Hey everyone!
I'm back with a brand new story, Spellbound and Switched! If you've read Embers of Us, thank you so much for your support. This time around, I'm diving into something a little lighter and more chaotic: body-swapping magic, library mishaps, and a whole lot of romantic tension!
I'll be posting weekly, so stick around for the magical misadventures of Levy and Freed!
As always, feel free to drop a review or DM me with thoughts, reactions, or even requests. I love hearing from you!
Let the spells (and chaos) begin!
Love,
Ea Vertrag
P.S. You're not ready for what's coming next.
Prologue:
The Forbidden Page
When Master Makarov assigned Freed Justine and Levy McGarden to assist the Fiore Grand Library in organizing ancient magic scripts, it sounded like the perfect task for two of Fairy Tail's brightest minds. Book loving, magic savvy, and detail-oriented, who better to handle potentially dangerous scrolls and decipher lost languages?
The librarian, a spectacled man with twitchy hands and a suspicious glare, greeted them with strict instructions.
"These ancient scripts have been pre-sorted according to danger level," he explained. "You are not to read any of the content, only the titles. Your job is to sort them by genre or magical type. Understood?"
Freed and Levy nodded obediently, though the glint in their eyes said otherwise.
For the first four hours, everything went smoothly. They worked quietly, diligently categorizing each piece according to classification tags. Runes. Alchemy. Ancient Curses. Love Magic. Forbidden Seals. The occasional scroll tried to bite Freed's glove or burned a corner of Levy's sleeve, but it was manageable.
Then… boredom set in.
Levy let out a sigh loud enough to echo off the archive's stone walls. "We could do this in our sleep."
Freed, expression unreadable, tilted his head. "You've said that three times in the last hour."
"Well, it's still true," she muttered, resting her chin on her knees.
They tried to refocus. They really did. But curiosity; an occupational hazard in their line of work, eventually won. Both began stealing glances at scrolls longer than necessary. The temptation to peek grew unbearable.
Finally, Levy declared, "Let's make a truce."
Freed raised a brow. "A truce?"
"We each read one...only one...script. Then we go back to sorting these stuff."
He hesitated.
Levy added sweetly, "Or are you scared?"
That did it.
Minutes later, Levy was perched on a stepstool, nose deep in a worn leather-bound book titled The Secret of Eternal Love. Her giggles echoed through the quiet archive as she flipped through the romantic musings within.
Freed glanced up from his scroll. "What could possibly be that funny?"
"N-Nothing," she squeaked, trying to hide the book behind her back.
His eyes narrowed. "Levy… is that..." he smirked, "...an erotic book?"
"Wha...no! It's not!" she yelped, cheeks blazing.
"Prove it."
"I—I don't have to prove anything to...!"
He reached out. She clutched it tighter. They ended up in a mini tug-of-war before Levy finally huffed and handed it over with a crimson face.
Freed flipped through a few pages. His eyes scanned the florid language, bizarre advice, and swooning metaphors.
"This is… ridiculous," he muttered.
But a small smile tugged at his lips. "No wonder you were giggling."
He sat down beside her, casually handing the book back. "Go on. I want to see how bad it gets."
Levy blinked. That… wasn't the reaction she expected. Still, it was better than endless teasing. She scooted closer and resumed reading aloud. Hours passed. They lost themselves in the absurd romantic commentary, half mocking, half entertained.
Then they reached the final page.
It was written in strange, disjointed symbols, an unreadable code.
Freed frowned. "This isn't any known language."
Levy squinted. "Wait… it looks like a blend of arcane alphabets. Maybe I can..."
"I'll sort it first," Freed said, holding out his hand. With a flick of his fingers, his magic created a glowing grid, separating the symbols into coherent sequences.
Levy's eyes sparkled. "Oooh, let me translate!"
"Charm of Eternal Love."
Their eyes met.
"Should we read it?" Levy asked, voice hesitant.
"…It's probably harmless," Freed muttered.
They read in unison.
As the final word left their lips, the book began to glow bright, blinding white. The light exploded around them.
Freed instinctively shielded Levy, throwing the book aside and pulling her into his arms. He turned, shielding her with his body as they fell hard to the floor.
Levy buried her face in his chest, hands clinging to his shirt. "W-What's happening?!"
"I—I don't know!"
Then, just as suddenly as it began, the light vanished. Silence returned.
They remained frozen in place, Freed's arms wrapped around her, her face pressed against his collar.
A polite but thoroughly unimpressed cough broke the tension.
Freed's eyes snapped open. Levy peeked upward through his shirt.
The librarian stood at the doorway, arms crossed, mouth twitching.
"May I ask why the two of you are ravaging each other on my library floor instead of sorting my scripts?"
They scrambled apart like guilty children. Both were flushed and fumbling, brushing off imaginary dust as they avoided the librarian's burning glare.
The book lay discarded beside them. Nothing looked different.
The librarian sighed.
"Come back tomorrow. And don't touch anything else."
They mumbled apologies, gathered their things, and hurried out.
As they walked in stiff silence, neither dared look at the other.
Freed finally muttered, "This never happened."
Levy nodded furiously. "Agreed."
They parted ways, convinced that whatever spell they'd triggered had fizzled into nothing.
They were wrong.
Because the next morning, Freed Justine woke up to find his hair tangled, his chest… considerably smaller, and the unmistakable sound of Gajeel yelling from across the street.
And Levy McGarden? She opened her eyes to an organized desk, a mirror reflecting long green hair and a rune tattoo glowing faintly on her arm.
The screaming began two streets apart at exactly the same time.
~ To be continued ~