Chapter 1|
-Mage Councils prison-
The sound of footsteps was heard echoing through a dark and damp hallway. The path ran alongside prison cells, containing the most heinous criminals to have ever set foot in the continent of Ishgar. Five mages of the law were followed by a bespectacled older woman, who were leading her to a particular cell. Upon arriving, the mages stepped to the side and allowed the older woman to approach the bars. She pulled out a folder and opened it.
"Basil Greenbloom-" She began.
"Just Basil is fine." Basil corrected. The older woman cleared her throat.
"Fine. Basil. You are hereby deemed as having officially served your time. With your good behavior, the law saw it fit to appease your sentence." She explained. One of the mage guards approached the cell door and opened it. Basil stood, his silver hair passing his shoulders, and approached the exit. He moved his hand through his hair, slicking it back and revealing his gray eyes.
"Finally, I can get a haircut." He remarked. "Thank you, ma'am. That means a lot. Though, if I'm being completely honest, I wouldn't have cared if I died in there." His voice was very nonchalant, almost depicting a positive tone.
"It would be a shame. A mage of your talents should be out there cultivating the younger generation, and not wasting it away with lawlessness." The older woman said. Basil smiled.
"Heh. Yeah, sure, whatever." He replied. He followed the mages out of the prison and out into the fresh air.
"Basil Greenbloom..." a deep sounding voice echoed through the dark corridor. It held contempt for the man who betrayed them to the wizard council.
-Ten Years Later-
Several delinquent mages were seen being knocked to the ground. Some scrambled to their feet and ran off in fear while others were unconscious. Their assailant? A red headed fiery mage. She held orange fire in her hands and a sinister grin on her face.
"Ya think a woman is all by her lonesome that she's easy pickings?" She asked in a threatening tone.
"Please! W-we're sorry! We'll never harass another woman for as long as we live!" One of them begged. But Fiora Blaze wasn't having it.
"You lying bastard!" Her fire turned to a dark red and threw the destructive fireball in their direction. The explosion was followed by a high-pitched crying from the men who continued to run. From behind Fiora came a muscular young man. He stopped short behind her with his arms cross.
"Was that necessary?" He asked. Fiora turned to him with a scoff.
"Those bastards are the reason women need to be wary when going alone. And you wonder why I blew them up." She replied.
"Well, you do realize you're just as liable now as they are. You've caused a public disturbance." Gideon Granite expressed. Fiora waved her hand.
"Meh. Whatever." She responded.
"Hey! Over there!" A group of knights approached the duo.
"Ah shit." Fiora cursed. Fiora grabbed Gideon and pulled him along. They began sprinting down the street as the knights chased after them.
"This is why you need to think before you blow people up." Gideon lectured. Fiora shot a flame ball behind her causing an explosion in front of the knights.
"That'll slow them down!" She yelled.
"Not for long." Gideon retorted. They rounded a corner and hid in a nearby alleyway. They panted heavily as they heard the knights run past their hiding spot. They both felt relieved.
"No guild is going to take you if you keep acting that way." Gideon exited the alleyway, looking both ways. He gave the all clear and the two exited the alley.
"Psh. No guild will want me anyway." She spat. Gideon sighed.
"What's the point of trying to look for a guild if you're just gonna give up." Gideon replied. Fiora scoffed.
"Because I got nothing better to do." She explained.
The Kingdom of Fiore...
A kingdom of abundant nature and countless greenery. Amidst the abundance of nature, there lie people called mages who utilize a power known as magic.
Magic is the embodiment of the spirit and consists of things such as conjuration, illusion, enhancement, transformation and much more. There exists magic for a variety of everyday conveniences and necessities. It is truly a power that is deeply rooted in everyday life. Mages band together in groups called guilds, performing jobs on commissions ranging from safely eradicating monsters, investigating mysterious cases and finding lost items.
The number one guild in all of Fiore is called Fairy Tail. Known to be the most unruly and chaotic, many other guilds have decided to keep their distance from them. Fairy Tail does possess a reputation for possessing immensely powerful mages that have participated in the Grand Magic Games to represent Fiore. They also have numerous amounts of S-class mages.
Fairy Tail guild master, Makarov is the grandson of the Fairy Tail founder and overseer of many powerful mages such as Mirajane Strauss, Erza Scarlet and Gildarts Clive, and Natsu Dragneel.
But this story isn't about them. This story is about a new generation of wizards and mages, destined to challenge fate itself.
-Emerald Oasis-
Right on the pier of Magnolia Town is a guild that goes by the name of Emerald Oasis. This guild is said to have been a part of repair efforts, fights against Dark Guilds, and even sells high quality herbs for healing, losing weight, and getting girls. Though the last one isn't guaranteed. Inside, there sat several mages relaxing, some eating and some just talking with others.
Inside
A teen boy walked up to the bar table and pulled out a seat. A blue haired woman looked up, having made a green smoothie.
"Good morning, Zeph. Rare to see you here so early." Coral commented with a soft smile.
"He didn't do it on his own! I had to drag his lazy butt out of bed!" A sharp voice rang out. From behind the Zephyr was the spirit Sylph, a small fairy dressed in a green dress. She fluttered to the front of the teen boy and placed her hands on her hips.
"You know sleeping in too late is bad for you. But of course, you'd rather dream of being free from your responsibilities." She chastised. Zephyr slumped on the bar table.
"You'd sleep all day too if you had the chance." Zephyr grumbled. Coral giggled at the sight.
"Can you make a fruit smoothie for Sylph?" Zephyr requested, knowing it would simmer her down. Sylph's face lit up as Coral went to prepare a fruit smoothie.
"Always the soft heart Zeph." Coral said. Another individual approached and sat next to Zephyr.
"Oh my, Abe? You're back already from your quest?" Coral asked as she was finishing the fruit smoothie. Abernathy gave a small smile.
"It was cake. Just embarrass the bandit leader and everyone else learn to behave too." He quipped. Coral finished and slid the glass to Sylph who was ecstatic. She fluttered over to the cup and drank from the straw, eyes closed engulfed in the taste. Zephyr sat up.
"Yo, Abe." He greeted. Abe turned his head to the younger mage and nodded.
"Zeph." He replied. Abe placed his hands in his pockets, an instinctual move he always made without fail, even while sitting down. "Master said today was a special day, right?" He asked the two. Zephyr tilted his head while Coral was about to answer when someone else did.
"It's the guild's recruitment day. When all the newbies who want to join a guild can come and show their stuff." The voice approached the bar. It was a young lady with shoulder length light blue hair that curled at the end and blue eyes. She wore a white flower in her hair, a beautiful dress, and a smile.
"Oh. Hi Lyra." Zephyr greeted with a soft smile. Coral smiled too.
"Hello, Lyra." Coral added. Lyra smiled at the two and sat next to Abe. Sylph noticed her and fluttered up.
"I heard of you and the guys going through a tough mission yesterday." Sylph expressed. Lyra let out a giggle and placed a finger up to her lips.
"Well, it was mostly Abe. He was amazing." Lyra remarked. Sylph smiled and fluttered over to Abe. She grabbed his cheeks and squeezed.
"You have to tell us all about it! We didn't get to come with you because this guy-" She tugged on his cheeks while referring to Zephyr. "-would rather sleep the day away." Sylph complained. Abe smiled and lightly took her hands off his cheeks.
"Work smarter not harder is what I always say. Lyra did all the work; I just embarrassed the bandits." Abe boasted. Lyra smiled while Sylph pouted.
"Aww, don't put yourself down. You were amazing." She gushed. Abernathy rubbed his cheek while looking away. Coral leaned forward and raised her brow.
"Oooo, Lyra and Abe are so cute~" She cooed. This caught Abernathy off guard and blushed. Lyra only giggled at the sight.
"As if. If Abe would stop being such a lazy-kun, I might consider it." Lyra teased. Abernathy groaned and rested his head on the bar table. Zephyr chuckled.
"Yeah, no thanks. She's not my type." Abe retorted. Lyra stuck out her tongue.
From the door came an older looking hair with shoulder length silver hair and gray eyes behind spectacles. He approached the bar, arms filled with pots of plants.
"Good morning, everyone!" Basil greeted with a big smile.
"Ah Master Basil." Coral greeted back with a wave. Basil walked past Zephyr, Lyra, and Abernathy and placed the pots behind the bar table.
"Hey, Basil-sensei." Zephyr greeted. Basil smiled at Zephyr and Coral.
"Who's ready for today? I sure am." Basil said with his hands on his hips. Zephyr raised his hand, while Lyra and Abe remained silent. Coral giggled and approached Basil.
"Lyra and the boys were talking about their successful mission." Coral informed. Basil raised a finger, as if remembering something.
"They did! Which reminds me, your payment came in today." He stated while looking through all his pockets, looking through the same one he had already looked through several times before realizing they weren't in any of his pockets. He turned to his plants and dug out a bag full of jewels.
"Here you go!" Basil announced while handing Lyra the bag. Lyra bowed her head.
"Thank you, master." Lyra replied. Abe got up and stood.
"I'm going to take a walk. Coral, please have everyone prepare the guild for any interested mages that come our way." Basil instructed while grabbing the pots once more. Coral bowed her head.
"Of course, Master Basil." She replied. Lyra waved at Abe who was exiting the guild.
"Wait! You just let Abernathy escape!" Sylph yelled.
-Outside-
Fiora and Gideon were sitting at a table in front of a cafe. Fiora was crossing some things off a piece of paper. Gideon was eating a sandwich.
"Damn it! That's five guilds that rejected us." Fiora growled as she continued to cross names off her list. Gideon finished his sandwich and wiped his face with a napkin.
"That's what happens when you act like a savage." Gideon quipped. Fiora growled and shot a threatening glare at Gideon. She lifted her hand and an orange flame appeared in it.
"I'll show you savage mole man!" She retorted.
"You wouldn't want to draw attention now, would you?" Gideon asked. Fiora sneered and put her flame out.
"Screw you!" She cursed. Fiora crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat, "All the best guilds turned us around. Mermaid Heel, Raven Tail, Lamia Scale, and Fairy Tail." Fiora read off her list.
"Well technically Fairy Tail didn't turn us away. They just weren't there." He corrected. Fiora slammed her fist on the table.
"The nerve of those bastards! Not showing up on their own recruitment day!" Fiora fumed.
Gideon sighed a bit before speaking.
"Relax Fi. There's bound to be a guild for us here." He spoke.
"Might I suggest we try that one?" A voice spoke from behind Gideon. The two looked to see a man in a business suit standing next to them. He was an older man with a long goatee and wearing a fancy looking suit. In his hand was a booklet. He pushed his glasses up his nose and smiled.
"Oh, hi." Fiora greeted. The man handed the two booklets.
"My name is Jose Nesbit. I am the current head of the Fiore Business Guild. We are looking for bright young talent to join our guild." Jose introduced. The two flipped through the booklet, reading the contents.
"So, it's a business guild." Gideon stated. Fiora threw the booklet over her shoulder with a scoff.
"Business? I want to fight." She commented. Jose held up a finger.
"Well, we have a special division that works directly with the government. We can give you a chance to put your magic to use. We even have a division for those that are more in tune with fighting." This caught Fiora's attention. She raised an eyebrow.
"Go on." She urged.
"We have a division called the 'Red Suns'. They are a highly skilled combat group that works in tandem with the Royal Army." He explained. This made Fiora's eyes light up.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" She exclaimed. Gideon wasn't exactly happy with this.
"I don't know." He uttered. Jose opened his arms in a welcoming gesture.
"Come! Come! Why not check it out?" Jose offered. Fiora stood and grabbed Gideon's collar and pulled him to his feet.
"Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" Fiora cheered.
"This is probably a bad idea. You don't work well with authority. What makes you think this is for you?" Gideon asked, genuinely concerned.
"Shut it! I'll be fine." She assured. She dragged him to follow the man to the guild.
Jose led the two through the streets of Magnolia. Fiora was skipping ahead while Gideon was walking behind her, not exactly pleased.
"This is a mistake." Gideon whispered to himself.
"Lighten up! This will be fun." Fiora encouraged. Gideon sighed.
"How could this be fun? The moment they give you an order, you're going to burn the whole building down." Gideon lectured. Fiora smirked.
"Who says I have to listen? I'm my own person." Fiora retorted.
"There's the building." Jose pointed. It was the government building for Magnolia Town. Outside were officially dressed mages handing out pamphlets and such.
"Welcome to the Fiore Business Guild's branch in Magnolia Town!" Jose announced. Fiora skipped over to one of the mages handing out pamphlets.
"Excuse me?" She asked kindly. One of the mages turned to her.
"Yes, are you interested in joining?" They said while handing her a booklet. Fiora grabbed it and immediately threw it over her shoulder.
"I was told that I could fight if I join you guys. How soon is that?" She asked, no holds bar. The mage was caught off guard but answered.
"Well... We have a few openings in our Red Suns division, but you would need to pass an interview. If you pass, you will need to pass our training. And then you have to go through a vetting process and-" The mage paused as he saw that Fiora was nodding off. Gideon sighed and shook her shoulder. She suddenly woke up, looking left and right, having forgotten where she was.
"Did he get to the fighting part?" She asked Gideon. Gideon shook his head.
"You fell asleep before he got to that." Gideon replied. Fiora looked to the mage.
"Skip to that part." She instructed. The mage lifted his shoulders.
"There's a whole process before you can get to the 'fighting part'" The mage expressed. This made Fiora lose interest.
"Ok, thanks!" She said quickly and waved off while turning away.
"But wait! The process is really worth it! We're not all boring office workers!" The mage tried to explain. Gideon gave an apologetic smile as he turned to catch up with Fiora. When his eyes found his friend, she was stopped by a tall elegantly dressed military man. He had silver eyes and combed back black hair. His face had a serious look.
"The military is more than just fighting." He spoke. His arms were behind his back.
"Tch. What's it to ya?" Fiora retorted. The man continued.
"It takes discipline. The military is about structure and order. It is the foundation upon which Fiore is built." The man explained. Fiora scoffed.
"As if I care. If the fight ain't good, I don't give a crap." She quipped.
"You may not think so now, but when you are faced with an opponent stronger than you, you will wish you were more prepared." The man's demeanor did not waver, and his tone did not indicate a scolding or threatening tone.
"Oh, I get it. Yeah... You look pretty strong. I bet I can burn ya to a crisp." Fiora states with a sinister fight hungry grin. Her flames ignited in her hands. The man's expression did not change.
"I am Orion Silverleaf. Captain of the Red Suns. Are you formally challenging me to a duel?" He asked. Fiora clenched her fists, the flames roaring.
"My name is Fiora Blaze. And I wasn't asking you to dinner." Fiora retorted. Orion raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A man walked up and handed Orion a staff. Orion took the staff and held it in both hands.
"Very well. But if we're going to do this, we're going to do this by official standards. I'm sure you're familiar with the Grand Magic Games, yes?" He asked. He began to remove his military jacket and give it to that same man.
"Of course. Who isn't?" Fiora responded. She did the same and removed her cloak.
"Only guilds officially recognized by the magic counsel may participate. Only five members of that guild may participate, the guild master cannot, events are usually kept secret just until the beginning of it. But in this case, I'll clue you in. This is a wizard duel. You win by collecting points. A hit is one point. first to ten wins. You may give up prior to the ten points. Understood." Orion spun his staff as if to assess it. Still, his demeanor didn't change. It retained a serious look. Fiora on the other hand, grinned.
"Sounds easy enough." Fiora cracked her knuckles. She stood in a fighting stance, "Let's do this."
A crowd formed a circle around the two. Gideon folded his arms and shook his head. He had wished they had left sooner. Now, she was being a spectacle of herself, again.
A military member ran to the center.
"This is an unofficial magic duel! Both parties have consented. Any officially recognized magic may be used. The attempt to take a life is not allowed. Are there any questions?" He asked both. Orion said nothing as he unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled his sleeves. Fiora's flame crawled up her arm and across her shoulders, flaring excitedly.
"Nope." Fiora replied with a grin.
"Very well. The duel begins in three...two...one...begin!" The man finished as he backed out of the ring. Fiora wasted no time, she made a beeline for Orion, her steps leaving behind fire. She reared her fist and punched as hard as she could. Orion spun his staff and side stepped, placing a hit into Fiora's stomach. The fire on her fist shot past Orion, causing an explosion in the middle of the stone street. The fire mage was sent flying back, rolling on the ground.
"That's one point, Captain Silverleaf!" The officiate said. Orion took a fighting stance as Fiora rose to her feet.
"Psh. That was a lucky shot. I'll burn ya to a crisp!" She yelled. Her fire started to grow wild and large, starting to melt the stone and turn the grass into ash around her. This time she didn't run but allowed her flames to push her forward, flying toward Orion. She spun her body and clasped her hands together, accumulating her orange flames in them.
"Blazing Soul: Explosion!" She yelled; a skull shaped fireball was shot from her hands. The fireball sparked about as it propelled toward Orion. The military captain jumped up, just barely dodging the skull shaped explosion.
"You missed." He retorted. Fiora, who had landed on the ground, looked behind her and saw that the stone had melted and there was a hole in the ground where Orion had been, in the shape of a skull.
"What kind of man are you that you won't face me head on!" She yelled. Orion landed and tapped his staff on the ground.
"A smart one." He retorted.
Fiora growled as the flames around her grew even bigger, enveloping the grass and burning the nearby trees. She started to get angry, feeling as if she was being made a fool of. Her fire went from orange to red, then a dark red.
"You bastard... if you're not going to take this seriously, then I'll just make a fire too big for you to dodge!" She yelled. Her hair began to sway in the air, as if the flames were creating their own wind.
Orion's eyes widened and he shot up in the air. His staff glowed in a blue aura, and he slammed it on the ground, creating a large sphere of gravity that weighed everything down. The growing fire was suppressed, but only for a moment, and Fiora was being pushed to the ground, she refused to drop.
"Irresponsible! You have no control over your magic. I was hoping that you'd make a prospective new member of the guild, and you would join the Red Suns. But you're too wild, too untamed! No guild would ever take you!" Orion lectured. This angered Fiora even more.
"I don't give a damn! All I want to do is fight strong people! I want to be the strongest! I want to be called the Flame Empress! The strongest fire mage to have ever walked on Ishgar!" She roared. Her flames grew hotter and hotter, the dark red flames whipping wildly about. Orion pushed more magic into his gravity sphere, trying to suppress the fire, but it whipped wildly against the heavy gravity. Fiora's body scorched the ground she stood on. She slowly was pushing against the spell.
"Blazing Soul: Red Hot Demon!" Fiora said. She spread her arms wide and created a giant demon made of flames. The demon charged at Orion, the fire burning brighter than ever. Orion gripped his staff tightly.
"Gravitational Sphere: Spatial Field!" Orion cast. He raised his staff above his head and slammed it down, creating a blue aura that surrounded the demon. The demon was crushed into a tiny ball and became suspended in the air. Orion was keeping two foes trapped in gravity. Sweat began to form on his brow.
"I'll give you this, you're pretty strong." He complimented. The compliment went unheard by Fiora.
"Blazing Soul: Molten Darkness!" She cast. A dark red flame erupted from her body, completely engulfing the area. It consumed the trees, the buildings, and the people. Fiora felt herself losing control, the flames burned her. The only thing that remained was the demon and the gravity sphere. All about her dark fire spread in the area, wiping out everything it touched, even Fiora. Gideon tried to run in, but the flames caught him as well. He screamed in agony as the flames burned his skin.
"She's out of control!" Orion yelled. He tried to dispel his magic, but it wasn't working. He couldn't concentrate, the dark flames were so hot that his clothing had burnt off him, leaving him scorched. Finally, the dark flames overcame Orion, engulfing him.
...
Then, everything went backward. The scene of the dark flames, the fight, all the way back to Orion and Fiora standing across from each other, as if time had reversed.
"This is an unofficial magic duel! Both parties have consented. Any officially recognized magic may be used. The attempt to take a life is not allowed. Are there any questions?" He asked both.
"I object!" A voice rang out from the crowd. An elegantly dressed young man with light brown hair stepped out. He stood in between the two.
"And who the hell are you?" Fiora yelled out.
"Names' Abernathy, but you can call me Abe. You said you wanted to fight strong people, right?" He asked. Fiora nodded slowly, eyeing the boy, unsure of what he was doing.
"If you really want to be the strongest, then you should join my guild. You'll get plenty of opportunities to fight people and make money. Whaddya say?" He asked.
"Hmm." Fiora thought for a moment. Gideon approached, "She's not really one for thinking." He whispered.
"Sounds fun!" Fiora replied with a smile. Abe let out a held breath.
"Good. We're called Emerald Oasis. We're on the pier." He informed. Fiora smiled.
"Don't worry, I'll be there." She assured.
After the crowd dispersed. Abe walked off toward the pier. He approached a bench and picked up a floating piece of light. Basil stood in front of Abe.
"I have a faint sense you used your time magic." He spoke. His eyes were full of worry.
"It's all good master. I didn't want to miss an opportunity to get some really strong mages to join our guild. I think they'd make fine additions to our guild." Abe said with a smile. Basil returned the smile. But he knew that when Abe used his Chrono Anchor, it was for something dire. The only problem was, Abe would be the only one to know. All he could do was trust his guild member.
"Well, you do have some good instinct. I'll see you back at the guild." Basil said. He walked off to go back to the guild. Abe looked up to the sky.
"That girl almost destroyed half of Magnolia Town. I have a bad feeling that she is the harbinger of things to come." Abe whispered to himself. He then looked back to the ground and smiled.
"Or maybe I'm just being paranoid."
