Eros in Fairytail

"Gildarts is coming back," Makarov answered with a grin.

"Does he always greet you all like this?" Eros asked in surprise. "Why are you all so happy? I thought everyone was afraid of him."

"Afraid? Are you kidding?"

"Then why did people react like that?" Eros asked, bewildered.

"The existence of two similar magics is a little scary, but that's all," Macao answered guiltily. "We thought maybe you were his son."

"Ahhh, I misunderstood," the titan said, embarrassed, quickly changing the subject. "What about the earthquake?"

"Look out the window, and you'll understand." Following Makarov's advice, Eros looked out the window and froze. The buildings blocking the view began to move, opening a clear path from Magnolia's entrance gate to the guild.

"Holy mother…"

"Gildarts, because of his Crush magic, can easily pass through the city without noticing," Wakaba, who appeared out of nowhere, explained. "So, to prevent this, we created 'Gildarts Mode.'"

"Apparently, there've been precedents."

"Yeah. It's not for nothing that our guild is called the most reckless…"

"Of course!"

"No one is proud of that," Makarov sighed heavily in response to Eros's words.

At that moment, a tall, muscular man with reddish-orange hair combed back and a rugged stubble entered the guild doors. He wore a black, slightly torn cloak on his bare chest, with a high collar and armor plates on his shoulders. Around his waist was a belt, paired with loose dark pants and armored boots.

"Hey, Master!"

"Welcome back," Makarov said, smiling. "How were the missions?"

"Everything's great—three missions completed. Twenty-two million left, and the fine will be paid."

"That's good…"

"Hey, Gildarts, stop wagging your tongue! Come join us!" a mage shouted, raising his mug. Everyone at the table joined in.

"Not today. I'll rest." Smiling guiltily, he headed for the exit.

"Gildarts."

"Master, you need something?"

"Yes," Makarov replied in a serious tone. "Come to me tomorrow morning. I'll need your help."

Seeing Makarov's expression, Gildarts tensed and nodded. "Okay."

"If it's nothing serious, I'll head out too," Eros said, leaving for his abode.

Eros sat at his table, drawing runes on a wooden board. Suddenly, inspiration struck, and he began tracing a new pattern. Finishing the last line, the rune lit up brighter than usual, radiating warmth.

"Really…" Eros whispered, hugging the board. "Finally. All because I didn't saturate the pen with Ether."

The next moment, the board disappeared.

"DAMN IT! BECAUSE OF THIS THING, I LOST A WHOLE WEEK!" the titan shouted.

Grabbing another board, he drew a cold rune. This time, the rune glowed, emitting a chilly breeze before being destroyed by Eros's power.

"So much time wasted," he hissed, picking up a book on runes and diving into its contents.

The next day, Makarov summoned Eros to his office.

"Master, may I?"

"Come in."

Eros entered and saw the red-haired magician from before, who looked between him and Makarov with suspicion.

"So, why did you call me, Master?"

"I wanted to introduce you to someone. Go ahead, introduce yourself," Makarov said with a smile.

"I'm Eros. Pleased to meet you," Eros said, holding out his hand.

Gildarts looked at Makarov, puzzled, but shook Eros's hand.

"From this day, you'll teach this boy how to use magic."

"Are you kidding me, Master?" Gildarts exclaimed. "I'm not a nanny—I've got my own things to do!"

Makarov closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "Boy, show him…"

Eros extended his hand, producing a cube.

"And what…" Gildarts began, but stopped as the cube flew toward him.

Gildarts raised his hand to destroy the spell, but the moment the cube touched him, he felt something familiar. As the cube began expanding, tearing at the surroundings, his suspicions were confirmed.

Tensing his hand slightly, Gildarts clenched his fist, destroying the spell.

"It's dangerous not to teach him. You of all people should understand," Makarov said.

"Yes," Gildarts admitted, studying Eros's face with surprise. "I'll take this on."

"If that's settled, I can rest easy," Makarov said.

"Gildarts, you don't have to look at me like that," Eros said, embarrassed. "We're not related. I know my father, and you're definitely not him." He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

"Gildarts is a real womanizer," Makarov added. "Don't be surprised. He probably thought you were his son from some girl."

"MASTER! Don't embarrass me in front of my student!"

"Oh, so you're already calling him your student?" Makarov grinned. "Good. Now take him out of the guild—he hasn't left the library in two weeks."

"Now I'm absolutely sure he's not my son," Gildarts muttered.

"HEY! What's wrong with wanting to know as much as possible!?" Eros exclaimed, full of righteous anger.

"There's nothing wrong with that, but sitting within four walls for two weeks isn't good."

"I just got too carried away," Eros admitted, embarrassed. "And I went outside quite often."

"Three times a week, and for ten minutes at most."

"Definitely not my son," Gildarts concluded.

As they left Makarov's office and walked toward the guild's exit, everyone's eyes were glued to the pair. The entire procession was accompanied by an oppressive silence, but the moment they left, the guild erupted into noise.

"How similar they are," one mage whispered to another.

"That's true, but what if the master lied to us?"

"There's some truth in that," the other agreed. "Maybe he's hiding their relationship."

"There's no point in hiding it. What difference would it make if someone found out?"

"Exactly. But still… something doesn't add up."

At a nearby table, a group of children played cards. One girl, distracted from the game, tried to listen to the adults' conversation.

"Hey, Cana, did you hear something interesting?" teased another girl, noticing her focus shift. But seeing Cana's sad face, she grew concerned. "What's wrong? Did someone upset you?"

Cana shook her head and stared at the guild entrance. Son, huh? she thought, lowering her gaze.

Eastern Forest

On the outskirts of the Eastern Forest, two figures stood: Gildarts and Eros. The young titan, breathing heavily, leaned against a tree as he watched the senior mage.

"Is that all?"

"Yes," Gildarts replied, shaking his head in annoyance. "Weak. With that skill set, you'd barely hold your own against a B-rank mage. No physical strength, and to maximize your magic's potential, you need solid physical stats. Right now, your magic is a joke."

"I only awakened my magic a month ago!"

"In that case, we'll start intensive training today. I'll turn you into at least a B-rank mage in a year—maybe even A-rank," Gildarts declared with a devilish grin that made Eros shudder. "Now, attack!"

The next few hours were pure torment for Eros. Tossed, thrown, kicked, and utterly drained, he eventually collapsed on the ground, unable to move.

"Your speed and agility are decent for a kid," Gildarts observed, nodding approvingly. "But your fighting style caught me off guard. Who taught you to fight?"

"My father's friend. He was a master of his craft."

"Good. At least we've solved one problem." He hoisted Eros's limp body onto his shoulder. "All in all, a solid first day. Meet me here tomorrow morning."

"Are you trying to kill me?" Eros asked suspiciously.

In response, Gildarts burst into laughter. "This is just the warm-up! Wait until the real training starts—you'll be crying!"

"Warm-up?" Eros muttered nervously. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to punch the grinning mage in the face.

The Next Morning

Eros woke up in an unfamiliar room, surprised by his surroundings. It was small and minimalistic, containing only a chest, a closet, a shelf of books, a bed, and a table with a couple of chairs.

"So, you're awake," Gildarts said, entering with a boar carcass slung over his shoulder. "I'll whip up some food, then we're heading straight back to training. We've only got a month."

"A month?"

"Yes. I'm heading out on a mission afterward, and I don't know when I'll return."

"I see." Eros nodded thoughtfully. "I forgot you were fined forty million."

Gildarts's expression soured instantly.

"Oh, sorry. Did I hit a nerve?"

"Forget it. Forty million's nothing. Three or four S-rank missions, and it'll be paid off."

"If that's the case, how about a bet?"

"A bet?"

"Yes. If I reach A-rank strength in ten months, you'll take me on one of your S-rank missions."

"S-rank missions are called that for a reason," Gildarts replied seriously. "Even S-rank mages die on them." He shook his head. "I can't take you—it's too dangerous."

"You could protect me. And if I reach A-rank, I'll be able to protect myself—or at least escape."

"I said no. End of discussion."

Half an hour later, they left the house and headed toward the forest.

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