Earth Land, Ishgar, Iceberg
x783
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White...
That was the best word one could use to describe the land known as Iceberg. A country living in perpetual winter, one that trapped most of its people within an endless prison, in which they could do nothing but live in a loop for the rest of their days.
Wake up, eat, work, rest, work, eat, sleep...
Repeat...
Was this land cursed? No one would know.
But there was one fact that stayed hidden, one that only some people were aware of.
This place of white hid those who loved to taint the world red.
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Crunch...
Crunch...
The soft crushing of leaves echoed throughout the dead forest, the white canopy disturbed by the invasion of an intruder, whose steps were clearly marked upon the clear carpet covering the soil.
A child, by the looks of it, but like no other child one might see.
He blended in perfectly.
Ice blue hair somehow stayed right where it was despite the wind, and a white trench coat billowed behind him, making it look as if he were camouflaging on purpose. But his steady strides and the ease with which he moved while covered by the garb showed that this was his habitual choice of clothing rather than an exception.
But what stood out the most was his mask.
A demon.
A ghost.
A spirit.
All of them fit, yet none did at the same time.
A demon is a creature of rage and sadism, a ghost one of malevolence, and a spirit one of vengeance, but the creature currently traversing the forest did not fit any of those descriptions.
He simply... was.
His dull, steel-colored eyes were kept forward, ignoring the snow rushing at him through the wind. His right hand held his sheathed weapon while his left was at his side, swirling shards that reflected the sunlight, spinning around it like moons orbiting a planet.
CRACK
The boy's eyes turned toward the source of the sound, where he spotted a small black fox.
The two beings stared at each other for several moments, the boy tilting his head slightly as he examined the animal before him.
'An arctic fox,' his mind provided, and in that moment, the small mammal finally moved, turning around and running back from where it came.
He kept staring at it before letting out a sigh, and as he took his first step...
He disappeared.
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The black fox ran through the forest, its small feet tapping quickly against the ground as it dodged the trees in its way, slithering around them like a serpent, in a way too agile for a random animal to manage.
It was only minutes later that it began slowing down, its strides softening when it spotted the roof of a building appearing on the horizon.
"Here, girl! Come on, where are you?"
The anxious voice of a man rang out throughout the normally silent environment, his tone showing the worry he currently felt.
"Yip yip!"
The man spun around quickly at the sound and, as he spotted the fox, ran toward it and lifted it in his arms, hugging it tightly to his chest.
His shoulders sagged in relief, his stress melting away in the warmth of the animal he had come to consider a companion.
"Be more careful, girl, please. This place isn't the safest, alright?"
The fox simply looked at him with innocent eyes, its tail wagging back and forth.
He chuckled at the small creature, his eyes radiating warmth. He knew it couldn't understand him, knew that it could not be with him forever, that it could never replace...
The man shook his head at that last thought, his arms tightening around the fox unconsciously, causing it to yip in frustration.
The sound brought the man out of his thoughts and made him chuckle once more.
"Alright, I'm sorry, little one. Let's go inside, shall we?"
The fox nuzzled his cheeks at the words, widening the man's smile even further as he turned, steps leading him toward the door a few meters behind him.
But the instant he moved forward, he felt a hand...
Directly on his neck.
He tried to spin around, to activate his magic, to do something, but he was stuck. The only thing he could do was look down at the now-statue of his companion, alive mere moments ago.
Sadness, rage, and anger consumed him at the sight. Fury surged through his entire being, and his magic power began to respond.
"Snow F—"
But the moment he attempted to finish, the hand on his neck tightened, blocking his windpipe and stopping him from any further attempt.
Panic set in when he realized how close he was to the end, but despite his desire to live and his need to survive, it was all for naught.
The unknown man died slowly and quietly, with no fanfare or acknowledgment of his departure.
The last thing he saw as he moved on was the back of a child covered in white, before his body shattered, shards of glass mixing with the snow below.
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Sigh...
"How annoying," the child thought, looking at the reinforced building in front of him.
"Should've waited till he went inside. No matter..."
He activated his magic power and whispered the name of his spell:
"Clear Surfer."
A transparent surfing board appeared beneath the boy's boots, lifting him into the air with ease as he looked around the compound, counting:
'2, 4, 6... 7 and... 9. That's more than enough.'
He descended with grace onto the ground, fastened his mask, and pulled out his weapon, a splendid sword made entirely of glass, refracting the light around it like a prism.
It looked more like an art piece than a dangerous tool, but in the hands of the current hunter, it was the fang of a beast ready to pounce.
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Laughter and cheers rang out through the compound as mages drank like there was no tomorrow, celebrating yet another successful job in this wasteland they called home.
"Cheers to you, boss! For another well-done job!"
"CHEERS!"
Their voices echoed while their leader watched with a smile.
They might have been a dark guild, but they weren't monsters. They were still human, and the only thing wrong with them was that they liked money a little too much.
Soren laughed loudly at the joy shown by his men before downing another glass, already planning in his head the next request....and the next party.
Sadly, that was the last drink he ever tasted.
CRAAAASHHH!
The entire guild immediately went on guard, eyes darting to the window in caution, magic flaring, ready to strike the first person to come into sight.
That was until another sound caught their attention...
BAAANNNGGG!
The door flew open, ripped off its hinges. The mages spun to the source of the noise, and before they could react, two of them had lost their lives, their heads flying through the air, blood staining the wooden floor red.
Soren's eyes widened at the sight, even more so when he realized the white blur was nothing but a child.
That realization sealed his fate.
He hesitated. He saw a child, even if one who had decapitated both of his men, and he hesitated.
That was enough for the hunter.
"Shattered Void."
His words echoed clearly through the room, as did the vibrations below them.
The mages deployed their best defensive spells, but it wasn't enough.
Shards of the broken windows rose into the air and began spinning at high speed, heading for each person in the room.
Some died on contact, shards piercing heads and hearts. Others were crippled in their arms or legs, but none were spared.
At the end of the onslaught, all were on the ground, including their leader, whose eyes had still not calmed since spotting their aggressor.
The boy looked around the room, observing the corpses and groaning members, then began walking to the perch where Soren was trapped.
His arms and legs were stuck to his chair, pierced through by shards of glass holding him like a crucifix.
"Really... a child... that's who they sent after us..."
The hunter looked at him and swung his sword, ending Soren's life and putting the final nail in the coffin of Silent Coin.
He grabbed the head and, ignoring all the blood, made his way to the door.
Before he left, he spoke two words that ended the misery of those who had stayed alive.
"Transparent Garden."
Glass roses bloomed across the bodies of the injured, piercing their insides.
In the future, people from the nearby town would hear of the downfall of the dark guild here.
It was in this compound that they would discover a garden of glass roses, tainted red by blood, sprouting from the screaming corpses of the former mages.
The white was tainted once again, but hopefully this time, it would be the last.
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{A/N: Hey guys, first chapter for the new fic.
For those who know me from my DxD fic, welcome. You're probably here because I promoted it over there. For those who are completely new, somehow, I'm just a guy who wants to write fanfics because I find it annoying that the platform is full of translations and AI.
This idea was thought through with help from the Discord members, so shoutout to them.
I hope you guys like this. It's not the usual Fairy Tail happy-go-lucky stuff, but I felt like it was a good intro chapter.
This is a side project, so it won't have the best or most consistent update schedule, but I'll do my best to release chapters when I can.
That's all from me. See you all in the next chapter.}