The Future Guild

Chapter 1

The Knight Clad in Scarlet

My name is Gabriel.

What? You wanted more of a description? Well, I'm a sixteen year old boy and a mage. A damn powerful one in my opinion. I'm a physical fighter who uses body reinforcement magic to increase my strength and speed and I can also requip my weapon. Not my clothes though, I couldn't ever master that one and had a habit of just ending up naked…

Never mind! My height is pretty average for my age and I've got a few muscles, but I'm growing, okay? Don't judge me too badly. My eyes are weird, though. They're purple, though I have no idea why, since my parents don't have them… anyone here a genetics expert? My hair though, is easier, since it's pure red. I got that from my mother.

I wear a shoulder pad on my right side, styled like a lion, because lions are cool. With my spiky red hair, I think the identity I want to craft for myself will be lion-based. Gabriel the Lion-Heart. Yeah, that'd be cool. Stop judging me!

Now, if you don't mind, can you wait? I'm a little busy. Because there's a giant-ass Minotaur coming right at me! It's a pretty tall thing, about twice my height and it's wielding a huge lump of metal that looks vaguely like a club – maybe it hammered it into shape? They're not a species known for their intelligence or craftsmanship.

I'm using my photon spear. It's my favourite weapon, since I like things I can wield two-handed. Its head glows with a golden light and I slice upwards as the club descends. I'd meant to cut the weapon in two, but the weapon was denser than I anticipated and my spear sticks. The Minotaur's momentum wrests the weapon from my grasp and I only just leap back in time to avoid the blow.

Shit. Did you have to be watching now?

I can't requip unless I have my weapon, so I'm weaponless. No problem. I slam my palms together and drop into a crouching position, casting Meteor, a spell that massively increases my speed. So much so that I have limited flying ability. Bouncing off the trees around us, I move quickly in circles around the slow-witted brute, confusing it. Having done so, I rain a few punches and kicks into it, but it's a tough bastard and they do little more than stagger it.

I land on his club and try to grab my spear. I manage to pry it loose, but the beast swings its club and hurls me across the clearing and into a tree. That hurt like hell, but I'm no pussy! Well… I've convinced my mum to stop buying the plasters with cartoon faces on them, anyway. Before I can get back up, though, the Minotaur looks away from me. Suddenly, he looks really, really scared and runs away.

A woman is striding into the clearing, long red hair flowing down her armoured torso.

"You pansy!" I shout after him. "You think she scares you!? She's my mom!" Oh god damn it, did I just shout that out loud? Well, I've never been the brightest kid. My mum looks really angry, stomping over to where I am and hauling me to my feet. Don't tell her this, but she's one impressive lady, even at the age of forty five. I can't bring myself to blame the Minotaur too much.

Erza Scarlett. One of the strongest wizards in the world, and would-be Wizard Saint if she hadn't turned the position down. All for my dad. See, my dad, Jerral Fernandez, is a known criminal. Now, the council has a certain 'understanding' and don't chase him anymore, but my mom decided to retire to the countryside to have some solitude from prying eyes. It's a reason why I have my mother's surname rather than my father's.

"Gabriel!"

Oh shit. I'll return to my exposition after this lecture, okay?

===][===

Okay. Hi there. I've skipped the painful part for you. We're back at our house now, a medium-sized cottage in small village known as New Rosemary. I'm not really sure what happened to Old Rosemary, my mum doesn't like to talk about it.

Anyway, I've got a lump the size of an orange on my head now. Don't backchat my mom, okay? She's not someone to argue with. The point is, she's angry with me for going to fight the Minotaur by myself. I pointed out that she did far more dangerous stuff at my age and she didn't like that.

"The boy's got a point," my dad said, sitting down at our dining room table. "He's growing up and this little village doesn't have enough to excite him. Maybe it's time."

"I don't wanna go!" I shout, annoyed. I've heard all the time about this blasted 'guild' of theirs. Why on Earthland would I want to go that place? Mum and dad are always going on about 'nakama' and 'friends', but they're dumb things if you ask me. I've never needed any friends.

"If there's one thing I regret, we live in a place with such a small population that Gabriel never had any friends his age," mum says, talking to dad as if I'm not there. She does that a lot. "He has a lot to learn about the power of bonds."

Of course, my parents visit that place… Fairy Tail, but you knew that, right? They visited it a lot over the years. But I never paid much attention. There are too many people there and most of them seemed like idiots. There's always this pink-haired fool who tries to fight my mum. He's not won once. I don't like crowds and so much noise. I've never bothered to learn anyone's name there.

"Listen! That place might have been great for you guys, but I hate it!"

My mother smiled. "But, if you went there, you'd find a job board with a hundred different adventures on it. Places to go, things to see, monsters to fight. Wouldn't you like that?"

Adventures? That did sound cool…

"But you just hit me for fighting that Minotaur!"

"I hit you for not listening to your mother!" She snaps angrily. "You could have beaten that beast, but you were sloppy and unfocussed. Your father is right; you do need to see the world and expand your horizons. Gabriel, you are going to have to decide what you want to do with your life. You clearly want to be a mage, and to make money as a mage, you only have a few options."

"I DON'T CARE! I'm not going to that place, and there's nothing you can say to change my mind!"

I expected one of two things. A violent beating or acceptance. Instead, to my surprise, mum takes a piece of paper and begins to scribble something on it. When she hands it to me, I can see that it has a name and an address on it. I don't recognize either, but it is in Magnolia. She writes another letter and pops it into an envelope, placing a magical stamp on it. It won't open except for the intended recipient.

"I think this might change your mind. Here's the deal, Gabriel. I'm giving you a mission. A chance at adventure. I want you to take this letter and deliver it to that man. After that, you are welcome to come home, and we won't speak of this again. If however, you get a taste for adventure and want to join the guild, that's your choice."

I feel a bit suspicious. This clearly seems like a trap, but the deal is fair. Get to see the world a bit and just deliver a letter? Dad seems to like the idea too, and my parents are a straightforward pair…

"Okay, I'll do it!"

Hi there! Sorry for the short opening chapter. This will be a look at Fairy Tail in about twenty year's time, from the eyes of an outsider. I want to keep OCs to a minimum, as they're not my preference, but a few children will certainly appear. The idea is that every chapter he will meet one of the guild members, all about forty years old now.

Gabriel is not supposed to be an asshole, but he is a bit sheltered and away from any friends. However, he had very loving and caring parents, so he's not a bad guy. Overall, I want him to seem like a young Natsu. Adventurous, hard-headed and strong.

Anyone who read my GaLe fic 'The Rest of Their Lives' will be somewhat familiar with this universe and my depictions of the characters within. However, I've changed Gabriel a lot. He grew up in the guild in that fic, but here he's joining at the age of sixteen.