Seven years ago the dragons disappeared, taking with them the dangers of a hidden dark age. The public are once again safe; magic, demons, and apocalypses are merely myths and conspiracies in the modern world. Even soul marks, a tattoo that appears 17 years after birth, are considered biological anomalies.

Magic leaving its mark on people's skin has gone unnoticed, and so have the many magical guilds of Fiore, who practise magic in secret.

With the dragons now gone, the magic council has to keep an extra close eye on these guilds; partly to ensure magic's secrecy, and partly to control the growth of unregistered dark guilds.

The biggest threat to magic's secrecy is also the council's biggest asset; Fairy Tail is the most powerful guild in Fiore, housing three dragon slayers, and mastered by the wizard saint Makarov. Hiding behind a pub named 'The Guildhall', Fairy Tail thrives quietly in the city of Magnolia, protecting its citizens as dark guilds grow strong enough to attack non-magic townsfolk on the street.

The longer the dragons are gone, the more of a threat the dark guilds are becoming. War is coming.

Chapter 1:
Lucy's Legasy

Dear Mum,

Today has been a little stressful. Father managed to wait a week before launching a new scheme to bring me home - not only that, he's preserving my education by destroying my weekend.

To be honest, after private investigators and the almost kidnapping, this tactic was kind of tame for him.

He wrote a letter the the headmaster of Magnolia's Academy for Young Ladies and Gentlemen, expressing that he was withdrawing me from school and terminating any related payments.

Don't worry though! Levy, as always, came to the rescue.

You know last summer she took an intership at her Dad's law firm? Well one of the cases she worked on was for an old landlady here in Magnolia.

Levy phoned in a favour from her Dad, and before I knew it I had a place at the local High School. McGarden & Associates were sorting out all the paperwork, and the landlady Levy helped was organising a rent agreement for me to sign that day.

By the time the school's staff had packed my things into one of the academy's chauffeur car, we were all set to change my destination from the train station to my new apartment. It was pretty impressive considering how quick the staff have to be here - the people who attend the academy are pretty poor in the patience department.

I'll miss the nice food, the library, and Levy most of all, but it'll be nice to actually be out in the real world for a change. I can just imagine Father's face when he hears his only descendent is going to graduate from a public school. He's still convinced I'm going to be a foreign embassador in the family buisness.

I know I was lucky this time in getting out of Father's latest plan to drag me back home, but his timing is more irritating than ever. Levy and I planned a birthday picnic on the roof of our dorm tonight. We were going to watch the stars until my soul mark appears.

Still, I'm sure we'll have a good movie night in my new apartment.

Missing you, as always.
Love,
Lucy.

I set the letter aside, letting the ink dry before I put it in an envelope.

Leaning back in my new desk chair I looked around at the sound of my bedroom door opening, and saw Levy putting her phone back in her pocket in the doorway.

"All finished?" I asked.

"Yup, Dad's got it all sorted." Levy skipped over to the bed and sat down on the still plastic wrapped mattress. A small knot of guilt tightened in my stomach as I looked around my new bedroom.

"I still can't believe your Dad bought all the furniture for this place," I mumbled.

Levy rolled her eyes.

"Hey, you're helping me really - now I don't have to get you a birthday present!"

I smiled to myself, feeling glad but still not entirely comfortable with the McGarden's paying me out of my Father's grasp. I hated when my Father spent money on me, let alone someone else's.

The strawberry street apartment was tiny compared with the huge dorm Levy and I had shared, but smaller felt safer - or at least less likely to draw my Father's attention. The apartment spanned the entire top floor, the landlady wanting to downsize after her husband passed away.

She was very grouchy, complaining about all the noise from me moving in, though every time Levy apologised she softened like butter. Levy tends to have that affect on people - anything to do with words is kind of her thing.

The landlady had sternly thrust the apartment key at me earlier, threatening that it was the only copy and that I'd better keep it safe. I got the impression her husband had been in the forces, because she started muttering about all the things he'd taught her for 'taking care of miscreants'.

Erring on the side of caution, I strung the key on the necklace I always wore. It now hung beneath my school dress, clinking against Mum's ornate gold key.

Though I'd tried it in most key holes, I hadn't found anything Mum's key unlocked at the Heartfelia Estate, but it was the only thing of Mum's I was allowed to keep after she died. I kept it round my neck in case my Father tried to get rid of it like the rest of Mum's belongings.

Though my Father couldn't do anything about my new life (at least not legally) I did have a lot of things to lose now. In the small living room there were two very comfy sofas and an armchair, all swaddled in bubble wrap and set around the fireplace. Levy's Dad had even splashed out on a television. It was attaching to the wall above a table and chairs, as the kitchenette was too small for the little dining table.

My bedroom had enough space for a bed by the window, a desk against the wall, and a bookshelf behind the door to the bathroom. The bathroom itself wasn't really big enough for the bath that had been wedged between the wall and toilet, but I appriciated it all the same.

Trying to ignore the guilt gnawing at me as I looked around my room, I fiddled with the two keys on my necklace.

The apartment key was much colder than Mum's gold one, which had lain against my skin for every day and night of the last seven years.

I still remember Spetto telling me about it in the bath, trying to comfort me the first time I'd been thrown out of Father's office.

"See those little squiggly lines on the fob," she'd said, pointing at the engraving on the key, "that's the symbol of Aquarius. She's a warrior maiden who controls water."

My vision was a blurry from crying and Spetto wiped a tear off my cheek before it could fall on the gold metal.

"Aquarius can raise a tsunami," she'd said, "she can shield you from rainstorms, and even stop tears."

"Earth to Lu?!" Levy sung, jolting me out of my revery. "You're not still stewing in guilt, are you?"

I sat up straight,

"No, no...just thinking about tonight." Levy grinned, reaching a hand over her shoulder thoughtfully. I knew she was running her fingers of the soul mark that'd shown up on her back a few months ago.

I picked up the elaborate skirts of my Academy uniform,

"We should probably get changed out of these. I doubt shop keepers will give jobs to people from the academy."

Levy grinned, probably envisioning some of our classmates trying to sell groceries.

She walked over to my trunk of clothes,

"D'you mind if I borrow something?"

"Since your Dad just bought my life back, do you really think I'm going to say no?"

Levy pouted at me,

"So you're saying you're only nice to me because of my Dad's money?!"

I rolled my eyes at her, getting to my feet and walking over to the trunk of clothes.

Since moving in had taken most of the day, we rushed around town all afternoon, asking the managers of stores if they were hiring.

My first choice of job would've been a shop clerk, but every clothing shop, grocery store, and market stall within a mile of my apartment turned me down.

As evening started to draw in, Levy and I resorted to asking for work in bars or kitchens.

Though serving drinks to sleazy men wasn't at the top of my list, the alternative was going home to be married off.

The first bar we happened upon was The Guildhall. Levy stopped outside the doors, glancing at me sceptically at the sound of what sounded like chairs being broken.

I had to at least check the place out, so taking a deep breath, I pushed open one of the double doors.

Walking over the threshold I felt like I'd crossed a sound barrier. The noise level hit me like the heat of a summer's day, washing over me as I hesitated in the doorway, looking around. Though I saw a few people arm wrestling and a small brawl between three men in the corner, the atmosphere seemed friendly, though a little intense.

Trying to ignore the looks Levy and I were starting to attract, I walked up to the bar, heading for the white haired bar girl currently pouring someone a drink. Once she'd handed the full tankard over to a patron, she walked over to me, the name badge now visible on her red dress. Mira Jane smiled at Levy and I sweetly,

"What can I get ya?"

"Er..hi...I was wondering if you had any jobs going at the moment?"

"If you've got a soul mark to prove your over 17, I'm sure we could sort some bar work out."

I gave a shaky laugh and lent a little closer to her, lowering my voice,

"Er, I can't really show you my mark in public, if you know what I mean?"

The bar maid nodded, and opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a gruff voice to my left.

"Mira Jane, I don't believe Miss Heartfelia is old enough to work behind a bar."

A tiny old man was walking along the top of the bar, smiling down at me as he sat down on the countertop, a half-full tankard in his hand. Mira Jane looked surprised,

"Oh, do you know this young lady Master Makarov?"

I worked hard to keep a straight face as I heard the old man's title.

I really hope I'm not applying for a job in some kind of pimp bar. I don't think a pimp would wear an orange and blue sweater, socks, and joker hat, but it's not something I'd know much about growing up on the Heartfelia estate.

"Of course I know her," Makarov said, "she looks more like her Mother now than she did when she was a baby. "Old man Makarov's forehead creased as he looked down at me. "However, I confess I don't know why you've strung Aquarius' gate key on a necklace."

I stared at Makarov. Let alone seeing me as a baby, how the hell would he know what this key symbolised for my Mum? Father had always maintained that the Heartfelia's only mix with the most prestigious of people. Mum's one exception was a close friend in the city, but I couldn't really believe that friend was Makarov.

I grasped the key Makarov was staring at to hide it from view, feeling a little defensive seeing as he knew my surname,

"Its not like it opens anything anything."

Makarov was apparently not thinking of the Heartfelia fortune, because he replied to this like I was testing him.

"Of course it does! How could you summon celestial spirits without opening their gates?!"

Oh...so he's not a pimp...he's just crazy. Should've picked up on that from the jester's hat.

"You know, I've been master of Fairy Tail for years." Makarov said, clearly happy to ramble while I stood there awkwardly. "Long before your Mother Layla joined. But even for—"

BANG!

Makarov broke off as the doors of the pub flew open, banging against the wall while two boys in school uniform stormed in.

One had messy, baby pink hair, that would've looked more appropriate red as he angrily threw his school bag onto the table. Despite Autumn not having really started, pinky wore a long white scarf, which swung behind him as he span around, yelling furiously at the black haired boy who'd walked in with him.

"SATURDAY DETENTION IS NOT MY FAULT! YOU JUST STRIPPED DOWN IN THE HALL WAY AND CAME AT ME!"

The black haired boy dropped his bag, yanking his loose tie over his head and throwing it at pinky,

"YOU SET FIRE TO MY LOCKER!"

"WELL MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE ICED UP ALL MY BOOKS! DO YOU KNOW HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO EXPLAIN WHY YOU PUT ALL YOUR SCHOOL BOOKS IN A FREEZER?!"

The dark haired boy started unbuttoning his shirt,

"YOU ASKING TO GET BEATEN UP FLAME-BRAIN?!"

"OH I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY ICE-PRINCESS!"

And before my eyes, pinky's fist was enveloped in a ball of flames.

The dark haired boy raised his own fist, which with a flash of cold light became encased in a boxing glove of ice.

Before either of the boys could throw a punch, something large and flesh coloured flew over my head. The boys jumped away from each other as a gigantic fist slammed onto the floor between them.

I looked around for the source of the fist, and my mouth fell open as I encountered its owner.

Fire and ice were one thing, but watching tiny Mr Makarov reel in and shrink his hand like a tape measure made my brain freeze.

"WILL YOU BRATS STOP FIGHTING FOR ONE SECOND?!" Makarov yelled. "I'M TRYING TO WELCOME A NEW GUILD MEMBER!"

The two boys glared at eachother then pinky stalked away. The dark haired boy sat down, smashing his fist on the table top to shatter his icey punching glove. Chunks of ice flew through the air, hitting several near by pub goers, and somehow sparking a pub-wide brawl.

In seconds there were coloured objects, smoke, and flashing lights bouncing around the room, not a drop of alcohol split as tables were turned over and chairs were sent flying.

Makarov sighed exasperatedly, like he couldn't be bothered to stop them now the whole pub was involved, and gave Levy and I a weary smile. He looked a little concered at our shocked expressions, and half shouted over the din of fighting,

"I get the impression that neither of you knew that Layla was a celestial wizard."

I cleared my throat, half suprised, half impressed to hear my voice.

"No Mr Makarov. We didn't know."

Makarov asked Mira Jane to stop the fighting with something called an Erza, then led Levy and I over to a table in the very corner of the Guildhall. We were as far away from the fighting as possible, but Makarov still had to keep half an eye out as the occasional chair leg flew our way.

Before he explained anything, Makarov warned us that magic was to remain a secret, and anyone who didn't join a registered guild had their memories wiped by the magic council for their own and others safety.

I couldn't imagine many people walking out the door after being told magic was real, especially a research nut like Levy - I could practically see the cogs turning in her head, listing all the different areas of magic she wanted to research. I mainly wanted to hear what Makarov knew about my Mother, and with difficulty I bit back new and old questions while the guildmaster finished speaking.

"I'll admit, I don't quite understand how Miss McGarden managed to get in here." Makarov said. "You see, you can't fully enter the pub if you haven't known magic. Under the council's orders, one of our members who specialises in rune magic put up a barrier, so that anyone who doesn't know about magic when they walk through those doors gets stuck. As you walked right inside, you both obviously know magic, but you seem confused to see it in action."

As if to demonstrate this, Makarov raised and inflated his hand, batting away a flaming chair like it was a fly.

He shrank his hand, wringing it slightly as if to cool it down after touching fire. He smiled pointedly at Levy and I, both of us staring at his now rather small, wrinkled but unblemished hand.

Confessing that neither of us knew anything about magic, Makarov offered a theory that each of us saw it when we were very small and don't properly remember it.

Especially where I was concerned, Makarov thought my Father had hidden magic after my Mother passed away in order to protect me from a world of dark wizards.

I didn't buy it. Levy and I were both heiresses to international corporations. The world was already an unsafe place, and magic seemed to be the perfect protection two small girls might need - certainly more effective than body gaurds.

I became more convinced that my Father hid magic to keep me under his control when Makarov explained what really happened to my Mum.

The guildmaster told me that the coma Mum had been found in wasn't unfortunate and due to natural causes (as the doctors had told us). After she'd died, because she was a talented 'celestial mage', her body had been examined by magic council members. They'd concluded that her death was the result of having all her magic drained from her body. How it'd happened, no one was sure.

"I must ask." Makarov said, leaning forwards a little as if asking a question he'd held back since he first saw me. "Do you know anything of the location of Layla's other golden keys?"

I shook my head.

"My Father gave me Aquarius' key at her funeral. I think he probably he sold the rest - he got rid of the rest of her belongings."

Makarov's frowned, and he hestiated a moment as if choosing his next words very carefully. Looking grimly at me, he said quietly,

"The reason I'm asking is that I've had word from another guild that their celestial mage has disappeared. The council is now worried that dark guilds are trying to steal gate keys and their owners. The fact that you still have your key is comforting, but we should try and keep your whereabouts unknown as far as it is possible."

Well that was my plan in the first place; heiresses rebelling against their transport overlord Father don't tend to rent out cute, unsecure apartments and shout about it.

"I urge the both of you to use all the resources Fairy Tail has," Makarov said, "you should become as experienced with magic as you can, just in case dark guilds come looking for a celestial mage in Magnolia - you Miss McGarden are likley to be just as much of a target, being Miss Heartfelia's closest friend. You're welcome to ask around to see which magical dicipline might suit you, and we have a modest library here at Fairy Tail—"

I could practically feel Levy's excitement, but Makarov glanced at the window and sighed,

"—though that should wait till morning. The streets are dangerous at night, and I'd sleep better if I knew both of you were home before it gets dark."

After saying goodbye to Master Makarov, and weaving through the bar wide brawl, Levy and I walked back along the river bank to Strawberry Street.

We stopped breifly to pick up some dinner, Levy ranting the entire time about all the different things she was going to research tommorow. I had a feeling she knew I wasn't listening properly, but she seemed content to let me nod occasionally, my fingers tracing Aquarius' key as I thought over what Makarov had said.

Back at the flat, I put the food in the oven, then followed Levy to my bedroom to get changed into pyjamas. When I walked in I saw Levy searching for a matching pyjama top, her white soul mark visible on the back of her left shoulder.

It was a white shape that looked like a rolled up scroll pierced by a nail. As soul marks tended to reflect both partners, Levy's mark was one that made you a little apprehensive.

We'd stayed up to watch it appear, and I watched her break down as she realised what the shape in the mirror might mean.

"I'm scared Lu." She'd whispered, tears streaming down her face as I hugged her. "Who nails a rolled up scroll to something?! you wouldn't be able to read anything without ripping it. And I'm definitely the scroll...so does that mean...what if my soul mates some kind of..."

She'd broken off crying, and it'd taken a long while to calm her down. Thankfully, I'd been imaginative enough to say she might meet someone who'd nail her a job in translation.

It was a good enough explanation at the time, but her reaction when soul marks cropped up in conversation showed it was still a touchy subject.

We both knew that finding your soul mate means you're stuck with them, whatever you felt about each other. Some soul mates were best friends, absolutely nothing more, and certainly nothing to be nervous about. A lot of people never found their soul mate, even if they passed them on teh street.. My parents had married despite not being soul mates.

Still, it made me wonder; at midnight tonight, when I felt the burning of a soul mark on my skin, would it be the mark of something evil? Abuse could still happen amongst soul mates. It was what Levy was so terrified of.

A hand waved in front of my face.

I shook my head, realising that Levy was now wearing the appropriate pajama top and looking at me with concern.

"Your Mum, or your soul mark?" She asked gently.

"My soul mark," I said, grinning nervously.

Levy beamed at me, compensating for my lack of confidence,

"You have to wake me up and show me if I fall asleep!"

I walked over to the trunk, and began to change,

"I'll show you as long as it's not in a really weird place."

Levy crossed her arms and looked me up and down,

"Lu, you're literally in your underwear right now. If it's on your butt, I'm not gonna be weirded out that much."

I threw my top at her, embarrassed but smiling all the same.

We ended up sleeping on the two sofas in the sitting room, too tired to take all the plastic off the bed. We took a sofa each, wrapped ourselves up in blankets, and watched soul-mark chick chick flicks as midnight ticked closer and closer.

A stomach full of ice cream easied my nerves slightly, and to my surprise I ended up drifting off. At midnight, a burning sensation on my right hand woke me up.

I sat up straight, the dim light from the TV illuminating the back of my hand as a shape began to darken there.

Not daring to look away, I reached out with my left hand and grabbed a cushion, throwing it at the sofa opposite.

There was a muffled 'oof' from Levy.

"It's on my hand," I said.

Suddenly a flurry of movement, Levy threw off her blankets and scampered over, sitting down next to me while I held out my hand for both of us to see.

The burning began to subside, and the skin around the mark glowed a faint pink before all sensation faded.

I was now the proud owner of a pink tattoo.

Neither of us spoke for a moment.

"What the heck is that meant to be?" I asked, turning my hand slightly to try and make sense of the shape. "It looks like maybe a heart in the middle there...actually no it doesn't."

Levy pulled my hand closer to her.

"It looks kinda like a warped—" she looked up suddenly, shaking my newly tattooed hand— "Lu what if it's a fairy?!"

I looked back down at my hand.

"How the hell is that a fairy?"

Levy pointed at my the mark, running her finger down the straight line,

"These are the legs," she tapped the triangle at the end, "these are the feet," she traced her finger upwards to the pointed beak-like top, "that's the head. And these," she pointed at tendrils coming off the shape like flames, "are the wings."

Her finger hovered over the last trendril which is forked at the end.

"If this is a tail," Levy muttered.

"Since when did Fairies have tails?!" Levy raised her eyebrows,

"Well what do you think it looks like?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but couldn't think of anything to say.

"Lu, if it is a fairy, don't you think it's a bit too much of a co-incidence that we walked into a magical guild named Fairy Tail today? A guild your Mum was in before she—"

Levy stopped abruptly, apparently not wanting to mention Mum's death so explicitly first thing on my birthday. She hesitated a second longer, then tried to pick up the same tone of excitement.

"—what I mean is, what if it's a sign your soul mate is in Fairy Tail?"

I frowned. It did make sense, but it seemed to make too much sense - more like she was projecting a meaning onto it instead of interpreting the symbol.

"Maybe my soul mate is gay," I said slowly, "hence the fairy bit? Maybe I'm gay and don't know it?"

Levy didn't look convinced as I pulled my hand away from her, but both of us leaned in as I turned my hands over to expose my inner wrists.

We both fell silent, watching.

I bit my lip as the two names began burning into my skin. There would be one on the inside of each wrist, and unlike the soul mark they'd vanish soon after.

One would be the name of the person most dear to me, and one would be my arch-nemesis (according to legend anyway). Most people now a days just had a really big fight with someone.

Still, the mystery was pretty cool, not knowing which name belonged to your enemy and which was your 'dearly beloved'. Maybe the names would be like Levy's, the same on each wrist.

I squinted at my right wrist in the dim light of the TV. It was the shortest name, and it seemed to have finished writing itself.

Natsu

"Knat-soo…?" Levy said slowly. "Naaa-tsoo?"

The name on my left wrist finished writing and I snorted,

"Try saying that; Ac-nol-ogia? Who the heck calls a kid Acnologia? Sounds like a disease."

"Maybe Acnologia is the worst cold you'll ever have, one that you'll get on your first date with Naafoo—" she checked my wrist as the names started to fade— "sorry, Natsu...to be honest they're both pretty unique names. Ooo, maybe they're the same person it's just one is a nickname?"

I shrugged, watching my wrists until the names had completely faded.

Levy retreated back to her sofa, and I pulled my blanket up to my chin.

I felt a just a little relieved. At the very least, my soul mark didn't ominous.

Lying back on the sofa I raised my right hand to star at my new soul mark. If Levy's theory was right (as they usually are) visiting Fairy Tail today seemed just a little more intimidating.

So, first chapter, boring as most other first chapters. Thought I'd slip in a small fact in case you found it a waste of time reading it;

Different species of Dolphin babysit each others kids while the parents dive down to hunt. How cute is that!

Hope to see you in the next chapter :D
M