Alright, here we are with the rewritten first chapter of Celestial Bonds. I'm sorry this was taking so long. I kept bouncing back and forth with ideas and characters. Hopefully, now everything's ready.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the Fairy Tail series. I only own my OCs, guilds, fan arcs, or types of magic I create.
In a land far, far away lies the Kingdom of Fiore. A small, peaceful nation of seventeen million and a place filled with magic.
Found in every home, bought and sold in every marketplace, for most, magic is merely a tool, a mundane part of everyday life. For some, however, magic is an art, and they've devoted their lives to its practice.
These are the wizards. Banded together into magical guilds, they client their skills in search of fame and fortune. Many such guilds dot the landscape of Fiore.
But there is a certain guild in a certain town that soars high above the rest. One from which countless legends have been born. A guild that will no doubt continue to create legends well into the future.
Its name is Fairy Tail.
Recently, Fairy Tail had been attacked by a rival guild called Phantom Lord. They had never been on excellent terms with each other, but they went too far in a recent stunt when they attacked one of their teams. Master Makarov declared war on the guild, and everyone from Fairy Tail rushed off to battle.
Fairy Tail attacked Phantom Lord and held its own well for a while. However, things took a turn for the worse when Master Makarov was ambushed by the Element Four's wind wizard, Aria, as part of a trap set by Master Jose. Aria hit Makarov with a magic-draining spell that caused him to lose all his magic power. This caused a significant loss of morale and strength for the Fairy Tail wizards, forcing Erza to call a retreat.
But before anyone could move for the door, a streak of light shot past the Fairy Tail wizards. Six or eight Phantom Lord wizards were in its path as they were knocked to the side or tripped up. When it stopped, a small figure stood among the downed wizards.
To everyone's surprise, it was a cat similar to Happy. They were the same height and shape, but this little guy was different. For one thing, his ears were round, and his fur was black and silver. His eyes were sapphire blue, and he had white, angelic wings on his back. Around his neck was a dual-blue scarf with Native patterns, and on his back was a white guild mark that looked like a phoenix combined with a heart.
Not surprisingly, the Phantom Lord wizards were confused by the sudden intrusion.
"What the–?"
"Who's that?"
"You mean, what's that?"
"Another cat?"
The cat smirked at the phantom wizards. "Phoenix Heart says 'hello.'"
After he said that, several glowing arrows shot past the fairies and took out ten more guys. Then, a ball of blue fire took out another batch while a blast of concentrated light wiped out a different lot. Combined, those attacks quickly downed half of the remaining phantom wizards, if not more so.
Three figures jumped over the fairy crowd and landed in front of the Phantom Lord mages, one holding a bow in his hand that disappeared into a red magic circle. They all straightened up to reveal three new wizards that didn't belong to either guild.
The person with the bow was a young man who was 6'2" with a slim yet athletic, muscular build. He has a warm peach skin tone, green eyes, and short, messy black hair with blue tips and bangs that obscure his left eye. There was another phoenix mark in black on his right wrist, and there were burn scars on his left arm peeking out from under the armguard he wore. He was dressed in a sleeveless black shirt with a brown leather vest, dull dark blue fitted jeans with a brown belt, black fingerless gloves with leather armguards, and brown boots. Against the dark color of his shirt, a gold ring on a chain glinted in the light.
Next to him was the only girl in the group. She was shorter than the male at 5'6" and also appeared younger than him. She was a beautiful young lady with an athletic build and a medium skin tone. Her curves weren't huge but still noticeable. She had long, mid-back-length brown-blond hair with bangs, soft curls, and magenta streaks. What stood out the most about her appearance was her eyes, which were heterochromatic: Her right eye was sapphire blue, while the left eye was amber. Like the previous two, she also had a phoenix mark in sapphire blue on the back of her right hand. For clothing, she wore a white tank top under a black short-sleeve mini-jacket, dark blue jean shorts, and tall brown hiking boots with hot pink laces that stopped under her knees. For accessories, she had a gothic cross necklace with a red gem centerpiece and a pair of black and white lacrima headphones dangling on her neck.
Finally, the last group member was also male and clearly younger than the other two. He was the shortest at 5'1" but looked physically fit for someone his age and stature. He had shaggy, fiery-blue hair, green eyes, and pale white skin. On his forehead was a big scar, and while it couldn't be seen under his clothes, he had a phoenix mark on his right shoulder in blue. Speaking of clothes, the boy was dressed in an orange long-sleeve shirt under a brown sleeveless hooded jacket and cargo pants tucked into black boots.
Sitting on the boy's shoulder was a small dragon-like creature. It was smaller than Happy with black scales, an amethyst purple underbelly, wing membranes, and matching purple eyes. It also has a small phoenix mark in jade green on its forehead.
"There's more of them?!"
"Where'd these wizards come from, anyway?!"
"You attacked us…" The tall male addressed the phantom crowd. "Big mistake."
"So, the mighty Phantom Lord is stooping to the antics of a dark guild, is it?" The girl questioned in a tone that was part taunting and part disappointment. "Clearly, your master thinks he's above the law."
Two phantom wizards got brave and tried to attack her, but she casually summoned an orb of light in her hands. She threw the sphere at the two wizards, which exploded on impact. The observing wizards shielded their eyes as the two wizards cried out in pain. They looked back just in time to see the two wizards fall to the ground, knocked out.
The sight of the fallen wizards shocked and stirred up their guildmates. "You'll pay for that!"
"Get 'em!"
Another group of wizards threw themselves at the newcomers.
"Ready, Ryoko?" The younger boy smirked at his dragon friend, who nodded back. "Let's light it up!"
Ryoko flew towards some phantom wizards, electricity crackling along her scales. She then released a bolt of lightning that stunned and paralyzed them, causing them to drop to the ground. Meanwhile, her human friend summoned a large blast of blue fire and took out the rest.
The older male brought his hands together as a red magic circle appeared. From it came a bo staff that he spun around a few times before attacking, taking another group of phantoms.
"Eat this!" A Phantom Lord member called, firing a magic blast at him along with three others.
However, the newcomer was faster. He jumped up and out of the line of fire. When he landed, he raised his hand, calling on a spell. "Maguilty Sodom."
Teal swords appeared around the wizard, poised to strike. Pointing his hand at the phantoms, the blades flew at his opponents, honing in on them as they were wiped out.
"Whoa!" Loke breathed, trying to keep up with the action.
"That's insane!" Gray gasped. "This guy's as strong as Erza!"
The red-haired wizard had to admit she was also impressed. She hadn't seen another wizard this powerful before.
"Get the girl!" Another group of phantoms charged at the only female.
Unphased, she jumped out of the way of the incoming wizards before summoning her magic. "Take-Over: Sacred Soul!"
A brilliant flash of light surrounded her, morphing into white wings as it faded off of her. When her new wings spread to full length, the transformation was complete. She now looked like an androgynous young man with honey-brown hair that stopped just above their shoulders. Their clothes had changed into a white, golden-yellow battle kimono with matching knee-high boots. The only thing that remained the same were their eyes.
"Virtue Soul: Gratitude!" The girl's voice had also changed, sounding more masculine yet high.
Magic gathering in their hands, they fired a beam of light at the enemy. The attack was so powerful it took out over half of the remaining phantoms and damaged the building around them. The Take-Over wizard landed gracefully among the beaten wizards, looking every bit the part of the avenging angel.
Together, all five newcomers continued their assault. The Take-Over wizard continued their assault from the air. The Requip wizard slammed his hands on the ground, creating earth spikes that knocked out more phantoms, while the fire wizard sent a torrent of blue fire at another group. Even the animals helped; the cat flew around while using his speed to attack, and the mini-dragon blew an ice breath.
"Wow!" Natsu gasped, dodging a wizard that went flying. "These guys are strong!"
"Aye!" Happy agreed.
Soon, the fighting ended. Most, if not all, the phantom wizards were defeated. Any still standing were too afraid to launch an attack.
The unknown wizards stood among the fallen, looking over their handiwork.
"I think we got 'em all." The fire wizard said as the mini-dragon returned to her perch on his shoulder.
"Hopefully, we got our point across." The Take-Over wizard said.
The flying cat then noticed the Iron Dragon Slayer up on his perch. "I spy a phantom in the rafters."
Knowing he was caught, Gajeel jumped and landed before the new group. His gaze moved and stayed on the angel, smirking. "You want a piece of the action, Archangel?"
"I have no business with you, Black Steel," Archangel glared at him. "I'm here on behalf of a friend."
"This is his polite way of asking you to back off." The elemental wizard said.
The Fairy Tail wizards were really confused now, all thinking the same thing. Who are these guys, and what was their beef with Phantom Lord?
Before anyone could say anything else, the Requip wizard looked at his right wrist, where a chain and heart seal glowed. Bringing his fist up, he closed his eyes briefly before looking back at his comrades as the seal vanished. "Time to fall back! Liam'll meet us at the Fairy's guildhall!"
"Let's go!" The fire wizard nodded, dashing for the exit.
"Move it or lose it, Fairy Tail!" The cat called, following behind the other.
This snapped the other wizards back to reality, getting everyone to break for the door. The Phantom Lord wizards that were still standing chased after them, but the intruding wizards managed to beat them off.
As they moved, the Take-Over wizard noticed the injured Guild Master in Erza's arms. "What happened?"
"We don't know. He went to confront Jose, and the next thing we know, he's falling from the ceiling." Gray said, coming over to them.
They looked at the old man and placed their hand on his forehead, closing their eyes like they were doing some kind of reading. "He needs a magic transfusion. I can handle that when we get back to the guild."
"You can do that?" Loke looked at them, surprised.
The angel just gave the ring wizard a smirk. "My angels can do a lot of things, handsome."
The last part creeped Loke out, but the Take-Over wizard just laughed at his reaction. Spreading their wings, they took to the air once again. "Let's go!"
"Are you sure leaving Liam alone with these guys is a good idea?" The fire wizard asked the cat.
"Oh, don't worry! He can handle it!"
(Elsewhere)
Up on a ridge outside of town was the main headquarters of the Phantom Lord Guild. While the chaos was happening, a lone human was making his way to the building.
He was a young man at 5'8" with brown eyes and long blond hair pulled back in a low ponytail with a thin leather cord and had beads and feathers woven in. He looked like someone who lived outside in the wild and traveled a lot. His mildly tanned skin and moderate muscles were a testament to that. He had a big scar on his left arm and a smaller one on his right hand, and on the back of his left hand was a phoenix mark in dark blue. He wore a green shirt under a gray sleeveless hooded jacket, dark blue jeans, dark green wristbands, and black boots. A dark brown belt was wrapped around his waist with a knife holster on the other. Around his neck was a moonstone necklace, and a broad sword was strapped to his back.
In his hands was a bow made of golden wood already notched with an arrow. The arrow had a silver shaft, and the feathers on the end were silver and gold speckled. The bow wasn't in position, but the young man had his hand on the bowstring, a sign of caution.
A couple of paces ahead of him was a pack of canines consisting of three Isvanian Huskies and a wolf. The smallest dog was female with heterochromatic eyes of brown and blue and pure white fur. The second dog was male with a rare "agouti" coat, white boots on his paws, and brown eyes. The largest husky was also male with copper-red and white fur and brown eyes. Finally, the pack leader was a she-wolf with black fur and golden eyes. Everything about the beast was massive. She was at least twice the size of the largest dog. She was clearly the alpha from how she carried herself.
All four canines were tracking something, but while the dogs kept charging forward, the wolf hung back like she was making sure the human was right behind them.
"Are we close, Storm?" He asked the wolf.
Storm barked an affirmative before moving forward again. Soon, they were standing before the massive structure of the Phantom Lord headquarters.
"She's in there?"
Another bark of 'yes.'
"Alright, good work. Take a break."
He tapped the pouch on his belt, and the animals and his bow dissolved into golden sparkles. Looking back at the building, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, like he was listening for something. When he opened them again, he looked up at the top floor.
"So that's it, huh?" He muttered before taking a silver key from his pouch, swinging it to the side as he said the summoning incantation. "Open, Gate of the Eagle! Aquila!"
A magic circle appeared before him, and a light flashed. Emerging from it was a golden eagle the size of a magic mobile, maybe twice that. The eagle looked at the summoner and squawked a greeting.
"Hey, Talon. I need your help with something," The Celestial Wizard explained, looking up at one of the towers. "I need to get up to the top of the tower on the left. We need to be stealthy, though."
Talon squawked again in a way that sounded like a question, which he could understand and answer.
"I only got magic readings on two people, so I think everyone else is down at the guildhall in town. However, it's a big building, so I don't know if it's just those two people."
A squawk of understanding later, the Celestial Wizard climbed onto the spirit's back. With a flap of his wings, Talon was soon up in the air, taking them to their destination. When they reached the top, Talon landed as best he could on the pointed roof of the tower. Once comfortable, the wizard began to get off the eagle's back.
Hitting the roof, he carefully slid down until he reached the edge. When there, he twisted around to grab the roof's edge, stopping his fall before dropping silently to the ledge. He turned back to Talon and signaled for him to wait for him. He would need him to get back down.
Drawing his sword, he silently made his way into the building. He stayed calm and focused, keeping his senses open to even the slightest sound. He was aware of everything yet concentrated on nothing.
A few steps inside, he heard someone yelling. "I'm not ever gonna go back to that house! I don't want anything to do with him!"
Picking up his pace yet keeping quiet, he approached an open door and peered inside. In the room were two people, a man and a girl. The man was creepy, and the girl was tied up on the floor, yet she seemed defiant about the situation.
Seeing all he needed to see, the young wizard made his move. Before Jose could react to the sound of approaching footsteps, the hunter delivered a decisive swing to the Guild Master, sending him flying back into the cell wall.
Lucy was stunned, silent by the sudden attack as her savior turned to her, sheathing his sword. "Are you all right?"
Still in shock, she nodded. The young man then kneeled behind her to get a better look at her binds.
"Okay, hold still." He told her, pulling a bone-handled knife out of its holster.
Lucy thought the knife was odd, but she got the point and did her best impression of a statue. Being as careful as possible, he made quick work of the ropes on her wrists.
"Think you can stand?" He asked, offering a hand.
"Yeah." She said, taking it.
After helping her up, he held her hand and led her back to where he came in. Lucy let herself be led along, feeling like this person didn't mean her harm.
When they reached the outside ledge, the hunter was about to signal Talon when Jose got back up, catching their attention.
"Oops, I forgot to mention. This cell is several stories high," He groaned out, still in pain as he held the wounded area. "I must admit, you caught me surprise, young man, not at all what I expected from a gentleman of society."
Lucy glanced at her savior, who kept his gaze on the Phantom Lord Master. She had thought there was something familiar about this boy, but she hadn't been able to place him. If he was from upper-class society like she was, maybe she had seen him at one of her father's parties.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." He glared at the older man, keeping his voice even.
"Why, I'm talking about you, Lord Liam," Jose responded. "The firstborn son and heir of the wealthy Heartfilia family."
Lucy gasped as she turned fully to the other. Liam was her younger twin brother. He had been taken from their family over ten years ago.
If Jose was telling the truth, her long-lost brother was standing beside her. That thought was enough to make her eyes shimmer with tears.
"No way…" She whispered in awe.
The male lowered his head, his bangs covering his eyes as a rueful smirk grew on his face, revealing that his canines were slightly sharper than average. "Lord Liam Heartfilia… That's a name I haven't heard in a long time."
Still keeping his creepy smile, Jose raised an eyebrow.
"I've had many names over the years. Dreamer, Cheveyo, Honiahaka. It's hard to keep track," His smirk turned into a scowl as he turned his anger back on his enemy. "But enough about that, I think it's time you started talking. Why did you send wizards to attack my team?! We have no business with Phantom Lord!"
"No, my boy, not attack, retrieve," Jose corrected him. "We were hired by your father to bring you and your sister home."
Liam's eyes widened briefly, but his glare returned with a vengeance. Some of his magic power also flared out in response to his emotions. It was only a little, but the force of it was enough to make Lucy flinch, and Jose drew back slightly.
"That man… is no father of mine!" He growled lowly. "He's just officially made an enemy out of me!"
Jose scoffed as he recovered from his outburst. "Either way, you're not going to get away with this attack. You will be punished. I'll show you just how terrifying Phantom Lord can be."
Liam smirked again at the threat as his magic calmed down, making it clear he wasn't scared. Before either side could react, he spun around and pulled Lucy close to him before throwing them both over the ledge. The stunt was enough to stun Jose pale, causing him to fall flat on his face.
"Now, Talon!" He shouted as the twins fell.
Talon dove off the roof after the twins, tucking in his wings to gain speed. Once close enough, he caught the siblings in his talons as gently as possible. He then opened his wings to slow his descent and glide to the ground. The landing was rough, causing the twins to fall to the ground, but other than that, they were uninjured.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Liam turned to the eagle spirit. "Thanks, Talon."
Talon screeched one last time before returning to the spirit world.
After he left, Liam pushed himself to his knees and turned to look down the cliffside towards town. The others were returning to Magnolia Town by now, so they needed to do the same.
"Lucy!" A voice called out to them.
Liam turned in the direction he came from and saw Natsu and Happy coming their way. They stopped when they got close enough, looking confusedly at the newcomer.
"Who are you?" Happy asked.
"That doesn't matter right now," Liam answered, pushing himself to his feet. "We need to get back to your guild."
Natsu then noticed something that only he could find. "Hey, this guy smells a lot like Lucy."
"Maybe they use the same shampoo." His cat suggested.
Ignoring them, Liam helped Lucy to her feet so they could get moving. She had been silent the whole time, still trying to process all that had happened.
Happy seemed to notice her silence. "You okay, Lucy?"
"I think so." Lucy nodded, still in a daze.
"That's good news. Okay, we better head back to the guild."
"What?! That's their headquarters! Let's get 'em!" Natsu argued.
"We can't! Erza told us to retreat!" Happy disagreed, trying to reason with his friend.
"'Cause she's a wimp! I'll face those guys by myself if I have to!" The Dragon Slayer argued, getting in the cat's face.
"But you saw what they did to the Master!"
"Exactly, that's why I wanna get revenge!"
"You're not strong enough to fight 'em on your own!"
"What'd you say?!"
"I said you can't!"
"I heard you the first time!"
The twins watched as the duo argued before turning to each other. Liam looked at his sister for a moment before giving her a soft smile. "I missed you, Lu."
Lucy was still shocked, processing that her brother was standing next to her after so long apart. Then, almost out of nowhere, she tackled her twin in a hug, nearly knocking them both to the ground again. Before Liam could say anything, he felt Lucy tremble against him.
"Hey, it's okay. Please don't cry, Sis." He said gently, returning the hug.
"I thought… I thought I'd never see you again!" Lucy sobbed as the tears she had held back for years flowed like rivers down her face.
By this time, the boys had noticed the twins interacting and weren't sure what to do. In the short time they'd known her, they'd never seen Lucy cry. Plus, they still didn't really know who this guy was.
"I'm back now, Lu," Liam said soothingly. "And I promise I'll never leave again."
After crying a little more, Lucy took a shuddery breath and looked back up at her brother. Her eyes were still wet, but now she was smiling again. "I missed you, too, Liam."
"Hey, Natsu," Happy turned to his friend. "Do you think that's…"
"Yeah." Natsu nodded, not needing his partner to say anymore.
(Flashback)
A few days ago, before Phantom Lord attacked, it had been a typical day at the Fairy Tail guild hall. The Natsu and Gray were fighting, Cana was drinking from a barrel, Elfman was shouting about being 'a real man,' Loke had his two girls in the corner, etc.
Lucy was sitting at the bar, talking with Levy and Mirajane, when Elfman was sent flying into the wall beside them. Mirajane gave a good-hearted chuckle before moving to help her brother up and see if he was injured.
As they watched the siblings, Levy noticed a sad look cross Lucy's face. "What's wrong, Lu?"
"Nothing," Lucy sighed. "Just thinking about my brother, that's all."
"You have a brother, Lucy?" Erza asked, coming over to them.
The blond nodded, the memories almost being seen behind her eyes. "A twin brother. We were really close as kids. You'd never see one of us without the other."
She paused for a minute to breathe, knowing the next part would be painful.
"Over a decade ago, he went on a trip with our mother. The town they went to was attacked by raiders. My mother and brother were separated, and he disappeared. We have no clue what happened to him. I don't even know if he's still alive."
Her eyes were watering by the time she was done with her story. Even after ten years, just thinking or talking about it made her cry.
"Oh, Lu." Levy breathed, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder to comfort her.
"It should've been me that day," Lucy explained further, voice cracking. "We would take turns going with our parents whenever they left for business trips. It was supposed to be my turn that time, but I had gotten sick. My brother didn't want to leave me alone, but I told him to go. If I had known he was never going to come back…"
"Lucy," Erza spoke up, getting her attention. "Don't blame yourself for that. You couldn't have known what was going to happen that day."
Lucy sniffled, listening to the S-Class wizard.
The redhead then smiled gently as she continued. "If your brother is anything like you, he's still alive somewhere. I'm sure of it."
Wiping away her tears, the blond smiled at the other girl. "Thanks, Erza."
None of the girls noticed that Natsu and Gray had stopped their fight to see what the girls were talking about. Neither butted into the conversation. Both understood the pain of losing someone you love.
(Present)
Natsu had been the most empathetic to the situation. He knew all too well the 'what ifs' that are left behind when there's no definite answer. He almost hated to break up the scene, but he knew they had to go.
"Hey, Lucy?" Happy spoke up for him, knowing what needed to be done. "I'm glad you found your brother, but we need to get back to the guild."
"Yeah, Happy's right," Natsu agreed. "Time to go."
Remembering who was also there, the twins pulled apart. Liam looked at his sister and retook her hand. "He's right. Let's go, sis."
Lucy nodded before her brother led her down the mountain, Natsu and Happy behind them. As they walked, Liam sensed Jose's magic start to radiate from the tower.
'This isn't over,' He thought, unconsciously picking up his pace. 'Not by a long shot.'
And the first chapter's redone. I'm going to post the chapters for the old version I had already finished and then post the next one I'd been working on.
I'll be back soon.