The doors of Fairy Tail creaked open, and Lucy Heartfilia stepped in like someone who'd just opened a door into a natural disaster.
It wasn't a guild hall. It was… a battlefield (that served alcohol).
A chair spun through the air like a boomerang. Someone screamed. Another one laughed. Someone else was on fire. Not metaphorically—actual flames.
"Wha—" Lucy gasped, ducking as a mug zipped past her head and shattered against the wall. "What is this place?!"
No one answered. Everyone was too busy participating in what appeared to be a bar fight without sides. Natsu was yelling at Gray. Gray was yelling at Natsu. A bottle smashed. Someone yelled, "NOT AGAIN!"
And there, in a quiet corner… sat a single boy with a folded newspaper.
Cid.
The lighting didn't particularly favor him. The world didn't highlight his existence. That was exactly how he liked it. He crossed one leg over the other, newspaper in hand, posture perfectly neutral.
Good. No one's looking my way, he thought, a small, pleased hum in his chest. Perfect mob placement achieved. If this was a shonen anime, I wouldn't even be fully drawn in this frame.
He adjusted his chair slightly, calculating angles with mob precision.
Step one: corner seat. Step two: no threatening aura. Step three: quiet prop.
A bottle exploded somewhere nearby. He didn't even look up.
Background characters don't react. Background characters are furniture with opinions.
Then she appeared at the edge of the storm — a blonde girl clutching her bag, looking like someone who'd accidentally spawned in the wrong zone.
"Uh… excuse me," she said, stepping closer. "H-Hi."
Cid slowly lowered his newspaper, revealing the most aggressively average expression a human face could make.
"Hey."
"Um…" She gestured helplessly to the brawl. "Is it always like this?"
He gave the kind of shrug that contained exactly one calorie of emotional energy.
"Pretty much."
"Pretty much?!" she squeaked.
He tilted his head slightly. "Yeah. Tuesdays are louder."
Blonde hair. Big eyes. She looks both confused and determined. Classic Newbie Energy. Definitely a plot-related arrival, he noted.
Brought in by a loudmouth Dragon Slayer with a big dragon in his body earlier today… hmm. Side character? Or plot catalyst?
Underneath the newspaper, his fingers curled into a tiny, discreet fist at the anticipation of being able to make his first grand appearance as Shadow when some major plot event happens.
The gears of the world are turning.
Lucy blinked at him, a little unnerved by his calmness. "Why are you smiling like that?"
"…Habit."
"Okay…" she said slowly, deciding he was weird but manageable weird. A safe background guy in a guild of screaming pyromaniacs.
A sudden surge of magic pulsed through the room. Natsu had just lit up. Gray yelled something about stripping. Cana threw something that might've been a barrel or a bomb. The magic pressure swelled like the atmosphere before a storm.
Cid didn't move. He knew what was coming.
Ah. Classic Fairy Tail pre-president intervention scene.
"ENOUGH!"
The single word cracked like thunder.
Every mage in the room froze mid-swing. Flames died, magic sparks fizzled, tables creaked back to uneasy stillness.
And on the counter, standing small but radiating the authority of a war god, was Makarov Dreyar, who just jumped from the second floor.
Lucy stared at the tiny old man. Cid didn't even glance up—he knew the routine.
"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT?!" Makarov bellowed, wagging his finger like a weapon. "NO USING MAGIC INSIDE THE GUILD!"
A chorus of voices rose in protest:"But he started it!""She threw the barrel!""It was just a small explosion!"
Makarov turned red enough to match Erza's hair color and slammed the counter. "AND HOW MANY COMPLAINTS DO YOU THINK I GOT THIS WEEK FROM THE COUNCIL?!"
Everyone went quiet. Lucy's eyes widened.
Cid thought gleefully :
Approximately forty-three. As expected of a guild with shonen energy!
The guild master cleared his throat, huffing. "Those stuck-up old geezers at Magic Council are breathing down my neck! AGAIN!"
"Sorry, Master," a few mages muttered sheepishly.
"And yet…" Makarov's voice softened. "Do you know why I keep letting you lot run wild?"
The guild leaned forward instinctively. Even Lucy stopped fidgeting.
"Because magic is not a weapon of control. It's the breath of your soul. If the soul is free, magic must be free too! No council will ever take that from Fairy Tail!"
The silence cracked into a roar.
"YEAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Tables slammed. Drinks were raised. Someone was already crying. Lucy blinked at the sudden shift from scolding to inspiration like she'd missed a scene change.
Cid leaned back in his chair, hiding a grin behind his newspaper.
There it is. The classic guild speech. Disciplinary lecture… inspirational punchline… group cheer. Timed to perfection.
Mob commentary: beautifully delivered speech!
Lucy gasped suddenly. "I-It's really her—"
Cid glanced up just enough to see Lucy staring toward the bar like she'd seen a goddess descend. And in Fairy Tail, maybe she kind of had.
Mirajane Strauss smiled warmly at the new arrival. Blonde hair, gentle blue eyes, that iconic aura of the guild's sweetheart.
Important NPC detected, Cid thought automatically.
Lucy practically squealed, "MIRAJANE-SAN!" and clapped both hands over her mouth immediately after.
Mira giggled softly, clearly used to it. "Welcome to Fairy Tail. You must be Lucy, right?"
Lucy nodded rapidly, cheeks flushed. "I—I'm such a huge fan!"
"Come on," Mira said gently. "Let's get you your stamp."
They moved toward the counter. Lucy hesitated over color and placement, then settled on a pink Fairy Tail mark on her right hand. Mira pressed the stamp down, and just like that—she was officially one of them.
The guild cheered. Someone shouted "WELCOME!" and nearly fell off a chair.
Cid watched from his corner, perfectly neutral, perfectly unimportant.
Guild mark obtained. New character officially registered. First flag raised.Shadow's future stage is now under construction.
Lucy admired her hand like she'd just stepped into a dream. Mira ruffled her hair gently. Makarov went back to grumbling about the council even as he smiled behind his mustache. Natsu and Gray were already arguing again in the background.
The guild was alive.The story had begun.
Cid folded his newspaper carefully, placing it on the table with a quiet precision no one noticed.
The best part of being a mob is sitting exactly where the plot starts and pretending you're just part of the background.
Lucy glanced at him one more time on her way out of the main room, brow slightly furrowed.He gave her a light, forgettable smile.
And just like that, her attention slid off him.
Perfect.
Mob level… flawless, he thought with a quiet burst of glee.