"Ahhh, God, that really hit the spot". Said a young woman with somewhat tanned skin, dressed in coffee-colored capri pants and a white jacket with brown patterns on the rim as she lowered a huge wooden mug.

'It's not as good as guild alcohol, but it'll get the job done for now'. She thought to herself before getting up, leaving some jewels on the table and walking towards the exit.

It had been a long trip from Magnolia, and all the way, she had not been able to have a single drink, so she decided to have a very short break to recharge with just a couple of drinks, and when she was done with the job, she would celebrate with a keg or two.

Walking through the streets of the Rivermile, she stretched out her arms to release the tension built up from the train ride as she recalled the path she was to take in her mind.

'If I'm not mistaken, this is the way to the orphanage on the outskirts of town'. She thought before taking the path to the left of the main street.

######

"A talking dog?" She asked with a raised eyebrow at the older woman in a nun's outfit.

"That's right, we have had this type of incident for two weeks; during their free time, the children had been playing in the garden like every day." She said, pointing behind her to the large field of grass.

"And one day they said that a small dog appeared from the woods, we did not take it very seriously even when a few days later they said that the dog was talking to them, but the problem was when the children told us what that dog was telling them". The nun paused awkwardly as if what she was about to say seemed fanciful even to her, even though she was the one telling the story.

"The children told us that the dog told them to follow him into the forest, we warned them that their prank had gone too far, but a few days ago I saw it with my own eyes; I was going to bring the children back, and then I saw them moving in a straight line with the dog in the lead while the animal sang, I know it's hard to believe, but-"

"Oh, don't worry about that." The girl interrupted her before putting a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. "I've seen crazy things before; back in my guild there is someone who has a blue cat that can fly and talk, so a singing dog is not something I can't believe"

Hearing that, the older woman's face lit up with joy. "Really? So will you help us?"

"Of course, a Fairy Tail member always does the job". The girl replied with a smile.

"I appreciate it… huh"

"Oh, my name is Cana Alberona"

"Thank you very much to you and your guild then". Said the woman giving a slight bow.

The next thing Cana did was ask the nun to let the children do what they normally do while she watched them from afar before giving her a magic card with which she could communicate with her in case the animal returned while she was exploring the forest.

Walking through the trees while paying attention to her surroundings, she reviewed the story again. "If it's a dog that lures children in with its singing must be some kind of hypnotic ability; ah, it really seems like something troublesome, but since that dog does it behind the back of adults, it might only work on people can't use magic, who has small reservations, or that their mind is more vulnerable". She said when noticed some footprints on the ground.

'I see, so that was it'. She thought, bending down and running her hand over one of the footprints. "A herd of wolves probably; the ground is still a little wet and soft; it seems that they passed through here not long ago". She finished saying before getting up and continuing walking.

It took her about 25 minutes of searching, following footprints and claw marks on the trunks, until she heard the sound of growls in the distance.

Hiding behind some bushes, Cana poked her head out and could see a small cave; from the entrance, several wild dogs were running scared of something that had fought with them if the broken ground in several places was a sign.

Cana waited behind the bush, watching for a few more seconds until two humanoid figures came out of the cave after the last dog ran away shrieking.

"Muuu, with this, none of these dogs will try to hurt Lucy's nice body again". He started flexing his arms.

The blonde girl gave a small smile even if she seemed a bit downcast. "Thanks, Taurus, you can go back now". She said with a golden key in her hand.

Taurus took a second to look at his summoner with a pitying expression before speaking as his body slowly began to glow. "Don't worry, Lucy". He said in a calm tone drawing the blonde's attention.

Taurus slapped his palm on his chest before smiling and speaking in a cheerful tone. "Remember what Capricorn said, Jean is surely fine, as the only one I would trust with Lucy's safety; I know that no matter where he is, he is very strong, so I trust that we will surely see him again". He said before disappearing into golden particles, similar to how Jean's swords did.

"Yes, thank you, Taurus". Lucy said with a small smile, similar to the previous one, but this time much more sincere as she remembered her conversation with Capricorn.

####

It had been two days since Lucy and Jean had separated and one since she had regained consciousness after the fight they had against Eclinox; in all that time, several of her spirits had been taking turns to get her as far away from the forest as possible, and now she was sitting on her sleeping bag in the shade of a tree with bandages covering the most injured parts of her body.

It was lucky that she hadn't anything like broken or fractured bones; otherwise, she would have to rest for a considerably long time.

"Please, Lucy-sama, for not doing as you asked and not being able to help Jean-sama, I will accept whatever punishment you think I deserve". One of her oldest spirits said as he got down on one knee and bowed his head.

Lucy looked at him in silence for a few seconds before speaking. "I... I don't blame you for anything, Capricorn; please raise your head". She said, making her spirit raise her head and look at her through his dark glasses.

"What I asked you at that time was not fair, I was desperate, and although I am still worried about Jean, I know you did it to protect me, that's why..." She said, trying to keep a serious expression, although the drops of water on the corner of her eyes showed that the thought of she doing something that could hurt any of her spirits hurt her. "Don't ask me to do something like punish someone who is part of my family for caring about me"

"Lucy-sama". Said the spirit, moved by the words of his summoner; it was then that, in his mind, he reaffirmed his promise to serve the Heartfilia family; his force was for Lucy, in the same way that it would be for her children and their children's children, until the end of the ages.

"I also wanted to talk to you about something that happened at the time of the explosion". The spirit said as he stood up. "It was weak and very fast, so much so that at first I was very confused and didn't understand it, but I got to feel it, how Jean-sama was also affected by the teleportation"

"Th-then Jean too-". Lucy said, wide-eyed at the new information.

"That's correct". Capricorn answered with a happy tone. "Jean-sama also managed to avoid the explosion"

"Do you know where he is?" She asked hurriedly, but sadly his spirit shook his head a couple of times before speaking.

"Unfortunately, I don't know, Jean-sama's teleportation technique is somewhat similar to the way of summoning that we celestial spirits use to come to this world, using an object as a bridge to get from one place to another; that was the only reason that I was able to feel it when he teleported you, but unfortunately the explosion seemed to interfere in the middle of the process, that's why only you reached the pre-arranged place, while Jean-sama didn't"

"I see". The dejected girl replied before quickly shaking her head. "But what matters is that Jean was also able to escape; no matter where he is, I'm sure he will find a way to get ahead". She told herself as Capricorn nodded with a smile.

####

'I know if it's him, he'll definitely come back and make bad jokes about how he overcame everything he encountered while doing it'. She thought to herself.

Cana watched everything from behind her bush. "Ah, it seems that someone ended up doing the work for me". She said after seeing the bull-man disappear. 'Celestial spirits magic, she must be quite capable if was able to beat the whole herd even in her condition'. She thought, staring at the blonde.

The girl's body was wrapped in bandages on various parts, especially her right arm.

Lucy patted her cheeks a few times before nodding and saying. "Well, I can't be sad forever"

But suddenly, Cana's eyes widened in surprise as she saw a large dog, rather like a gray wolf, leap from behind the blonde with its muzzle open and ready to sink its fangs into the girl's shoulder.

"Hey! Behind you!" She said in alarm as she came out from behind the bush; a couple of cards appeared between her fingers, ready to be thrown.

However, before she finished stretching out her arm, the blonde girl turned, moving just enough to avoid the wild dog's charge as the bracelet over her arm's bandages transformed into a knuckle.

"Lucy Punch!" The girl yelled as her fist slammed into the animal's side, sending it rolling several feet on the ground.

The huge dog quickly scrambled to its feet before running off while shrieking in pain.

"Uff". Lucy exhaled before looking at the stranger who had come out of the bush a few meters from her.

"Uh… Hi?" The brunette greeted awkwardly.

######

"Another round over here!" Cana yelled at the barman as she shaking her empty cup.

"Eh, I don't think I should take any more". Said a slightly dizzy Lucy with red cheeks after accompanying Cana for at least 30 minutes at the bar, only to be interrupted by the card magician who put her arm behind her neck in a relaxed way.

"Come on, don't be a spoilsport; you ended up doing my job and taking my pay, so at least don't leave me drinking alone"

"About that, are you sure I should keep the reward money?" Lucy asked when the new pair of mugs filled with alcohol arrived.

"Um?" Cana made a sound of doubt as she stopped midway through taking her drink. "Don't worry about that". She assured her as she waved her hand dismissively. "You took care of all the mutts by yourself, so it's only fair". She told her before emptying her cup in one gulp. "So". She said, putting aside the empty container. "Do you mind if I ask what you were doing in that forest and why you look like a half-finished mummy?"

"Well, I..." Lucy stopped for a moment doubting whether or not she should tell what had happened, it had been twelve days since she separated from Jean, and since that day, she had not spoken to anyone other than her spirits, and even then, most of the conversations she had had were relatively short.

Maybe it was because of that, or maybe because of the amount of alcohol she had been almost forced to drink, maybe it was because of both or neither, but somehow or other, she felt that she wanted to talk about what happened with someone else, after all, although peculiar, she found Cana quite nice, and to a certain extent reminded her a little of Jean because of the nonchalant way in which she acted or how she tried to cheer her up.

So that's what she did; she told her story to someone who could almost fit into the category of a complete stranger.

Or at least a part of the story, omitting things like the fight with Phantom Lord's mages, the senjutsu, what Eclinox had said about Zeref or that there could be more demons like the one they had faced running free in the world.

"So hic… now I don't know what to do hic". Lucy finished saying, leaving another cup of alcohol now empty; unlike before, she now seemed completely drunk with very red cheeks and unable to finish a sentence without being interrupted by the hiccups once or twice.

"So is it so?" Cana asked as she drank from her cup; unlike Lucy, she seemed completely fine even if she had drank 8 cups more than Lucy. "You said you wanted to join a guild? What did you say its name was? She asked her, hiding a smile behind her cup.

"Fairy Tail, since a few years ago hic... I read about them in Sorcerer Weekly; it's one of the most famous guilds of wizards in the kingdom", The dizzy blonde answered.

"Mmm… and what do you plan to do there? Do you want to join it just because it is a famous guild?"

"Thasht's not like that, hic… buf even if they don't accept me, I'll find another guild, I promished mom, that when she woke up, I would welcome her with a smile hic… and a tonsh of stories, I want to make lots of friends and have a tonsh of adventures". She said without being able to speak completely well as she raised her cup as if to give her statement more momentum before trying to drink the contents and realizing there was nothing there anymore.

'Lots of friends and a ton of adventures, huh?' Thought Cana as she smiled sincerely at the girl's statement, she had really liked her, and although everything she had told her seemed a little fanciful, somehow she felt inclined to believe her.

Though she would have to talk to her guild master about what she had told him, he would surely be able to confirm something like a massive explosion had happened in the anti-wizard forest.

And if that Jean she talked about so fondly was half of incredible from what she told, then he would surely find a way to return.

"Then I think today is your lucky day". She told her as she stood up and put her arm around Lucy's neck in a friendly way.

"Eh? Why?"

"Because". She told her as she unbuttoned the white jacket she was wearing, proudly displaying the logo on her abdomen. "Here you have a full-fledged Fairy Tail mage". She said, smiling and enjoying Lucy's shocked expression when those words finally registered in her mind.

"W-what?" Lucy asked with her eyes open and completely lucid, like the intoxication she had had until now had suddenly disappeared.

"Y-you're a member of Fairy Tail?"

"You can bet on it; I've been part of the best guild in the world for more than ten years"

"I-I don't know what to say". Lucy replied after a few seconds causing Cana to laugh.

"Hahahaha, don't worry about it, so what do you say?"

"A-about what?"

"What do you mean about what? I mean about joining us, isn't that what you wanted? Now that there is no work, I must return to the guild, come with me and become a member; I am sure that the master will accept"

"Ehhh!? Are you seriously inviting me to join?! Just that easy?!"

Cana tilted her head slightly in confusion. "Did you think we have some kind of entrance test or something like that? Anyone is welcome as long as isn't an asshole or bad people". She explained before extending her hand to the still stunned blonde. "So, do you want to be a part of our merry bunch of lunatics?"

Lucy's eyes lit up, and her hand moved slowly to take Cana's, her dream was there, at her fingertips, but when she was about to take it, she stopped.

She still had to find Jean; she still had to try to convince him to join as well; after all, even if he wanted to travel around the world, he could still be if he was part of a guild.

Noticing the hesitation on Lucy's face, Cana immediately understood what she was worried about; it was quite obvious after hearing her whole story, so her smile grew a little more; after all, she had already thought of the solution to the problem of her new blonde friend.

"You're hesitating because you think you should go find him, right?"

Lucy looked down, a little embarrassed that she had been found out so easily.

"You don't have to worry about that, think about it, from what you told me, you know that he managed to escape, but you have no idea where, don't tell me that you plan to go around all the kingdom, asking everyone about your friend, do you? You said you told him you wanted to join Fairy Tail; besides, if you join, you could try to make a name for yourself like some of our members, one that would reach many places, and if you did and your friend heard from you he would know where to go to find you"

Lucy listened to every word said by Cana, and to be completely honest; she thought it was a good plan; she didn't know where Jean was, so even if she looked for him, she wouldn't know where to start.

And Jean would surely guess that she would join Fairy Tail, so if she did and became a famous magician, they would surely meet again.

In that way, she would be hitting two birds with one shot, so she looked directly at Cana and asked. "Is it really okay for me to join?"

"What are you talking about? Of course, it is". She answered the brunette before raising her hand. "Waiter! Give us your strongest drink before we go!" She said, and a couple of seconds later, two shots were placed on their table.

"I don't think I should". The blonde was saying, but before she finished, Cana interrupted her by putting the shot in her hand.

"Come on, this is the last one, as a toast to your future as a member of the guild"

Lucy was going to refuse, but if it was for something like that, then it wouldn't hurt, right?

"Ok, then, for the future!" Said the spirit mage raising her cup.

"For Fairy Tail!" Cana responded by clinking her cup before emptying it down her throat.

"Uff, I have to admit, that was a good liquor". Cana said when she heard the sound of a bang next to her, and when she turned around, she saw that Lucy's head had just crashed into the table.

"Hahahaha, you definitely lack practice". She said between laughs before leaving the jewels for the drinks and picking up the unconscious blonde.

She had entrusted her story, and besides, she would soon be another member of her boisterous family, so she would take care of her while she was unconscious from accompanying her to drink.

"Rest well today because tomorrow we're going back to the guild". She said, waiting to see the expression on the new member's face when she saw firsthand an all-out fight between all the members of her guild.

---

And with that, we finally finished chapter 25, the first volume, and my torture of writing chapters relentlessly.

I'm not going to lie; although exhausting, it was also a very fun experience.

I really hope this story has entertained you.

As of today, the poll for the What If stories, the Side Stories, the illustrations and a couple of other things begins, you can find the surveys in my P-a-t-r-e-o-n Rosasola, I would really appreciate it if you would support me so that I can hire a good illustrator that can make an incredible drawing, the poll will end at the end of January.

So I should be posting the What if and the Side Stories in February

With all this being said, I think a little preview of what's to come in the next volume wouldn't be bad.

####

"Ok, if this is a dream, I think I'm going to need to talk to a psychiatrist as soon as I wake up"

####

"How the hell did I end up so far away?!"

#####

"You are not from Earthland, nor from Edolas, Elentear, or any of the other worlds; you are an anomaly, and we dislike anomalies; because sooner or later, they always end up meddling in the affairs of the Gods"

####

"Hahaha, dammit, looks like I once again managed to piss off someone way above my level"

####

"If we fail, humanity will likely become extinct. Are you aware of that, Jean Faure?"

####

Merry Christmas and have a great new year.

See you in volume 2, Arc 2: The beginning of the countdown for a new age.

Next Chapter: The Castle of Dreams.