Imagine a scenario in which Naofumi was given a much better chance at life than his unfortunate transfer into Melromarc as the Shield Hero. Instead, how about a world which gives Naofumi a more... fair opportunity? Let someone else deal with the corruption of that world. Today marks the day where Fate decides to throw Naofumi a bone.

Oh, and don't worry about Raphtalia or Filo. They too shall be spared.

I also want to make several notes here. One, since I think the magic system is too simplistic for my liking, besides pre-existing spells, I'm gonna work with DnD magic and Fairy Tail magic (excluding Celestial Magic) instead. Two, Kazuma will not make any appearance in this, nor will he even be mentioned (And no, Kazuma will not be the Shield Hero). Three, Naofumi will retain his usual cynical behavior instead of it being the hopeful and happy one that he used to have before becoming the Shield Hero.

But that is all for now. Talon, over and out.

When Naofumi Iwatani was young, it was no secret that animals of all kinds just seemed so drawn to him.

No matter what animal it was, be it reptile or arachnid, Naofumi had no issue with them, even ones as dangerous as a Black Mamba. The large snake would make no moves to harm its carrier, but instead seemed to bask in his warmth. The Black Mamba actually seemed to enjoy being carried by this particular human. Experts could not even come close to figuring out why this phenomenon occurred.

Of course, that was simply an incident at the local zoo, but no human or animal was harmed in that event. That is... if you don't count Naofumi's parents being scared half to death. In fact, because of Naofumi's mutual love of animals, he was able to become successful in his endeavor to become a biologist, microbiologist, and zoologist, even gaining PhD's in all three of those studies. He had even been seen as a pioneer at the early age of twenty, with his breakthroughs changing what humans knew about the animal kingdom.

However, where there were those that appreciated his work, there were those that were envious of his talents.

Countless corporations had tried everything they could to discredit Naofumi and his work, mostly through the usages of criticism and propaganda, only to come up short due to lack of evidence and the fact that Naofumi's record was absolutely spotless.

But only one had gone so far as to make an attempt on his life.

And, unfortunately, that attempt would be the last.

Naofumi's eyes shot open and he woke with a start, his heart thrashing against his chest, threatening to split his torso open. Naofumi allowed himself some time to collect himself from his state of dismay in order to truly recognize his surroundings.

For one, he was sitting in what appeared to be a simple wooden chair, and the only visible object was a fancy chair in front of him, although it could also be called a modest throne.

If this was what the afterlife was...

"Well... here I am," Naofumi said, probably to himself as he tapped his foot impatiently. Waiting for what could be an interview with a celestial being in order to decide his place after his murder. Naofumi was never one to trust humans, even though he was one. A lot of the times, they just wanted something out of him.

And now he was dead simply due to jealousy of all the hard work he himself had made in his rather short life.

Naofumi would've continued to think on his past life were it not for the bright light that flashed in front of him. He shielded his eyes from the light. How irritating...

Naofumi looked beyond his arm to see what looked to be a woman(?), "You could've used door," Naofumi said irritably, though whether or not the woman(?) heard him or not he didn't know.

Getting a better look at the apparition that appeared to supposedly address him, the woman had light blue hair in which a portion of it was tied into a loop at the back (is that actually a hairpin shaped like a water molecule?!). She wore a small, dark-blue blouse and skirt combo alongside a pair of long, thigh-high boots.

She had this whole look in contrast to Naofumi's usual green vest, white dress shirt, black tie, gray slacks, and dark brown loafers.

"Ah, Naofumi Iwatani, welcome to the afterlife," said the woman. "It is unfortunate, but you have just recently passed away."

Naofumi rolled his eyes, "Oh, I'm well aware," Naofumi said sarcastically, noticing the woman grimaced at his tone. "You see, I was there."

The woman collected herself before settling down into the chair opposite to Naofumi, "Your life was a short one, but in fact, you are dead." The woman continued, with a voice that, to any normal person, sounded as if mourning him. But Naofumi noticed the slight drone in her voice, like she had rehearsed this line a thousand other times.

Probably because she has.

"It is tragic, having your life cut short because of the greed and envy of others," the woman continued. "But enough of what happened in the past. I am Aqua, a goddess who guides humans who die young into the afterlife."

Naofumi's indifferent gaze didn't falter, actually unnerving Aqua to the point where she slightly cowered. This had got to be the scariest man she had to deal with.

Finally, Naofumi sighed, "I guess my only regret is that I have so much unfinished work and research to do, and that some random stooge is going to ruin it," Naofumi said, in which Aqua let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "So how is this going to work?"

"Well, you are presented two choices," Aqua started. "You can either be reincarnated into a new life and start at square one, or you can go to heaven and carry on like an old man."

Naofumi's face turned pensive, "I see... on one hand, ascending to heaven and resting does sound nice," Naofumi mused. "But on the other, being reincarnated and being able to continue my research sounds even better..."

As Naofumi continued to weigh his options, Aqua had begun panicking; she knew that a soul like Naofumi's would immediately become an angel if going to heaven, and she would gain nothing from having Naofumi reincarnated. So, she decided to take action to have her way.

"You never heard this from me, but heaven isn't exactly the dreamy place mortals believe it to be," Aqua said, almost as if gossiping like your average school girl.

"Really?" Naofumi asked, his eyes showing his distrust. "What makes you say that?"

"Well for one, there is no amount of entertainment in heaven and you won't have a physical body, so you cannot participate in any sexual action," Aqua explained, trying to push Naofumi's buttons. Though the fact that his distrustful gaze only continued to deepen made it painfully clear that Naofumi was dubious of her claims at best. "That and all the animals are simply reincarnated automatically, so there are no animals in heaven."

Naofumi's distrustful stare instantly turned hostile. His lips pulled down and his nose crinkled, these things turning into a snarl, as if he were a bear whose territory had been destroyed or violated.

Aqua almost had a heart attack.

"A-Anyways, being reincarnated yourself does not guarantee that you will live a better life and you are reborn with none of your memories from your past life," Aqua said with a nervous stutter unbecoming of a goddess. "That and the fact that animals gravitate towards you will be null and void. You won't be able to study animals as closely as you did in your past life."

Naofumi's hostile stare deepened, but it had let up with a sigh escaping from his lips, "Why are you telling me this?" Naofumi asked suspiciously. "You say all this as if you have an alternative."

Aqua's expression brightened up, "Exactly! I am providing an alternative!" Aqua said excitedly. "It is a third option only one in several million have, and you are that one."

Naofumi's face turned back into its normal neutral expression, "Interesting, and what exactly does this third option entail?"

"There is another world you may go to, a place where magic is commonplace," Aqua explained. "A place that had enjoyed relative peace for many generations; however, a Devil King has appeared from the woodwork, endangering the lives of innocents and disrupting the peace."

Naofumi rolled his eyes, "You do realize how cliche that situation is in most manga and anime, right?" Naofumi asked rhetorically. "'An ordinary person who died in an accident and is sent to a new world as that world's hero.' I've heard that a million times."

Aqua sighed, knowing this, "I know, but it is true," Aqua replied. "And yes, you can be reincarnated as that world's hero, but only if you choose to. Your freedom is assured and you may take whatever path you choose."

"Alright then," Naofumi said. "I guess I'll go with that, but why ask me? Aren't there other heroes that have had the chance to defeat him?"

Aqua's face turned solemn, "Yes and no. Those who were strong enough to oppose him have decided to not be reborn there after dying at his hands or the hands of his minions, thus, the number of souls that could stand against him is in decline, leaving this world as easy prey for the Devil King." Aqua explained.

Naofumi frowned, "That has got to be the most irresponsible thing anyone can do," Naofumi criticized. "So they die trying to fight a Devil King, have every opportunity to try again, and have decided to just feed that world to the wolves by rage-quitting like a fucking ten-year-old?! That's sick."

Aqua nodded, "Yes, as harrowing as that is, it is what it is," Aqua said. "So to work as an alternative, the goddesses of both worlds have decided to invite only the souls of the worthy to be reincarnated into this world, allowing them to retain both body and memories."

That garnered Naofumi's interest, "I see, but I don't have any strong or special traits to go up against something like that, at least not right now," Naofumi said, adopting a thinker pose. "If what you say about magic is true, then I'll have to train for an amount of time your world probably doesn't even have. For all we know, the Devil King has already begun his rampage."

Aqua nodded, "True, and that is why I'll give you a boon of your choosing; it could be anything, from an artifact of tremendous power, to a talent of unlimited potential," Aqua said, pulling out a stack of papers. "Here, take your pick!"

Naofumi took the papers into his hands and began to read, his brows raising more and more as he read, "Wow, these are pretty powerful," Naofumi complimented. "'The ability to disassemble and reassemble any object the user touches,' sounds decent, but I'm more interested in..."

Naofumi had trailed off his words as he began reading in his head, though Aqua had become more and more annoyed by how long this soul was taking.

"Could you please choose quickly? All of that is pretty much the same," Aqua said irritably, trying to speed up things. She didn't liking being away from her fancy suite in heaven.

However, Aqua froze when Naofumi fixed her a withering glare that burned holes through her eyes. If looks could kill, Aqua might've been turned to ash, goddess or not.

"This is one of, if not the most, life-changing decisions I could ever hope to make," Naofumi snarled. "Patience is a virtue, and goddesses are meant to be virtuous beings, are they not?"

Aqua felt rooted to the spot, "H-Hey! I am virtuous! I am a goddess!" Aqua shouted like a spoiled child.

Naofumi's eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly, "To be blunt, I don't believe that first part for a second."

Simply put, Aqua felt attacked. Sighing, knowing that Naofumi was right in the long run, she summoned a bowl of potato chips and just sat cross-legged in her seat.

This was going to take a while.

Hours had past and Naofumi was now sitting on the floor, paper scattered around him in a wide circle. It had gotten to the point where Aqua was actually asleep, her empty chip bowl being suspended only by her index finger. One leg was situated onto the floor while the other was laid haphazardly across the arm of her chair. Such a position exposed what was underneath her skirt, or really, lack thereof. Naofumi had looked up to see if Aqua was still awake or not, only to see something that had pretty much burned into his retinas.

Naofumi swiftly kept his eyes on his current task, while also working up enough of his willpower to not continue staring. It was working so far and the content on the papers was interesting enough to help in this endeavor. Naofumi vowed to himself, both as a human being and as a male, that he would never peek on a girl, especially in her sleep.

Biting his lip, Naofumi had sifted through his twenty-fourth sheet (yes, he counted), only for his eyes to land on something that sounded immensely interesting.

Magic: Crush.

A very advanced Magic which gives the user the ability to smash everything they come into contact with. If the user is unfocused, they may destroy objects such as houses unintentionally.

Crush has various offensive and defensive properties. Using its inherent nature of being able to crush anything it comes into contact with, the user is able to nullify the effects of certain Magics by smashing them to pieces, occasionally exemplified by the crushed substance, be it Magic or living being, becoming separated into numerous cubes.

By imbuing their fist with Crush, the user is able to send an enemy flying numerous meters with incredible force. It is also capable of being fired as a burst of energy at the opponent. This Magic can also be utilized effectively as a defensive means. For example, by crushing the ground underneath them, the user is able to create a cushion of sorts against enemy attack. It is also possible for Crush to be used as a deflective barrier, sending an assailant flying backwards when they come into contact with it.

Such a power was very interesting to Naofumi and had trumped all the others. Crush's potential in any scenario and the sheer versatility it offered was too good to pass up. Not only that, but Crush Magic was without element, so no one can have any elemental resistance to it.

For once, Naofumi smiled, "Okay, I've decided," Naofumi finally announced, looking up towards Aqua. However, he was, once again, swift to turn his gaze downwards.

Aqua woke with a start, "Huh... wuh-oh! You've finally decided!" Aqua said, beaming. Finally, after all this time, Naofumi had decided what he wanted. "Crush Magic, huh? Oh yeah, that will work wonderfully!"

"However!" Naofumi said, pointing a finger at Aqua.

"What is it this time?!" Aqua shrieked, unable to keep her impatience hidden.

"I have a couple conditions I need fulfilled before I go to this world," Naofumi said. He then looked upwards. "Anyone hearing this?"

Much to both Naofumi's and Aqua's surprise, a younger looking girl with angelic wings descended from a pillar of light. She smiled at Aqua serenely before turning to address Naofumi.

"Ah, yes, the worthy soul," the angel girl said. "You say you have certain conditions, yes?"

Naofumi nodded, "Yes, I hope you can at least hear me out?"

Angel Girl nodded, "I can fulfill any request within reason, if it be in our power," Angel Girl replied.

Naofumi smiled, "Thank you," Naofumi replied before getting to his requests. "For one, I don't know what kind of world I'm going to be thrown into, so I need basic understanding of both the world's currencies as well as an encyclopedia on the world's customs, cultures, and traditions."

The angel girl mulled over Naofumi's request before smiling, "It can be done, anything else?"

"I would also like to acquire knowledge of the world's languages, both spoken and written," Naofumi continued. "I would also like a small sum of each different currency, somewhere around three hundred pieces of cash from the currencies of each country to get me started. I don't want to enter the world completely penniless. The rest of the cash I'll have to earn. If that's okay?"

"Certainly, I like a potential hero who likes to stay prepared," Angel Girl said before waving a hand. A large, red book with a leather strap appeared into Naofumi's hands with a bag of what sounded like coins. "While there are no other currencies in the world, I'm giving you three hundred copper Eris."

Naofumi nodded, "Thank you for fulfilling my requests," Naofumi said gratefully before stepping into the magic circle, ready to be transported.

"You are quite welcome," Angel Girl replied. She watched with satisfaction as Naofumi disappeared into particles of light before those particles disappeared. "Now for you..."

Aqua looked up at the angel, confused, "What about me?"

"Well, I know this is sudden, but it was decided by the higher-ups that you will descend to the mortal realm to give divine aid," Angel Girl said, much to the dread of the goddess. "In return, once the Devil King has been defeated, you'll return to us with a higher rank as reward."

"No! I don't want to go there!" Aqua kept screaming and banging on the walls of the magic circle, obviously afraid of setting foot in the mortal world.

Her pleading fell upon deaf ears. Aqua was then enveloped in light and transported to the other world, a world where they'll have to learn a lot of what it means to be a hero, what it means to be a friend, and what is the meaning of being human. As the light faded, the angel looked at the empty chairs, and gave a longing sigh.

"Please, oh radiant one, teach divinity to that failure of a goddess." The angel softly prayed, wanting the best for who was her superior not too long ago, and wishing for the day Naofumi Iwatani will gain his wings, as she, and many others were waiting for him in heaven.

And that about wraps it up for the first chapter. I had played with this idea in my head so many times to the point where I was just like, "Fuck it."

Crush Magic is, you guessed it, a type of powerful magic in Fairy Tail, primarily used by Gildarts Clive, one of the Fairy Tail guild's previous Guild Masters and S-Ranked Wizards.