His Spirit Is Broken (Fairy Tail)

Chapter 1

Deep in the forest of Eldwald sat a small, two-bedroom cottage. The cottage sat upon a farm. In a blank patch of dirt sat a young boy. In front of the boy was a mound of recently turned dirt with a stone at the head. The boy's shoulders shook as he stay kneeling in front of the grave. "M-Mommy..." He sniffled and rubbed at his eyes before he stood, heading back inside the cottage.

When he came back out he had a backpack upon his shoulders, his weapons strapped to his back and waist. He walked back over to the grave site and places a snow-white rose upon it. "I'm heading out now, mommy. I'll be safe, I promise. I'm going to try and find my sister. I love you, mommy." The boy smiled sadly before turning away and walking off into the forest, leaving his home behind with what little money they had saved up. He was on his way to the nearest town to start his search.

Pulling out a map, he set off towards Magnolia. "Best to start there. If she isn't there, then I will simply move on to the next town." He thought aloud as he put the map back in his bag. As he walked, his heart was filled with grief. It had only been two months since his mother had passed away, three since she had fallen ill. She was his best friend; his only friend besides some animals. He had released the animals they both had raised, not heartless enough to let them die in their pins. He would not become a monster. He would not let the curse take him over.

~Time skip~

Three weeks. It had taken him three weeks on foot to reach Magnolia. The boy pulled up his hood to hide his horns as he approached the city. "P-Pardon me!" He squeaked out as he accidentally bumped into a young woman. The woman wore armor and was carrying what seemed to be a giant horn. She had blood red hair and eyes the boy could not distinguish the exact color. The woman raised an eyebrow as he ducked his head and shifted his feet nervously. "Um... I have a question, Ma'am..." The boy looked up at her tentatively.

The woman nodded for him to go on, setting the decorated horn down and leaning against it. "I-I need help.... You see, I'm looking for my sister... But she doesn't exactly know I exist... All I know is her name....." The boy stuttered out with a slight blush. The woman smiled and held out her hand. "I know what it is like to search for someone. My name is Erza Scarlet, What's yours, kid?" The woman, Erza, smiled gently at him. The boy gripped her hand and smiled slightly, shaking it. "My name is Zax Onyx-Heartfilia. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Erza." Zax smiled at her. "How about I take you to my guild and you can put up a job request to help search for your sister? I'd be glad to take that job." Erza released Zax's hand and grabbed the horn. "That would be nice of you, Miss Erza. Please lead the way." Zax grinned, liking the woman already. She reminded him of his mom, strong but kind hearted.

Erza started walking through the town with Zax close behind her. He had a slight skip to his step as he followed, humming one of the songs his mother used to sing to him. Erza smiled as she listened to his humming. It was a soft, sad sounding song. The song ended as the two approached a large building. The two walked through the doors. The first thing that Zax noticed were two guys, maybe a year older than him, with their arms around each other and shaking hands. "I'm back. Is master present at the moment?" Erza questioned as she set the horn down.

"Welcome back! Master's attending the regular meeting." Someone said in response to Erza. "I see.... Why don't you take a seat and wait for a bit?" Erza turned to Zax, who simply nodded and sat down at the nearest table. No one spared him a glance as all eyes were on Erza. "Erza, what is that humongous thing?" A man questioned. "Hmm? This? The local townspeople decorated the horn of the demon I subdued... It was so pretty that I brought it back as a souvenir. Will it be a nuisance?" She asked and looked at the guy. "N-No, not at all!!!" The guy replied, shaking his head wildly.

"Hey, Erza? Who was that who came in with you?" The same guy from before asked after he calmed down. "This is Zax, he has a job request from the master. I will be personally taking on the job as a favor to him." She replied and Zax blushed as all eyes turned to him. He pulled his hood down a little more in an attempt to hide. "Anyway, guys... I heard you've been causing trouble again." As if she sensed the boy's discomfort, she stepped around the horn and drew the eyes back to her. "Even if master forgives you, I won't. Kana, That's an inappropriate drinking posture. Visitor, if you are going to dance, do it outside. Wakaba, your cigarette butts are all over the floor. Nav... Are you still hanging around the request board? Pick a job already. You guys give me so much trouble. I won't say anything for today. By the way, are Natsu and Gray here?" Zax soon stopped paying attention and was looking around the room.

One of the women approached the boy, she was a very pretty woman with white hair. She wore a pretty dress and had the bangs pulled up into a small ponytail. She placed a glass of water in front of Zax and smiled at him. "I'm Mira, what's your name?" Mira smiled kindly at him, making him blush shyly. "I-I'm Zax. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Mira." Zax bowed his head slightly and took the glass of water. "Can you tell me about the job that Erza is eager to take on?" Mira asked him, making him smile softly.

"I'm searching for my family. My.... My mother passed away a couple months ago... I know my father didn't want me, but my mother said he had another child with a different woman. A girl about 17. I thought maybe, hopefully, I'll have someone left who wants me as family." Zax's eyes teared up as he spoke of his mother but gained a hopeful spark as he spoke of his lost sibling. "I'm so sorry for your loss." Mira put a hand on Zax's shoulder and pulled him into a quick hug before pulling away. She giggled at seeing his bright red face. "Do you know anything about her?" She asked as she looked at him. There was something familiar about him. "Just a last name... My full name is Zax Onyx-Heartfilia, so I assume her last name is Heartfilia, like my father." Some of the guild members near them fell silent before whispering to each other. Zax ducked his head as he heard the word cursed. This was going to be a long day, Zax thought to himself.