Cedar Town: A mildly large town that sometimes hosts License Exams. It is surrounded by a large forest, a small mountain range, and the ocean, making it an ideal place to host different trials. During exam time, the city shuts down, and it becomes a great place to have fun and get your hands on some rare items. In this story, Cedar Town is on the coast. (I don't think it was in the original).

Lucy walked through the door to the Waiting Area with Rebecca. The large space full of Applicants invited her in.

"Wow! It's amazing!" Rebecca twirled around with her arms stretched out and a smile drawn across her face.

Amazing? More like cramped... Males and females as young as children and as old as middle aged adults populated the area. Can they really pass a License Exam? There's no way. Most of the children ran around, while the older people took refuge underneath the trees that were scattered about the grounds. Some talked with others or sat alone, while others practiced their magic or silently observed.

"There sure are a lot of people here! Come on! Let's find a bench!" Rebecca grabbed Lucy's hand, leading her through the crowd.

They were lucky enough to find an unoccupied bench at the left base of the hill Lucy had seen earlier. Trees, bushes, and flowers bathed the steep structure; the hill itself looked out over the shimmering ocean.

"It sure is hot." Rebecca neatly folded her denim jacket on the back of the bench, the brown-haired girl brushing her hands over the wood and cleaning it off before sitting. "Do you think this shirt is cute? It matches my shoes!"

Lucy stared at the girl's light pink shirt and shoes, blinking in confusion. She had to be joking. "It's nice."

"That's it?!" Rebecca giggled and shook her head. "I wasn't sure which pants to go with, but black goes with everything, so I went with that."

"So, the forms?"

"Okay, okay. I get it. I don't have a good fashion sense." Rebecca leaned back against the bench's armrest, bringing her feet onto the seat and bending her knees. She looked down at the clipboard and began: "So, your name is Lucy Harkless. Age: 18. Height: 158 centimeters. Weight...I'll let you fill that one in later-" Rebecca scribbled in the answers as Lucy waited patiently, her face expressionless as she looked out into the crowd. "All right. So, a Magic Seed. You really don't know what it is?"

Lucy shook her head. "I don't, but I think I've heard it said at times. Rarely, though...and spread out enough so that I forget about it the next time I hear it. I've read many books about many different things, but never about how magic worked. I mean, not a lot of people use it. The books really just taught me about the outside world."

"You sound like you were pretty sheltered, referring to this as the 'outside world.'" Rebecca slowly nodded. "But I was too, so I get it. I'm a bookworm myself, but we can focus on magic. Basically, a Magic Seed is what lets you use 'real magic,' which everyone just calls 'magic.' Anyone who can use magic has eaten one."

"Then...I've eaten one?"

"Assuming you use magic, then yes. I'm surprised that you've never heard of it. I have heard of parents feeding their kids Seeds at a young age, so maybe that happened with you. I'm still shocked it was never explained, though."

Lucy wasn't. No one ever explained it, because she didn't ever reach an age where it would be explained, given how things worked. Not before...that night. "What does it look like?"

Rebecca held up her hand, facing her palm to Lucy. She used her other hand to point to the center of her palm. "It fits in the palm of your hand. It is much larger than an actual seed. It looks more like a fruit." She brought her thumb to her index finger, in an attempt to show the size of a Seed. "They come in all kinds of shapes, but they are mostly the same size."

The descriptions of the Seed failed to ring any bells. "I don't remember eating one, but I've been able to use magic all my life, so I was probably given one when I was too young to remember."

"It isn't like you see them everywhere. They are very rare. In fact, only a small fraction of the population even uses magic powers. Those that fail to ever find a Seed for themselves have to get by using Magic Items and Weapons."

"I see. I guess I've never bothered to actually ask anyone about it. I just assumed anyone could use it if they wanted to learn." Another question sparked inside Lucy's mind. "Where do they come from?"

Rebecca pursed her lips, looking up at the sky before answering, "No one is completely sure on that answer. From what I have gathered, as time went on and more magic began to settle in our world, they started to appear. Magic was reserved for the elite of the elite, leaving regular citizens to wield Magic Weapons; however, things have changed as time has moved forward. At least, in Fiore it has. As I said, Magic Seeds are still quite rare."

"Do we know where to find them?"

"The best places to find these are said to be in forests, jungles, dungeons, ruins, or any other place that is similar in nature. Areas such as those are known to hold immense magic power, which implies that a large concentration of power could lead to finding Magic Seeds. Having said that, Seeds can sometimes appear out of thin air." Rebecca pointed in front of their bench, toward the grass below. "For example, one could appear right there, right now! I guess that ties into what happened with me."

"Sounds like one of those convenient plot devices an author uses to allow for stupid things to happen but claim there is a valid reason," Lucy deadpanned.

"It does, doesn't it?" Rebecca raised her eyebrows, smiling wide. "In my case, it appeared in my mother's garden out of the blue. I threw it into my mouth so fast, you wouldn't believe! She was so upset." Rebecca rubbed the back of her neck, but her smile remained. "It definitely wasn't my brightest moment."

There she goes again, sharing things no one asked about. "So, you just eat it? Then...you can use magic?"

"More or less. To recount my experience, I swallowed it and felt a pressure in my chest. Then, after a slightly dramatic delay, a modestly sized Magic Circle spawned above me. It is said that the size you see when you eat the Seed is your maximum Magic Circle size. So, when you reach your peak, that is how big your Circles can be, which essentially means how strong your magic power will be. After the Circle appeared, a bright light shone down and enveloped my body, and once it disappeared, I could use magic!" She seemed so proud, though she didn't really do much to earn it. "It's best to eat them in privacy, though. Otherwise, people will see it, and they might come after you."

A sign of a wizard's strength? Light from the clear sky overhead reflected off Lucy's eyes. "I wish I could have seen mine. It does sound intriguing, though. It would be an adventure on its own, searching for a Seed...One thing I've been wondering, though: how do you know what type of magic you will get? Is it random?"

"Nope! This is the most important part of our whole talk: Magic Seed Labels. Simply put, the Label is what kind of magic you use. Most Seeds have a Label, so you will know the type of magic you are going to get, before you even eat it."

"What does the Label look like?"

"It's engraved onto the Seed. There are other ways to tell the type of magic, such as the color and shape of the Seed, but the Label is the obvious way," Rebecca told her.

"I see. So, what exactly is it, though? As in...how do you say what your Label is, like the form asks?"

"A Label is an Element Application Combination. The Element is simply the element of your magic, such as fire, water, air, etc... The Application part is the way you use your magic. I will admit, some of these Application categories are slightly convoluted. The most common is Standard, which is simply using the element as it is, without doing anything special to it. For example, imagine a wizard waves their hand and sends a stream of fire forward. There isn't really anything special about the way the fire has been used. If you are struggling to classify someone's Application, there is a good chance it is just Standard." Rebecca stretched out her legs across the bench. "Sorry, do you mind?"

Lucy raised her palms into the air. "I guess not." Rebecca's calves and onward rested on Lucy's thighs, her feet reaching the opposite armrest.

"Sorry, I just needed to stretch these out, ya know?!"

Then why not sit like me? Or like a normal person...? Lucy rested her lower arms Rebecca's legs, letting out a breath. "I definitely see a lot of people using Standard and stuff in Sorcerer Weekly and things like that, but I'm not sure what you mean by not doing anything special. Do you have an example of what something special would be?"

"I do. An example would be Maker Magic. Ice Magic-Maker would be the Label on a Seed that gave you that kind of power. It might look like Standard Ice Magic, but it is slightly different, which is why it has its own category. This is why I say it can be convoluted and difficult to judge. It's hard, if not impossible, to really see the differences, without knowing the technicalities of the magic."

"I've heard Maker Magic. Gray Fullbuster uses it," Lucy mumbled.

"Now you've got it! I'm sure there are many other Applications that I don't know about, but hopefully you understand now. There are countless elements, as well. Even derivatives of common elements, such as Shadow and Hellfire, can be acquired via Magic Seed. So, you have a very good idea of what kind of magic you will get from the Label."

"So, if you know someone's Label, then you'll know their magic abilities?"

"It will certainly give you an idea, but it won't necessarily give everything away. From what I have learned, no one actually refers to their Label as Label, rather, they say something like my magic abilities." She put air quotes around each word she referred to. "Anyway, there are instances where people can have the exact same Label but completely different powers. This is best explained with Space Magic. Imagine two people use Standard Space Magic, but one of them can only teleport others, while the other can only teleport themselves. Their Labels are the same, but their abilities are different. Standard Applications can do a great deal of things, so just because you have it, doesn't mean it's less powerful or anything. If anything, it's probably the strongest Application, because of all the different things you can do with it."

Despite the somewhat complicated explanation, the idea made sense. "I heard you say most Seeds have a Label. Does that mean that some don't?"

"That's right!" Rebecca told her. "There are very rare Seeds that don't. These are called Scarce Seeds, and they have what is known as a Scarce Label. This is unique in the sense that you won't know what power you will receive beforehand. All you know is that it's an ability that won't easily be defined by an element. That doesn't necessarily mean it will be impossible to place it in a category, but it'll be easier to put it in its own, special place, with other special powers. These are almost exclusively found in the very magically pungent places I mentioned earlier, such as a ruin or dungeon."

"If you don't have a Label, then it must be pretty risky, right? It will be completely random."

Rebecca stretched out her arms above her to demonstrate. "The risk is huge. I mean, you can narrow it down through heredity or DNA tests, but there is no surefire way to truly know what you are going to get. Not that we know of, at least."

"So...is Take Over a type of Scarce Magic? I'm just wondering, because I know Elfman and Mirajane Strauss both use Take Over, and I wasn't sure how to classify that."

"Exactly! Two siblings sharing the same Scarce Magic. We call them Scarces. So, Mirajane is a Scarce."

"Wow. That just makes them even cooler."

Rebecca giggled. "You are a big Fairy Tail fan, aren't you?"

Lucy crossed her arms, her cheeks heating up. "O-Oh...I mean, kinda..."

"Don't worry! I am, too!"

Rebecca's words calmed Lucy's heart. The blonde scratched her head, hiding her relief. "So, do you know any other type of Scarce Magic?"

Rebecca tapped a finger against her chin. "I know Nullifying and Copying magic are considered Scarce, but I don't know many. Sometimes, Scarce Magic can be an ability, rather than actual magic, adding to the already large risk. It could make it so that you can snap your fingers and instantly cook an animal. Or, you can wind up your arm a certain number of times and then unleash a more powerful punch the more times you wound up. Something that only has one use, rather than being able to apply it everywhere."

"There's no way I'd ever risk getting stuck with a power like that."

"Me neither."

Lucy referred to the crowd before them with her finger. "So, do you think all these people here ate a Magic Seed?"

"There's no way. Some of them definitely have, but these exams allow anyone to take part. People think they have what it takes, but they are quickly shown just how hard it is to be a Licensed Wizard. At least, that's what I read in an article on someone who passed one time."

"I see." Lucy looked out into the crowd. Many appeared to have the appearance of a Magic Seed Eater. Just how many truly held the power? "Well, just to recap, a Magic Seed comes with a Label, and that Label is an Element-Application pair, which will tell us our power; an example would be Shadow Magic-Standard. Then, there are Scarces, who ate a Seed with a Scarce Label, which gives them a seemingly random power that probably can't be easily classified."

"Looks like you got it! Good job!" Rebecca congratulated.

"But now there is another thing bothering me: Why doesn't someone just eat a bunch of Magic Seeds? I've never seen anyone with more than one type of power, so does that mean it's not possible?"

"That's right. If we eat more than one, we'll die."

"Really? We'll literally die?"

"Yeah. Human beings are known to be able to eat only one Magic Seed. However, some species of Magic Beasts can use multiple types of magic, so I think that implies that other forms of life can eat more than one Seed, but we humans are not so lucky."

"Right, although...in order to find out that we'd die if we ate more than one Seed...someone had to pay that price, didn't they?"

Rebecca took a deep breath, slowly bobbing her head. "Yeah. The Magic Council Research Division was doing tests like that, and it got a lot of backlash. They didn't say how, just that we'd die."

Lucy scoffed. "I bet they're lying. I don't trust the Council." Lucy didn't just bet-she knew. They had to be...it wouldn't be the first time they lied, either.

"Yeah, I'm not sure. Many don't believe the Council, but those same people are unwilling to actually take the risk. It shows you how much power they have over our ideas and conceptions of magic. Everything I've learned and passed onto you stems from their information books."

"I guess...that's true. I thought the great Merlin could use multiple elements, though."

"Me, too, but he was a Supreme Being, so maybe he had some special power. And I mean...he was Merlin."

"I guess that's a good point. I'm not sure what to write for my Label, though." Lucy reached for her key chain. "I'm a Celestial Wizard. What element is that?"

"Wait, you're a Celestial Wizard?!" Rebecca brought her legs back and leaned forward. "No way! I'm a Celestial Wizard, too!"

"Really?"

"Yes! This is crazy! Celestial Wizards are so rare, and look! You have Zodiac Keys!"

"Yeah. I've got Aquarius and Taurus."

"I've just got some Silver Keys. I love them, but they aren't Zodiacs. How did you even get those?! They are so hard to find! The Celestial Clan spread them around the region years ago, and here you are, with not one, but two! That's amazing!"

Exhibit A of the Council's lying. Lucy sighed and let out a somber, "Yeah."

"I'm so starstruck! You must be such a strong wizard! You probably want to find them all, don't you?"

Lucy nodded. "That's right. I want to find all 12 of the Gold Zodiacs."

Rebecca smirked. "Well, that's my goal, too! And I won't let you beat me! I guess you already have two, but I'll get the other ten!"

Lucy stared into Rebecca's eyes. Her icy gaze seemed to pierce through to Rebecca's soul. "No...I will find the other Gold Zodiacs." Lucy boiled in rage as her burning anger shook her body. "No one will get in my way."

Rebecca leaned back, gulping hard. She fixed her position and brought her feet down the the grass. "R-Right...I guess...you're pretty passionate about this..."

Lucy took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her fingers rubbed a temple as her elbow relaxed on the armrest.

"Are you...okay?" Rebecca asked cautiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." Lucy stared into the crowd as her finger pressed hard against her head. Her clenched jaw suppressed her anger.

Rebecca reached out, placing her hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Lucy, are you sure you are okay? You must have a good reason for your passion. I admire it! I just want to be sure you are not upset."

Lucy stared at the hand for a moment. "I guess I've just never met anyone with the same goal as me."

"Me neither! It's exciting, though. My first friend has the same goal as me!"

"...friend, huh?"

"Yeah!" Rebecca bopped Lucy's shoulder.

So, she's one of those? The people that make friends after meeting someone less than an hour ago. Although...I guess...Natsu did the same. She did take the time to explain Magic Seeds to me. I may as well keep her around. Having a partner to take the exam with is only going to make it easier. I don't know about friend, but she could be useful...

Rebecca wrote Lucy's Label onto the form. "Well, your label is going to be Space Magic-Celestial. In order to explain, I'll have to talk about Holder-Type Magic and Caster-Type Magic."

"Okay, I think I know about that. We use Holder-Type, right?"

"Right! We use a unique type of Holder-Type Magic. Normally, Holder-Type skills involve placing your magic power into an external object of some kind and then using it in some way, such as launching an attack. We Celestial Wizards actually combine our Space Magic with the Celestial Magic that is stored in the Keys in order to call upon Spirits. The Keys are Magic Items themselves. The Celestial Magic inside has the properties of both time and space. Thus, if someone could amplify the Celestial Magic itself, that is all that would be needed to call the Spirits. The most common way to amplify it, though, is to add our Space Magic to it. But not all Space Magic can amplify it. It has to have a Celestial affinity. Which means you need the Celestial Application."

"I see...most people only do the normal Holder-Type though, right? I know Cana Alberona does."

Rebecca laughed. "That's right, Miss Fairy Tail Expert."

Lucy glared at the brown-haired girl. Maybe this partnership isn't going to work out...

"Aw, come on, that was funny!"

"No one is laughing."

"Whatever!" Rebecca pouted. "Although, I bet the cards she uses are Magic Items, too. There is a risk to using Holder-Type magic like hers, though. If you don't have any emotional attachment to the external tool, then your power will actually be weaker than a typical Caster-Type magic. So, you should make sure you are really attached if you are going to do something like that. It's different for us, because we just use the Keys to summon the Spirits, and they basically fight on their own."

"She must really like her cards, then. Caster-Type magic is just using your magic with your own body as the source, right? You aren't putting it into anything else?"

"That's correct! It's by far the most common type of magic used. As we said, Magic Items, such as our Gatekeys, have magic power inside of them. Wizards who haven't eaten Seeds can then wield these items, using them for different things. You need some Magic Power to use them, though. I know some items can only be used by the strongest of the strong."

"I see. Like the Sword of Excalibur. Only King Arthur could use that," Lucy mentioned.

"Right. He does kind of seem like an exception, since he had so much power, but it's a good point."

Everything finally came together. Magic Seeds, Items, and Holder-Type magic all explained Celestial Magic. Not just that, but they explained the whole concept of the magic system in the world. "You've taught me so much. Seeds, Labels, Magic Items...thank you. There is another thing I'm wondering, though. Someone told me yesterday that they could sense Magic Power. They weren't the first person to tell me they could do that. Is that a real ability? Like, is there a Seed that has that?"

"Supposedly, it is just something you have to be born with. I've heard that some really strong wizards can't sense magic power, when some other wizards can, despite being weaker. I can't do it myself. Can you?"

"Nope. I'm not that strong."

"Oh, please!" Rebecca scoffed. "You have two Zodiacs, so you must be strong! What guilds are you looking to join? Fairy Tail, right?"

"That's right."

"Me, too. I have backups, though, since I know it's really hard to get in. Phantom Lord, Mermaid Heel, and Blue Pegasus are my main ones. What about you?"

"I don't have any backups. I actually didn't even want to take this test. I'm here because...some idiot forced me." Her mind flashed back to the pink-haired young man and flying blue cat.

"I've been wanting to take it for the last couple of years. Most people take it when they are fourteen, but sometimes, as you can see, children as young as ten will take it. Even middle aged or elderly people will come."

"Makes me wonder if I know what I'm getting myself into," Lucy muttered.

"It'll be fine. We got this! How about you go turn in your forms? I'll save your seat!"

"All right. Thanks for helping me out. You seem so knowledgeable about the world."

"No problem! I've read a lot of books, just like you! Although, I don't want to sound mean, but everything I told you is generally considered common knowledge. I bet everyone here knows it."

"O-Oh...I see..."

"But now you know, too! Now, go turn in your forms, and then we can wait for the Exam to start!"

Rebecca kindly explains a crucial part of the power system to Lucy. Next chapter, we meet all the new adversaries Lucy will face during the exam.

Note: So, we basically have Devil Fruits. My reasoning for changing the power system to this is because I personally like to have explanations for certain things that happen. Most notably, I wanted a reason why every wizard only used one type of magic. While this technically is more restrictive than the power system in canon, if you think about it, Gray, Erza, Natsu, and pretty much everyone will not be affected at all. Someone like Makarov will be, though. If things don't make sense, they'll continue to get some further explanation and usage as we go on, so hopefully it'll clear up. The whole Seed thing came from the Dragon/Demon thing inside Natsu, so when that plot point comes, it will be even more literal.

Thanks for reading!