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The smell inside the library was awful. Old paper and rotten glue everywhere.
Erza stood on the wooden ladder rung, clutching a massive book on Fiore's history. It was heavy. It felt like her rusted beach armor. She didn't let go. Under her skin, she guided the Ethernano straight from her magic container into her arms and shoulders. The raw pressure stopped tearing at her muscles. She slid the book onto the top shelf easily.
She took a slow breath. Her arms were sore from days of moving heavy cargo boxes, but she was getting used to it. The body enchantment was working.
Then, a small thud came from the next aisle.
Erza didn't turn around. Her senses were sharp from the magic. She could hear the heavy, clumsy boots dragging through the dirt on the floorboards. Someone was trying to hide. They were doing a terrible job.
"I can hear you breathing, underwear boy," Erza said.
A loud CRACK came from behind the bookshelf.
Gray jumped out from behind a row of big books, clutching his forehead. He had tried to peek through a gap and smacked his skull straight into the oak wood.
"I wasn't hiding!" Gray yelled, his face turning bright red. He had his jacket on, but his boots and socks were completely missing again. His bare toes curled against the cold floor. "I just came to see if you were slacking off! Carrying papers isn't real training!"
Erza climbed down the ladder, her metal boots clinking against the wood. She stopped at the bottom, crossed arms, and stared flatly at his bare feet. "I am earning my own jewels. You spent yesterday throwing ice rocks at the chimney until the Master threw a boot at your head."
"That was target practice!" Gray screamed, stomping his foot. "Just wait! Next time we spar, I'm breaking that rusty tin can armor!"
Erza didn't even answer. She picked up a new stack of books and walked right past him. Gray grumbled, kicked a piece of scrap paper on the floor, and stormed out the front doors.
By evening, the tavern was packed.
Erza sat by herself at a table in the back, dumping a small canvas pouch out. Gold coins clinked against the wood. Exactly three thousand jewels. Her very first paycheck. She touched the metal coins, counting them one by one. It felt strange. It was the first thing she actually owned that wasn't junk from the coast.
She looked over at the far corner table.
Cana was sitting alone in the shadows, shuffling a deck of cards over and over. She had been living in the guild for four years now, but she still never talked to anyone. She just sat there, staring at the front doors. Every time the heavy hinges creaked, she jumped up, looking for her dad. Then some random drunk mage would walk in, and her shoulders would slump right back down. She'd hide behind her cards again.
She wanted to find her father. But seeing how big Gildarts' name was in the guild, she was too scared to say anything. She was just looking for a home.
GROWL.
A loud stomach rumble cut through the sound of her shuffling cards. Cana froze, her face turning red as she slammed the deck down, looking away.
Erza stood up, scooped her coins back into the pouch, and walked over. She sat straight down on the bench right across from her.
Cana pulled her cards closer, giving her a sharp look. "What do you want? I'm busy."
Erza didn't say anything. She reached into her bag, grabbed a huge handful of gold coins, and slammed them right on top of Cana's cards.
"For juice," Erza said flatly. "And bread. You look like you're about to pass out."
Cana stared at the money, her jaw dropping. "I don't need your charity. I can take care of myself."
"I earned it," Erza said, crossing her arms. "Merlin said the guild is like one big family, and food tastes better when you share it with you family . Eat something."
Cana's fingers loosened on her deck. She looked at the scary new girl in the rusted armor, then back at the gold. The tight look on her face slipped a little bit.
"Look at that. The tiny knight is already sharing the loot."
A lazy voice cut through the noise. A wooden staff tapped the floor. Merlin walked out from the bar, his white robes rustling. His gold eyes looked right at Erza's waist. She had a brand-new leather sword-belt buckled over her metal plate. She had bought it with the rest of her money.
"Master Merlin," Erza said, straightening up.
"Nice belt," Merlin chuckled, leaning his chin on the gold top of his staff. "But carrying that steel on your hip all day is ruining your posture. Your magic container is stable now. Stop dragging it around."
Erza reference her breath. She stood up, stepping out into the open space between the tables. Cana watched from the booth, her cards forgotten.
Merlin stood back, a golden swirl hitting his eyes. Through Sha Naqba Imuru, he looked straight at her magic container. The week of lifting books had finally settled her massive Ethernano supply. The container wasn't leaking anymore. She was ready.
Erza reached her right hand out, her fingers steady. She didn't push the magic outward. She focused the energy right at her palm, cutting a tiny, clean tear into the air.
CHIME.
A sudden flash of golden light hit the aisle. A tiny ripple cracked open in the air. With a sharp ring, the short sword in her left hand vanished completely into the spatial pocket. The air snapped shut. No vibrations.
Erza stared at her empty palm, her eye wide. "I did it."
"No way! How did you make it disappear?!" Cana gasped, jumping up from her bench to stare at the empty air.
Before Erza could answer, the front doors were kicked wide open.
"Erza! I found my socks! Come out here and fight me—" Gray shouted, running in with his wooden swords. He stopped, staring at her empty hands. "Wait. Where is your sword? Did you lose it?"
"It's right here," Erza said.
She flicked her wrist. The golden ripple snapped open for a millisecond. The steel blade dropped straight back into her grip with a loud clack.
Gray's eyes practically popped out of his skull. He stumbled back, pointing a shaking finger at her. "WHAT?! That's cheating! Merlin, she's cheating!"
"It's called basic magic, underwear boy," Merlin laughed, ruffling Gray's hair until the kid started screaming.
Cana watched Gray jump up and down, yelling about how he was going to make his ice swords disappear too. Erza just sent her blade back into the pocket with a small smirk.
For the first time since her mother died, Cana let out a real laugh. The lonely weight in her chest was totally gone. She looked at the messy, loud tavern, then up at the tall, smiling magus in the white robes. She didn't need to run anymore. She was home.
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[ If you want to read an extra chapter ahead, go check out the p@treon
Search for foresight_geek or https://[email protected]/c/foresight_geek,
you can buy a membership for the entire month just for -- 1 $ ]
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