Eros in Fairytail

A month passed unnoticed. Only after a week did Eros manage to adapt to Gildarts' training, no longer fainting by the end of the day. But after another week, the intensity increased, and again, he needed a week to adjust. In addition to the usual training meant to improve his physical form, he also sparred with Gildarts. Each time, he lost completely, but even so, Eros never gave up. After every loss, he got up again and attacked. Gildarts himself was amazed by the boy's tenacity, so he didn't hold back—and for this, the titan was immensely grateful.

During this month, Eros made no progress in magic, only focusing on improving his physical form. Gildarts refused to teach him spells until his body reached the optimal level. When Eros finally met this requirement, the next stage would involve increasing his Magic Power reserves, and only after that would he begin learning spells.

Of course, Eros wasn't thrilled about this, but he had no choice. Throughout the month, he primarily trained with Gildarts and only occasionally worked on runes, maybe twice a week. Still, he progressed with them. Now, he could draw runes commonly found on equipment—though only third-rate ones—but it was progress nonetheless.

[Evening. Gildarts' house.]

"Hey, teacher," Eros said with a sour expression, staring at the sheet of paper the senior mage had handed him. "Are you sure you're not trying to kill me?"

"What makes you think that?"

"Looking at this training schedule, I can only assume you're either a complete sadist or trying to kill me." The next moment, Eros received a slap to the back of his head, sending him flying backward and crashing face-first into the door.

"HEY!"

"Don't slander your teacher!" Gildarts said menacingly. But upon seeing the boy's disheveled appearance, he couldn't help bursting into laughter.

"But it's the truth! With this plan, I won't get a moment's rest!"

"You wanted to become a strong mage in one year, and the Master tasked me with turning you into at least an A-rank mage. So, there's no room for slacking," Gildarts said, tossing Eros a roasted leg. "You'd better eat. Starting tomorrow, and for the next month, you'll have to find your own food."

"Got it," Eros replied sullenly. "Teacher, maybe you should consider taking on an S-rank mission…"

"Eh…" Gildarts sighed, already tired of this conversation. "For the thirteenth time, S-rank missions are no child's play." But seeing Eros's determined look, which clearly indicated he wouldn't give up, Gildarts finally relented. "Alright…" The boy's face lit up. "But only if you pass all three stages of my training." And just like that, Eros's excitement vanished.

"I agree," the titan said, shaking the outstretched hand with a sigh.

The next day, Eros stood at the gates of Magnolia, waving goodbye to the departing Gildarts.

"A month, huh?" Eros murmured thoughtfully, watching Gildarts's figure grow smaller in the distance. "Alright, I'll focus on training for now, then work on runes in the evening." As he turned to leave, he noticed a seven-year-old girl with shoulder-length brown hair standing near the guild gate. She wore a red T-shirt, a pink skirt, and red shoes.

Her gaze was somber, fixed on the guild's entrance. "Who is she? I've been seeing her a lot lately," Eros thought.

Lost in her thoughts, the girl suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She flinched, slowly turning around in fear.

"Hello," Eros said, offering a gentle smile. She nodded uncertainly, lowering her eyes. "No need to be afraid. I'm Eros. What's your name?"

"Cana…"

"Nice to meet you."

"Uh-huh…" Cana fidgeted nervously. Over the past month, she'd overheard a lot of talk at the guild. The idea that the boy in front of her might be her older brother made her too afraid to look him in the eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did I offend you somehow?" Eros asked. Cana shook her head vigorously, her face turning red.

"Well, if you say so," he said, extending a hand toward her. "Come on, let's head to the guild. Kids shouldn't be wandering the city alone. Wait, hey, what's wrong?" Eros exclaimed, alarmed as tears began streaming down Cana's face. "I'm not going to hurt you! Really, I'm a good guy…"

To his surprise, Cana suddenly took his hand. "How hard it is to understand girls—even young ones," Eros thought with a sigh, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe her tears.

The two walked silently back to the guild, with Eros asking questions here and there. Cana mostly stayed quiet, keeping pace beside him. "Here we are," Eros said with a kind smile. "Go on, head inside the guild. I have some things to take care of." But as tears welled up in her eyes again, Eros panicked. "Why are you crying? I'm not leaving forever. If you want to talk, come to the library this evening. I'll always be there."

"Uh-huh…" she sniffled, nodded, lowered her hand, and headed toward the guild. Halfway there, she turned around and looked back at Eros. He responded with a smile and waved at her.

"Strange girl," Eros thought sadly. "I remember the master saying that all the children in the guild are orphans. And her reactions… I must look like someone close to her. Well, no time to dwell on it. I have training to do. Let's see… Ten laps around Magnolia, 1,000 push-ups, squats… and a battle with the Forest Volcano without using magic? Gildarts really is trying to kill me."

By evening, Eros had completed his training. After catching a rabbit and having a quick snack, he headed toward the guild.

As soon as he stepped through the doors, Eros went straight to the library.

No one paid attention to his slightly crumpled state or the black eye given to him by the Forest Volcano. Over the past month, the guild had grown used to seeing him battered. There were even days when Eros looked ten times worse.

The first time he returned to the guild after training with Gildarts, everyone rushed to help him. Even Makarov scolded Gildarts harshly. But Eros stood up for his teacher, and the conflict was resolved. Still, the master remained visibly upset with the senior mage.

Upon entering the library, Eros was surprised to see two new faces. The two were deep in conversation but fell silent the moment they noticed him.

"You never stop, do you?" Lily said with a sigh as she approached Eros, placing her hand gently near his black eye.

"White Radiance," she whispered. A bright golden magic circle appeared on her palm.

Eros felt a warm sensation near his eye. After five minutes, Lily removed her hand, and the bruise was completely gone.

"Thanks," he said with a smile before sitting at the table. "Hello, Cana."

The girl nodded shyly in response.

"So, what brings you here, Lily?"

"I'm looking for books on medicine," she replied.

"Oh, that's good. Our guild will definitely need a talented healer in the future," Eros said with a grin. "But if you want to be the best, you'll need to learn much more."

"Huh?"

"Of course." The titan nodded confidently. He quickly scanned the library shelves and pulled out two stacks of books. "Here you go. These aren't just about medicine. You've got biology books to help you understand the body's structure and functions, and books on poisons…"

"Why poisons?" Lily asked, confused.

"What if someone in the guild gets poisoned, and your skills aren't enough to save them?" Eros replied seriously. "You might manage to cure common poisons, but what if it's a magical poison?"

"I hadn't thought of that…" Lily frowned.

"Sit here and start studying. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask."

"Okay. Thank you." Lily nodded and began her studies.

Eros returned to his own work, drawing runes on a wooden board. He carefully etched each rune dozens of times until he perfected it. One particular rune caught his attention—a rune that increased durability. It was far more advanced than his earlier work, a rune that could even be found on mid-tier equipment.

Of course, there were even higher-level versions of the rune, but Eros wasn't skilled enough for those yet. He also lacked the necessary materials, such as magic ink and specialized pens.

It took him forty attempts to perfect the durability rune, and the results pleased him. When he tested the rune by comparing a regular board to a reinforced one, the rune-etched board turned out to be twice as strong.

As he worked, Eros noticed Cana staring at him intently, her gaze fixed on his face as if searching for something.

"Um… Cana, if you're bored, maybe you could go play with the other kids?"

"No, I'm not bored," she replied softly.

Eros sighed and got up from his seat. After scanning the shelves, he pulled out a thick book with a blank cover.

"Cana, do you want to learn magic?"

"Can I?" she asked uncertainly, approaching him.

"Of course," Eros said, smiling. "This is card magic." He rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a deck of cards. "With these, you can create various things—even living creatures—and imitate other forms of magic, like water or sleep magic."

Cana's eyes lit up as she examined the cards, admiring the pictures on each one.

"Um… Can you read?" Eros asked.

Cana shook her head, lowering her gaze to the floor.

"In that case, let's start learning," he said gently.

Eros spent the rest of the evening teaching Cana how to read while explaining the basics of card magic. They stayed together until midnight. When it was time to leave, Eros walked Cana and Lily to the Fairy Tail girls' dorm before returning to the guild.

Once back in the library, Eros tried to continue studying runes. But exhaustion from the day's work caught up with him, and he fell asleep at the table.

The next day, Eros resumed his grueling training. After finishing in the evening, he returned to the library to find both girls already there. The older girl, Lily, was patiently helping Cana learn to read.

Not wanting to disturb them, Eros quietly sat at the table and returned to his rune studies.

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