Phoenix Fire || Fairy Tail [1]

𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐱. 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 {𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝}

𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜: 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙤𝙩𝙨 
❛ ... ❜

◊

Lucy plopped down beside Natsu on the floor, a bowl of popcorn resting on her lap. Erza sat on the couch with Cylene, Happy and Carla. Gray was positioned leaning against the couch, the same for Sting and Rogue who had their exceeds cradled in their laps.

The curtains in the living room had been drawn shut, so there was no light in the room aside from that cast by a small table lamp resting on a table beside the couch.

"Let's start!" the celestial mage cheered enthusiastically.

Wendy nodded, channelling some of her magic power into the crystal before taking a seat on the couch beside Erza and the exceeds.

The lacrima shone red for a brief moment, before a flat projection appeared above it. The images were blurry for a few moments, but they slowly came into focus.

◊

A young girl, no older than three, with dark brown eyes and a wild mane of dark brown hair ambled through a field of golden wheat. A messily braided flower-crown sat tilted on her head, some of the flowers shedding petals as she skipped along in the direction of a small gathering of low-lying buildings.

As she made her way around the cluster of homes she would stop to wave and greet people who responded with soft smiles and tilted heads. A man in the latter half of his forties, with a fading beard and an apron, gave her a package of what appeared to be smoked meat, patting her head fondly as he waved the child away.

The girl pranced through the open doorway of a humble home, entering a warm kitchen where a woman who looked to be the child's mother was preparing some kind of dough. The girl paused, sneaking behind the woman with a mischievous grin. Her round, chocolate brown eyes narrowed in focus as she slowly crept forward, before throwing herself onto the woman in a tackle.

The woman's mouth opened in a short gasp as she spun around in shock, her dark eyes round with surprise. She relaxed when she realised it was simply the child, who grinned up at her cheekily.

Seemingly unable to scold the young girl, the woman sighed softly.

The girl held up the parcel she had received from the man earlier, and received a gentle pat on the head as thanks. A cookie was also given to the child, who devoured it happily.

◊

The same dark-haired girl lay sprawled across the grass at the base of a shady tree, her dark eyes focused on the bright blue sky above. She seemed slightly older, her hair held back in twin ponytails.

A massive winged figure could be seen soaring through the sky, weaving in and out of the clouds with nimble movements.

The child's eyes were focused intently on the massive creature, which soon became nothing but a speck on the horizon.

◊

The brown-eyed child was walking together with her mother and her father, a man in his twenties with dark hair and vermillion red eyes. The adults were both holding baskets with various herbs and plants contained within them.

The mother had a leather belt wrapped loosely around her waist over her dress, with a short sword sheathed at her waist. The father, in contrast, had a bow and a quiver of arrows slung over his shoulder.

They had made it to the crest of a hill before the first signs appeared.

Smoke.

The village was being raided.

The mother dropped her basket and unsheathed her sword, holding the weapon up with shaky hands as she pushed her daughter behind her. Despite the child's confused cries, the older woman was forced to ignore her and focus on the danger which was approaching them.

The father had slung the bow off of his shoulder, his expression paling. An arrow was held in his other hand. Upon noticing his wife preparing, he too ignored his instincts and moved to shield their daughter.

Of course, they knew the likelihood of them escaping was near zero.

But they had to try.

The young girl let out another call for them to turn around, but she was unable to see the monstrosity which was the cause of her parent's fears.

There was a moment of silence as both sides stared each other down, the only sound being that of the child's continuous questions and the crackling of the flames in front of them.

And then, all of a sudden, the first attack was released.

The father notched an arrow and let it loose in an instant, aiming for the area near the creature's mouth. The mother held a hand out and chanted a short spell, her blade flashing pale blue as she imbued it with her power.

The same was done for her husband's arrows, which gained a light green aura. Without the child's knowledge, the mother whispered another chant which created a translucent blue shield around the dark-haired girl.

The creature raised its front leg, it's claws sharper than knives, and slashed at them.

Both parents worked together, the mother raising her sword to defend and the father letting loose another arrow.

Their attacks never made contact.

The sheer wind force of the beast's attack was enough to cut through all their defences, earning a startled cry from the father.

A strangled scream escaped the child's lips. She pounded her fists against the shield which remained stable, her cries muffle by its presence.

It seemed as if everything was happening in slow motion. Crimson liquid splattered against the shield, a stark contrast to the pale blue light.

Her parents collapsed to the ground limply.

The shield around the child flashed, but held firm.

Before the murderous creature could attack the child, its head snapped towards the source of an imposing presence. From the flames which had spread to encircle them, appeared a massive, feathered being.

Its wings thrusted downward once, extinguishing the flames with a forceful gust of wind.

The flame-coloured bird struck the black-scaled monster with a blazing inferno, its eyes locked on the child behind the beast. Using the flames as a diversion, the firebird scooped the child up whilst she was still shocked, and launched itself into the sky.

The child's father smiled softly, a trickle of blood running down from the corner of his mouth, his eyes locked on the figure of the massive phoenix.

He took his last breath with a relieved smile on his lips.

And then the child and the phoenix flew away, leaving behind the burning village and the dragon who had taken away everything she had ever known.