A Little Glow That Lit Up the Darkness

"Erza- chan, come back for dinner!" A plump woman called out from outside the house towards the street corner.

"Okay, Aunt Xi'er, I'm coming!"

"See you tomorrow, Kagura- chan, Simon."

In the afterglow of the setting sun, a lovely, rosy-cheeked figure skipped and hopped, waving goodbye to her friends, and ran towards the woman who had called her. Her little face was full of smiles, and her whole body was brimming with energy and vitality.

This is Rosemary Village, a remote village far from the hustle and bustle of big cities. It has a small population, but enough to live comfortably. This is also Erza's hometown.

Erza wasn't born here; she was an orphan abandoned at the village church. Fortunately, the villagers retained their kind and simple nature and didn't abandon the infant. Our Erza grew up eating food from everyone she met.

Erza was clever, obedient, and sensible from a young age. She was practically the "neighbor's child" in the eyes of all the villagers, who loved her dearly and wished they could take her home and pamper her every day.

Ten years passed in the blink of an eye. Erza felt that she was already very happy with her life. She thought that she could live her whole life in this small village, get married, have children, and live out her life. However, the god of fate did not think so. On such an ordinary night, the most terrible nightmare was quietly descended.

"Seize those children, don't let a single one escape!"

Shouts of battle, wailing, and flames instantly shattered the tranquility of Rosemary Village. A group of dark mages, commanding magical soldiers, abruptly intruded into this secluded little village.

They didn't need money; they only wanted to plunder people who could become their slaves, and anyone capable of resisting was mercilessly slaughtered.

"Over there, I just saw two children run past, hurry and chase them!"

Erza, fighting back tears, ran barefoot through the firelight, pulling along a dark-haired girl a few years younger than her. She had been awakened from her sleep by shouts of battle, and the first thing she saw was Aunt Xi'er being torn apart by magic soldiers while protecting her.

Before she could even grieve, her body began to flee desperately. Flames, blood, cries, and roars completely overwhelmed the panicked Erza. Not knowing what was happening, and disoriented, she ran around like a headless fly, dodging any predators that might appear.

Just then, a little girl with black hair, wearing pajamas, appeared before Erza, sobbing. This was Kagura, Simon's younger sister, and the friend she had been playing carefree with that afternoon.

The little girl was only six or seven years old. She was young, helpless, and didn't know how to escape. All she could do was cry and search for her parents, who had disappeared, and her Simon.

I must protect this child!

This was Erza's most fundamental thought at that moment. Looking at the young and innocent Kagura, Erza had already cast aside all her fear and darkness, and without hesitation, she took Kagura's little hand and took on the mission of protecting her.

"Kagura- chan, stay here and don't make a sound, okay!" Erza- chan, with nowhere to escape, hid in a trash can while Kagura repeatedly gave her instructions.

"What about you, sister?" Kagura through the gap between the box and the lid at the crimson light outside.

"Don't worry about me, I'll find another place to hide." After saying that, Erza also peered through the crack, taking one last deep look at Kagura.

You must survive!

After saying that, Erza ran out of the alley without hesitation, diverting the attention of the dark mages. However, she was tackled to the ground after only a few steps.

From then on, a nightmare of utter darkness began.

These dark mages are capturing people to build a magical tower called Rsystem, which requires a large workforce to work day and night.

Imprisoned here, people eat the most crude and poorly made food, do the hardest and most tiring work, and have very little time to rest. Here, they are not even slaves, but merely expendable goods, to be discarded once they are worn out.

Erza was also captured and brought to this place.

Staying in such a place for too long will cause people to become numb and lose themselves. They will be empty-headedly carrying heavy objects amidst constant scolding, beatings, and punishments, as if they are falling into the inky depths of the sea and gradually suffocating to death in the darkness.

However, Erza is a rare exception. Even in the cold, deep sea, she is like a tiny floating object, emitting a faint glow. Even though she can only drift with the current, she still illuminates the surroundings and guides the way forward.

In this place, Erza actually made several good friends: the spoiled and crybaby Millianna, the caring Simon from the same village, the cool Wally Buchanan, and Shuu, who treated her like an older sister.

They were all still young children, yet they shouldered heavy workloads that even adults would find difficult to complete, working in endless darkness. In this pitch-black despair, they all gathered around Erza like creatures drawn to light, listening to Erza encouraging words to keep themselves from truly withering away.

Erza shares a cell with a strange old man, the only surviving elderly person there. The old man has a strange tattoo on his back, which he says is the mark of Fairy Tail, and that he was once Fairy Tail mage named Rob.

Erza's happiest time of day was listening to Grandpa Rob tell her stories of magic. From these stories, she learned what faith, protection, and true magic were.

"I'm going to become a mage someday, and then fly through the sky on a broomstick." Erza, looking incredibly cute, perched on a dirty broomstick, jumping for joy as she dreamed of the future.

"Yes, yes, you can definitely do it! Fly freely in the sky!" Grandpa Rob said with a kind smile.

"Hehe, when that day comes, I'll definitely fly with Grandpa Rob too!" Erza her head, a lively and sweet smile appearing on her little face.

Grandpa Rob looked at Erza in front of him, and his eyes instantly welled up with tears. He really didn't expect to see such a smile in a place like this. He was truly happy.

"Oh no! My hand hurts!"

"Alright, don't cry, Millianna, you can have my food too!"

That day, Erza was comforting Millianna, who was crying because she was exhausted from work, when Simon came to help. The group of them passed around the meager amount of food they had.

"You're so strong, Erza."

At that moment, a handsome young man with blue hair suddenly spoke up, leaving everyone stunned.

"Oh, right, speaking of which, I don't think I've introduced myself to you yet. My name is Jellal Fernandez." The boy spoke gently, with a warm smile on his face.

"I must say, your name is really hard to remember!" Simon couldn't help but tease from the side.

Jellal smiled, not minding, and turned to Erza: "Erza, what about you? What's your full name?"

"Me?" Erza paused, surprised that someone would ask her such a question, Erza, that's all."

"That's a bit pitiful." Hearing Erza's words, Jellal's face showed a hint of regret. Then, he casually brushed a few strands of Erza's hair aside, completely ignoring Simon's angry glare.

"Oh! What a beautiful crimson! By the way, you'll be called Erza Scarlet! That's the color of your hair, so no one will ever forget!" the boy said with a smile still on his face.

"Erza Scarlet"

Although Simon and Millianna were very unhappy with Jellal's casual naming of people, Erza herself seemed quite satisfied with the name, gently stroking her hair and murmuring it softly.

Erza peeked at Jellal, who was still smiling at her, and surprisingly, a hint of shyness appeared on her face.

He actually gave me a name on the very first day we met, Jellal! Haha, what an interesting person!

Read Fairy Tail: Thoughts Follow Your Heart