Copyright notice: This fanfic is a work of fiction inspired by "Fairy Tail", created by Hiro Mashima. I do not own the rights to "Fairy Tail" or the original characters.
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Author's note: English is not my mother tongue, so I apologise for any mistakes you may find in this fanfic. I appreciate your understanding and I hope you enjoy the story.
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Chapter 4: Where Dreams Are Born.
Five days had passed since Maria Koori's departure. Elysia and Tristan were immersed in their daily training at the park. With the help of his ice spheres, Tristan tried to navigate the uneven terrain, while Elysia, agile as the wind, seized any opportunity to throw him off balance. During that time, Tristan had managed to control a seventh ice sphere and noticed an increase in his magical capacity; now he could keep his spheres active for longer. This allowed him to cross the crowded park with little difficulty, although the training was beginning to feel monotonous. Elysia had also noticed another change in him: whenever he activated the seventh sphere, the temperature around him dropped noticeably, creating a faint icy aura that unsettled those nearby.
Breaking the routine, Elysia suggested with a mischievous tone, "Tristan, we're at a standstill with this training. Don't you think it's time to raise the difficulty? Maybe a real fight?"
The idea of a real confrontation sparked excitement in Tristan. "But where? I don't want to cause any accidental damage."
Elysia responded eagerly, "The Lamia Forest, on the outskirts of town. We can fight there without worrying about hurting anyone."
For a moment, Tristan's eyes lit up, but then a hint of concern clouded his face. "The Lamia Forest? That place is dangerous."
Elysia crossed her arms, giving him a mocking look. "Come on, Tristan, don't tell me you're scared of a simple forest."
Tristan frowned. "It's not fear. It's… caution. That forest isn't a place for games."
Elysia's expression turned curious. "Why do you say that? What do you know about the Lamia Forest?"
He hesitated, his eyes reflecting a hint of unease. "It's… complicated," he whispered, as if trying to push past a barrier of fractured memories and unsettling emotions.
Elysia took a step closer, her expression softening. "You can trust me, Tristan. We're friends, remember?"
Her words seemed to reach something deep within him. Tristan took a deep breath and began to tell her, in a trembling voice, fragments of his past. He spoke of the time he awoke in the forest, blind and with no memory, and how Maria Koori had found him and brought him to Lamia Scale.
Elysia listened silently, her eyes reflecting astonishment and compassion. When Tristan finished, a heavy silence fell between them. "Tristan…" Elysia murmured, her voice full of empathy. "I can't imagine what you felt in that moment. Maybe you were alone… but now, you're a mage of Lamia Scale."
Tristan smiled softly. "Thanks to Maria," he said gratefully. "She saved me, gave me a home, and, fortunately, she was an ice mage. She chose to train me."
Elysia nodded slowly. "Fate, luck… call it what you will," she said quietly. "But what really matters is that you never gave up. You fought to survive, and that brought you here."
"Yes, you're right," Tristan admitted. "Both of us have fought to make our own luck."
They smiled, but the moment was interrupted by an ethereal, urgent voice: "Hurry, find me."
Elysia and Tristan looked at each other in surprise. "Did you hear that, Elysia?" Tristan asked, visibly unsettled. Elysia nodded, looking around. "It seems like only we can hear it. Strange…"
The voice spoke again, more clearly and urgently: "Hurry, find me."
"It's so…" Tristan began, but Elysia finished his sentence: "Familiar," she said, her own confusion mirroring his.
"What do we do?" Tristan asked, seeking answers in Elysia.
"I don't know, but I feel like this voice means us no harm," she replied with an inexplicable certainty.
Tristan nodded, sharing that feeling. "It's as if… ignoring it would be a mistake we'd regret."
With resolve, Elysia declared, "Then let's follow the voice."
The young mages ventured beyond the city limits, following the mysterious call. The voice guided them through a dense forest to a clearing where a small, silent lake lay. There, the voice stopped and whispered, "You have arrived at the place where dreams are born."
Bewildered, Elysia and Tristan looked at each other. The place where dreams are born? What did that mean? And where was the voice that had brought them here?
Tristan, intrigued, approached the lake and touched the water, hoping for answers. As soon as his fingers touched the surface, he was pulled into a whirlwind of memories. He saw a young boy, dirty and covered in blood and tears, surrounded by lifeless bodies, clutching a necklace that glowed faintly. A deafening roar filled the air, and a black dragon appeared above him, a monstrous creature of nightmares, preparing a lethal attack.
The boy, paralyzed with terror, clung to the necklace as if it were his last hope. At that moment, a figure appeared between them: a wounded woman who conjured a barrier of ice, halting the dragon's assault. "Run," she whispered to the boy, her voice barely a murmur. "Run and don't look back."
The boy obeyed, running until he collapsed, the necklace slipping from his hands.
The images faded, and Tristan returned to reality, his heart racing and tears streaming down his face. Concerned, Elysia knelt beside him. "Are you alright, Tristan?"
He nodded slowly. "I think the water made me remember something… something horrible," he murmured, his voice breaking.
Elysia embraced him silently, allowing him to find comfort in her presence.
After a few moments, Tristan pulled back, wiping his tears. "I need to know more," he said with determination. "I want to understand what happened, who I am."
Elysia nodded, looking at him firmly. "I'll help you, Tristan. We'll do this together."
"Thank you." She gave him a small pat on the head, smiling. "No need to thank me. We're friends, idiot."
The ethereal voice returned, now softer and gentler: "You too, touch the water."
Surprised, Elysia hesitated briefly before finally approaching the lake. As soon as she touched the water, a flood of memories overwhelmed her. She saw herself, a four-year-old child, carrying an ancient necklace, a symbol of power and responsibility. Her parents' gaze was cold, filled with expectations, and her older sister watched her with jealousy and resentment.
Years later, she still struggled with her magic, failing to control it. The elders in her family, self-proclaimed masters, looked at her with disdain. "This child will protect the necklace?" one sneered. "She's useless, a disgrace to our lineage."
The necklace, which should have been a symbol of honor, had become a chain that bound her to a life of loneliness and rejection.
Elysia pulled her hand back from the water, bitter tears running down her cheeks. The weight of those memories and past pain filled her with sorrow. Seeing her like this, Tristan offered his hand. "Elysia…"
She took his hand and whispered, "Thank you. I just saw memories I'd rather forget."
A childlike laughter interrupted them, pure and harmonious. "It really is you… hahaha! I missed you both."
Elysia and Tristan exchanged confused glances. "You missed us?" Elysia asked, perplexed.
The voice continued, laughing, "It's not the time yet, but I'm happy to know you're still here."
Without understanding, Tristan and Elysia listened in silence. The voice softened: "You've always given everything for us. I know it's unfair, but I also know that only you can carry this weight. I'm sorry I can't do more."
"Help us?" Tristan murmured, bewildered.
A light emerged from the lake, and two pillars appeared before them. The weakening voice asked them, "Please, touch a pillar each."
Trusting the voice, they both touched the pillars, feeling a surge of energy awaken within them. The voice spoke one last time, warmly: "Thank you, children. I've been with you since you were born. I am your…"
The connection faded, and the voice whispered its final words: "I hope this time you live for yourselves."
The light engulfed them, and they both lost consciousness. When they woke, Tristan was holding a bow, and Elysia, a sword.
Maria Koori stood at the center of a devastated village, surrounded by a landscape of desolation and a deathly silence. Each step brought her closer to the remnants of a shattered community: homes reduced to rubble, streets coated in ash, and lifeless bodies scattered without distinction. The destruction clung to her, wrapping her in a shroud of sadness and anger that squeezed her heart.
"This is... horrible," she murmured, her voice nearly lost in the thick, heavy wind. Fury was etched into every line of her face as she advanced cautiously, her eyes searching, with a faint glimmer of hope, for any sign of life. Was there truly no one left? This entire place, wiped out and empty? Damn it. I got here too late... again.
The mission had reached the guild a week prior: unsettling reports of a gigantic demon, ravaging towns and leaving destruction and death in its wake. This village, fearing it would be the next target, had pleaded desperately for protection—a request that now hung in the air like an unfulfilled promise. What kind of monster could wreak such devastation, leaving nothing but corpses and ruins? she thought, feeling a sense of helplessness take hold. If only I had been faster…
A faint but gut-wrenching scream shattered the silence and cut through her thoughts. With a sudden glimmer of hope, Maria turned her head, focusing on the direction from which the sound had come. Without wasting a second, she ran toward the debris, moving urgently through the remains of collapsed walls and what was once a home.
"Hold on!" she shouted, as she cleared away shattered wood and fallen stones, her hands moving with speed and precision. Upon lifting a heavy slab, her heart skipped a beat: beneath it, huddled and terrified, were three boys and a girl, all gravely injured and on the verge of unconsciousness. Their pale faces reflected a mix of fear and desperation as their small bodies trembled, clinging to life with fragile but courageous resolve.
"Don't speak," she whispered, trying to keep them calm as she carefully pulled each one out of the rubble, laying them gently on the ground, attempting to avoid further injury. The children's breathing was irregular, and Maria could feel life slipping away from them.
The gravity of the situation overwhelmed her; there was no time to hesitate. With trembling but determined hands, Maria knelt beside them, examining their wounds in search of a way to stop the bleeding and stabilize them. Her combat-trained mind wasn't accustomed to emergency medical care, but these children needed help urgently, and she couldn't let them die without trying.
"Hold on, please," she murmured, her voice laden with a mixture of concern and a promise. I haven't come this far only to lose you now. She knew that while her abilities might not be enough to heal their wounds completely, every second counted. With steady pressure on each wound, improvising bandages with what little she had, she struggled to stabilize them as best as she could.
The image of the little ones lying on the ground, breathing heavily and on the brink of death, filled her heart with nearly unbearable pain. Why them? Why destroy like this, without reason? And as a small tear slid down her cheek, she vowed that she wouldn't let these children become just more bodies in that sea of devastation.
End of Chapter 4