Chapter 33 - My SI Stash #33 - The Aegis of Fairy Tail by BANIX (Fairy Tail) (2/2)

With that, I dispersed the barriers. I turned around to return to my seat to continue reading from where I had left off. Where was I again?

”El, fight me!”

I glanced back and I saw Natsu sprang up to my location from the ground floor and tried to punch me with a flaming fist. I simply flicked my fingers and sent him flying with a transparent barrier that crashed into him and rammed him through the opened windows of the guild towards the back of the building. I don't care where he ended up in. He will survive anyway. This guy's tougher than a c_o_c_kroach.

”Was my speech clear enough for all of you? Or do you guys need another demonstration?”

The members on the first floor scurried away in fear at my words as I went back to continue reading my book.

Ah, the comfortable silence that can only be achieved with power.

It feels good to be an S Class mage of Fairy Tail.

How?! How did this lazy excuse of a man fought off her attacks without seemingly any effort?!

”Are you even trying? I'm getting bored here. If you are not serious in becoming S Class then just forfeit. Stop wasting my time.”

Erza watched in frustration as Elden yawned. They had been fighting for five minutes and Elden looked totally relaxed and not a single hair out of place. She, on the other hand, is getting tired from the amount of attacks she has been unleashing, but failed to even scratch Elden.

Erza didn't bother to reply as she charged once more towards Elden with swords in both of her hands. Elden is Fairy Tail's newest S Class mage who just made S Class the previous year. Elden is a reserved man that doesn't talk much, his powers is still a bit of a mystery to members of the guild that don't know him well, which is the majority of the guild members. The ones who had better understanding of his powers were probably the members of the Thunder God Tribe, which he was once a part of, and the s_l_u_tty whore Mirajane. Elden and Mira had somehow strike up a close friendship with each other, much to the guild's surprise. No one thought that was possible due to the stark contrasts in their personalities.

Erza had an inkling of what Elden's powers is. She vaguely remembered that Elden had once tried to explain to Natsu that his magic is called Barrier-Make magic when Natsu decided to call it the ”almost transparent rectangle magic thing” instead when he first witnessed Elden's magic. That description had annoyed Elden to no end, so he had tried to explain what his magic was to Natsu. In the end, Elden had enough of Natsu's stupidity and simply knocked him unconscious after 15 minutes of futile explanations. At least now she knows it is a form of molding magic like Gray's or Laki's, but they mold ice and wood respectively. But can barriers be made with molding magic? What is it made of anyway? Solid ethernano?

Elden's hands were still in the pockets of his jeans when Erza's swords were stopped by an invisible force. She cannot push any further no matter how hard she tried. She summoned countless swords that hovered around Elden and sent them flying towards him at high speeds from all directions. Her swords were stopped once more about two feet away from Elden in a sphere. Erza gritted her teeth. She doesn't know Elden that well, he is a recluse who is only slightly better than Mystogan when it comes to making friends. Elden rarely used his powers in the guild since he did not participate in the guild brawls, she don't know what to expect when facing him as an opponent. He always have this lazy demeanor and preferred napping or reading if he wasn't training or going on missions. She knows that he has to be strong to be classified as an S Class mage, but she didn't know he's this strong. He's probably on the same strength as Laxus from what she had seen so far.

”You formed a dome of transparent barrier around you?”

”Duh, what else do you expect? I have no wish to be skewered, thank you very much.”

Erza grinned, she had found out the weakness in Elden's magic in the short time they had exchanged blows. Victory's in her grasp now, she can finally complete this S Class trial. All she had to do now is to defeat Elden and secure the win that will allow her to be finally recognised as an S Class. She's going to beat that s_l_u_tty Mirajane.

”Your magic doesn't have any offensive capabilities. You never attacked me, not even once. It's not because you don't want to, but because you can't. That's your weakness. You can defend all you want, but you will never win if you cannot attack your opponents.”

Elden gave a small smile as he begin to clap slowly. ”Bingo. Got it in one.”

Erza's heart soared, she knew how to win this now! All she had to do is to continue her onslaught of attacks. The barriers couldn't possibly hold forever!

”Or at least you would have been correct, if you gave me that answer in like...five years ago? Or was it six years ago?”

What?!

”You see, sometimes, the best defense makes a very good offense as well.” Elden slowly held out a hand in front of him, the other still in his pocket. ”Let me show you. Shinra Tensei.”

Erza's swords, which were hovering about two feet away from Elden in a dome thanks to his transparent barriers, were suddenly blasted back with a sudden burst of explosive force. Erza was pushed back as well from the unexpected attack but she recovered her bearings quickly.

What in Mavis's name was that?!

”As you deduced, I formed a dome of transparent barrier around me. What do you think will happen when I suddenly expand it outwards in all directions? It will look like everything around me will be pushed back by an invisible force, won't it? It's a good thing I managed to think of this idea. Saved me a lot on trouble on S Class missions.” Elden said this as he stretched his stiff neck. ”There are many other things I realised that I can do with barriers ever since I discovered this particular use. I still use my magic mainly for defensive purposes, that's true, but I have a wide range of offensive attacks as well. All I need is a lot of imagination, which I have in spades.”

”Stop playing with me already! Get serious and fight me!”

”Eh, I'm playing with you? Well, sorry if you felt this way, but I really cannot get myself work up over this no matter how hard I tried. You cannot even punch a hole through my barriers. Laxus managed to do it, even if it was just a tiny hole, and he's S Class. Maybe I can consider letting you pass if you managed it as well?” Elden said the last phrase as if he was talking to himself. ”Oh well, maybe I will just go on the offensive then. Watch out, Erza, here I come.”

Erza stiffened upon hearing these words. With a wave of his hand, Elden's right hand gripped a translucent ethereal looking sword with the shape of a basic katana without a hilt. The katana vanished a moment later, but Elden's grip remained the same. Did Elden made a sword by reshaping his barriers into the shape of a katana and then turning it invisible? That's a very high level of skill for molding magic, even Gray didn't manage such a feat with ice even though ice is definitely a lot more malleable than solid barriers.

Elden gave a few practice swings before giving a shrug. ”Thought I let you know that I'm using a sword. I usually don't let my opponents see them at all.” He got into a lazy stance and used his left hand to make a 'come at me' motion. Elden knew how to use a sword?

”Any time you want, red.”

The only warning Erza gave Elden was a deep breath she silently took before she dashed in to slice at Elden. Elden wasn't fl_u_s_tered as he calmly blocked and parried every single blow while moving as little as possible with that lazy gaze still in his eyes. Erza requipped into her Black Wing Armour as she held a sword in each hand to increase the ferocity of her attacks. Elden increased the speed of his swings as well as he continued to slowly move backwards. Seeing an opportunity, Erza quickly requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armour and launched a huge amount of swords at Elden, who simply dodged out of the way before conjuring a huge rectangular block of barrier with a single hand to stop her swords. They both jumped back to keep a healthy amount of distance from each other, waiting for their opponent to make the next move.

”You are good, Erza. Your strength is already on the level of S Class and will definitely continue to grow. Heck, you may even make it to a Wizard Saint's level if you keep improving like that. However, let me ask you something. What do you fight for? Why do you fight?”

That sudden question caught Erza off guard, why is Elden asking such a question?

”I fight to become S Class, obviously.”

Elden facepalmed as he gave a groan. ”Never mind, I should have phrased it better.” Elden's legs stood further apart and Elden brought his body closer to the ground while taking a sheathing stance of his sword. ”Get ready, Erza. Try not to fall in one hit.”

Erza recognised that stance, it was the stance of the Iaido. Skilled users of Iaido only need one hit to finish their opponents, their blades not even stained with the blood of their foes because it moved too quickly. It is a difficult technique to truly master. She got into her stance as well, this battle will end within the next move.

The chirp of a bird was the unspoken signal as both mages dashed towards each other and slashed at their opponents with speeds faster than what most people can comprehend with their eyes. Both of them stood on the opposite end with their backs facing each other. Erza wobbled, before her armour started to crack and fell into pieces as she collapsed onto the ground facing down. Elden stood in his usual lazy demeanor as he took off his jacket to cover Erza's nearly n_a_k_e_d body, her armour was totally destroyed.

”I...I lost.”

”Yea, you did. You still didn't tell me what you fight for though. You could have win if you answered that question. Your strike felt like it lacked conviction. That's what I felt anyway, I'm not a master swordsman so I don't know for sure, but that's what I felt.”

”I...I just wanted to protect those close to me. I lost Rob...I lost Jel-, I lost my friend. I lost everyone who I cared about. I don't want to lose anyone anymore.” Erza started to break out in small sobs as Elden sat down next to where Erza was lying curled up on the ground while patting her back awkwardly.

”There, there. At least now you know what you fight for. Cheer up, you have about...” Elden checked the time using the watch he strapped on his right wrist. ”20 minutes? Before this segment of the test ends. You still have a chance to make S Class if you start to make your way to your destination now.”

Erza immediately stood up in excitement, only to find Elden's back facing her.

”Clothes, Erza. You are barely wearing anything at the moment. Unless you intend on giving me a free show, I will never say 'no' to them.”

Erza blushed as she quickly requipped her Heart Kreuz Armour although she reigned in the impulse to throttle Elden for that remark.

”I passed? But I didn't beat you!”

Elden snorted as he put his hands behind his head and lay back down onto the ground with his eyes closed. ”Laxus and I didn't beat Gildarts either and we made S Class. You have the power for it and now you know the reason why you fight. That's enough for me to pass you.” Elden slid out a hand from underneath his head and made a 'go away' motion with it. ”Shoo, time's a wastin'. You better go now unless you want Mira to reach the end point before you did. I will lie here for a while before I meet up with Master.”

Erza quickly muttered her thanks before running off to her destination. She passed the first segment! There's still a chance to achieve S Class!

Erza hurried her pace, she must hurry to the end point before Mira did, the she-demon would never let her hear the end of it if Erza reached the end point later than her.

I whistled a tune as I slowly walked towards the direction of Magnolia from where I am now. I had just finished a solo S Class mission and it was still early, I wanted to enjoy the scenery while travelling back to the guild. Erza had made S Class a few weeks ago, much to Mira's chagrin, and she never let me hear the end of it for letting Erza pass, saying that I had broke the 'bro code' by passing her. Hence, I decided that it may be a wiser decision to just take my time to head back to the guild for the sake of my ears. Mira wanted to come with me as well, saying that she needed more experience in handling S Class missions. However, I wanted a moment of peace and quiet, even if Mira's a good teammate to have and an even better friend despite how she currently carry herself. I know she will have a drastic change in personality after Lisanna's presumed death but I'm trying to think of ways to prevent Lisanna's death. They Strauss siblings did nothing to deserve the separation they experienced like what happened in canon. Even if by saving Lisanna Mira will never become the sweet and motherly woman that I was familiar with in the manga, I will still try to prevent Lisanna from 'dying'.

They are my friends now.

I immediately stop whistling when I heard movements from the bushes on the side of the road. The existence of magic in my body had enhanced my senses and physical capabilities to ridiculous degrees. I could probably take part in any sports in the Olympics in my previous world and win simply by having magic running through my body.

Was that...sounds of crying?

I discreetly raised a transparent shield of barrier around me in a sphere as I walked further into the woods at the side of the main road. Using what knowledge I had of physics in my previous world regarding the properties of light, I had altered the properties of the barriers such that it refract light around it, causing me to disappear from sight and be technically invisible to the n_a_k_e_d eye. I had also made sure that my scent will not leak out of the barriers, Natsu had checked that for me when I was trying to perfect this particular function of my magic. The sounds made by me, be it footsteps or breathing, were also muffled.

It only took me a minute or two to find the source of the disturbance. A young girl, who I estimate to be around five to seven years of age, was sitting down on the ground with her back to a large tree. She hugged her knees close to her c_h_e_s_t as she buried her head in it. She was sobbing. I twitched uncomfortably, comforting people when they are sad is not exactly my forte. The young girl had short white hair with a slight light blue tinge that extends up to her neck, it was almost like looking at a younger version of Lisanna.

The Strauss siblings don't have a fourth sibling, right?

I dropped most of my barriers, making me visible once more. I only left a transparent rectangular one that hover in front of me without a trace of its presence. Even if it was unlikely that this young girl will attack me, it would protect me from any sudden attacks should she have the capability to hurt others. This young girl is obviously a mage given the amount of magic power I felt from her. Being S Class makes you paranoid like hell, things can always go to shit on S Class missions when you least expect it. I may not be on a mission, but it does not hurt to be careful.

”Hello, can I help you?”

The young girl was startled as her head shot up to look at me. She was afraid, I can tell that much when she tried to put some distance between us the moment I made myself known to her while clutching something in her hands that looked like a black and gold key. She tried to move backwards, only to have her back pressed to the tree behind her. I slowly crouched down to her level with my palms opened and visible to her, I don't want to scare her more than necessary. For all I know, she could have just experienced the same thing I did when I first arrived into this world. It wouldn't be a surprise from what I could see. The clothes that the girl was wearing has been reduced to rags and I could see blood stains as well.

”I don't mean any harm, I swear it. I am a member of the mage guild, Fairy Tail. See?” I took off my dark blue jacket and rolled up the sleeves of my shirt to show her the dark blue guild mark I stamped onto my right shoulder. ”I am not a thug, a bandit, or a dark mage. I am not a bad guy. Is there anything I can help you with?” I spoke slowly, trying not to agitate the already frightened kid.

The kid nodded slowly in response. Good, she understands me. I just hoped that she isn't mute, that will complicate things.

”My name is Elden Tyrell. El-den Ty-rell. What's your name?” I spoke slowly to make sure she got my name right. Natsu heard my name wrong the first time we met and it took two months for me to correct him. That annoying stupid little shit. ”What's your name?”

”I-I..” The girl coughed as she tried to get words out from her hoarse throat. I quickly gave her some water to drink from my water flask that I always bring along with me. She gulped the waters down greedily and only stopped when there was nothing more to drink from the flask. She looked embarrassed by her actions but I simply smiled at her and produced another flask from my requip space. I cannot do anything fancy like Erza but I can do enough to store a few objects. My proficiency with requip only allowed me to go on missions without bringing any luggage. That's about the full extent of the powers I have with requip. I don't know why there aren't more people who learn this magic. It's pretty useful.

The girl drank from the second flask as I sat down beside her and rubbed her back soothingly, trying to ensure that she doesn't accidentally choke herself while she drank. She drank way too fast. ”Easy there, the water's not going anywhere. I still have more of it if you want to drink later. I don't know how long you went without food or water, but drinking a large amount of water immediately after a long period of dehydration probably isn't the best idea. Just take small but frequent sips.”

The girl looked at me and gave me a nod while holding onto my flask with both her hands. Kawaii! If I ever have a long-lost sister or a daughter in the future, will she look and act like her?

The girl took another small, careful sip of water before speaking.

”My name is Yukino Agria.”

I nearly did a spit-take as I looked at the girl closely once more. Short white-bluish hair? Check. Big eyes? Check. Possible current age range based from what I know from the manga? Check.

Holy Mavis, this is the same Yukino that joined Sabertooth, isn't it?

Nah, not anymore. Screw canon, no way am I leaving her out here to fend for herself.

The girl looked a little uncomfortable from how I was staring at her and I quickly averted my gaze. Instead, I gave her a big smile and held out my right hand to her.

”Hello, Yukino. Would you like to join Fairy Tail?”

AN: The powers that I created for my oc, Elden, is inspired from the Bari Bari no Mi, or the barrier devil fruit from One Piece. The FT fanfics that I read did not characters with powers like these so I thought it will be fun to write an oc with such powers. Many ocs I read about almost always have offensive magic, so I thought that I will do something different and try to come up with a magic that focuses on defense. In this case, I think that molding magic would be the best category for Barrier magic to fall into as it sounds the most logical, so I made the magic for my oc here Barrier-Make magic, the ability to create and shape barriers into different shapes with different properties.

To my readers that came here and knew me from my other work, IJWTTTW, this FT fanfic is a side project of mine that I wrote in the short period after I posted the 20th chapter for IJWTTTW. I outdid myself by managing to write at least 5 chapters for this fanfic within 2 days. Like I said in IJWTTTW, I would not be posting any new chapters for IJWTTTW or this fanfic due to the fact that school has started for me, and I will be on hiatus until around the period of May. I will continue to post one chapter a day that I had already wrote for TAOFT during the short two days that I used to write it until I had reached the end of my stash, and TAOFT will be on a temporary hiatus after that as well.

I will most likely be posting one chapter a day for TAOFT, partly because I'm evil like that and partly because I want to know what my readers thought of the idea I presented here before reading the next chapter. I will probably finish posting all the chapters before the week is up, I don't have that many finished chapters on hand. I only have about 2 days to write all of them after all.

Let me know what you think, and I hoped that you enjoyed this chapter.