Fairy Tail: Swallow the Fire

16. Unwelcome Goodbyes

She gripped her fist hard enough that I could hear the ethernano acting as her flesh ripped under the strain of her fingers. I put my hand around hers in a bid that thankfully calms her down.

"Sorry. Just...bad memories."

"You all lied to me, didn't you?" I say my guess out loud, and her shocked face seems to make me feel like I hit the nail on the head, "These...Etherious, they were the ones that killed all of you, weren't they?"

It was a guess, nothing more. The amount of rage she had, though, made it feel worth asking. Anything and everything that has had Zeref's name attached to it has been nothing but a scourge on my life. The cult, Jellal's sudden worship, and now...

"Yeah...hmph, you seemed to inherit your father's intelligence, for better or worse," she picked up the notebook and sat on my side of the low table, "Now let's see how well you put it into use, hmm? Don't bother thinking about the Etherious, dear. We're long dead, but I can help you learn something despite what they've done to us."

"At the base level, you can change smaller aspects about your appearance and even change into other people. Like so," when she finished speaking, a cloud of smoke poofed around her body and she became more physical. She no longer looked like a ghost and even had her horns removed. She did it again, this time turning into my father.

"But, why are you still wearing your clothes when you change into someone else?"

"That is what separates the intermediate level from the basic level," Her voice was still the same despite looking like my father, but once again, a cloud of smoke shot out of her, this time changing her clothes to look like something a travelling bard would have worn.

"Memorising even smaller details will help sell the transformation when turning into others," This time her voice sounded just like my father's, a deep baritone meant for singing and performing.

"And at the advanced levels," she then shifted again into a canary. She flew around the room doing a beautiful dance in the air before turning into a large wolf, "Not only can you alter your abilities, you can even influence your fighting strength."

"Woah!"

"Pretty cool, right?"

"No wonder you and Dad were performers! You could do so many cool tricks!"

"Ehe~ Thank you, thank you. Bathe me in your praise!" She transformed back while the both of us giggled at the interaction. She took off her cloak and stood in front of me with a proud smirk on her face. "Now, it's your turn. Let's try to get the basic level transformation. Try to copy someone dear to you, okay. Picture a perfect picture of them in your mind. Every detail, measurement, and colour, and focus them all into a perfect picture while you build up magical energy. Then, release that energy around your body with the intention of transforming into that picture."

"That's it?"

"Ehe~ well, that's why it's considered the basic level. It comes naturally to demons but others can find themselves unused to the process. Those that don't figure out the basic level, though, will have no chance at transformation magic at all."

She ushered me to try with a wave of her hand, and I stood up intending to impress. At first, I tried to transform into my mother, but I found that difficult to picture. The ghostly haze that made up her form made it difficult to picture her in full even with the brief glance I got of her before she turned into a bird.

I then tried Mia, Taiyo, and Aki, but the magic energy seemed to fight back. As if sensing my plight, my mother spoke up again.

"Try picturing someone close to your size, or just changing something about yourself. Make your hair longer, or change the colour, something like that. Changing your size too much can push you into the intermediate level. Don't worry, though. I left plenty of notes to try and help you get there."