The Exceed Slayer

Where Am I?

I wasn’t always the one being hunted. I used to be a hunter. Precisely, an Exceed hunter. My big sister Millianna and I used to work with the Kingdom’s Second Magic Warfare Unit. Our job: secretly eliminate any Exceeds who dared to venture to the ground without Queen Chagot or her Royal Guard finding out. King Faust had raised us to believe that this was our noble duty, and we believed him.

At least, before he found out how we had our powers: we had the Exceeds’ magic flowing through our bodies. Then we were deemed outlaws. A reward was out for whoever took our lives. Even our closest friends betrayed us.

I watched my big sis die at the hands of the one we trusted most: Erza Nightwalker. Our childhood friend, coworker - virtually another sister. And it all counted for nothing. Now, I was her enemy.

. . .

Today was like any other day: wake up in the wilderness somewhere, make sure no one’s around, then get moving before Nightwalker tracks me down. Yep, that’s my life. I know, it’s awesome.

Anyway, I was walking through some dense forest to avoid detection when I heard the sound I had learned to dread: a Legion’s wings. One of the Kingdom’s Army Captains was close, and probably knew I was here. Even though I feared Nightwalker the most, all four of the Captains were after me. Other than the rogue guild Fairy Tail, I was the only magical threat left in this world. I instinctively moved to a deeper part of the forest, where it would be harder for a Legion to land. Suddenly, I felt my body disappearing.

My magic power was acting up. Almost like it was being stolen away from me. Had they caught me? Is this where it ends?

I passed out, my body evaporating.

I woke up in an unfamiliar woods. It looked nothing like any area I had seen on my travels. I looked up to the sky and saw no floating islands. Weird. I could also feel an overwhelming amount of magic energy. It was everywhere: the air, the creatures moving around me, even the ground itself. My caution losing to my curiosity, I wandered out of the woods to a bazaar in a nearby town. I had never seen items or clothing like these before-

What am I doing?! I can’t just walk around in public! Surprisingly, no one seemed to notice me. I'd better leave before that changes. Suddenly, a black-haired toddler stumbled into me. I glanced down at her, and she seemed to be crying.

“Mommy? Whewe awe you?!” she wailed. It was starting to attract attention, so I knelt down to her level.

“Shh, it’ll be okay,” I said soothingly. She looked up at me with teary blue eyes.

“Nya?” I mewed, and to my relief, she giggled. I decided to hang around until her mom showed up. After all, mothers tend to be sympathetic to people who help their kids, so she wouldn’t call the guards on me right away. I could just slip off while she reclaimed her kid. I sat the little girl under a tree, and she played with my tail while I kept an eye out for her mom.

“Amya? Amya?!” a pink-haired woman called. At first glance, she didn’t look much like the kid, but my cat eyes caught that the girl’s face had a similar resemblance.

“Excuse me, ma’am?” I called to her. She turned toward my voice, and relief flooded her face.

“Amya! Don’t wander off like that!” she scolded, running over and picking up the kid. This was my chance to escape - but the kid ruined it by grabbing my shirt.

“Thank you, kitty lady!” she sang cheerfully.

“You’re welcome,” I said politely. That was when I noticed the phoenix tattoo on the mother’s hand. Actually, the kid had the same mark on her jacket!

“It’s the Phoenix Tear emblem,” the mother explained when she noticed what caught my eye, “the wizard guild we’re in.”

    “Aren’t those illegal?” I immediately asked, but instantly regretted it. I mean, who asks that? Fortunately, she just laughed.

“Of course not! You’re not from around here, are you?” I’ve a feeling I’m not in Edolas anymore…