Here's a new fic I've been working on for a while. I've actually had the idea brewing in my head for years, ever since I rewrote LaD, in fact, but I've only started writing it recently.
This is a Fairy Tail fic. Without spoiling anything, the premise is a 'First Generation Godslayer.' If you're familiar with the series, I'm sure you'll understand what that means.
This chapter is heavy on the backstory side, but I ultimately like how it turned out. If you're wondering about pairings, I've only decided one thing, and that's Erza being the main heroine (she motivated me to start working on the fic lmfao)
Will this be a harem? Maybe, maybe not. I haven't decided yet and I might let patrons vote for it. (Chapter 2 is also available there wink wink nudge nudge)
Edited by: Priapus, Marethyu
Standing at the edge of the overgrown forest, I take a deep breath, feeling the cool, earthy air fill my lungs. I close my eyes, bringing my hands together in front of me. A soft, light blue orb glimmers in my palms as I cast my spell, sending it into the depths of the forest to explore its secrets without stepping inside.
After a few seconds of focus, I spot our target deep within the forest. A Vulcan that shouldn't be in this forest, much less anywhere near our town. They live in the mountains and colder climates, so I don't know how it found itself here, but it's about time we got rid of it for good. It's been terrorizing the roads for weeks now.
"Any luck?" The armored man next to me asks.
"Yup." I nod, deactivating my scrying spell. "Told you it's somewhere around here."
"Heh. S'pose you did. Clairvoyance magic is real useful, eh?" He snorts. "Sorry for doubting you, Cyrus."
I look at him with a raised eyebrow— a middle-aged man with black hair styled in a messy ponytail, a full beard, and blue eyes as a sizeable vertical scar marred his face. He was tall, standing at about 180 centimeters, and he wore a large white coat over black leather armor.
"You didn't doubt me, Dad," I respond. "You knew I was right. You just didn't want to investigate."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." He says.
"You suggested we post a notice for guilds to take care of this." I accuse him. "So much for a former Rune Knight. You're so lazy."
"I'm not lazy." He denies it with an amused expression. "Look, I'm just being cautious, alright?"
"So cautious you didn't even take any other guard with you."
"I don't need guards when I have you around." He says. "You're worth ten guards by yourself."
"I'm seven years old."
"Oh? Now you're seven?" He grins cheekily. "I thought you were a twenty-year-old genius who reincarnated from a different world where the sun went dark. What changed?"
"W-well…"
The thing is, even though he doesn't believe me and is saying that solely to tease me, this is my second life. It may be hard to believe, but I lived up to twenty years old before promptly dying in a fire during my previous life. I don't know what caused the fire, but I woke up with my room engulfed in it, and I couldn't make it out before I passed out from lack of oxygen, eventually succumbing to bad luck.
Terrible way to go out for sure, but at least there is something after death. Between hell, nothingness, and eternal purgatory, I very much prefer reincarnation. And getting to keep my memories? Hell yeah. I mean, I didn't exactly live the most exciting life in the universe, but it's still one hell of an advantage.
I lived alone and was a college student majoring in computer science. My life was kind of boring, but I was ultimately doing great academically. My social life, though? Not so much. I didn't have friends or anyone I cared about.
My new world is very different. Instead of Earth, here it is Earthland. Instead of technology, here it is magic. And magic is something else. There might not be internet in this world, but damn, if it's not so much more versatile than you'd think. Hell, for a world that's somewhat medieval-esque, Earthland is surprisingly advanced.
Still, everything is so different, from laws to geography to species. And yet, it is somewhat familiar. There have been a lot of times when I've felt like I've seen or known certain things from somewhere until, eventually, I figured out that this world I'm currently in is from a manga.
It clicked during a conversation over dinner with my family. Due to my unique talent in magic, my dad suggested I join a guild when I'm older, which I've been considering. He told me he was a friend of the master of a very famous guild called Fairy Tail—the name of said manga.
The reason I didn't realize sooner was that I'd only watched a few episodes of the anime before I died. Coincidentally, I think I was at episode twenty-ish before I met my untimely demise. The realization didn't hit as hard as I thought it would. I mean, I've already acclimated to this world. Crying "I'm in some dangerous shonen world," won't fix anything.
Besides, I like this world, I love magic, and I adore my new family.
I didn't have the best relationship with my family in my old world. As much as I want to blame them for being cold and uncaring after I've gotten older, I never tried to maintain a good relationship either. Mind you, I didn't hate them. We were just indifferent to each other. They were practically strangers to me.
And that is something I want to change here. My parents in this world are wonderful people. They are kind and happy, treating me well despite my relatively strange attitude compared to other children. They let nothing deter them from nurturing me with love and care. I had no excuse not to get close to them.
That is why I decided to tell them about my reincarnation. I decided to come clean during the birth of my little sister. Unfortunately…
"First of all, the dark sun thing is from a dream I've been getting. Has nothing to do with the reincarnation stuff." I respond.
I think my training and research are working. My clairvoyance has to be telling me something. I'm just not proficient enough to figure it out. Probably. Maybe. It's a bit hard to say. It just has to do with the sun becoming dark. Kind of.
It sounds creepy, but so far, I've yet to decipher what's going on. It could just be random dreams, but something tells me they're anything but random.
"Second, I may be older than I actually am, but I'm still physically seven years old."
"Uh-huh." My Dad's grin widens before walking forward, going into the overgrown forest. "Whatever you say."
Despite my telling them everything, they don't believe me. It didn't help that I took too long to tell them anything, and they're having a tough time accepting the whole different world business. Plus, coming from a prepubescent toddler? It can just be chalked off as my wild imagination.
Naturally, I don't really care that they don't believe me. I just had to tell them, or else it would bother me.
"Seeing that you don't believe me, why are you taking me with you?" I point out. "What kind of irresponsible father would take his child to take out a Vulcan?"
"Oh, stop complaining." He rolls his eyes. "You and I both know how tough you are. A Vulcan is child's play."
And he's right. At four years old, my dad, Arthur Marigold, decided to train me in the use of magic and swordplay. He used to be a Rune Knight before he retired and married my mother. While he wasn't exactly high on the hierarchy, he still has a lot of experience under his belt.
He's proficient in Sword and Light magic and taught me both. Unlike most kids in my town, I was born with an extraordinary amount of Ethernano. And because I remembered my past life, I had a lot less trouble understanding how it works and utilizing my magic.
I spend most of my day studying and practicing because it's fun. There are countless kinds of magic, hundreds of different elements and subtypes, from common Molding spells to the rare Dragon Slayer type to so much more.
I've even found an ancient text in the library that I used to learn beginner-level clairvoyance. However, it took me a whole year to get the hang of it, and I can't use any spell other than the 'scrying' spell, which is the first spell you learn.
"What can I say? I was trained by the best."
"Darn right, you were." He chuckles, patting me on the head. "Come on, let's take care of this while it's still early."
"Think it's asleep?" I ask as I follow him.
"I hope so." My Dad answers. "It'd make things a lot easier."
"What do we do if it's not?"
"Well, your mother would kill me if she knew I took you with me, even though we all know you can do something like this in your sleep." He says. "So you back me up with Light spells while I fight it head-on. Just to be safe."
"Aye aye, captain."
And with that incredibly thought-out strategy in mind, we continue investigating the forest in search of the magical creature. Again, I have no idea how a Vulcan found itself here, but it needs to be taken care of ASAP. I'm honestly a little surprised that no guild mage has come to take care of it yet.
Then again, we never posted a job for it anywhere. A job of this measure might cost us about twenty-five thousand jewels, or around 250 dollars. Yeah, doing a bit of calculating, one dollar is about one hundred jewels. So basically, the Japanese author used the Japanese currency for his Japanese manga. Shocker.
Well, kind of. When I died, the exchange rate became 1 to 150. But I digress. It's still pretty expensive. It is ultimately pointless since my dad can just handle it himself for free as this is his job. But hey, selling the Vulcan's fur might even earn us a bit of money.
Leaping over a fallen tree trunk, I keep close to my father before he stops, crouching after he notices the tracks of the Vulcan.
"It's fresh." He says. "Well, there's no doubting it now. Definitely a Vulcan. And it's gotta be close."
As he inspects the tracks closer, I notice something moving in the distance. And whatever it is, it's moving toward us, prompting my eyes to widen as I prepare a light spell.
"Dad—!"
As I warn my father, the Vulcan leaps at us from the thick trees, aiming to crush us with one attack. But the Rune Knight isn't so easily caught off guard as, with one swift movement, he unsheathes the sword on his back with his right hand and swings it at the attacking beast, cleanly slashing through its arm.
Blood pours from its wound as the ape-like monster roars in pain, flailing around and taken aback by my father's quick strike. With it still in shock, I release my spell, striking it in the chest with a ray of light and sending it crashing through the trees and back to where it came from.
"Ha! It seems my reflexes haven't dulled one bit!" My father boasts, twirling his sword. "Let's go, Cyrus. The sooner we get rid of it, the better."
With my dad in the lead, he approaches the monster with caution and confidence. I glance at the Vulcan's sliced limb with a slight grimace before focusing my attention on the actual monster, staying behind my father as I prepare more light spells.
The beast pants and cries in agony after losing its limb, panicking as the stump bleeds like a fountain. It tries to get away once it sees us getting closer, but I act quickly and release another spell that hits the back of its knee, making it stumble and fall forward.
"Uaughhh…" It groans, turning around. "Humans so mean! Leave Vulcan alone!"
Oh yeah, some monsters can talk.
"How can we when you refused to leave us alone?" I reply with a scowl. "How many humans have you attacked? How many have you killed?"
"Vulcan need to eat!" It argues. "Why human mean and stop Vulcan?!"
"Don't bother arguing with it." My father says. "It's an animal that exclusively feeds on humans."
I knew that, of course. Obviously, not a lot of monsters are like that, but Vulcans are, unfortunately, a natural enemy of humanity. It may seem intelligent, seeing that it can speak our language, but it feels no remorse for its actions because it's not smart enough to comprehend guilt.
Possessing humans is how they survive, after all. Killing them is necessary.
"Right…" I mutter.
Before it can finish pleading, my father swings his sword and slits its throat. The Vulcan's eyes widen as it chokes on its own blood before it quickly loses its life. As someone who has never witnessed a lot of violence in either life, I'm a little put off by how natural this was to my dad, but in this world, things like this are pretty normal, so I shake those thoughts out of my head.
To be honest, I'm not as put off as I thought I'd be. I mean, damn, this is a lot of blood, and I only feel a little queasy.
"Ashes to ashes." My father murmurs softly, sheathing his blade before addressing me. "Come on. Let's go home."
This was a lot easier than I thought. I won't lie; I'm a little disappointed. I expected I'd get to do more.
"We're not taking the carcass with us?" I ask him. "Could fetch a nice price."
"In that state? Dream on." He scoffs playfully. Then, he walks away. "Besides, I'm sure the animals here will appreciate a little feast."
"You're just too lazy to bother."
"And you are too money-minded. Just like your mother." He argues. "We're getting by just fine. I make good money as a guard, and Heather's bakery always sells out. We don't need money."
"Sloth is a sin, Dad."
"Call me a sinner all you want. I ain't carrying that big bastard all the way back to town." He says, smirking at me. "If you wanna do that, then be my guest."
I look at the bloody carcass and take a moment to think it through, then decide it's not worth the trouble as I walk away with him.
"Well, greed is also a sin, soo…"
"I thought so~"
"Well, kid, it's about time I went to my station." My father says as we enter through the town's southern gate. "You're heading home?"
Tulip Town isn't really anything special in the grand scheme of things. Honestly, calling it a 'town' is stretching it. It's a small village located between Crocus, the Capital of Fiore, and Magnolia, which houses one of the strongest guilds in the kingdom known as 'Fairy Tail'.
A guild I hope I can join later. As much as I love this town, I don't want to stay holed up here forever, and I've been captivated by how magic works ever since I realized it existed. So even though joining the guild of the main cast would be seen as suicide by some who are more practical than I, I personally don't care.
Someone with more self-preservation would presumably avoid the people who would probably end up changing the world, especially since this was a shonen manga, but me? I see it as an opportunity.
I've lived a boring life once already, and I don't want a repeat. Why would I ever say no to an adventure?
"Yup. I wanna keep going over the ancient text I borrowed from the library," I reply. "I want to study clairvoyance more. Some of the spells I read about sound really useful."
Mainly, there's a passive spell that works by warning me of events that happen a few seconds into the future. Something like, say, Observation Haki from One Piece. Precognition would be a massive advantage. Obviously, there are so many other spells in those ancient texts, but that one was what really caught my attention.
Maybe learning will help me decipher the dark sun dreams.
"Look at you, all diligent and studious." He snorts. "Definitely didn't get it from me, that's for sure."
"The only thing I got from you is the hair."
"And my good looks." He nods. "Trust me, you'll be swimming in ladies once you're older. Just like I was."
"I dunno about that." I smile teasingly at him. "I think I got the nice looks from Mom, too."
"Please, you look exactly like me when I was your age. Just with her eyes." He says before pausing. "Speaking of Mom…"
"Yeah?"
He grins at me a little nervously—A look I know too well, prompting my own smile to drop as I sigh in exasperation and mild annoyance.
"Think you can do me a little favor?" He asks.
"It's not gonna take too long, is it?" I frown. "I already told you I want to study today."
"Oh, it won't take long. I promise." My father responds. "Heather asked me to get some groceries, but I'm busy right now. Guard duties and all that."
"How come?" I blink. Bit of an odd request. "Can't you take a detour and get them yourself? I mean, I'm sure the other guards won't mind you doing a few errands for your wife."
It's not like anything passes by the town anyway. No thieves or bandits come to bother us, and the Vulcan we took out was about five kilometers away and unusual enough. I think he can afford to leave his station for a bit.
"Yeah, well…" He rubs his neck. "Better be safe than sorry?"
"You just don't feel like it, do you?" I accuse him. At his shrug, I sigh again. "How the hell did you and Mom get together? You're nothing alike."
"Is that a yes?"
I take a moment to consider before smirking at him.
"It is." I nod. Before he can respond, I speak over him. "For a price."
"A price?" He blinks.
"Ten thousand Jewels." I offer, making his eyes widen in shock.
"Ten thousand?! You're out of your mind!" My father exclaims. "This is barely worth a five hundred!"
"Ten thousand. Not going any lower."
"You are insane if you think I'm giving you anything over a thousand." He responds.
"No deal, then?"
He pauses.
"W-well, I mean, two thousand jewels sounds reasonable—"
"Ten."
"Ten thousand is way too much, Cyrus!" He complains. "C'mon, be nice to your dad. I took you out hunting today. Shouldn't that give me a little discount at least?"
I hum thoughtfully before shrugging. He does have a good point.
"Fine. Nine thousand five hundred Jewels."
"I'm only worth five percent, you little brat?!" He scowls.
"You asked for a little discount. I obliged. Take it or leave it." I reply firmly. "Otherwise, good luck. I'm sure your poker games with your friends are more important than mom's feelings."
Obviously, neither of us believe that. I just like teasing him every once in a while. He's a reliable guy and a good husband, but he tends to prioritize entertainment and relaxation over his job. To be fair, my mother is a bit strict with him sometimes.
"Why you little…" He growls as I walk away. I can almost hear him grinding his teeth. "Ah, okay, fine! Take your damn jewels, you greedy little brat. Scamming your old man like that."
My father grumbles and takes a fat stack of cash from his wallet, handing it to me with the list of groceries. Despite being called 'jewels,' they're paper notes, not actual gemstones. Makes things very convenient.
I count the money to make sure I'm not scammed, prompting my smirk to widen.
"See, this is why Mom takes care of the business, not you."
"You better keep your mouth shut before I change my mind." He huffs. "Run along now. I don't want to see you for the entire day."
"Sure, sure." I chuckle, waving the money as I walk away. "See you at dinner."
He says nothing in response, clearly annoyed that I scammed him out of the equivalent of a hundred bucks just like that. I'm a bit surprised it even worked— he could've tried to bargain by extending our nightly training sessions instead. It's not like he never did that to bribe me.
Then again, he has been in an excellent mood today. I mean, he's always chill, but it feels extra this time. I guess he's just pretending to be annoyed and didn't really mind giving me that much money. I'm not complaining. More money means I can invest in more magical stuff.
Traveling merchants frequently pass by our village, which is on one of the main roads leading to Magnolia and the capital. Most of the time, these merchants have a bunch of awesome stuff. They mostly have different types of Lacrima, which are the magical crystals of this world. The regular type is used as a basic material to power most tools.
And just a few years ago, one of them had a Dragon Lacrima for sale. At first, I thought he was just trying to scam people with a regular Lacrima, but my dad verified it. It was the real deal, a Lightning type, sold for about fifty million jewels.
If I had the money, then I could've derailed the entire series by taking it. I'm pretty sure one of Fairy Tails' S-class mages had Lightning Dragon Slayer magic. I think his name was Laxus. It's difficult to recall the details of my past life.
But I digress. I can gush about awesome magical items and abilities later.
I take a look at the list: salt, black pepper, milk, butter, sugar, and eggs. Seems simple enough. Thankfully, I can get all of this from a single store. If this were any more complicated, I would've demanded more money, as fortunately for me, my father is hilariously easy to blackmail.
When we went out this morning, neither of us said anything about Vulcans to my mother for a reason. She'd kill him if she knew he took me out to hunt down a monster capable of possessing its victims' bodies.
Taking a quick detour to the marketplace, I enter one of the larger general stores.
"Ah, Cyrus," The senior owner is quick to greet me, giving me a gentle smile. "Good to see you, my boy. How's little Iris doing?"
"Growing by the day. She's getting more and more energetic," I answer politely. "Turns out she shares my talents in magic."
"Really? That's wonderful." He chuckles. "Guess she also shares your dream of becoming a guild mage?"
"Yup." I respond. "Dad's taking me to Magnolia to join Fairy Tail once I'm fifteen. He knows the guild master."
"Fairy Tail? Isn't their guild master a Wizard Saint?" He rubs his chin thoughtfully. "And Arthur knows him, you say?"
Yeah, Makarov Dreyar. One of the strongest mages in Fiore, one of the ten Wizard Saints, and the third guild master of Fairy Tail. It would be an honor to join the guild of someone that legendary.
The fact that my dad knows him personally is mind-blowing.
"Sometimes I think he's lying when he says he used to be a typical Rune Knight."
"Bah, I've known your father for years. He couldn't keep a secret even if his life depended on it." Mr. Milo waves it off. "But although he's not the most hard-working man around, he has a way with words. I'm not surprised he has a few powerful people in his pockets. Really, how do you think your mother gave him a chance?"
"That's… a good point, actually." I blink. "Huh."
They're opposites. He's lazy and would rather spend most of his time messing around while she loves working herself to the bone. It's a miracle they even got together, but maybe not. Maybe Dad really was a ladies' man during his youth.
…Eh, probably not. I can understand him being charismatic, but he never struck me as a person who slept with a lot of women.
My mother just had a weird taste in men, I guess.
"But I've chatted your ears off enough, I reckon." He says. "What can I do for you today?"
"Right. Everything that's written here," I reply, giving him the list. "How much will it be?"
"Of course. One moment, please."
"Take your time."
Mr. Milo goes over to the shelves and gathers all the groceries for me, putting each and every item under a scanning magic item. As the device does its job, the shop owner hands me the receipt.
"Two thousand five hundred jewels."
…That's more than the money my father gave me for the expenses. I'll need to cough up five hundred jewels out of the money I rightfully earned by swindling him.
That dick.
"Here." I hand him the cash, keeping my annoyance to myself.
"Thank you." He smiles, giving me two bags after filling them with the groceries. "Say hi to your parents for me, alright?"
"Got it." I nod, walking out of the store and waving goodbye. "See you later, Mr. Milo."
Alright. Now that's done, it's time to head home. I've been meaning to study the text since I woke up before my dad barged into my room and offered to hunt the Vulcan with him. Naturally, I'd accept that as someone who doesn't usually get to test his strength against magical creatures.
I wanted to see how much I've grown since I started practicing magic. Training with a Rune Knight doesn't really help me gauge my strength when I spar with him nearly every night. He kind of kicks my ass every time, anyway.
And while I didn't really help all that much, seeing my light spells having an effect on the monster is more than enough. I'm satisfied with my progress. If my simple spells could hurt it that much, then I'm more than confident that I could've taken it on by myself. I mean, my father thinks so, and he's a good judge of strength as far as I'm aware.
The fact that I didn't freeze when the monster attacked despite having my father with me is a good sign. I think it helped that I've defeated a few weaker monsters before.
As I turn around the corner leading to my home, I pause and blink once I notice that my family's bakery is closed a little earlier than usual. Did everything sell out again? Never seen it happen this early.
I hum to myself and enter the house anyway, wondering if my mother's okay. Instead of being greeted by my little sister like always, everything is dead quiet, immediately putting me on edge. Though, I don't know why.
The lights are out, and no one is near the front door as I close it behind me. I set the groceries aside and slowly make my way to the living room. Out of caution, I try casting a scrying spell, but instead of the usual glow of the clairvoyance magic, I'm suddenly hit with a bizarre vision.
A vision that shows the dark sun from my dreams. It's like a total eclipse, but the black disk is somehow even darker, and the halo of light around it seems almost as if it bleeds out from beneath it. It is followed by overwhelming light. Then darkness. No, a shining moon. Over ruins. It's quiet. Very quiet. A chill breeze passes through me, and the vision quickly ends.
I blink a few times, adjusting my sight before frowning in suspicion. Well, that pretty much confirms it. Those dreams do have a meaning. But despite it being so much more vivid this time around, I still have no idea what any of this means. I don't even know if it's a good or bad omen.
It… doesn't feel bad, but it doesn't feel good either. If I were to describe my feelings during the vision, it'd go like this: confusion, surprise, pain, fear? I think. Not sure about that one, but the last thing I felt was comfort. It's so eerie. What the hell is going on?
Those ruins look very familiar, but they don't match anything I've stumbled on during my exploration. I should probably talk to my dad about this. Maybe he'll know.
Still cautious, doubly so after that vision, I try casting another scrying spell, but my magic doesn't respond, making me prepare a light spell instead as I slowly move to the living room. The room is in complete darkness, so I turn on the lights before I do anything reckless.
And I'm immediately startled by a shower of confetti bursting from party poppers.
"Happy birthday!" They all say in unison.
A sense of surprise washes over me as I take in the scene. The living room is bright and lively, adorned with colorful balloons and cheerful decorations dangling from the ceiling. A beautifully decorated cake topped with eight unlit candles sits in the center of the table next to two presents, one much bigger than the other. My parents beam with joy while my little sister bounces nearby, ready to pop another party popper in her hands, bursting with excitement.
I'm not sure why I thought I'd get attacked. It should've been obvious, they always like pulling things like this. There's no robber hiding here or a monster waiting to ambush me.
Right after Iris pops her second popper, she tackles me in an embrace with a joyful giggle, snapping me out of my shock as I spin her around. Now I feel kind of silly.
"It was her idea, you know." My mother tells me, referring to the girl in my arms. "She's been wanting to surprise you since yesterday."
"That's why you took me out with you today." I address my dad. "And the grocery excuse was to beat me here."
"Pretty much." He shrugs. "Iris insisted we all surprise you together, so I had to be at home before you."
"Are you surprised?" Iris asks, her blue eyes glistening with excitement. "Are you?"
"I am." I nod, patting her on the head. I didn't even realize it was that time of the year already. "Thank you, Iris."
She giggles happily, taking my hand and leading me to the table.
"Can Cyrus open our gifts now?" My little sister asks our mom. "Pretty please?"
"Of course." She nods as she lights up the candles on the cake. Setting the light aside, my mother hands me one of the two presents. "Here. This one is from Iris."
I stare at my excited little sister before tearing the wrapper and opening the box, seeing a crystal ball. Before I'm able to register what I'm looking at, Iris excitedly tells me what it is.
"It's a Communication Lacrima." She explains. "Now, whenever Cyrus is far from home, he can still talk to us."
Communication Lacrimas are everywhere, and with my family being relatively wealthy, getting my hands on one would be pretty damn easy. Naturally, despite this not being anything extravagant or expensive in any way, I'm still pleased with this gift. But I'd be happy with whatever she gets me, really.
"I can?" I blink. "Did you get two of them?"
"Yup, yup." She nods. "I have one in my room, too."
"I see." I give her a thankful smile and a hug. "Thanks, Iris. I love it a lot."
Though, I don't see why this would be helpful right now. I mean, it's not like I'm going anywhere.
"Even though you're still so young, you've grown into a wonderful young man, Cyrus, " my mother says, handing me the second present. "This is my gift. I hope you'll like it."
"Oh, please. You know me. I'd be happy with a croissant." I respond, making her chuckle as I tear the wrappers off my second, smaller gift. "…What's this?"
In the small black box I open, I see a delicate, tiny gold locket featuring an intricate design with a striking black gem set in the center, which is simple enough. It looks pretty, so obviously, I'm not complaining.
Though, I can immediately tell that it's magical.
"I can sense something from it," I tell her.
My parents look at each other with smiles before my mother addresses me again.
"Add your magic into it."
I raise an eyebrow and do as I'm told, letting my Ethernano flow into the locket. The black gem fades away to reveal a family photo, which surprises me. I pause in surprise, slightly breaking my concentration and stopping the flow. In seconds, the black gem gradually returns, covering the photo.
"This is beautiful," I say, looking at my mother. "Where did you find this?"
"I commissioned it from a mage in Magnolia." She replies, crouching down to my level and embracing me. "I just thought that maybe you'd like something to remember us by. Whenever you're not able to use the Lacrima to talk to us."
…Okay, this is starting to get a little weird, and it's worrying me.
"Well, I really appreciate this, Mom. I love it a lot, but—" I clutch the locket and look at her with a confused frown, now noticing her melancholic smile. "Am I going somewhere? Are you going somewhere? What's going on?"
Instead of answering, she looks at my father, who's grinning from ear to ear. This makes me realize that there were only two presents on the table.
"Well, I guess it's my turn." He says. "What do you think about joining a mage guild?"
"Huh?" I blink, processing his words before my eyes go wide. "Wait, for real? But I thought I was not allowed to until I was fifteen."
"That was the plan." My mother sighs. "But, well, we know how much it meant to you."
"And you're not meant to stay here for this long, Cyrus. It will stagnate your growth." My father adds. "You're smart, talented, and hard-working. You're already more powerful than most kids your age. Heck, I know a few adult mages that don't stand a chance against you. Joining a guild will help you realize your potential."
I'm at a loss for words. I mean, I was okay with staying here for seven more years. I never really minded it. But to get to join a guild so early? I'm ecstatic.
"You've already proven yourself, son." My dad says, putting a hand on my shoulder. "And hey, I talked to Makarov a while back, and apparently, Fairy Tail has many talented kids like you. You'll fit right in."
"I don't know what to say…" I murmur, still a little stunned.
It almost makes me want to cry, to be honest. I don't know what I did to deserve a second chance. I don't know if it's random or if some kind of almighty god was responsible for reincarnating me, but thank you, whoever it is, for giving me this amazing family.
God, it makes me want to cry.
"Cyrus is going to be a Fairy Tail mage!" Iris exclaims happily, hugging me tightly. "You're the coolest big brother ever!"
"Letting you go when you're so young frightens me." My mother exhales, embracing us both. "But I know it's the right thing to do."
"I know you're gonna make us proud," Dad says. "I can already see it. Cyrus Marigold, the youngest S-class mage in history."
"Don't pressure our son." Mom responds. "A-class, S-class. None of it matters. I know Cyrus will make us proud no matter what."
"I'll be an S-class." I declare. "I promise."
"Son—"
"No, this is the least I can do." I shake my head. "And one day, I'll write my name in history books and surpass even the Wizard Saints. Just you watch."
"Oho! That's my son!" My father laughs. "Bold claim, but if anyone can do it, I know you will."
It will be a long journey, and it will probably take me decades to reach that point, but I will make it happen. After everything they've done for me, I will make my family proud no matter what I have to do. It's my responsibility to bring honor to the Marigolds, after all.
"C'mon, blow the candles and make your wish," he says, patting me on the back. "We're training extra hard tonight. We go to Magnolia next week."
A wish? I don't know what I can wish for.
I already have everything I ever wanted.
Gripping the wooden sword tightly in my hand, I feel the weight of my exhaustion catching up with me after hours of practice. My breath comes in heavy gasps, the adrenaline of our sparring session keeping me focused. I maintain my guard, eyes scanning for any hint of movement, every muscle in my body poised and ready for whatever comes next.
In contrast, my father looks like he's barely trying. The wooden sword in his hand is aimed at the ground with one hand behind his back. His usual relaxed expression is replaced with a focused frown, not a single bead of sweat on his face. I've trained with him for years now, but each time, I find myself more and more surprised. He's a lot stronger than one might imagine a Rune Knight to be.
Arthur Marigold is many things, but a bad mage and swordsman are not among them. I'm genuinely shocked that he wasn't a commander or even an officer back in his day.
I notice a shift in his position, making me sharpen my gaze as he suddenly reappears in front of me. But I'm used to this level of speed, so I manage to block his attacks and the following swings. Several in the span of a single second. It's honestly baffling— no human in my old world could come close to matching this level of physical power.
But I guess that's how it is in a shonen world filled with magic.
Looking for an opportunity to counter, I eventually find a gap and quickly exploit it, parrying a horizontal swing before thrusting the sword at his chest. Of course, he sees it coming, but I know he's not easy to catch off guard, so I prepare and launch a quick light spell at his leg with my free hand.
As he leaps back to make a distance, I cast a Sword Magic spell with my sword, forming a magical arc that he barely blocks. My father's eyes widen in surprise at the strength behind that spell, which launches him backward.
He flips and gracefully lands on his feet, giving me a grin,
"Nicely done, Cyrus!" He praises. "I'm honestly surprised at how fast you're getting the hang of using two different types of magic at the same time."
"Like I said earlier—" I pant, raising my sword in a high stance. "I was trained by the best."
"And so humble, too." He twirls his wooden blade. "But as much as I hate to admit it, I'm not that powerful compared to S-class mages."
He gets back into his low stance, this time with a wide smile on his face.
"I'm sure you don't need me to tell you this, Cyrus." A blue glow starts to envelop him. "But talented as you are, you should always keep in mind—"
I narrow my eyes and wait for his attack, only for a gust of wind to hit me and the tip of his sword to lightly tap my forehead. After a moment of processing what happened, my eyes widen as I realize that I've lost the sparring match.
"—There's always someone better than you out there."
I've always been used to him being much faster than me, but this is the first time he's moved so fast that I couldn't even comprehend it. Just who the hell was he back in the day? He couldn't have been a 'lowly Rune Knight' as he put it.
I fall on my rear and drop my wooden sword, a long and winded sigh leaving me. It is a little frustrating that I keep losing our duels, but I can't expect to be able to defeat him when I'm just eight years old today.
One day, though.
"And I'm not talking about the Wizard Saints." He adds. "Hell, there's probably a lot of mages better than them."
"Like Zeref?"
"Like Zeref. And I'm sure there's someone better than him." He nods, sitting on the grass next to me. "The world is full of surprises, son. I know I said I trust you, but you can't let power get into your head, alright? Arrogance has been the downfall of many great mages."
"I won't let it be mine."
"You better not have a downfall at all." He says, patting me on the back. "Or else I'll be very mad at you."
I roll my eyes and stare at the full moon casting its light over our town from the small cliff we're on, enjoying the silence between us. It's really happening. I'm finally joining a guild. It only took eight years and constant training from the age of four.
…That doesn't sound like it took too long in hindsight. I guess there was a reason why my mother wanted me to only leave once I was fifteen years old. This does feel a little too early. I mean, I'm not complaining, but realizing I won't be able to see my parents and little sister every day feels a bit depressing.
I hope they give Iris the same privilege and have her enter Fairy Tail soon, too. I'm only about two years older than her, and she's shown similar abilities. In fact, Iris is a lot more blessed than me when it comes to magic.
She's just not as disciplined. Her mind isn't as developed as mine — courtesy of remembering my past life — so she is having trouble actually using her magic. Her Ethernano reserves are almost twice as large as mine, though.
Honestly, all of this has me wondering something else. Something my dad said at my birthday party.
"Hey, can I ask you something?" I say.
"Shoot."
"Back at the house, you said something about me proving myself to be worthy." I glance at him. "Can you tell me what you meant?"
"Well, you passed the test with flying colors."
"Test?" I blink. "What kind of test?"
"Yup. When we went to hunt the Vulcan." He explains. "A good mage or I guess a Rune Knight, shows three qualities. You have them all."
He brings up his hand, curling each of three fingers as he lists them off.
"One: You've shown me that you can follow your superior's orders to the letter." He says. "Even though you wanted to show off your skills and test yourself, you still listened to everything I said without any complaint. You didn't let my praise make you cocky and act on your own."
"That's a needed quality?"
"For Rune Knights, yes. Obviously, guild mages are a lot less strict in that regard, and to be honest, some of them need to be taught that lesson. They tend to be very reckless." He responds. "Though, now that you brought it up, let me tell you that sometimes, you need to take matters into your own hands. It's hard to differentiate between when you should listen to orders and when you shouldn't, so just remember to follow your heart."
"Got it." I nod.
"Good. Now, two: You're very powerful for your age." He says, curling the second finger. "Nothing more, nothing less. You may lack experience, but you make up for it with power."
"And three?"
"Your mental fortitude." He answers me before clarifying. "You didn't let the Vulcan intimidate you. You were focused and sharp the entire time. This is crucial if you want to be a good guild mage. You're gonna have to hunt down bigger, scarier monsters. Panicking kills."
Well, that's a given. Though, I guess it's a lot easier said than done.
"And that's pretty much it." He lowers his hand. "You've shown me that you're more than ready, even though you're so young. So I convinced Heather to let you go, and here we are."
So he's the reason I'm going seven years early. I really don't know what to say.
"…Thanks, Dad." I smile, settling with expressing gratitude. "Really. I owe you so much."
"You owe me nothing, son. I'm your father." He smiles back, bringing me closer. "Your safety and happiness are what matters to me."
"But still, I want to do something for you," I reply. "For both of you. I'm just not sure what."
"You mean besides surpassing the Wizard Saints and making us proud?" He raises an eyebrow.
"Yeah, besides that."
"Hmm…" He takes a second to think it through. "I know. How about a promise?"
"What kind of promise?"
For a moment, my father remains silent. As I'm about to ask him what's wrong, he speaks.
"That no matter what happens, you'll always use your magic for good." He says. "That you'll always use it to help those in need."
I blink, waiting for him to finish as he looks at me.
"You were blessed, Cyrus. Not many kids are born with this level of magical strength and control." He continues. "I know it's a lot to ask, but I want you to use this blessing for those who need it. There's a lot of pain and suffering in this world, and I want you to be someone who can make it better. Think you can promise me that?"
I've never seen him look this serious before. I don't know much about my father's past, but if he's asking me something like this, then he must've gone through a lot of bad things. This is the first time I've seen him almost pleading with me like this.
"Yeah, of course." I nod. "I'll do my best to help others."
"Good. Never forget it, alright?" His smile returns as he embraces me. "Your mother and I are really proud of you, son."
I return the hug in silence, enjoying the comfort for a few seconds before my father backs away and stands up.
"Come on, let's head back." He helps me up. "We're gonna train extra hard this week, so I don't want you complaining."
"Please, have I ever complained?"
"No, and I don't want you starting." He tells me. "Whining is a sin, remember?"
"Haha, what? Who told you that?" I laugh.
"It isn't?" He blinks. "I could've sworn you told me it was. What's it called again? Seven something sins?"
"It's the Seven Deadly Sins, and none of them is the 'Sin of Whining'."
"Bah, you and your weird ideas. Different world, he says."
As we continue to bicker on the way back to the town, a part of me feels like I've forgotten something.
…But if I forgot it, then it can't be that important.
Usually, after the nightly training sessions with my dad, I'd be too tired to bother. I'd promptly pass out on my bed after a warm bath, but I didn't get any studying done today, so I figure an hour or two wouldn't hurt. I don't feel as exhausted anyway. Maybe it's because I'm too excited about joining a guild.
Though, now I'm starting to think that might have been a bad idea.
Watching the moon from my bedroom window, I exhale and rub my eyes before looking back at the grimoire in my hand—a thick gray book with a hard leather cover. Most of the text it contains is rubbed out or burnt, and whatever I can read almost sounds like gibberish. It's needlessly complicated and vague.
I don't know who or what made these grimoires, but damn if they aren't annoying. A considerable percentage of the text has been destroyed; another percentage makes zero sense, and half of the damn thing is in entirely different languages. Yes. Languages. Plural. This grimoire is ancient ancient.
And when I did make sense of what the hell is going on, the spells I found are incredibly difficult to perform. So far, I've only managed to thoroughly analyze and put together three spells, and even then, I can only consistently cast the scrying spell, the simplest out of the three.
Passive precognition is still not working even though it should, and the stronger, active future sight only works in my dreams, which I've only confirmed works after getting that random vision earlier today. I still don't know where that came from or why it even happened.
…Huh, I forgot to talk to my father about it. But it's late now, and I'm pretty sure he's already gone to sleep, so I can do that tomorrow morning. Though, realistically, I doubt he'll know what it's about, either.
If I want to decipher those dreams, I'll need an expert's opinion. Either that or I'll eventually figure it out myself.
Writing down what I can understand from the grimoire in a notebook, I'm interrupted by a knock on the door. Before I can answer, I blink and watch as my sister opens the door, peeking at me anxiously.
"What is it?" I ask after a second.
"Um…" She hesitates. "…Can I sleep here tonight?"
"Of course, you can." I nod, making her enter the room and close the door behind her. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"
"I'm fine," She replies, sitting on my bed. "…I'm going to miss you."
"Iris…"
"I know it's what Cyrus wants, but I want to go with you." She murmurs, hugging her knees. "I wanna join a guild too."
"It's just two years, Iris," I tell her as I sit next to her. "Won't be long before you catch up."
"It's not two years. Mommy and Daddy are letting you join because you're good at magic." She says. "But I'm not very good at it. I can't even do minor spells yet, even though I'm six, and you've been doing them since you were four."
It's a bit difficult to hear this, considering my advantage. Yes, she was born with significantly more Ethernano than me, but that's a double-edged sword because, as young as she is now, it's really tough to draw it out of her body. And since she wasn't reincarnated like me, it's doubtful she will be able to do so for the next two to three years.
Hearing her so down is painful to me. She's always happy, optimistic, and energetic throughout the day, so it's not always I get to see her so sad like this. Honestly, I'm not sure what to do to make her feel better.
"Cyrus is a genius. That's why he gets to train with Daddy in swordplay and why he gets to join Fairy Tail so soon." She sniffles. "But I'm not. I'm too dumb. That's why Daddy doesn't train me as much as you."
"That's not true. You just have a lot of Ethernano. A lot more than me, even." I try to comfort her. "That's why using magic is more complicated for you. You just need to grow a little, and it'll come naturally. I promise."
Unsurprisingly, this doesn't convince her one bit.
"I just want to go with you." She says, leaning her head against my shoulder. "I don't want to be lonely."
"Oh, Iris."
I hug her tightly and try to think of something that'll get her smiling. After a while, I decide to borrow our father's idea.
"How about we make a promise?"
Iris looks at me and blinks.
"If our parents don't let you come to Magnolia in two years." I pat her on the head. "Then I'll return to Tulip Town and bring you with me."
Iris' eyes widen in surprise.
"Really?"
"Really," I confirm. "I won't let them stop me whether they agree or not. I'll take you to Fairy Tail so we can be together. Is that okay?"
My little sister contemplates the offer momentarily before giving me her pinky.
"Pinky promise?"
I nod and lock our pinkies together, making Iris smile widely before she tackles me in an embrace.
"Cyrus is the best big brother ever!" She proclaims. "I'll be waiting, okay?"
"Okay."
"If you break our promise, I'll be mad at you."
"I won't break it." I chuckle. "C'mon. Let's go to bed."
"'Kay."
As she lies down and covers herself with the blanket, Iris grins at me as I lie beside her after turning the lights off. Thankfully, the pillow is big enough for both of us, so as I close my eyes, I finally notice just how exhausted I am. Sleep nearly takes me instantly.
"Cyrus?" Iris whispers.
"Hmm?"
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"But I love you more."
I sigh.
"I'm sure you do."
After a quiet giggle, Iris thankfully stops talking, finally deciding to sleep. A few seconds pass, with me just about having fallen asleep.
Before suddenly, a bright light from the window interrupts me.
I sit up and struggle to open my eyes, seeing the light coming from the… Sun? Did I sleep and wake up? That fast? I grunt, realizing that the sunlight is starting to get really painful to my eyes.
But I manage to catch a proper glimpse, seeing the dark sun having replaced the moon. Another vision?
"What's happening?" Iris suddenly asks as she flinches. "Ow! Why is the sun like that?!"
No. This is real. The sun's dark, yet it's still producing so much light. More than it does during the day. What the hell is happening? Why is the sun like that?
"You see it too?"
"Y-yeah." She nods, her voice shaking. "W-what's going on? Are we gonna be okay?"
…Is it me, or am I seeing a person standing at the center of it?
"I'm sure we will be," I reply, taking her hand. "Come on. Let's look for Mom and Dad."
"O-okay."
As she gives me her hand, our dad suddenly bursts through the door. I didn't even need him to say anything. In that instant, as I see the utter panic and terror on the man's face, I know that we're in danger. But my father can't even get a word out before the overwhelming light suddenly consumes us.
In one second, a searing, ungodly pain passes through my body.
In the next, everything goes dark.
A ragged, anguished groan forces its way from my throat as I fight to pry my eyes open. The world around me swirls in a haze, and my blurry sight flickers on and off. Every fiber of my being feels heavy and frozen, as if I've been submerged in ice, and there's a strong temptation to just go to sleep once more, but I grit my teeth and struggle to get a hold of myself and stand back up on my feet.
Still reeling from the disorientation, I blink rapidly, rubbing my eyes with my right hand to clear the haze. A shiver runs down my spine as an unsettling chill grips my heart, almost in disbelief at what I'm seeing. As my senses gradually return, I notice that my right eye refuses to show me anything as a cold liquid runs down my face.
But that doesn't concern me right now. What I see in front of me… I don't know what to make of it.
"Hah…" I breathe. "W-what…"
My hometown has vanished. The buildings that lined the streets are mere heaps of debris; their tall stone walls crumbled and scattered. As I take a few steps through the silence, I realize I am surrounded by ruins illuminated by a shining moon. The dark sun that was there has disappeared. It isn't there anymore.
Just broken bricks, burnt wood, and shattered glass. Everywhere I look.
"Iris…?" I whisper. "Dad…?"
Nothing. No response.
My head flares in agony, bringing me to my knees. I grunt and cry, holding my head in pain, which is when I notice that I can't feel my left arm. I gasp, trying to resist the agonizing headache as I look at my left arm.
Only to see that I don't have it anymore.
"Ah…" My eyes widen, vision blurring as the shock nearly knocks me out. "Hah…"
Overwhelmed with fear and pain, I let out a loud scream as I stare at the bloody stump that used to be my arm. I try to look around for help— see if someone's there, but nothing. I see and hear nothing but my destroyed town and the echoes of my cries. This helps me process the nightmare in front of me— my town is destroyed.
I gasp and pant. My head is spinning. I can't make sense of what's going on. What happened? Who did this? Why? How? When? Is this a dream? Maybe another vision? Why does it hurt? It's not real, is it? This can't be real. This is just a dream. A nightmare.
The urge to vomit overpowers me, and I end up throwing up my dinner mixed with my own blood. But whatever discomfort this is doesn't compare to the overwhelming terror I'm feeling. The unbearable agony of what I'm witnessing. I fade in and out of consciousness until—
"Oh god. Iris…" I choke out, forcing myself back up. "Iris! IRIS!"
I look around our destroyed house, searching for my little sister.
"IRIS!" I call out, praying to every god I can think of. "IRIS! WHERE ARE YOU!"
No response. Oh god. Please. Please be okay. This can't be— she has to be safe. She has to.
Through broken glass, pointy rocks, and splintered wood, I drag myself out of the rubble. I hack and cough as I inhale dust, but I push on forward. I look for any sign of my little sister. Anywhere she might be.
I dig through everything in my path, my agony and exhaustion overpowered by the profound distress I have for Iris. She has to be here somewhere— I was right next to her. She has to be safe. She has to. God, please save her.
Eventually, I find a tuft of blond hair, making my breath hitch. I leap forward and use all of my strength to push the rock and wood off her, scrabbling awkwardly and desperately with my remaining arm. Once she's dug out, my heart stops.
"Mom?" I whisper, my tone filled with nothing but horror.
She's lying there, sprawled motionless on the ground, as her lower half is nowhere to be seen. Her yellow eyes, once vibrant and beautiful, now look lifeless. I reflexively and pointlessly try to shake her awake, knowing she's not going to respond.
She's never going to respond.
I exhale, my hands trembling uncontrollably as I force myself to accept what I'm seeing. I have to find Iris—
"Cyrus…?"
I look up as I hear my father's voice. He sounds weak, but I can hear him.
"Dad? Dad, where are you?"
"Over here."
I follow his voice, pushing on despite the pain. My hand and fingers start to bleed as glass shards and wood splinters stab them, but I ignore them. My dad's alive and I have to help him out. That's what matters right now.
But as I find him, the state he's in is less than ideal. His right arm and left leg have been torn off, and a pointy rock has pierced his chest. He's hanging on by a thread.
"Oh…" He smiles as he sees me. "You're alive. Thank god."
"Oh god— Dad!" I call out as I get closer to him. "J-just hold on! You'll be fine, I promise! I'll get you out of here—!"
"Cyrus, I… need you to listen to me." He gasps, struggling to speak. "Find Makarov. Tell him what happened and join Fairy Tail. H-he'll take care of you—"
He hacks and coughs up blood, prompting me to take his hand into mine for comfort.
"I'm sorry for not… protecting you." He says, tightly gripping my hand. "I'm so sorry, Cyrus. But you have to listen to me."
"I-I don't know what you're saying— What's going on?! What do you mean?!" I cry out. "What even happened?!"
"Don't… bother going for revenge." He tells me. "Don't let what happened here consume you, son. Please."
I'm at a loss for words as tears begin streaming down my father's cheeks.
"You have… to survive." He adds, his grip relaxing. "I'm… begging you."
"B-but we have to find Iris!" I try to shake him awake. "Don't leave me, Dad. Please. I-I don't know where she is."
With the last embers of his strength, my father utters one word.
"Edo…" He exhales.
And with it, my father lets out his final breath. The life in his eyes fades away, and he leaves me alone.
"Dad…?"
This isn't real. This can't be real. This is just a dream I'm going to wake up from any second now. My dad is too strong to die— I've seen it firsthand. No matter how many times he got injured, he let nothing take him down for good.
He's the best mage I've ever seen. This is nothing to him. I'm gonna wake up, and we're gonna continue our training. Just like always.
…
…
…Iris. I have to find Iris. Now. She must be terrified out of her mind—
"Oh?" A deep, raspy voice makes me pause. "Was that your father, lad?"
I slowly turn around to see who just spoke, seeing a large man three times my height staring at me with a malicious smirk. The strange man only wears what looks like a long loincloth plated with gold-like metal, a symbol of a black sun on it.
The massive black cloak on him barely obscures his apparent lack of a shirt, and from what I can barely see, the same black sun symbol is on his chest. His golden hair is long and reaches down to his back, and his pupils are of the same color, glowing within the void-like scleras.
"Who… what are you?" I ask.
"'What' am I, eh?" He chuckles. "You're smarter than you look, aren't you? But don't you think it's rude to ask for someone's name before giving yours?"
Slowly, the gears in my head begin to turn.
"D-did you do this…?"
"Perhaps." He confirms it, acting coy. "Perhaps not. What do you think?"
I say nothing, going into shock.
"Though might've overdone it a bit. Was only after one man." He shrugs. "Eh, it doesn't matter. Run along now, lad. I'll let you live."
After shooing me, the man turns around and casually walks away, leaving me alone in the rubble of my town next to the corpses of my family. The shock persists before it slowly and exponentially turns into overwhelming fury.
…He thinks he can just walk away? He really thinks he can just come here, destroy everything I hold dear, and walk like nothing happened?
"Where do you think you're going?" I gasp, clenching my fist.
He doesn't respond, so I repeat my question a little louder.
"I'm talking to you!"
"Hmm?" He glances back at me.
Using whatever Ethernano I have, I aim it at the bastard and shoot him with the biggest light spell I can muster, tearing through the rubble and hitting him directly. The blast engulfs him whole, destroying everything in its path.
As the spell dies down, my eyes widen in shock and fear as I see him standing there, completely unaffected.
"Oh?" He smirks, giving me his full attention.
My fear quickly reverts into anger as I snarl at him.
"You're not going anywhere," I growl. "I'll kill you. Here and now."
"Will you, now?" He laughs. "That's just precious. Do you know who you're speaking to, lad? I'm—"
He doesn't even get to finish that sentence before I blast him with another wave, this time somehow a lot stronger than the one before.
"I don't give a fuck who you are!" I roar, increasing my output a hundredfold. "I WILL KILL YOU!"
I feel it. My blast grows stronger with each passing second. The beam goes from the size of a train to that of a mountain, piercing through the clouds. It keeps getting bigger and bigger, and before I know it—
It suddenly disperses, with the bastard suddenly getting in front of me, grabbing me by the head, and lifting me up.
"…Yes." He mutters with a chuckle. "You'll do well, laddie. You'll do very well."
I don't even get to respond before he smashes my head against the ground, knocking me out a second time.
I don't know why, but I keep imagining the character that destroyed MC's village (called Solaris. Huge hint for his element lol) with a Scottish accent, thus the 'lads' and 'laddies' he keeps saying.