Fairy Tail

X776, Earth-land, Eastern Ishgar, Fiore Kingdom, Magnolia.

Magnolia was especially lively today.

"Alert! Alert! Gildarts is back!"

"Gildarts Mode! Activate!"

Gildarts Clive was the strongest wizard in Fairy Tail, Magnolia's only wizard guild.

Known throughout the wizarding world for his mastery of the exceptionally destructive Crush Magic, Gildarts could be absentminded. He was forever wrecking nearby buildings, whether he meant to or not.

Magnolia had even rebuilt its main street so Gildarts could go straight to the guild whenever he returned, rather than wander around and lay waste to the town.

This time, though, Gildarts had not had one of his spells. He had not even stopped to damage his own guild. He had gone straight through the front door.

That could only mean one thing: Gildarts was focused, with no time to be absentminded.

And today, the lone wolf had not come back alone.

He had brought a little boy with him.

On the second floor of the Fairy Tail guildhall, a tiny old man sat on the railing. He was Makarov Dreyar, Fairy Tail's guild master and one of the Ten Wizard Saints of Ishgar Continent.

Makarov drew his gaze away from the boy downstairs and turned to the man who was now the guild's mainstay.

"Gildarts, if what you're saying is true, this is no small matter. Do you have solid proof?"

Gildarts nodded, his expression grave.

"I'm certain it was the Dark Magic Cult. They've been capturing civilians and secretly enslaving them to build something... I saw it with my own eyes. There's no mistake."

Makarov's face darkened as he listened.

"...The R-System? That legendary resurrection magic? This is serious. We need to get the Magic Council to stop them at once..."

Makarov hopped down from the railing and gave Gildarts a wistful, approving pat on the knee.

"Well done, Gildarts. I knew I was right about you. It seems we've found our guild's fourth master—"

"Ahem. Gramps, I'm still young. I want a few more years to live as I please. You're only eighty—you're in your prime!"

Gildarts waved his hands, politely declining the old master's offer.

"You little... You're the only S-Class wizard we have who's up to the job. If you won't succeed me, who will? That bastard Ivan?!"

"Laxus seems like a good choice."

"That brat has a long way to go!"

Makarov could only laugh in exasperation. He shook his head and set the subject aside for now.

"What's the story with the boy you brought back? Another one of your illegitimate sons?"

"Of course not! Wait, what do you mean, another?"

Gildarts denied it loudly, glanced downstairs on instinct, then scratched his head and sighed.

"Aibo's family was brutally murdered when they resisted the Dark Magic Cult. The shock awakened the boy's magic. I followed it to him, and that's how I discovered what was going on...

"He hasn't been doing well since then. He has no one to rely on and nowhere to go, so he said he wanted to come with me. He seemed talented, so I brought him back to the guild."

"I see... Poor child..."

Makarov sighed.

"Then let him stay. From now on, this guild is his home...

"Oh, right. What magic did he awaken? His magic power is remarkable. It already rivals that of some adult wizards."

"Telepathy Magic."

"Telepathy Magic? Ah, that's a bit of a shame. Still, he's very gifted, and with that much magic power, he'll do well no matter what magic he learns..."

"Well... That's true."

Gildarts nodded, a peculiar look on his face.

"The boy had only just awakened his magic when he called to me for help from more than ten kilometers away."

"Oh, is that so impressive..."

Makarov nodded at first. Then his eyes flew wide.

"Wait! How—how many? How many kilometers did you say?"

Gildarts tipped his head back and thought for a moment.

"I didn't measure it, but it was definitely over ten kilometers. It took me quite a while to get there. That boy has an extraordinary gift for Telepathy Magic."

"Even ten kilometers would be incredible! Telepathy Magic normally reaches only about five kilometers. How old is he?"

"Uh, five or six? I didn't ask. Hahaha."

Makarov drew a sharp breath.

His eyes lit up, and a smile spread across his face.

"Excellent. He's got real promise. He might even become one of the guild's pillars someday. Now, I need to visit the Magic Council branch. Gildarts, I'm leaving the guild in your hands for the next few days!"

"What? Gramps, I'm not staying at the guild for long..."

"Enough! It's settled!"

While that loud, supposedly private discussion went on upstairs, the little boy Gildarts had brought to the guild stood off to one side below, looking dazed.

Aibo had striking short hair the color of pale cherry blossoms, and he was a handsome, adorable child.

But his eyes were unfocused, and he looked utterly out of it.

A little... vacant.

Aibo had crossed over from another world, and things were not going well for him.

A few days earlier, Aibo had watched the old village chief who raised him die before his eyes. The shock had awakened the "memories" of his previous life.

At the time, a group of strangely dressed cultists had just beaten and captured him. He had been in terrible danger.

Thankfully, his dormant power had awakened in his desperation.

Using his newfound Telepathy Magic, Aibo had sent a plea for help into the distance. Then Gildarts, his savior, had appeared like a miracle and used his overwhelming strength to round up every cultist.

Though he had survived that brush with death, Aibo could not relax.

The magic he had awakened seemed a little too powerful. He could not properly control his new ability.

Gildarts had called it "Telepathy Magic." It let him communicate with people through thought.

It was a useful power. Aibo had sent his plea more than ten kilometers away. But it also picked up thoughts on its own, with startling force, and he could not turn it off.

That made life miserable for him.

People could stop themselves from speaking, but stopping themselves from thinking was much harder. Every thought produced an inner voice, and Aibo could "hear" those voices from people nearly a hundred meters around him.

Unlike spoken words, those inner voices grew louder with the strength of the emotion behind them.

When he had camped with Gildarts out in the wilderness, it had been bearable. He only had to put up with one lecherous uncle's fantasies.

But after they entered town—and especially after they walked into this guild called Fairy Tail...

Aibo felt as though his head might burst. He was dizzy and overwhelmed.

Countless "voices" poured into his mind. He did not know how to switch off his brain, and covering his ears did nothing to block them.

The more he focused on them, the clearer they became.

For now, Aibo had only two ways to ease the pain—

One: empty his mind and think of nothing.

Two: fill his mind by concentrating hard on one thing.

Either way, he ended up looking dazed.

Gildarts thought Aibo was still grieving for his family. He had awkwardly tried to show his concern several times, leaving them both embarrassed.

And now, as Aibo let his mind drift—or rather, focused hard on doing nothing—two small figures came toward him.

Their inner voices gradually grew clearer—

[Dad brought this boy back... That hair color... Could—could he be my little brother?]

[Cana's such a pain. Why drag me over here? I'm not interested in little kids.]

Aibo turned toward the "voices."

The two children who approached him looked about ten years old, a boy and a girl.

The boy had spiky black hair and wore no shirt. The fairy emblem marked his chest. He frowned slightly, impatience written all over his face.

The girl had shoulder-length hair and wore a light top that bared her midriff. The guild emblem marked one side of her lower abdomen, and complicated emotions flickered in her eyes.

"Hi. I'm Cana."

"...I'm Gray."

"Welcome to Fairy Tail."