Chapter 24: Chapter 24 - Good Intentions.
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Don't forget to check the auxiliary chapter about Adam. It's like an info chapter.
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[Adam POV]
After having finished my conversation with Cordelia, I moved out of her house to seek Porlyusica.
I trudged through the East side of Boundary Forest, the air heavy with the scent of nature and soil. Eventually, after a few moments, I arrived at the old doctor's house, by the time I got there, the sun had already sunk below the horizon leaving nothing but darkness and the house in front of me.
The house was nestled among the lush forest, and at first glance, it almost seemed part of the landscape. Its structure was cleverly incorporated into the trunk of a tall, wide tree, and the walls were made of wide tree trunks interwoven with branches and foliage.
It was a truly unique sight.
"You think she can help her?" Mavis wondered out loud.
Nodding, I stepped onto the small, winding path that led to the front door of the house. Taking a deep breath, I lifted my fist and rapped on the door three times. A muffled voice from inside the house grumbled in annoyance.
Porlyusica was a withdrawn and reclusive individual that didn't like humans, looking down on them as a race of simpletons who see fighting as the only way to accomplish things, suggesting a misanthropic nature.
This hate of hers often leads her to chase after those who remain too long around her with a broom, getting overly upset when they do something without having received her permission
That was all I knew about the old doctor.
The door creaked open, and a familiar figure stepped through the entrance. She was a slim and tall elderly woman with pink hair, tied in a bun on the back of her head by two large pins with crescent moon-shaped edges, and with two bangs of hair left framing her face. She has reddish eyes, and a beauty mark located below her mouth, on the left side of her face.
Porlyusica's sharp red eyes bored into me as she let out a long, exasperated sigh. "And who are you supposed to be?" she said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.
"My name is Ada-" I began, but was abruptly interrupted by Porlyusica, her pale reddish eyes resting on my guild mark.
Porlyusica scowled and shook her head at me with a resigned sigh, her arms folded in a tight, angry manner. She pursed her lips, then finally said, "You're nothing more than a pain in my backside, like everybody in that damn guild. So tell me, why are you here? And make it quick!"
"She doesn't seem too friendly," Mavis commented.
You think?!
I pressed my hands together, and with a sigh, I spoke. "I need your help," I said urgently, getting right to the point. "There's someone I know who's very sick, and I have an idea that could save them, but I don't have the knowledge needed to make it happen."
Porlyusica's eyebrows twitched as her expression softened, but her mouth remained set in a firm line. She squinted at me for several moments before her voice, a gruff rasp, broke the silence. "Name, gender, disease, and idea. In that order."
"Cordelia Alberona, Female, Unknown, New Body," I replied, answering her questions.
"New body?" Porlyusica repeated with a scoff.
I could understand her reaction.
"I... might have some knowledge that could be used to create an artificial body..." I replied with a slow nod.
Mavis blinked at this, moving closer to me. "You know how to create artificial bodies?"
I don't Mavis, that's the point of my visit here. Zanryuzuki might have the knowledge within her to do so, but that didn't mean I had the skill to accomplish said thing.
Having a book on how to make nuclear bombs doesn't make you an expert in the subject, just the guy with the book.
Porlyusica narrowed her eyes at me. "Explain, in fifty words or less."
"My magic is... different," I replied, taking a deep breath. "My magic is pretty much sentient, so to speak, and has full knowledge of what I can accomplish with it. That being said, that doesn't translate to me being able to use any of that knowledge."
That was the truth, the source of my power was alive, containing a wealth of knowledge beyond what I could imagine, be that as it may, I couldn't always access that knowledge, sometimes I had to fight for it.
"Sentient magic you say?" Mavis said as she swung herself up onto a low-hanging branch of the old tree that served as Porlyusica's house. "That's quite interesting, Adam."
I sighed.
Porlyusica scowled as she looked me up and down, her red eyes burning with emotions I quite couldn't understand. She sighed heavily, her shoulders sagging in defeat. With a wave of her hand, she motioned for me to enter her home. "Come. I'll hear you out," she said gruffly, her voice laced with a warning. "But don't waste my time. You won't like the consequences."
I nodded before walking inside her house.
That ended pretty well all things considered.
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After hours of answering Porlyusica's questions, the old woman's mouth was a tight line of frustration and her fists balled tight around the handle of a worn-down broom that she seemed to have gotten out of nowhere. She waved it in my direction trying to hit me and shouted, "You've wasted enough of my time, now git!"
It was here when Zanryuzuki stepped forward and offered an alternative solution.
Stabbing Porlyusica.
Inside my inner world, Zanryuzuki's deep-set eyes peered at me intently as she outlined her plan; to stab the old woman, Porlyusica, and transfer her with the knowledge needed to create a Gigai through our blade.
Based on what I knew about Shinigamis, things like that were within the realm of possibilities, Ichigo regained his powers in a similar way.
He also learned Mugetsu in that way, thanks to Zangetsu.
So it was possible.
But still…
I hesitated for a brief moment thinking of the pros and cons of this decision, eventually deciding to take Zanryuzuki's plan, and before I could regret it, I move forward with a blur of movement, driving my blade through Porlyusica's body, avoiding any vital points, or organs.
Porlyusica and Mavis both gasped, their eyes wide with horror. Porlyusica's hand flew to her chest as she staggered backward, while Mavis covered her mouth with both hands.
I took a step back, withdrawing my blade with a blue blinding shine. Revealing there was no wound where I had stabbed the old woman.
"What did you do?" Mavis questioned, her tone cold but before I could say anything, Porlyusica stood up, looking at me in shock.
"This... it can't..." Porlyusica's voice quivered with awe as she asked her question, her hand rising to press against her chest in surprise. Her wide eyes shone with wonder and shock as she looked at me "All this new knowledge about the human body... How is this even possible? Just what kind of magic do you really possess?"
"She's... not injured?" Mavis muttered.
Not anymore, I had healed her wound as I took my blade out. I might not be the best at healing, but I could heal simple wounds, like a non-lethal stab wound, for example.
Porlyusica shuffled closer, her eyes narrowing as her knotted hands balled into fists. Her mouth opened and closed several times as if she wanted to speak but didn't know how to phrase it. Finally, she furrowed her brow and hissed, "I don't know if I should beat the hell out of you for what you did or thank you. Might do both."
Totally understandable.
Porlyusica tapped her index finger on her chin in thought for a few moments, then shrugged her bony shoulders. "I will think about that later. In the meantime we'll need plenty of supplies if we seek to create a Gigai," she said, rolling the unfamiliar word around in her mouth as if it tasted like something new.
"Thanks," I nodded.
"Thanks my ass, do that shit again and Makarov will have to get brooms out of your ass," Porlyusica growled, wrinkling her nose before letting out a tired sigh. "I will make a list of what I need, in the meantime, bring the woman here. I might be able to extend the time we need to make the body..."
I nodded, before blurring out of sight, using Shunpo to make my way to Cordelia's house.
I don't know what was pushing to help Cordelia so much, was it pity? or was it a concern for the little girl she would leave behind?
I honestly didn't know, but did it matter?
If I could help her, why not?
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[Mavis Vermillion POV]
I didn't know what to think anymore. Adam was a walking mystery, every time I thought I was starting to understand him, something new would come up.
I was so confused, so lost about everything that had to do with him, nevertheless, I knew one thing. He was an interesting kid, one that I would watch grow up close.
Perhaps in him laid the answer to the problem that was Zeref.
I sighed and leaned against the railing of Adam's balcony, or pretended to while gazing up at the star-studded night sky that cascaded with a brilliant glow over the entire town below.
"Fairy Tail sure has a luck for attracting wonderful things," I smiled.
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[Gildarts Clive POV]
The brat was missing, according to his worshiper Lilia, and seeing I had nothing to do, I offered the girl a hand tracking the brat. Let it never be said Gildarts isn't an awesome cool guy!
I followed the brat's magic, leading me closer to an address I thought I would never visit again - Cordelia's house. A shocking chill crept up my spine as I saw the brat enter her house.
How did he even know her?
Were... they related?
No... it couldn't be, I was still married, there was no way the brat was mine or Cordelia's, the dates didn't match, if he were to be ours, he would've been around four to five years old at much.
As that thought crossed my mind, a small figure emerged from behind the house and stepped into the moonlight. She was a tiny girl, no more than four or five years old. Her eyes were the same sparkling brown as Cordelia's, just as her chestnut hair.
...
I...
I had a daughter?
I...
I made the math in my head, and it all fit into place, that little girl was my daughter.
I was a Dad.
As the reality sunk in, my eyes welled up and tears started to stream down my cheeks. I was a dad. That little girl, she was my tiny baby girl, who probably had no idea who I was.
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[Porlyusica POV]
The knowledge to create an artificial body.
I had no idea how the kid had such knowledge. Knowledge that went far beyond anything medicine could do today, but somehow he had it.
Knowledge he couldn't understand.
Knowledge he could transfer through his blade.
I sighed. "Honestly, is like Makarov looks for the weirdest kids to adopt into the guild." I smiled softly at that. "Well, it wouldn't be Fairy Tail if he did otherwise, would it?"