PART TWO. Apprenticeship

October 10th, Magnolia Town

Day 10

Erza Scarlet felt like she was a kid who'd been locked in a tool shed.

"Ooooh! Look at this one, Erza!" Mira had practically glided past her towards the long oaken shelf containing rows upon rows of various types of acoustic guitars. "See this?"

The Knight tugged gently at her woolen sweater and set eyes on the sleek, yet slightly smaller instrument which Mira nicked off the section of wall containing similarly shaped instruments. It was guitar-shaped, yet was clearly too small to actually be a guitar. Unlike Mira's guitar which had six strings, this one seemed to have four rows of strings, with two adorning each course.

Erza had seen it before. She recalled a distant, yet distinct memory of a musical band hailing from Caellum. The band itself had been playing in the streets of Crocus around the same time she'd visited the city to speak with a client for an S-Class Request.

"It's a gittern!" Mira said with sparkling eyes, clearly overexcited as she held it up to Erza. "Well? What do you think? Does it call to you?"

"Not really, no."

"Hmm…" The barmaid had given a brief frown before placing the instrument back on the rack. "We'll keep looking then. I'm sure there's something in here that'll catch your eye."

Erza was not as optimistic. She'd been skeptical of their second girl's trip into town, mostly because she still wasn't entirely sure she'd immediately click with a musical instrument of all things. Yet she'd accepted Mira's invitation, and was determined at the very least to make sure the blonde was satisfied.

And so, the red-head had the decency to awkwardly follow Mira around the admittedly quaint music store.

It was by all means a professional establishment. The cozy soft-shaded lighting, along with the cream-colored walls and wooden mahogany flooring had all come together to make a comfortable atmosphere that was pleasing both to the eye and to the mind. Paired up with the seemingly endless rows and sections of various instruments, accessories, booklets, and so on… Erza was sure that the owner of this place knew exactly what they were doing. Competence was key.

Despite Mira's assurances, Erza had simply nodded along and moved on down the aisle, going by the section allotted for guitars and any other variants. It was more aimless wandering, but Erza really didn't have a clue what to do in here. She was, for all intents and purposes, out of her depth.

She came upon the woodwinds section and continued to make an attempt at being interested. The wall to her immediate right showcased a large collection of clarinets, bassoons, and saxophones. Then there were flutes and oboes, even a few bagpipes were out on display.

Mira seemed to have followed her. The blonde was idly looking at the vast selection as well, though she was clearly far more animated. She even started inspecting one of the yellow brass saxophones.

What am I even doing here? The lone question seemed to be rooted in Erza's head. Shouldn't she be out somewhere with her team? On a job maybe?

Then again, they hadn't spoken about taking up any jobs lately. Gray seemed to be spending more and more time with Juvia, while Lucy had been more focused on writing and decorating her apartment. Happy also was somewhere in the mix. And Natsu had gone AWOL more or less.

She didn't mind it. Erza was fine being on her own. But she liked being with her team more.

"So…" Mira suddenly piped up, bringing Erza back to the present. "What's up with you and Natsu?"

What? Erza had felt a slight chill enter her veins then. "W-what do you mean?"

"Well… I did see you two yesterday. Laughing and flirting and having a good time together. Y'know… couple stuff."

"We-" The Knight then suddenly felt blood rush to her face. "F-flirting?"

"Mmhmm!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Mira. Natsu and I were just… catching up. Not to mention we're both part of a team. It's expected that we're able to get along."

Mira had finally looked at her with that trademarked sinister grin of hers. And Erza suddenly felt like she'd fallen right into an ambush.

Oh no…

It was then that the barmaid had crossed her arms, mimicking Erza's current pose. With a hand, she flicked her hair back and smiled. "Hahaha! Oh my gosh Natsu, you are so funny!" She said in a sing-song sort of voice.

Erza caught on. She frowned, "That's not what I said."

"Well that's what I heard. Are you really that ticklish? Or are you only like that for Natsu when you two are alone?"

This is ridiculous. Erza huffed and sharply turned away from the blonde. The drums in the percussion section across the store were beginning to look far more interesting. And not because she actually wanted to play them.

Much to her growing frustration however, Mira had followed her. "Come on, Erza!" She said as she wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "It's natural. Haven't you ever had a crush before?"

"I-I… don't like Natsu in that way, Mira."

"Please. I heard everything… when he left early, you totally wanted him to stick around and keep talking to you."

She did want Natsu to stay. "No I didn't!"

Erza immediately realized her mistake, and cursed herself for it. To Mira, an outburst was as good as an admission. Get it together, Scarlet! Now!

Those deep blue eyes, which usually were filled with a motherly sort of kindness, were now filled with an ominous light. "Oh really now…"

"Stop it, Mira."

"Hey, I'm just as surprised as you are! I thought Natsu and Lucy might be a thing later down the line, but-"

"Just. Stop."

"-now he's got this whole suave mountain man thing going on and you're just laughing and blushing and eating it all up-"

"One more word and I swear…"

"-and what's the whole Tickle Monster thing about? Ohhhh, were you two sharing a room at the resort and-"

"Shut up Mira!"

Her blow-up had had the intended effect. Mira took a sharp step back. held up her hands in reluctant surrender. However, the other customers whom had been quietly roaming the store naturally glanced over in Erza's direction. She could feel about ten pairs of eyes all focused on her as if she were a freak.

"Fine, fine…" Mira said evenly. The barmaid couldn't help but wear a compressed, but rather eager smile. She came closer. "If a cute guy did all that for me, I'd like him too ."

The Knight huffed again before moving away again. She continued along the extended racks and shelves containing clarinets and saxophones. There were various booklets containing printed music beneath them, as well as polishing cloths and mouthpiece brushes. Without even thinking, Erza picked up one of the clarinet books and began to flip through it.

Still… she couldn't keep her mind from wandering back to the demon's words… and to her conversation with Natsu yesterday.

Were it anything else, Erza would've simply ignored Mira's poking and prodding. She'd gotten used to it when they were kids, back when Mira was absolutely intolerable. But Erza couldn't contain her annoyance at the blonde today.

Of what she'd read about in her… romance novels… the language those books used were always so vibrant and colorful when it came to depicting love. The two protagonists destined to fall in love were almost immediately infatuated with one another after only a single meeting. From what Erza had seen of legitimate romance, like that of Anja and Frederik, it didn't seem to be all that… cheesy.

Had she ever had a crush before? Perhaps. When she was little, she might've felt something similar with Jellal.

Yet what would a child know of the love and intimacy between a man and a woman? Even then, whatever admiration she felt for Jellal had quickly given way to fear and guilt after he'd been possessed. And everything had gone downhill from there.

Yet this… this was different. Natsu was different.

No matter how much she tried to think of him as the mischievous boy from her childhood… she still could not erase the image of him eating the Etherion for her, choking down every last chunk of magical sludge as he roared and commanded the raw and seemingly limitless power of the Dragon… and then later to him standing victorious over the broken husk that had been Jellal…

…and then… she'd woken up in his arms on the beach. His, admittedly, muscular, dense biceps and thick forearms wrapped around her legs and her waist…

"I'm really happy to see you again."

In spite of her prior denial, she really did feel a sudden heat flow into her cheeks and her neck, all because of the clash of memories that were now melding together in her head. She couldn't help but wear a beaming smile.

She stood there for a few moments, just stewing in her daydream. And then, she suddenly remembered where she was and what she was doing.

Erza shook her head. That damned demon was working her evil magic again, her capability for instilling fiendishly portentous words into one's brain. Erza almost wondered if the punk-goth girl from her youth was still there deep down, carefully hiding behind some sort of fabricated gentle persona…

Yes, that must've been it. Mirajane Strauss was still at large, and still a great threat to society. Still the everwaking nightmare that she had been when they were kids. She was simply using another method of attack these days, one meant to confuse and squeeze her victims from the inside out. And it was up to Erza to stop her once and for all. Mira's allegations were simply that. Allegations. Baseless claims. Groundless. Unsubstantiated. Speculation at most. Mira was probably also getting stir-crazy. After all, she'd been cooped up in the guild for so long. She was starting to hear things, see things that weren't there. Was it possible for young people to be prematurely senile?

All that there was left to do was to prove her wrong. That was easy. The next time she saw Natsu, she would be cordial, but nothing more. Simply polite as they usually were together. Friendly. And Erza would make sure that Mira was in the same room as well, all so that stupid demon could see just how friendly they were.

"That would show her," Erza said quietly to herself. The reasoning was iron-clad, and it was now a shield against the suggestions leftover from the barmaid-demon hybrid that accompanied her now.

She'd now moved onto the section containing the brass instruments. A long line of vertically hanging trumpets were at the top, while below them there was a row of trombones. She didn't bother reading the price tags, since she knew she could more than cover the cost with her savings.

Erza briefly rested her hand on one. Something about the polished, yellowish copper gleam had… put something off in her. Even if the bell tube had felt smooth to the touch.

She inched away from it and turned away, looking over the entirety of the shop itself.

If she, in another life, had played an instrument… then what would it be? And why?

Erza's mind then set to work.

She deeply appreciated the more sophisticated aspects of society and life. She greatly enjoyed her morning tea, her sunroom, and preferred to eat in a far more dignified manner compared with her teammates, much less the rest of the guild. It was proper after all, and Erza would never dream of lowering her own standards for herself.

So… perhaps her choice would reflect that?

She stopped. And for a few moments, she flipped the fresh idea up and down and over in her head. And as if by chance, the sounds of classical music suddenly poured in through the store.

That was it. That was what she was here for.

The clarinets, and the flutes, and the saxophones didn't appeal to her. None of them 'spoke' to her in the way that Mira described. Neither did any of the trumpets or the brass tubas stood out to her. They just weren't… interesting.

Erza pursed her lips. The pianos were fine enough, and she had seen them be played before. But again, she didn't really take to it.

And then she'd found herself looking back towards the string section once more. She'd only really paused to look at the guitars and such, but only really because of Mira's preference towards them. Yet even now-

What was that?

She was surprised that she hadn't seen it before, but then again, it seemed it had been hidden behind the rows of tamburas and harps. It was in the string section after all. But now… now it stood out to her like a rampaging bull at a dinner party. But… in a good way.

The maple brown body of the violin was so elegantly shaped. It was similar to Mira's guitar in that sense, but obviously not in the exact same way. Even now she could see the coursing tiger strips along the backside of the instrument.

She grinned. So that was what she was here for.

It was simply perfect.

"-and as fundamental as the sciences are to one's education, it is the fool who takes them at face value.

In a world of infinite limitations, the purpose of any scientific theory first and foremost is to provide us with explanations of our own observations, along with reliable predictions.

Keep in mind that we still do not rightly understand the ultimate cause of phenomena such as magic, nor who or what created it in the first place. As you begin to delve further and further down the rabbit hole of hypotheses and theories, you will eventually find a vast number of questions posed by the scientific community which have yet to be answered. In this sense, science is not an end point. It is a process.

And this is precisely why you should take a similar approach with your magic.

Consider this:

Far too many wizards rely on books or a simple catalogue of spells taught to them by their mentors. This alone defies Man's true nature, and is an insult to the magical community.

Man has been put on this earth to prove himself. He is born with nothing to his name, and is limited in an infinite number of ways. His only possession is raw potential.

In order to achieve that potential, however, he must be willing to fail. And so should you.

This is the process of spellcraft and mastery. Experimentation. Constantly testing new ideas. Constructing alternative ways or solutions that your magic can be used, and then immediately putting them into practice.

I will not lie to you, the process of creating your own spells and attaining mastery over your magic will be far more difficult. You will fail. You will fail far too many times to count. However, so long as you keep going, you will gradually begin to see progress. The power and payoff alone will be overwhelming. Not only will you become more flexible with your magic, but also far more connected to it, yielding you greater and greater power.

Your connection with your magic is what fuels it, what makes it so potent. Magic is more than a tool. It is a part of you. Something to be nurtured.

Keep this in mind as we move forward, my dear reader.

In the next chapter, we will go over the process of creating your own spells. While it is not impossible, it will be quite taxing on both yourself and your abilities.

Do not give in to the pressure. The majority do. But the bold few push forward."

Once more, Natsu flipped over to the next page, folded the top left corner, and then closed the book, carelessly tossing it onto his coffee table.

"Honestly…" Happy had flown over to him then. The cat had landed on the left arm of the sofa, with a fresh trout in his hands. "I think this place looks waaaaaaaaaaay better when it's all cleaned up. Nice and tidy!"

Happy had had a fit upon seeing just how neat and sorted everything had been once he'd gotten home from Lucy's place. At first he'd thought that Natsu had thrown away all of his toys, and even after finding out they'd just been stored in the chest underneath the hammock, he'd still groaned that they weren't as easily accessible as before.

Yet, just as always, Happy had slowly gotten used to it. Even if Natsu had to remind him a few times to not leave dirty plates on the coffee table after dinner anymore.

"Yeah," Natsu said, still half-thinking on what the text in the book was implying. "So do I, buddy."

His best friend nodded and happily started munching on the trout.

Admittedly, Natsu was partially exhausted at having to learn all these new concepts and ideas presented by the book. Natsu wasn't unfamiliar with the idea of testing, nor with the knowledge that he'd likely fail a lot on his way up. That was fine. Setbacks were necessary.

It's just… why couldn't everything be so simple? Why did he now need to get all sciency and nerdy just so he could protect his friends and family? It just didn't add up.

And what did that last bit supposed to mean? Nurture his magic? How was he meant to do that?

He ran a hand down his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. All this musing was making him hungry.

"...what's wrong, Natsu? Didn't you see the medicine lady or something?"

"A grumpy old bat, more like."

"Okay, so she was a grumpy old medicine lady. So what?"

Natsu shook his head and glanced at his friend. "Nothing's wrong, buddy. Just… figuring a few things out." He said as he let himself sink deeper into the sofa. Probably best to change the subject, otherwise Happy wouldn't stop asking him about it. "What did you get up to with Lucy?"

Sure enough. "I can't stay there anymore, Natsu. She keeps throwing things at me and yelling at me. She gets mad at me for no reason. I mean… sure I might've eaten some of her scones the other day… and I might've also torn a hole in her armchair… and maybe kinda clogged the drain in her sink which then led to it overflowing… but none of that means she should be throwing chairs at me!"

"I'm sure she's not that bad."

"She keeps her toilet paper facing the wall, Natsu! Even when I'm not there!"

Natsu shook his head, this time with a smile. Leave it to Happy to exaggerate. Natsu liked breaking into Lucy's house just as much as the next guy (because it was ridiculously easy to get her riled up), never once had he'd been bothered by her the same way Happy was. Then again he only really stayed around for one or two hours at most, and never stayed there for days at a time like Happy would. Still, it probably wasn't as bad as Happy was making it out to be.

Probably.

Not that this was something he was wholly concerned about right now.

Natsu quickly circled back to that last page. Gramps had given him the book for a reason, right? So he might as well find a way to make use of it.

And with that next chapter supposedly going over spellcraft… it might just come sooner rather than later.

He was shortly brought back to the present by a now angry Happy, who had outright thrown his half-eaten trout against the cushion. Meanwhile, the cat started pacing around it. "And don't get me started on that thing with the waffle maker. It wasn't my fault that it melted!"

"Woah, buddy. It's alright, I believe you." The Dragon Slayer was starting to regret the direction he'd taken the conversation in. He glanced at the clock hanging above the cabinet. It was almost time to get going.

Natsu stood up. "You're gonna have to bury the hatchet with her, Happy. She's on our team you know."

"Yeah… but why does she have to be so annoying?"

"Lucy's weird, but she's also nice. You just have a unique talent for pissing her off."

"But-"

Natsu raised his hand sharply. Happy shut himself up quickly.

"Whatever it is," The Dragon Slayer said sternly, "I want you to go and apologize to her. Can you do that?"

Happy looked down and kicked at the trout, giving it a small thump. Very much like a scolded child. "Yeah, I guess…"

"Good. Now, I've got to head out. I'll probably be gone for the evening."

His best friend looked up at him now with a frown. "Where you going?"

Natsu didn't skip a beat. He made his way over to the front of the house. "Errand. Don't forget to lock the door this time. Later, buddy."

"Alright. Bye Natsu."

Natsu easily pushed open the door and shut it firmly behind him.

An hour later, he found himself wandering down the same beaten path that led him to the quarry yesterday.

He'd made his way through the southern orchard, passing by the railway tracks which lead further South to Hargeon.

From there, it hadn't taken him long to find the trail leading down to the old mining quarry. And as soon as he'd sniffed out the trademark scent of cigar smoke, Natsu knew the blond bastard was down there waiting for him.

Natsu couldn't help but flex his fingers so as to get ready for what would come next. He was still covered head-to-toe in bandages, but that didn't change anything. Even as banged up as he was now, Natsu was determined to actually stick it out a lot longer than he had last time.

As much as he disliked Porlyusica, she was damn good at what she did, and Natsu could respect that. Where he'd felt like he'd been punctured by dozens of knives all over his body last night, now he only felt a slight tingling sensation matched with the occasional flaring pain. But nothing more.

Likely won't be the last time I'll be seeing her though.

It was more of a prediction than an assumption. Even if Laxus was a jerk, he was still leagues ahead of him. Natsu knew he was probably going to lose this next match. No, he definitely was.

All the more reason to, at the very least, clock Laxus right in the face before he hit the dirt.

"Let's do this." He said to himself, almost like it was a prayer.

The canvas of trees had quickly opened up into the familiar cavernous ravine. Natsu stopped on the steep slope leading down to the floor of the quarry, taking his time in looking around.

The old wooden mining shacks still lay dilapidated, worn, and aged from lack of maintenance. There were likely loads of cobwebs and old mining equipment within them. And dust, too. Then there was the actual mine itself, the entrance laying beyond the mouth of the ravine and into the side of the deep cliff. Even from half a mile away, Natsu could see that it was boarded off with nine wooden panels and a sign that read, 'Keep Out!'

Whatever. It wasn't the mine that was his mine priority right now.

His main target was sitting at the same mining shack nearest to the entrance of the mine itself.

Natsu almost growled as he set eyes on Laxus.

He was wearing a tan-brown fur-lined jacket today. Still wore the headphones, but Natsu couldn't hear any music playing out of them. What's the point of those things?

The pompous bastard was also reading a book.

The Dragon Slayer swallowed down his pride and began marching down the long hill. Even as he approached, Laxus still hadn't even so much as glanced up at him. Could've set me up with someone who at least cares a little bit, Gramps.

Too true. If Laxus actually didn't want to be there, he was definitely selling it. Was it really that hard to somehow contact Gildarts? Get him to head back to Magnolia for a few months so Natsu could ditch Laxus and spar with the old man?

Why was Natsu stuck with this jackass? What was so special about him that Gramps decided to pair them up together?

Natsu felt his sandaled feet scrape against the dry stone floor of the ravine. He remembered what he was supposed to do. Stick to the plan. Make him move first, then close the distance.

He was about fifty or so meters away from Laxus when he stopped.

The blond still hadn't glanced up from his book, seemingly fully enraptured in whatever he was reading.

"Came back for more, then." It wasn't even a question.

Natsu didn't bother to say anything back. Just mental preparation to take yet another lightning bolt.

Those small gray eyes looked up from the rows of text they'd been reading, and landed curiously on him. Laxus seemed to be studying him now.

"Shouldn't you be recovering?"

"Probably."

"And you still chose to come back?"

Had there been a brief twinkle of respect in the older man's eyes? Natsu swore he saw something there. Whatever. The moment was gone. "Yeah."

Thwap! The older man's right hand had snapped the book shut. Laxus pocketed it and rose slowly to his feet.

"Alright then," The blond said evenly. "Ready whenever you are."

And that was that.

On any other day, Natsu might've rushed him head on. It was a valid strategy, and one that has worked for him before. But Laxus was faster than him. A slight tweak in his approach should work.

Stick to the plan. Make him move. Track where he's going. Close the distance.

Easier said that done, but doable. Laxus was probably expecting him to dive in with his fists ablazing. Natsu would have to fake him out.

Natsu didn't hesitate in unleashing his magical aura, coating his arms and legs with fire. He dug his feet into the stone floor of the quarry before sharply kicking his feet off the ground, and making a b-line for the lone blond standing casually just fifty feet ahead of him.

He went ahead and raised his arms as if to strike, so as to further sell the deception.

Not even a second later had he reached the halfway point between him and Laxus, and the blond hadn't even bothered to move, had Natsu put his plan into action.

Quickly, Natsu had puffed out his chest and inhaled his magical aura, and then-

FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!

Within a split second he'd let loose the great vortex of yellow and red flames from his mouth. The colossal firestorm had lanced forth, consuming anything and everything in its path and were he anyone else, it would've engulfed his entire vision.

Not even a second later, Natsu watched vigilantly as one jagged golden bolt had shot upwards and out of the way of the roar, traveling to his immediate right and arcing downwards just a few yards away.

Got you!

Natsu kicked his feet towards the right, focusing his flames into both his feet and into his right fist. At the same time, the ensuing explosion of stone and rubble from his roar came as well. BOOM! He kept going though, and jetted over to the careening lightning bolt like a meteor, and as Laxus began to materialize-

FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!

And that was when it all went tits up.

His closed fist pass through solid air as Laxus deftly sidestepped to the left. And too soon, had the Lightning Wizard quickly countered with a scarring left hook.

Natsu's head was blown back from the force of the blow alone, and somehow he managed to keep himself rooted to the ground. The delayed pain had reverberated in his skull, more than enough to make him nauseated. He'd ignored the hundreds of yellow-black spots swimming around him, and swung his fist at Laxus again.

Again, his knuckles had only kissed the air. Laxus dodged it and stepped back, his legs been coated in crackling golden-white sparks.

It was too late. Natsu felt his feet leave the ground as an intense pressure exploded in the center of his chest, his whole body jolting in agony, "ARRRRRRRRGGHH!"

He roared out in pain as he was launched backwards by Laxus' kick. He managed to land on his feet, and felt his sandals grind and shred against the rough stone floor below. When he finally came to a stop, he nearly fell to the ground, managing to keep himself posted up with his arms and knees.

The force of the kick hadn't even been the worst of it though. Once again, his body lurched and squeezed, sparks dancing all over his arms and chest. Natsu forced himself to exhale as his lungs seemed to have stopped working. As he hyperventilated, he sharply glanced up to see Laxus standing across from him, now waiting patiently with his arms crossed.

"What do you know? Solid maneuver, Natsu. Maybe there's something going on in that head of yours after all."

Natsu felt the nerves in his arms and legs tremble and wobble. It took everything to stand back up, but he managed it. "Shut up."

"Hey, at least we can say that you're doing better than last time. Right?"

He chewed down his anger and spat out a clot of blood and saliva.

So heavier strikes wouldn't do after getting close. If Laxus' first instinct was to dodge and then counter…

Then hit him before he counters.

Hit fast. Roll with the blows. Keep him moving. If Natsu could track where Laxus was going, then he knew he could hit him. If Laxus had to slow down even minutely just to counter, that was all Natsu needed to get an opening.

Go time.

Natsu leapt forward and lanced across the quarry in the blink of an eye.

This time however, Laxus hadn't bothered morphing into a lightning bolt to move out of the way. Natsu didn't care, he just went for it.

FIRE DRAG-

Natsu felt a large fist firmly plant itself in his gut.

Instead of bolting away like before, Laxus had actually lunged at him.

The world had begun to spin like a whirlwind. Whatever air he'd had left in his lungs had been snapped away. He'd been launched backwards again, skittering along the rocky floor of the ravine until he finally came to a halt scarcely ten feet away from his foe.

It took gargantuan effort to simply rise to his hands knees. His muscles and nerves twitched and shuddered. Desperately he tried to breathe in and out, in and out, in and out. Those black and yellow spots seemed to dance and bloom into flowers. Slowly, irritatingly, Natsu shook and struggled, managing to push himself off the ground.

Laxus was still standing there across the quarry from him. There wasn't a smirk this time. Just an analytical, almost curious expression. As if the older man waiting to see what he'd do next. Cold.

Cold. That's all he felt right about now.

Natsu shook his left leg free, posting himself up onto his foot and reached a hand down to control his ascent.

His hand went to meet the cold stone, missed it, with the rest of his body diving after it, down towards the ground.

Down, down, down…

Author's Note:

Hope everything's well on y'alls end :) Stay hydrated.

I haven't been as focused on writing like I was about 6 months ago, and there was some life stuff I decided to handle instead. Recently wrapped it up though. My new targets are to get larger chapters out more frequently now.

ReDrAfTiNg WiLl Be FuN.

Additionally, I feel I should clarify a few things both to new and old readers, seeing as we're well into Alternate Universe territory, and that this story seems to be getting more traction:

1. Natsu is NOT going to be Zeref's brother in this story. Neither will he be a demon.

Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy (more focused on the overall plot, so if y'alls want Wendy in the story let me know) will all have been born 400 years in the past, but Natsu's backstory prior to being adopted by Igneel will not be nearly as convoluted as it was in canon.

2. There will be Original Characters, BUT they will not be part of the main cast.

In the first chapter I said there would be no OCs. By that I meant there would be no OCs that join the main cast nor show their PoV (unless in specific circumstances).

I'm clarifying now that there will be original NPCs and side characters. Natsu's gonna be adventuring in foreign kingdoms beyond Fiore, and as a consequence, meeting new people along the way. That's how it is.

If that's not your cup of tea, happy trails :)

Venkay

I definitely get what you mean.

From my understanding, Lightning isn't fire. It's hot and it can cause fire, but it's not fire. Just an electrical discharge in the atmosphere. It's more related to air if anything.

I have Porlyusica saying "lightning burns" because it's easy to understand, and because it sounds like something you'd say to someone else in-person. Doesn't mean he's suffered actual burns.

Lastly, I will admit that I'm not really using canon material as a reference unless it makes sense to. Natsu being able to hit Laxus in canon is great and all - I just decided to dial up their power levels a notch or two.

Natsu is actually more powerful currently in this story than he was in canon at the end of the ToH arc. Likewise, Laxus is more powerful as well. Respectively they're both in the Top 5 most powerful members of Fairy Tail right now.

I'm doing this because we're really going to be diverting from canon material later down the line. So buckle up.

Insane Makaioshin

If Humans are the only species on the planet to figure out how to travel to space (via setting off a whole bunch of chemicals to overcome gravity), I'm inclined to believe that we're special.

Humans are really cool actually. The brain is a literal supercomputer - thing is, most of the content you'll see on the Internet or any other platform highlights the worst of Humanity because it gets more clicks.

So, yeah. I'll agree to disagree with you.

Secondly, Natsu's not min-maxing his way to victory here. He'll play to his strengths and ruthlessly capitalize on opportunities because that's in line with his character. But he's not always going to do what's most optimal. That's that.

And no, he won't be doing all 5 Taoist elements either.

xxXCrimson-Wolf-MoonXxx

Thank you! I find pro-human themes a lot cooler than the edgy stuff these days (used to be the opposite a few years ago).

I also may or may not have some more NatZa moments coming up sooner rather than later ;)

OFARiolu

Thank you :)

Character development in my opinion is always a plus - but not always necessary for a good story.

Cheers everyone - stay hydrated :)