Darkness. Cold. Then pain.
That was all Ren Amakusa felt in the final seconds of his old life.
The screech of tires, the flash of headlights, the cry of a child—all of it faded as he lay crumpled on the wet pavement. His body broken, his vision blurring, he only had one thought.
> So this is how I die… saving someone I don't even know.
A flicker of warmth passed through his chest—then silence.
---
He expected nothingness.
Instead, he awoke to the smell of earth and fire.
Ren gasped as he sat up, eyes darting around. A vast forest stretched before him, its trees twisted and ancient. The sky was a deep violet-blue, stars twinkling in odd constellations he didn't recognize. It was... too vivid, too unreal. He blinked again. No pavement, no traffic, no pain.
Just dirt under his fingers and birds chirping in languages he couldn't understand.
"I… I'm alive?" His voice cracked, strangely lighter.
He stumbled to a nearby river, hands trembling. When he saw his reflection, his heart nearly stopped.
It wasn't his old face—at least, not exactly. His jet-black hair remained, but his eyes glowed faintly silver in the dark, inhumanly sharp. He looked… younger. Smaller. Eleven, maybe twelve. And etched onto his right forearm, a glowing black sigil pulsed faintly under his skin—a seal shaped like a dragon curled around a sword.
"What the hell…?" he muttered, heart pounding. "This isn't Earth."
A memory suddenly surfaced, uninvited. One word:
Fiore.
He knew that name. He remembered it from the anime he used to watch.
Fairy Tail.
This was the world of magic. The world of Dragon Slayers, Celestial Wizards, and Etherion. A place where friendship and chaos danced hand in hand.
And somehow, he'd been reborn into it.
---
For the next few days, Ren wandered. He survived on wild berries, clear streams, and a strange instinct that seemed to guide his every step. Every now and then, a wild creature would approach him—beasts too twisted to be called natural. He didn't know what he was doing, but something inside him reacted.
When danger approached, the sigil on his arm flared. With a thought, dark mist coiled around his hands, canceling spells, snuffing out magic as if it had never existed. Even the air shimmered, becoming still and heavy, as if rejecting the presence of mana.
He wasn't a Dragon Slayer. He was something else.
Something opposite.
---
On the seventh day, he reached the outer gates of a city. A wooden sign read:
> Welcome to Magnolia Town
Home of the Famous Fairy Tail Guild!
He stared at it for a long time, disbelief creeping into his throat.
> So it really is happening. This… this is real.
Before he could react, a sharp voice called from behind him.
"You lost, kid?"
He turned to see a girl, red-haired and fierce-eyed, dragging a massive wagon of supplies behind her. She couldn't have been much older than him, but her presence was overwhelming. Her right eye was covered by a cloth bandage. Even now, she looked like a soldier mid-campaign.
> Erza Scarlet.
She hadn't yet become the Titania of Fairy Tail, but Ren recognized her instantly.
He nodded slowly. "Yeah. I think I'm trying to find Fairy Tail."
She raised an eyebrow. "That so? Me too. Just joined today. First time in the city."
Ren swallowed. So he'd arrived the same day as her. The timeline clicked into place.
This was X767. Fairy Tail was still growing. Natsu, Gray, Erza—they were just kids like him.
"I'm Ren," he offered quietly.
"Erza," she replied, her voice curt. "You look weird."
Ren blinked. "Thanks?"
She shrugged. "Didn't say it was a bad thing."
Together, they crossed into the city, sticking close. Even Erza seemed unnerved by the crowded streets, though she kept her usual stoic face. Eventually, they arrived at a large, vibrant building on the corner of Magnolia's central plaza.
The Fairy Tail Guild.
It was loud, chaotic, and alive. Wizards were brawling, laughing, casting minor spells, and drinking like it was a festival. The moment they stepped in, the room quieted—just for a second—before returning to its usual madness.
An old man with a long mustache and a warm grin stepped down from the upper floor, looking over the new arrivals.
"More young ones, huh?" said Makarov Dreyar, the Third Guild Master of Fairy Tail.
Erza stepped forward. "Name's Erza. I want to get stronger. And I want to join this guild."
Makarov nodded. "That's what I like to hear."
Then his eyes turned to Ren.
"And you?"
Ren hesitated. This was it. The moment he became part of the family he'd admired for years. The moment his new life truly began.
"My name's Ren," he said, more confidently than he felt. "I don't know what my magic is called… but I want to control it. I want to protect others. And I want a place to belong."
Makarov studied him carefully. His smile faded briefly as his eyes narrowed. He could feel the magic within Ren—unstable, unnatural. It wasn't Dragon Slayer magic. It wasn't Caster or Holder magic either.
Something about it was… rejecting. Hollow. Silent.
But Makarov had always trusted his instincts—and his heart.
"Alright, kid. Welcome to Fairy Tail."
He pressed the guild stamp to Ren's shoulder. A glow passed over him, searing the mark into his skin—a symbol not just of membership, but of home.
Ren smiled faintly.
He'd died once…
But now—he'd truly been reborn.