Fairy Tail: Journeyman

Chapter 32: A Trick of the Light

"So, tell me what happened, exactly." Erza stood, in Levy's living room, her scarlet hair tied in a bun behind her back.

Levy gripped her arms, her nerves still rattled from the whole affair. As he saw a shiver pass over her, Gajeel wrapped a single arm around her, letting her press into his side.

Erza shifted her weight, her suit jacket adjusting as she crossed her arms, her eyes staring downward at the unconscious man lying on the floor.

"I-I'm not sure. Everything happened so fast."

Levy bit her lip. Logic told her nothing that had just happened made sense. It shouldn't have happened. It didn't happen.

And yet... there was proof it did. In her living room. On her floor.

Gajeel nudged her lightly and nodded to her in reassurance.

Levy cleared her throat. "Well, one moment I was working in the kitchen trying to make sense of those pieces. Then, I went to make some tea and...it appeared."

Erza's ears perked as she took a defensive stance. "It?"

Levy nodded. "It was like black ooze. Almost as if it was a shadow that had been made tangible." She took a deep breath, adding confidence to her words. "I thought I might die. Really, I thought it might be the end for me, but then..."

Levy looked up at Gajeel, her eyes soft. "I remembered why I needed to live."

Although it probably wasn't noticeable to anyone but her, having grown so accustomed to his iron hearted exterior, Levy couldn't help but smile at the small blush that formed across Gajeel's cheeks.

"And that's when you... summoned light?" Erza clarified.

Levy hummed for a minute, her attention being drawn back to Erza. "It wasn't so much that, rather it's like what I wrote came to life."

Erza brought a hand to her chin.

"I see. Perhaps this is something that came more naturally in our previous world which has been forgotten with all our other memories. Dire situations do allow us to rely more on our instincts."

A loud groan erupted from the floor once more, accompanied this time by a groggy and grumpy voice.

"Dammit do you guys have to talk so loud?" The unconscious man raised himself slowly off the floor, a hand going directly to his temple as he squinted. "Some of us are trying to sleep here you know."

The group stiffened as the man shook his head, his chest still bared to the elements. "Ugh talk about a headache." Still squinting, he looked up at the trio.

"Wow. You all look like you just saw a ghost." Slowly he turned his head, taking in the surroundings. "Where the hell is this?"

Levy fumbled over her words. "It's... it's my apartment."

There was a loud chuckle before he stopped, his face hardening as he realized no one was joining him. "You serious?"

Levy nodded.

"Sir, what's the last thing you remember?" Erza grabbed a notebook from her pocket, clicking a pen as if she was about to conduct any other normal interview.

The man's face contorted into confusion, if not slight amusement, his scar wrinkling slightly with the motion. "Sir? Oh, come on that's formal even for you. Now come on, joke's over."

"Ain't a joke lughead." Gajeel crossed his arms and glared at him.

The man's face started to drop as a seriousness fell over him. "...you saying you don't remember me?"