Cursed (Zeref X Reader)

Chapter 2

You wake up in a mysterious place. The last thing you remember is the burning pain of whatever the silver-haired man implanted in you. A lacrima, he'd said.

Sitting up, you look around at your surroundings. There is no fire. No screaming. No sign of the man who captured you. It's still dark, however, so you can't see anything.

The fog is beginning to clear from your brain, and you feel very different; more powerful, stronger. It's like all of your senses have been enhanced. There is a shuffling sound behind you, accompanied by soft breathing. You whip around and come face to face with the silver-haired man.

"You're finally awake," he sneers, grabbing your arm and wrenching you to your feet. He drags you outside and lets go as you stumble on something and fall.

"Wh-what do you want from me?" you manage, your voice is small in the darkness and you're shaking badly.

The man gives you that sinister smile again and he chuckles. "You should be grateful for this," he grabs your shirt and pulls your face closer. "I'm going to make you one of the most powerful mages in history. You will learn Black Dragon-Slaying magic from the Dragon King himself!"

With that, he shoves you back onto the ground and begins to glow. You watch in terror as he turns into a large black dragon, his scales slashed with a glowing cyan blue, body rippling with muscle. His white eyes glow with the brightness of the sun and his teeth are long daggers. He spreads his large, dark wings and speaks.

"I am Acnologia, the most powerful of all dragons!" the dragon says. His voice sounds very strange, as if it he is not actually speaking but rather, his voice is resonating within your head.

The dark dragon's head swings down so his sharp teeth are directly level with your face. "And you, my dear, will be my queen," he purrs, hooking his claws around your shirt.

"The only thing you have to do is obey everything I say." He leans closer to you, his teeth now centimeters from your face. "Can you do that?"

*        *        *

You scream and sit up, the covers tangled about your waist. You're drenched in sweat, your breathing coming in ragged gasps, and your heart pounding so hard that it's shaking your entire body.

The room is slowly brightening, slivers of golden sunlight peeking in through the curtains. It looks nothing like the dark, cold, sinister place you were in merely moments before. You glance at your clock before dragging yourself out of bed.

Yawning, you shuffle into the bathroom to take a shower. Maybe you can wash away your nightmare, you think.

You stand under the hot waterfall as steam starts to flood the bathroom. Unbidden, your thoughts drift back to the dream you just had.

[Flashback]

Gasping for air, you tear through the woods like a crazed animal. You cannot turn back, you cannot look back. If you do, he'll be there. And he'll kill you. He promised he would if you ever disobeyed.

Up until this night, your days had been full of pain and tears. Acnologia trained you relentlessly, and you had been forced to learn Black Dragon-Slaying magic. You took a chance when he left to hunt and ran away, with no particular destination in mind. You just knew you had to get away from him.

The road is uneven, full of unseen rises and dips. With only a sliver of moonlight shining through the dark cover of clouds, it's even harder to see where you're going.

Before long, you feel yourself getting lightheaded. Your vision is blurred and you are stumbling a lot more. Ahead, you see the lights of a house, but you don't dare to go in and ask for help. Instead, you drag yourself into the bushes in the back of the house before collapsing.

*        *        *

Sunlight streams through your shelter in the bushes and you blink, relief flooding through you as you realize that he still hasn't found you. You decide to wait until nighttime to keep moving, reasoning that you'll be more inconspicuous.

Now that the panic that gripped you that night has released its icy holds on your mind, you begin to think. Going back is not a choice, but you doubt you'll be accepted anywhere as long as you know this magic, unless...

A wizard guild.

Peeking out of your hiding spot, you look around. The person's house you're currently hiding at is situated on a hill, so beyond that you can't see much except for some rusted railroad tracks further down.

Maybe if I follow the railroad tracks... They have to lead somewhere...

You lean back again, satisfied that you now have a plan. Now you just have to wait for nighttime, but you're starving.

*        *        *

You've been following the railroad tracks for a few days now, and you even have a general idea where you're going. It turns out that after he implanted that lacrima in you, Acnologia took you off to a place in the mountains to train. Now that you were out of the mountains, there were a lot more people passing by and giving you strange looks.

Nevertheless, you kept walking until one day you passed a small wooden sign with the words "Welcome to Magnolia" written on it in a fancy script.

Walking through the town, you stare in awe at all the street vendors and villagers. There's children running around, laughing and chasing each other. Colorful balloons bump against each other in the breeze; the entire town seems alive.

It looks so completely different from the smoke and ash and flames of your old village and the thick, confining darkness of Acnologia's lair that you feel as if you've entered a completely different world.

Timidly, you stop at a street vendor's stall and ask if there is a wizard guild in the town. He smiles down at you and points down the street to a tall, palace-like building with an orange flag on the front that bears the guild's insignia.

Once you reach the building, you tilt your head up to read the large words in front of the guild. "Fairy Tail."

Placing your hand on the smooth wooden doors, you slowly push the heavy doors open.

You're immediately greeted by screaming; flying chairs, tables, cups, and food; and explosions. Startled, you jump backward into the door, narrowly avoiding a chair that crashes into the wall next to you.

Inching along the wall, you slowly make your way to the back where you see an old man sitting on the bar counter. He sees you and flashes you a huge smile while beckoning you closer.

"What's your name, child?" the tiny, old man is sitting cross legged on a counter, grinning down at you.

"I'm (Y/N) (L/N)," you whisper quietly, your eyes darting around the guild like you're afraid someone might attack you.

The guild master leans closer, his expression thoughtful. "I see. And do you use magic, (Y/N)?"

You bite your lip, remembering your painful past. "Yes," you say, barely audible.

The old man leans back again and beams at you. "Alright then! Where do you want your guild stamp?"

You don't answer his question. Instead, you step closer to make sure no one can overhear you. "I'm a dragon slayer," you whisper, barely audible.

The master's eyes narrow slightly. "And who taught you this magic?" he questions.

"Acnologia."

The old man makes no reply.

"Please help me," you whisper, tears beginning to fill your eyes. "I never asked for this."

[Flashback End]

You snap out of it and blink spots out of your eyes. You are on the floor, your fingers scrabbling at the slick tiles of the shower. Turning off the water, you step out and dry yourself with a towel.

What is happening to me? Why are these thoughts all coming back now, of all times?