I had always believed in the afterlife. It was just how I was raised and as a result I believed if I did good deeds I would go to heaven as a reward. What a load of bullshit that turned out to be.
Don't get me wrong, I love where I ended up after my death, but the first few months of my next life completely and utterly sucked. For the first year, babies can't really see anything but blobs, and don't get me started on not being able to control my bladder. Damn near had an aneurysm when my new mother tried to breastfeed me the first time. But enough about that and more on to where I ended up.
~x~x~
My life had been pretty unspectacular up to a point. I was born premature in November so my lungs where shit, leaving me with what was called RAD, or Restricted Airway Disease. Every couple months I would end up having to miss about a week of school due to my lungs saying fuck you. Other than that, I had a caring mother, a hard ass father who was my idol, a younger sister who bit everyone and a dog who happened to be my best friend.
It wasn't much, but it was mine. My life when on like this up until the summer before my senior year of high school. Every so often, my grandmother would ask me to go shopping with her to carry bags and such and for the most part I was cool with it. I carried the bags for her, and in return she usually got me the latest book in a series I was reading.
Unfortunately, that was also how I died. My Grandmother had taken my younger cousin and I to the book store and we were walking across the parking lot before a car came speeding down the ramp. My grandma had a cane and my cousin wasn't fast enough, so I shoved them out of the way and took the hit.
The next few hours were spent fading in and out of consciousness. I remembered pain, and the slowing beat of my heart as I lost blood, I remembered the feeling of someone grasping my hand and the wetness that fell on it, I remembered as the darkness got darker and darker before it suddenly got bright again.
At seventeen, Zachary Heller was taken from his world and in X764 Zephyr Halliwell was born into his.
~x~x~
Eos Halliwell thought his son was strange. Don't get him wrong, He loved Zeph, he really did but no eight-year-old should act like he did.
He was mature, too mature and it showed. Zeph hadn't really cried when he was a baby, only when he was hungry or needed to be changed and as soon as he turned three, he asked to learn how to read. It was weird, but what could he do.
Eos looked out into the backyard from where he was reading his book and noticed his six-year-old practicing the sword techniques and magic he had shown him. That was another thing, once he found out about magic he had immediately asked to be taught, taking to it like a fish took to water and writing in his little book all the spells he wanted to make.
"Hey Dad, where's mom." Zeph walked in, covered in sweat and carrying a bokken over his shoulder.
He took mostly after his mother in looks, straight jawline and pale skin, he was a bit tall for his age and his eyes had a permanent angry look from the way they were shaped. His hair was a dark, forest green and his eyes were a light gray which he got from him.
"She went out to get groceries, she'll be back in an hour so make sure you clean up for dinner or she'll yell at you again."
"Got it Pops." A vein in his forehead twitched, he knew he hated being called that.
Once Zeph was out of sight he pulled out his paper and began reading again. The magic council was going to pass some new regulations on certain magics that were sold- BOOM!
The explosion rang through the air and a sudden dread went through him. Eos put down the paper and rushed to the window, watching as fire and smoke flew through the air from the direction of the market. The market!
Running to the bedrooms, he shoved Zeph's door open and yelled at him to pack a small bag before rushing out into his room, taking the sword, a grosse messer, that was hung over the bed and rushing out again.
"Zeph come here when you're done," he came out with a bag slung over his shoulder and Eos crouched in front of him, "listen Zeph. Something happened and I need to go find your mother. Take this, if someone tries to take you, use what I taught you, and if we don't come find you in twenty minutes head north. You should reach Magnolia in about a week."
"But Pops, I can't just abandon-" Zeph began to argue with him but there was no time.
"Enough! Zeph, for once in your life don't question what I tell you! Take this sword, it's the same one I used to use when I was an active mage, I got a spare in the closet so don't worry about me. Just promise me one thing… survive! Now go!" He yelled before sprinting to grab his other sword and out the door, hoping he wasn't too late.
~x~x~
I ran, hard and fast before crouching in the hollowed-out trunk of a tree about two miles away from our home, waiting for the twenty minutes my father had told me before reluctantly heading north. It was rough, and every so often I had to either hide from or fight bandits that saw me, but as soon as I reached the end of the town's land I ran.
I sighed in relief when I finally reached the stream that marked the end of my town's territory, but a sudden chill down the back of my neck made me duck and roll forwards before coming up, tossing my bag to the side in the process and gripping the sword handle at my waist.
"Tch, guess you have some good instincts, don't ya boyo." The bandit that spoke was tall, much taller than me at any rate, and his long, unruly beard and hair kept his face hidden. The parts that weren't covered were red, like he had spent too much time under the sun and in his hand was a giant claymore.
"Why did you people attack us? What did we do to deserve this?" I slowly charged my magic through my hand and into the sword to use a technique from my old world, hoping against fate that my first time using it wouldn't be my last. I didn't need to look to know the blade was glowing a deep black within the sheath.
"Well, no reason other than we were bored and wanted to have some fun before our next job came in. Nothing personal, but if you live than we get found out sooner than we would like. Any last words?"
"Just a few," I could feel the spell reach its maximum limit before saying the name, "Yakkodori!" As soon as the blade of the sword was pulled free a black, crescent shaped wave of energy cut through the air towards the bandit who used his own sword in an attempt to block my attack.
For a minute it looked like my surprise attack would work, the wave pushing the enemy back along the ground, it began to die out and with a swipe of his sword, the attack was dispersed. The bandit smirked before seeming to vanish, a sharp pain in my gut the only indication that I had been hit by him.
"That was pretty good boyo. Don't think I've ever seen a kid your age use magic that strong before. Just means I'll have to kill you before you get to strong and come back for us, huh?" As he spoke, his magic energy began to spike before he began running around the clearing at super speeds. "What do you think of my speed magic boyo? I'm the fastest in the tribe, so let me treat you to a taste of my magic!"
He sped up again and only an feeling in the back of my head saved me as I rolled forward, the sharp sound of a sword passing through air the only indication that I had been attacked before he started running around again.
"Ha! So it wasn't a fluke earlier when you dodged my attack. You're something else, aren't you kid!" Bandit laughed again before going in for more strikes, the only thing saving my life being the strange feeling whenever he went in for a strike. "Why won't you die!?"
"You talk too much!" Rolling backwards, I threw my foot upwards right in between his legs, enhancing the kick by pumping magic into my muscles.
His face scrunched up in pain, I slashed at is leg to slow him down before taking off into the forest again. He was too strong and even if I was able to get that hit in, his friends had probably heard the commotion and headed towards us already. My only option was to run and live to fight another day. Shouts of anger rang out behind me telling me how they were going to gut me and string me up by my ankles, the noise getting closer and I cursed my short legs before I exited the woods to only find myself facing a cliff, the sound of rushing water rising up from below.
Fucking hell.
Before I could turn and run in another direction a group of ten men, including the one I injured, came from the forest and blocked off all my escape routes… well, all except one.
"Finally! Got nowhere else to run, do you boyo?" Blood was dripping from his leg, hopefully the damage was enough to prevent him from using his magic.
Not wanting to let the idea I had forming slip, I pulled out my father's blade again, the metal catching the fading light. I just needed to distract him enough that he wouldn't notice.
"Well, I guess you're right. I'm surrounded, its ten to one, you're all bigger and stronger than me. Really seems like the odds aren't in my favor here, are they?" I said as I slowly inched my feet back towards the ledge.
"No, no they're not!" His group laughed with him as they began to move towards me, "I'm really going to enjoy this though."
"Maybe you will, but it won't be with me, will it?" He looked confused for a second before his eyes looked behind me and widened in realization of my plan.
"You idiots! Grab him before-"
"Slash!" I released another wave of magic, causing the bandits to duck, before turning and jumping off the edge of the cliff, plummeting head first towards the water before releasing another slash in order to break the water tension so I wouldn't end up a pancake.
Almost immediately I was plunged into darkness, the only reason I didn't lose my dad's sword being the death grip I had on the handle. Coming up for air, I gasped, greedily sucking in before managing to place the sword back into its sheath and turning my head to see the bandits looking back at me from their vantage point about two hundred feet up.
I would come back for them, but I needed to get stronger. Thankfully I knew exactly where to go.
~x~x~
When Makarov had first heard that the town of Basil had been ransacked, his immediate reaction was to send some mages in order to help any survivors who were left. Unfortunately, he learned there was no one left to rebuild so he waited for more news to arrive about the situation.
It was about two weeks later that in the middle of the afternoon that the door to the guildhall opened and a figure walked in. He was young, probably only around six or seven by the look of him, although a little tall although that wasn't the most surprising thing about him. No that was the sword he carried that was way to big for him and that his clothes and face were covered in dried dirt and blood.
As if he hadn't just caused a huge disturbance by walking in and looking like he had killed someone, the young boy strode up to him before stopping.
"I want to join this guild, please sign me up." Was all he said before sitting down at the bar and asking the bartender for water and food.
"You could at least tell me your name first before asking to join."
"Zephyr Halliwell. Pleased to meet you."
He waited a few seconds, taking in Zephyr's appearance again before smiling at him. The kid looked like he could use some friends right then."
"Alright then! What color and where do you you want the guild mark?"