Joining Fairy Tail

Wendy pushed through the bushes and looked around, searching for the wild rabbit that had suddenly appeared.

She kept searching, but by the time she came to her senses, she was lost and had no idea which way to go. She hurriedly called out,

"Erza! Xi Feng! Kinana..."

Just then, a dark figure suddenly appeared behind Wendy and slowly approached her.

"This should be enough firewood."

Looking at the firewood on the ground, Erza nodded, then called out to Kinana and Wendy.

"Kinana, Wendy, we're heading back."

But as soon as she finished speaking, Erza realized Wendy was missing. She quickly asked, "Kinana, where's Wendy?"

"I don't know."

Kinana shook her head as she answered.

"Wendy's missing! Let's search nearby!"

"Oh, okay!"

Realizing how serious this was, Kinana hurriedly began searching the area.

"Wendy, where are you?!"

"Wendy!"

Xi Feng, who had been catching fish by the river, froze briefly when he heard Erza and Kinana calling. Once he made out their words and realized Wendy was missing, he dropped what he was doing and ran into the woods.

Meanwhile, Wendy, who had everyone worried, was chatting with a blue-haired boy. If Erza and Xi Feng had seen him, they would certainly have cried out, "Jellal!"

"You're saying you got lost because you were playing around?" The blue-haired boy stared at Wendy with wide eyes.

"Yes." Wendy rubbed the back of her head and nodded sheepishly.

"Wendy!"

Just then, both the blue-haired boy and Wendy heard Erza's voice.

"Erza!"

Hearing Erza calling for her, Wendy was delighted. She ran toward the voice, hurriedly answering, "Erza, I'm over here!"

Then she turned back toward the blue-haired boy and said, "Jellal, come along too! I'll introduce you to Xi Feng and the others."

"Slow down. Be careful not to fall," Jellal kindly reminded her as he watched her rush off.

"Ow!"

But barely had Jellal finished speaking when Wendy tripped over a stone, lost her footing, and fell to the ground.

"Erza!"

Erza and Kinana, who had been searching for Wendy, heard her voice. Delighted, they hurriedly ran toward it.

Pushing aside the bushes, Erza and Kinana found Wendy lying on the ground.

"Wendy, why are you on the ground? Who did this?" Erza hurried over and asked when she saw her lying there.

"No one, I just..."

"Wendy, I told you not to run." Before Wendy could finish, a familiar voice reached Erza's ears.

Erza slowly raised her head and froze in shock. Before her stood a boy with short, sky-blue hair and a tattoo over his right eye.

As she looked at Jellal, conflicting emotions crossed Erza's face, pain and anger filling her eyes. A sword instantly appeared in her hand, and she pointed it at him to bar his way.

"Stop right there, Jellal! Don't come any closer!"

Wendy, Jellal, and Kinana were all stunned by Erza's words.

"Erza, what's wrong? Jellal is my..."

"Wendy, there are things you don't know, but you mustn't trust him."

Erza interrupted Wendy before she could finish, keeping her wary gaze fixed on Jellal.

By now, Jellal understood that the red-haired girl named Erza must have mistaken him for someone else. He quickly said, "Miss, could there be some misunderstanding between us?"

"A misunderstanding? Ha! You're still pretending, Jellal? Xi Feng and I have already left the Tower of Heaven. What more do you want?!" Erza stared at him with a cold laugh.

"The Tower of Heaven? What's that? I don't know anything about it." Erza's words left Jellal bewildered. He didn't remember meeting this girl since coming to this world.

"Is that so? Then I'll help you remember." As she spoke, Erza raised her sword and thrust it straight at Jellal.

"Erza!" Shocked to see Erza suddenly attack Jellal, Wendy hurriedly cried out.

"Erza, stop!"

Just as Erza was about to stab Jellal, Xi Feng's voice suddenly rang out.

Hearing Xi Feng, Erza stopped in her tracks and turned toward him. "Why, Xi Feng? He's Jellal!"

"He is Jellal, but he isn't the Jellal we know," Xi Feng said, shaking his head.

"But he..." Erza wanted to say more, but although she opened her mouth, she couldn't find the words. In the end, she put away her sword and walked over to Xi Feng.

Xi Feng had rushed over as soon as he heard the voices. He, too, had been stunned at the sight of Jellal, but after noticing the magic staff strapped to his back, he had immediately called for Erza to stop.

Xi Feng looked at Wendy, then at Jellal, and couldn't help marveling to himself. Even after he had taken Wendy with him, they had still encountered the Jellal from Edolas. It seemed some things were simply fated.

Jellal, meanwhile, kept studying Xi Feng.

"Um..."

By the time they returned to the little river, dusk had already painted the sky red. Xi Feng and the others sat together, watching the dancing campfire. Then Jellal broke the silence.

"If there's something you want to ask, go ahead." Looking at the Edolas Prince, who looked exactly like Jellal, Xi Feng found himself drawn into his memories.

"Um... why did Miss Erza seem so upset and distressed when she saw me?" As he spoke, Jellal looked at Erza, who had kept her head lowered.

Hearing Jellal's question, Wendy and Kinana also looked at Xi Feng and Erza in confusion. Although Kinana had been in the Tower of Heaven before, she had been a snake then, and after her curse was lifted, she had no memories of what had happened.

Chapter 6: Joining Fairy Tail

Erza involuntarily trembled at Jellal's words. Seeing this, Xi Feng sighed and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder before saying, "Erza and I had a friend who looked exactly like you, and even had the same name. But he's changed. He's become someone we no longer recognize."

"Wah..." Xi Feng's words made Erza burst into tears.

Xi Feng quickly pulled Erza into his arms and kept gently patting her back.

"I see..." Watching Erza cry, Jellal seemed to be reminded of something as well.

Night slowly fell. After chatting with Jellal for a while, Xi Feng went to sleep.

The next morning, Jellal left a note and departed without waking anyone.

Xi Feng only learned that Jellal had left when Wendy came to get him.

Taking the note Wendy handed him, Xi Feng smiled. This really was just like him: arriving quietly and leaving just as quietly.

From Jellal's note, it was clear that he simply didn't want to keep upsetting Erza. Although he wasn't the same person, his name and appearance were identical. Besides, he had things he needed to do on his own.

Reading this, Xi Feng knew what he had gone to do: stop "Anima."

After packing up, Xi Feng and the others set off again.

Along the way, Erza quietly slipped over to Xi Feng's side and asked, "Xi Feng..."

"Hmm? What is it?" Xi Feng looked at Erza beside him, a little puzzled.

"Um... why wasn't yesterday's Jellal the Jellal we know?" Erza finally voiced the question on her mind. Everything was identical, whether it was his voice, his name, or his appearance.

"He really is Jellal, but he really isn't the Jellal we know."

"What do you mean, he's Jellal but he isn't our Jellal?" Erza asked, her head spinning.

"Well, he's a Jellal from another world."

"Another world?"

"Yes." Xi Feng nodded and continued, "Don't worry about that for now. You'll understand someday."

"Oh." Hearing Xi Feng's answer, Erza gave a quiet reply and said no more.

Magnolia, the capital in eastern Fiore.

After two or three days of walking and riding in carriages, the four of them finally reached Magnolia. Along the way, Xi Feng, Erza, and Wendy had been teaching Kinana language and the basics of everyday life. Fortunately, Kinana was clever and could now manage simple conversations. What puzzled Xi Feng was that Kinana couldn't remember her time as a snake, yet she remembered the three of them. Still, he didn't dwell on it. Forgetting her memories of being a snake was a good thing for her, after all.

"So this is Magnolia? It's huge!" Looking at the bustling city, the three little girls couldn't help marveling. Erza had wandered with Xi Feng when she was younger before being captured and taken to the Tower of Heaven. Kinana had been cursed into a snake. As for Wendy, although her life had been better than Erza's and Kinana's, she had always stayed with Grandeeney to learn Dragon Slayer Magic and had never visited a city either. Arriving in such a bustling city truly amazed them.

It wasn't just the three little girls who had never seen much of the world. Even Xi Feng, who had often visited big cities in his previous life, was a little surprised.

"We can explore together when we have time later. For now, let's go to Fairy Tail."

"Okay!"