It's just another day in Fairy Tail.
"Huh? You have something to say crybaby?!"
"I-I'm not a crybaby!"
"You are already crying!"
An exasperated sigh could be heard.
"Gray, please stop picking on Sho, and please put on some clothes."
"I'm not picking on- GAH! Where did my clothes go?!"
Yup, just another day in Fairy Tail.
It was with a grandfatherly smile that Makarov Dreyar took this sight in from where he was sitting on the tabletop of the guild bar, a huge mug of booze in hand as he guzzled the beverage down his thirsty throat. Fairy Tail sure has gotten a lot more lively with the addition of those kids.
Speaking of which.
"How are your injuries, old friend?"
"Unfit for work by a mage's standard, but I will be able to get by with a few odd jobs here and there," Rob replied with a smile as he slowly wiped the counter of the guild bar with a rag. His magic has been waning as he aged and like Porlyusica had diagnosed, he is no longer fit for work as a mage and especially so after what he went through at the Tower of Heaven. Makarov had kindly offered Rob a job by having him work at the guild bar, allowing his old friend to be able to continue to pay for his bills after regaining his freedom.
Still, the Tower of Heaven…
"Still no leads?"
"None," Makarov shook his head with a soft sigh. To say that he was enraged after learning about the Tower of Heaven was an understatement. To think that those Zeref cultists had the audacity to actually enslave his old friend was unthinkable. Yes, Rob may have already retired from the guild before he fell into the hands of those Zeref cultists, but as Guild Master, he still felt that whatever happened to Rob was his responsibility. If only he had kept better track of the whereabouts of his old friend, he wouldn't have…
It's all in the past now and there's no use in thinking about it any longer. Makarov is simply glad that the worst had never come to pass and that his old friend had returned safe and sound. Ever since Rob returned to the guild with a gaggle of children in tow, Makarov had been putting in the effort to reconnect with each and every retired member who was once part of his huge family. Thankfully, none of them had been through what Rob experienced.
"It's impossible for the Tower of Heaven to remain undetected for as long as it is without someone helping to cover up its existence."
"Which means someone within the Magic Council has been pulling strings," Makarov agreed with the idea that Rob was insinuating. The first thing that he had done as both Fairy Tail Guild Master and as a Wizard Saint was to report this incident up to the Magic Council, it's both his responsibility and his duty to do so, but investigations in the matter had stalled.
"Last I heard, the council has been doing what they can to relocate each and every survivor and return them back to where they came from."
"If there is a place for them to go back to," Rob reminded Makarov as his gaze subtly wandered over to Simon who was sitting quietly at a corner with Erik. It's not a secret that Simon's entire village had been burnt down by those Zeref cultists, leaving him with nowhere else to go and the whereabouts of his younger sister still unknown. "And if they really could locate each and every survivor in the first place. You weren't there, Makky, it was utter chaos. Everybody went their own separate ways at the first opportunity and it is a miracle at all that I could gather those kids before we were forced to make our escape. There are still a few children who I didn't manage to find before we had to set sail."
"If we find them, and if they have nowhere else to go, they will always have a place in Fairy Tail," Makarov promised. "Still, I'm curious. One man, against an entire cult?"
"He's definitely not from the Tower, and he does remind me a little bit of you, a mini titan," Rob chuckled as he helpfully refilled Makarov's mug when he noticed that it was about to be emptied. "I can't say for sure just what kind of magic he used, but any and all attacks seemed to bounce off him and even if he was injured, those were healed almost instantly. Those defensive abilities are a real nightmare for any mage, that's for sure. Even for me, I don't think I would be a match even if it was me at my prime."
Makarov's eyes narrowed a little in thought. This is not the first time he had heard Rob describe to him what had gone down at the Tower of Heaven that led to their eventual freedom. From what Rob had described, the perpetrator is most likely a child despite having a large build closer to that of an adult, although Rob cannot really say for sure as he was too far away at the time and only managed to catch a glimpse. Lime green hair, red eyes, with runic lines running across his entire body and fights like a berserker. Powerful magic resistant and regenerative abilities…
"The Magic Council had not heard or seen anyone like that, but judging by your description, there is something that recently came to mind."
"Oh? How recent?"
"Last night, when I was searching through the guild's library on just what kind of magic that could possibly reproduce what you had seen," Makarov replied with a casual wave of his hand. "Have you heard of the Vajins?"
"I don't think so."
"It's to be expected, nobody had really seen them for about a century or two. At this point in time, their existence is more of a myth than anything, but if there is one thing that they are famous for, it is their magic and combat prowess."
Rob had already put down the rag in his hand and paused in his usual duties of maintaining the bar, listening attentively to what Makarov had to say.
"Some say that they are descendents of Giants, some say that they are humans with much superior capabilities, nobody knows for sure. What we do know is that they were present and involved in the First Trade War. At that point in time, nobody could afford to be neutral, everybody had to pick a side. The Vajins are but a tribe, but they are a tribe of warriors that could rival an army. Most notably, they are known for their signature magic that every member of their tribe is born with, Ragnarok."
"Ragnarok?"
"From what was documented, it grants the user extremely powerful defensive and offensive powers, boosting their magic capabilities to many times beyond their usual capacity at the cost of their mental faculty while that magic is effective, making them feared berserkers on the battlefield. Think of Ragnarok as a magic that augments a mage's base strength to extremely ridiculous levels. With enough proficiency in it, a Vajin can practically ignore spells below a certain level of power because they simply will have no effect on their bodies, making them magic resistant. Not only that, without exceptions, Vajins are all noted for their lime green hair and red eyes, and that runic lines will appear on their bodies whenever they use Ragnarok. That description does fit with what you saw back at the Tower, doesn't it?"
"It does, but why would a Vajin…" Rob pondered aloud, but soon gave up with a resigned shake of his head. Makarov continued to fill Rob in what he had recently learned.
"All I know is that this tribe of warriors went into seclusion after the First Trade War. They were forced into hiding because they had made too many enemies after their participation in it. Even the council has very little information on them because nobody had seen them for close to two centuries," Makarov took another gulp of his drink, wiping off the droplets clinging onto his beard after doing so. "In any case, it is a fact that that Vajin had saved you, intentionally or not, and Fairy Tail always repays her debts. Don't worry, I will keep a lookout for him. He might hold information about the Tower of Heaven that we are not yet privy to."
"He couldn't be any much older than those children…" Rob took a quick glance at the children he managed to gather during the chaos before being forced to flee when the battle at the Tower escalated and he had no choice but to flee with whoever he could gather instead of waiting and staying behind. Jellal, Sho, Simon, Erik, Milliana, and if Makarov is right, Cubellios might actually be another child in the form of a snake who was unfortunately struck with a curse. It would take a while before they could confidently unravel and undo the curse on Cubellios.
"I will pressure the council to do something to correct the state of the world outside. Seriously, things outside are getting more and more unsafe with every passing second…" Makarov muttered and decided to drown his worries with another huge gulp of the alcoholic beverage. "And Zeref too, anything to do with the black mage couldn't be anything good. Whoever is orchestrating this needs to be stopped."
"Is Fairy Tail ready for this?"
"Maybe not now, but I'm sure that we will in the future," Makarov grinned as his gaze landed on the children that are now starting to brawl with each other, the Fairy Tail way. "That's why I'm going to do all I can to buy us as much time as possible for them to grow strong enough to not only protect themselves, but each other too. If Fairy Tail getting involved in such affairs is going to be inevitable, then it is the responsibility of us adults to help prepare the future generation for what is to come, just like how our predecessors had done for us."
"May Master Mavis look over us," Rob whispered in a prayer, sincerely hoping that the soul of their First Master would look over them from where she is up in the heavens. Makarov repeated Rob's words, in a voice that only the both of them could hear.
"May Master Mavis look over us."
"Steady your stance! Your lower body still lacks the strength to stand firm! Swing not just your arm, but rotate your body with the momentum as well! You lack power!"
A push, a grunt, and a thud happened in that exact order as Erza Scarlet stumbled for the umpteenth time that day. Training with Karveg had never been easy, not like she had been expecting it to be easy when she first asked him if he could train her, but he is Karveg.
An insurmountable mountain, an impregnable fortress, an unwavering bastion, that is who Karveg is. No matter how she did or tried she could never beat him.
But he is Karveg, so it's to be expected. He is the strongest warrior she ever knew.
She let loose another shout, charging at him right after she got back up. The metal sword in her hand might as well be a wooden branch with how easily Karveg had disarmed her, sending her flying once again and tumbling into the dirt. She got back up onto her feet again, a large grin adorning her face as she charged back in again with another warcry. Fight, fall, get up, fight again; this is a routine that she is all too familiar with. This is how he was trained and this is how he will be training her.
"Much better, but your guard is still too wide open," Karveg pointed out her flaw -quite literally- when he jabbed a finger at her abdomen with just enough force to make her bend over and gag a little, easily stopping her assault. She stumbled and fell again and just like before, got back up as soon as she could.
This time, she called upon the well of power that she had just awakened. She felt the pull on her mind as objects around their vicinity immediately levitated before shooting themselves straight at Karveg. Karveg simply gave them a disinterested glance before swiping his right arm forward. The telekinesis she held over those objects was immediately severed and fell onto the ground with a harmless clatter.
"Aww, no fair!"
"You used your Telekinesis, so I think it's fair I get to practice my Nullification Magic."
"But… But… But…!" Erza whined and flailed her arms helplessly like a baby bird trying to fly for the first time, unable to find the proper words to argue for the moment.
Whatever she wanted to say disappeared when his large and gentle hand rested on her head and ruffled her hair affectionately.
"Take it easy, I've been fighting for more than half a decade while you only just started. You couldn't possibly expect to beat me in just a few months."
"You mean I can beat you one day?" She looked up and asked, feeling a little hopeful.
"If it's you, I'm sure it will happen," He let out a hearty laugh that she had long since associated with him, her bastion and pillar who never fails to give her a strong sense of happiness and security. "You are strong, Erza, in many ways greater than mine."
She's sure that she wasn't imagining the warmth that was suddenly blossoming across her face.
"Hmm, definitely living up to the name of Scarlet now, aren't you?"
"Stop- Stop teasing me!"
The growing heat spreading across her face was definitely not helping.
"Your face is about to be redder than your hair."
"Is not!" She yelled indignantly, trying to cover her face with her hands but still leaving gaps between her fingers to be able to peek through them. His only reaction is to laugh even louder. She found a need to reiterate herself.
"Is not!"
"Pity we don't have a mirror right now. Oh wait, maybe you can see for yourself from the reflection of your sword- Damn, this sword is too dull, not even reflective at all."
"It's getting harder to even chop firewood with it," Erza picked up said sword with a frown and gave it a few swings. This sword is of mediocre quality and the only reason why she is still keeping it around is because this is the only metal sword that they had come across thus far.
"Maybe we should ask around if there are any bandit camps that we can clear out when we get to the next town. Who knows, if we are lucky enough, we might be able to find a bandit or two with a bounty on their heads," Karveg started to pack their belongings and she eagerly helped out, storing their scant few belongings in the Requip space that she now possesses. Her Requip space is still too small for her liking, but Karveg had reassured her that it will grow in time alongside her magic capacity. At least, that is what the magic tome said.
"Bandit hunting, it's like going on another adventure!" Erza said excitedly, punctuating her excitement by giving a few punches at the air in front of her. "I know, I know! We can go on more exciting adventures after that!"
"Like?"
"Saving a princess! Or maybe fighting a dragon! Something like that!"
"We are not yet ready for those kinds, Erza, and you know it. You are still too young," Karveg shook his head in amusement and Erza scowled. Why does Karveg still treat her like a child? She's no longer a child! She's already ten!
"We are!"
"Are not."
"We are!"
"Nope, not in a long while."
"We are we are we are!"
They fell into banter, walking at a comfortable pace towards their next destination. This world is dangerous, this world is unkind and cruel. She has no idea if she will wake up one day only to find that this is all a dream, or if she would be unfortunate enough to be stripped of all of her happiness and joy once more. She still has no idea what the future holds for them, but she enjoys every moment in the present.
She does not want to be weak and helpless anymore like how she was back at the Tower of Heaven. She doesn't want to experience that loneliness and helplessness ever again. So, she will grow strong. She will grow strong enough to protect herself and to protect those close to her. She will be strong enough to protect her and Karveg from any and all threats, even if they are Gods themselves.
Life has not been kind to them, but they are healing. One day, some day, they will heal, they will be okay, and she will do all she can to protect their blissful moments of peace and happiness.
Because they are not alone, because they have each other. Because she is Erza Scarlet, and because she has him.
Together, they can overcome anything.