Speedrun 31

(Fairy Tail - Magnolia - Aletia Galdea Vesperitio Avatarl POV)

"What do you mean?" I shouted, and in the next moment, I found myself surrounded by the bustling sounds of a lively town.

The transition was abrupt and disorienting. He didn't employ any mana for his magic, leaving me with no prior warning. It felt instantaneous, occurring without an incantation or a gesture, and I detested when he did that, especially without any notice.

And no, I didn't consider a last-second "We're heading out!" to be a proper warning. He didn't give me the chance to prepare, neither mentally nor physically. One moment, I was shivering in the cold, with the salty winds making their way under my skirt, which to be honest way was shorter than I'd prefer. The next, I was in a hot and arid environment, surrounded by people speaking an unfamiliar language.

I sighed in frustration, that man could be infuriating. I had no idea how his supposed girlfriend if she even existed, put up with him. He had rescued me, but he was far from the chivalrous knight in shining armor I had expected.

No, he was as far from the gallant hero one could imagine. He could be rude, and cunning, and had an unapologetic penchant for teasing.

His impoliteness sometimes went a step too far, his playful eyes hinting at something more, and oddly, it also unveiled a side of me I hadn't known.

His gaze, which once made me feel objectified, his audacious words, and his flirty demeanor stirred emotions I was hesitant to embrace.

But also, I couldn't deny the positive transformation he had done to me. Trapped in a child's form for an eternity had been a cruel fate, and now I was happy, I finally possessed a body that reflected my true self. Whether it was due to my exceptional genetics, as he told me, or his deliberate design, it was irrelevant. I felt absolutely stunning, and that was all that mattered.

The only minor inconvenience was the heightened sensitivity in certain areas of my body. The slightest touch, or an unlucky brush, made me gush out like a waterfall, and the snug dress that hugged my frame was no help at all.

I shook my head, trying to clear these tantalizing thoughts, and disregarded his inquisitive looks as we tracked through the bustling city, while the alluring lingerie he had created, snuggly placed between my bottom cheeks, started to moisten.

I could never admit to him that I found them oddly... comfortable.

"I have a problem..." I muttered to myself, under my breath.

Perhaps this whole notion of tagging along wasn't such a wise idea...

But then, where would I even go?

I knew no one else, and without him, I would be utterly lost.

'Perhaps I could entertain the idea of asking Andy to send me to another random world?' For a moment I entertained those thoughts, but I swiftly shook my head to dismiss them altogether.

My place was by his side, and I had decided to follow him, even if he seemed a bit... eccentric.

He had altered the course of history in my world, so a return was out of the question.

Yet, those same actions also brought a comforting warmth to my heart. The other me, my counterpart, would never have to experience all the pain and suffering I had endured. She wouldn't have to bear the sudden loss of her parents or carry the heavy burden of ruling a nation alone. She'd never feel the heartbreak of betrayal from the only family she had left, nor spend three centuries imprisoned, believing she had been forsaken in pursuit of power.

He had offered me the choice of losing my memories and staying, but I had refused, determined not to sacrifice the essence of who I was.

The stress of leading a nation, three hundred years of solitude, and the experiences of loss and betrayal had all contributed to shaping the present me, and I was unwilling to lose myself.

According to his accounts, there were countless worlds out there, most of them based on one story or another. It was quite the revelation that these worlds were inspired by stories, even including my own world.

To be honest, after delving into the literature he had provided me, I was certain that I was in better hands than the Aletia, now known as Yue, who inexplicably fell head over heels for a child, of all things. That man-child seemed like the embodiment of cringe, an edgy and troubled child with more than a few issues.

Without going through the message left by my uncle, I could have seen myself bonding with him since our initial circumstances weren't so dissimilar. But now, armed with the knowledge of what had truly transpired, I couldn't imagine myself falling for him, even for a moment.

'Maybe I could get along with his supposed girlfriend.' I thought to myself, 'Hopefully, she was more on the sane side.'

Lost in my thoughts, I took a step forward and collided clumsily with the sturdy back of the man who had been occupying my mind. It appeared that I had made a rookie mistake, not being vigilant of my surroundings. My internal musings had distracted me, yet, it was somewhat understandable. Despite his somewhat perverted nature, I couldn't help but trust him to keep me safe wholeheartedly.

"Why did we stop?" I asked while rubbing my nose. My mind had once again wandered into indecent thoughts, imagining his naked back, all sturdy and muscular.

The heat in my cheeks told me I was doing a poor job hiding these thoughts. I chided myself, fully aware of my attraction to his handsome, well-built physique. 'God damn, Aletia, you three-hundred-year-old virgin...'

"We have arrived at our destination," he replied, giving me a grin that told me he saw through me. "Are you alright?" he asked wiggling his brows.

"Just peachy," I forced a smile, trying to ignore his words while focusing on our surroundings.

We stood before a dark-brown double-sided door, in front of a two-story building housing, which reminded us of a circus. The sound of a commotion coming from it, as well as its vibrant colors certainly made me completely believe so.

The walls of the building were painted white with lime-colored ornaments and windows. Unnecessary wooden arches, painted gold for design purposes rather than structural support, surrounded the exterior walls. The roof was adorned with bright red tiles, flags, and a strange rocket-shaped ornament, along with the lime-colored trimming.

Above the door, a yellow sign displayed an unfamiliar symbol along with the text "Fairy Tail."

The building stood out significantly compared to the surrounding ordinary structures, with a noticeable gap between them. However, my mana sense confirmed that the place was indeed magical in more ways than one. It was brimming with defensive enchantments, and the air around it visibly hummed with an intense concentration of mana.

A shudder coursed through me, and I turned to Andy, my ears ringing from the lively commotion coming from within.

"Are you certain this is the right place?" I asked with a note of uncertainty.

"Yep, this will be Erza's new home, her new family," he replied with a gentle smile. However, instead of opening the door like a sane person, he raised his leg and, with a wide grin, shouted "DYNAMIC ENTRY!" Then he kicked it open with such force that it ripped both the door and its frame out of the wall.

Air swirled, tugging at my glasses and clothes, while my already messy bun came undone, sending locks of hair scattering in every direction, before a wave of warm mana surrounded me, fixing my disheveled clothes and hair. Dust rose and was swiftly dispersed by the sudden sonic boom caused by the door's rapid acceleration. In its path stood a single black-haired, bearded man with wide eyes. He had been quietly enjoying his midday drink before the chaos erupted.

His surprise was only momentary, and his years of experience kicked in. He kicked off the chair, and both his table and his drink turned into... paper dolls, of all things. They swiftly attempted to intercept the door, only to be displaced by the strong winds before they could even make contact.

I winced as a loud crunch resounded, and the door impacted, deeply embedding itself into the ground and skewering the man in half. My hand swiftly rose, covering the eyes of the little girl, while I sent a death glare toward the man responsible for this chaos.

"What the hell, Andy?!" I shouted, my annoyance palpable.

"What?" he asked nonchalantly as if he didn't just kill someone. "He should have seen it coming," he added with a stupidly charming smile.

"What? A door moving at supersonic speeds!?" I asked infuriated.

"No?" He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to the side, looking confused. Then, it dawned on him, and he clarified, "He was a quest objective..." He stated simply, turning his attention back to the establishment.

"Oh..." I replied, wanting to know so much more, like how he knew the man was behind the door, but now was not the time.

I shook my head and refocused my attention on the eerily silent establishment, which was soon broken by heart-wrenching shouts. "Father? / Ivan!" An older man, barely a meter tall, jumped off a barstool and rushed towards the downed man, followed by a blonde child barely in his teens.

"Right, he was Makarov's son..." Andy mumbled with a grimace. Then he shrugged and took a step into the building.

"Yo!" He greeted the still-stunned onlookers, then turned to the old man and simply said, "Sorry about that, Mister Midget. He was an unnecessary casualty of my dynamic entry. His brave sacrifice for my glorious entrance will be remembered in the annals of time," he stated with a profound nod. I couldn't help but allow a wry smile to spread across my face.

(Fairy Tail - Magnolia - Makarov Dreyar POV)

"Good morning, Guildmaster!" greeted Lyra, our blonde receptionist, with a heartwarming smile as I made my way into the guild.

"And a good morning to you too, sweetheart," I replied, flashing her a warm smile. "Anything new while I was out?"

"Gildarts took a job earlier today, for some reason he was in a hurry. Macao is at the bar, he just had a fight with his wife. Laxus is outside playing. While Ivan caused another scene earlier," she said the last one with a grimace.

"Is he drunk again?" I asked with a sigh.

"Yes, Master," she said with a wry smile, "He's been drinking since early morning."

"He has had a rough patch. I'll talk to him later," I said, nodding my head.

Lately, Ivan has been out of it. He didn't want to disclose what weighed on his soul, but I wanted to be there for him and help him through his hard times.

I moved upstairs to my office, greeting Macao and the rest on my way, and spent the rest of the morning doing some much-needed paperwork.

"These kids are going to kill me..." I mumbled under my breath, shaking my head at the new report and fine from the council. One of Gildarts' latest jobs was a rescue operation, which he gallantly finished, saving fifty people from the clutches of a dark guild. He was our only man for such a difficult job, yet I dreaded sending him, as he was well known for the collateral damage he caused.

Another sigh left my lips. His latest stunt had cost us more Jewels than the quest awarded.

"No wonder he took another quest so swiftly," I muttered with squinted eyes, annoyed at the man. "I'll give him a piece of my mind when he comes back."

A commotion from downstairs drew my attention, the sound of glass shattering followed by shouts. "Hah..." I sighed, "Another brawl... Lately, they've been happening more frequently." I muttered to myself, rising from my seat and making my way downstairs to check on the guild.

Surveying the scene, I spotted Ivan sitting at a table, drowning his sorrows in a drink, while Macao mirrored his actions at the bar. In a corner of the bar, a fight had erupted between two of our more senior members, while the rest of the boisterous bunch seemed to pay little mind to this daily occurrence.

I sighed once more and joined Macao at the bar. "What are they fighting about this time?" I asked, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"I've got no idea," he replied with a nonchalant shrug. "Probably something trivial again," he added before taking a sip of his ale and falling into deep thought.

"...You all right?" I inquired, studying his gloomy expression.

"Fine. Enno and I had another fight."

"That's the fifth this week, isn't it?"

"And it's only Tuesday," he replied with a chuckle.

"You know, maybe you should consider going to therapy. Or perhaps even have a child? Having Ivan worked wonders for my marriage," I suggested with a casual shrug.

  "Therapy..." He considered the idea thoughtfully. "Maybe we should," he perked up with a chuckle, "Not that the other option would be possible, especially as I've been sleeping on the sofa for the last month or so."

I grimaced and patted him on the back once again. "It's going to be alright," I reassured him.

We continued our conversation, and he skillfully avoided my other inquiries about his struggling marriage, such as the reasons behind her anger. Meanwhile, the guild steadily filled up with returning members from their missions and those simply looking to have a drink with the gang. New fights erupted and were quickly resolved, resulting in a few broken tables and chairs and one or two unconscious individuals.

"Remind me to deduct the damages from their next payment," I said, shaking my head in frustration, before rising from my seat. "I need to get back to work; paperwork awaits."

"You seem to have so much of it lately," Macao noted with a chuckle.

"What do you think, who's responsible for it?" I retorted with a deadpan expression, making him laugh out loud.

I shook my head, ready to immerse myself in another set of damage reports. However, before I could take a single step, my skin prickled, and my eyes shot from the staircase to the front. My senses alerted me to imminent danger, and I bolted to the right, skillfully avoiding a door-shaped projectile that lodged itself into the ground a few feet away from me. I gulped, my gaze fixed on the location of its impact. My mind came to a complete halt as my eyes widened in realization when I noticed a pair of familiar boots under it.

Stunned by the sudden loud crash, the guild descended into complete silence. The silence was only broken by the tippy-taps of my grandson's feet as he ran into the guild hall, only to find the lifeless, bisected body of his father.

"Father?" Laxus froze in place, his eyes widening in realization.

"Yo!" The newcomer greeted the guild with a wide smile and a casual wave. However, the rest of his words were muted by my boiling anger. 'He dares to attack MY GUILD!' My body morphed. 'He dares to take the life of my SON before my eyes!' My mind went hazy from rage, but I still retained enough control to issue a single order.

"Macao, get Laxus out of here!" I bellowed, my tone allowing no room for argument as Ethernano surged out, flooding the guild hall, and all hell broke lose.