Fairy Tail Origins Episode 1: The Eternal Journey

"Then what's the problem? You'll never get better if you don't face and eliminate the problem."

Vallory thanks the blacksmith profusely, and promises to remember his kindness and expertise next time Alicorn Wing needs something made.  Vallory continues to lead her team of crack investigators, Aldous and Rosa, as she blindly searches the town for witnesses.  Maybe someone got a better look at the assailants than Atticus, or saw the one that was gone before Hecate caught up to them.  The search goes about as well as expected.  She manages to find a few people that saw the attack, but none that can give any useful information, none that really remember what the assailants looked like.

As dusk falls, Vallory takes her escort to a local dive for some less-than-healthy eats.  And some cheap booze.  The waiter drops off Vallory's salad and a mug of beer.  "Alright, let's run over what happened again."  She grabs the booze and takes a deep gulp.

"Leone was planning to leave on a vacation today, go into hiding, because of personal reasons.  Anyway, she took Atticus and stopped at a blacksmith, because she wanted him to deliver that necklace thing to Hecate, and she was going to slip off without saying goodbye."  Another draught from the mug.  "An' anyway, then some prick in fancy clothes grabbed 'er, used some weird paralysis magic thin'.  Other mage grabbed Atticus, stabbed 'im with a shock-thing."  More beer.  "Att'cus... notished a mark on 'is hand, so we gotsh that, maybe the other's'll even figure out who it belongs to.  Anyway, shocky tel'ported 'em to the town field... plashe..."  Drink.  "Aldoush an' Hect shaw za... 'tack.  Al stayed to help... Att'cus, while Hect whent and chashed 'em."  She empties the mug and signals for another.  "An' the knife we been lookin' at, one of 'em stab Hect wif it.  Anway, we know the ki-kin... knife's fram shome shtupid li'l town somewhere in Aselia.  Sho shuper helpful...  Anyway... what now?"

She stares sadly at her empty mug, then her two confederates.

"So now what?" Rosa asked. "Should we wait til our leader is ahhh ready to search for some clues on our own?" Rosa asked.

Senna didn't reply, and the majority of the rest of the trip to Ambrosia passed in silence. Soon, the sparkling lights and massive white walls of the great city came into view.

"We'll stop here for supplies," Senna said, turning to Gareth. "I know a good Inn where we can spend the night for cheap, and tomorrow morning we'll catch the first train north."

Her expression and tone softened a bit as she looked out the window. "Have you ever been to Ambrosia before? I've always loved this city."

"We're here!" Jerid announces, prodding his sleeping partner.

"We're here!?" Nalia echoes as she rouses from her slumber, shoving Jerid aside so she can get a better view out the window.  The city rushes past, brilliantly illuminated, as the train begins to slide underneath the ground.

"I always love this part...!" Nalia whispers to Hecate.  "Eek, honey, it's so scary...!  Hold me..." she whimpers dramatically.

"Don't worry, Babe, I gotcha!" Jerid says, scooping Nalia up and cradling her.  He looks across to Atticus.  "I always love this part," he mouths silently.

As the train hisses to a halt, they're the first two to jump up.  Jerid, lugging Nalia in one arm, grabs their luggage with his free hand.  "Last one out's a rotten egg!" he warns the pair, jogging down the aisle.  He steps out onto the platform and tosses Nalia up to his shoulder.  The pair take a deep breath.

"Man, it's nice to be back!" Jerid says.

"If only if we were here for more pleasant reasons," Nalia mutters.  "Well, all we can do is all we can do!  We'll grab an inn for the night, then it's off to the library bright and early!"

Eden put her hands on Grigori's shoulders and gently moved him off her shoulder, trying to steady him and support him so he could sit up on his own.

"No, I'm not sure what they did to you, but... I would imagine it wasn't all that different than what they did to me."

"I have no doubts that they treated you even more inhumanely than they treated me. What matters is that I know what it was like, to be thrown in a tiny cell, greeted by a new, fresh horror daily. And I wouldn't be so quick to assume that they only starved me. After all, I was used to starving. They found others ways to torment me. You haven't even seen the scars on my back..." she said, trailing off and looking at the floor. "At least you managed to escape before they caught you. I didn't even try to leave, but they did that to me anyway..."

Atticus gave a small grin at Jerid's mouthing. He found himself to chuckle as they left the train and stepped out into the city. Even in his somber mood he found it to be a beautiful city. He stood behind Jerid, nothing more than a mere baby fish compared to a large one.

Hecate came up behind him, then stepped to his side. She tossed a look in his direction, and Atticus looked away, ashamed. She'd probably blame him as well. He waited for a comment, but nothing came. He almost sighed in relief. He hoped that when they rescued Leone that Hecate wasn't shocked. No one had told her about her—er, him.

"Right. We get an inn for the night," He smiled at Jerid. "Right, Hecate?" He finished, adjusting his own luggage.Hecate wore a backpack. Her eyes were distant and far, but she nodded.

"Yeah...we get an inn." She repeated. The city breathed life into her, but that didn't mean she didn't take her failed rescue attempt hard. She had beaten Fluffy back, so why couldn't she handle a few goons? That troubled her.

"Do you know a great inn, Jerid? Nalia?"

"Do you want to be rid of them?" Grigori asked Eden as he lightly touched her shoulder to have them face each other. "Is that something you'd like? I don't know what I'd do if I were in your position. I'm not sure if I would escape my scars if I had the chance."

Grigori began to unravel the bandages on part of his arm, revealing a cracked, deformed mess that was halfway between a leper's skin and tanned leather.

"I-I don't even know if I have anything other than them."

His breathing grew rapid and poorly paced as he started to shake slightly again.

"My body, my mind, my magic. It's all just fragments stitched together like a torn dress. Eden..."

He paused to look at her in fear.

"Help me. I don't know who I even was anymore. Do you?"