Natsu smiled down at Mystogan as the Reverse-Anima pulled him into the sky. He had always wanted to fight him, and though he had gotten his chance, it wasn't in a way he was expecting at all. He loved playing the part of the evil demon, though! Maybe a little too much.
Happy was a sobbing mess. He had come to love the Edolas Fairy Tail, and had grown attached to some of the Exceeds here. He had truly found his wings here, and would miss it dearly.
Lucy, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Gajeel, and Carla looked on with similar feelings in their hearts.
"Thank you…" Mystogan said as he watched his friends, his family, begin their ascent to Earthland. It hadn't happened at all how he had planned or hoped, but the future of Edolas, his home and birthplace, was finally secured.
"Hey!" Natsu said to the others as they were all pulled up high into the sky, smiling big and quite relaxed, "What's up guys?"
"Natsu!" Lucy and Happy exclaimed, smiling back.
"Good to see you pal," Gray smiled as well, "You're okay!"
The natives of Earthland, as well as the magical race of the Exceeds, were pulled into the Reverse-Anima along with the rest of Edolas' magic power, leaving Edolas a world without the wonders of magic forevermore.
This, however, would not deter the people of the land. United under their long lost prince Jellal, known to us as Mystogan, Edolas would rebuild their kingdom, creating a fine way of life without the power they had so craved in the past.
I had only gotten my Warlock level to 45. Granted, I was almost halfway done with the whole class, but my mind wasn't focusing.
Taking on dungeons was a good distraction. One of the rare dungeons I ended up taking on, however, was a wizard guild dungeon. It was full of stereotypical wizards and scholars, but I took care of them easily enough. I also got a book on basic fire magic! But it just made me think of Natsu, Lucy, and the others.
Barely a day had passed before a yearning in my heart took me flying back to Magnolia as fast as I could. I had grown to miss them.
I missed Natsu and his reckless heat. I missed Happy and his questionable smell of fish. I missed Lucy with her soft touch. I even missed Erza and her commanding presence. I missed Gray's cool attitude, Wendy and her innocent smile. I wanted to see them again.
I flapped and soared with a desperation I've never felt before! By the time I got back I was panting from exhaustion. I had drained my stamina to zero multiple times now, and whenever it hit zero, I felt the physical effects of exhaustion.
Luxion was still circling the obelisk when I got back. I landed a few feet away from him, looking up at the sky.
I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Almost an hour passed before I felt myself calm down, though I was still anxious to see them again.
I have time, so I may as well peruse my skill trees. There are over 1200 points for me to use now! Which to start with though?
I have Runcaster, Earth Bending, Assassin, Geomancer, Warlock, and my Racial skill trees to work with. Each one has so many options I'm at a loss of where to start! I pulled them all up.
I decided to look through my Runecaster Skill Tree; this was my first class, so I was kind of attached to it, and I wanted to be able to utilize its full potential. I ended up purchasing these abilities; they were quite costly, 160 points total.
Sizable Runes
This ability allows you to change the size of runes you cast and create. Their function and effectiveness will increase the bigger you expand and make them, but will remain unaffected the smaller they become from their original size.
Runic Memory
For every 50 INT you have, you are able to 'store' a rune in your memory that you can cast instantly.
I finally had enough points stored to get this perk. I've had my eye on Runic Memory for a while, but never had enough spare points stored up until now.
I'm still baffled at just how versatile this magic of mine is. I don't even need Warlock or Geomancy, as long as I write the rune a certain way. Even though the runes I make are of legendary quality, I still had to learn for myself how to write them out correctly.
Speaking of Geomancy, it has remarkable potential! With it, I'm able to use my skill trees to branch off into spells related to the controlling or producing of rock and metal, or force related spells. Paired with earth bending made it all the more powerful!
To test if they could work well together, I obtained this skill from earth bending:
Seismic Sense
A skill only Master Earthbenders are able to fully utilize, this incredible ability enables you to feel vibrations from any earth, rock, metal, or other such material you are touching. This is a passive ability that doesn't require SP.
Toph was the pioneer for showcasing the capabilities of this skill. I was able to get a skill from Geomancy that has the exact same name.
Seismic Sense (Geomancy)
At the cost of MP, you can connect yourself to the earth. Focusing, you gain an incredible boost to your sense of touch and hearing. You can feel footsteps on the ground from miles away, in detail.
The skill is an active spell that costs MP and only lasts for a certain amount of time, but it's more potent than the Seismic Sense from Earthbending (which is passive at no cost) and it affects my sense of hearing too.
Pairing this with my limited Blindsense, enhanced Darkvision, Arcane Sense, and my naturally acute senses already, I was shaping up to be one heck of a sensor. It's nigh impossible to sneak around me (Though my natural sense of smell and hearing wasn't on par with Natsu's. Yet).
While both seismic senses are active, I was able to 'see' the tiniest details, both underground and on the surface. It was honestly remarkable…and extremely surreal.
Which is how I found the exact location of the Lumen Histoire…It was so far underground I couldn't feel it with my Arcane Sense. Not even the Anima picked it up. I'll have to pay it a visit sometime.
With this confirmed, I started experimenting with the types of earth and metal I could create. It was expensive, but I used more points to get these perks.
Density
This spell allows you to condense the earth and metal you create and come into contact with, increasing their durability; it also allows you to increase or decrease the mass, but not size, of existing earth materials.
Metallurgy
You are able to produce metals you have physically touched before. Every 100 INT allows you to create another kind of metal. You can shape it however you please. The amount you produce determines MP cost, and the quality produced depends on casting time. Rarity of the metal produced also influences MP cost.
Guess what metal I have in my inventory? That's right baby, I've got vibranium ingots! Wakanda's lucky I'm not in a Marvel world, this would break their economy! And yes, I tested this spell. I can create vibranium! It was hecka expensive though; 5,000 MP for the equivalent of one pound.
As for why I chose these specific perks, thinking about Tenrou Island, specifically the Tenrou Tree, has given me an idea, and it has to do with the Fairy Tail guild mark and guild hall.
This is a big project, one that requires me to get creative with my execution.
Before I could continue making a plan, however, something happened that made my instincts scream at me!
An Anima had opened in the sky. There was so much magic power seeping in! Not only that, but Magnolia was now starting to materialize, and it was beginning to rain again.
They were coming back!
"Luxion!" I leapt up, dismissing the Interface windows and stashing the ARK obelisk in my inventory, "To me!"
He dematerialized, storing himself away in my soul.
With that done, I flapped out of the way just as a building materialized right where we were standing. I flew out to the forest, landing in a tree. This should be far enough away. I looked back in time to see the whole of Magnolia reappear, one building at a time.
I was so ecstatic, I couldn't help but roar in excitement.
Before I could fly off to the guild though, I sensed an immense amount of magic power begin to leak from the Anima. The foreign magic of Edolas began to seep into the world. But this was different from when Magnolia was taken.
Instead of the magic gripping Earthland and taking a chunk of it away, like a massive claw, this time it was flowing out and merging with Earthland, like a massive waterfall.
At first, I was confused, but then I remembered. Mystogan stole Edolas' magic away. Natsu plays the villain, and then he and the rest get sucked away by the Reverse-Anima spell. So they won't even be in the guild, they're going to appear somewhere on the outskirts of the city.
Wow…all this magic power! I thought Edolas was running out of it, this is a lot!
A thought suddenly occurred to me. All of this power was seeping into the world at a single point, or hole, in the sky. I took out the ring. Will this work?
I flew over to where I felt the foreign power flowing from, high up in the sky; up this close, I could nearly physically see it. A transparent flow of magic power. I held the ring out to it. Nothing happened.
I figured it wouldn't work unaided. Maybe…it's a longshot, but why not give it a try? I wrote out a rune that, very loosely translated, meant 'power redirection - to ring,' around the source of seeping power. I held the ring up to it again.
After a few seconds of nothing happening, I was going to fly back down; but when I tried to, my talon holding up the ring was suddenly met with a powerful, invisible grip!
The ring began glowing as the flow of power changed. Instead of seeping into Earthland, the ring started to absorb it! It also began vibrating. Holy what? Was it working!?
For what must have been ten minutes, I was locked in place; I couldn't even move my wings, the vibrations were getting violent! I wasn't falling though. I was hanging in place from my talon in the air.
Until, at long last, I felt the invisible grip release! Finally able to rest from those violent vibrations, I angled into a dive, before spreading my wings, gliding back to the tree line.
Did it work? I held the ring up, examining it closely. I couldn't see or sense anything different. Observe did well in answering my question though.
Runic Ring
MP: 3,102,568,896
I nearly stumbled off the branch I landed on. 3 billion!? Am I seeing this right?
I blinked several times, before my face set itself into the biggest, most mischievous smirk known to dragon kind.
The things I can do with this! Although, if the spells I create keep costing as much as the Re-Animus rune, it'll only last three shots. But no, I can work with this, I can figure it out. I just need a little more knowledge. And now that the guild is back, I can start my research.
My Grimoire is also nearly half full of spells and other rituals. I haven't read any of it yet, I was in too much of a daze. But my mind is clear now.
I'll be the most badass shoulder pet in the universe. Until I grow up, that is.
And I will be taking every advantage of my small size until that day comes, and yes, this means taking advantage of time on Lucy's shoulder. Natsu's too, he's heckin' warm.
As I put the ring away, I heard some familiar screams, faint at first, but slowly getting louder and louder.
"...waaaAAAHHHH!"
The screams of Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Gray, Erza, Happy, Carla, and Gajeel rang out as they all fell from the sky.
Natsu smashed into the ground while everyone else slammed on top of him in quick succession.
After a moment or two of vertigo, he and everyone else immediately straightened up, blinking and looking around with anticipation.
"We're back, everybody!" Natsu pumped his fists as he joyfully screeched to the heavens.
"I can't believe it…" Lucy smiled, tears stinging her eyes, "It feels like it's been forever!"
"Haha!" Natsu pointed out to Magnolia, "Look! Everything is back to normal!"
And indeed it was! Gone was the strange foamy landscape, replaced by their home, drenched in rain as it was.
"We did it!" Happy cheered, jumping for joy.
"Wait," Erza cautioned, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's celebrate when we know everyone's okay-"
A small roar interrupted her, causing everyone to tense as they looked over, only to see a small black streak barrel itself into Natsu.
"OOLF!" Natsu grimaced, eyes wide as he caught a familiar bundle of scales, "Huh?"
"Kilgara!" Natsu beamed with shock before a wide smile broke across his face, "He's back too!" He hoisted him up, eyes bright as he smiled at the small black dragon.
Kilgara lifted his snout, making a happy gurgling noise, before flapping out of Natsu's grip and soaring to Lucy.
"Hey Kilgara!" Lucy happily exclaimed, giggling as he landed on her shoulder, "Haa, that's a relief," she sighed.
Though she was focused on other things in Edolas, like surviving and saving everyone, she couldn't help worrying about him in the back of her mind. To know that he was back and safe, just like everyone else, relieved a lot of stress she was feeling.
"Hey, Kilgara!" Happy flew up to meet the dragon's eyes, "Where ya been, pal? You had us worried sick! When we get back, I'll get you some fish!"
The black lizard made an enthusiastic sound at that.
"First, let's make sure everyone's alright," Erza began turning towards the guild, only to be interrupted in her stride by the sudden appearance of all the Exceeds of Extalia flying above them.
"They're just fine!" One of them said.
"We got back a while ago, so we checked on them for ya!" Another happily exclaimed.
Everyone was dumbfounded at their appearance, with wide eyes and open mouths full of shock, except for the little black dragon who regarded them curiously.
"Wow, Earthland has a lot of magic!"
"Is that a real dragon!?"
"I wonder if…"
The chatter of the surrounding Exceeds was getting louder and louder. Until Carla exclaimed that the Exceeds don't belong in Earthland.
Lucy listened to Carla go off on them with mixed feelings. On the one hand, she completely understood where Carla was coming from. The Exceeds were horrible to her, and they had a major superiority complex. On the other hand, though…they had lost their home. They were practically refugees until they could find a place to rebuild.
When the queen stepped up and began explaining things, including what happened to Carla and the 100 eggs, Carla's fierce demeanor disappeared.
In the end, the Exceeds and the wizards of Fairy Tail left on happy terms, with the Exceeds looking to set up a home nearby.
Such a great impact was left, in fact, the wizards of Fairy Tail were all pumping their fists like that black Exceed.
"We gotta problem!" Gajeel suddenly rang out.
"It's not a problem!" Natsu exclaimed, pumping his fist enthusiastically, "It's actually a lotta fun!"
"Yeah, come on, do it!" Wendy smiled big, pumping her own fist.
"I'm not talking about your fist pumping, ya morons!" Gajeel shouted, "Where the heck is my cat? Don't tell me those flying furballs took Lily!"
"Who's Lily?" Lucy asked, with Kilgara on her shoulder pumping his talon, while she pumped her own fist.
"Remember that big, brawny Exceed who ended up helping us?" Gray responded through his own fist pumping.
"Are you blind?" Lily's booming voice rang out, "I'm right here!" He stomped into view.
Except…He was Happy's size now!
"So tiny!" Everyone exclaimed.
"Lily, is that you!?" Gajeel's eyes widened.
"You look really cute that size, though…" Happy said, laughing nervously.
"Unfortunately, it seems my previous physique wasn't well suited for Earthland," Lily seemed unbothered by his sudden…downgrade.
"Obviously," Carla said, "And that doesn't bother you?"
"Well, normally it would, yes," Lily acknowledged, "But right now, I want to join the guild that took care of my prince!" He declared before pointing at Gajeel.
"You promised me, you said you could get me in, Gajeel!" He declared, "Can you?"
Gajeel glanced at Erza, who nodded.
"Gihee," Gajeel smirked, before jumping at Lily, hugging him with tears in his happy eyes, "Consider it done buddy! Welcome to Fairy Tail!"
"Woah, he's crying?" Lucy observed, shock coming off everyone in waves.
"Now, on an unrelated note," Lily tugged on a rope he was holding, "I happened across a suspicious person."
"What an over achiever," Gajeel praised, "You're definitely my cat alright!"
It was then that Lily pulled out of the bushes a protesting Lisanna.
While everyone was shocked, dazed, and not believing their eyes or ears, Kilgara slapped his snout.
It slipped my mind that Lisanna had come back. When I first watched the show, I was disappointed that she came back. I thought it was unnecessary, especially when I learned the author of Fairy Tail wasn't going to bring her back at first.
After Lisanna had explained what happened to her and how she was still alive, Natsu and the others immediately took her to Cardia Cathedral. Mira and Elfman were, ironically enough, visiting her grave there.
As I watched Lisanna run to Mira and Elfman, two feelings came to me: peace and joy. Their reunion, for lack of a better word, was moving. Touching even. And when I saw the joy it brought Lucy, Natsu, Happy, and the others to see Mira and Elfman so happy, I lamented.
It's not like it's a bad thing to have Lisanna back. I was a huge Nalu shipper back in my old life, so I was a little biased against her, but nothing ever happened as far as romance goes. Like, ever. Throughout the whole show. Despite Mashima himself being a Nalu supporter.
Maybe I'll do something to change that. But for now, I'll enjoy this moment. Watching long lost siblings reunite, shortly followed by Lisanna's return to the guild.
Everyone stood dumbfounded, looking over at the doors in shock. It was…
"Lisanna!" They all shouted, running to give her hugs, only to be punched away by Elfman's beast arm.
"Keep your filthy paws off of her!" He declared angrily, a protective arm around his little sis.
"I think they're just happy to see her, man," Natsu deadpanned.
"Yeah, chill out," Happy nodded.
"Oh, my goodness," Mira laughed.
"It's so good to see the guild back to how it was before!" Lucy beamed.
Kilgara snorted in acknowledgement. He too was relieved to see everyone and everything back to normal.
"Yeah, no joke," Gray smiled, his arms folded, "And it doesn't seem like they have a clue about the Anima stuff that went down."
"I'm just glad to see they're safe and sound," Erza nodded happily.
"Pretty crazy, ain't it?" Gajeel breathed.
"So this is what it's like to be in a guild…" Lily observed.
"Lisanna," Makarov walked up to them all, his voice calm and grateful, "I consider all in this guild to be my children; and it's every parents dream to see their children safe. Welcome back, and welcome home." He turned to the others.
"You can fill me in on all the details later," He said.
"Okay, gramps," Natsu acknowledged, smiling down at the small master.
"Today we'll all celebrate your return!" Makarov smiled at Lisanna.
"Cheers!" Everyone exclaimed, some brandishing foamy drinks.
Talk of the Edolas Fairy Tail and how different everyone was there soon began to spread through the guild hall as everyone mingled, along with happy hugs for Lisanna's safe return.
"I love being in a guild!" Natsu started rampaging, running around happily with flames shooting out of his mouth, "Don't you, Happy?"
"Aye sir!" Happy floated nearby.
"Hey, watch it…" a burly guild member Natsu rammed into said.
"Yo Happy," Gildarts greeted, "I hear you were kicking but over in Edolas."
"Aye!" Happy enthusiastically responded, floating over to where Gildarts was seated, "Not to change the subject, but as you can see there's a dragon slayer who's so excited he's goin' on a rampage. Would ya mind knocking some sense into him?"
"Sure, but let's wait until the party's over!" Gildarts laughed. Natsu suddenly charged at him though.
"Screw waitin' till it's over Gildarts, fight me right-GLHCK!" Natsu was chopped on the head by the ginger haired wizard. Instant K.O!
"Geez, they certainly are a rowdy bunch," Lily sweat dropped as he watched the exchange.
Natsu, not to be taken down so easily anymore, immediately got up and leapt right back into the brawl he started with everyone else.
"Haha!" He butt heads with Gray, "It's been too long, Frosty! Fight me!"
"Bring it on, Pyro!" Gray smirked back.
Before they could continue though, both boys were smacked across the head with a small, blunt object, causing them to stumble back.
"Who in the hell-" they both started brandishing their fists, only to stop short. Everyone in the vicinity did, actually.
Standing beneath them, was the poised form of Kilgara, his tail brandished. Though most couldn't tell, there was a playful smirk on his snout.
"Huh…?" Gray blinked.
"What…" Natsu started, only for Kilgara to leap up with surprising force, smacking him across the face with his tail again!
Shocked, Natsu stumbled back, looking at the black dragon, before his face set into a smirk.
"So that's how ya wanna play it, huh?" He brandished his own fist, "C'mere ya darn reptile!"
Natsu ran after Kilgara, who leapt away, right into Gray's face, then leapt again when Natsu swung at him, causing him to punch Gray square in the face.
"OW!" He staggered, "Watch it, morons!" He swung his own fist at Natsu, who dodged, only to be smacked into Gray by the black dragon.
A few short seconds later, everyone was swinging their fists at each other. Food and booze was being tossed around as tables and chairs flew through the air.
Lucy watched it all play out with a dumbfounded expression, before sighing. Looks like Natsu's influence made it to the second creature he hatched from an egg.
Kilgara, satisfied with his work, snuck away from the fray, only to appear right behind Lucy. He leapt up to her shoulders with a happy squeal.
Lucy squealed herself at being snuck up on, before realizing who it was.
"Aw, geez boy!" She sighed, smiling, "You are turning out to be one heck of a piece of work!" She scratched behind his horns, to which he responded with slight purs.
Linebreak
It was now late into the night. The entire guild had partied till they dropped! Tables, chairs, dishes, mugs, barrels and even people were strewn about the guild randomly as they all slept peacefully.
Everyone did some serious partying, I thought, looking around with an amused expression. It felt good to have them back. I was so excited I couldn't help but join in on the brawl. It was fun! And I'm proud to say I only got hit twice! Three if you count Gajeel stepping and tripping on my tail.
But now, it was time for me to get to work.
The S class trials would begin soon. I'm not sure how many weeks or even days I have until then, but this would be a huge turning point in the history of not only the guild, but the whole of Fiore.
I've thought it through, and there's probably nothing I can do to stop the S class trial. It was an annual event, and without being able to communicate, I couldn't do anything to even delay the trial.
To solve that problem, I could have Luxion analyze everyone's speech, but I have him working on other things right now.
I know the 'Tenrou Team' leaves when it gets cold and snow begins falling. Right now, it was still warm and sunny outside, though if you looked carefully, the leaves on the trees were beginning to change color.
"Luxion," I whisper as I maneuver through the passed out bodies, "We're heading to the library."
"Understood, master," Luxion appeared right next to me, hovering close while I led the way to the guild's library.
Once there, we began our research in earnest. Because I have an eidetic memory, and because we have limited time before the guild wakes up, most of our time here was spent with me skimming through all the books we thought would be useful. I'll be able to read through everything more thoroughly at a later date inside my own head.
I also took this time to do the same with my Grimoire.
Man, I love the Eidetic Memory perk.
Once we had gone through all the books we thought would be useful, a few hours had passed. It was still dark out; if I had to guess, it's about four in the morning.
When I went back upstairs to the main hall, I saw Lucy staring down at Natsu with a happy smile on her face.
I've noticed that she wakes up before everyone a lot. I didn't take her for a morning person, but there she is, staring at Natsu with a smile while he talks in his sleep.
I smiled. Yep, I should definitely do something to incite romance at an earlier date. But what the heck could I do? I was helpless with this kind of stuff in my old life.
"Fie…Fir-fire.." Natsu was saying in his sleep; Lucy leaned closer to hear what he was saying.
I only barely reacted in time when I realized what was happening.
I leapt right into Lucy, who squealed at being pounced to the ground, just as Natsu's flaming fist pumped up, "Fire jagon irrn fiss…" He mumbled, "Hehe, told ja not ta talk back ta me Gray…"
"Ow…" Lucy groaned, rubbing her aching behind, "Geez, Kilgara. When did you get so strong?" She held her stomach where I pounced into her. Whoops, I grimaced.
"Guess I owe you one though, huh?" She looked over at Natsu, before sighing, "Why am I not surprised?"
I gave a small noise of acknowledgment and apology, gently pressing my nose against her aching tummy.
"It's okay, boy," She smiled, scratching behind my small horns, "I'm not hurt too badly; maybe a bit bruised," She lifted her shirt slightly to check the damage. Sure enough, there was a bruise forming on her stomach.
Dang. I was trying to stop Natsu from punching her in the face, but I ended up hurting her instead. Guess I don't know my own strength! I actually missed how STR was now my highest stat…Corded Muscle is OP!
"Well, better get home for the rest of the night," She stood up, straightening her clothes, "Good night, boy. I'll see you tomorrow." She smiled at me as she rubbed my head one last time, before walking out the doors.
As she left, I flew up to perch on the rafters near the ceiling, closing my eyes. Once settled, I immersed myself in my memories, starting my research on how magic works in this world.
I started with the books that went over the basics of magic and its history. Apparently, despite how the populace currently views magic, it used to be oppressed and feared world wide. Organized governments would even send inquisitors to hunt down and kill wizards and mages.
The formation of Wizard Guilds, along with the system of Job Requests, aided in eventually changing the way magic was viewed, and over the course of centuries, eventually became a mundane part of everyday life.
Though only about ten percent of the world's human population is able to actually utilize magic to the point they're classified as a mage or wizard.
Oh? This is interesting. Magic is the physical embodiment of the spirit. When an organism's physical spirit connects with the spiritual flow of nature, the spirit forms magic as a product of that connection.
So that's why magic power is connected to one's life force, why meditation is necessary, and why it's dangerous for a being's magic to reach absolute zero. It also explains why emotion affects it so much. Your spirit and emotions are interconnected. One could even argue that your spirit is the source of your emotions.
So magic is a physical manifestation of spirit. But then what about things like lacrima? Let's see…
I pulled out a fist sized lacrima from my inventory.
How do these work? Do they have a spirit? Or are they a part of the 'spiritual flow of nature?'
I reached out my senses, while also looking around, before I spotted Gildarts. He was the strongest of the wizards here, and had the most power next to Makarov.
I took my time to really sense and feel his magic. It was swirling with motion, despite him being asleep. Deciding to experiment and utilize my Arcane Manipulation skill, I tried to gently poke his magic with my own. To my surprise, it worked, though it used my MP.
Outwardly, Gildarts stirred uncomfortably in his sleep. But inwardly, almost unconsciously, his magic responded!
I poked it again, seeing how it reacted. It swirled uncomfortably at my foreign presence. I withdrew my magic before I accidentally woke Gildarts up.
I tuned my senses to focus back on the lacrima in my talon. The flow of magic here was stationary. Not moving at all, like a still pool of water, but still pulsing every now and then.
I tried the same experiment, poking the magic of the crystal with my own. My first few tries yielded no response, so I pressed harder. It wasn't nearly as animated as Gildarts' magic, but I got a response!
Except instead of being annoyed and repulsed by my touch, the magic of the lacrima seemed to try to take my magic in, as if it wanted to hug it close. Or absorb it.
It wants a connection. So this is how meditation affects your spirit; it establishes a connection with the spiritual energy found in nature.
This is evidence that lacrima have a spirit of some sort too, isn't it?
Curious, I tried doing the same thing with the wood I was laying on. After concentrating for a long while, I could sense it. Even in wood that has been chopped and processed, there was a presence of magic, no matter how faint. In other words, the presence of a spirit.
I did this with other mundane materials and objects, and got the same results.
Everything has a spirit…living and non-living things. They all have spiritual matter…
Spiritual matter, known in this world as ethernano. It all makes sense. That's why magic is a thing here! Spiritual energy is abundant!
But what makes some spirits intelligent? Is all spirit intelligent? Even those of non-living entities? Maybe it's the quantity of spirit matter, or ethernano, that determines intelligence. Or the quality? Or maybe not all ethernano is the same, like how they are a variety of different humans despite them being the same race.
I have more theories forming, all of which I am able to test with time.
For now though, let's learn about magic circles. It's about dang time I did this.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Fioré, inside the bizarrely shaped building of the reformed Magic Council over Ishgar, a meeting was being held on the behaviors of the wizarding guilds since Earthland's Jellal disrupted and destroyed the old council.
"This is disgraceful!" One member angrily exclaimed, "I've never seen so many incident reports!"
"It is alarming," A second member acknowledged more calmly, "Especially since they're the result of a single guild's indiscretions."
"Fairy Tail…" A member condescendingly sneered, "They caused plenty of headaches for our predecessors."
"While they can be troublesome, they're not deserving of such criticism," Org, a member of the old magic council, reprimanded, "After all, we owe them for wiping out the Oración Seis of the Baram Alliance."
"We owe them?" A councilman scoffed, nearly interrupting him, "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, Master Org."
"I'm afraid there's no record of the Magic Council ever approving their operation," A councilman dressed as a bishop reminded everyone.
"As far as we can tell," The deep voice of the oldest council member drawled out, "It was simply a band of local guilds acting of their own accord."
"And to make matters worse," A haughty councilman spoke up, "Even though they declared war on a dark guild, their actions put them in violation of the Inter-Guild Conflict Ban Treaty!"
"I worry that this incident could motivate the Baram Alliance to retaliate against the official guilds," A councilwoman voiced her concerns.
"I don't think there's cause for concern," A calmer voice spoke up, "The Light team call themselves an alliance as well, but they were just part of a non-aggression treaty."
"Hm…" Org stroked his beard as he grit his teeth. As he was a member of the Magic Council before it was destroyed by Jellal. As such, he's witnessed the good and bad sides of Fairy Tail; as of now, he was leaning more towards the good they've done, though it would seem his fellow council members were leaning in the other direction.
"Concerning Jellal, who was captured in the Woodworth Sea…" The condescending councilman spoke again.
"We've received reports there were members of the Fairy Tail guild who'd gone so far as to refer to him as one of their own," The councilwoman answered, with no small amount of condemnation in her tone.
"If that's true are we sure they can be trusted?" A concerned councilman said.
"On top of that," Another stated, "There's been rumors going around that they've been raising dragons."
"Dragons?" The condescending councilman snorted, "There's no such thing! Not anymore! They've been long extinct from this world."
"Speaking of the Worthwood Sea, have we confirmed anything about the strange crater found there?" Someone asked, dismissing the notion of dragons.
"Our best analysts are still looking into the matter," the calm councilman reported, "Their theory is that it was a result of Nirvana's magic imploding on itself, though it's still up for debate. The Worthwood Sea is still quarantined off; the residual power in that crater is still unstable and volatile."
"And once again, Fairy Tail was at the heart of it all. Can't you see?" The first councilman spoke harshly, brandishing his fist, "This is our chance to assert ourselves! Let's show the other guilds we won't put up with this kind of behavior!"
"Chairman," The calm voice said, "What do you say?"
"If we are to regain the trust the old council squandered," His authoritative voice rang out, "Then we must crack down on the problematic guilds!" He firmly tapped his snakehead staff on the central platform he stood on.
"Fairy Tail won't get another chance!" He declared through his long, thick, gray beard, "One more incident and they're disbanded!"
"Hm…" Org sighed again.
"What's the matter Org?" The Chairman, Gran Doma, noticed his resigned countenance, "Are you dissatisfied?"
"Uh, n-no, sir," Org responded.
"I'm amazed by your naivety," Gran Doma criticized, "To think you were thoroughly fooled by a projection. Do you understand how reckless it was to allow the R-System to be activated?" He was referring to the events that led to the collapse of the old council.
"I do, sir," Org nodded. Couldn't they all give it a rest? He had been critiqued and reprimanded enough.
"Summon them!" Gran Doma commanded, turning his attention away from Org, "Lahar and Doranbolt! Come to the council at once!"
He then turned to the rest of the council.
"We uphold," He began, "The sanctity of order in the magical world!"
"For the sanctity of order!" The rest of the council chanted back, all save for Org, who sighed internally.
A week has passed now, and man, I've been one heck of a busy body!
Team Natsu was dormant during this time, taking time off after everything that happened in Edolas, but that was fine with me. I actually needed them close by for my plans.
First and foremost, everyone needed to get stronger, whether they know it or not. I had no idea how to get them to train as intensely as I needed them to, but then I remembered what Katie had told me about the party system.
My CHA is at 140, which means I can have fourteen people in my party, and I'm able to force people in without their knowledge. Tyrfina was currently the only member.
So, I forced Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Gray, Wendy, Carla, Gajeel, Lily, Levy, Elfman, Cana, Lisanna, and Juvia in. Until I get more CHA, these were the ones I chose to help increase in power, as they would be some of the ones chosen to go to Tenrou.
Aside from the MP cost, the only thing I had to do to add someone was look at them and cast the spell.
Now I just had to hope they didn't come across dungeons.
I wasn't able to add them all at once, and I had to utilize some MP in the Runic Ring for a few of them. Depending on the strength of the person, it required more MP to force them in.
I thought that I had done well in catching up to everyone in terms of magic, but it turns out I was wrong. Observe, which was now level 3 (finally!) confirmed this.
I was at Lucy's house with Natsu and Happy, hanging out with them as they played games together one night.
I had been alternating between researching books in my memory and watching them play, when it occurred to me I hadn't used Observe on anyone since it had leveled up. Excited, I used it on them.
What I saw shocked me.
Natsu Dragneel
Race: Etherious Demon
Level: 77
HP: 15,860
MP: 30,540
SP: 25,350
Lucy Heartfilia
Race: Human
Level: 60
HP: 5,550
MP: 35,620
SP: 2,030
Happy
Race: Exceed
Level: 26
HP: 2,220
MP: 10,040
SP: 5,040
They weren't even a third of my level, yet all their stats (that I could see) dwarfed mine! What in the world is going on here!? Even Happy has more health and stamina than me! I would've keeled over if he had more magic too!
I checked my own stats.
Name: Kilgara
Age: 0
Race: Arcane Royal Dragon
Rank: Hatchling
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Level: 345
Class: Warlock LVL 45/100, 86%
HP: 1,700
MP: 13,300
SP: 1,700
STR: 632
END: 170
DEX: 240
INT: 532
WIS: 612
CHA: 140
LUK: 190
Points: 1,270
How high must their stats be? In the thousands!? How busted is this system? Wait…
My eyes drifted to my age rank. Hatchling. Is that what it is? Do they have different stat modifiers because they're older and a different race? That would definitely explain it…
How much longer will I be a hatchling? Most animals are considered hatchlings for a few days, and I hatched well over a month ago! Maybe my Longevity perk changed that? Do I age slower now? If so, that's working against me at this moment, not with me.
It was after that shocking revelation that I made the decision to add everyone to my party. Not only will they get XP from me, I'll get some from them. Which is needed, evidently.
Throughout this week, I spent time working on runes too. Now that I understood magic and magic circles, this was becoming so much easier.
I perfected my teleportation runes. The one that required to be drawn on your person no longer disappeared after a single use, and I refined it to the point where it no longer required thousands of Mana Points. The farther you teleported though, the more MP it used.
I also made runes that I could teleport to. The distance between me and the rune affected the amount of MP, but it was still miniscule in comparison to the first one. I named these Raijin Runes, as their function reminded me of Minato Namikaze, though these runes were much bigger than his fuinjutsu knives, and I'm sure it wasn't nearly as fast.
I drew one at the guild hall, one at Natsu and Happy's house, and another at Lucy's house. Now I'd be able to teleport to those locations instantly.
Speaking of, I began my project with the guild hall and guild mark. In the dark hours of the night, I had Luxion scan the structure of the building. We'd then work on a blueprint for fortifying the place, a physical and magical one.
During the day, I spent time working on a Runic Mark with Mana Ink. During this project, I discovered that everyone's guild mark already had a slight magic in them. This must be the spell that links it with Tenrou Island and its massive tree, but I could be wrong.
Oh, and from reading my Grimoire, I learned several new spells. I noticed a pattern though; a lot of the spells it gave me were ones found in D&D, though some were ones I'd never heard of either. Examples include Eldritch Blast, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Charm Person, Hold Person, Spider Climb, Blight, etc.
Each new spell or ritual the book gained slowly increased in power and ability. It expanded my magical arsenal greatly. Not so much my power, but these spells were highly versatile!
My INT and WIS scores are finally showing more fruit than just MP count. It's helping me learn! Soon, I'll be the most knowledgeable on magic in this world, I can feel it.
Quest Received!
Become the Grand Archwizard!
Objectives:
Discover the true nature of magic
Perform 7 mighty feats of magic (0/7)
Defeat the top ten strongest wizards in Earthland (0/10)
Rewards:
1,000,000,000 XP
?
?
?
Notice!
Each individual reward will be granted as each individual objective is completed. XP will be rewarded when the entire quest is complete.
Ya know, I'm beginning to love this Interface's system. That XP gain is HUGE! Yep, I've definitely got my work cut out for me. Can't say I don't like it though.
Night was beginning to fall over Magnolia, and as he stared out at his guild, Makarov couldn't be more proud of his it, of his children.
They've accomplished many great deeds, stopping Jellal and surviving the R-System, helping him with the Fantasia fiasco Laxus started, eradicating the Oración Seis, and now saving them all from a gruesome fate without him even realizing it! And they brought Lisanna back!
Yep, Makarov thought as he sat at the bar, drinking a fresh mug of alcohol, My children have grown into fine wizards!
It was these thoughts going through his head as he contemplated who would make it to the next S Class Wizard Promotion Trial. It was coming in about a month and a half.
Cana was one for sure. Of the younger generation in Fairy Tail, she's been here the longest, and has a great deal of experience. Her card magic was nothing to scoff at either. It would be her sixth time running, the poor girl. But, once again, Makarov felt she was ready. If nothing else, her alcohol tolerance was S class!
As for other candidates…Levy's definitely got the brains for it. She's the most intelligent member of the guild, rivaled only by himself and Lucy. Speaking of…No, Lucy wasn't ready. She was strong and smart, no doubt. Definitely a cut above your average wizard. Sexy too! But not ready for S class.
With the loss of Laxus they were short an S class wizard, so maybe it wouldn't hurt to put up a few more candidates now…
Gray and Elfman would be good. They've all built up their power to the point where Makarov could acknowledge they were S class worthy. Juvia too, now that he thought about it.
Natsu was as well. Though he wasn't the smartest of the bunch and he was extremely reckless, his instincts and skill in combat, along with his power, were commendable. He looked over to where Natsu was having an animated conversation with Lucy and Happy. Kilgara was on Lucy's shoulder.
Hm…Makarov eyed the black dragon for a minute, sensing his magic power, before he raised a surprised brow.
This was interesting. The power emanating from the black and red reptile was on par with your average wizard now! So much growth in so little time?
Well… Makarov thought, Perhaps that really is a dragon.
He had only ever heard stories, but those tales told about how dragons once dominated the world and how their power was rumored to match lesser gods. More than likely a sailors tall tale, but rumors do have a source.
How the dragons fell from power and became so rare they were thought to be extinct, and have their existence questioned in the first place, was more or less a mystery to the common folk of the world.
During that era, war was prevalent and dominated society; fallen nations and lost records proved challenging for modern historians to puzzle everything together. They still didn't know a lot of details, matter of fact.
Makarov's thoughts drifted back to the dragon in this era. He had noticed this past week that the creature behaved…oddly. Definitely not like your usual animal. Even now, he seemed to be aware, his head darting back and forth between Natsu and Lucy, depending on who was talking.
Makarov also caught glimpses of the little dragon staring intently at the walls once.
I wonder what you would think of this, Master, Makarov thought of his old guild master, Precht. He was a great wizard, who was curious and grew to love researching magic. A creature like Kilgara would no doubt peak his interest.
As Makarov chugged the rest of his drink, Lucy could be heard ranting to Natsu about how unfair her landlady is, with Happy munching on a fish. Natsu, though he was staring at Lucy, had his thoughts elsewhere. He was looking at Kilgara too, deep in thought
Kilgara watched Lucy rant as well.
"I've decided!" Natsu suddenly slammed his palms on the table, interrupting Lucy and making her and Kilgara jump, "It's time! Kilgara, do you want to join Fairy Tail?"
"Huh?" Lucy blinked, ignoring the fact she was interrupted, "Uh, Natsu…You realize he can't understand you, right?"
"Sure he can," Natsu blinked, "He's been staring at you and rolling his eyes while you were complaining."
"As if!" Lucy swiped at Natsu, who dodged, "Even if he could understand us, I feel like he'd be understanding. He's so sweet!"
"Yeah, sure," Natsu smirked, then smiled at the black lizard, "What do ya say, buddy? Wanna be a Fairy Tail wizard?"
"Natsu," Lucy rubbed her head, "You can't be serious…" Lucy began before Kilgara hopped off her shoulder onto the table. He looked at Natsu, and it was that look where Lucy saw it. An intelligence in his eyes. He further shocked her and Happy by nodding his head.
"Woah!" Happy's eyes widened.
"He's…smart enough to…?" Lucy questioned, regarding the black reptile.
"Uh, duh," Natsu blinked at her, "He's a dragon. I told you they're smart," Natsu knew Kilgara was smart ever since he opted to stay with Lucy when she was sick. He could see it in his eyes; Kilgara cared for Lucy just as much as he and Happy did, which was smart in his book.
Kilgara let out a small squeaky growl, snorting air out his nostrils.
He then proceeded to use a single claw, carving a pattern in the table. It was…words!?
Lucy couldn't believe her eyes! When did he learn…?
"Woah!" Natsu's eyes widened this time, and as if he could read Lucy's thoughts, said, "Where'd you learn how to write, bud?"
l do lt
The writing was crude, but legible. Kilgara let out a happy growl.
"Ah yeah!" Natsu excitedly exclaimed, "Yo gramps! Get over here!"
"Hm…" Makarov was walking by with a new mug of alcohol, "What is it?"
"Kilgara wants to join the guild!" Natsu pointed at the table, "I asked him, and look at what he wrote!"
"Oh?" Makarov stared at the writing. Implications of Kilgara's intelligence aside, someone was definitely going to fix his table.
"What's going on?" Erza walked up, followed by Gray, Wendy, and Carla.
"Kilgara agreed to be an official member!" Happy jumped up with joy.
"And what makes you think that, Tomcat?" Carla rolled her eyes while smiling; she had become much more respectable, even nice, toward Happy ever since they returned from Edolas.
"Natsu asked him, and look what he wrote," Lucy smiled pointing at the table, surprising Carla, "He's even smarter than we thought. He's picked up writing!" However basic and crude it was, Lucy couldn't help but wonder where he picked it up. Now that she thought about it, he did sometimes watch her when she was writing; how observant is he?
"Uh-huh, uh-huh!" Happy nodded sharply with excitement.
"Well…" Makarov blinked, before smirking, "Hehe…HAHAHA!" He let out a boisterous, even mischievous laugh, surprising everyone.
"On top of three Dragonslayers, Fairy Tail is about to be the first known guild to have a full-blooded dragon among their ranks!" He chugged a gulp of his drink, "Mira! Get the guild stamp! We have a new member to welcome!"
"Aw yeah!" Natsu smirked, flames dancing in his eyes, before he roared, "Fairy Tail is the greatest!" Flames spewed from his mouth.
Erza and Gray blinked, before they broke out into grins as well.
"Gihee," Gajeel and Lily walked up; they just got back from their first job together, but when Gajeel heard that Kilgara, a dragon, was joining the guild he didn't want to miss it, "Never thought I'd see the day!" He smirked.
"Oh my," Mira came up with the guild stamp, "Well this is new; I thought Happy, Carla, and Lily would be the only non-humans I'd stamp. Where and what color?"
"Hm…" Natsu looked at Kilgara, "Make it red. That'll match his swirly scale pattern. And put it on his shoulder, kind of inside this red spiral. How's that sound, buddy?" No one would ever guess it, but though his own was peculiar, Natsu did have a thing for fashion and looking your best with what you wear. He'd never told anyone this, but it was actually something he appreciated about Lucy. She always looked good, no matter what crazy thing she wore.
Kilgara roared with excitement. At least, they assumed it was excitement. He held still as he watched Mira approach and stamp him.
Mira stamped a red Fairy Tail mark on Kilgara's shoulder; aesthetically, it fit perfectly with his red scales, and made a nice contrast against his black ones.
Kilgara had officially joined the guild.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail!" Natsu held his arm out to me; Lucy was smiling next to him, Happy was jumping up and down with a big smile, and all the others were standing behind them, smiles and cheers adorning their features.
I leapt past Natsu's arm, straight onto his shoulder, roaring my approval.
Hidden Quest Complete!
Join Fairy Tail!
Rewards:
100,000 XP
Fairy Tail Guild Mark
Perk "Fairy Tail Wizard"
1 Gacha Token
That's also quite the reward! I like it! What's this perk do?
Fairy Tail Wizard
You are a member of the Fairy Tail Guild! On top of a receiving a new guild mark, this allows you to take jobs from their request board as Quests, whose rewards vary with difficulty. While on Tenrou Island, your magic and MP regeneration receives a 10% boost.
Awesome! Dungeon hunting isn't my only form of growth anymore! Talk about a great way to end the day!
But more than that, I felt something stir within me. Looking back it was probably my Loyalty trait taking full effect, but I knew then that I would do anything for these people. It only steeled my resolve. It's time to prepare for Tenrou.
But first…man, I'm feeling tired all of a sudden…that's weird. My SP is at full, what's…going…on…
My drowsiness overtook me. I felt myself drift off instantly, the world turning over as I passed out.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail!" Natsu held his arm out to Kilgara. He could feel Lucy smiling next to him. Happy was jumping up and down with a big smile, and all the others were standing behind him and Lucy. He could hear their cheers, but his focus was on Kilgara.
Kilgara bypassed his hand completely, leaping right to his shoulder.
"Easy there, bud," Natsu laughed. Kilgara let out a happy roar, though his temperament changed after a moment, and Natsu noticed, "You okay, buddy?"
Kilgara's grip on his shoulder suddenly loosened, before he fell off.
"Woah!" Natsu reacted quickly, catching the small reptile, "Kilgara? Kilgara! You okay!?"
"What happened?" Lucy moved in closer as Natsu caught him.
"I don't know, he just…collapsed…" Natsu could hear deep breathing coming from the dragon. Oh.
"Good grief," Natsu deadpanned, "He fell asleep!" Well…it was pretty late now.
"He…fell asleep?" Lucy blinked before giggling, "You've had too much influence on him."
"He passes out faster than you, Pyro," Gray smirked.
"Easy now," Erza chipped in, "Though I must agree with the two of you, here," She smiled.
"C'mon," Lucy said to Natsu, "Let's take him to my place."
"You're letting us sleep over?" Natsu and Happy excitedly asked.
"No, Kilgara will be," Lucy poked him in the chest, giving him a stern look, "You can sleep in your own home," She carefully picked Kilgara up from Natsu's hands.
"This little guy has had more than enough of your influence," She smiled at the sleeping dragon, "He's far smarter than we thought, he needs to have a more civilized influence to learn from too."
"Whatever," Natsu pouted, "You just want to have him to yourself!" Lucy ignored him, not responding to his accurate statement. She had grown fond of the black reptile, what can she say?
"I suspected he was smarter than we gave him credit for," Erza stepped up, scratching Kilgara's neck while he slept, "But I didn't think he was this observant."
"Pretty crazy…" Gajeel said. He was shocked himself, but now too tired to care anymore, "C'mon, Lily."
"Right," Lily nodded, following Gajeel home.
"Good night, everyone!" Happy called out as he, Lucy and Natsu left the guild, walking over to Lucy's house.
As they did, Natsu eyed the sleeping dragon curled up in Lucy's arms.
Lucky bastard, Natsu pouted.
The Archmage looked around in bewilderment. His two apprentices were equally shocked and horrified.
They had just returned from their investigation from the Holy Church. After traveling for three days, they came home to the Archmage's school (which he created) only to find all of the students to be…dead, if not fatally wounded.
This was a massacre!
Inspecting the bodies close, his eyes widened in further shock. They were covered in crackling red mana burns, while others had suffered blunt trauma or severe lacerations. The bodies were still warm.
"Inspect all the wounded!" The Archmage ordered his apprentices, "See if anyone is still alive!"
His two pupils immediately set out to work. They were his top students, who attended this academy when they were younger. Some of these people were their friends, and many of the teachers here were his own colleagues.
No one in the school was spared; not even the young teenage children. But through their efforts and healing magic, they were able to bring a substantial amount of people back from the brink of death. But half the student body was still dead, and a third of the teachers were as well.
"Sir," His younger apprentice approached him. He had angry tears welling up in his eyes; some of his closest friends were among the dead, "The nature of their wounds…was this the same creature that attacked the church?"
"Yes," The Archmage nodded, "Whether or not it was the exact same creature, and not just another of its species, I cannot say for certain until I've finished analyzing the residual power," He had taken samples of the residual mana in the church, and was working on comparing it to the fresh samples from the school.
"Master," His Eldest apprentice came into view, "Everyone has received proper treatment now."
"Good work, both of you," He nodded, giving them sad smiles, "With this new development, I'm afraid I must leave you for the time being."
"What?" The Eldest said, her voice distraught, "You can't leave! We all need you now more than ever!"
"Don't worry, my child," He smiled genuinely, "Everyone has been stabilized for now. And I'll not be gone long. A day at most. I must pay a visit to an old friend of mine. She may have insights to what we're dealing with here," He sat up from his study, retrieving the two vials of residual power and brandishing his cloak.
"Of course, she won't be all that happy to see me," A smirk came over his face, "That old witch is so touchy about who comes to her library."
A/N: I've noticed people comparing Kilgara's name to Gaara of the Desert. Though understandable, that is not where his name comes from. "Kilgara" is my own adaptation of the dragon "Kilgharrah," a dragon from legends of Merlin and King Arthur.