Like all my characters Erik is actually a foreigner, born far away from the country of Fiore. He hails from Ferox, a tiny, northern country all the way at the top of Ishgar. From what he can remember, he never had any parents. His earliest memories are of growing up on the streets, trying to survive. Ferox is a country with a very harsh environment, and Erik probably would've died from the climate alone--but fortunately for him, he was born a wizard. Maybe it ran in the family, maybe not, but Erik was born with ice magic. He wasn't any good at it, and without proper training or technique, he wasn't skilled, but it made surviving on the streets a little easier.
One day, he met a powerful wizard in his small town (who he tried to steal from). Realizing Erik had magic too, the man offered Erik an apprenticeship--consistent meals, shelter, a life off the streets, and magic training? He was a poor orphan, so of course he jumped at that chance. However, Erik quickly realized he had made a mistake, and that the man was a liar. The man actually ran a slave trading ring, and used the slaves he had to mine salt (a common commodity) in the country. Erik wanted to leave, but the region was so remote that he didn't know where he would go, or how he would escape without getting caught. He wasn't strong enough to take on the man either, and of the slaves there (mostly children), he was one of the only magic-inclined. So, he was stuck.
Eventually, he reached an emotional breaking point and fled into the woods, not caring if he died out there because at least he would be free then. He took shelter in a cave and spent most of the night dreading if the slavers would find him or not. The next morning, someone did find him--but it was a boy his age. They had a small confrontation (both being startled and whatnot), and the other boy easily defeated Erik with his magic--water magic. Erik was shocked because he'd never seen anyone with mastery over their magic the way the other boy had, especially someone so young. The other boy, probably noticing how banged up and scared Erik was, introduced himself as Lars, and apologized for fighting with him. And in that moment, Erik's life changed forever.
Lars was a happy-go-lucky and cheeky boy, the exact opposite of Erik. He asked Erik what he was doing in such a remote location. Erik, weary of trusting people, lowkey assumed Lars was from one of the mines as well. Lars was totally shocked to learn about the situation, and said he wasn't a slave of any kind--he was on a pilgrimage to visit hidden magical shrines, the same journey his father had taken many years prior. Lars asked if Erik wanted to come along with him, and visit the shrine in the cave, too. Erik DID NOT trust this guy, but begrudgingly agreed to go along because he had nowhere else to go, and was scared the slavers would find him.
Together, the boys delved deeper into the cave--there was some crazy magic down there! Animals, magic traps and seals, treasure! All kinds of stuff. Erik couldn't believe that such a trove had been so close by all this time, but what he noticed even more was that Lars was a total badass. He defeated any stray monsters that showed up with ease, even giving Erik some combat tips with his own magic! Eventually, they reached what appeared to be a simple shrine, probably having been left unvisited for many years. Lars knelt before it, drew out a necklace from beneath his shirt, and then quietly said a cheerful prayer, asking his father to watch over him a long time. Then, he left a small offering--dried flowers, a few coins, and an apple. Lars asked Erik if he wanted to leave something too, for the spirits watching over him. Erik said he didn't have anyone watching over him, and Lars got quiet for a moment. Then, he placed another apple on the shrine, and asked his father to please watch over Erik, too. Lars told him, now you have someone watching over you, and Erik didn't know what to say. The boys started making their way back to the entrance to the cave.
It was already really late when they got there, so Lars made a fire and started cooking up a big dinner. He happily shared all of his food with Erik, and chattered happily to him about all kinds of topics. While Erik ate, he realized it was the first time he'd ever felt full, and also the first time he'd ever felt warm. Even though he didn't want to trust him, but he couldn't help but think that maybe Lars wasn't a bad person. Lars said he had fun adventuring with Erik today, and that they should do it again some time! He asked Erik if he would maybe want to join him on his journey, and then they could have lots of good times together. Erik wanted to go with him; at the very least, he didn't want to go back to the salt mines. But Erik also didn't want to bring trouble down on Lars after his kindness, knowing the slavers would keep looking for him. So he said he didn't know. Lars said it was okay, and they could talk about it some more int he morning. The boys spent the night together in the cave, and Lars made sure Erik had plenty of blankets so he'd be nice and warm.
The next morning, the weather was good, and Erik woke up to Lars packing up camp. Lars asked Erik if he thought anymore about coming along. Erik told Lars he couldn't go, and was dejected. Silence fell between them. Then, Lars told Erik that he had thought about what Erik said about the mines, and how there must be a lot of other people being held captive too, right? Erik confirmed this, and Lars said that he would go to the mine and free everyone there. Then Erik would be free too, and could do whatever he wanted, even if he didn't want to join Lars. Erik was shocked and scared that Lars had suggested such a thing, and tried to talk him out of it. He said how Lars would be no match for the wizards in charge, and that then they'd both just end up trapped. He tried to convince him to just leave, but Lars told him not to worry about it so much, and that he could wait in the cave until Lars was finished, so he didn't have to face the slavers too. Even though Erik was scared, he didn't want to see Lars go off the face the evil people alone, so he said he was coming with him.
On the way, Lars told Erik he shouldn't be afraid to use his magic to fight back. Erik said he couldn't because the slavers were too strong, and all Erik had was ice magic. Lars told him he was thinking about it all wrong, and that elemental magic was actually the strongest magic there was, because users of it could make up anything they wanted and do it! Lars said its strength was proportional to imagination, so when they were fighting, Erik should get creative and just follow his instincts. And Erik had serious doubts about that, but he didn't really have a choice so he just trailed after Lars in silence. When they arrived at the mining camp, they snuck in, and approached many of the other captives. Everyone was like, um, why would you come back here? But Lars introduced himself and explained that they were going to rebel, and set everyone free. And they laughed in his face because here was some eight year old saying he was going to set everyone free, like, he was delusional, and most of them had given up hope a long time ago. Lars just said that if anyone there was a wizard, they should use their magic to fight, and if they didn't have any magic, they could use the shovels and mining picks as weapons. Then he said he was going to confront the man in charge, and they should just follow his lead because he would need their help if he was going to succeed.
Meanwhile, Erik was just doing his best to talk Lars out of it, but Lars grabbed his shoulders and asked if he didn't get it. Once Lars defeated the slavers, Erik would be free, and he wouldn't have to be afraid anymore. Nobody would. Lars smiled and said he was going through with it, and that he wanted to bring hope to people everywhere--anyone that needed it. He told Erik, as long as we're together, there's nothing to worry about, right? And then he smiled, and Erik felt a strange, slight feeling of relief. Lars told him to trust him, and trust himself. So, they went to the center of camp, and Lars started a big grand monologue calling on the people of the mines to take up arms, and free themselves from their oppressors. Nobody did, but the boss of the slavers (the guy who originally tricked Erik) and his goons showed up. They laughed and told them to get back to work, but Lars said that nobody worked for him anymore. Everyone here was free. The guy was like, okay fine, guess I'll crush your rebellion then. And he launched a power blast at Lars and Erik was like, this is the end. But Lars stopped the attack! He quickly used his water magic to coalesce a big blob of it and contain the blast, so no one got hurt. And then he reiterated, no, everyone is free now. And the slavers were shook and Erik was shook and also taken by the whole, damn, Lars is a badass thing again. A fight broke out, and Lars was able to hold his own against multiple wizards at once. He acted so positively too, and told Erik to give him a hand, make an ice barrier over there, trip those guys over there! Erik started using his magic, and really using it as Lars encouraged him, and he had been right! Erik didn't have much combat experience, so he just made up moves, and was able to hold his own against a couple of bad guys! Ice really was versatile! He could make shields, hurl icicles... all kinds of stuff! Seeing Lars and even Erik fighting back, the other slaves got inspired as well, and took up arms to fight too. Soon enough, spells were flying, weapons were swinging, it was a total brawl! Erik and Lars stayed closer together, and fought side by side through the whole thing!
The boss was a dark wizard though, and he wasn't going down without using some scary magic. He switched to using some form of evil magic and was even able to summon some scary shade monsters, empowered by a demonic artifact. Then, he launched a blade of darkness straight at Erik, trying to kill him, but Lars took the blow instead. His shoulder got cut up and there was some kind of evil magic festering in the wound. Erik was crushed, and angry, and really upset but all he could think to say was to call Lars stupid. But Lars just laughed and told him he worried too much, and to stand back. Suddenly, the other boy got very serious, and a shadowy tattoo appeared on his forearm. As Erik watched it flared a bright purple, a living shadow, and rushed up Lars' arm towards the wound. And everyone was literally just like, wtf, because this little child was radiating crazy levels of magical power, and not only magic, ominous, dark, magic. It made Erik's skin crawl a little and the boss guy was lowkey freaking out because how can a kid have magic like that and what the hell was it? As they watched, the magic shadow healed Lars' shoulder, closing the wound and nullifying whatever evil taint was there. Lars, still serious, said that this was the magic his father had passed on to him, for the purpose of protecting himself, and other people.
Devil Slayer Magic.
Lars quickly summoned up a demonic-empowered tsunami, and easily washed away all of the monsters, one-shotting them with his overwhelming power since they were barely even weak demons. In the face of this power, the boss collapsed to his knees, overwhelmed by feelings of terror and despair, and quickly surrendered. Neither of the boys really know what happened to him or the other slavers, though. The other slaves surged over them, and Lars and Erik headed to the edge of the mining camp without knowing what became of them. The rebellion was won! The shadowy magic rushed back to Lars' arm, reformed the tattoo, solidified, and faded from his skin. Erik was amazed to see it was like he had never even been hurt in the first place, his wound all healed. But Lars just laughed and told him he was fine, but felt pretty tied. Using that magic, he said, wore him out a lot, so he only used it when absolutely necessary. Erik asked him where he learned to fight and be such a powerful wizard, and Lars told him he had learned from his father. he said, he could teach Erik to fight like that, too, if he wanted. Erik didn't know what to say, feeling overwhelmed with emotion. Lars smiled and told Erik he was free now, and he could go wherever he wanted. he asked him if there was anywhere he wanted to go, or anything that he wanted to see. Erik was quiet, his head down because he was actually crying. He wiped away his tears after a minute, and asked Lars where he was headed next. Lars said he was going to another shrine, and Erik said that that's where he was going to go, too. Lars grinned so brightly at him, and once again started chatting it up, telling Erik all kinds of random things as they began to leave the mine.
They stayed together, and grew up together. It only took about a year for Lars to finish his pilgrimage, but the boys stayed together even after that. As promised, Lars helped Erik learn to use his magic better, and learn to fight better. They sparred together often, but Lars pretty much always won. Erik was never upset about it though. They traveled all over, and went on many adventures. During this time, Erik learned that Lars came from a family of Devil Slayers--since being born with such magic is astronomically rare, each user passed on the magic to the next generation. His grandmother passed it to his father, and then his father passed it on to him shortly before he passed away. Lars told Erik that he felt it was his job to protect people in need, but that he also just wanted a life of fun and adventure, and that he was glad to have Erik with him. Whenever Lars would start to talk like that, Erik would chide him for saying sappy things; but Erik was just as grateful to have Lars, too. On one occasion, after killing some minor demons they had run into, the boys were chilling around the fire that night. Erik noticed that Lars was being uncharacteristically quiet, and asked what was up. In response, Lars asked Erik what he looked like. Erik was super confused, and just responded (in an uncharacteristic Erik fashion), that he only looked like his best friend. Lars was quiet a minute, then grinned and threw a bread roll at Erik's head, teasing him about who's the sappy one now.
Eventually, Lars did confide in Erik that there was a part of him afraid of his own magic. He told Erik how the nature of Devil Slayer magic meant taking the demon's own power and using it against them. But that didn't change the fact that he still wielded curse power and demonic forces. He wished in some ways, that he was just a regular old water mage, because he was afraid he'd be too enticed by the power--that he'd use it for evil, and then become no better than the creatures he was meant to kill. Hearing this, Erik told him that would never happen. He had a pure heart, and even if he didn't, being a Devil Slayer didn't make him a demon--he was just a human, just Lars--and he wasn't someone who would let that happen to himself. Lars seem to take what Erik said seriously, and thanked him for his words, and for staying by his side.
When they were sixteen, the boys found themselves in a small, quaint village located in the country of Iceberg. They stayed there for a good while. At the inn where they stayed, Erik developed a small crush on the innkeeper's daughter. One night, Lars grabbed his shoulder, and yelled at the girl how his friend really liked her, and to please give him a chance. Erik was so embarrassed by it, but it did work! The girl revealed that she had been crushing on Erik too, and love bloomed in the air. They dated for a few months while Erik and Lars explored the tundra around the village. At one point, Lars warned Erik not to run off with the girl, because he'd be mad if he had to travel alone from then on! He was just joking, of course, but Erik told him the only way that would ever happen is if the girl was going to run off with them. And Lars got so happy. He started teasing Erik, oh? What about if you get married? or have kids? And Erik just told him he wouldn't do any of those things unless Lars could be there, too. Lars pushed him in a stream after that, and they just started messing around and goofing off. Erik remembers this really vividly.
One day, by exploring a cave hidden by the snow and ice of the tundra, the boys discovered a puzzle box. They messed around with it a little bit in the cave, but couldn't get it open. So, they took it back out once they got back to town, settling into their room at the inn for the night. Even though he didn't sense anything demonic from the box, something about it gave Lars an ominous feeling--like it was something they should be careful with. Erik, on the other hand, was curious about what could be inside an ancient magic puzzle. It was strange, because normally Erik was the cautious one, and Lars the more adventurous. While Erik was fiddling with it, Lars said he thought they should get rid of it. Erik looked up in surprise, asking Lars if he sensed it was evil or something. Lars said no, but that it gave him a bad feeling anyway. At the time, Iceberg had an even smaller magical government than it does in the present. Lars had heard that Fiore, in the west, had many powerful wizards and an advanced system of governance. He wanted to take the box there, and give it over to someone who would understand what it was better. Erik, on the other hand, didn't see anything wrong with the box, especially if it didn't seem malevolent. To him, they had found it so they should get to keep whatever was inside. A big argument ensued between the two, culminating with Erik storming out, and going to cool off.
He went off into the tundra even though it was snowing hard that night. Something about the silence and ice and snow put him at ease. He walked around for a bit, mulling over his situation. Eventually he decided that the whole argument was stupid, and he didn't even know why he was acting like a jerk in the first place. He decided to head back, and if Lars was still awake, or in the morning if he was asleep, tell him that they should just take the dumb box to Fiore like he wanted, and then they could check out that rainbow fish lake Lars was always going on about while they were there. However, as Erik headed back towards the village, he noticed the snow around him was turning black--mixing with ash in the air. Alarmed, he hurried over the crest of a hill overlooking the village, only to find the whole thing ablaze. Without hesitation, he rushed down the hill and headed into town. Most of the citizens were fleeing the opposite direction to escape, but Erik ran straight towards the center of town, where the inn was. When he got there, the building was completely consumed by flames, but he knew Lars wouldn't go out like that, so he kept looking for his friend. And he did find him! At the southern edge of the village, he found Lars, injured and exhausted. Erik rushed to his side, but before he could ask him what was going on, he froze beside his friend at the creature before them.
A huge, hulking mass of grey flesh was shambling around the rubble of the village. Twisted faces with hollowed eyes adorned its massive body, the same color as the ashen skin. Standing before it, Erik felt his body trembling--the aura it put off radiated waves of overwhelming dread. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before. Erik barely managed to stutter out, asking what it was, and Lars grimly replied a demon. Neither of them had ever seen a creature like it--it was nothing like the rare, but minor annoyance demons--the imps and hellhounds--they'd faced before. It was on a whole different level. Lars quietly explained to Erik that he wasn't sure, but he thought it could be a Demon Gate--an elite demon that served under the Demon King's Four Generals. He told him how his father had told him stories of demons as a child--monsters so powerful, so terrible, that just one of them could fell armies by the thousands all on their own. But Lars had always heard that the Demon Gates were just stories, much like the Generals they were said to serve--exaggerations meant to entertain theater goers and scare children. They weren't supposed to be real, and no one had sure as hell ever seen one before.
At that moment, Lars grabbed his side, whining softly in pain, and Erik realized how badly he was hurt. Lars told him that although the demon fought back when he attacked it, it didn't seem that interested in him--like it was fixated on something else. Erik said they should leave now, then, while it wasn't paying attention to them. But Lars said he couldn't do that--the town was still evacuating, and the two of them were currently the only thing standing between it and the townspeople. He told Erik he just needed a second to catch his breath--the demon used some kind of lightning ability (not great for water users)--but he'd be ready to fight again in a minute. However, Erik could tell just how spent his friend was. He patted his shoulder lightly, and told him to take it easy. As long as they were together, it would be okay, right? Lars smiled at that, and apologized for the argument earlier. Erik apologized too, and said they could talk about it later. Lars should rest and he would take care of things now. Erik turned towards the demon and approached it, getting ready to use his magic. Lars cautioned him to wait, but Erik ignored him, and used an ice lance to impale the demon, spearing its heart. Satisfied, he turned back to Lars with a smile, saying how it wasn't so hard to kill after all, only to see Lars running towards him, yelling about how demons have more than one. Startled, Erik turned back around just in time to see the demon launch a huge purple-black thunderbolt towards them, striking not just Erik through the heart, but Lars running behind him too. Both boys collapsed.
Erik laid in the snow, immediately almost succumbing to the fatal wounds, but he managed to keep his eyes open, looking for Lars. He saw that his friend was dying too, but seemed to be taking shallow breaths. Erik croaked out how Lars should hurry up and heal himself already before his eyes slid shut. However, they quickly snapped back open when he felt someone clasp his hand. Lars had crawled over and was laying beside him, holding his hand tightly in his own. On his forearm, the demonic mark crawl and shifted, materializing into water. Erik suddenly felt strength coming back to him, and demanded to know what Lars was doing. Lars told him just to hold still and hang on, that the magic would heal him. Angry, Erik told Lars to heal himself, but his friend ignored him. Almost talking to himself, Lars said how he used to not like his magic very much, but now he was so grateful for it. Because of it, he was able to protect the most important person to him--his brother. Liquid water, the mark flowed between their joined hand onto Erik's forearm, water tendrils wrapping there before they crystalized, freezing over. A moment later, they shattered, and what was left there was a black tattoo. The strength left Lars hand.
The magic quickly spread through his body and Erik had never felt so powerful before. There was a burning in his chest, but it didn't hurt, and when he glanced down, his previously fatal wound was mending itself. Furious, Erik stood back up and confronted the demon a second time. His emotions spiked intensely, and so did his magic. Angrily and without much thought, he created giant ice spikes, infusing all of his magic into them, and impaling the demon from multiple sides. The creature shuttered and collapsed, speared, and was dead. Erik was exhausted, but he stumbled back to Lars and fell to his knees beside his friend. All he could think to say, was to call Lars stupid. Then, the tears fell.
It took Erik a while to physically recover from the fight. Even though the initial rush of the Devil Slayer's curse mode healed the most fatal of the wounds, it still took a huge amount of magical power to do so. Not to mention his execution of the demon, using a magic he didn't understand or know how to control. So it took several weeks for his body and magical reserves to heal. Emotionally was a different story. Even after he was healthy and able to get out of bed again, he was a mess. He spent long bouts just wondering around the tundra. The girl he'd been dating survived the encounter, but he broke up with her shortly after reuniting because he felt like she didn't care how he felt--like he was drowning in pain. All of their stuff had been destroyed with the town. Erik didn't have anything left of his friend. Except the magic. At first, he wanted nothing to do with it--didn't care what it did or what it could do. The fact that it was his now, and not with its rightful owner was just too painful to think about.
Eventually, whether he was tired of the tundra or of being in the country or what, Erik decided to leave on a journey. He remembered that stupid rainbow fish pond Lars always talked about wanting to see, and decided to see if it lived up to all that hype. So, he traveled far to the west, to the country of Fiore. He did see the pond, and he did have to admit--it was beautiful. Lars would have loved it. But without his friend there to actually experience it.... While casually exploring around the area, Erik was surprised to find a little shrine--like the one he and Lars found together all those years ago. Unsure how he was supposed to do it, he knelt down and gently folded his hands together. He tried to speak aloud, but the words wouldn't come. He didn't even realize he was crying until he felt the tears dripping onto his hands. When he finally stopped crying, he set a river stone onto the shrine, and silently asked Lars to please look after him.
After that, he was willing to dabble with the Devil Slayer magic. He took small steps at first, trying to figure out what it could do, how much power he had now when he accessed it. He trained with it to get stronger, but wasn't entirely sure for what purpose. Lars had always said his magic was to protect people--but the demon that had killed Lars was already dead, and Erik hadn't protected anyone. Still though, he tried to train and practice with it. He took on a few freelance wizard jobs for money, and made sure to help people whenever he could, even without a price. It was on one such job that he happened upon another wizard. Due to the misunderstanding between the two, they fought. This person was the strongest wizard Erik had ever faced, and thought he was easily on par with Lars. The two fought to a standstill, after Erik even used the curse mode and discovered this other guy's magic was actually able to stand up to it. Erik asked what kind of magic that was, and the guy explained part of his abilities were holy-based--magic meant for vanquishing evil. After the misunderstanding was cleared up, the guy introduced himself as Lorcan, a wizard of Fairy Tail. he thought Erik was pretty strong and seemed like a decent person, so suggested he could join Fairy Tail. Erik didn't really know what a guild was, but Lorcan explained it as a place where wizards come together to help one another, share knowledge, go on adventures, and form bonds. Erik declined, totally uninterested in it, but Lorcan told him if he ever changed his mind, Fairy Tail was based in Magnolia Town. Later that evening, Erik was muttering to himself about guilds, and how they sounded like some stupid thing Lars would rush off to do and--
Erik figured it wouldn't hurt to check it out. A few days later, he visited the Fairy Tail guild hall, and ultimately decided to join. Being around other people his own age, whether he admitted it or not, was good for him. Over the next few years, although he didn't realize it, Fairy Tail started to fill the void in his heart. Although, he kept many people at a distance, revealing nothing about his past. A few years later, Erik became acquainted with a new member--Dani. After a few adventures, they became closer. Unintentionally, she caught him during a moment of weakness--him hosting a small memorial on the anniversary of Lars' death. He began to tell her the whole story, unable to stop himself even though he wanted too--it just came spilling out. When he was done, Dani asked if she could see the tattoo. Erik was confused, but materialized it, and Dani examined it a few moments. Then she asked if it was the same tattoo Lars had once had. Erik looked down at it, having known it was the same, but never really thinking about that before. Dani told him that Lars was still with him. Erik suddenly remembered what Lars had said when he'd transferred the magic and came to a realization. Lars was still with him. He gave Erik the magic to save him and so he could protect himself. In a way, it was like Lars was there too, watching his back. Erik didn't know what to say, so he agreed with Dani, but turned away, so she wouldn't catch him crying. She stayed by him though, silently supportive, and that's how they became close.
Though it didn't heal all of the heartache and didn't change the pain, the realization did make Erik feel a little lighter. He decided to train more seriously with the magic, so he could protect himself and, if he ever needed to, protect the people he cared about--like Lars had done for him. Erik still struggles with his past, and it played a huge role in defining his personality, but he wants to make the best of the life he's been given--it was a gift, after all. At the very least, he wants to try and view the world like Lars once did--as a beautiful adventure.
Minus a small dentist appointment, but thanks for being so patient guys!
