"Never bend your head. Hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye."
Natsu failed to return. I didn't worry at first. He was stubborn and curious, and if there was so much as a chance of dragons being found near Magnolia, there was no way that he was going to leave any stone unturned. I didn't blame him either. If there were any chance that I might've been able to find my real parents I would've gladly taken it too.
Erza, however, wasn't as calm as me.
"He's late," She clipped, her arms folded in frustration.
"He only went to look around a bit," Lucy added. "Definitely taking too long for that."
"Lucy, he went to find out about dragons. It's no wonder that it's taking Natsu so long," I retorted. "He probably hasn't found any yet."
"He's just taking his time is all," Another mage offered, but Erza shook her head.
Mirajane approached our group, moving from behind the counter to address the rest of us. "No, he had Wendy with him, so it's strange for him to be this late. Even if he would've found something substantial he wouldn't have brought Wendy into it."
Erza's armored fingers rubbed at her temples. "I'm also worried about the thing that suddenly attacked me today." She stated, and I frowned. "What if it also attacked Natsu and Wendy?"
"Erza, are you sure that—"
She cut my doubt off, her voice echoing across the great hall. "We'll go search for him! Lucy, come with me!" The blond girl rose, stepping towards the armored mage. "I want you all to stand by here at the guild," Erza continued. "We don't want to leave it short-handed."
"No," I said, "I'm coming with you." Before she could protest I spoke again. "And you can't stop me, Erza. There's plenty of mages back here at the guild to deal with a threat if something happens. Taking me along won't hurt anything."
"Fine, I'll let you tag along." She grumbled. "But if you get in the way so help me I will…"
"I know, Erza. I won't."
She gave me a withering look but seemed to let the matter go, and with a final flash of her sword, she marched out of the Fairy Tail building and into the dark streets of Magnolia. Lucy and I followed suit.
We didn't speak as we went—Erza was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to listen to any of our own, so Lucy and I simply exchanged glances along the trip and nothing more. In a sense it was almost peaceful, considering how beautiful Magnolia could be at night—the three of us traipsing along the cobblestoned streets, cutting through alleys, and crossing through some of the innumerable parks. I certainly enjoyed the companionship, and Erza and Lucy were growing on me (regardless of how frustrating they could both be at times).
However, whatever peace I had managed to find within the moment was immediately dispelled when Erza brought our little caravan to an abrupt stop in the middle of nowhere.
Lucy spoke first. "The inn Gray was talking about should have been around here…" I looked around. There was nothing, and when I say nothing I mean nothing at all. The landscape was empty and barren—the only scenery it contained were the faces of towering rocks and the dusty kisses of earth at our feet. It was a stark contrast to the luscious town we had travelled from.
"Gray was obviously lying. The only thing around here is dirt." I grumbled, leaning down to examine the ground. "And lots of it."
"Wait, do you hear that?" Erza's voice suddenly faltered, and I was stunned by the amount of caution it contained.
I rose from my crouched position—intending to fix her with a confused stare, but before I could, an eerily green magic circle appeared at our right; from it came a large hooded figure that rose from the ground. I wrinkled my nose, the stench of the creature hitting me with a strong force.
"W-what is that thing?" Lucy stammered.
Erza reequipped her armor before she even bothered to explain. "This is the beast that attacked me earlier. I had a feeling it would show up. Lucy, Xandria, stand back."
"Be careful." Lucy called as the gladiator surged forward, charging at the enemy with her duel blades.
She shouted at the cloaked figure as she attacked, but it didn't respond—which only sent her further into a wild fury. Erza hissed and spat, cursing the creature as they sparred. I was enthralled—this woman certainly was something magnificent. I'd never seen someone as powerful as she during my brief time at the guild, or perhaps I just hadn't had the opportunity yet. Either way, she was a sight—all courage and fire and grace. It was awe-inspiring just to watch her battle, and even now I knew that she was hardly displaying her full strength. Titania was surely a sight to behold.
It wasn't until she cut away the attacker's hood that I took my attention off of her.
Lucy and I both gasped as we saw the true form of the creature as it was revealed. A tall, greenish humanoid stood in front of Erza, the skin of its narrow snout pulled back in a snarl to reveal an exceptionally sharp set of teeth. My eyes widened as I noticed its thick outer layer of slimy skin, the lizard-like creature sporting a layer of scales on its forearms as a form of protection from its opponent's attacks.
"Erza!" Lucy exclaimed as she pulled her ring of celestial keys from its spot at her hip. Removing a golden one she lifted it above her head and summoned Virgo. But before I could witness the spirit appear, another one of the creatures rose from the ground, lunging towards the blond girl.
The scream left my throat before I could stop it, and I left the ground before I even knew what I was doing. I dove in front of Lucy, tackling the beast and throwing us both backwards. We collided with the hard dirt ground, and I rolled to the side in a vain attempt to shield myself from any immediate attacks. The creature rose before I did, and as soon as I was back on my feet and ready to fight it sunk back into the ground.
Within seconds the lizard-like creature returned from the earth; however it had changed from its former appearance. It possessed a slightly larger stature and a new purple cloth that draped across its body. It was painfully obvious that this creature was mimicking me. I scowled and shifted into a defensive position. The creature copied me and moved its body in the same way.
"Use your magic, Xandria!" Lucy's strained voice cried from a few yards away.
The creature lunged towards me, aiming a simple blow at me with its sharp claws. I moved to the side, easily dodging. If it wished to hash this out fist to fist then so be it.
"Stella Pugno!" I shouted, and my hands were consequently drowned in white rune circles, that gave way to a familiar dark hue. The spectral substance flowed along my palms in an almost fluid motion, and I could feel the strength—the power that it gave me. It was like being consumed by a flame, yet it stung like ice. My magic was cold—like the space it had come from.
Lunging forward towards the lizard like creature, I swung my arm, but the beast somehow managed to leap out of the way. I pulled back, eyeing it cautiously as two glowing lights encased its fists, mimicking my own.
"How are you copying me?" I muttered, and increased the power of the spell, causing the dark tendrils of magic to creep up my arms, almost reaching my elbows as I further enhanced its power. The creature did the same, edging closer to me. I scowled at it, and released the spell, my arms losing their former strength. However the creature did not mimic me, and instead and leapt forward towards me, fists ablaze as it punched me square in the abdomen.
I grunted as it threw me backwards, causing me to land in an unceremonious heap on the hard earth.
"Do you really want to fight me?" I growled as I rose, and I noticed the approach of the creature as it prepared to strike for a third time. "Fine then."
"Illustraret!" I exclaimed, thrusting my palms forward in the direction of my enemy, and suddenly a bright white light burst forth from my hands, blinding the creature.
It was a distraction, obviously, but all the same it worked well enough to buy me an opening of time. I took my chance and sprinted forward towards the dazed beast. Before it could do anything, I brought my elbow down, smashing it on the creature's head. I could hear the bone—or whatever sort of skeleton it possessed—cracking from the force of my blow. Its eyes rolled backwards, and the lizard fell over, its body crashing onto the dirt covered ground.
I lowered my hands and took several deep breaths as I stared at the creature that had dared to mock me. Turning around to where Lucy had once been, I saw her, now standing surprised beside Erza, who had an interested look on her face (or maybe she was just confused). I walked over to where they stood, brushing off the dirt that had accumulated on me from being thrown to the ground.
"Well, what's next-" I began, but a loud rumbling noise coming from our right cut me off. We all turned, and our faces drained of color as we saw a colossal, dragon-like beast appear from seemingly out of nowhere.
A voice came screeching over the crackling intercom, shouting something about a 'Dragonoid' and absorbing Natsu's magic power. I gasped as the beast towered above us, spreading its wings in formidability.
"Natsu!" Lucy screamed, running forward towards the dragon, but I ran after her, grabbing her shirt collar and yanking her back. She turned around to protest, but before she could even get a single word out of her mouth, a loud roar erupted from the behemoth behind us. I let out a hiss of pain, covering my ears from the blistering sound.
"It's so loud!" Lucy shrieked, clawing at the side of her head in an attempt to escape the noise.
The same upbeat, automated voice projected down to us again, but I covered my ears from the sound. A woman sat in the front of the dragon, where the eyes should have been. She was the one controlling this creature - she was the one who had captured Natsu, and was now beginning to terrorize all of us.
"Lucy! Erza! Xandria!" A young voice called out from our left, and we all turned, noticing a young girl and two familiars approaching us. I blinked, a smile flashing across my face when I saw Wendy. At least she was safe.
"It's you!" Lucy breathed.
"Wendy! You're safe!" I exclaimed, meeting the girl halfway and embracing her. I was worried, and it should've been expected. If there was one thing I hated to see, it was innocent children being dragged into an adult's war.
"We're in big trouble!" Wendy blurted, looking up at us with anxious sable eyes.
"What in the world is happening?" Erza demanded, crossing her arms as she stared down at the blue haired child. "Where's Natsu?"
"He's been captured!" Happy exclaimed, his wings beating in earnest against the chilled night air. "Gray joined forces with this Daphne person to set a trap for Natsu."
"He did?"
"Gray's not being controlled." Wendy continued. "It's of his own free will. We don't really understand ourselves." Erza looked upwards to the dragon, and I followed her gaze. However I was shocked by the sudden appearance of the ice mage, watching as Gray leapt from the dragon and onto a nearby boulder.
Erza noticed him as well, her eyes shining with betrayal. "Gray. if you've really betrayed Fairy Tail, then you must have some reason."
Gray only shrugged, casually moving his shoulders up and down in a display of indifference. "No reason. Nothing like that."
"You bastard!" Erza screamed, and Gray scowled at her.
"How dare you-"
"How dare she? Wow! That's pretty rich coming from someone who's just betrayed his whole guild," I retorted, and Gray's eyes flashed in rage. "Listen up asshole; I don't care about how long you've been a member of Fairy Tail, and honestly, I don't care about you at all. But if you're going to betray everyone in my guild like this, then you better believe that I'm going to have to get involved. It's nothing personal, sweetheart, strictly business."
Erza stepped forward and brandished her sword in the moonlight. "Give us Natsu back this instant!"
Gray shrugged, and the voice of the woman who controlled the dragon came crackling over the intercom. "Sorry, but no can do," she crooned. "I'm sure you realize that my Dragonoid here moves by sucking out Natsu Dragneel's magic power. Until I've sucked out all that magic power, I'm not giving him back!"
I paused, scratching my head. What the hell was wrong with the people around here?
Erza wouldn't tolerate it either. She opened her mouth and shouted: "To a wizard, one's magic power is their very life!"
"Give back Natsu now!"
"You want to get in her way? Just try it. You lot won't even be able to put a dent in this thing." Gray interjected, a smirk plastered across his pasty face. I narrowed my eyes.
"You monster!" Erza growled, waving an angry fist in the direction of the creature and its master, and then, it started moving. The two enormous legs of the dragon-like creature creaked into motion, both of them slamming forward without the slightest bit of grace in their strained mechanical movements. We had to break into a run just to avoid its feet.
"She's trouble, she's really big trouble." Lucy squeaked, dodging the feet of the monster along with the rest of our companions.
"We must stop it somehow, but…" Erza trailed off, her eyes raking over the dragon in an attempt to come up with some sort of plan.
"With Natsu inside we can't just attack carelessly!" Wendy exclaimed, but I shook my head.
"Natsu will be fine if we can manage to take down the dragon." I pointed out. "I'm sure Daphne took precautions to save her precious power source in case the Dragonoid ended up malfunctioning. Besides, would you rather have Natsu bumped and bruised because of us, or dead because he had all of his magical power drained?"
Suddenly, however, our conversation was cut short as the mechanical beast spread its leathery wings to their full span, beating them with a vengeance and stirring up a respectable amount of dust as it began to rise from the ground. A loud roar erupted from the Dragonoid's mouth as it lifted itself farther upwards into the dark night sky, and I scowled.
"Oh, no… It's heading straight for Magnolia!" Lucy shouted, and I craned my neck, watching as the dragon shifted its course of flight to head in the direction of the city. I clenched my fists.
Erza stiffened before she spoke. "How dare she…" She cleared her throat. "Lucy, you and everyone else return to the guild and get everyone mobilized. We have to protect Magnolia."
"But what will happen to…?" The blond girl trailed off.
"I will stop that Dragonoid!" Erza cried, raising her sword as she stared after the departing Dragonoid. She was so courageous and so pure. She would've died for her comrades without a second thought.
I set my jaw and stepped forward. "As will I." Erza only narrowed her eyes.
"No, I won't have you coming along with me, it's too dangerous."
"Danger is my middle name."
The muscle in Erza's jaw tightened. "This isn't a joking matter, Alexandria."
"I never said it was, Erza." I answered evenly, my voice firm in its resolve. "I'm going along with you to take out that mechanical beast that Daphne made, and there's nothing that you can do stop me."
"Yes there is." She stated, brandishing her weapon as she glared at me. I almost laughed.
"Oh look at me—I'm positively terrified. Seriously Erza, put that thing away—we both know you aren't going to use it." I teased, and Erza flushed in outrage.
"Don't you dare-"
I folded my arms "We are comrades, Erza. We both have the same goal in mind—to save Natsu and to protect the city. I pose no serious threat to you, and I'm only doing this because I want to help you."
"You're a stubborn ass." She grunted, however I could see the will to argue with me fade from her eyes.
"Oh please, Erza. There's no reason to flatter me."
"If you get injured while you're trying to show me up tonight, don't expect me to pity you. It's your own fault."
"I wouldn't want to be pitied." I said with a shrug. And with that we both dropped the matter, preparing ourselves for the battle ahead.
We managed to catch up with the Dragonoid, and with the help of our fellow guild mates we made our way atop the giant beast. Already we'd fought Lizard after Lizard, and yet still more were coming. All the while Daphne was cackling, and sending more of her creations after us.
Another round of creatures approached us, and I hardened my resolve. My stance shifted as I prepared to fight alongside my guildmate, when suddenly, an authoritative voice caught my attention.
"This is my fight, Alexandria." Erza stated and brandished her sword with a distinctive menace. "If Daphne wishes to test my strength—then let her go right ahead. Her toys are no match for me. You go ahead and see if you can stop this thing."
"There's another mage!" Daphne's electronic voice crackled in as she meticulously observed me—obviously paying me little heed before now. "Now who are you? I've never seen someone like you before. You must be new to Fairy Tail then. I doubt you truly know what you're doing with your magic!"
In a way she was right; I didn't really know what I was doing with my magic at the moment. It was obvious to me that my strength was still lacking from going so long without flexing my wizardly muscles. I'd lost some of my touch, and I'd have to be careful as I got back into the swing of things. I knew I needed to be careful when it came to exactly how much magic I was using—at my current state it seemed as though my magic energy was constantly fluctuating from dramatic highs and lows. I'd stabilize everything soon enough, though. It wouldn't take long for me to get back into practice, but for now I'd need to be careful not to overexert myself—my magic was chaotic enough as it was.
"Don't listen to her, Xandria." Erza snapped, placing a hand on my shoulder. "She's only trying to make you angry. You have to ignore her." I grunted, shoving the hand off of my shoulder as I stepped towards the source of the noise.
"I'm only telling the truth!" The loudspeaker chimed in, suddenly erupting into a series of cackles. "This witch doesn't know what the hell she's doing!"
"Bet," I said, my lips curling in a smirk. "You better prepare yourself, witch." I roared, a dark look crossing my face. "Because I'm coming."
Daphne cackled. "Let's see if you can back up all that fire!"
"I won't let you touch Fairy Tail!" I shouted, and suddenly the Lizardmen leapt forward, charging at Erza and me with no emotion.
"Go!" Erza screamed, jumping to my side and blocking the attacks of the oncoming creatures. I nodded, and ran forward, my feet carrying me up the slight incline of the Dragonoid's back.
I grunted as the creature swayed back and forth underneath me, and I tried to keep my footing. Glancing down, I could see the proud city of Magnolia underneath us, and I hissed in annoyance, increasing my speed. There was no way I could take out an entire dragon on my own, but this was no dragon. If I could reach the head of the beast where Daphne was controlling it—I'd be able to stop it.
I was three quarters up the creature when suddenly it lurched, dropping a least a story in the night sky. I grunted and slid to the side, clawing at the scales of the beast and trying to find some kind of traction. I somehow managed to stop myself, only falling back a few feet.
I gasped and clung to the side of the machine as if my life depended on it (it did). The creature quickly righted itself, and I got back to my feet, running forward again and up the creature's scaly back. I passed the furiously beating wings, and scampered farther upward, the mechanical dragon's head now only a few feet away. I grunted, and pushed myself—farther—just a bit farther.
And suddenly I crashed downwards again, the creature's body turning itself upright as it landed on the hard ground in the middle of the town. I gasped as I felt myself being flung backwards, my unsteady legs being of no help to me. I grunted in pain as I landed with a harsh thud against the top of the creature's leathery wing.
There was a loud roar that came from the dragon, and I forced my body to stand, noticing the few yards still remaining from me and the top of the creature. I scowled, and moved my body to the side, gripping onto one of the many spikes that stuck out from the Dragonoid's spine. I reached upwards, grabbing the next and hauling myself upwards, then the next, and the next, until finally I had reached the nape of the creature's neck.
I grunted and pushed myself forward, somehow managing to clamber onto the top of the mechanical dragon's flat head. I drew myself to my full height, and glared down at the thick skin underneath me.
"Daphne!" I shouted, "Enough of this madness!"
"Oh you're still here?" She cackled, her voice turning sour as she addressed me from within her mechanical Dragon. "Well, it doesn't matter. I've almost fully absorbed all of Natsu Dragneel's power. There's nothing someone like you can do to-"
"I said enough!" I roared, cutting her off.
"Alexandria!" A disembodied voice from far below shouted, and I looked down, noticing Erza staring up at me from her position on the ground. Along with her was the rest of Fairy Tail, excluding Natsu. Confusion flickered across my features, however I let it go and focused on the task at hand.
"Move back everyone!" I shouted, and the terrified members of my guild scattered, each one of them backing away from the Dragonoid and I who stood atop it.
"Alexandria what are you going to-" Erza called, but I ignored her, and planted my feet. I moved my arms in front of me, dropping both of them towards the head of the beast as I prepared to cast the incantation.
"Wait…" Daphne trailed off. "What do you think you're-"
But before she could finish her sentence, the white magic circle covered the space around me, and I was incased in an otherworldly glow, my body illuminated in the thick white light. With one final breath, I glanced upwards, my eyes finding a source of comfort in the mysterious night sky. The stars twinkled above me, their mischievous grins meeting my eyes as I looked to them for power, and I let it all flood back in, my past, everyone; everything.
My eyes dilated, my heart froze, and everything just… stopped.
"Columna lucis caelestis!" I screamed.
And just like that, the entire world came tumbling down around me.
As soon as the words left my mouth, a beam of black light came bursting forth from my body, shooting out from both of my hands and spreading out into a wide circle as it reached the head of the mechanical creature. I channeled the power through myself, through the lacrima that was implanted inside of me, draining every one of my resources as I blasted the magic at the source of power that was controlling the Dragonoid.
And, as I expected, the thick skin and strong metal that connected the head to the rest of the body were ripped away by my spell causing the head, Daphne, and I as well, to come crashing towards the ground. I braced myself as I fell what seemed like a story, and I landed on top of the destroyed head with a loud thud and a sharp pain in my side. Underneath me, I doubted that Daphne fared any better.
With a loud crash, the Dragonoid's body behind us fell, and I grunted, forcing myself to stand upright. There was still something I had to do.
My breath was heavy as I used the last of my energy to pick away the ruined shell that had once been the dragon's head. Digging through the rubble, I found the smashed shell that had made up the eye of the creature, and still help a limp Daphne. My throat tightened as I saw her, and fear gripped me for a hollow moment. I swallowed and roughly grabbed her under the armpits and tugged her body out from the rubble. I checked over her, and was pleased to find that the woman was still breathing (quite raggedly, though). The only thing noticeably wrong with her, aside from the blood that covered parts of her body, was the fact that her arm hung at a very peculiar angle. I grunted and lifted her onto my back, her weight causing my weakened body to wilt. I'd barely taken three steps before I stumbled. I sighed in defeat as she laid there on top of me, my torn clothes becoming stained in the woman's blood.
"Do you need some help, girl?" A gruff voice called out to me, and I glanced upwards through the thick smoke, barely able to make out the figure moving in my direction. "I certainly wouldn't think that you'd need help, not with the way you handled that 'dragon'. Not even Natsu could've done something like that. Although…" The character paused, grinning at me as he came into my view. I blinked, noticing the none other than the iron man Gajeel standing above me. "I do wish you would've done a better job on the body. Maybe bust the fire dragon slayer up once and for all."
I felt her weight being lifted off of me, and I sighed in relief. He tossed the woman over his shoulder (with an absolutely stunning lack of grace) and then opted to hold out a helping hand to me. I gave him a grateful smile and gripped his hand. He pulled my upward, and I stood shakily—I was overexerted and still in vague shock (what did you expect?).
"Thanks, Gajeel," I said, and I really meant it. He gave me an appreciative nod, and I moved to brush myself off. I was practically caked in dust and scratches. The fall had certainly roughed me up a bit, I even had a gash on my side from where a metal plate had caught me, tearing my clothes as well. I glanced down at my torn clothing in disdain. However my eyes moved to my thigh, fixing on something that lay there.
He noticed at the same time I did.
"What the hell!" Gajeel blurted, dropping Daphne in his shock. I turned grey. "Why the hell do you have this on your body?" He reached down and grabbed my thigh, his fingers digging into soft skin that surrounded the black mark.
He'd seen it. He'd seen my former guild mark. After all my attempts to hide it—to cover it up, someone had ended up seeing it anyway.
I felt like I was going to be sick.
Gajeel was as persistent as ever though. "Answer me!" He snarled.
"Stop your shouting!" I hissed, grabbing his intrusive hand and yanking it away from me. "You're going to bring the whole damn guild over here and then what? Do you want them to kill me?"
"Are you some kind of double agent?" He demanded, placing his other hand on my shoulder and digging it into the bruised skin there. I gritted my teeth, ignoring the pain and instead focusing on something more beneficial—rage.
"Get your hands off of me!"
"Get off of the girl, Gajeel." An authoritative voice commanded, and we both looked up, noticing the guild master standing a few feet away from us, a disapproving expression on his face.
Shit.
Gajeel stood, stepping away from me and brushing himself off. I did the same; painstakingly raising my body from the ground and trying to cover the outdated guild mark with the cloth of my skirt. But it was no use; my clothing had been torn too badly. The master looked me over, sighing as he did so. "I would like you to come with me to my office. We can discuss matters there. Come."
"Wait, is everyone safe?" I piped up. Makarov turned around and fixed me with a peculiar little look. "I didn't hurt Natsu or anything did I?"
"They're all fine, everyone in Magnolia, the entire guild, everyone is going to be fine." He reassured me, and turned back around to walk in the direction of the guild through the thick smoke. "Now come this way."
I followed after him, and he led me immediately into a large group of people, all of whom were my fellow guild mates. I smiled weakly at them, noticing the wide grins and utterly astonished looks on their faces as they greeted me. I stiffly walked by, making sure to keep my hand glued to its place on my upper left thigh, hiding the black mark that clearly didn't belong to Fairy Tail.
"Before I say anything else—I believe that it's important for me to mention exactly how surprised I was with this sudden display of skill. And I don't mean in a bad way. Alexandria, I must say—you are quite the young mage."
I simply shrugged, and an almost amused look appeared on his weathered face.
"Now don't be modest."
"There are many wizards far more skilled than I—even here in Fairy Tail." I stated. "Levy has told great stories of Mystogan and the demon Mirajane, and Gildarts, and there are probably many other S-class mages that I have yet to hear of. And of course there's Erza as well."
"I still have to admire you. Taking down a dragon on your own, without even using any dragon slayer magic… You deserve some praise."
"Please, Master, that wasn't a dragon," I countered, "and I had the help of not only Natsu and Erza, but the entire guild." I paused. "I don't believe in praise—I find that constructive criticism works much better."
"You are a difficult one." Makarov mused as he folded his hands in concentration.
"I most certainly am," I said, and the guild master grinned.
"Indeed you are." He answered, pausing slightly before he continued. "Now, you seem to be a matter-of-fact, get-to-the-point kind of person, someone after my own heart—so I'm certain I have no need to dance around the subject any longer." I nodded. "Good, then let's get right to the point. Originally I'd intended on calling you in here was to congratulate you on taking down that dragon. I was also going to ask you a bit about your magic, seeing as how you clearly lied on your form when you said that you were a water mage. That was until I noticed the guild mark on your leg. Would you mind saying the name of that guild, just so I'm not mistaken into thinking that it's another?" He looked at me in disapproval, and I hung my head.
"Grimiore Heart." I breathed. "I was once a mage of Grimiore Heart."
"Indeed you were" He continued, his eyes flashing. "A dark mage of the most powerful dark guilds that I know. I happen to have no tolerance for dark mages, or anyone who is trying to double cross me in my own home. Fairy Tail has no room for black magic or the work of Zeref, and I have no compassion in my heart for those that work in his honor." Makarov paused, his harsh features softening somewhat. "But I also happen to love the children of my guild, which you happen to be one of. So, to help me clear things up, would you mind explaining to me what exactly is going on? And don't lie to me, please. I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself here."
I wanted to point out the fact that I was rather unredeemable, but I bit my tongue.
I took a deep breath, before I spoke. I'd sworn never to tell anyone of my past, but it looked like I had no other choice at the moment.
"You need to know that I am no longer a mage of Grimiore Heart, nor am I a member of the eight, now seven kin of purgatory like I once was. Currently I am a fugitive. I know it seems hard to believe coming from someone from Grimiore Heart itself, but it's true. Four months ago, at the beginning of July, I ran away from the only home I'd ever known, if it can be called that; Grimoire Heart was more like a living hell. I scraped by for three months, going from place to place, and hiding from Hades, my master and former adoptive father. I wanted to start over—to make a new, better life for myself. Somewhere along the way I came up with the plan to join a proper guild. I was scared I might be spotted, but fitting in with a crowd couldn't hurt, and when my feet led me here to Magnolia, I couldn't stop from finding out about Fairy Tail."
"But why would you run away? Why the sudden change in morals?"
"It wasn't a sudden change any more than it was a gradual one. My whole life, from the moment I was taken to live in that vile guild until the moment that I left I was fed lies. I was conditioned and trained—practically brainwashed as Hades forced radical opinions into my mind. I'd never truly been able to grasp what evil was before, or the fact that there was anything wrong with it. But the older I got—the more I matured—the clearer it became to me that Hades was someone I didn't want to be around. And I wasn't the only one. There were others, a couple of my guild mates that doubted Hades—that doubted Zeref. We fed off of one another and strengthened our resolve that Hades wasn't the god he viewed himself as. I was a soldier—nothing more than a pawn. Hades had lied to me. He came into my farming village one day when I was just a little girl, no older than four or five, and ripped me from my parent's hands, not only taking away their little girl but killing them as well. However, I didn't know this until very recently." I paused, taking in a shaky breath. "The moment he took me away from them, Hades cast a powerful incantation over me, sealing off my former memories and forcing me to believe that he was my real father. From that point on I knew nothing but darkness." I shook my head and scoffed. "Hades took me under his wing and back to Grimiore Heart where he trained me in a lost form of magic. But he was abusive, forcing questionable forms of magic upon not only I, but all of the other children he had taken in—all in the hope of one day achieving his dream of finding all of the keys to awaken the black wizard Zeref. And I read the books, I learned the spells, I was taught the magic. Eventually my former father even had a lacrima implanted in my body to help me better channel and store up the power I was constantly using so that my body wouldn't burn up from it."
"What is your magic, child?" The elder man inquired, and I looked down slightly, my eye darting up to meet his as I answered.
"Magicae Astral—the magic of the stars." I replied, nervously wringing my hands. "I don't know if you've ever heard of it. This magic, it's a lost form, and it hasn't been used in hundreds of years because of its instability."
"I have in fact heard of this magic; it's the much more volatile parent magic to heavenly body magic, if I'm not mistaken." He stated dryly, a bitter look moving across his aging face. "But why would he have such a young girl training in this art? Using it, you manipulate and pull you strength directly from the cosmos. If one tries channeling too much energy through their body, it could easily kill them."
"That's why I've had to train myself to handle the magic." I countered. "I've been using it for years, master; since I was no older than six. While I admit I have had my struggles with it, many times falling ill from using the magic too much as a child, now that I'm older, I've been molded into exactly the weapon he wanted me to become."
"You are no weapon; did you see what you did today? You saved Natsu, and all of Magnolia."
"And I almost killed that Daphne woman. If luck wasn't in her favor—I would have. I—I don't know how I would've been able to live with myself if I would've actually killed her… I already have a hard enough time living with myself as it is…"
"We all have our demons that we have to carry around, ones from our past, even some from our present." The guild master began with solemnity. "Every day we have different struggles, and yet, it's how we deal with that conflict that defines who we are. You may have been forced into Grimiore heart as a child, but you can't control that. You may have been surrounded by darkness your entire life, but by escaping that and coming to Fairy Tail, you have chosen a path of light. Because of this, I have decided that I will let you stay, and in the event that any authority figure or form of law enforcement comes after you, I will provide as much protection as I can. You are still a child; you're barely of legal age. It wouldn't be right for me to send you out onto the streets to fend for yourself. I will watch over you here for the time being."
"You're—you're not expelling me?" I muttered, shock filling my features. He chuckled.
"Of course not. I'm not expelling Gray either, he thought he was doing the right thing, but in the end he made a mistake—we all make mistakes." The master said, and I looked up at him, my eyes shining. "You've done a great deal of good for my family today. It's only logical that I welcome you in with open arms, just as I took in the rest of my lost sheep."
"Thank you…"
"Now, come along, its best that we take you back out to the rest of Fairy Tail and explain to them what has happened."
"No." I blurted, and the master gave me a stern look, furrowing his brows in confusion. I just shook my head. "No, I can't. I can't tell them all what I just told you. Please, I couldn't bring myself to do that."
"Fine then, we won't tell them anything. But you're going to have to at least explain to Gajeel some of your past, and I expect you not to lie."
"Fine, I'll tell him, but not right now." I grumbled, standing up from my seat. "The less people that know the better, that way, there's still a chance that Hades could find out that I'm a member of Fairy Tail, and I don't even want to think about what might occur if that happened."
And with that I left the room, still making sure to cover my thigh with my hand as I quickly made my way home on the vacant streets of Magnolia.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's a very, very long one that I *probably* should've split into two chapters, but didn't just because everything seemed to flow better as one.