Fairy Tail: Dawn of Change by Melissa Nichols (books to read for self improvement txt) 📕

self that defined who and what she was. She'd thought she'd found it while dreaming last night, somewhere in the center of her body, near what Master Makarov had called her solar plexus, but before she could analyze it the alarm lacrima had given the command to wake up. Today, however, she knew where it was and what to search for.

 

She found it quickly, lodged just below her ribs between heart and stomach. Now that she had time, she could examine it more closely. To her surprise, it reminded her of the souls in the anime Soul Eater. A fist-sized orb hovering in the center of her being. But her soul glowed much brighter than the clear, soft pulse of light and life she remembered from that show. It was a turquoise/cyan color and the edges were a sharp white. It moved slowly, languidly, but it didn't really change shape or position. It kind of reminded her of water in a glass container. Like a fishbowl. She reached out to it, wanting to dive into it to learn more, hoping she'd learn more about her own personality.

 

The instant she touched her soul she was ripped from her trance. She opened her eyes with a gasp, feeling her heart race with the force of the sudden awakening. It took her a second to figure out why she'd awakened like that, but then she saw that her hands were submerged in a puddle of frozen water. Ice, though it seemed a bit slushy rather than perfectly hard and solid. Her eyes widened, but no sooner had she opened her mouth to call for Makarov than the ice begin to evaporate around the edges. Not melt, as it should have. It began to evaporate, starting at the edges and working its way inward.

 

"Master!" she squeaked in dismay, not wanting it to vanish before he could see. Master, look!"

 

The old man beside her woke up just soon enough to see the last bit of ice begin to turn to vapor.

 

"You did it, Roxanne!" he cried, grinning in proud surprise and causing her to blush with pleasure at the praise. "You found your magic. Ice magic. Well done!"

 

"Ice magic? Really?" Roxanne murmured, staring at her hands in awe. "Ice magic. That means… Gray could be my mentor, couldn't he? Oh my gosh!" She squealed, leaping to her feet in excitement. "Gray should be my mentor!" She squealed again as she hopped around in a circle excitedly. "Gray Fullbuster! Yes!"

 

"Now, now," Makarov chuckled. "There's more than one type of ice-based magic in the world, you know. Admittedly, Gray's skill with static Ice Make is admirable, but you don't have to limit yourself to that. Mm. Though, since he is available, we might as well have him teach you at least the basics. Heh." A cheeky grin, as he stood up. "Teaching someone else might do that young man some good. He's not the hothead Natsu is, but he can be a bit impulsive at times. A student might steady him a bit."

 

"Really?!" Roxanne stared at Makarov, full to bursting with excitement. She'd never thought that this would actually happen. Gray had always been her favorite character, and now he was going to be her teacher!

 

"Really." Makarov patted her shoulder, and Roxanne giggled at the fact that he had to reach up to do so. She wasn't even a big girl for her age! "You've found your magic, so it's time for you to receive your guild stamp and ask Gray to train you. Now, you won't be starting on missions any time soon—"

 

Roxanne stared at him, confused. "But what about you, Master?" They'd barely been training together for a week.

 

"Ah, well, I'm afraid my time to teach you personally is at an end," Makarov said gently, guiding her back towards the guild hall. "As much as I've enjoyed teaching someone myself again, you've found your magic and it's time to get you a tutor better suited to your specific needs. However, don't think that you're all done!" He waggled a finger at her. "I taught you the basics of basics—there's a whole lot more to learn, and don't you dare start slacking off just because your teacher changes!"

 

"No, sir!" Roxanne agreed sharply, shoulders straightening. To be honest, she felt a little sad, knowing their training together was going to end. As hard and exhausting as it had been, she'd seen how pushing herself like that had resulted in great progress, and she'd enjoyed this last week with the guild master. She sort of didn't want that to end. "Master? Will—will I still be able to meditate with you, sometimes?" she asked as they turned onto the guildhall's street.

 

"Oh, possibly," Makarov said, patting her on the shoulder. "If I have time to spare, I'd like to run through a few of your lessons with you again. But I'll make no promises.

 

Roxanne smiled. "Thank you, Master." That was all she could hope for.

 

It was hard to walk at a steady pace. She wanted to bolt ahead, run headlong to the guild and throw open the doors, start gushing to Lucy and Mira about her new magic. But she didn't want to just run off and leave the guild master behind.

 

When they reached the guild, however, she couldn't contain her excitement anymore. "I did it!" she yelled, shoving the doors open and almost stumbling inside in her haste to tell everyone. "I found my magic!"

 

The guild erupted into cheers and applause. Roxanne stood there for a moment, smiling and bowing before she made a beeline for Lucy, who had been joined by Natsu, Happy, and Gray since she left.

 

"Congratulations, Roxanne!" Lucy smiled, patting the child's shoulder. "I knew you could it. I'm so happy for you!"

"Nice going!" Natsu grinned.

 

"Aye, miss!" Happy chimed in immediately after.

 

"Thank you!" Roxanne beamed. She turned to look at Gray, feeling suddenly shy. He was also smiling, but in an 'I'm happy for you but playing it cool' kind of way. "It's ice magic, so, um—" She took a deep breath, and grabbed his hands. "Would you please teach me Ice Make? Please? I promise I'll work hard and do everything you say!"

 

Gray blinked at her, stunned into silence, eyes wide.

 

Natsu whooped and clapped Roxanne around her shoulders. She accepted another round of 'well done!' from him and Lucy, but her eyes were locked on Gray, her breath held hopefully.

 

He recovered from his shock quickly, but a myriad of subtle expressions flickered over his face. Surprise was still there, and doubt and worry too. She almost thought she saw a hint of a flattered expression, but it was gone into a kind of not-quite-a-smirk too fast for her to be sure. "I guess I'm the best you've got, huh?" he said, grinning crookedly at her.

 

Roxanne didn't just beam at the acceptance. She glowed. "Thank you!" she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck as Natsu laughed and Lucy smiled and Happy commented cheerfully on Gray's stunned-again expression.

 

Once Gray disentangled himself, Lucy handed Roxanne a compact from her purse so she'd have a mirror while Mirajane placed her guild stamp. Roxanne watched as Mira set the stamp over her neck and pressed gently. When she lifted it away, the area glowed for a second before the shape became visible. What set it apart from the other stamps was the color. It matched the color of Roxanne's soul, a beautifully brilliant shade of cyan, with just a hint of turquoise to deepen the color.

 

She smiled as she examined the mark, getting used to its presence, letting the symbol seep into every corner of her mind. The stamp was hers, and she was a mage, a Fairy Tail mage! Her dream had come true!

 

Unbidden, tears filled her eyes and she had to put down the mirror to wipe them away. She felt someone hug her and she hugged them back as she cried harder. Even back on Earth, she'd always dreamed of being a Fairy Tail mage. It hadn't been even remotely possible, just a silly fantasy, a game of make-believe that her friends and Jacob had played along with. She'd admired Lucy's will to leave the home that trapped her, had gasped in awe at the glory and wonder of magic, had giggled with her friends over the guild's silly antics, had begged Jacob to let her stay up just a little longer, please, just one more episode—

 

Even when she'd arrived here, becoming a Fairy Tail mage had seemed a distant dream. Something she could work towards, but still not real. The way thin black outlines weren't real, and flawless skin wasn't real, and flying blue talking cat-people weren't real, and magic wasn't real. It still felt like a dream, and whenever she woke up she was surprised again that it wasn't.

 

She never would have left her friends and family behind for this, and the week of hard work and self-discovery had been utterly exhausting, but…

 

This was real. It was really, truly real, the proof of it dyed into her skin.

 

What else could she do but cry?

 

Behind her, Natsu hung his head, groaning softly. "Again with the crying," he muttered, too low for Roxanne to hear.

 

Gray looked at him, one brow raised. This was the first time he'd seen Roxanne cry, and he couldn't tell if these were good tears or bad tears so he let Lucy and Mirajane handle her.

 

The girls glared at Natsu and rubbed Roxanne's back while everyone else watched.

 

Makarov remained by the door, watching everything. He was happy for the girl. He'd hoped for—expected—another week or two with her as his apprentice, but he wasn't upset that it had been cut short. Roxanne was a fast learner, and she was dedicated to everything she did, so it had only been a matter of time before she became a mage. To be honest, he was almost unreasonably proud of what the child had accomplished in such a short time. Oh, physically she was learning no faster than any other child of exceptional dedication, but spiritually? Her progress had been astounding, and it had taken quite a bit of willpower not to swell her head with praise, or gush about her progress while he was deep in his cups. The vast majority of his children came to him already knowing their magic in some way. Other than Laxus, he hadn't trained too many into discovering their talents himself, and it had been a very fulfilling experience. He felt a little bit of regret that he couldn't continue her education personally, but this really was the best solution.

 

After a few minutes, Roxanne seemed to pull herself together. She pulled away from Lucy, wiped her eyes, and flung her arms around Gray's waist, much to his surprise. He stiffened and she didn't have to look up to know that he was probably freaking out a little, not sure how to react. "Thank you," she whispered, and almost immediately felt him relax. She couldn't see his face, but he patted her head a little hesitantly, and she imagined he was smiling.

 

After a moment, Roxanne broke away from the hug, smiling like crazy. "What's the plan, Master?" she asked, and squealed again just a bit. She had just called Gray her Master, and her fangirl mode was in full swing.

 

Gray flinched a little. "First off, don't call me that. Gray's fine, okay?" He looked to Makarov, who nodded encouragingly. "Finish today's training with Gramps. Tomorrow I'll have a better answer for you."

 

"Yes, sir!" she replied eagerly, bouncing in place with a grin before racing off to Makarov, still smiling. He clapped her on the shoulder and led her back out of the guild, talking to her about celebratory ice cream after their exercises.

 

As soon as they were gone, practically the whole guild swamped Gray.

 

"Way to step up and be a man!" Elfman said in stout approval.

 

"How's it feel, having a cute girl apprentice?" That was Wakaba, already rosy-cheeked from drinking.

 

"Looks like you've got a fan!" Lucy smiled. "I thought