Chapter 11: Chapter 11 - A Whole New World
---Earthland---
"Uh...where the heck am I!?", I shouted finding myself on a mountain.
The scenery was breath taking, but I had no idea where I was. With no map and no real reference point to determine where on Earthland I was, I decided to go down the mountain. Considering my options I decided to take the fun way down. Getting a running start, I jumped off the summit and summersaulted down the mountain. Letting the snow gather around me, soon I was a giant snowball flying down the mountain at a high rate of speed.
"HAHAHA!!!", I laughed like an idiot, "This is what I am talking about!!"
Suddenly I felt that I was free falling which made me laugh even harder. A minute later I hit terrafirma and tumbled out of the snowball. Shaking my head to knock the snow off, I found myself in front of the Strauss siblings who were looking at me like I was a weirdo.
'Well...there goes a charming entrance...', I thought.
"You okay?", Elfman asked me, "You fell from quite a height."
"Yeah I am fine...I slipped on the mountain path I was on, and took a tumble.", I chuckled.
"How high up were you?", he inquired.
"The summit.", I told him.
Looking at me like I was crazy for laughing off a fall like that, I just gave him a friendly smile. Coming to have a closer look Mirajane and Lisanna were curious about me as well. Picking myself up off the ground, all three of them looked at me in shock as I was taller than all three of them.
"What were you doing on the mountain? Don't you know that there is a bunch of monsters up there!", Lisanna advised.
"I was exploring and looking for something to snack on.", I lied, "I don't have parents so I wander from place to place looking for a safe place to sleep and eat."
Glancing over at Mirajane, she didn't seem all that keen on talking. I was expecting a firecracker, but what I got was meek girl. The more I looked at them, the more it became clear they were starving and had been out looking for food. Not understanding what was going on, I asked them how old they were. Mirajane was 9, Elfman was 8, and Lisanna was 7 which made this year X774.
'Was their childhood this bad? Their parents should still be alive for another four years...', I thought, "Are all of you okay? You don't look so good."
Seeing their downcast expressions, it seemed like I stepped on a landmine. Elfman informed me that they lost their parents a few weeks ago to a Demon attack. Saying that they had to forage for food in the forest to survive, I felt really bad for them. Telling them I could share some of what I had with them, they gave me a grateful smile. Taking me back to their home...their residence was a complete disaster.
Half of the home was destroyed, and the portion that was still standing was charred in several areas. Glancing around their village, I realized their home wasn't the only one that was damaged. Most of the homes in the village were destroyed, and only a handful of people were left. Those that were left were already in the process of moving away.
"What happened here..?", I asked.
"A Demon destroyed our village...", Lisanna told me, "It escaped from some Mage Hunters, and ran through our village taking it's anger out on everyone here. We couldn't do anything to stop it..."
"It killed our parents and tried to burn us alive. If it hadn't rained that night...we'd have died in the fire.", Elfman said looking at the ground in pain, "A lot of people died or were injured that night..."
Taking a better look, I could see that his back was severely burned in several places. Noticing my gaze, he said he got protecting Lisanna and Mirajane from a falling beam in the fire.
"I can heal you, let's get you taken care of first.", I advised.
Reluctantly let me heal him, I used Ark to completely erased the damage to his body. Seeing their brother no longer suffering from his third degree burns, the two sisters thanked me repeatedly for my kindness. Asking to borrow their kitchen, they allowed me to cook them a warm meal. Pulling some venison steaks, potatoes, and salad veggies out I began the process of making dinner.
"Where did you learn to cook?", Lisanna asked me as she watched me season the meat.
"You can only eat something so many times before you get sick of it.", I chuckled, "I learned to cook food several different ways so I could tolerate it."
In reality, I learned how to cook because I had to work with what I had back home. My grandparents weren't rich so some nights I had to get creative with ramen noodles and whatever we had in the cabinet. It wasn't always pretty, but I made due.
"So where all have you gone?", Elfman inquired.
"I have been all over the peninsula. Honestly, I really enjoy the coastal area the most because I like catching seafood.", I laughed, "Catching fish bigger than me, and cooking them up is a lot of fun."
"You have been to the beach!", Lisanna gasped with excitement, "We have always wanted to go to the beach, but we couldn't afford it."
"Haha, I think going on vacation and surviving there are two different things.", I said with a smile, "It's not all fun and games really. Some nights I couldn't make a fire so I had to lay on leaves, and curl up to sleep."
"Oh...I am sorry.", she apologized.
Telling her it was alright, I said that it really made me stronger and that because of it I got to meet a bunch of different people. Listen to my stories of what Bella, Lily, and I had done Elfman and Lisanna were really interested in it, but Mirajane seemed to be preoccupied with other things. Ignoring it for now, once dinner was ready we gathered around the table to eat.
"So are you guys going to leave to find a new place to live?", I asked.
"We want too, but...", Elfman stated before Mirajane cut him off.
"...it's my fault.", Mirajane choked up.
Looking at them, I didn't understand what was going on here.
"Mirajane...she has a Devil inside her.", Lisanna told me, "That night...when our parents were killed...Mirajane changed into a Demon, and fought it before fainting."
Using every ounce of strength I had, I stopped myself from laughing as I knew how badass she would be in the future. Knowing what they were referring too, I looked over at Mirajane with a smile.
"So you use Take Over Magic then.", I said matter of factly, "That's really cool, my magic lets me do that too."
Stopping what they were doing, all three of them looked at me like I was being insensitive. Sighing, I told them I could show them exactly what I meant. Slipping out of my seat, I changed into my Demonic Form which caused them all to go wide-eyed. Backing away from me, I assured them that it wasn't dangerous as long as you controlled your magic properly.
"She doesn't have a Devil in her, it's a very powerful magic. Depending on what source you have, you could take on the powers of a Devil, Animals, Gods, or probably anything else in the world.", I questioned.
"Really?", Mirajane replied.
"You probably used it subconsciously to protect your siblings.", I remarked, "You should be happy, not everyone that uses that magic is able to control themselves. Sometimes people become overwhelmed by the thing they are changing into, and go on a rampage. I saw one guy change into a Minotaur, and level a small city."
"So...so Mirajane isn't cursed!?", Lisanna gasped as her eyes lit up.
"Who told you she was cursed!?", I remarked.
"The Church of the Eternal Fire said she was an abomination.", Elfman told me, "They said she was the reason the Demon came to our village. When the villagers heard about that...they blamed her for all the deaths, and even said Mirajane should die. We had to avoid being around the villagers because several of them wanted to kill her on sight."
Hearing that, I got really pissed off. I understood that when people are pushed into despair that they will cling to anything for hope, but to say that about a nine year old girl was frankly unacceptable. If people were so easily swayed to believe that in a world full of mages...the Church of the Eternal Fire must really have a chokehold on the people. Changing back into my usual appearance, I patted her on the head and told her she was just a normal mage, nothing to be worried about.
"I told you those people were wrong!", Elfman shouted, "You aren't a monster!!"
"Exactly, you aren't anymore of a monster than they are.", I chuckled.
"Huh?", Lisanna and Elfman asked.
"Take Over magic that she was born with is usually hereditary, so you two probably have Take Over magic as well. I can't say it's a She-Devil like hers, but you likely have some sort of source.", I stated.
"Oh!! Maybe I can turn into a kitty!!", Lisanna giggled, "Maybe even a Mermaid!!"
The mood in the room brightened as the realization that she wasn't cursed spread through the room. By the time dinner was done, the three of them were smiling and laughing...truly happy siblings. Washing the dishes, they offered me a place to stay tonight so I didn't have to camp in the forest.
"So if you would recommend a place to go, where would it be?", Lisanna asked, "We can't stay here alone."
"Probably Magnolia Town, I hear that there is a Magic Guild there that accepts anyone. They are a wild bunch of people, but they have a very good reputation in the Wizarding World.", I stated with a smile, "They take in a lot of children with troubled pasts whether they have powerful magic they can't control or were abandoned by their families. The Guildmaster goes out of his way to help children like that so they can have a family."
"They take anyone?", Elfman inquired.
"So I have heard.", I admitted, "I have thought about going there, but never have."
"Sounds like fun!", Lisanna giggled, "Why don't we all go?"
"Isn't it really far away?", Elfman inquired, "What if we run into the Demon or monsters?"
"Not a problem.", I assured him, "I can get us there in no time tomorrow. Flying will make it easy as cake."
"Fly?", they inquired.
"Yep, just wait and see.", I said with smile.
---Orario, Unnamed Bar---
Wandering into a bar to locate two people, Zeus and Hermes were in a hurry to locate them before Zeus had to leave Orario. Finding Zald and Alfia siting off in a corner by themselves, they spotted him before he did them. Walking over to see them, Zald was the first to speak.
"...they really did let you back in the city.", Zald sighed.
"It's been awhile.", Zeus stated with a half smile
"What brings you here, Zeus?", Alfia asked.
"I came here to get both of you before I left. My agreement with Loki and Freya ends today, and I wanted to bring you with me.", Zeus said, "It's Hera and I that drove our Familias to fight that-"
"Don't say it...", Zald snapped, "I don't want to be reminded of that."
Looking at their mugs, Zeus could tell they still questioned why they had been able to survive when so many of their friends didn't. Unbeknownst to him they suffered from nightmares of that fateful fight, and it was enough to drive them crazy. If they didn't have alcohol to calm their nerves, they would have already gone a rampage.
"Come with me.", Zeus said stretching out his hand to them.
Asking why he cared so much now, they reminded him that in the time since his return he never attempted to reach out to him. Speaking up for Zeus, Hermes informed them that the bigger Familia's were looking for any reason to kick him out. If he came looking for them, one of them may have taken it as grounds to throw him out.
"So you intend to rebuild the Familia?", Zald asked.
"Not at the moment, in the future though we will be needed again.", Zeus stated with a downcast look, "We have to find a way to heal your illnesses before then though."
"I got sick after fighting Behemoth...why would you care-", Zald was going to say before he saw the sadness in Zeus' eyes.
Having worked alongside him for years, he had only seen that expression once before...on the day Zeus watched his Familia get torn apart. Trying to piece together why he looked that way, something popped into his mind.
'Something is going to happen to Alfia and I. He must know something we don't.', Zald thought, 'This is his way of trying to make up for all these years...'
With a sigh, Zald agreed to go with Zeus. Even though he may not be in top physical form like he once was, he didn't want to see the old man shed more tears. He remembered the weeks following their defeat...the entire city turned their backs on Hera and Zeus overnight. Alfia and him could have done something to help them, but they didn't out of spite. Back then they were so bitter about having been one of the few to survive that they left their deities to face the storm alone.
'We took our anger out on our deities, and stepped aside while they took the brunt of it.', Zald thought as he stood up, 'I owe him a second chance...for as long as I have left. Maybe one day they can rebuild to the Familia's to their former glory.'
"Well if Zald trusts you, I will do the same.", Alfia agreed with a smirk, "So where are we going?"
"To find Hera, we have to heal your injuries then prepare for a storm coming to Orario.", Zeus stated.
Nodding their heads, the two grabbed their gear and followed him out the door.
Weekly Power Status
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