24. A New Dawn

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"Lyssa? Hey, wake up?"

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"Come on, Lyssa. I know you're not a heavy sleeper."

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"Fine then. You asked for it."

An extremely pungent odour entered my nose, so disgusting it startled me awake. The moment I saw a person standing above my prone figure I reached out and grabbed them by the throat.

The person started to tap on my arm in a gesture of surrender and I noticed the familiar black and white hair and the familiar black and red Elite Guard uniform. Instantly I let go of his neck and slid further backwards into the alley I was sleeping in.

"T-Totomaru!?"

"*cough* *cough* Nice to see you too, I guess," the familiar swordsman said as he rubbed his neck, a slight bruise already forming around his skin.

"How did you find me?" 

"I didn't, I came to Oak Town for a different reason," he said bluntly as he sat against the wall of the alley. "But when I saw people giving this alley a wide birth as they walked, it drew my attention. And there's only one thirteen-year-old I know wearing this uniform. The captain had said that you went through some…changes, but white hair? If you were jealous I could have helped you dye it, you know."

"I don't think you realise how little my hair colour matters in comparison to the rest of the changes…" After I spoke a white smoke popped out of me for a brief second, making the horns and arms I had hidden with Transformation Magic.

Totomaru just looked at the horns and the second set of arms with mild interest before shrugging, "Not surprised."

"Huh?"

"I've seen you accidentally cut off your hands before and reattach it like it was nothing. You being an…ogre or whatever doesn't really surprise me much," he said nonchalantly.

"What are you doing here, anyway? Shouldn't you be back in the village?"

"There isn't a village anymore. Mayor Enpece and Captain Tatsuo told everyone that it would be years before they could clear the basin of ash. With it there they won't be able to rebuild, the ground won't be solid enough to provide support."

Those words sent a sharp sting through my heart. "W-What about all the people there? Where will they go?"

Totamaru just sighed as he leaned his head against the wall.

"The Magic Council came to investigate everything. They're helping most find jobs and homes in the aftermath of everything. But some of us decided to strike out on our own, yours truly included. Now onto the important questions," he pointed at me, more specifically at the ashe, blood, and dirt that stained me and my torn clothes, "When was the last time you ate? Had a bath?"

"...How long has it been since…?"

"You've gotta be kidding me? You haven't eaten anything in two weeks!?"

I flinched the moment he raised his voice, curling myself up into a small ball in the corner of the alley.

Frankly, I was just as surprised.

I didn't think about self-preservation at all, I just ran.

I ran and ran and ran, only stopping when I could hear the blisters on my bare feet popping with every step. 

When I stumbled into this alley, I collapsed. My head was completely absent of thought, my only idea was to lie here. I guess I did exactly that, for days, not moving an inch.

The seventeen-year-old just sighed as he stood up, grabbing me from under my arm and hoisting me onto his back without me even being able to fight back.

"W-What are you doing!?"

"I sincerely doubt you're in any shape to walk at the moment, and I'm not letting you stay in that alley. How you were able to strangle me at all in your condition is a mystery."

As we walked out of the alley, I instantly used my Transformation Magic to hide my horns and arms again. 

He walked for several minutes, his head twisting this way and that as he kept his eyes out for something, but I kept my eyes on him the entire time. Some part of me hated that he was trying to help me, some part of me hated that I needed his help, but most of me was thankful.

I didn't know why he was helping me, but at that moment he was my singular lifeline, a lifeline that I gripped onto as tightly as I could.

When Totomaru found what he was looking for, I had found us entering the front of some sort of apartment complex. When he walked up to the desk at the front a woman greeted us with obvious reluctance in her smile making me realize how terrible I must smell.

"Hi, there! Welcome to Dahlia Plaza! What can I help you with today?"

"One-bedroom apartment, please."

The woman searched a paper with the room numbers on it before looking upwards towards us again. "We have a room available on the second floor for 10,000 a week. Is that acceptable?"

Totomaru didn't give a verbal response, simply reaching into his pocket with one hand and putting a large amount of money on the desk.

"Is there room service?"

"Yes, sir. Your room is 217, would you like me to send them in right away?"

"Yes, please."

He grabbed the room key she had placed on the desk and walked up the stairs to the room. When we entered he immediately carried me to the bathroom and set me on the edge of the bath.

"Do you think you can wash yourself, or will you need help?"

"I…should be fine."

He nodded before standing up and aiming to walk out of the bathroom, but before he could step too far my hand reached out and grabbed his wrist stopping him in place.

"Hm? What is it?" He asked innocently.

"Why?" I asked him, my head hanging low and eyes locked onto the tiled floor. "Why are you helping me so much…?"

"That's simple, really," he said instantly. "You looked like you needed a big brother, and what are big brothers supposed to do when they see their little sis in need of help?"

His words froze me in place, every muscle in my body tensing with those words. I barely felt his hand as he ruffled my hair.

"Just call if you need anything, alright?"

Big brothers…

William…

He should be turning twenty-three in a couple of months…

By now he should have been able to marry the woman of his dreams, that is, if he had been able to escape…

Shiro and Millianna, they looked up to me like an older sibling. They looked up to both me and Erza as their big sisters. I can't imagine how heartbroken they were after "Jellal" made them think I betrayed them.

I wish I could be there, to tell them I didn't.

I wish I could…

"Dammit!"

Shouting, I slammed my fist against the wall of the bathroom.

Black blood dripped from the cuts on my hand that formed when the porcelain shattered, blood that I hated, but blood I could use. There's nothing I can do to change how I got this change, but all I can do now is take advantage of it, learn about it, master it, and use it for my own advantage.

When I looked at my hand it became immediately obvious that the cuts had already healed, not even leaving a scab or scar behind.

It filled me with reassurance, it gave me the knowledge that I could use this new body to grow. I can take full advantage of the power I was given and use it for something greater than bring more suffering.

I can use it to save everyone.

I can use it to protect them.

My resolve will not waver. No matter how much the world tries to knock me down, I'll keep standing up.

The entire world could stand between me and my friends, and I'd burn it all to help them.

The bath had turned completely black as I tried to clean myself, and I had to empty it and refill it a couple of times just to make sure I had cleaned myself as thoroughly as possible. Even after almost an hour, my nails were stained with thin splotches of grey and black. 

Still, it allowed me to see how heavily scarred my body had become after Tatsuo and I fought. While I was able to heal everything as much as possible, thin lines and small burn marks covered my limbs and back. I had protected my face and front torso with my arms during our fight, so most of the scars on my stomach had occurred either during personal training or were remnants from the torture the cult inflicted on me. 

Most of these scars will fade as I grow, either stretching into obscurity or healing, but there will always be remnants and I'm confident that I'll gain more scars as the years go on.

But what surprised me the most was something incredibly mundane. My hair colour.

Previously, my hair was as black as it could get, an all-consuming ebony that didn't shine no matter how well I kept it as the light just refused to bounce off of it. But now it's the opposite. The ash and muck kept it slightly dirty, almost grey, but once it was clean I felt I could possibly blind people due to how vibrant it glowed. It felt weird, but…

I liked it.

It was just another symbol for me that I've changed.

After putting on the bathrobe and wrapping myself up in it, I left the room with the plan to buy new clothes after washing my tank top and hakama pants. Totomaru was waiting for me at the dining table with several plates of food being kept warm by a small floating flame.

He was staring out the large window that made up the wall, his eyes looking at the large castle that sat atop the giant hill across the river. The moment I sat down I started eating, knowing that he had kept the food warm for me and that he had already eaten based on the dirty empty plate right next to him.

It was honestly starting to feel a little embarrassing at this point. It was as if people could say, "Lyssa needs help? Just give her some food."

When the plates of food were empty, Totomaru glanced at me with concern evident in his eyes. "Feeling better?"

"Yes. Thank you…"

"Hey, no need to thank me, kid," he said as he picked up the dirty dishes and put them by the sink to wash later.

As he did so, I asked him the other question that's been on my mind for a while. "So, why did you come here? Is there anything special about this city?"

"Not much really. Oak Town is an old castle town with some landmarks here and there, a healthy trade economy, etcetera etcetera. But there is one important thing to mention about this city, and it sits in that giant castle atop that hill."

"What do you mean?"

In response to my question, he pulled out a pamphlet from his travelling sack and sat it in front of me. On it was a very, very familiar purple symbol. An eye with a curling tear-like trail going downwards. It was the guild mark that Matron Clarice had on her left bicep, the mark of the first of my guardians to sacrifice themselves for the sake of others.

The pamphlet itself read, "Seeking to grow as a wizard? Seeking to earn money and glory? Seeking to test yourself against the best of the best? Come join Phantom Lord today!"

"A…wizarding guild?"

"Thaaats right! Phantom Lord is the biggest and one of the most powerful wizard guilds in Fiore, second only to Fairy Tail, with over 50 different branch offices across the country with their Guild Master being one of the top five amongst the current Ten Wizard Saints. Within their ranks are the Phantom Elite, S-Rank Wizards who are among the most powerful in the country, at least publicly. Within the group of wizards is a team called the Elemental Four, a group made exclusively of the best fire, wind, earth, and water wizards the guild has, and a group I'm going to get into. I figured it'd be an easy peasy way to make some money. After all, I was a member of the Elite Guards of Himura village, a group made exclusively of fire wizards. So, what do ya think? Wanna join the guild with me? Fight bad guys together like we used to?"

Grandpa Rob's stories ran through my head in an instant. The fun he had, his adventures, the friends. I could feel it, a part of me, my new demonic nature, just wanted to go crazy and wreak havoc. But having people around I could trust, friends I could rely on, they could bring me back if I lose control, ground me back to reality just like how the Captain did back in Himura.

With a smile on my face, I looked up at the annoying prankster yet talented swordsman. His grin matched my own as I responded, "It'll be business as usual."

"Like nothing had changed at all!"

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