Chapter 2
(Year X763)
In the centre of a large forest on the outskirts of Ishgar, there was a beautiful lake surrounded by enormous trees. At the shore of the lake, a small baby boy around two or three months old lay wrapped in a soft cloth.
The baby had lustrous white hair and an incredibly cute face. He was sleeping peacefully when suddenly, his eyes opened.
What came into view were a beautiful pair of golden-coloured eyes.
You guessed it correctly.
That's our protagonist.
(Baby's POV)
I opened my eyes and saw trees all around me, surrounding a lake. It seemed I was in a forest.
I tried to move my body, only to realize that I was wrapped in some kind of cloth. I could barely move my hands and face.
"Well…"
I mentally sighed.
"Guess I should think about my future a little."
According to my wishes, I should be somewhere near Irene.
If my calculations were correct, she hadn't met Zeref yet, which meant she should still be in her dragon form.
So I should try to find her and—
"What do we have here?"
I immediately stopped thinking.
I heard a feminine voice nearby.
I slowly turned my head and looked in the direction of the voice.
My eyes widened.
An enormous red-coloured Western dragon was standing near the lake, staring down at me.
Speak of the devil…
Well, in my case, it's a dragon.
There she was.
The Scarlet Despair.
The Queen of Dragons.
And, as was her actual name—
Irene Belserion.
She was standing right in front of me.
"In the middle of a forest?"
The enormous dragon lowered her head and examined me.
"A child… and such a young one."
Her voice carried a hint of confusion.
"Who could have been heartless enough to abandon him here?"
She looked around the area, seemingly searching for anyone who might have left me there.
I stared at her.
'This is it.'
I had actually done it.
I had been reincarnated into Fairy Tail.
And somehow, my first encounter was with one of the most important characters in the entire story.
Irene continued examining me.
"How strange…"
I raised my tiny hand towards her.
"Baby giggles!"
Of course, what came out wasn't actual laughter.
It was just a series of adorable baby noises.
I continued laughing for some time.
I couldn't help it.
This was the exact moment when I finally accepted that I had truly entered my favourite anime world.
Irene looked at me curiously.
I continued smiling as I reached my hand towards her enormous face.
She seemed surprised by the gesture.
After a moment, however, she slowly leaned down and allowed me to touch her nose.
Her enormous golden eyes looked directly into mine.
And then—
She smiled.
It was gentle.
Warm.
Comforting.
'So I was right.'
Even after everything she had suffered, Irene was still a kind person.
My hand remained against her nose.
Now was my chance.
I closed my eyes.
I focused on the magic within me.
I didn't know exactly how to use it yet.
But God had promised me that my Light Magic would be innate.
It should respond to my instincts.
I imagined light flowing through my body.
Then I imagined that light moving towards Irene.
I wanted to heal her.
That's all.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
I felt something.
A warm, soothing sensation spread throughout my body.
Light.
A gentle light travelled through my body before flowing from my arm and into Irene.
My eyes opened.
Irene's entire body began glowing.
"What?!"
Her voice was filled with shock.
The light became brighter.
Brighter.
And then—
FLASH!
A brilliant burst of light erupted from her body.
I instinctively closed my eyes.
For several moments, there was nothing but silence.
Then I slowly opened my eyes.
The enormous dragon was gone.
In her place stood a tall, voluptuous woman with long scarlet hair.
She had a gorgeous face and was wearing an old, worn-out dress.
I stared at her.
'My God…'
'She's even more beautiful in real life.'
Irene looked down at herself.
She touched her arms.
Then her face.
Then her hair.
She slowly looked towards the lake and saw her reflection in the water.
Her eyes began trembling.
She was human again.
After staring at her reflection for several seconds, tears began flowing down her cheeks.
She started crying.
Not because she was sad.
Because she was finally free.
Irene looked at me.
Her expression changed completely.
She hurriedly leaned down and picked me up in her arms.
I felt her body trembling.
She hugged me tightly against her chest.
"Thank you…"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Thank you…"
She kept repeating those words while tears continued flowing from her eyes.
I remained quietly in her arms.
And then I felt something that I hadn't experienced in a very long time.
Something I had almost forgotten.
Motherly love.
Irene continued holding me for a long time.
Eventually, she pulled away slightly and looked into my eyes.
There was an indescribable warmth in her expression.
"You…"
She gently wiped away her tears.
"You brought light into my dark life."
She smiled.
"From today onwards…"
She hugged me again.
"…I am your mother."
I blinked.
'Mother?'
I had expected Irene to become attached to me after I healed her.
But this…
I wasn't expecting this.
She gently touched my white hair.
"So you need a name."
She thought for a moment.
"How about…"
Her smile became even warmer.
"Elior."
I mentally repeated the name.
'Elior.'
'It's a good name.'
I smiled cutely at her.
Irene's eyes softened.
She leaned forward and kissed my forehead.
"Welcome to the family, Elior."
I yawned.
Suddenly, I felt extremely sleepy.
'Right.'
'I am a baby.'
'Guess the body really does come with its own limitations.'
Irene chuckled softly.
"Sleep well, my El."
I closed my eyes.
"Goodnight, my El."
And with the warmth of my new mother's embrace surrounding me…
I fell asleep.