An Unhealthy Obsession?
Year;x783
Location;Solitudinem,Desierto
Solitudinem, this word was taken from an ancient language that was used by the nomadic tribes that once wandered this land. The word itself sounds very similar to the modern word "solitude", meaning "The State Of Being Alone". That described this place perfectly. There was nothing here,nothing at all, only the ruins of once great civilisations and skeletal remains of those that had wandered into this lands sandy embrace unprepared. It was easy to get lost here, seeing as everything looked the same, and once you were lost you were almost certain to die. For you see this land was a desert that stretched for hundreds of miles in all directions. As a matter of fact this desert was actually a country called Desierto.
Very few people lived in Desierto. This was because of the difficulty and hardships of just managing to survive here, let alone the effort that would be required to achieve anything else. And yet in the middle of absolute nowhere we find a man sitting underneath the starry night sky. Sitting on the remains of a rotten tree log and a small camp fire slowly flickering away in front of him in order to hold of the nights chilling cold.
Now this may seem strange to some people. "It's a desert, why would it be cold?". And yes you would be right, desert's aren't usually cold, they are in fact some of the hottest places on the planet with temperatures sometimes reaching over a sweltering fifty degrees celsius during the day. But during the night when the sun has fallen temperatures plummet rapidly. Seeing as desert's are empty wastelands for the most part there is nothing around to hold the heat from the day into the night, and as such it regularly gets as cold as negative eighteen degrees celsius. That's cold no matter where you come from.
Back to the man however. Very little of his actual body could be seen as he was wearing a hooded cloak that went all the way down to his ankles. What could be seen was a small small tuft of hair poking out of the cloak. His hair was black with stripes of dark red running through it in numerous places, giving the effect that it had been stained in blood and he had not been bothered to get it washed out.
"What am I doing here?".Muttered the man as he gazed into the flickering flames."There is nothing here and I knew that before I even bothered setting off into this dust bowl".
"Perhaps Erza,Makarov and the others were right, I am too obsessed with all this stuff".Admitted the man.
Year;X777
Location;Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Magnolia, Fiore
It had been several weeks now since Natsu had joined Fairy Tail and he had been fitting in well. He had met most of the other members by now except for one which people referred to as "The Old Man", although it was said that the Old Man would come and go like a storm. He would be there one moment and then gone for another few months.
During this time Natsu had become friends with a few of the guild's members, many of them being around his own age. The first was of course Erza, whom he spent the most time with out of all of the guild's members. After that he had met Erza's "rival" Mirajane. The fights between the two of them he found both entertaining and annoying as he was often dragged into the middle of them. Alongside Mirajane he had met her younger siblings, Elfman and Lisanna. Elfman was a kind boy who seemed to try and avoid any sort of fighting, and Lisanna was a cheerful girl who always had a smile on her face no matter what was going on.
Natsu had also met Gray. A boy around the same age as him if not a bit younger that had a strange habit of being able to remove his clothes instantly and without noticing until someone pointed the fact out to him, in which he would then run around trying to find them. Natsu's relationship with Gray was a bit strange. Natsu himself wasn't quite sure how it had happened but Gray would always try to fight Natsu in an attempt to prove he was stronger. This always ended with Natsu's quick and decisive victory much to the surprise of the other guild members aside from Makarov as Gray was seen as being one of the strongest younger members, although the shock had worn off after the first dozen times and now they just expect to see Gray flying across the guild every time he tries to fight now.
Natsu also met Cana. Out of all the members around his age she had been there the longest and could often be seen playing with her cards, trying to tell someone their fortune. Natsu had also met Levy, a girl with blue coloured hair that was almost always seen with a book nearby. Laxus, Makarov grandson had popped into the guild one day after returning from a mission. Natsu wasn't quite sure what to think about Laxus as he seemed to dismiss people quickly and seemed to not care for any of the guild's members, but when Natsu looked into his eyes he could tell that it wasn't the case but rather something else that caused him to act the way he did.
At first Natsu didn't have any place to stay, so Makarov whom he now referred to as Master, had allowed him to sleep in the guild's infirmary until he had completed enough missions to get himself a small place, which he had promptly done. Much to the surprise of many of the guild's members as he hadn't asked for any assistance on his missions, he just got on and done them.
The house he had purchased wasn't anything special. Just a two story building with several bedrooms/bathrooms, a living room, kitchen and dining room. It was located on the outskirts of Magnolia. When asked why he bought a place so far away Natsu had responded by saying,"Sometimes I like being left alone". After that they let him be on the subject, understanding that everyone needed some personal place.
Over the last several weeks the guild had started to notice something about Natsu. Despite his incredible Magical Power and advanced abilities for his age, he never went out of his way to show them off or brag about them. The few times people had seen his Magic and complimented him on it he just waved them off as if it was nothing special, but it was easy for everyone to see he was easily the strongest in his age group despite what some people, mainly Gray, would say.
The other thing people had noticed was that Natsu had somewhat of an unhealthy habit. Now it wasn't something as mundane as eating large quantities of food all the time or constantly starting fights with others. No, Natsu had a strange habit of walking into the guild's library and then not being seen for days, before walking out as if nothing had happened. When people asked what it was he had been doing he would simply give them a deadpan look and say,"It's a library, what do you think i was doing in there", before walking off as if nothing was wrong.
Today was one such day, were Natsu had wandered into the guild's library and no one would seem him again. But this time Makarov had decided to see what it was he was reading.
"Ah Natsu, I thought i would find you in here".Said Makarov as he looked at Natsu who had several books laid out on the table in front of him.
"Oh Master,"Replied Natsu."Is there something i could help you with?".Asked Natsu, without even bothering to take his eyes off the page he was reading.
"I was just interested in what it was you were doing my boy". Said Makarov, as he moved to get a better look at what Natsu was reading."Legendary Magic? What would you be looking at that for?"
"It's something that interests me Master".Responded Natsu."Actually you might be able to help me with something Master".
"Oh, and what could that be?".Questioned Makarov.
"Well it says here that Fairy Tail is renowned for three Legendary Spells; Fairy Law, Fairy Glitter and Fairy Sphere".Stated Natsu as he turned to look at Makarov.
"Yes that is correct".Replied Makarov."They were created by the First Master Mavis Vermillion over one hundred years ago".
"Right it just that, in this book it states that there are three Legendary Fairy spells".Said Natsu."It's just I heard that there was Four not Three Fairy Spell, so i was wondering why it doesn't list the last spell".
As soon as those words left Natsu's mouth Makarov stood more upright and his eyes widened in shock before he quickly returned to his previous stance.
"I'm afraid you have been misinformed Natsu. There are only Three Legendary Fairy Spells. Fairy Law the magic that only affects those the caster views as their enemy. Fairy Glitter the magic that denies the existence of nearby foes. And Fairy Sphere an absolute defence magic that protects the caster from any evil. There is no Fourth Fairy Spell". Stated Makarov with a firm voice.
"And I'm not sure you should be looking into such a thing Natsu, what other books do you have here?".Said Makarov as he quickly moved to have a look at the other books."Amaterasu Formulas, Divine Authority Magic Seals Art, Yakumo Eighteen War Gods Magic!?How did you get access to these Natsu they were locked away in a section of the library only those with my permission could enter and even then I don't think I would allow access to these books!".
"I didn't know it was a restricted section, so when i tried to get in but couldn't i just assumed the door had jammed and i broke it down".Replied Natsu, while not quite understanding what the problem was.
"Natsu, you are not to look at these books again do you understand". Stated Makarov as he quickly picked the books up from the table and started to move away from Natsu to place them somewhere he couldn't find them.
"What!?".Exclaimed Natsu."What do you mean i can't look at them?I'm doing nothing wrong".
"These books are dangerous Natsu and someone your age shouldn't be looking at them".
"That's horseshit and you know it Master."Hastily replied Natsu."You're always the first one to say that magic is something that needs to be studied, to be why are you trying to prevent me from doing so".
"I'm not preventing you from studying magic Natsu".Argued Makarov."There are plenty of other magics you can learn about-"."But I'm not interested in those types of magic Master".Natsu stated as he cut across what Makarov was saying.
"Enough Natsu!".Shouted Makarov as he quickly turned around with a angry look on his face."I will hear no more of this. This material is something that i would only consider allowing a S-Class mage to look at and even then i would be reluctant to allow so. Now i suggest you go outside and spend some time with your fellow guildmates or go on a mission because I am not going to repeat myself again".
Silence reigned in the library for a few moments as both parties continued to stare at each other with an unflinching gaze. Eventually Natsu got up and walked out of the library slamming the door as he went in frustration.
Makarov sighed to himself softly as he looked at the door Natsu had just left through.
"Why must you have such an interest in these things Natsu?And how could you know about the fourth spell?". He asked himself. " I hope this isn't a sign for future troubles".
As Natsu slammed the library door shut, it caught the attention of the members sitting in the hall, all wondering what had happened to get the normally calm boy into such an angered state.
"Got something to say have you!".Shouted Natsu, as he subconsciously flared his Magical Power, causing them all to look away in fear of getting a beam of light shot at their heads.
Natsu swiftly moved over to sit at a table in the corner of the hall, an angry visage still plastered to his face. From the corner of his eye he could see Erza moving over to talk to him. No doubt trying to find out what had gotten him so worked up.
"Natsu what's wrong?".Asked Erza a look of concern written on her face.
"It's nothing don't worry about it".Hastily replied Natsu.
"Natsu please don't lie to me".Said Erza."Something has clearly gotten you annoyed so what is it?".
Natsu gazed at her for a few moments before he sighed and decided to tell her what was wrong.
"The Master came into the library to see what I was reading".Said Natsu."The instant he saw what it was he took the books away saying that he didn't want me reading such things and then forbid me from touching them again when I tried to argue the point".
"What could you have been reading that would cause him to react in such a manner?".Questioned Erza, not quite understanding why Makarov had done so.
"Just a couple books on Legendary Magic, Amaterasu Formulas, Divine Authority Magic Seals and Yakumo Eighteen War Gods Magic".Stated Natsu, still not happy about what Makarov had done.
"I don't understand, why would he take the books away if it was just about some types of Magic". Asked Erza, still not understanding why they were taken away from him.
"That's because you don't know anything about those Magic Styles". A voice cut across.
Natsu and Erza both turned to see who had spoken and saw that it was Macao.
"Those types of Magic are extremely powerful and equally as dangerous".Warned Macao."One wrong move in learning them and you could end up dead".
"They're that dangerous?". Questioned Erza.
"Yeah they are".Replied Macao in a serious tone."I have known a couple of people who tried to learn some of them when unprepared and ended up blowing off their arms".
"Why would you try to learn such a thing!".Asked Erza, as she quickly turned to face Natsu. A look of shock written across her face at the thought of him trying to learn something that could cause such harm.
"Because it's something I'm interested in".Replied Natsu, still not bothered by how dangerous the styles he was trying to learn were.
"But you're already powerful enough Natsu".Responded Erza." You can easily beat anyone in our age group with just your Light Magic let alone when you use your sword, so why do you want to learn even more Magic?".
"You can never have too many magic styles Erza".Natsu retorted." Having multiple styles will allow me to be more prepared, especially against those that have magic that can counteract mine".
"Counteract?What do you mean?".Question Erza, who now had a confused expression.
"What I mean Erza, is that some magic is more effective against magic of the opposite nature".Explained Natsu."For Example Fire and Ice Magic Styles are opposites of each other, meaning that they can be used to nullify each other. This happens with most Elemental Magic Styles; Fire and Ice, Wind and Lightning, Earth and Water, Light and Dark a mainly Light Magic user my own abilities could potentially be negated by a Darkness Magic user of equal power and skill. That's why it is important to have more than one Magic Style".
"I see".Said Erza, who now had an understanding look on her face."But that still doesn't mean you have to go for magic that dangerous".
Natsu sighed before saying,"Erza can we just drop this now?I'm already annoyed over it enough as it is, if I continue to talk to you about it I'm just going to get even more annoyed".
"Fine, I guess".Stated a reluctant Erza, who was still slightly concerned but was willing to let it now atleast.
Unfortunately someone did get the message and tried to get under Natsu's skin by commenting on the situation.
"Ha, did poor Natsu get upset when his books were taken away". Commented Gray as he walked over to mock Natsu."How pathetic, it's just a couple books get over it pinky".
Natsu, who had no interest in arguing with Gray simply stood up to walk away.
"Hey where do you think you're going pinky?Shouted Gray, earning the attention of the rest of the guild in the process as they all turned to look.
Natsu who just continued to ignore him and not let his words get to him kept walking towards the guild door so he could leave. But Gray who wasn't very happy with being ignored ran in front of Natsu in an attempt to stop him.
"I don't like being ignored ya know". Stated Gray, as he stood in front of Natsu.
"Move Gray.I have no interest in talking to you".
"Yeah well what are ya gonna do if I don't huh?".Replied Gray.
"Then I'll make you move".Stated Natsu, as a hint of anger made it's way into his voice.
When Natsu said this the rest of the guild became a bit worried. While they had seen Natsu get annoyed a few times before, mostly when he had been dragged into Erza's and Mira's fights, he had never threatened to hurt someone before.
"I'd like to see you try!".Replied Gray as he moved into the stance he used for his magic.
But before he could even make a single move Natsu had already lifted his hand in front of him, a hard glare across his visage as he released a large stream of Light Magic towards Gray.
The burst of magic was about a metre wide in diameter and moved at high speed, before crashing into Gray, sending both him and the surrounding tables and chairs through the nearest wall and into the streets outside, before continuing down the street before exploding in the nearby park.
As people looked on at Natsu in shock as they couldn't believe what he had just done, even though many felt Gray had deserved it for trying to antagonise him. Through the hole in the wall they could see Gray laying there motionless as smoke came from his body.
They could easily see that he had suffered quite a few wounds as some blood could be seen running down his face and chest, which became visible after his shirt had been blown off by the force of the impact.
Natsu in the meanwhile, merely lowed his arm before continuing out the door as if nothing had happened. As Natsu could slowly be seen disappearing in the distance Makarov appeared in the hall.
"What the hell happened out here?".He demanded to know."Why is there a hole in the wall and Gray laying outside injured?".
Everyone was quiet, not quite sure what to tell their Master. Eventually Mira stepped forward.
"Natsu just went crazy that's what happened old man".She exclaimed."He blow a hole in the wall and Gray with it".
"That's not what happened and we all know it".Countered Erza, who had finally recovered from the shock of what had just happened."When Natsu came out of the library he was annoyed by what you had done. When Gray overheard us talking he tried to annoy Natsu further by commenting on it, but when Natsu ignored him and tried to walk away Gray ran in front of him trying to get a reaction, which he eventually did when Natsu short a burst of Light Magic at him blowing him through the wall".
"Hmm… is this true everyone?".Question Makarov. See the nodding of heads Makarov sighed in despair."From the sounds of it Gray had it coming, but that doesn't mean it was acceptable to do that. I will have to have words with Natsu when he returns".
" In the meanwhile, could someone pick up Gray and put him in the infirmary, it looks like he's going to need a few bandages. Also someone ask the carpenter to come out to plug the hole in the wall".
While Makarov was finding out what had happened, Natsu had been walking further and further away. He was heading in the direction of his house. Yesterday afternoon he had grab a mission request from the board and took it him with him intent on doing it in a few days after he had finished in the library. But seeing as how that plan had been ruined he had decided to just go and do the mission request, hence why he was going to his house to retrieve it. He had also planned on getting a change of clothes, after all the ones he had on at the moment he wore when he planned on just sitting and reading.
It might sound a little strange to have a pair of clothes for just reading, but they were extremely comfortable and perfect to just laze around in all day.
Once he had gotten to his front door he removed a key from his pocket, unlocked the door and proceeded to walk in. As he looked around he noticed how spartan his home actually was. All he had actually added to his home was a table and chairs in the dining room and a bed in the bedroom. Aside from the other necessities such as food for the kitchen and toiletries he had added nothing else. This was partly due to the fact that he didn't have the money to add unimportant things but also because he didn't care enough to do so. Not that it mattered since he only really spent time here to sleep and nothing else.
Why spend money on things you weren't going to use right.
Anyway, Natsu quickly moved into his bedroom and discarded his clothes and grab a new set. The new clothes consisted of form fitting black formal trousers, an expensive purple shirt which he quickly tucked into his trousers, formal black shoes and to top it off a long black trench coat that reach down to his calf's.
The clothing may seem like something that a member of Blue Pegasus was likely to wear. But Natsu viewed it as while he was representing the guild on these missions he had best look presentable. Plus they were surprisingly comfortable and didn't restrict his movements during combat.
Now that he was appropriately dressed Natsu moved downstairs to his dining room where he had left the mission request. The mission itself wasn't too difficult, he just had to kill a couple vulcans that had been harassing a nearby right. But Natsu didn't pick it for the ease of the mission, but for the reward.
The reward was listed as a rare book that was said to contain information on types of Lost Magic was a category of Magic that had been obliterated from the history of the world due to their immense power and the sheer gravity of their side effects. However, users of such Magic still exist, though the Magic itself is believed to be extremely rare. It is a form of magic that has long been forgotten and is very rare. Knowing a Lost Magic is said to bring one closer to the "Source of Magic".
Seeing that the book was stated to contain knowledge of Lost Magic Natsu knew he had to complete this even though it was against Guild policy he took the request from the board so that no one else could do it.
You might be asking,"why is it against Guild policy, it's a request people take them to do all the time it's what Guilds are there for". And you would be correct, but it was against Guild policy to remove a request from the board and then proceed to not complete it for several days. This was against Guild policy because otherwise people could just grab a load of the best requests and then slowly do them over time to prevent other people from having them and this was seen as unfair.
It was for this reason that Natsu took the request without telling anyone. It maybe unfair to the others but there was no way he was going to allow someone to do this request and get the book to just not use it. Whereas he would actually use the book and the knowledge it contained. After all what he had said to Erza wasn't a lie. The best way to be prepared was to utilise multiple Magic Types. And adding a Lost Magic to that list was a chance he couldn't afford to lose, seeing as how they're generally much more powerful than more normal and common Magic Types.
As Natsu looked over the request he noticed that the location was quite far from here. As a matter of fact it was in another country altogether. The Mission Request was located in a neighbouring country called Bosco.
Unfortunately there was no direct train route to Bosco. This was mostly due to unstable relationships between itself and Fiore. This would mean he would have to walk most of the way, a journey that would take several weeks.
But the journey was worth it. After all a reward like this was too much to give up just because a little he would be fine.
Who said he had "An Unhealthy Obsession?".
Year;783
Location;Solitudinem, Desierto
"Now that I look back this really was the beginning of the slippery slope I found myself on. If I had only managed to curb my obsession, my addiction I wouldn't be standing here alone right now". Stated the man as he continued to gaze into the fire.
"Not that it matters any more".
"I don't have anywhere left to return I have left is this.I must not give up. I will find it eventually".
"I can make things the way they were before.".
"All I need…
Is Fairy Heart".