me. They all know those people, which doesn't surprise me. I tell them how long I was on the road before falling ill and coming here and how Natsu convinced me to stay and officially join the guild. When I'm done telling my story I have everyone telling me that no matter I'll never be alone again and this is my home now, they're my family now.
Their words cause the tears to spill over. Erza, Lucy, and the whole of team Natsu group hug me. "You're a child of Fairy Tail now, Acevea." Erza tells me softly, a warm smile on her face.
When the group hug breaks Master is standing in front of me. "This is our sanctuary, you are safe with us, Acevea."
The tears spill over again and this time Master is hugging me.
I no longer feel lost. I no longer feel alone. I've finally found my home. I have to protect it, no matter what.
Once the water works were over I went and sat with Team Natsu, and Jellal and Erza told me about their past, how he, while under the control of another wizard, tried to kill Erza and Natsu while trying to resurrect the Black Wizard Zeref. Jellal tells me how he had thought he died but was just in a comatose state but lost all his memories and then regained them while in prison, which he eventually escaped. Once I'm up to speed on Jellal's past Natsu jumps in and starts telling me about Zeref and how Zeref is his older brother.
Long story short, I learned about everyone's pasts and the guild's past. After learning all of that, I no longer think Fairy Tail is the strongest guild in Fiore, I think they're the strongest guild in the world!
But I can't fight the feelings I had when they were talking about Zeref and First Master Mavis. I feel connected to them somehow. It's the same connection I feel to Natsu. I need to figure it out. I'll bring it up to Master later.
At this moment I'm at home, ready to leave to go off on my own. It's not a job and not even Master knows what I'm about to do. I set an envelope on my kitchen table and then grab my bags and head out.
If anyone knew what I am heading out to do, I would be dead several times over. Especially since I told Laxus I didn't want anyone going after Firecrest, that's exactly what I'm about to do. It's late now so everyone is at home and in bed… I hope.
I hurry to the train station, praying I don't run into anyone and that no one sees me.
I'm sorry everyone, but I have to do this on my own. I promise I'll come home.