Fairy Tail: The Temple God

#2

Walking through Magnolia, the trio were fairly quiet. Reis eyes curiously scanned the area, though he had gotten a bit acclimated to the scenery from his time staying with Mermaids Heel, everything was still pretty different from his home. The two must have noticed the child's attention on the surroundings as they gave each other a small smile. They did not know Reis background but were glad he seemed at least a bit interested in his new setting.

"Where are you from, if you don't mind me asking? It's been some time since we got a new member to Fairy Tail." Lucy asked, though Erza knew she would need to question Makarov about what exactly they were letting in the guild, recalling the child had been taken from Mermaid Heels' last job. Not that Erza was skeptical of the child, not sensing any great power from him- but the situation was not settling with her.

Rei thought for a moment, turning his attention from the structures and people around him to the blonde. "From the North. It was a temple in the northern mountains." Was. What a sad thing to think about, that everyone he had known, and the place he had grown up in was destroyed. "A temple, huh? I imagine it was a beautiful place then. The others in the temple, were they kind people as well?" Erza questioned. The clothing made more sense, as she knew these practices were traditional in all sections of life, more times than not. Rei nodded his head at the question, feeling heavy in his heart. "They were very kind, yes. I thought of everyone as family. They taught me everything I know, about cultivating, magic... life, and stuff like that. I don't know where I would be if not for them." Rei said, holding the others in the temple in the highest of regards- not because they were now gone and he wanted to be respectful, but because he truly did feel he owed so much to them for teaching him.

Seeing as they had arrived at the bakery, Erza motioned for Rei and Lucy to sit outside while she handled the cake order. Rei sat across from Lucy, who watched as the redhead disappeared into the bakery before turning her attention back to the child. "So, you said they taught you magic. I know Master Makarov said you weren't allowed to use your magic with us. What do you do?" Lucy asked, leaning her arms on the table in interest. She could also tell the boy was not giving off any energy that would suggest he was particularly powerful, so to have him barred from using his magic was weird. Fairy Tail was a great place to learn to use magic in so many different ways. She couldn't imagine why Rei wouldn't be allowed.

Rei gave a small nod to the question. "Yes, they taught me to heal others with magic." Rei answered with a small smile, in which Lucy also gave a small smile at learning what he did. "That is very useful magic, Rei. I don't understand why Master Makarov would tell you not to use it?" She said, more so hoping he knew and was able to answer. Rei did seem a little sheepish at being asked why, which he understood, but didn't agree with the reasoning. "He doesn't want me to feel pain anymore- at least that's what him and the lady explained to me." rei answered, causing Lucy to give a look of confusion. "Pain?" she questioned, not recalling healing spells that cause pain to the user. Maybe fatigue, but not pain. "Yes, they taught me an efficient healing magic because they wanted me to be a great healer for the temple. They even had a list of things I was not allowed to heal, since they worried I would probably die from it. Dead people were at the top of the list. They said I would be able to, but I would not live. The other things were if the person was unconscious because of the pain- as I would not have been able to finish my job, or serious sicknesses. They usually just told the sick to take medications, they didn't want me to get sick." Rei explained- though it was making a lot more sense to Lucy why Rei was not able to use his magic- it was lost magic.

Lucy tried to keep a pleasant expression, but the thought of this child having to heal injuries and sickness didn't sit right knowing he felt the pain of it. "They made you heal people? Knowing it hurt you?" Lucy questioned carefully, though not careful enough as Reis brow furrowed a little. Makarov already tried to tell him his family were bad people a bit more bluntly, but he just didn't see it that way. "They didn't make me do anything. I did it because I knew I was capable." Rei said in a low voice, not knowing how he could defend his temple if everyone saw them in a bad light. "I don't care how much pain I'm in, if I can stop you from bleeding out and dying, I will. It's just pain, it goes away." Rei argued with a small frown. He was always taught that the temporary pain would be worth saving a life, and that it was selfish to not heal someone's permanent pain because of temporary pain. "You're very brave, Rei. I can tell you have a good heart, but do understand that Makarov just doesn't want that for you anymore. Magic isn't supposed to be something that hurts you... or kills you." Lucy explained awkwardly, seeing that the child was defensive of his home and didn't want to upset him too much, But it was a conversation he needed to have.

Rei stayed silent, knowing he would just be going in circles about the fact he did not care about the pain. Sure, first learning to heal he may have cared a bit, but not now. He was able to help others, and that was what mattered. Erza walked out with a sizable box, looking between the two and offering a small smile. "Alright, let us head back." She said, leading the way as the two got up and followed along. Rei wasn't mad at Lucy, but he was certainly frustrated that the people here did not have the same appreciation for his magic that the people in the temple did. 

The three walked back to the guild hall together, the girls letting Rei walk ahead. The guild hall was hard to miss, so it would have been hard for the child to get lost. Even then, they could still correct their path of travel if needed, and it gave a good opportunity for Rei to get a bit more comfortable walking around without feeling too lost. "Erza, remember that job on the board a few days ago with the cult. That would have covered my rent this month, I should have taken it." Lucy complained, though did point to the boy in front. Erza seemed to have caught on that Rei was from that job posting, giving a small nod. It was certainly a messy situation. "Maybe it's time you move somewhere with cheaper rent." Erza stated, keeping their conversation somewhat natural. Rei stopped listening after a while, not wanting to hear about rent. But, by the time they made it to the guild hall, it looked party ready and Rei had time to calm down. "Let me set this down, and we can introduce you to some new friends." Erza offered with a warm smile.