Fairy Tail Origins Episode 1: The Eternal Journey

"The sky is so blue today. Not a cloud in the sky," Eden said to herself, for she was alone. Her left arm was outstretched in an effort to touch a pool of water, but it remained just out of reach. So with a strangely content look on her face, she was lying in the grass, unmoving, simply staring at the sky through a ragged gap in the tree limbs above her. "Though I almost wish there were clouds. It would be so nice to look for shapes in them."

Two swords, one still in her hand and the other near her foot where she had dropped it as she tried to reach the water, were covered in the blood of the monster she had been sent to eliminate. The ground was in similar condition, the only difference being who the blood streaked across it had belonged to; it was Eden's own blood.

"Soon all my pain will just slip away. How long it seems that I have been holding on in spite of it. I can just... let go. I'm tired, and my soul is already so weary. My body is even telling me that I'm ready to let go and finally drift away. But I can't help it... I'm a little curious - how morbid - ... about how I'll meet my ending."

Slowly she raised a trembling hand to find her locket, and when she had opened it she moved it close to her face so she could see it despite her blurring vision. Inside the clear half of the locket she always kept just a small amount of water, so that even in a situation like her current on she could at least hold the locket like a bowl, and by touching a fingertip to the water's surface she could use magic to divine the near future and watch it through the glass. Such a small amount of water couldn't show her much, but she had learned long ago how to make much out of little. And when after she had seen what the next moments held she closed the locket and began to laugh. And she laughed and laughed, until her world went black.

The sky is so beautiful today.... Not a cloud to be seen. And yet, somewhere not far off, it's raining. Such a wonderful paradox, nature is.

A lone man wandered through the Sunlit forest, contentedly lost. His snowy white hair was unkempt, and fairly dirty, as if he had just recently been taking a nap on the forest floor. Dark circles lined his icy blue eyes, though anyone with half a brain could see he was very much awake and alert. A small golden bell tied to his white oak staff via a red ribbon chirped and chimed as he walked, announcing his presence to any who were nearby, animal or otherwise. To the untrained eye, he was merely a wandering Priest with an interesting staff and a plain katana for protection. But to the trained eye of a Wizard... He was something else entirely. Something more.

As the Priest walked, and his staff touched the soft ground, waves of light, invisible to all save those trained in magic, were sent forth. The light pinged whenever it touched something solid, even in the far off distance, effectively allowing him to sense everything in his surroundings.

Hmm... The magic I was sensing earlier has vanished, and the large Abnormality is gone as well. I guess that means I should pick up the pace.

Orion follows the forest path to the last location he sensed the magic and arrives in a small clearing, finding only one thing of note; an unconscious young woman, bleeding out onto the grass, near a small pond. He calmly walks over and kneels down beside her, swiftly diagnosing the primary wound and checking for others with the skill of a trained Doctor. He gently places his staff against her abdomen. A sudden breeze seems to carry his soft whisper high into the trees, making his voice seem to echo, and a warm golden light envelopes her. Orion watches as the wound stitches itself close, smiling.

"There. With a bit of rest, you'll be fine. You're very lucky, you know. If I hadn't been nearby-"

He abruptly quiets, his sharp eyes snapping to the sword in her hand; he had been too focused on healing her to notice before. His eyes widen slightly, and his expression darkens. For a moment, the visage of the kind priest is replaced by something else, something far darker and more terrifying. Then, the moment abruptly ended, and his mouth twisted into an eery smile.

A paradox indeed... Or am I misusing that word now? No... It's more of a cruel joke, much like the Jester tells his victims right before death. Ah, Fate, you are ever the Jester, are you not?

He gently dislodges the familiar sword from the girl's hand, quickly straps his staff to his back and effortlessly scoops her up into his arms. He begins walking at a steady pace towards the nearby village on the forest's outskirts, leaving the swords behind in the clearing. It was the second time he had left behind that part of his life, and walked away. Oddly enough, this time he meant to return. Fate truly did love its jokes.

Orion blinked in surprise at his patient's sudden question. However, the surprise only lasted a brief moment. Hmm... I didn't expect her to regain consciousness so soon. She's surprisingly resilient, this one.

"Yes, I did," he replies, smiling kindly. He stands up and walks over to her, kneeling in front of her bedside. He gently places a hand on her forehead. "No fever. That's good. How do you feel?"

"If I answered that the way I want to and feel like answering, it wouldn't be very ladylike. Does that answer your question?" she said, though not angrily.

What happened to the monster I was sent to kill? And... what was wrong with it? It was mutated or something. But why?

Eden could tell by the feeling of the bandages - namely the amount of them, as they covered most of her abdomen - that attempting to sit up at that moment would be useless, so instead she turned her head to look at the man better. "Before I start asking questions, there are others you want to ask, I can tell. You may ask."

"I am twenty years old and unsure of what I weigh," she answered truthfully.

"You don't look frail at all," Eden said as she followed his orders like a good patient. "As a doctor, do you think that I look frail?"

"No metabolism problems, no. Just problems with trying not to starve to death at one point. But that's in the past..."

He's very observant. What else will he ask about? And... He called the monster an Abnormality. I'll have to ask him more about that later. If I can at least bring back information about it, this trip hasn't been for nothing after all.

Eden nodded. "Yes, that's correct. I've never heard of monsters known as Abnormalities before. But I take it you know a thing or two about them, mister... I haven't caught your name."

You share your name, then I'll share mine.

"I understand just how fortunate I was that you found me when you did. I believed I was going to die, until just before I passed out when I saw that you were coming and would heal me. So thank you, Orion Farsong. Now, before I start asking my questions, do you have any others for me right now, or was that it?"

Conversations move much more quickly if each person addresses their concerns at one time, instead of multiple parties going back and forth repeatedly.