Damien stood quietly in front of the Fairy Tail guild hall, hands in his pockets, his long black coat fluttering slightly in the morning breeze. It had been a few weeks since he left on his last mission—a high-level request that had taken him far beyond Magnolia's borders and kept him away longer than expected.
Last night, just before turning in, he had casually asked Cana if anything had changed in the guild while he was gone.
Her answer?
"Yeah. We got a new member. Some Celestial Mage named Lucy Heartfilia."
Damien hadn't reacted much at the time, but the name lingered in his thoughts longer than it should have.
Heartfilia…
That was the same surname as that one rich businessman he'd done a personal escort job for years ago. The guy was stiff, cold, and carried himself like he owned half the world.
Could it be a coincidence? Or was this Lucy actually his daughter?
He shook his head. Doesn't matter. At least, not right now.
Without another thought, Damien raised his hand and used his magnetism magic to open the heavy front doors of the guild.
Unfortunately, he was still adjusting to the new refinements in his control—and used a little too much power.
The result was instantaneous.
A ripple of purple electricity surged through every piece of metal in the room. Spoons, chairs, swords, mugs—anything metallic sparked and vibrated with magical static. At the same moment, a burst of wind seemed to surge from behind him, lifting the tails of his coat and making his long black hair whip gently in the air.
He stepped inside calmly, unaffected. His cold, unreadable expression remained perfectly in place.
But everyone else in the guild…
They froze.
It was like time stopped for a second. Dozens of eyes snapped toward him. Some widened in recognition, others in awe, and a few even in dread.
Even Natsu and Gray, who were in the middle of another childish argument, stopped and slowly turned their heads.
It wasn't fear.
It was respect.
The kind that only came when someone had proven themselves time and time again—someone who had left a deep mark on the guild's history.
The only one in the room who didn't seem to understand what was happening was a confused-looking blonde girl sitting near the bar.
Damien noticed her instantly.
That must be the new girl. Lucy.
The way everyone reacted, the atmosphere—it was almost comical.
If I didn't know better, I'd say this feels like one of those dramatic anime character introductions…
He blinked slowly, dismissing the thought. Too early for this.
Without saying a word to anyone, Damien headed straight for the bar.
Before you get the wrong idea—he wasn't hungover. He didn't drink last night. He may have shared a couple of glasses with Cana before she passed out on his bed again, but he'd stayed sharp.
Today, he just wanted something simple.
Once he reached the bar, he sat down and leaned forward slightly.
"One large orange juice," he said flatly.
"Coming right up," Mirajane replied with a smile as she turned to prepare the drink.
As he waited, Damien felt something. A familiar magical signature—delicate, faint, but close.
He turned his head slightly and saw the source.
It was the blonde girl again. Sitting just a few stools down. Hanging from her belt was a set of Celestial Spirit keys, glinting faintly in the light.
Without much thought, Damien asked, "Who are you?"
The girl straightened up, startled by the sudden attention.
"Ah—Lucy! Lucy Heartfilia!" she said quickly, her cheeks tinged with a light blush. "I just joined Fairy Tail."
She gave him a nervous smile, clearly hoping for a warm welcome.
Damien didn't smile.
In fact, his face shifted slightly—just enough to show a flicker of annoyance. Maybe even mild disgust.
Lucy's expression faltered.
Damien turned away, saying nothing. Of course… just my luck.
A new member shows up, and it has to be someone like her.
He didn't need to know much about her to already feel bothered. She didn't act like the rest of the guild—loud, chaotic, family-oriented, yes, but never focused on looks or appearances.
But Lucy? She stared at him a little too long. Blushed a little too easily.
It reminded him of the kind of behavior he hated outside the guild.
One of the few things Damien appreciated about Fairy Tail was that—unlike the rest of Magnolia—no one here fixated on his appearance. The guild didn't care if you were gorgeous or scarred or covered in soot.
To them, strength and loyalty mattered.
But this girl…
She looked at him like he was some mysterious prince from a romance novel.
Damien could already tell—she wasn't like everyone else here.
And that annoyed him.
Without another word, he shifted in his seat and put some distance between them, ignoring her completely.