Holy shit, how long has it been since I enter this site again? The reason for my hiatus? Well, because I forgot about this thing.

I think I'll make Ultear still use Arc of Time in here just because I'm too lazy to come up with a new idea for her power. How will he learn lost magic? Well, just wait later, surprisingly it's quite easy to imagine the scenario… just a hint, Chelia.

I own nothing, but my oc, of course.

Chapter 3: Home

The soft feeling on my back, the wooden ceiling above, and the lovely aromas of something I well remember but can't recall for the life of me bring to memory were the first things my brain noticed. and the window's brilliant light blindingly smacked my face.

What are they all, exactly? I can't recall the last time I awoke with this kind of serene feeling, or rather... I have absolutely no memory of anything.

What is happening? Where is this located? And I know this is a foolish question, but... who am I? Have I lost my memory or what?

I decided to look around this location after getting up and asking myself the typical questions an amnesiac person would.

Anywhere my eyes land, I only ever see that this room is much like any other room—not particularly weird. The wooden floor in this completely ordinary room with ordinary furnishings, though, makes me feel a little weird.

This is the first time. in this age and time that I've actually seen a wooden floor. Is this a posh resort, like I frequently see in movies or something? If that's the case, why am I here? Am I a rich person?

Then my puzzlement was put aside when I peered out the window. Wherever my eyes landed, nothing but snow, snow, and more snow met them. This spot was so high, there was nothing to mar the white blanket, there was no end to it. Actually, despite having enhanced vision, I could hardly make out the village below.

Enhanced vision?

Is this location at a mountain peak or something? Whatever, this place is just stunning.

My face was quickly forced against the window glass. stunned with awe... What a sight it is right now! It could be commonplace to some, but not to me, at least, because...

If Celes saw this, she would be thrilled. After all, she often mentioned wishing to live in a quiet place rather than a big city where there were constantly cars honking.

Not that I can't now object to what she says. Even the prospect of living in this serene-appearing village seems preferable to that of the busy city.

Wait…

Frowning.

What have I just said? Celes? Who was that? By the name… again, why am I unable to make any sense of anything? I was positive that I knew who owned this name. It sounds like a woman only by the name, and when I gave it more attention, I realized that it was unsurprisingly familiar, yet...

I still have a functioning brain, right?

It's as if I forgot it was there since it was so close to me.

Remember?

"Hgnh!"

I suddenly experience a sharp sting in the back of my head, which lasts for at least a few minutes before it subsides and strangely disappears.

Curse! What was that? The torment in the lab isn't even comparable to that pain! And that revealed a lot about the suffering, considering that more than five pairs of hands would be required to count all the inhumane experiments that were being carried out there.

Some of them were hurt so severely that I can no longer feel the pain.

But what the hell was that ache like a hundred times worse than the worst thing I've ever felt?

Awful headache.

My brain felt as though it were being pierced straight by a needle. This is the worst... Ignoring the name for the time being, what was the last thing I can recall before arriving here?

I have a hunch that I should prioritize remembering the name first and make more of an effort to do so, but I'm not sure how to put it into words. There's something that is warning me I should not… what a creepy feeling.

I should probably stop thinking about it and pay more attention to other things, but just as I was ready to lose my train of thought, a voice yelled out from near the door.

What, a lab? What's lab?

"AH!"

Once more, something prevents me from mentally assembling the puzzle.

I investigate the noise and come across a young person who appears to be a year or two younger than me and has black hair. Our eyes briefly meet, but I don't let his expression or gaze catch my attention because there's a bigger elephant in the room with this kid: why is he naked?

Small familiar kid.

The temperature outside is close to zero.

weird child or might it just be an obsession for him? He formed that strange fetish so young but so strangely.

I emerge from the blanket with a stinging chill that persists even with clothing on my body.

How can he act carefree while wearing just a boxer and deny that it is snowing outside the window? This cold was enough to give someone frostbite.

Soon to be a pervert… nudist.

"U! ULTEAR!" HE IS ALIVE! SLEEPYHEAD IS AWAKE!" In addition to being strange, he went off without saying anything; what a rude brat!

The moment I realized what the child had just stated, I stopped caring about it.

Wait… Ur? Ultear? Ur, Ur? What is that, I wonder? I feel as though a gear in my skull is suddenly clicking... a little bit more... a little bit more…

Hmm… ah! Oh, right that!

Oh, it makes sense. Now that I think back on it, I can't believe I could have forgotten something so crucial. My brain must have made a serious mistake.

They conducted the lab... experiment garbage on me as if I were a fucking lab rat, and of all things, a reincarnation thing. The strangest part is that this was a fictional universe; it wasn't my world, it was my second existence.

Even though it sounds strange, that is the reality I will have to live in from now on. More than that… what comes next?

Oh, that's right, that chick! Ultear! Did she really smack my head, though? The next time I see her, I'll give this to her and punch her in the face.

Oh, hold on, that brat... He just said her name, which implied... Did I really do that? My first mission was a success, right!? Yay! Damn, I wish I wasn't in someone's home because I want to scream so badly.

Celebration… congratulation.

Giving me an uncontrollable sense of relief... Although I'm still upset over that punch, hold those tears back, please! Please refrain from crying, me! At least not now.

No, this is not the time.

I need to get ready for the next actions I need to take. The future will undoubtedly change as a result of my behavior, and I must accept responsibility for that. I need to give this some serious thought.

Celes, huh! I see. I'm still unsure of their identity. Whoever it was, I'm certain it was important to me; at least, that was the sense I got as I uttered the name. a key to the recall of my prior existence, as well as the key to everything… I have the capacity to learn whatever type of knowledge I need to survive in this world. They say that knowledge is power, you know.

Ironic.

Seriously, what's up with this setting? The fact that I am a reincarnation does not need me to have the same terrible past as the main cast. Talk about unlucky: I have no memory of my previous life, I am amnesic in this one, and being the subject of an experiment was simply the cherry on top of my terrible life.

Next, what? Will my parent in this universe turn out to be the bad guy who murders my pal or something else? That is too overused.

On my small plate, I have too much to manage. In compensation for my struggles in this life, I hope that at least I had an easy life in the prior one.

Well… I suppose the answer to that hope is "no," huh?

What's so easy in life?

Being bitter won't help me in any way; all it will do is make me appear like as an attention-seeking person. The past is irrelevant since I don't remember it anyway; all that matters is that I survived and am still alive now. All I have to do is carry on living and make happy memories in place of the painful ones.

I have to punch the shit out of someone most of all.

There's no need to rush; simply take your time, do it correctly, and take care of what you can until the opportunity presents itself.

One by one.

A few pairs of footsteps were soon heard approaching this chamber.

One adult, three sets of little steps… one of them is walking slower than the rest.

Well, I already hear the sound before they close because of my improved hearing, but now it's obvious since I remember what my body had changed into.

Up until a grown woman and her three children peeked their heads through the door, three of them entered, and the lone adult in the room took a seat next to me on the bed while smiling gently in a motherly manner.

"Oh good, at least you're awake now. Did you realize that you had been sleeping for two days straight?"

What is this, hmm?

I'm not sure how to put it, but when I heard her tone, I felt a mixture of comfort and worry inside. Additionally, it was pleasant to my ears. I'm unsure of this sensation.

How am I supposed to respond to that? "Mmm..." I nod my head.

She only continued to smile when I replied.

"Is there anything that hurts anywhere still?"

"No…?" Why do I ask back questions? Son, I feel foolish right now.

Indeed, you are.

I'm not sure... In all seriousness, I feel as though I've forgotten something crucial, but it doesn't seem to matter right now. Has my soup brain suddenly gotten cleaned?

Hey!

As she turns to face the young (soon-to-be) protagonist, he says, "Hmm... I presume he's are still delirious, could you two, Lyon and Gray, go to the town and call a doctor to come here? Tell him not to worry about the payment."

"Is a doctor really required to check on him? He appears to be alright already for me; all that's needed is for him to have some time to comprehend what's happening," he said, looking at me nonchalantly.

Are you always acting like such a jerk? You brat! Are you always being this kind of a dick as a kid? Just do what she says and call a doctor, now.

"Can you make a call to one just to be sure?" She seems to adapt to his brattish disposition based on how she handles him.

"Gray, follow Ur's instructions! Let's move!" Kid with white hair pulling his arm.

The brats left my sight as I said, "Sure, yeah, well I'm going then and quit dragging my arm…" but I could still hear him muttering something with my ears. In my memory, did Gray always act this way when he was younger? Oh, wait, he is. If the information I recall from Erza's storyline is still reliable, that is.

At least I have that much confidence in my recall. I hope… I'm certain I can rely on it, right? But if it's a genuinely trustworthy source, then that implies... my gaze veers to the adult's face.

My heart suddenly weighed heavily; a painful future that was destined to occur had grown like a poisoned flower. I'm not allowed to just take a rest yet, am I?

After I have finished rescuing Ultear from the evildoers in Bureau, I must now ponder on how I can this time save her mother. Fairly, it was a simple issue to resolve. Two scenarios are playing in my thoughts as to how to deal with this issue:

First is halting him by force, with my power will be a child's game... get it? Because we're a bunch of kids, so… gottem! I'm sorry, but I mean it! Gray is the main problem, here.

Of course, it won't be that simple. Without creating turbulence ripples, you cannot fling a rock into the pond. Every action I will take must have a different pattern for the future. If I use a brute force approach to solve this, Gray's personality will be the one that will be most negatively impacted by it. There is also a good probability that he will develop a hatred for me as a result.

Gray will continue to live with remorse, resentment, and whatever else he feels now for the rest of his life as long as the monster who killed his parent is still life out there, which is why Ur can't bring herself to physically stop him.

Or…

Then I have the choice to follow him and help him destroy the powerful demon. happy conclusion YAY! It's time to party, baby!

A big dream that ought to have been left in bed! Although I am powerful, I am not so strong. One's ability has a limit. What can a child like me with a little bit more power than an average wizard do to make that dream come true? If someone as strong as Ur, who is reputed to have the strength of a Wizard Saint, cannot destroy the demon? I'm just a child, in the end… remember that!

Are you sure about it?

No matter how I consider it, the first option is the logical and wisest one of the available two. So what if a kid hates me because I stopped him from committing suicide? The only drawback to that decision for me is that one youngster will eventually hate me for having saved him.

Whatever, this is a real nuisance.

Maybe I didn't notice it because I was thinking about it too much. I suddenly feel something brush my forehead, pulling me away from my daydream.

The finger, whose owner I recognize as Ur, pushes my face up makes my face look into hers, eyes lock into mine, and says, "I guess Gray was correct. You just need some time to comprehend everything, and now you're acting so serious for a youngster," the teacher said.

Then, if it's even possible, her look softens even further as she approaches me and rustles my hair.

"What are you thinking so hard about, hmm? " I asked. I'm feeling such an unexplainable emotion right now. She touched my hair, and for some reason, it felt amazing, making me hope… I want her to touch me more.

It... doesn't mean I'm a weirdo, right? I'm just enjoying this sensation, you know.

I'm not sure how long... No, it probably doesn't even last that long, but just now it seemed to me like time was slowing down. Why do I wonder? The only thing left for me to do is to simply take in this novel experience.

Oh no, no, no… now is not the time for drama and stuff. Whatever becomes of those freaks?

"The Bureau…" I didn't notice it because I normally respond quickly, but what's up with my voice?

Hoarse.

She briefly held her breath in response to my quick query, and a guilty look appeared on her face.

She undoubtedly felt a little uncomfortable about telling me or not as her mouth continued to open and close for some time. But why wouldn't she want to tell me? She ultimately decided to tell me the truth.

"After I reported their wrongdoings to the magic council, they sent out a sizable army and numerous Wizard Saints to check the location. It didn't take them long to find all the proof they require. They conduct thereafter verifying the inhuman experiment. After immediately detaining every employee, the decision was made to close and demolish the establishment for good."

The "but" where is it? I can see that her story is incomplete.

She started talking again as if she understood what I was thinking. Her tone was calm but lethal like she want to murder that person… reminiscent of a tundra.

"Everyone was detained, but the bureau's head—a guy going by the moniker "Brain"—was nowhere to be discovered, and the council is now focusing its hunt on finding him."

Of course, he was able to get away, and I doubt he would be foolish enough to not hide for a time.

I was aware of that since I had anticipated it from that rat. Despite how bizarre it sounds, I was kind of relieved to learn that he was still leading a happy life somewhere. It's better because I'll be the one to give that piece of garbage the "execution"... There are some things that only specific people can do, so you can't always expect God and the rightful people to handle everything.

Then she realized what had happened, let out a scream, changed the color of her face to one of apology, and scratched her head.

"Ah! Sorry, I guess that was too much for you to take in at this time. Well, whatever has happened, just let it go, and let the office handle it. As for you..." She briefly shut her mouth before standing up and turning to face me.

"You did excellent work." She wrapped my entire body into hers in a series of soft movements, saying, "There's nothing I could do to express how grateful I am to you."

She sure has a warm body for someone who uses and lives in an area like a tundra.

Heart thumping, hard.

"There's nothing I could do to express how grateful I am to you… you gave me another chance. I can now see, hear, and feel my kid again because of you. I am sincerely grateful for it." I can't respond to her since I'm still in shock at the new development.

I certainly didn't anticipate that my heart would experience such a thing. Unknown causes caused a tickling sensation to appear behind my eyes, and unidentified causes caused my eyesight to become fuzzy.

Oh my God, what the heck is happening to my body? What a mood swing on a roller coaster.

"My name is Ur Milkovich; pleased to meet you and welcome you to the family. I almost forgot to mention that."

"My…"

Hoarse.

What in the world? Has talking ever been this hard? Suddenly, my chest feels tight and heavy. My mouth let out a couple of sharp coughs.

A hand calming my back said, "Relax down, calm down. I've heard everything from Ultear; there's no need for me to add anything; we can discuss this later."

What is she trying to say with that? I don't understand.

"For now, take this drink here... Despite getting a touch chilly, it is still preferable to nothing."

She offered me a mug filled with a dark liquid. So this is where the lovely smell comes from? What the heck is this—water mud? No way, huh... Mud has never smelled this sweet before, but then again, I don't really know what mud smells like.

All it will do is make me more curious. If I refuse to accept this generous offer, I'll simply come across as a rude person, don't you think so?

The cup is taken from her by my hand.

"Well…?" After I took a small sip, she questioned.

"It's... good…" Even better, it's illuminated my chest in some way. She claimed it's no longer heated enough to warm the body, but in a complicated way that I can't quite put my finger on it, it's still warmed my body.

Homey feeling.

"Good, good… then, I'll take my leave, for now, there's someone who needs to talk with you more than me," she says as she springs to her feet. She signaled to the woman who was still hidden behind the wall with her eyes and mine following them to the entrance.

She turns to me to look at my face, and I reassured her with a smile little in response. Before making her way to the exit door, she smiled one more time, in a sheepish, almost sorry manner. After a time, the shorter-haired miniature of the adult woman who had just left the room walks in with an uneasy expression on her face.

She entered the room quietly with only a few gentle steps. Although she pauses close at my side, our eyes never meet. She looks everywhere but at me.

Yes, I'm still upset with her. In the heat of the moment, when her adrenaline was at its highest and she hit me with her magic as a final blow, what she did to me was enough to put the life of a typical adult man in danger.

I had planned to at least strike her once before we made up... I wonder where this trait of vengeance originates from. Or at least, that's what I intended to do up until I see her.

I washed away my annoyance and any other negative emotions when I looked at her just now. I almost started crying from happiness, but not right now. Keep your composure for a little while longer. She would think I was crying now in both a bad and a nice way if she saw me.

I don't know why, but she chose to sit on the floor rather than the edge of the bed, close to the bed, out of all the things she could do in this position. Even so, her gesture made the situation unemotional. What is she thinking?

The contentment of sight.

She is cool, if I were to sum Ultear up in one word. Even though Ultear abhorred that location to the point of death, it was clear that it was a source for a variety of knowledge that anybody might learn, and she was constantly ready to study every book there, whether or not she had been told to.

To be honest, if we ignored the cruel experiment and tasteless food served there, the lab wasn't all that bad.

However, that coolness of hers is not currently manifest in her body. She looks up and down... her mouth shut uncertain of what to say or do.

Let's ignore her, I just had a great idea.

I avoid staring at her by gazing out the window, but I can still see her body language through the glass.

…

1 minute has passed.

…

3 minutes have passed.

…

10 minutes have passed.

…

Girl, say anything! For goodness' sake, you just walked in, sat down without saying a word, and decided to add to the tension. What's up with this silence? Is that the mindset of someone who has just punched another person comatose?

I simply can't handle it any longer after a long-drawn-out awkward pause, so let's start a conversation instead.

Her head rose as I said, "My head."

"It hurts a lot for a variety of reasons... I question why. As I continue, it keeps going back down, getting deeper somehow, ", particularly at the back of my head."

Peek.

She seemed to be experiencing more fear as I watch from the glass mirror, or perhaps I'm just seeing things, and after what seemed like an eternity of silence, she finally spoke.

She muttered, "I... I'm," in a soft, weightless voice.

I can tell from the way she speaks that she doesn't feel particularly bad about hitting me. She does… but, still harbors some regret and unpleasant feelings about it, but not enough to make her feel burdened by them. After all, she has done this sort of thing before; she simply doesn't want things to get awkward between us.

"What?"

Ultear appears to be dodging eye contact as her eyes avert to the side. She whispers the next few words she says.

"I'm… I apologize for the blow on your head."

Huh? Why the hell did you make such a weak apology? Is she even serious here?

"If you really meant what you said," look someone in the eyes rather than saying, "I can't hear it with that volume, you know."

She sputtered out her remark right away.

"Tch! I apologize."

"Look into my eyes, then say sorry!" Is it true that she clicked her tongue before saying sorry to someone? What the hell is up with that attitude?

"I'm sorry!"

"Don't assume that simply because you apologized, I'll forgive you."

"Then, what do you want me to do?!"

At that point, I halted and allowed a grating smile to appear on my face as a great idea struck my head.

"You must have known what to do, right? Come on in."

As soon as she understood what I wanted to accomplish, her expression became nasty.

"Are you sure you have to do this?" pouting mouth in reliance.

"I must, of course. This is an important subject, you know," I say, showing her my shit-eating grin to make sure she knew I was dead serious. She took a seat next to me while grumbling to herself because she knew what waiting ahead for her head.

It certainly is a good situation. I can hit her head with all my might from the angle of her head. Her body tenses up a little as I prepare my hand and charge some magical energy into my fist.

"For future reference. It will hurt, you understand," adding to the current tenseness.

Her response, to be honest, is simply too funny, making me want to tease her even more, but it also makes me feel guilty. Well… I have to do what I should because, you know, men have priorities.

I quickly move my hand to softly touch the top of her head.

Ahh~~~~~ Although I was aware of it, I was unable to act on it. Since I always considered myself to be a practical person, the realization that I was the kind of person who let emotion rule my decisions made me feel a little pitiful.

I am met by her widened eyes. I use my gesture together with a kind grin, sincere gaze, and earnest eyes to let her know everything is good. She immediately dives into me and places her face on my stomach, well, I still catch that trail of tears, though.

"I'm sorry…"

Whispering.

My hand remains motionless and is entangled in her hair as I say, "It's okay."

"I feared I had lost you forever when you didn't wake up and kept sleeping with that ridiculous face."

She still has time to make fun of me despite this over-the-top moment.

"Well, sorry for taking so long to open my eyes…" I feel something wet touching my skin, but not to mention it is the wise choice.

"I thought I had done something unforgivable to you." Between sobbing, she said, and to be honest, you kind of did. "Damn you, how dare you make me worried like that…" why are you treating me in such a passive-aggressive treatment?

Ah, that's bad. This will melt my heart.

Cheesy.

"There, there," but since I'm an adult who can read the room, I keep my mouth shut. Even as she started to snore lightly, I continued to hold my tongue while keeping my hand on her head, and I didn't remove it even then.

I'm not sure how long we were in this posture, but when the older Milkovich returned to the room, I had just awoken and observed the sun had risen a little higher than before.

She was never actually leave because her scent was always there next to the door.

The mother looks at her daughter with compassionate eyes and comments, "Good grief, finally, she got a proper sleep." She plays lightly and amusingly with Ultear's bang with her fingers. however, I notice that she has a melancholy expression in her eyes for some reason. I'm hoping it's just my mind messing with me.

You might wonder why I hoped that, well... an emotional tale is not something I want to deal with.

"She has never closed her eyes for longer than a few minutes since she returned to this place, only to be startled awake and rush to see how you are doing. She would grasp your hand while dozing off. You two must have been rather close, I suppose." She gave my head another pat before leaving once more, for real this time as I hear the steps squeak as she walks down the stairs… is this a second floor? Why does she pat my head so regularly? I wouldn't say I was happy about it, but it did feel good.

If you ask me, patting the head of an underage female who is blissfully asleep on my lap sounds like a crime, but hey. I'm also underage, so mind your own business will you. I turn my head back to the window to look for any indication that the two are returning.

It would probably take around 30 minutes to get to the village, so it would take an hour to go there and back. That's rather lengthy, huh? I'm unsure if I'll still have legs feeling when the doctor arrives.

I hear some footsteps entering the home as the sun rose even high. Ur enters the room once more while being followed by two kids and a person who appeared to be a doctor. We are still remaining in the same position.

I will wait for you.

-total unlocked memory: 37 episodes-

-T.B.C-

How long do you think Ultear is locked in the Bureau of Magical Development (BoMD)?

So, I was rewatching Fairy Tail to refresh my memory, and boy oh boy, how shocked I was when I learned this in Lyon's flashback, there was a line like this "since she lost her daughter a few YEARS ago."

Yeah, dude, Ultear was being held in there for YEARS before she managed to escape. I was writing this with the assumption she was there only for a few months, but in reality, it was YEARS.

?: 13 (since when he was in BoMD? Just wait for his backstory that I clearly had spent a lot of time on it… it's not like I haven't thought of one yet, ok? Don't get the wrong idea, I already had a plan for him since the beginning… seriously, please trust me.)

Laxus: 12

Ulltear: 11 years (boi, she was so beautiful in the early series when she was infiltrating the council and pretending as Jellal's lackey. Her style and hair were much better than her design in Tenrou… still the best ass in the series tho. Her eyes were random af, different studios have different designs, huh? But I'll go with red eyes in here.)

Lyon, Erza, Mira, etc: 9 years

Gray: 8 years

Lucy, Juvia, etc: 7 years