A/N: This is the story that was previously titled "The Magic of the Soul" but I re-read it and found it so terrible that I scrapped the whole thing and I'm starting from scratch and hopefully it's better then it was before.

Enjoy :)

...

Another sharp blow torn through my body as I fell to the floor. Mother was having another fit and was taking it out on me. Again.

"This is all your fault Ame! If that wretch of a mother of yours didn't leave you on my doorstep all those years ago, I wouldn't be in this situation!" she screamed angrily.

I didn't respond and kept my onyx eyes fixed on the floor.

Mother growled again before hitting me hard in the side of the face, knocking me down completely. Something wet and warm oozed from my cheek, probably blood. Not the first time Mother has drawn blood.

Mother growled one final time before speaking.

"Get out of my sight. I don't want to see your ugly face for the rest of the day, you hear me?" the older woman hissed in a low voice.

I nodded meekly and got to my feet before trudging to my room. Well. Room would be putting it too plainly. It was more like my safe haven. The one place that my mother wouldn't desecrate with her hatred and harsh words. This is a place I don't mind being sent. Besides, I can just loose myself in my studies or in my reading.

The door shut quietly behind me and a breath that I didn't know I was holding escaped my lips. A trickle of blood tracing the line of my jaw made me shiver and swipe it away. Without even paying any mind to it, I wiped it on my threadbare skirt. Not like that mattered to me anyway. It was itchy, tight and practically falling apart. Why would a little blood stain hurt it?

Mother hated me. She hurt me with her words, her fists, and whatever else she could get her hands on. She'd even cut me with the bread knife a few times. This was child abuse, but did anyone care? No. No one cared. Before Mother adopted me, I didn't exist.

No birth certificate, no medical or dental records, no family, not one trace that I had ever existed before September 15th, 2000. I was just dumped on Mother's back porch in the wee hours of the night like a newspaper. Mother never even got a good look at the person who had abandoned me to her. The only thing that even proved that there was someone there was a pleading voice that begged Mother to take me in and raise me because she couldn't do it herself.

And yes, it was a she. Mother had said the voice she heard that night was undoubtedly female.

Back then, mother was a lot more open minded and adopted me without a second thought. But for some reason, unknown to me she became colder and colder towards me until she made a point to remind me that she hated my guts every day.

By then, I'd stopped talking to people. Everyone thinks I'm a mute now, but really I'm just tired. Tired of people hurting me. There's one thing that I wish for that I know I'll never get here. And that's a family. Not a blood-related family -though that would be nice-, but simply people who don't hate me.

I sighed and readjusted my thick framed glasses. "That's never going to happen, is it?"

No. Probably not. Not here at least.

I flopped down on my chest on my creaky spring mattress and reached between the bed-frame and the mattress and extracted the latest graphic novel I'd checked out from the library. Volume 35 of the manga that was the one thing that kept me sane.

Fairy Tail.

A small smile tugged at my lips as I cracked the manga open. I'd already read it twice already, but I wanted to read it again just one more time. It was the most exciting fight I'd read yet, the Fourth Day of the Grand Magic Games: The Twin Dragons of Sabertooth vs. Natsu and Gajeel of Fairy Tail.

I loved Fairy Tail and I wished with all my heart that I could live there. Everyone was so accepting and they were like a family even if most of them weren't related by blood. They took everyone for how they were, past and all. Someone could have wronged the guild terribly, but even so they'd accept them after a while.

My favorite character had to be Erza. She'd been dragged through Hell and back, but she still found the strength to face everything with a courage that astounded me again and again. Natsu was cool too. I'm sure he had his fair share of baggage too from Igneel leaving him at such a young age and I could connect to him because he was left by a parent and he didn't know who his birth parents were either.

So I could relate.

My only complaint about him is that he hogs all the action. Every boss battle, he took them down and it annoyed me a little but the cool factor kinda dulled that annoyance I felt.

As I was reading, my body suddenly froze. The manga slipped through my stiff fingers and onto the bed as a cold feeling worked its way up from my feet and all the way up my body until I could see that I was fading away.

...

I was hanging in nothing. Just floating. Until I started to get weighed down. Slowly, the ground started to appear under my back. Sounds swirled around me, but none of them made any sense to me at the moment. Warmth fell on my eyelids and a cool breeze brushed my face, slowly coaxing my eyes to open.

Above me there were trees, or what looked like trees. Sunlight seeped through the leaves and a gentle breeze rolled over the ground. I immediately sat up, but instantly regretted it as the blood started rushing to by head. When the throb subsided, I opened my eyes again. Everything close to me was in focus, but everything farther away was really blurry. My hand flew to my face, finding that my glasses were gone.

My hands flew over the grass, searching for the familiar black plastic until my fingers finally found it. A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I placed the glasses back on and finally getting a better look at my surroundings.

"That's better." I mumbled, almost inaudibly.

"What are you doing here, child?" A wise, old voice questioned behind me.

A shocked, and embarrassingly loud gasp escaped me as I whipped around. Behind me was a short old man that I would recognize anywhere.

Fairy Tail's Third Master, Makarov.

The guild master looked as surprised as I did, though why, I don't know. Quickly, I realized I had to act like I didn't know him. It would be so weird if I flat out said what I knew about him.

Luckily, I didn't really need to worry about that because my voice failed me.

"...Rika...?" Makarov muttered, "No...it can't be."

Makarov approached me, never once taking his eyes off me, almost like he thought I would disappear if he did. But the closer he got, the more confused I was. Who was Rika? And why did he look like he was seeing a ghost?

"Child, who exactly are you?"

"..." I struggled to find my voice, but eventually got a hold of it, "...Ame. M-My na-name is Ame."

"Ame...why are you here by yourself? It isn't safe for a child such as yourself to be alone on the road." Makarov said lightly.

"I..." I stopped.

What should I tell him? I suddenly started disappearing and then I woke up here? Even in a world of magic that sounded insane.

"...I'm lost." I admitted.

Makarov's eyes softened sympathetically. Not a lie, but not really the complete truth either. Nonetheless, I could feel myself tearing up. That's the first time anyone had ever looked at me like that. Makarov must have thought it was because I was scared and held out his hand.

"Why don't I take you back to your family then, Ame?" he offered.

I immediately shook my head. "P-Please no...I d-don't want to go b-back there."

A puzzled expression flashed on the old man's wrinkled face. "Why not? You're parents will me missing you."

I shook my head again. I knew Mother wouldn't miss me. In fact, I'm sure she would be celebrating my disappearance once she discovered I was gone. A small frown crossed my face, but just as quickly as it appeared, something else grabbed my attention. Just for a brief moment, I felt something move behind me. Like a small step.

Then there was another.

And another.

Soon there were many.

I felt something I was quite familiar with.

Fear.

Something bad was coming.

My body tensed out of reflex and Makarov seemed to notice.

"What is it, Ame?" he asked.

"T-There's s-something h-here." I whispered, standing up and facing the area where I felt the disturbance.

"Hmm?"

An arrow shot out of the tree-line straight at me. My eyes were locked on the arrow as it hurtled at me. I was so scared I couldn't move. I could feel my whole body buzzing with terror as the arrow hit me.

But I didn't feel much pain.

Just a strange ripple-like feeling echoing through my body.

Hesitantly, I looked behind me and wedged in the ground by Makarov's foot was the arrow that was shot at me. Makarov looked at the arrow like it was the strangest thing he had ever seen.

"H-How di-did that h-happen?" I stuttered.

A hearty chuckle echoed from the trees, immediately drawing my attention back to what was in front of me. "Well, you must be a Shadow mage then. What a surprise. If I had known that, I probably would have done something different to y'ah."

A shadowed figure leapt down from the tree in front of me, landing in a crouch with a hard thud before standing up. The figure was obviously that of a well-built male and he was clearly built for combat and had a loaded crossbow in his hand.

"The master of Fairy Tail." he cackled, "This should stir up those flies nicely."

Before I could answer, Makarov stood in front of me. I couldn't see his face, but I could feel the waves of magic rolling off of him.

That's right. I almost forgot that Makarov is a Wizard Saint. He's very strong, even if he is old. I thought.

"What business do you have with me?" he demanded.

The assaulter looked startled, but quickly regained his composure. "I'm here for revenge. Two of my brothers were taken out by members of your guild, old man."

"And what guild would that be?" Makarov asked.

"The Southern Wolves."

I felt my heart drop a little. I remember them from Lucy and Natsu's first job together. They had to face the Vanish Brothers, who were from the mercenary guild, Southern Wolves. Natsu had a bit of a tough time with them, but he eventually beat them in the end when they mistakenly tired to amplify his attack and throw it back at him.

"A m-mercenary gu-guild." I muttered.

The man chuckled. "That's right, girly. I am Pogo of the Southern Wolves. You picked the wrong place to be at the wrong time I'm afraid, because I'm going to have to kill you too along with the old man."

That seemed to really piss off Makarov, as his magic aura manifested and the wind picked up.

"I will not allow that." he growled.

It only took one glance from the old wizard and Pogo was off running. I sweat-dropped as I watched him go.

He was all bark and no bite! I groaned.

When the mercenary was well and gone, Makarov let his magic release drop and turned back to me.

"How did you know he was there?" he asked.

"...I d-don't know."

Makarov cocked an eyebrow at me.

"I-I just so-sort of sensed him, m-moving through the shadows." I stuttered.

And then he fired that arrow and it passed right through me like I wasn't even there! I added to myself.

Makarov and I continued to stare off. I could tell he was trying to figure out what I had done himself, and I kind of hope he would because I really want to know how I did that.

"I think, you may have a talent Ame." he finally said, "How would you like to join my guild? You could get much assistance in growing your powers."

My heart stuttered a bit. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I just got a personal invitation to join Fairy Tail from Master Makarov himself. My first thought was to accept right away. Of course, this was a dream come true, but then again...

If I joined, I could drastically effect future events, and I'm scared I could change them for the worse.

Makarov seemed to sense my hesitation.

"It's alright child. You don't have to be intimidated by the offer. I know I'm probably asking a lot of you."

I shook my head, finally making up my mind. "N-No, it's okay. I-I'll join."

Makarov smiled warmly at me. "That's great news. Come now, let's go home."

The old guild master continued down the dirt road and I followed. This was the beginning of a new life for me and I wasn't going to waste it. Whatever mystical and magical force sent me here, be it Fate or a god, I'm thankful. Now I can begin again with people that will care about me.

I looked up for a moment at the trees above me.

Whatever threat is thrown at me, I swear I will take it down head-on. If I change the corse of this world's future, so be it. You can't cast a stone into darkness and expect it not to disturb something.

...

A/N: First re-written chapter! Was this better? I think it was, but I'm starting about the same place I did before which is right before the Deliora Arc. I hope this story will be better from now on :)