(Edited 28/01/25)

I do not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does.

A Destined Survival

*POTD*

It had been just over a year since Elise had experienced her first ever birthday, and her life having been turned on its head.

The once near mute and timid girl had grown a little out of her shell, though she remained rather reserved and shy. Preferring to stay inside, she spent almost all her time with Gentou, who had taken to teaching the young girl all she needed to know.

Even if some would say it was futile.

For despite being saved from one tragic life, she had gained another, as her body was wracked by a brutal illness, borne of Dark Magic…

A last gift from her cruel parents.

And yet, Gentou refused to give up, doing all he could to help Elise and seeking a cure for the dark illness that was ravaging her body, whilst also teaching her all the life skills she needed to become the successful young woman he was determined to see her be.

"Alright Elise, what does this word say," Gentou asked, the pair sitting on the floor as he held up a plain white card with a word on it.

"Cart."

"Good. Now, what about this one?"

"River."

"Well done! Now, what's this one say?"

"S-Sig-n," Elise replied, slightly unsure as Gentou shook his head.

"Not quite Elise. Remember, some words are weird and have silent letters in them. For this word, the letter G is silent. So, instead of saying sig-n, you would say sine. Get it?"

"Sign…"

"That's it!"

"But Gentou, why spell the word that way if it doesn't sound that way? Wouldn't it just be easier to spell it without the silent letter?"

"Well, you see… Actually, I don't rightly know why its like that," the old man laughed sheepishly. "All I know is that this is how language has been for our people since well before I was born."

"I don't really get it," Elise sighed, as Gentou gave her a gentle pat on the head.

"Its alright, most adults don't either. Language is weird and complicated sometimes, so its best not to think about it. But you're a smart girl, so maybe one day you'll find out why silent letters exist?"

"Hmm… I'd rather not, since spelling is boring."

The old man couldn't help but laugh in response, giving her another pat on the head. She was making great progress, despite all the hurdles life threw at her. No longer entirely mute and terrified of her own shadow, she was learning quickly, opening up to him more and gaining confidence little by little under his care.

Her form however was still a cause for concern.

Having put on a little weight, she still looked frail and sickly, despite all he could possibly do for her. The young girl's strange illness was something the old man could only curse, with it being one of the few things beyond his control.

Elise began coughing heavily, drawing in deep breaths before spitting up a strange black mucus from her lungs, her entire body shuddering and shivering as she curled up on her side. Coughing more, sweat poured off of her, the skin quickly coated in a thick, greasy sheen that was slimy to the touch, though the old man cared not as he gently held her so that she could cough without choking.

It was a shame she was so frail and ill, for the other children of the village had shunned her for it. Hearing names such as loony, freak and dirty orphan being bandied about both angered and saddened him.

She was a good, kind little girl. There wasn't a soul on Earthland that would tell him otherwise!

However, to his surprise, Elise took their jabs in stride, and quoted what he himself had said back on her Fifth birthday…

The only opinion that matters is your own!

Though he knew that their harsh words stung her, Elise was trying to live up to his words, his example. How could he not root for her from the sidelines, knowing that she was trying to prove to him she was able to handle it.

Looking back down, he noticed her coughing had subsided, though she remained shivering and sweaty. Leaning down, he examined the skin on her neck, noticing that the rotting sore had grown slightly larger, the skin a sickly green colour.

"…I think it would be best if you were to take a short rest, Elise," Gentou murmured, as the child struggled to rise into a semi-sitting position.

"J-Just a small one," the girl croaked, panting heavily. "I've got to keep learning how to read really good…"

"I know. You want to read real good so that you can go through all the scrolls in the library at the temple."

I-I want to learn all I can about the sword," Elise huffed, trying to shift into a full sitting position. "You know that."

"Of course. To discover the truth behind the blade will take you much time, but it is a fine goal indeed. As I've always said, you're such a smart girl Elise, always seeking to grow, despite everything."

"Gentou?"

"Hm?"

"Do you know if the library has any books about the day the sword was left behind?"

"Hm? Nothing that would be a first-hand account, that's for sure," the old man hummed in response. "You'll mainly find legends and the like, and plenty of books chock full of really big words!"

"How many big words?"

"Er… Well, that depends on which book you're studying," the old man smiled, as he discreetly used Magic to clean up the mess on the floor. "There are loads of books with loads of things in them. Some might even have pictures!"

"Pictures are nice, but they don't say much," Elise pouted, eliciting an amused chuckle from the old man.

"Well then, if you want to get back to learning, you'll have to rest up extra good then, wont you?"

"I guess so… Well, what should I do then?"

"How about having some lunch?"

"Lunch? Do you want us to go to the market again?"

"Well, I suppose that depends on if you want to go to the market or not?"

"Well, I do, but…"

Everyone keeps staring at you," Gentou sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I understand. Although, I thought you said you didn't care what people thought of you?"

"I don't. But the people who stare at me aren't saying what they think to my face, but behind my back. They think I don't know what they're saying, but I can hear them…"

"Well, I think that's all the more reason not to care what they think, isn't it? After all, what is the worth of someone's word when they don't have the guts to say it to your face, eh!?"

"Zero…"

"That's right! Never think less of yourself because of the words others speak behind your back! You know that these people are nothing more than cowards!"

Elise nodded silently, though Gentou knew he'd have to work hard to reinforce that lesson into her. To instill that their words truly didn't matter.

"Now then, I do believe there are some pork sandwiches with our names on them ready and waiting for us," Gentou cheered, putting on his coat before helping Elise put hers on. "You excited for pork?"

"Yes Gentou," Elise nodded, putting on her tiny gloves as Gentou opened the door, the pair heading out into the snow filled front yard.

The old man watched Elise waddle through the snow awkwardly, before scooping her up and placing her on his shoulders, an action that she no longer shied away from.

"Better to ride on my shoulders than get lost, eh?"

Elise nodded as the pair headed to the market, the young girl silently happy at the fact she was being treated so nicely by the old man, and that he seemed just as happy in turn, as they headed down the snowy steps toward the village proper.

*POTD*

"You were that ill at six years old? What the Hell did your parents do to you," Natsu asked, as the pair sat on the edge of a ruined wall, looking down upon the ruins of the market square.

"You remember how I told you that my parents justified my abuse by saying I ate a corner of their bread? Well, I didn't know it at the time, but when they fed me another piece, they had infused it with Necrotic Magic…"

"A Wasting Curse I'm assuming," Natsu asked, garnering a nod in reply. "Bastards."

"Ironically, my frail body and lack of eating solid food up until that point was what saved me from dying sooner."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Because I was so eager to eat it, I accidentally breathed in most of the corner I'd eaten, the bread getting into my windpipe, with the curse flooding my airways instead of my stomach."

"That means your lungs were wasting away, not your stomach… Combine that with the fact you'd have absorbed less than the fully intended amount, and you miraculously avoided being killed!"

"Hard to imagine your own parents hated your existence so much they'd try and kill you," Elise sighed sadly. "What made it worse was they sold me to the Dark Guild for two hundred Jewel, only keeping me around to make sure I didn't escape."

"Bloody Hell…"

"Oh, it gets worse," the War God Slayer replied bluntly, shaking her head. "Because now we're going to get into the cruelty of children…"

*POTD*

Elise and Gentou arrived in the village market, with the old man heading straight for the nearby meat stand, where another old man was grilling some of it up.

"Oh, Gentou! Come for something to eat?"

"Yeah. Two pork sandwiches please?"

"Two pork, coming up hot!"

Elise watched as the old man expertly flipped the meat into the pan, fire erupting all around it as he tossed in various herbs and spices. It was almost awe inspiring to watch his expert culinary skills in action, knowing full well that what he was making would certainly be delicious.

As the man cooked away, the pair noticed a Priest frantically sprinting in their direction, with many of the villagers making way for him.

"Gentou!"

"What is it Malam? Is something the matter?"

Y-You have to come to the temple Gentou! It's the High Priest, he-!"

Gentou cut the man off before he could finish, sighing audibly right as their pork sandwiches were finished. Grabbing them, he passed them both to Elise before placing her down on a nearby bench.

"He passed on, didn't he?"

"Y-Yes…"

"I understand," the old man replied quietly, as he looked down at Elise once again. "Elise, I'm going to need you to stay here for a bit. I won't be more than ten minutes, okay?"

"Okay Gentou, I'll wait," Elise replied, understanding based on how everyone looked that something had happened, and that Gentou had to sort it out.

"Good girl," the old man smiled, gently petting her head, before looking toward the Priest. "Let us move quickly…"

The pair vanished, leaving Elise alone on the bench as she nibbled on her pork sandwich. And as she ate, she noticed the grim faces of the older villagers, some sneering at her specifically, whilst others purposely avoided her gaze.

"I hope Gentou will be alright," Elise muttered quietly, only to be startled from said worry as he sandwich was snatched from her hands. "Wha-!?"

"Well now, what do we have here guys," a cocky voice drolled, as Elise looked up to see several of the village kids standing before her. "It's the freak, come crawling out of her cave!"

"Should've stayed home, freak!"

"Look at her skin," one of the girls gasped. "So gross!"

"Don't get too close guys, or she might spread her gross rotting to us," the lead kid sniped, as Elise merely looked down at her lap, doing her best to ignore them. "Oi, you think you can just look down and pretend we don't exist!?"

"…"

"Disrespectful freak, isn't she?"

"You know, my Dad told me that freaks like her usually aren't allowed in the cities below! They get tossed out with the trash so that their freaky infections don't spread!"

"Yeah! We should throw the freak out just like the big cities do," one of the snobbish girls at the back cried, as the kids all seemed to agree with one another, shocking Elise as she tried to stand and run.

"Oi, quick," the lead kid snarled, as he pushed her over, knocking her to the ground. "Quick, grab her and let's go!"

The kids cheered as they picked Elise up by the ankles and wrists, dragging her through the town as the adults watched on, not doing anything to stop them, no matter how much she begged for help.

But her pleas fell on deaf ears, as they left the town and made their way into the woods, where she was roughly pinned to a large oak tree. One of the boys was holding a rope, as the other two began tying her up to the tree.

"N-No! Please-!"

"Shut up freak," one of the kids snarled, throwing a rock at her, striking her left side hard enough to elicit a sharp hiss of pain. "You ain't escaping this!"

"Yeah!"

"W-Why are you doing this to me," Elise sniffled, watching as the kids slowly started stepping away. "What did I do to you guys!?"

"You know why you're a freak, so don't go crying now!"

"Yeah! You don't belong here in our village!"

"And now, you won't bother our village ever again, you freak!"

Unable to free herself due to the tightness of the rope, combined with her ill state, Elise could only cry as she watched them head back toward the village. She could still feel the pain in her side from the rock, but her mind quickly turned to a more pressing concern, as snowflakes began to fall around her.

"Oh no," the little girl whispered, realizing that the situation was even more dire than she'd thought.

Minute by minute.

Hour by hour.

Snow fell all around her, as it gradually got heavier and heavier, covering her up to her knees, the chill quickly getting into her fragile form, though there was naught she could do to stave it off.

Eventually, she resigned herself to what was the inevitable.

Gentou didn't know where she was, and the kids clearly hated her so much that they wouldn't tell anyone what they'd done to her. How children could be so horrible to her, to someone they barely knew…?

Elise would never understand.

"G-G-Gent-t-tou," Elise spoke, her teeth chattering from the freezing cold, as she thought about the kindly old man who was the only one that had ever shown her kindness. "I-I-I'm s-s-sorr-r-ry… F-F-Forg-g-give m-me…"

Her eyes felt heavy, her breathing labored, as she felt the cold trying to force her to sleep, her efforts to hold on feeling more and more futile by the moment. However, her entire body flinched, as something warm and soft seemed to replace the snow around her legs.

Struggling to focus, the young girl was shocked to see the two wolves that normally stood guard at the entrance to the temple. The female one had used her body to push the snow off of her, before pressing up against her front, as she felt something pulling on the rope from the other side of the tree.

"W-W-Why," Elise whispered, receiving no response but the female wolf pressing up against her body harder, as the male wolf snarled, ripping at the tight rope binding her to the tree.

After several minutes, Elise felt the ropes slacken, her upper body immediately collapsing onto the female wolf, as the male came around to inspect her. Both shared a look, as the male then used its head to lift Elise's lower body up onto the female wolf's back, her form so small it easily fit snugly in the middle.

"I-I," was all Elise could get out, before she fell unconscious, as the wolves slowly moved from the tree and toward a nearby cave, clearly doing what they could to try and save her life.

But the last question on Elise's mind was simple…

Why?

*POTD*

Meanwhile, Gentou was rushing around the village in a panic.

Having been delayed several times from leaving by the Priests, the old man had left Elise far longer than he'd intended. Even though he had been elevated to the position of High Priest, he found that he did not care.

"Elise," the old man cried, flashing about the village at speeds startling the cultists, many of whom had almost forgotten he was the strongest among them. "Elise, where are you!?"

Reappearing right where he'd left her, the old man stroked his beard nervously, eyes darting about, his breath coming in shorter bursts as snow blanketed the area. He knew full well she wouldn't survive the conditions out here alone due to her illness, but also that she wouldn't have run off like this either…

"Where the bloody Hell is she," the old man hissed, his aged eyes scanning the area before noticing something on the ground.

Kneeling down, he noticed a small, misshapen lump of snow. Reaching for it, he was shocked to see it was the other pork sandwich he'd paid for.

"She wouldn't have left this behind willingly," Gentou whispered, eyes narrowed in a deep frown as he remained stock still. "She's a good girl, and would've waited for me here. Which can mean only one thing…"

The old man slowly rose to his feet, as the nearby cultists all recoiled at the malicious feeling rolling off of the man. His Magic seemed to almost suffocate them, as he placed a hand on the hilt of his blade.

"Someone has taken her…"

*POTD*

Elise slowly regained consciousness, no longer feeling like she was frozen. Instead, she felt warm and content, a big fuzzy blanket helping to keep her warm.

"Ngh…"

The fuzzy blanket shifted, revealing itself to be the female wolf from earlier. Unlike before though, Elise wasn't afraid, gently petting her back, which she seemed to appreciate.

"Y-You saved me," Elise croaked, as the wolf shifted so she could sit up. "Thank you."

The wolf, much to her shock, nodded back at her, before bumping her cold wet nose against Elise's own, eliciting a surprised giggle.

It was then that she heard rustling, as six smaller wolves scarpered toward her, quickly dog-piling her as they immediately started drowning her in wolf slobber, though she found she didn't mind it at all.

'The wolves from the temple have babies? And why do they seem nicer to me than most Humans? Gentou is the only nice Human, the rest always bully me and hurt me…"

As she sat there and processed what had happened to her, the young girl could only cry silently to herself. Despite Gentou's kindness, the people of Kihetai proved they didn't care about her, just like the Dark Guild and her parents didn't care about her.

They had watched the village children take her out into the woods and done nothing to stop them. They too must hate her, find her revolting…

"I-I wish I was just someone normal," Elise sniffled, as the female wolf nudged her gently, licking her cheek. "I-I'm scared…"

The female wolf looked to the male wolf, who was standing guard by the entrance, the pair sharing a stiff nod. They both looked toward Elise, who had fully broken down as she sobbed into the wolf's furry coat, their young doing what they could to remain close to her, trying to cheer her up.

With another nod toward the male wolf, the female watched her mate go, rushing off into the darkness, before turning her full attention toward Elise and her young…

*POTD*

To say Gentou was furious would be an understatement.

Not one person apparently knew where she had gone from where he had left her. Even asking those who were at the market like the vendor he'd purchased the pork sandwiches, none seemed to know anything.

"No," the old man growled, clenching his fists as he punched a nearby stone wall, shattering it with his strength. "This doesn't make any sense!? Where is she!?"

As Gentou tried to calm himself, he heard the sound of children laughing nearby. Initially thinking nothing of it, the old man froze upon hearing one specific word…

"Hah! How long do you think the freak lasted?"

"I'd say the cold got her!"

"The wolves ate her for sure!"

"Starvation!"

She's been out there for hours now. No way is she still alive!"

"Oi, keep it down guys! I heard the new High Priest, Gentou, has been looking for her!"

"Heh! My Dad should be the High Priest, not him," the leader of the kids replied cockily. "Gentou is a loser who doesn't even like wa-!"

In a single move, all the kids had been knocked to the ground, with the lead one having a blade at their throat, as many of the adults immediately tried to help the kids, only for Gentou to press the tip of the blade into his throat, causing everyone to freeze in place.

"High Priest Gentou!"

"What is the meaning of this!?"

"They're children-!"

"ELISE IS A CHILD TOO," Gentou roared, silencing them all, as he looked back down at the mortified children, who realized Gentou must have overheard them. "I will give each of you one, single chance to answer me regarding Elise's whereabouts. Or so help me I shall show this entire village why the War God blessed me as his Raid Chief."

"H-High Priest Gentou," one of the cultist stuttered, shakily approaching. "You can't kill them! They're children!?"

"Hasn't stopped us before when we raided other settlements, has it," Gentou spat in reply, silencing all the adults, knowing the old man spoke truly. "Now… Where is Elise? And if you lie to me, I will cut you open boy…"

"T-T-The f-forest," the kid squeaked, crying in terror as Gentou's eyes snapped to the other children, all nodding in unison.

"If she's not there…or worse, then I'll be seeing you all soon," the old man snarled, vanishing with speed so fast it knocked everyone in the area clean off their feet, arriving in the forest the children had pointed to in less than two seconds.

His eyes immediately noticed the bits of rope hanging from one of the trees, before a loud howl drew his attention. Looking off sharply to the left, he was surprised to see the male wolf from the temple staring at him, before making a motion to follow it.

"They say that the War God was fond of wolves," Gentou muttered, before shaking his head. "Please, take me to her!"

The wolf howled in response, taking off at a brisk pace, which Gentou easily matched, as they quickly arrived at the mouth of the cave.

The moment he saw Elise resting with the female wolf and her rather surprising to see litter, he dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

"Elise," the old man croaked, drawing the sickly girl's attention, as she struggled to even lift her head she was so weak.

"G-Gentou," Elise murmured, struggling to stay awake as the old man quickly scooped her into his arms. "I'm…sorry…"

"No," the old man whispered, shaking his head furiously. "Never be sorry, Elise… I'm the one that failed you."

"…They wanted to kill me Gentou," Elise sniffled, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "I-I was so scared…"

"I know," the old man replied, gently holding her close as he stroked her back. "Its over now, Elise. You're safe again…"

"…Gentou? Do I really deserve to die because of all this," Elise asked slowly, gesturing to her rotting skin. "I-I can't help it…"

"No! You don't deserve to die at all! You're a bright, lovely, smart, brilliant young girl who deserves everything in the world!"

"Gentou," Elise murmured, before falling unconscious again, reminding the old man of her fragile state.

"Its alright, I'll get you home and warm Elise," Gentou whispered, before looking toward the two wolves. "Thank you. I will NEVER forget this debt."

The wolves looked between one another, as the female slowly rose to a sitting position, as the old man felt something flash through his mind…

"PROTECT THE CHILD!"

Gentou staggered backward as she sharp pain vanished as fast as it had come, shocked at the three powerful words that had torn through his mind. But the pain was nothing compared to the shock that the wolf had actually spoken to him.

"I-I need to get her to the village," Gentou whispered to himself, as he turned on his heel and ran from the cave.

The mystery of the wolves could wait. Elise's life was his first priority.

He wouldn't fail her again…

*POTD*

Several days later, Elise woke to the sound of hushed whispers and a warm feeling coating her body.

Slowly opening her eyes, she didn't need to take long to adjust to the brightness, as she quickly deduced that she was in the temple. The first thing her eyes caught onto was the familiar runic markings across the roof where she lay, before slowly looking down to see Gentou feverishly talking to another Priest.

"High Priest, the girl has awoken," another Priest gasped, as all eyes were immediately upon her.

"This is a miracle!"

"The War God has smiled upon the child!"

"High Priest Gentou said the wolves saved her, so it must be a good omen!"

The cultists around her chatted excitedly about what her rescue and recovery meant for their cult as a whole, as Gentou gently sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Good afternoon young lady," the old man smiled gently, helping her sit up before passing her a cup of water. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore…Tired…Hungry…"

"Heh. I'm not surprised, what with all you've been through these last few days."

"Last few days…?"

"Yes. You've been unconscious for almost four days now."

"Oh…"

"…I was so terribly worried…"

Elise froze, looking up at the old man to see he was crying, his entire body shaking as he gently reached out to place a gentle hand atop her head. "I should have forced the Priests to let me out sooner, to let me come to you sooner-!"

"I-It's alright Gentou," Elise replied quickly, shocked at the old man's genuine love and concern for her. "I don't blame you for what happened, and I'm glad the wolves got to me when they did…"

At the mention of the word wolves, one of the smaller ones padded over from the nearby fire and nuzzled her affectionately, which only served to heighten the discussion among the cultists, who had never seen anything like it before.

"Gentou?"

"Hm?"

"Why are we in the temple," Elise asked curiously, as she gave the wolf a gentle scratch behind the ears.

"Ah, you don't know yet," the old man replied awkwardly, running a hand through his hair. "I'm the new High Priest now."

"Really!?"

"Oh yes. Now you'll be able to read all the books you like once we fully teach you how to read, wont we!?"

"That's great!"

"I've put it off since you've been unconscious, but we're going to celebrate," the old man continued cheerily. "A big feast and everything!"

"Really!? W-Will there be ice cream?"

"Of course! Plenty of chocolate ice cream for you," Gentou grinned. "I know its your favorite-!"

Gentou was about to continue, only to freeze in shock as Elise half fell into him, wrapping her frail arms around him for a hug. It was an action she rarely initiated, if ever, and he couldn't help but want to cry whilst shouting about how happy he was.

"Thank you so much Gentou!"

The old man could only smile as he wrapped an arm around her, the wolf forcing its way into the hug as it started furiously licking Elise's face, eliciting a series of light giggles from the young girl.

"E-Elise," Gentou gasped. "You laughed!?"

The young girl hadn't heard him, as she focused more attention on the wolf, leaving him to ponder the strange occurrence surrounding Elise's survival. More specifically, the female wolf that had spoken directly to him.

The words had continued to play back in his mind over and over again, her words strong and commanding. It almost felt like something…more had spoken through the wolf in that moment.

Which begged the question of WHY the wolves had suddenly changed their behavior now that Elise was within the cult? Why would the save her, someone ignorant of their faith? Was the God rewarding Gentou himself for his loyal service, or was Elise destined for some greater purpose in the grand scheme of things?

As he looked down at Elise happily petting the wolf and talking to it, he decided it didn't matter. Elise would be free to grow up the way she wanted, and never again would he allow her to be in harms way.

Upon his blade, he silently swore that most sacred of vows to the War God.

His mind then turned to more down to Earthland matters. More specifically, the children who had so brutally tried to murder Elise. What shocked him was it was ALL the children who were in on it, their parents seemingly uncaring or hiding their disgust regarding Elise.

As High Priest, and the strongest warrior in the village, he knew he had to punish everyone involved. Such savagery and senseless violence wasn't something he knew the War God would approve of within their own ranks.

It basically bordered on treasonous insubordination.

Looking back down at Elise, he knew he had a decision to make. He could punish them how he saw fit, bringing his steely fist down upon those in the cult who would dare harm one of their own.

Or…

"Elise," Gentou spoke up, drawing the young girl's attention toward him. "I have a question?"

"Yes Gentou?"

"As High Priest, it is my job to punish those who commit crimes within our ranks. We've rounded up the children who tied you to the tree, as well as every child and adult who was complicit in your attempted murder," Gentou spoke firmly, deciding to just tell it to her straight. "I want to know what punishment you'd like to see befall them? After all, you are the slighted one in all of this…"

"Y-You want ME to decide?"

"Of course! Like I said, you're the one they wronged, so its only fair that you get a say in what happens to them."

"I-I honestly don't know what I would want to do with them Gentou…"

"That's fine, you don't have to decide right now," the old man replied kindly, as she clung onto him again. "Just rest for now, alright?"

"G-Gentou? Can I ask you a favor?"

"Of course Elise," the old man replied quickly, surprised she was so quick to ask for something.

"I-I know I'm weak, but…but I don't want what happened to me to happen again. So, I was wondering if, maybe, you could teach me how to defend myself?"

Gentou sighed, though he couldn't exactly blame her for asking that of him. She was scared, and wanted some sort of insurance to help her feel safe without him around.

'But in her current condition,' the old man thought, as she stared up into his eyes, hopeful that he would approve of her request.

"…Tell me Elise, and be honest. If I were to teach you, what would you do with the skills I would pass on?"

"I would use them to defend myself so I don't end up nearly dying again," Elise replied automatically, before looking down at her frail hands and sighing. "And, I'd like to help other people like me…like if I had real friends one day…"

'Even after all she's been through, she would still speak of one day having friends,' Gentou thought to himself, his heart swelling with pride at her strength and resilience.

"Tell you what. Once you're recovered, I'll show you some basics that could help you in a pinch and we'll go from there… What do you think?"

"Y-Yes! That would be great! I promise I'll do my best and not let you down Gentou!"

"I know you will, I never had fears about that. My biggest concern is your health, and that worries me more than even the threat of something like this happening again," the old man admitted honestly. "You are sickly, pale and far too small for your age, and strenuous activity may not be the best idea. That being said though, I won't be refusing to teach you, but we'll be going about it safely."

"O-Of course! I'll do my best Gentou, despite my illness!"

Gentou couldn't help but smile in response, as she gleefully returned to petting the wolf at her side, expressing excitement at the training to come.

As he turned away from her, the old man's face grew stern. He knew that Elise would need to be protected, and he wouldn't fail in his position as her guardian again…

Even if it were to cost him his life.

*POTD*

Natsu and Elise stood before the ruins of the temple of Kihetai, the entire thing having been badly damaged over the course of the years, with nature slowly creeping into its stony corpse.

"Sounds like you had as shitty of a childhood as Erza or Mira," Natsu sighed, looking back down onto the village and off toward the nearby forest. "But your words are a cautionary tale that anyone can harbor hatred in their hearts toward those who society as a whole deem as different."

"Gentou told me much the same. As has Mother over the years too," Elise agreed. "Herd mentality can be a dangerous thing indeed."

"So, I'm assuming things got a little better for you?"

"For a time," Elise replied, her thoughts drifting back as she looked toward the temple once again. "As you know, people like us don't get to enjoy life for long before it comes to take from you."

"What happened?"

"About three years after the incident where I almost died, that was when Kihetai Village fell…"

"You were here for that!?"

"Oh yes. I'm probably the only one currently alive who would know the truth of what happened. The truth of how we were destroyed from within by those who bore nothing but hatred in their hearts…"