Porlyosika was conducting a medical checkup of the two boys. Outside the house, Makarov was sitting with an angry expression. Then suddenly, Macao came out of the woods.
"Did you find him?" Makarov asked.
"Sorry, Master. By the time I got there, Ivan was long gone," Macao said shamefully.
"Damn it all! This is all because I did not take measures earlier and kick Ivan out."
"Don't worry, Master. Nobody expected something like this to happen."
Makarov just grunted. He knew that Porlyosika had warned him a long time ago. It's just because of his stupid belief that Ivan would change that this happened.
"Damn it. Tell everyone at the guild that Ivan is hereby exiled from the guild, and everyone who joins him will also suffer the same fate," Makarov said coldly.
"Alright, Master," Macao said while walking back. "Just don't beat yourself up too much."
After a few minutes...
"How are they?" Makarov asked.
"Alive and healing. Laxus has changes due to the Lacrima, and the torture Ivan inflicted on him will show psychological reactions later on."
"And Karna?"
"Safe. It seems like he was asleep most of the time, and whatever magic he used had completely drained him. If he just rests for a few days, he will be fine."
"Huh, thank God."
"Yes, thank the gods indeed," Porlyosika spat out coldly. "I warned you, didn't I?"
"Yes, you did."
"I am not a good mother by all accounts since I was not able to change my hatred for humans for my children, but I at least make sure they are safe."
"Yes, you do."
"Makarov, I will never forgive you if this happens again. So do not test my patience. You will make sure Ivan never gets near them, understand?"
"Yes." Makarov spoke as if taking a decision, he was not going to change.
Porlyosika sighed. "Go home and sleep. Everybody needs to rest after what happened today."
"Yeah, I will. Just let me sit here for a while."
"Fine," she grumbled. "But don't come to me when you get sick in the cold."
"Don't worry," Makarov chuckled. "I will be alright."
Porlyosika went inside. Makarov looked at the night sky.
"Huh, Gildarts should be back in a few weeks. I should ask him to teach the kids."
Year 770, Karna – 4 Years POV
So, that was a hectic night two years ago. A lot of things in the guild changed that day. Gramps kicked out Ivan from the guild. He is treated as an enemy of the guild by almost everyone and is on the run right now.
Laxus changed a lot. I guess it was supposed to happen, but this time he is angry at the guild members for being weak enough not to save me. Even the fact that I was safe because of my armor does not seem to alleviate his anger.
Gildarts sort of became my teacher. He taught me basic fighting techniques in close combat and told me to train till I grow up, though he was beaten up by Granny a lot of times for not being careful with magic around me.
The system has not given me any new quest, and it gave me a lightning arrow after the Laxus debacle. I still don't have enough magic control for any new arrow creation other than the existing two I created: signal arrow, which I used once, and knockback arrow. Though I still can't knock back by too much, I can still surprise people and disrupt their footing.
My armor, on the other hand, made a lot of people surprised. We were able to find out that it is almost indestructible, and it uses up all the stored sunlight when I am using the knockback function. But without the knockback, I can use the armor alone for a few hours theoretically, if I was able to sustain it with my physical power.
"Hey brat, you finish your training?" Suddenly a large hand fell on my shoulders heavily, almost knocking me down.
"Hey, be careful, you idiot!" I shouted in the pain I felt from that arm.
"Hahahahahaha! It just means you ain't strong enough, kiddo," he retorted.
"Now, it's your birthday, right, kid? Tell me what you want. I might get it for you if you ask well."
Just as I was about to retort, suddenly...
[Quest initiated]
Finally! I celebrated inside.
[Major Story Quest 1: Save Cornelia from dying. Cornelia, former wife of Gildarts Clive and mother to Cana Alberona, is at the mercy of a disease.
Find a way to cure her and mend her relationship with Gildarts.
Penalty – Death of Cornelia, future disagreement with Cana and Gildarts, Cana's refusal to help Fairy Tail in time of danger – death to planet because of Acnologia.
Rewards – Archer gloves: increases accuracy when aimed at a single target + chance of more critical hits.]
Whoa, what the hell? I thought the first quest would be a mild one, and look at how things ended up. No wonder this is a dark universe.
Hmm, there is an extra tab here:
[Clues – Select Guild Quest 21 from the board.]
Okay, so I am not going blind in this mission, huh? Looks like I have to pull my A-game.
"Nah, I don't think you can do it," I challenged him.
"Really? You think I can't do it, huh? C'mon, tell me now, kid. I will show you how the strongest in Fairy Tail can do!" Gildarts boasted. Thankfully, he was drunk, or else this would not have worked.
Actually, thinking about this, he is always drunk, so yeah, the chances of this working are really high.
I jumped to the notice board and took out Quest 21. It was a B-rank monster-killing quest.
"Take me for this quest if you have the guts."
"Hah! This is easy, kid. I will take you for this quest and be back faster than you can think."
Gildarts picked me up by one hand, put me on his shoulder, and started walking out of the guild.
After they left, back in the guild:
"Hey, do you think Gildarts will survive that old hag's wrath?"
"Nope. Let's tell Master to dig his grave."
After a day
Damn, Gildarts had stamina. He brought me all the way to the village while running the entire night while I was sleeping, and the journey normally takes two days using a chariot.
After getting information from the village chief, we started moving toward the forest area near its border. It was a simple quest, and with Gildarts, it was easier than anything.
Suddenly, a kid came in front of us. She looked about my age with brown hair and hazel eyes.
"Hey, you are wizards, right?" the kid asked.
"Yeah, little lady, we are. Can you tell us your name first?" Gildarts asked softly. Man, he can be tactful when he wants, huh?
"My name's Cana. Can you take me into the forest with you?" she asked nervously.
"Why do you want to go to the forest, kid?"
"Because my mom's sick, and they said an herb in the forest can help her."
"Hey, Gildarts," I interrupted.
"Yeah?"
"We can help her, right?"
"Alright then. C'mon, kid, let's go."
Gildarts took Cana with one hand and put her on his other shoulder.
"Hello, my name is Karna," I introduced myself.
"Hello," she replied shyly.
"Let's go, kids! We got monsters to hunt," Gildarts said, smiling like an idiot, as we went into the forest with two kids. I hope Porlyosika doesn't kill him when she finds out.
The quest itself was not that noteworthy. Gildarts just punched anything that got near, and the herb was almost everywhere in the inner part of the forest.
After completing the quest, Cana went with the herbs.
"Hey, Gildarts," I asked.
"Yeah, kid?"
"Does that herb cure any disease?"
"Hmm, from what I know, it is supposed to be used as a painkiller, not a cure, you know."
"So, can we help them?" I asked while putting on the best puppy eyes I could conjure up. "I know you can do it; you can't do anything can't you." Karna slyly said knowing that Gildarts will agree.
"Yeah, that's right, kid. I can do anything. Let's go cure that kid's mother."
Easy as taking candy from a kid.
After asking a few residents, we were able to find her home.
"Alright, we've reached. Let's see," Gildarts knocked on the door.
A woman opened the door. She seemed a bit weak.
"Yes, who is—"
Suddenly, she froze, and so did Gildarts. Man, I should have brought a magic camera.
"Cornelia?"
"Gildarts, what are you doing here?" she coughed right after she said that.
"Mommy, who is it?" Suddenly Cana came from inside. "Hey, Mommy, look! It's that wizard and Karna. They helped me find the herbs for you," she said happily.
"Is that so?" Cornelia said weakly. "Come on in."
After going inside, we could say it was an awkward atmosphere. There were a lot of medicines on the shelf. I took Cana to the corner and began to play with her to give them privacy. Let's hope they don't mess up.
"So," Gildarts nervously began, "are you alright?"
"Well, I have been better. Just got a bit sick recently."
"Do you know what it is?"
"No, the doctors were not able to find out."
"Hmm. I can take you to our guild doctor, you know. She is supposed to be the best at this sort of thing."
"Gildarts," she suddenly said. "Cana is your child."
Gildarts had a look of absolute shock on his face.
"Why didn't you tell me before?"
"Well, like always, you went away for your adventures, and I was not able to find you. By that time, I thought of taking care of her myself.
But currently, the circumstances are different. I might not have much time, and I don't want her to suffer a lonely life when I am gone.
So, Gildarts, please can you—"
He didn't even let her finish. He just came forward and hugged her tight.
"Don't worry. You don't have to beg me for anything. I promise to find a cure for you, and I also promise to take care of you and my daughter. Just don't talk like that again."
Cornelia was shocked. She did not expect such a warm response from him. Suddenly, all the weight on her shoulders began to feel lighter. She started to cry in relief.
"Why is Mommy crying?" Suddenly Cana started crying along with her, and Gildarts pulled her into a hug.
Man, it was sweet watching this, but it feels awkward looking at a family crying.
[Quest completed.]
[Rewards stored in storage.]
And now, there is good news all around.
After telling Cana about Gildarts, she was really happy. We packed all their stuff and left the next day toward the guild. All the villagers also came to say goodbye. It seems that Cornelia is a bit famous here.
It took two days to reach the guild. Thankfully, Gildarts decided to slow down for the sake of Cornelia.
"And look here. This is our guild, where Papa is the strongest," Gildarts said again with that idiotic smile.
"Woah! Daddy is so cool!" Cana, being a kid, had stars in her eyes.
When I looked at the guild door, I saw someone clutching a broom.
Oh-oh.
"Gildarts," a cold voice sounded, "did you take my grandson on a dangerous quest with you?"
"Well, you know..." Gildarts started sweating.
And for the next half an hour, the guild was reminded again never to cross their doctor.
Cornelia was a bit shocked at first, but when she found out the reason, she had a bit of a sparkle in her eyes. That is concerning.
Cana, too, had stars in her eyes, like she found her idol who was beating her father black and blue.
I hope the changes to the plot and characters are not that different from canon. I hope.
A/N- hope you like the rewrite.