Chapter Text
Why aren't you trying to reach out to dad, onee-chan!? Since mom died, you've just been content that he would only speak to us when it comes to the Heartfilia Konzern! He's our father!! He must be hurting deep inside too!! Why don't we try and remind him of the days back when-
BACK WHEN WHAT, MINA!? GROW UP!! Mom is dead!! We can cry all we want, but she's not coming back!! I can't do anything!! And you can't do anything either!! All we can do is just wait until we grow up and then we'll be able to either leave this house behind or take over the family business!! Dad's not changing back to the person he was back when mom was alive, so give up on it!!
But-
BUT WHAT!? DO YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND THE PRESSURE HE'S PUTTING ON ME!? YOU'RE THE YOUNGER ONE, SO YOU CAN JUST REST EASY, RIGHT!? WELL, IT'S NOT LIKE THAT FOR ME!!! YOU'RE BEING A NAIVE GIRL, MINA!!
AND YOU'RE BEING WEAK AND COMPLICIT WITH ALL THIS, ONEE-CHAN!!
WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME!? *SLAP*
!!?
Eh-? I- I'm sorry, Mina. I didn't mean-
That memory again. It doesn't come up all too often over the years, but it still keeps coming back. Why? Lucy is dead along with the rest of her friends on that island. Whatever I feel about her should just be the past, since regardless of my desires, she's just... gone.
The 22-years old Mina Heartfilia stood still, her expression unreadable, over the gravestone of Jude Heartfilia, her own father, laid to rest beside her own mother, Layla Heartfilia. The 17 years since her departure from the Heartfilia Konzern had dramatically changed the woman. Aside from her brown eyes and sharp symmetrical facial features, unless one was close to Lucy Heartfilia, no one would be able to even consider the idea of the two of them being related even back when her reputation as part of Fairy Tail was still strong, except for those who were intimately familiar with Lucy and even they would think twice. Even her blonde hair was a shade more gold, streaks of the kiss of the sun highlighted.
Regardless of how her skin remained fairly smooth despite her years of combat, Mina was about 240cm tall, almost 80cm taller than her sister, and her built was not that of a traditional beauty, but instead a beautiful warrior, with toned muscles. To anyone who would look at her, they would already get the feeling she was somehow exceptional even without knowing anything about her, and considering that she was the Mystical Marshall and the Arsenal Hero, there was much that the world didn't know about her.
(All that they knew about the Mystical Marshal and Arsenal Knight was that she emerged in the Year X781, surprisingly as still a child but one who was capable of taking out a small Dark Guild by herself, and since then, she accomplished many exceptional feats of sorcery, arms, and martial arts and proved herself to be a true hero. The Magic Council, starting off as not wanting to capture an 11-years old girl to being tensely accepting of her presence, made efforts to recruit her, promising spots within the Ten Wizard Saints and the highest of ranks within the likes of Rune Knights. None were accepted.
Anyone who saw her capabilities were utterly mesmerized and could not properly describe it, some of them saying that she used powers unlike anything they had seen before, others saying that it was similar to magics used by everyday but felt fundamentally different, as though she had reached the depths of magic farther than anyone else. Leaving aside that, she also was known to have made use of a single sword, formed out of what some identified as purely crystallized etherano, and other weapons with utmost skill, and she even killed legions of monsters with her bare hands.
In the end, as the Magic Council could not tame her, but they saw her as not someone who was either troublesome like Fairy Tail or malicious like the Dark Guilds and Zeref, they decided to bestow upon her two titles. At first, she was known as the Mage Knight, but the Magic Council, while not banning the usage of such a crude name, used the fact that someone like her deserved a much more grand nickname to promote the two titles they wished to give her, which was a sign of both respect and a desire to maintain, at the very least, cordial relations with her.
The first name bestowed upon her was the Mystical Marshall, signifying her position as the pinnacle of magic, for having used forms of esoteric magic and even demonstrated what was believed to be the highest level of magics such as elemental magic. A few considered her as being potentially even more powerful than God Serena, and some believed her magical capabilities as being possibly surpassed only by Zeref himself. She also demonstrated great intellect, resourcefulness, and knowledge, thus making her fitting of the "Marshall" title.
The name was not particularly famous compared to the second name, and some even protested since she wasn't a "Marshall" of any kind, but a "hero of the people", although it was much more commonly used by great mages who respected her for her unique approach into magic, while those who admired her intelligence likewise acknowledged the name as fitting. God Serena himself was known to regularly attempt to track her down, and was frustrated that he could never find her and engage in battle with the one sorceress who would have given him a run for his money.
The Arsenal Knight, on the other hand, was a name that was significantly more popular. The Magic Council gave her the nickname since they recognized her impeccable swordsmanship and astounding form with many other weapons, along with also being an exceptionally proficient hand-to-hand combatant who possessed an incredibly strong body. The people simply loved the "Knight" part, although they still used the Mage Knight time and again.
Not that Mina Heartfilia cared for such titles.)
The younger daughter of the Heartfilia Family laid down several flowers for her mother and a single batch of flowers for her father. It had been just a few weeks since he had passed away, by which she had, for reasons she could only wonder as being out of pity and lingering familial affection, revealed her survival and allowed herself to share a few moments with him. She was there when he died, and it was she who buried him.
And so I am the last Heartfilia- No, I can't even call myself a Heartfilia anymore. No one knows that Mina Heartfilia existed, aside from those who have either died or are servants who moved on with their lives. That's just how it is now. And with those thoughts, Mina walked away from the graveyard. Somehow, she allowed herself to recall the moments she shared with Jude Heartfilia, the man who failed to be a father but ultimately regretted and proved he truly loved his daughters.
Her father had been overwhelmed with joy and guilt as he went to the knee and begged her to not leave him the moment she appeared. Mina wasn't sure why she did that, anyway. It wasn't like Jude had been broken by the loss of Lucy, and she had just been watching over her father as he wrote those letters, never once believing that Lucy had died. The optimism and hopeful love, perhaps, had gotten to her, the vast change in her father making her appear before him. She hadn't even expected him to recognize her, but he did.
And then she began to visit him, having some tea with the father who had ignored her. Jude had treated her with as much love as possible, no matter how pretty aloof she treated him. She wasn't unkind, but after everything she had been through, it wasn't like she could muster much outward love for her father. She had been told of how that was how Lucy was named, and, as Jude had revealed, she was named "Mina" because as Lucy had already taken the "lucky" virtue, they wanted their second daughter to have a name that symbolizes bravery, strength, and nobility.
Ha... Am I strong and brave? Yes. Noble, though- I've saved many lives, but I also couldn't save people at times. How ironic, and even more so considering you were the one who came up with such a name, mother. I wonder what you would feel if you see me now? Would you be disappointed? The thought left a bitter taste on her mouth, even as she turned around and left the graveyard. There was nothing left there but ghosts, and Mina had all but committed herself to living in the present.
Magnolia Town, was it? Rumor has it Dark Guilds are operating underground over there. I should take a look...
Although the optimism and gentleness she had in her childhood had long since waned, her compassion and desire to fight for justice was still strong, and the people admired her for her selfless, even if distant, heroics. However, Mina herself didn't revel in such admiration and respect. She was left without purpose and had no one since she left home due to the argument with her sister, and so she chose the path of being a hero because it was the path she once genuinely wanted to pursue. The years had taken it's toll on her, but she still remained fundamentally a good person.
For this noble yet poor soul, there was still hope, for, a week later, she would reunite with the only family she has left, setting the path, slowly but surely, for better days...