📝 Lucy's Diary, stardate... ah, who cares? Yesterday!
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Dear Diary,
My first official mission as a member of Fairy Tail is over. And if I thought it would just be a simple "recover a book and go home with a bit of cash"… well, HAHAHA, how naive of me. I am still so young and full of unrealistic hopes. Someone needs to give me a survival manual for this guild.
Summary of the chaos (because if I write everything in detail, I'll need another diary):
• I infiltrated a pervy duke's mansion as a maid (yes, again, infiltration and duke in the same sentence, my career seems to be taking a worrying turn).
• I was called ugly by the duke himself (still processing that insult from someone with the face of a wet brick and the charisma of a sea urchin. I swear by Aquarius, if he wasn't the client, he'd be puree by now).
• The book was actually a secret, moving farewell message from a writer father to the son he never got to know. Yes, I cried a little. Don't tell Natsu.
• And the most unbelievable part: Natsu Dragneel refused the 2 MILLION JEWELS reward! Yes, you read that right, TWO MILLION. Enough to pay my rent for almost three years! Why? "Because the client seemed sad," he said. His financial logic is about as functional as a fish trying to climb a tree.
And then you think: "okay, Lucy, now you go home, all sorted, right?"
WRONG. COMPLETELY, UTTERLY, ABSURDLY WRONG.
• First, we got lost in a forest for hours because Natsu insisted his "dragon nose" knew a shortcut. Spoiler: it didn't. It only sniffed out a band of angry squirrels.
• Then, we found Gray… just in his pants. In the middle of the woods. Standing on a rock like a Greek statue with hypothermia. As if that were normal.
• And, of course, he and Natsu immediately started fighting, like two possessed cockerels, nearly setting fire to the very forest we were lost in.
But what really made my hair stand on end was when Gray, between a frozen punch and a curse word, warned that Erza is coming back to Magnolia. Natsu literally went pale. He turned the colour of a ghost with food poisoning. Happy swallowed the fish he had in his mouth so fast I thought he was going to explode.
According to them, Erza is like… a devil in armour. A giant monster who brings down mountains with a yawn. The personification of divine fury with a taste for swords. And me? I've never seen a photo of her in the magazines. It's as if she's an urban legend, a boogeyman that mages tell their children about to make them behave. And I can't wait to meet this woman. (That's a lie. I absolutely can. I am slightly, perhaps moderately, terrified).
Ah, and I almost forgot the final little detail! On the way back, we were attacked by a group of mages from the Eisenwald guild who wanted to, and I quote, "eat the blue cat for breakfast". Literally. Fortunately, with the help of a well-aimed kick and a furious Celestial Bull, we sorted them out. Only, after we defeated them, they were mysteriously attacked by another cloaked mage and vanished into thin air, as if they had never existed.
But before disappearing, one of them muttered something strange, his eyes glazed over…
"Lullaby."
I have no idea what it means, but I have that uncomfortable premonition, the one that tells me when I'm about to be dragged into something much bigger and more complicated than I'd like. It probably won't be anything good.
Anyway… I survived. Another page filled. And my love for Fairy Tail is currently in a state of 'functional panic'. With love (and an urgent need for a long bath), Lucy.
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We were back at the guild. Or rather: I was back at the guild. Natsu and Happy were passed out in a corner, piled up like used firewood, in a food coma induced by excessive celebration. Apparently, the best way to celebrate a successful (and unpaid) mission was to eat five portions of grilled fish and meat and be left without a single Jewel to pay the bill. Again. What a dynamic duo of financial geniuses.
"One of these days you'll make me sell my clothes to pay the rent, you irresponsible pair," I grumbled, crossing my arms, as I stared at the guild's request board with the dignity of someone who is now seriously considering jobs like 'cleaning cursed tombs' or 'looking after an invisible cat with homicidal tendencies'. My 70,000 Jewel rent was staring back at me, metaphorically, with a mocking grin.
The available missions were a true festival of chaos and bizarre requests:
"Seeking a mage willing to sleep for three nights in a mansion possessed by a ghost who likes to rearrange the furniture. Reward: a year's supply of homemade sweet potato jam."
(Interesting, but my teeth would thank me if I declined.)
"Help an elderly gentleman win back the heart of his ex-wife, who has become a vengeful banshee. Bring earplugs and, preferably, a good therapist."
(Pass. I deal with enough shouting in this guild.)
"Brave mage wanted to recover a pearl necklace… from the bottom of the sea. Warning: the area is patrolled by magic sharks with a taste for blondes."
(Okay, maybe the sweet potato jam part isn't so bad after all…)
I just wanted to pay the rent and maybe buy a new dress. Was that too much to ask of the universe?
It was then that a soft voice, the kind that seems to caress your ears with cotton candy and a hint of danger, sounded beside me:
"Looking for an interesting mission, Lucy?"
I turned my head and came face to face with Mirajane Strauss. My brain, predictably, crashed for a second, taking a brief pause for unsolicited admiration. She was simply stunning, as always. She wore a tight black t-shirt with a magical print of butterflies that seemed to move with the light, an open jacket over it, and a pair of enchanted leather trousers with pockets I suspected were interdimensional. Her silver hair was half-tied in a messy bun, the kind of casually perfect that I can only achieve if I wrestle with a pillow for three hours.
"A-ah! Yes! I mean, maybe. I'm just… looking, you know? Surveying the market," I stammered, feeling my face grow warm. Brilliant, Lucy. Super professional.
She approached the board with that air of 'gentle, yet lethal administration' and said, calmly: "If any of them catch your eye, let me know. Master Makarov has gone to a conference, so I'm looking after things for now."
"Conference?" I asked, trying to sound casual, while inside my analytical brain noted: She runs the guild on her own. She's beautiful. She's absurdly efficient. The deadly trifecta of perfection.
Mirajane gave a small chuckle, as if amused by her own chaotic life. "The regular Guild Masters' conference. It happens from time to time. They get together to discuss the balance between the legal guilds of Fiore, any conduct issues, mages who've stepped out of line… things like that. Basically, it's a big, institutionalised gossip session for overpowered elders."
"Wow… that sounds important," I murmured, already picturing Makarov at a round table, slamming his little fist down and shouting about 'the price of ale barrels going up because of government taxes!'.
Mirajane then excused herself to a mage who was floating in a chair nearby (yes, floating) and picked up a magical light pen, the kind that draws in the air as if space were a notebook. With a graceful little gesture, she began to trace bright, precise, floating diagrams in the air.
"Things work more or less like this…," she said, and I leaned in, fascinated.
She drew three suspended layers in the air, each with a different glow:
Magic Council: a large symbol at the top, with a scale of light floating above it, representing arcane justice.
Regional Guild League: a layer below, connecting various points.
Local Guilds: small circles of light with names like Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale floating at the base.
"The guilds answer first to the regional league," she continued, her voice calm and didactic, "which serves as an intermediary between us and the Council. They handle the smaller problems, territorial disputes, that sort of thing. But, of course, if you get up to something big enough…" she gave a conspiratorial little smile "…the Council comes down on you directly."
"Like… accidentally blowing up a port?" I ventured, remembering my first day.
"Exactly," she winked at me, laughing softly. "Or refusing to pay a magic Guild tax. They're very sensitive when it comes to bureaucracy and money."
I absorbed every word, like a good student. Actually… perhaps I was absorbing the way the light from the magic pen reflected in her eyes more than the content of the lesson itself. Because, let's be honest: someone who can smile and be so charming while drawing a political organigram in mid-air ought to be illegal.
"If you like," she said, erasing the diagram with a wave of her hand, "I can recommend some more… suitable missions for adorable newcomers."
She winked again. I saw it. My brain had a small malfunction, rebooted, and tried to pretend nothing had happened.
I laughed, a bit nervously. "T-thanks, Mira! I'll have another look."
As soon as she went back to the counter, I took a deep breath, my heart beating a little faster. (Rent, Lucy. Focus on the rent. Not on the beautiful white-haired sorceress who flirts with her words and on top of that educates you about the kingdom's magical hierarchy. FOCUS.)
But before I could have another second of peace, someone jumped out of nowhere beside me.
"LUCYYYYYYYY!!"
"AAAAAHHH!!" I let out a shriek that dragged my soul along with it, almost summoning Taurus by accident.
"DON'T DO THAT, NATSU!!" I yelled, hand on my heart. "My spirit just tried to flee out of my ear!"
"Relax," he said, totally unconcerned. "Has Mira told you about the dark guilds yet?"
The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. I looked at Mirajane. She sighed, placing the pen on the counter like someone preparing to explain that Father Christmas is real, but that he also works as a tax inspector in his spare time.
"Thank you, Natsu, for that meteor-subtle introduction," she commented, turning to me with that more serious, but still gentle smile. "Look, Lucy… so far you've only seen the fun side of guilds. Missions, parties, casual destruction of others' property. But not everything in the magical world is so colourful."
She snapped her fingers and a new diagram appeared, this one darker, with symbols that looked sharp and menacing.
"There are Dark Guilds. They aren't part of the Guild League and operate completely outside the law. They're illegal. Usually formed by criminals, mercenaries, or mages who've been banished. They don't follow any code and… they usually kill first and ask questions later."
"And sometimes they don't ask at all," murmured Happy, who was now floating upside down, eating a fish.
"A-are they… common?" I asked, swallowing hard, the word 'Lullaby' echoing in my mind.
"More than they should be," she replied. "That's why the Rune Knights and the Council exist. To try and maintain the balance. So," she erased the diagram and put a hand on her hip, her serious gaze fixed on mine, "if you see a mission that involves suspicious guilds or names that sound like they're out of some gothic underworld play… don't take it. Come and talk to me first, okay?"
"Okay…," I agreed, almost in a whisper. The image of a mage with red eyes and a demonic laugh was already forming in my head, like the trailer for a horror film I didn't want to see.
Natsu put his hand on my shoulder in that reassuring way of his that actually always gave me more tachycardia. "Relax, Lucy! If one of them shows up, we just need to hit 'em hard enough 'til they turn into glitter!"
"...right. Now I'm officially terrified. Thank you."
While I was still trying to process the information about mass murderers and illegal guilds, a familiar, drawling voice snapped me out of my trance:
"I think… maybe you should consider a team with fewer muscles and more brains."
I looked to the side. Gray. In his pants. Sitting in a chair with his legs crossed, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"You're… you're naked."
"Just my pants," he corrected, without even blinking. "It's strategic ventilation. Helps me think."
"Ventilation… what?!"
"It's what we call Fairy Tail Style," commented Cana from the other side, raising her glass. "Level: 'less cloth, more confusion'."
"And I'm serious," Gray continued, pointing at Natsu. "If you depend on this matchstick-head, you'll end up getting blown up or dragged into a fight with a talking volcano. Find someone more… balanced. Like… me."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU UNDERWEAR-CLAD PENGUIN?!" roared Natsu, appearing from nowhere.
"I said you have one neuron, and it takes Fridays off!"
The two were staring each other down, nose to nose, sparks and ice beginning to form, when… POOF! An explosion of walking sunlight entered the hall.
"Hello, my shooting star!" said Loke, the gleam of his teeth almost blinding me. "If you want a real team, Lucy, come with me. I promise only missions with candlelit dinners and generous rewards."
I took a step back. That's when he saw my keys, clipped to my belt. His smile froze. His face went pale.
"You're… a Celestial wizard?"
"I am," I replied, surprised.
"OH, NO! SORRY! GOT TO GO!" And he shot out of the guild at a speed that would make lightning look slow.
"What was that all about?" I asked, dumbfounded.
Mirajane sighed. "Loke has a… phobia. Of Celestial wizards. They say he had a complicated relationship with one in the past. It ended badly."
"Let me guess. He ended it with her and was left traumatised?"
"Actually," Mira smiled, "they say she was the one who ended it with him… with a punch that opened a crater in the ground."
I nodded. I'd do the same.
"Gray! GO AND PUT SOMETHING ON!" yelled Cana, roaring with laughter.
"LEAVE ME ALONE, CANA!" he retorted, and at that moment, he threw Natsu. Literally. The Dragon Slayer's flaming body flew towards me like a comet. I only had time to scream and throw myself on the floor.
"Ow, my liver!" I groaned, as Natsu rolled over with a satisfied "WHOOPS!".
"They're always like this," commented Happy, with the boredom of an art critic.
The guild doors flew open with a bang. "ERZA'S BACK!" yelled Loke, paler than before, as if announcing the apocalypse.
The noise ceased. The chaos turned to silence.
"Guys? What's going on?" I whispered. Gray, miraculously, put some clothes on.
Mirajane sighed, a competitive smile on her lips. "Erza is the strongest female mage in Fairy Tail. Or, at least, that's what they say," she added, with a spark in her eye. "I can go toe-to-toe with her, if it comes to it."
Hold on. The woman who draws organigrams in the air… also trades punches with the legend?
And then, I heard the footsteps. Heavy, strong, rhythmic. And she appeared. A red-haired woman, in armour, carrying, with a single hand, A MONSTER HORN THE SIZE OF A CARRIAGE.
It was… the most beautiful and terrifying sight of my life.
She dropped the horn on the floor with a thud that made the bottles shake. "Mirajane. Where's the Master?"
"Conference."
Two mages approached. "Erza, what is that?"
She looked at them, her voice calm. "A horn. From a monster. The villagers decorated it and gave it to me as a souvenir."
Souvenir. A six-foot, jewel-encrusted horn. Right. Totally normal.
And me? I could only think one thing, as my novelist's heart beat uncontrollably.
(This woman is a perfect cross between a goddess of war and the cover of my next bestselling book.) And, suddenly, my fear transformed into an almost feverish excitement.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE
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"Hey everyone! 💙 Thanks so much for following my Fairy Tail fanfic! I just wanted to let you know that I recently posted a brand-new fanfic set in Runeterra (the universe of League of Legends + Arcane) ✨
Yes, it still features Azra'il, but don't worry: the stories are completely independent. You don't need to read this one to understand the other, it's a different universe and a different life for her.
If you enjoy adventure with a touch of comedy, slice of life, and a healthy dose of chaos (including insulting arrogant Piltovians), I think you'll have fun with it.
Give it a chance and let me know what you think! 💫"