Premise: Zeref and Natsu arenât born 400 years prior to the series; instead, theyâre born in X763 and X766 respectively, and their family eventually settles around the area of Isvan. Circumstances make the brothers orphans, but Ur Milkovich takes them in, and so Ultear gains siblings⌠and becomes the middle child. Lovely.
Sceneâs Point in Time: X780
Mard Geer: Lord Zeref, I do believe the well is dry here. There is nothing more to be gleaned from this institution. *carrying a stack of books, while Zeref is doing the same as they enter Magnoliaâs library*
Zeref: *faint smile* Itâs been three years, and I still somehow doubt that.
Mard Geer: ⌠How can you be so sure?
Zeref: Sayla has, on occasion, noticed subtle changes in the organization. A new book here and there, some of the ones I checked out months prior missing⌠As in, completely removed from the shelf. Not checked out. The number of books stored here has never changed; itâs meticulously been maintained so that perhaps no one would notice.
Mard Geer: Hmm⌠I suppose itâs possible. There were times when I saw that some books were missing as well, though I had assumed they were checked out. So you believe someone is toying with you?
Zeref: Not with malicious intent. But yes⌠I do believe someone is playing a little game with us, to keep us âcoming backâ. *small grin* And I think Iâve puzzled it out.
Librarian: *smirks as he sits at his desk, seeing the two approaching* Hmph. Done with that batch, I take it?
Zeref: *takes note that the man has an impressive build for his age, and that he has an eyepatch over his right eye* Hnn. That is indeed the case, Gaebolg. Would you like our help putting them back again?
Librarian: Iâll manage on my own, this time. Why donât you two just peruse our collection once more?
Zeref: *smirks right back at the old man* ⌠I have a better idea. Tell me, is your first name really 'Gaebolgâ?
Librarian: âŚ. Hmm. *strokes his long beard* Youâre the first one to question that, I must confess. What makes you think it is a fake name?
Zeref: I never said that it was completely false. It could be your surname, and for whatever reason, you decided to pass it off as your first. Itâs not unheard of - some people simply prefer privacy. *as Gaebolg remains silent, eyeing him shrewdly, Zeref shrugs, stepping back from the pile of books he placed on his desk* Itâs fine if you donât wish to tell me. I was just⌠curious.
Librarian: ⌠How much do you know, or think you know�
Zeref: *spreads out his arms peacefully* Well, itâs merely a hypothesis, but taking into consideration your impressive reserves for Magic, the plaque near the entrance that clarifies every book in here belongs to you, and the gold ring with a Fairy Tail emblem on your right hand⌠I feel I must contend you are or were a prominent member of Fairy Tail. Given that no one at the Guild has seemed to piece this together about you, or at the very least wonât talk about it in the open, that makes you very prominent. Almost as if you were our former Master⌠And since our First Master was a woman, that would make you Precht Gaebolg. Am I wrong?
Mard Geer: *widens his eyes, as not even he had picked up on all those details; Zerefâs theory sounded plausible, though*
Precht: Well, well, donât you have the eye for detail. I must admit, youâre the first one since that Gildarts brat to have worked it out, and he never bothered to set foot in here. If Iâm that transparent, I must be losing my touch.
Zeref: There is very little information left about you in Fairy Tailâs archives - not even your surname or even a picture was given. You werenât expelled from the Guild, so what happened?
Precht: Ah, that would actually be my doing. I didnât intend to create an amusing mystery, though that was a side effect, as youâve demonstrated. ⌠Iâm afraid it would take too long to get into all of it, but there was a time in my youth when I had lost my way. It took Mavis to pull me back from the brink of the abyss, and to atone for my mistakes, I purged the archives of information on myself, and resolved to maintain this library in complete anonymity.
???: *sigh* What am I always telling you, Precht? Youâve already 'atonedâ! Weâre only enjoying retirement here. ^__^
Mard Geer: o__o Is that�
Zeref: It appears the years have been kind to you both⌠To think, Magnoliaâs library is maintained by Fairy Tailâs first two Masters. *faint smile*
Indeed, standing a few feet behind Zeref and Mard Geer was Fairy Tailâs First Master, Mavis Vermillion. For being 107, she did look remarkably well, though her age did show somewhat, similar to Precht.
Precht: *sighs as he stands up, crossing his arms* Yes, well⌠It isnât easy for me to 'get overâ Ritaâs death. You and Yuri may have forgiven me, but if I had been more vigilant, Makarov would have grown up with his mother. Instead, I allowed my curiosity to get the better of me, and those⌠cultists⌠took her life. *he scrunched his nose at the mention of the 'cultistsâ, though Zeref and Mard Geer had no idea of his distaste for a specific type of mage because of this mentioned incident*
Mavis: Precht⌠*shakes her head as she doesnât want to delve into that incident any more than Precht already has; it was a sensitive topic for the four founders of Fairy Tail, though every single one of them had moved past the pain⌠except for Precht himself* Well, anyway! ^__^ *turns her attention to Zeref, and leers at Mard Geer* Iâve actually wanted to meet you for a while, Zeref. I found it fascinating that you created several beings out of Ethernano - never seen that done before! And this one looks really scrumptious! *eyes sparkle as she shrinks down to Chibi size and pokes Mard Geer all over with a stupid, somewhat perverted grin on her face; of course, Mard Geer tried to (lightly) swat her away, but Mavis proved to be a speedy little ChibiâŚ*
Precht: *amused smirk* I hear from Makarov you made this first one out of pure instinct. Tell me, boy, how many have you created thus far?
Zeref: *hums as he ticks off fingers and counts them in his head* ⌠As of last yearâs S-Class Trials, 5. Mard Geer here can control plant life through his Magic, even if itâs deep underground. Sayla, who watches over Natsu, wields light-based attacks and defenses. Tempester, who watches over Ultear, can manipulate any of the four elements - air, water, earth, and fire. I created Torafuzar when faced with a Trial based in the ocean, and finally, I created Franmalth to gain more flexibility and farther reach, but he also has the ability to absorb attacks. Theyâre⌠quite diverse in their skillsets.
Mavis: Oooh! Let me see the others! *grown back to her normal height, but her eyes are still sparkling*
Zeref: ⌠I can guarantee you wouldnât find the others as 'cuteâ⌠Well⌠at least not Torafuzar and Franmalth, and theyâre the only other ones I have on-hand.
Mavis: *pout* Youâre in Fairy Tail. You should aim for cuteness as well as usefulness.
Zeref, Mard Geer, and Precht: o__oâ
Gray: o_____o Do you think weâll catch a break, now that Erzaâs S-Class?
Natsu: Hell no. Going on S-Class jobs while leaving us behind? With neesan? I guarantee she just wanted the promotion to boss around neesan. o___o
Gray: Thatâs⌠actually not that farfetched⌠>_> Why do the three scariest girls we know hafta be into you, and more importantly, why do I gotta get dragged into it?!
Natsu: Wha⌠theyâre not into me, Stripper. Neesanâs just being overprotective, and Erza 'n MiraâŚ.
Gray: Haaah~, finally figured it out, did you? And I still say Ultear has to feel something for you, 'cause she literally has ZERO interest in any other guy! Throw in Lisanna, and youâre getting tugged four ways!
Natsu: âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ..
Gray: Oi! Donât break on me now, Flameturd! Iâm counting on you to be my meat-shield! âŚ. Come to think of it, no, this is okay. Better than okay, 'cause if youâre zoned out, I can just throw you at those harpies. Hehehe.
Natsu: âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ.
Gray: Thatâs right, let it sink in! Worst case scenario, they decide to 'shareâ you, and you gotta go on all those shopping trips with three womenâŚ. Four, if they let Lisanna into the harem. *shudder* I can barely imagine one. You poor, poor bastard.
Natsu: âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ
Gray: Huh. This is definitely the quietest Iâve seen you. Itâs weird. Nice, but weird. *jolts as Erza marches into the Guild and over to them*
Erza Natsu! Gray! I have found a suitable Quest, let us⌠>_> Gray. Why does Natsu have the thousand-yard stare.
Gray: Beats me. He kinda froze up when he thought about you 'n Mira liking him. I think pubertyâs finally setting inâŚ. *gets punched into the far wall*
Ultear: *comes striding up to the Dragon Slayer* Natsu, I picked out a Quest, letâs⌠âŚ. What did you do to him. >_>
Erza: Oh, you are not pinning that on me! Gray brought up our childish squabbles over him. Clearly, your advances as well as Miraâs have traumatized him.
Ultear: Oh, and Iâm sure youâve been his hero in shining white armor. *eyeroll*
Erza: Just because you are jealous of our bond, does not mean you have to try and break us up.
Ultear: Jealous⌠right⌠Because he doesnât come home from Quests with you, whining about how you handled the heavylifting while he got to do the bare minimum. *sarcasm* At least I allow him to take on some of the tougher monsters and let him grow in experience.
Erza: So I might be a little controlling on the harder missionsâŚ
Ultear: Uh-huh. And just where do you draw the line? Because he seems to think you coddle him on every mission. ⌠Not to mention you sucker punch him on trains to 'helpâ him with his motion sickness⌠>_>
Ultear: Thaaatâs what I thought.
Mira: HeaveâŚHO! ^__^ *Mira and Lisanna abruptly picks the 'comatoseâ Dragon Slayer up off his feet and carries him away from Erza and Ultear*
Erza and Ultear: *glaring at one another in annoyance* ⌠This is your fault.
Erza: At least Iâm not into incest!
Ultear: Hon, weâre not related by blood. And he and Zeref kept their last name. If I want to snuggle with my 'otoutoâ, Iâll damn well do it. >_>
Erza: I-Indecent! At least with my S-Class title, Natsu will pursue me, keep challenging me!
Ultear: *snort* When you tackle a real S-Class assignment, like the one Zeref did, then Iâll acknowledge your 'titleâ. Until then, to me youâre just a silly girl playing at being âS-Classâ.
Erza: *glowing red eyes* Why yooouuu! *starts brawl with Ultear*
Wakaba: ⌠I think they forgot about Mira and Lisanna, there.
Macao: Pyroâs barely fourteen, and heâs already a lady killer!
Wakaba: Hope the kid realizes how lucky he is before they lose interest in him.
Makarov: Iâll have you know I sat him and Zeref down for the Talk. ⌠Turns out Ur had already given it to them both, but at least the hidden peeping holes seemed to have mixed results.
Macao: ⌠How is that a good thing? Mixed is good and bad.
Makarov: Well, Natsu was resistant to most women, but as soon as he saw Erza and Mira entering the baths⌠*pervy grin*
Macao and Wakaba: âŚâŚâŚ. O___O
Makarov: ⌠What? *notices that Erza and Ultear have stopped brawling; both have demonic glowing eyes set on him* ⌠Ah. 'Scuse me while I go take a leak⌠*runs out of the Guildhall at full tilt, with both teenagers chasing after him like the hounds from Hell*
Gray: Theyâre so lucky Master doesnât just knock 'em outâŚ
Silver: *pats his sonâs head* One day youâll understand, kiddo. The wrath of the fairer sex is not to be trifled with. *pervy grin* But it can be so, so worth itâŚ
Note: Little shorter than I wanted, but it works for now. *shrug* Havenât decided yet if I want to change up Edolas events, hence Happyâs absence, but I might keep those the same. Theyâre kinda separate from anything related to Zeref/Fairy Tailâs past.
I liked the thought of a living Mavis/Yuri, and a non-evil Precht, though. Rita still died, but different circumstances. ⌠Still hafta iron it out, but I threw a very vague hint with Prechtâs disdain there. Youâll definitely get clarification on the kind of 'Cultistsâ, come Tower of Heaven. Hehe.
To be clear, Laxus was still made S-Class in X778, while Zeref made it in X779, and Erza in X780. Thatâs the 'changeâ so far.
So I budged on two more Etherious. Still dunno if Iâll allow Kyouka, Ezel, Jackal, and Keyes to be made, but if I budged on Torafuzar and Franmalth⌠Heh. At least Iâm not making them too different in terms of Magic; yeah, their attacks are (probably) 'weakerâ than their Curse variations, but they could be arguably 'strongerâ as well, since Curses cloud their minds with negative emotions. Thatâs my interpretation. Hope you enjoyed this a bit.
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