Chapter 24: Fairy 22: To my little Brother - Ezra POV
The first time Erza met Zack Smasher, the naked boy that hate wearing clothes at first, and didn't understand anything. Was a troublemaker, who also at the same age as her. However, due to him losing memories of his past. Made him no different to a child.
However, Zack did do what he is told, even if he hated wearing clothing at the beginning. And when winter came, the boy that don't understand anything, soon understood why he needed to wear them. Of course, the very same boy these days, even joked but getting naked sometimes.
After all, Zack Smasher is not a shame of his own body. In fact, Zack just doesn't understand why he needed to be shamed of something you are born with.
Needlessly to say, he matured very fast, a little too fast. He became frond of Natsu and Gray along with Elfman and Lisanna. He acted like a big brother towards them, he did everything he could to help these four, of course he didn't left Cana out.
But Cana is very lazy by nature, and more willing to drink then to train her body or magic. So, when he had the time, he also gained an interest in drinking, as he made sure to drink with her whenever he could.
His excuse?
'Isn't it lonely to drink alone?'
When Erza heard that, she let it pass, since she wasn't interesting in drinking to begin with. And let Zack do whatever he did, as long he doesn't disobey the rules of the guild. However, one day, Zack came to Erza herself, and asked her to show him how to use a weapon.
When it comes to welding weapons such as melee ones, like swords, spears, and many other different kinds. Erza without the doubt, the number one weapon expert in Fairy Tail.
However, at first, Erza did want to refused Zack and his request. But when she saw his eyes, burning with the will to learn. Made it hard for Erza who likes hard working people the most. And agree to show him the basics whenever she has the time.
And that how it went. The troublemaker, who matured faster than anyone could see. Begun training with a sword, at first it was hard. That is because Erza never holds back and attacked Zack without any mercy. But oddly enough, Zack shows a smile, never whined it was hard.
Even when he is hard tired the end of the training, he enjoy every moment he spar with Erza. And Erza also enjoy training Zack, who not only a hard worker, but also show great promise in his sword training. And that is also why, Erza decided to show Zack more than just the basic sword training.
Zack is a battle manic like Natsu. But not like the one that seeks battles, or shows who's stronger, like Natsu does.
Zack likes to talk with his fist, with his words, with his magic, and with battle. He had a habit of lowing his strength when fighting with Natsu and the others. To others it seems Zack training him, and of course, he was. But at the same time, he was playing with Natsu.
Gray properly noticed it since that guy isn't as dulled as Natsu. Zack loved to fight, because to him fighting with a friend or family member, is no different when communicating with them.
In the end, the weapon that Zack felt most comfortable with was the greatsword. He did tried longswords, short swords, spears, lances, and many more. But he liked the greatsword a lot more. That is why, Erza matches Zack with a greatsword, and spar him with it.
And it was frightening to say. Zack improves at an alarming rate, that even Erza was shocked to see his true talent. However, Zack might be a monster when it comes to training the sword, but Erza is also a monster with the sword as well.
That is why, when Zack begin to improve further, so did she, when he was able to swing more slashes at a time, Erza is also forced to parry those slashes at the same time.
That is why Ezra liked to spar with Zack, because Zack's insight is like no others, making him the ideal training partners for monsters like Erza. Who also has monstrous level talents.
And Erza, wasn't the only one that improved thank to this clueless guy. Natsu and Gray are the ones that spar with Zack the most, and often give them advice, and even take them along with him on his missions. (Second year he cannot, due to unstable magic power)
Of course, both the ice guy and the dragon boy always fight with each other, each time they get into it. Zack either let them be and let them fight it out. Or he stops them before things get too much.
Elfman's hand-to-hand combat also trained by Zack's own knowledge. Even if he says they are the basics given by God. Those material art moves are not so simple. Each one of them are so refined, and perfect in form.
It wasn't long before Zack was able to combine both his sword arts and martial arts as one. Which only made him improve even further, of course, Erza, like the half-dragoness she is, also didn't waste time, and improved at an alarming rate as well.
But that wasn't all, even Mirajane, who sees this improvement, and even unknown jealous seeing them trained to together, pushed her to train harder as well. One can say, everyone besides the lazy Cana, and the uninterested Laxus, and not to forget the fish loving pet cat, Happy, all improved alongside Zack in one way or the other.
However, those days soon came to an end. When Erza cannot take it any longer, and like the elder sister she sees herself as. Tried to make Mirajane realised her feelings, since she cannot stand by, and let their relations between them stay as it is.
Of course, since Erza is unexperienced in those matters, she had no idea how to bring it up. However, unexpectedly Mirajane came before her, and asked the very same thing, she wanted to ask her.
In the first place, Ezra only said those words out of goodwill. Trying to make this stubborn girl before her, to accept her feelings for Zack. That another person besides her siblings is becoming as important to her.
However, it backfired, as Mirajane strongly denied her own feelings. And this made Mirajane attack Erza, but Erza herself didn't stop there, and tried to reason with the unstable Mirajane. But the end result wasn't something that Erza wanted.
Instead of accepting those feelings, she denied them, only to seal her feelings for Zack, and push him away from her, completely rejecting his existence is to her altogether.
All Erza wanted, was to make Mirajane realise she is changing. But when Erza saw the result came like that. Endless guilt attacked her, knowing it was no one else her that caused the raft between Mirajane and Zack.
However, Zack never once blame her, or hate her. He even told Erza he was alright, but was he? In that year, when his heart fallen into the abyss known as a broken heart.
He lost focus when he spar, his magical power became unstable, causing his magic systems of Gravity Magic and Quake Magic to become out of control. Not only that, but he also distances himself from others. It wasn't at the level, that he will reject anyone coming to him, in fact he shows a forced smile, and even talk to you, if you approach him first.
However, he doesn't make the effort of coming towards others like he did, he didn't want to ask for advice from Makarov, he didn't ask for further sword training from herself. He didn't even come and check on Natsu, Happy or even Gray, like he always did, with his worries like the older brother he sees himself as.
That why Erza tried to make him snapped out of it, but she failed. No matter how good she is with the sword, she is not good with those with broken heats, especially when she knew the feeling so well herself.
But when she recalled those times she lived in despair, she also recalled the one that broken her own heart, the very 'person' that she once loved, but now she hates to his very core.
And to make matters worse. Erza is always reminded of 'him', each time when she looked at herself in the mirror, and looked at her fake eye, the very fake eye that used to be real, until it was taken away from her. The very same missing eye, that also made her remember all the time she was nothing but a mere slave, or the fact how many people were sacrificed to make sure she is the only to flee from that hell.
It one of the reasons she cannot opened herself to love another person in that way. And the reason why she cannot do anything, when she saw her new little brother being broken like this.
After all, in a way, she is as broken as he is, which is why she has no clue how to fix a broken heart, since her heart is still broken with both sorrows and hatred.
But all of that changed, when a certain perverted playboy came to the guild, his name is Loke. No one knows where he came from, or his family name. But he is annoying trying to flirt with any woman he sees. But he stopped when he crossed path with her and Mirajane. Which is why every time Loke sees Erza or Mirajane, he becomes fearful of them, making sure he out of their way.
Of course, as the self-claim gentleman he is. He always greets them and make small chat before he slowly runs away. However, it was thanks to both Cana and Loke, that he wasn't alone in his year of despair.
Natsu doesn't understand, but as the dragon boy he is, he understood with his instincts. Telling him that Zack needed space.
Happy also the same, as he doesn't really understand human emotions. Gray understood, and make sure to greet and make small talk each time they meet.
While the rest of the Strauss siblings, behind their sister's back. Hang around with him, but not even them can pulled him from his state. Needlessly to say, that year was something that made him mature even faster.
Zack begun to talk better than before, and his understanding also became better as well.
However, like the saying goes. First love is always the one you remember, and unable to forget. Which is why even after being rejected by her, his feelings towards Mirajane still remained strong even as of today.
But Erza has no say in that since she the one that pushed Mirajane to fully reject Zack. That's why she wanted to make it up for him and knowing he doesn't have a greatsword of his own.
Of course, he can buy himself a normal iron or steel greatsword. But it seems that he needed something of a higher level in order to use his Sonic Slash (Powered by Gura Gura no Mi). That magic of his, Quake Magic, when he used it with an iron or steel weapon. He only can used Sonic Slash few times since the iron or steel greatsword is too weak to handle the magic power from his Sonic Slash spell.
However, since he can handle using Sonic Slash without breaking the sword when he uses the one made by Gray's Ice Maker magic. Or the one he borrows from Erza when they spar. He could use his Sonic Slash without breaking the sword.
Of course, this is due to the fact. That both the swords, one made with magic, while the other one is created with magical ores, and backed with spells and runes to fill Ether inside it. Which only means, in the end of the day, Zack needed a magic system to create a sword for himself, like Gray's Ice Maker Magic. Or use a magical sword to use without breaking it when using his Sonic Slash, or any other spells from his Quake Magic.
At first, Erza was going to give one of her countless swords she has been collecting over the years. However, one day while on her way to buy herself her favourite cake. She happened crossed a dark blue greatsword, that has the same colour hair as his own.
The one that owns the sword, was a travelling trader. He told Erza, this sword was found in some ancient ruins, and because of its appearance. Others always think this greatsword is cursed. But there are no curses on the dark blue greatsword when Ezra check. And since it matches his hair, she bought it for 220,000 Jewel.
She given it the name Nightfall since it's coloured as the night sky. Of course, she didn't want to name it at first, since it wasn't going to be hers. However she did find something strange, and that was the runes.
It has a magic of its own. And the regarding to Master (Makarov), the runes are in fact a spell from an ancient era. After some time, Master with his connections. Find out, Nightfall, is a magical sword, that has two functions to it.
First it can suck in the surrounding Ether in order to fix itself once damaged. Basically a self-repairing sword.
But the second function made Erza want to keep it for herself. Needlessly to say, she is not that kind of person. And that second function is it hardens the blade and body each time it breaks. Meaning, each time Nightfall breaks, not only it will fix itself with Ether from it's surroundings, but also become stronger, and harder each time it breaks.
And regarding to Master's friend that studies ancient relics. The blade itself is a magical material, that isn't known. But has trances of something of unknown magical power dwelling inside it.
However, clueless as she is, Erza as no clue that this dark blue greatsword, she had named Nightfall. Has another name, a long-forgotten name. But in the era when humans just beginning to discover magic. And the Dragons didn't yet to rule the skies, nor the Titans that ruled the lands, or the existence of Dragon Slayer Magic was even created.
This sword coloured in the night skies. Is a sword from a very old era, which grown weak due to the countless years went past. If Erza or even Makarov known about what this sword truly is, they will become very shocked.
That is because, this is one of the Twelve Series of Devil Arms. Weapons built by a very first God Slayer wizard, that uses his God Slayer magic to create arms for his servants to battle the gods with him. But none remembers the first God Slayer, only few ancient gods do, remember him in terror.
None known what happened to him, or any recording left. Or why is there one of those weapons here…? Was it by chance… or something else made it so?
No will knows, or maybe they will. Only thing that will be known, a weapon from a bygone era, that known to coated itself in the blood of countless Gods, Dragons, Titans, and many more. Has finally find itself a new master.
Weekly Power Status
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