First Steps V

[Arvid Sawyer]

He nervously chipped away at a piece of wood with his carving knife, the small pieces that he cut off falling on a bag on his lap.

He wasn't making a wand, for once. Instead, he was sculpting. He'd seen a nice dog at the last station they were at, sitting there and wagging its tail in front of its owner. It had been a nice sight, so Arvid felt kind of inspired. Not to say that was the reason he was doing what he was though.

No, he was sculpting because he needed to do something.

Otherwise, he was sure he'd have been all over the place.

Even then, his mind was filled with a thousand emotions and questions and fears and thoughts and hopes and dreams. All that was crammed into his skull in a way that almost didn't let him function. He was barely paying attention to what his hands were doing, which should have been worrying if working with wood hadn't become almost instinct to him at that point.

He might be away from Wintergreen, but that didn't mean he'd left his whole life behind.

Arvid was still a carpenter's son.

He was also, however, a mage now. He was a mage on his way to Magnolia. He was a mage on his way to Fairy Tail. It was finally happening. The culmination of months of work and years of dreams was around the corner. Their last stop was long gone and their next one was it, the conclusion of it all, what everything had led to.

Magnolia.

Fairy Tail.

Arvid couldn't quite stop repeating those words in his head. They just didn't sound real, even if he knew they were. He half expected he'd wake up back at the last town, or at Sharon, or at Willowherb, or at Wintergreen. Maybe he'd open his eyes and realize that he never had gotten that book that started it all in the first place. Maybe he'd hear the sound of his father calling for him to get up so they could get to work at any moment.

He poked his finger with the carving knife's tip, not quite enough to draw blood, but enough that it stung. It wasn't a mistake though, no. It was intentional. He wanted to check.

He wasn't asleep. It wasn't a dream. It was all real and it was happening.

Arvid looked up and saw Saul sleeping on the seat across from him, head dropped backwards and mouth wide open, a tiny trail of drool falling from it. He'd have found it funny, as usual, if not for the fact that he'd have liked his friend to be awake. Maybe talking nonsense would help his brain stop spiraling.

Alas, he was by himself at that moment.

Looking for anything else that might be able to take his mind away from things, since the sculpting wasn't working too well, he turned towards the window on the train. The landscape passed by as they moved, and the sight was beautiful. Yet, it didn't marvel Arvid as it usually would. Instead, it seemed dull in the face of the chaos inside his mind.

He couldn't focus on what laid past the window. Instead, even if he tried to concentrate, his mind drifted off to everything else, to thoughts of the overwhelming situation. He couldn't stop doing that, no matter what, it seemed.

Taking a deep breath in and sighing, he turned back to his carving.

He didn't know what was worse, if he was honest, the anticipation or the dread.

He couldn't wait to get there, to see the city and the Guild that he'd only dared to dream about not so long ago. Would they be as great as he imagined? Would they be worse? Would they be better? He'd already been shocked with relatively small towns. What would a city like that do to him? The most he'd seen of mages was some doing tricks in public spaces, so what would the ones at Fairy Tail be like?

What kind of crazy adventures would he get to be part of? He'd already gotten to fight monsters and he hadn't even become part of a Guild. Would it all be like it looked from outside? Would it be different? How so? He just couldn't wait to find out, if he was honest.

Each question only made Arvid more eager to get there.

And yet…

And yet he couldn't help but be anxious too. What if Saul was right and they got rejected? What if he wasn't good enough to be accepted? His magic wasn't that impressive, he'd admit, and he was a novice. He didn't even have a wand that wouldn't fall apart after some use yet. Maybe he should have waited so that he could get better at it. Maybe he should have at least waited until he had more wands or one that worked in a more permanent manner.

He'd told Saul that it didn't matter if they got rejected. There were always other options, other Guilds or even going independent. They'd already confirmed that it was doable, after all, so that could happen. It wouldn't be the end of the world, that was for sure. It wouldn't even set them on their way back to Wintergreen, which would have been more or less the worst case scenario.

Arvid still wanted to get in though.

He wanted to be a Fairy Tail mage. Maybe it wasn't realistic, or reasonable, but he wanted that. It wouldn't be the end of the world if he didn't but it'd suck. Thinking about it already tied knots in his chest. He didn't want to imagine what it would feel to have to take a train somewhere else because he hadn't made the cut.

With a sharp movement, he took off another piece of wood and let it fall on the bag with the others.

He'd have to be enough. His magic would have to do. Because he wasn't putting off his dream just because things had a chance of going badly. When the alternative was delaying, staying as he was, without knowing for certain, then hell yeah he would go for it. He'd been idle long enough. He'd sat back and let life pass him by long enough. He refused to keep going without trying.

Maybe it'd suck, and he was still a bundle of nerves inside, but he'd go for it anyway. Arvid wanted to be a mage, a proper one. Not even trying to join a Guild sounded worse than being rejected. He'd prefer to live with the certainty and move on from there.

'Nothing else left to do,' he thought to himself, taking a deep breath in and continuing to try to sculpt. His mind remained on other matters, but then again…

Arvid didn't think he could stop anticipating and dreading.

[}-o-{]

[Saulus Lambent]

Saulus let out a tired groan as he was woken up from his rest by someone shaking his shoulder.

"-ul, Saul. We are arriving soon," he heard the voice of Arvid declare through the fog of his grogginess.

Saul blinked a few times, trying to make sense of the words. His mind slowly picked up speed as he felt the warmth of his seat. It almost made him want to fall asleep again, but there was no point. Nothing was worse than being awakened from a nap and experiencing such a thing a second time in a few minutes when they arrived at Magnolia. It would be a truly horrible thing to go through. Better to just deal with the rest of the trip awake.

"How long?" he asked as he rubbed his eyes, before pausing as he felt something wet and cold on his chin. 'Did I drool? Gross.'

"You slept for about three hours," Arvid said. Then he handed Saul a disposable napkin he had brought along from their breakfast that morning before they departed from some city he couldn't remember the name of. "The driver said that we would be in Magnolia in about twenty minutes. I thought you would appreciate not having to walk just after waking up."

"How thoughtful," he said as he cleaned his chin and threw the napkin away into the small trash bin welded against the window wall. On one hand, he had just lost twenty minutes of sleep. On the other, walking while sleepy sucked. So, he guessed that it was a lose-lose in either case.

"Did I miss something?" Saulus asked.

"Nothing much… Oh! There were some hippogriffs flying around a while ago," Arcid informed him as he continued that wood statue of him. It looked like a very detailed dog. "The conductor said that they sometimes get out of the mountains and hunt the cattle from the farms. They tend to leave the train alone, so no one was too worried."

"Hmm," he answered noncommittally. If that was the case, good. Nothing to worry about.

With that, the conversation was over. Arvid's attention went back to his wood statue. He was uncharacteristically quiet though, which was a bit worrying, but Saulus assumed it was just the jitters of being close to Magnolia. He would just have to talk to him if he kept that up though, just in case.

'Ugh, the things I do for my friends…" he thought to himself as he laid back on his seat and took in the scene around him.

The muted, yet ever present, sound of the wheels moving through the rails accompanied the rocking of the train. He could also hear the voices of the other passengers who accompanied them in the same cart but in different seats. A high-pitched voice called his attention to the front of their side row, where he saw a young kid stand on top of his seat and point excitedly to something across the window. His mother carefully, but hastily tried to calm him down and retake his seat with an embarrassed face as she apologized to someone in the other row that Saulus couldn't see.

Curious, he turned towards their own window and took the view from the outside world. It seemed to be just past noon, which tracked with how many hours he slept. Uneven grasslands and the occasional copse covered his view. He wasn't sure if they were still called plains, given the ups and downs of small hills, but he guessed it was close enough. It wasn't like he knew much about those kinds of things, after all.

Just past the rails and dirt roads next to it, he could spot some farms and cattle milling about beyond wooden and wire fences. The occasional roof of a house made itself present far in the distance if he squinted hard enough. Probably where the farmers lived, Saul guessed.

In the distance, green gave way to deep blue as a gigantic mass of water entered his sight – and probably that kid's too –, sparkling prettily under the cloudless sky. For a second, he thought it was the sea. That didn't quite track with the route they were taking though, they were supposed to be approaching Magnolia from the west, from the inland. If they truly were coming from the sea side, they would have at least stopped in Hargeon, one of the biggest port cities in Fiore. Even if it was just for Arvid to try and get materials for his wand crafting there.

That only left Scilliora Lake as the only thing that made sense to him. The second biggest lake in the country after Agaviora Lake where that one guild was located… 'Which one was it? Lamia Scale?... Sounds about right,' he mused idly to himself.

It was utterly massive. Saul couldn't even see the opposite shore of it. It was just so big that it stretched beyond the horizon, only the high mountain peaks of what he assumed was Mount Hakobe poking just slightly past the lake, letting him know that the lake had an end to the other side at all.

Saulus would admit that the scene was quite striking. He had rarely come to this side of the country. Most of the time going further inland towards the capital whenever his mom and him decided to visit his older brother, Olmert. The only other time he could recall, was when Felix, the middle brother, had invited them to an all-paid vacation to Akane Beach when Saul was about ten.

'We are almost there,' he thought to himself. If Scilliora was already in sight, then that meant that Magnolia would be just around the corner. He expected to see the edges of the city any moment now. 'And from there, straight to Fairy Tail,' he added.

Saulus still didn't know what to think about that. He had been avoiding the bothersome subject using his tried and true strategy of sleeping the problem away until it wasn't there anymore. However, it didn't seem to be working in that instance, for whatever reason.

He had to admit to himself that even he himself was being carried away by Arvid's enthusiasm. The idea of being so close to their objective filled him with a nervous aura that even he knew was completely uncharacteristic of him. Don't get him wrong, he would still turn around and go back to laze his days away without care if given the chance. Now that he was here though, he was sure that if he were to turn around, a part of him would ask himself 'What if…?'. He also knew that the question would follow him around for a long time, if not his whole life.

Even so, he imagined he would be back to doing those exact same things again in just a few days. His deal with his family and Miko was that he would at least try to get into Fairy Tail, and he was fully determined to keep his word. If nothing else, Arvid would most likely rat him out if he didn't put some effort into it.

It wasn't like it would be enough though. This was Fairy Tail that they were talking about, the best Guild in the country, regardless of what Phantom Lord had to say on the matter. They had produced legend after legend during the century since its creation. No offense to Arvid, but neither of their powers was too incredible compared to the sheer feats he had read some of their members accomplish, beyond the copious amounts of property damage, of course.

How could simple ashes compare to someone who could destroy everything and anything until you couldn't even know something had been there at all? What were some magic sticks compared to the ability to turn into lightning itself? How could they compare to someone that could transform into a titan the size of a small mountain?

Those were the kinds of people that congregated in Fairy Tail. They were all people who had been born and chosen by the stars to become something more. Thinking that the two of them were capable of competing against something like that, or even had the remote chance to cross the starting line at all, was outlandish.

He imagined people flooded their doors all the time, all of them with years of experience in far fancier magics, and were turned down all the same. Their member count was just that small compared to most other guilds. That could only mean the initiation test must be so unimaginably hard that simply a fraction of a fraction of those possible recruits ever got to get in.

However…

There was this tiny, insignificant, bothersome part in him… That same part that had been disappointed about their first official quest being a wash. It continued to fill his heart with a hope that he didn't care nor want for. Because at the end of the day, there was nothing worse in life than realizing that one simply wasn't good enough.

And that wasn't something he would want to experience again.

With those thoughts, Saul continued staring out of the window as Arvid continued to work on his small statue. The sound of the moving train was their only companion as they made their way to their final destination. And perhaps, if the planets aligned and their whole reservoir of luck was spent, a new beginning.

[}-o-{]

[Arvid Sawyer]

'We are here,' he thought, looking around as they stepped off the station. 'We are in Magnolia,' he repeated to himself, not for the first time and certainly not for the last one either. He was seeing it, but he was still working on believing it.

'So many people,' was more or less his second real thought as they started walking on the streets. He'd seen increasingly more people in other places other than Wintergreen. Sometimes more, sometimes less, but Arvid could almost feel his view of the world changing as he got to see different places.

Magnolia blew them all away and that felt like an understatement.

Everywhere he watched, there were people coming and going. In all the streets there were at least a few people and at most it was honest to the gods difficult to walk at all. It was crazy. Arvid couldn't wrap his head around such numbers of other human beings. Sure, intellectually, maybe he knew that Fiore had a whole lot of people populating it, and maybe he knew the population number of Magnolia, but it was one thing to know that and it was another to witness it.

And the structures, the buildings and furniture and vehicles and sculptures and… and everything. It was all so detailed, so full of life and color and different designs and styles. Everything looked different and also not. Even the things that clashed against the others didn't look out of place, because Magnolia was just so varied that even the things that stood out still managed to fit in the whole somehow.

It was like a dream, amazing but also confusing.

Several times since he left Wintergreen, Arvid found himself just taking in his surroundings, trying to absorb as much of it all as possible. It was an experience for his eyes and even his other senses, to be presented with such new things. He'd thought himself at least prepared enough to react the same way when he reached Magnolia. After all, he'd grown used to bigger things than Wintergreen, somewhat. So, surely he was somewhat prepared for the bigger city, right?

He was not prepared.

He was not prepared at all.

If he'd been overwhelmed in Willowherb, Sharon and other towns on the way, then Magnolia almost knocked him out. He was barely aware of his feet moving and of Saul by his side. The only reason he was even remotely noticing that he was walking was because the sights kept changing. He kept coming across new people and seeing new things here and there.

There were shops that sold goods he didn't even know about.

There were people wearing clothes he didn't recognize at all.

There were structures with styles he had never seen anywhere else.

It was all so new, so strange, so wonderful and so absolutely beautiful. Arvid couldn't even try to think of anything else. His mind was too busy processing everything it could. He devoured the sights like a starving man, desperate and unable to focus on anything else.

That is until he saw it.

The symbol of Fairy Tail.

Instantly, the anticipation and dread came back, if ever so slightly dulled by the wonder he was feeling at the big city. He didn't feel even remotely ready for that, if he were honest. If he was that out of it just walking into Magnolia, was he really worth anything for a Guild such as Fairy Tail? He was just a country bumpkin, as Saul would say, with a pitiful selection of magic wands of even more pitiful quality.

He was a nobody.

He suddenly felt like he was one of those pieces of furniture that he'd looked down on throughout his life. He felt dull, simple, boring. How could he not, when compared to what he was seeing? All of this wouldn't have happened in his wildest dreams, and he was trying to be part of it?

He was delusional.

He was crazy.

Saul was right.

And yet, Arvid didn't stop walking. He couldn't stop walking.

After all, he hadn't gone all the way there to give up right at the end. He hadn't dragged Saul all the way there just to say "You know what? You were right, let's go back.", oh no. He couldn't do that. Not only would his friend be insufferable for the rest of their lives, but Arvid would also feel terrible about making Saul travel with him…

And he refused to give up like that too, of course.

Because maybe he wasn't ready, he wasn't worthy. Maybe that was, indeed, the case. Arvid would try anyway though. He hadn't been waiting for that moment for as long as he had and worked so hard to get himself there just to give up. No matter how many doubts he now had and how nervous and unsure he was, he'd go through with it. Maybe he'd fail, but it was better to do a bad job than not do anything at all.

His father had taught him that.

So, Arvid forced one foot in front of the other, still looking around like a "country bumpkin", but there was something else in his mind now. Something other than the wonder, the anticipation and the dread. There was determination there too. He had a goal now. He'd had a goal for months. He'd had a goal for years.

He might have never visited Magnolia. He might have never seen a map of it. He might not even know most of the place. However, even he knew the way to the Guild. There was no way he wouldn't with how much he'd longed to at least visit the place.

So, he moved through the streets with purpose.

And eventually, there it was, in the distance. The building was full of bright colors and friendly designs. There were hearts and fairies and banners hanging at the top. There was a red one with the symbol of Fairy Tail in white flanked by one green and another blue, Fiore's and the Magic Council's.

Yet, despite the colorful and inviting look, Arvid couldn't help but think it was imposing. It wasn't that big a building. There were certainly bigger ones here and there in Magnolia and even other towns before. However, for him, this might as well be a mountain for how much it towered over him.

He almost felt like a weight was being dropped on his shoulders with every step, but he kept going.

"This is it, I guess," Arvid muttered, trying to get some Saul-ness out of Saul so that maybe he'd be less… overwhelmed. The Guild was right there, but he was simultaneously feeling like it was the furthest thing from where he stood. This was it, he realized once more, even though the fact never truly seemed to sink in.

"This is it," Was all he got as an answer.

Arvid turned towards his friend, curious about his lack of snark. Saul wasn't even looking at him, staring at the Guild Symbol up the building. His posture and disinterested face were the same as always, but he was… shaking?

"Well? Are you gonna open the door or what?" Saul continued, interrupting his thoughts. That was more what he expected, even if his friend was looking and acting weird. Maybe he really did care in the end too. Strangely – or maybe not –, Arvid found that a little comforting by itself.

So, he took a deep breath in and steeled his resolve.

'Magnolia,' his mind repeated for the thousandth time. 'Fairy Tail.'

Then he reached forward and touched the gates of the Guild.

It was time.

[} Chapter End {]

Adrian: … I feel like saying anything would be bad… Or maybe I'm just without words on this one.

Arc: They are so close to the finish line now that they are both feeling the pressure. They are right at the doorsteps of the greatest guild in the entire country. It is quite something to consider when seen from the perspective of a regular civilian being honest.

Adrian: Welp, hope you guys liked the chapter.

Random Arc Question: Well, something that I have been talking about with Adrian here, is that for a magical world, there sure aren't many magical creature species. Most of what we see are Etherious or Dragons or Vulcans. We have yoinked a few from different settings and come up with some on our own to add at least some variation.

My question is; what kind of magical creatures would you like to see in this story? What would they look like? What are their abilities? Where can they be found? We will totally add them to our own bestiary because we are shameless like that.

Discord Link: discord .gg/UTDransjJZ