Watching the old woman leave the room, I shifted my gaze to Makarov, who, despite being an incredibly powerful mage, had this grandfatherly aura to him, one that subconsciously put me at ease, though I didn't like admitting it. "What do you want?" I asked with a frown as I sat upright while removing the blanket covering me. However, as I did so, I noticed that beside my arm, which had a cast, I was nearly all healed.
"What do I want? Nothing. I just want to help a young boy found in the middle of a dangerous forest with seemingly no one to look after him." Said Makarov with a caring expression, looking at me tenderly, though his words caused me to flinch since I was briefly reminded of my late family. "Hmph, I was the only dangerous thing in that forest; I killed everything else." I replied with a scoff while averting my gaze, earning a chuckle from Makarov.
"So you're the reason for the disturbance in that forest. Care to tell me why you were killing the beasts in the forest?" Makarov asked me with a curious expression, though I merely grunted while clawing the cast on my arm, only for him to suddenly karate chop my head. "Don't do that, you brat." "Tch, I've had worse injuries in the past… My body will heal everything." Growling at Makarov, I rubbed my head before digging into the cast and ripping it off, revealing my forearm, which had numerous scars that had yet to heal.
Flexing my arm and clenching my fist, I winced slightly as my arm hadn't fully healed, but it was usable if need be. "Well, I'll be damned; Porlyusica mentioned your body's natural regenerative abilities were impressive, but I wouldn't have expected this… Still, your arm isn't fully healed, so take it easy." Remarked Makarov with a slightly surprised expression as he gazed at my arm, only for him to narrow his eyes while warning me, though I just snorted. "You think I don't know?"
"So Cooper, I heard from Macao and Wakaba you didn't talk much, but you seem to like talking with this old man… If you don't mind me asking, how did you end up in the forest?" Makarov looked at me with genuine curiosity, yet his question only made me grip my knees while gritting my teeth as memories from my past flashed through my mind. However, to my surprise, I was suddenly embraced in a tight, fatherly hug by Makarov, causing me to react quickly as I aggressively pushed against him, using Indestructible Magic to strengthen myself, yet it was a pointless act; my strength was nothing to Makarov's.
Eventually, I gave up and stood limp in Makarov's embrace while he remained silent, gently rubbing my back as if I were a child. "It must've been hard, Cooper. No need to act strong in front of me; cry, your heart aches." Makarov's words struck a chord within me while my heart cried out in pain, and before I even realized it, I was crying into his shoulder.
It was the first time since that fateful night that I'd cried; all this time, I'd spent my days fighting, using it as a way to distract my mind, but now it's been broken. Instinctively, I tightly wrapped my arms around Makarov, digging my nails into his skin through his clothes while I cried. "All is fine, my child." Makarov continued to whisper into my ears, his voice helping to soothe my aching heart.
After a few minutes, I finally stopped crying, prompting Makarov to release me from his embrace while I furiously rubbed my eyes, wiping my tears. "Better?" Makarov asked with a faint smile, one that caused me to grunt, but after a few moments, I nodded. I don't know what it was, but Makarov was oddly charismatic despite his outward appearance, which looked as unappealing as possible. "Ouch! What was that for, you old fool!?" Yelling angrily, I rubbed my head while glaring at Makarov, who merely shook his head, causing me to growl.
"I may not be able to read your mind, but I can read your heart, child." Said Makarov with a raised eyebrow, staring at me. "Anyway, child, I would like to know of your past, but if it's difficult, don't force it." Calming down, I scoffed and folded my arms before softly shaking my head. "Hmph, I'm not weak." My words earned me a slight chuckle from Makarov, who nodded in agreement.
It took twenty or so minutes, but by the time I finished recapping my life to Makarov, he was blowing tissues and crying, a sight that caused my expression to twitch. "Ohh, you poor child!" Makarov embraced me in another hug, one I didn't like, as his snot was getting onto my shoulder. "Ugh, g-get off me, you disgusting old man!"
After struggling as if my life depended on it, I finally managed to free myself from Makarov, though only after a few minutes. "What, what do you plan to do, Cooper?" Makarov asked me while wiping his remaining tears, though his question stumped me as I hadn't thought of what I'd do now that I was out of the forest. I mean, I could always return, but there was no point; I'd explored that entire forest, and the strongest beast there was the red bear's and I'd killed all of them.
While silently pondering what I'd do next, Makarov suddenly grabbed my shoulder, causing me to glance at him. "How about this, Cooper… Join Fairy Tail." With a smile, Makarov outstretched his hand, inviting me to join Fairy Tail, though I just furrowed my brows. "Why should I join Fairy Tail? Isn't it just a mage guild or whatever?" Narrowing my eyes suspiciously, I stared at Makarov, who offered me a grin while nodding.
"While it's true we're a Mage Guild, Fairy Tail is more than just a bunch of rowdy, aggressive, and drunk Mages… We're a family, and I think you, of all people, need one." As Makarov spoke of Fairy Tail, he had a proud expression, though as for me, I frowned at his words. After what happened with my last family, I was more than hesitant at the thought of gaining another family, but more than anything, I didn't even know if I wanted to join Fairy Tail, though it seemed he recognized my hesitance.
"Haha, you don't need to give me an immediate response… Stay with us for a week, and if you're still hesitant, then Fairy Tail might not just be the place for you, though I'm confident in my family." Although I was still hesitant, in the end, I agreed to Makarov's idea; besides, during that week, I could think of what I'd do next if I didn't wish to join Fairy Tail.
"Welp. Then we should best get going; I hope the guild is still intact when we return." With a clap of his hands, Makarov leaped off his chair and exited the room while giving me a look, prompting me to follow after him as we exited the room, only to spot Porlyusica sitting at a desk.
"Tsk, I see someone thinks they know better than me." The old woman gave me an unfriendly look while glancing at my left arm, causing me to scoff. "When it comes to my body, I know best." "If so, I don't want to ever see you here again, brat." Growling at how dismissive the old lady was, Makarov simply laughed while he and I exited the building. I had half a mind to tear her door down, but I held myself back; she was irritating, but she still healed me, even if I didn't need it. "She's annoying."
Shaking my head, I glanced around, noticing we were in the middle of the forest rather than Magnolia, though before I could question Makarov, he suddenly picked me up while his body grew massively, quickly towering over the trees, which allowed me to see a large city, that I could only assume was Magnolia, in the distance.
"What magic is this?" I couldn't help but ask as I sat atop Makarov's shoulder while he walked through the forest, his every step covering nearly a hundred feet. "Giant Magic, my specialty. What about you, Cooper? What kind of magic allowed you to give Macao and Wakaba such grievous wounds?" Makarov replied with a faint smile, glancing at me with his giant face, causing me to smirk as I clenched my fist while my skin faintly shimmered gold.
"Indestructible Magic… It's an Ancient Magic. It allows me to strengthen and enhance myself and inorganic items with my magical power. Though I've never tried using the latter." Retracting my magic power, I glanced back at Makarov, whose eyes were wide, causing me to tilt my head in confusion.
"A-Ancient Magic!?" Given Makarov's shocked expression, I assumed Ancient Magic was unique, though I simply nodded. "Yep."
"Haa, well, it's starting to make sense why you're so strong… How old are you again?" Makarov sighed and rubbed his face before curiously glancing at me, while his question also sparked my curiosity. "What year is it?" "X774." Using my hands, I quickly did the math, though I ended up being slightly surprised by how long I'd lived in that forest for.
"I'm 12. Huh, so I was in that forest for 7 whole years… it felt shorter." "Heh, so a 12-year-old child nearly beat two experienced mages. I don't need to punish those two; I'll just release this information to the guild." With a wicked laugh, Makarov continued to Magnolia.