Line had been a perfectly ordinary, respectable young man from the twenty-first century. Yet, one night, he found himself transformed within a dream into a solitary ray of light, gliding endlessly through pitch-black darkness. In that void, the very concepts of space and time ceased to exist, though he remained acutely aware that he was dreaming.
He was the sole spark of illumination in that bottomless abyss. It was impossible to tell how much time had passed—it felt like an eternity—until the moment of his awakening finally arrived. And then, to his absolute horror, he realized that everything had changed!
…
Tenrou Island!
Lost within the mysterious waters of the ocean, this island was a sacred ground where only members of the Fairy Tail guild were permitted to set foot. Its lands and coastal waters harbored magic so profoundly powerful that discovering the island from the outside world was practically impossible.
A colossal tree towered over the island, its branches seeming to hold up the very heavens, while dense, multi-tiered forests sprawled at its roots. It was there that the eternal resting place of Fairy Tail's First Guild Master lay—Mavis Vermillion!
No one, save for the successive masters of Fairy Tail, knew of a certain closely guarded secret: although the First Master, Mavis, had long since departed the mortal realm, her will continued to exist on Tenrou Island as an ethereal spirit.
On that particular night, a silver crescent moon, sharp as a sickle, hung high in the inky sky. Its pale, muted glow spilled downward, serving as the sole source of light for Tenrou Island.
Crash!
Tempestuous waves rose and shattered violently against the reefs hidden in the dark.
A petite girl wandered barefoot along the shoreline. She had long, wavy blonde hair adorned with a pair of tiny wing-like ornaments, striking emerald eyes, and wore a light, flowing dress. Outwardly, she looked like a true forest fairy. This was none other than the First Master of Fairy Tail—Mavis. Or, to be more precise, her spiritual projection.
"What is happening? What could be calling out to me?" the girl murmured to herself as she walked. Her small feet stepped softly onto the sand, leaving a delicate trail of footprints in her wake.
Usually, she never ventured beyond the borders of the forest, spending ninety percent of her time in a deep slumber. She would only awaken to observe rare events, such as the S-Class Mage Promotion Trial of the Fairy Tail guild. But shortly before this moment, she had suddenly felt something on the island calling out to her. It was an incredibly warm and gentle presence.
"Oh!" the girl soon exclaimed in surprise. Her emerald eyes widened, fixed intently on a distant stretch of the beach. A sphere of light was blooming there, its brilliance completely outshining the pale moonlight.
"What an incredibly dense aura of the light element!"
Sensing the energy radiating from the glow, Mavis broke into a wide, joyous smile. She noticeably quickened her pace, realizing that it was this very light that had been calling her all along. Soon, Mavis stood directly before the source of the illumination and could clearly see what was emitting it.
What is this...?
Mavis was taken aback. Nestled within the cocoon of light lay an infant swaddled in blankets. He looked as though he had just been born, yet how he had ended up on Tenrou Island remained a profound mystery. As soon as Mavis approached, the baby stared up at her with his bright, pitch-black eyes. There was such liveliness and intelligence in his gaze that a deep, instant affection flared in the girl's heart.
"What an adorable little one! With such a powerful concentration of light magic, you are bound to become the greatest Light Mage in the future! I don't know how you found your way here, but from now on, you will stay on this island and keep me company. I will teach you well! And as for your name..."
Mavis peered into the child's eyes, dark as pitch, then shifted her gaze to the night sky and declared with a radiant smile, "Night! From this day forth, your name is Night! Night Vermillion!"
Mavis laughed joyfully. Perhaps she was simply pleased with the name she had chosen, or perhaps she was thrilled to finally have a companion, knowing she would no longer be alone. Whatever the reason, it was the happiest day she had experienced since falling into her eternal slumber.
With a gentle wave of her right hand, a golden beam slipped from her fingertips and landed on the tiny shoulder of the infant—Night. A golden crest materialized on his skin. It was the insignia of the Fairy Tail guild. Clearly, from that very second, Night, while still in his swaddling clothes, officially became a member of Fairy Tail!
Mavis then gathered the bundled Night into her arms and carried him deep into the forest. However, she had no idea that within this newborn babe resided the soul of a grown man. And that soul, from the very moment he laid eyes on her, had been in a state of absolute shock.
That man, of course, was our protagonist, Line. Though from now on, he was to be known as Night Vermillion!
…
Night was profoundly bewildered!
He had dreamt of becoming a light, wandering aimlessly through the dark for an eternity, only to wake up and find himself transformed into an infant.
As a denizen of the twenty-first century who had read his fair share of fantasy novels, he perfectly understood that he had just joined the countless ranks of transmigrators. Yet, his feelings were incredibly conflicted. Was he ecstatic? Not exactly. Was he terrified? No, not that either. He simply had no idea how he was supposed to react to the fact that he had been reincarnated into another world. Ultimately, he decided to console himself with the same mantra adopted by every transmigrator before him: Since I'm already here, I might as well play by the rules!
Now that he had been reborn, his first priority was to figure out exactly which world he had landed in. Was it an era of ancient myths and gods? A realm of martial arts and magic? Or perhaps a modern world with hidden superpowers?!
But no matter which universe he had ended up in, what distressed him most at that moment was his own predicament: he was lying on a beach like an abandoned infant, at risk of being swept away by the ocean at any second. Fortunately, despite the chill of the night and the proximity to the water, he didn't feel the slightest bit cold. That very same glow, exactly like the one in his dream, enveloped him in warmth and shielded him from all harm!
Thankfully, fate decided not to mock him for too long. Soon enough, he laid eyes on the first person he would meet in this world—that petite, blonde girl who looked for all the world like a fairytale sprite. And this girl seemed painfully familiar to him. After all, back in the twenty-first century, his mind had been corrupted not only by countless books but also by damn anime!
Barring the possibility of parallel worlds with exact doppelgängers, this little girl could only be one specific person—the First Master, Mavis. Which meant the answer to the question of where he had ended up presented itself quite clearly: the world of Fairy Tail!
And at that moment, the only thought frantically pounding in Night's head was: Damn it, I don't think I ever actually finished watching that anime!