A Fairy Tail reincarnation fanfic: Krampus in Earthland

Krampus POV

The sun rose over Magnolia with a warmth that felt symbolic—like the whole world was blessing a second chance. After the miraculous reunion, the next step was resettlement. Naturally, Gildarts wanted Cornelia and Cana to stay with him. His voice boomed with pride as he led them toward his house.

That was, until I saw it again.

It was less a house and more a glorified pile of lumber held together by stubborn nails and faded memories. An overgrown yard, a collapsing porch, and a roof so patchy it looked like it had been through a thunder dragon's tantrum.

"No," I said flatly.

Gildarts blinked. "What do you mean 'no'? It's got character!"

"It's got termites. You're not settling your newly restored family in a glorified tool shed."

He puffed his chest. "I can fix it up!"

"You've been saying that for five years."

Cornelia stifled a giggle, clearly used to this sort of argument. I turned to her.

"You and Cana will stay in Fairy Hills. It's the safest, cleanest, and most comfortable place in Magnolia for women of the guild. And unlike your old place, it doesn't smell like old shoes and fire whiskey. Rent is 100,000 Jewels a month—Gildarts will cover it until he builds a real house. Non-negotiable."

"Oi, wait a minute—" Gildarts started, only to be met with my firm glare.

I folded my arms. "You've called that shack a home for years, but it's barely better than a training ground hazard. If you're serious about being a father, the least you can do is give them a roof that doesn't leak on three sides."

He opened his mouth, then shut it, scratching his head sheepishly. Cornelia stepped in with a calming hand on his shoulder.

"He's right. Besides… it'll be nice to have a place just for us girls. And if you're serious about wanting to be part of Cana's life again, you can always come visit."

He sighed and nodded. "Guess that's fair."

As we walked, Gildarts glanced sideways at me. "Why'd you go through all this trouble anyway?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "You're a walking disaster when it comes to relationships. I figured there was a decent chance you had a kid out there somewhere. Given how promiscuous you've been, statistically speaking, it was only logical."

Gildarts stared at me. "Seriously?"

"Of course. I wanted to nudge you into staying closer to the guild and taking some real responsibility. Figured nothing would ground you better than a daughter."

He looked baffled for a moment, then chuckled. "You're insane."

"As if there were any sane people at the guild" I retorted proudly.

Heheh, perfectly sound logic that can't be argued back. As expected of me.

With the matter settled, I helped expedite the paperwork and magically reinforced the dorm entrance for double security. No one was laying a hand on either of them unless they wanted a personal visit from Krampus.

Cornelia surprised everyone the next day by showing up in an apron.

"I'm not here to freeload," she said simply, adjusting her ponytail as she took up a tray of drinks behind the Fairy Tail tavern counter. "I used to waitress in my younger days. Feels like slipping on an old glove."

Macao nearly dropped his drink. Wakaba choked on his pipe.

"You're working here?" they echoed.

Cornelia gave them a smile that melted half the guild. "Gotta earn my keep."

The women of Fairy Tail surrounded her in delight. Even with the absence of most of the younger generation, the ladies present were quick to fawn over the new face.

"She's so elegant!" one of the veteran mages gushed.

"And Cana is just the cutest little thing! I mean, how did he end up with them?"

They cast incredulous looks at Gildarts, who tried to puff himself up but ended up rubbing the back of his head bashfully.

"Guess the kid took after her mom," one member joked.

Cornelia laughed, shaking her head. "He's always been like this."

"Must've been the mother's genes," another woman snickered. "Because Cana's a tiny angel, and Gildarts… well, he's a charming disaster."

The warmth in the guildhall was unmistakable.

Wanting to commemorate the moment, I felt the mood calling for a tribute. I summoned my holotone crystal, and queued up something special—Miss Independent by Ne-Yo, a song from my old world. A smooth groove filled the air, catching everyone off guard.

Cornelia raised an eyebrow. "What is this song? I've never heard it before... but I like it."

The melody glided out over the guild, silky and rich with soul. My voice rose with the tune—smooth, practiced, and laden with quiet respect.

🎵Ooh it's somethin' about ... Just somethin' about the way she move ... I can't figure it out ... It's somethin' about her 🎵

Everyone stopped. For a moment, they just listened, curious and mesmerized by the new sound. Then they started to sway.

🎵 Cause she walk like a boss ... Talk like a boss ... Manicured nails to set the pedicure off ... She's fly effortlessly 🎵

Gildarts stood up slowly, face softening with something that almost looked like awe. "May I have this dance?"

Cornelia blinked, then chuckled warmly. "You better not step on my toes."

🎵She got her own thing ... That's why I love her ... Miss Independent ... Ooh the way we shine, Miss Independent, yeah🎵

He took her hand, and the two moved together, slow and fluid. Cana cheered from the side, clapping along with the beat. The guild melted into rhythm, a crowd of voices and laughter weaving through the song.

Laxus, who had been leaning quietly near the edge of the room, stepped forward and ruffled Cana's hair gently. "You're cute, squirt. Maybe we'll go on a mission together one day."

Cana looked up at him with wide eyes. "Really?"

"Only if your old man doesn't get in the way," Laxus added with a grin.

"Her first mission will be with me!" Gildarts barked, spinning Cornelia playfully.

"Over my dead body," Laxus countered, crossing his arms and giving Gildarts a side-eye. "What makes you qualified to lead a mission with her anyway? You barely stick around long enough to remember where the bathrooms are."

"Say that again, sparkplug!"

Cornelia laughed mid-spin. "You two are ridiculous."

Cana's giggle echoed around the hall.

Around them, whispers began to float again.

"Wait… Gildarts used to be married?"

"To her? No way."

"She's a ten, he's a seven. Greasy. A greasy seven."

"Must've won the genetic lottery. Cana is her mother's daughter, no doubt."

Cornelia only smiled when she overheard them. It was all in good fun, and she'd always rolled with the chaos. And now, Fairy Tail's embrace was already pulling her in.

Later, that night on the balcony overlooking Magnolia, Gildarts and I sat with drinks in hand. He watched Cornelia through the open window, her laughter mingling with Cana's.

"She's incredible," he said quietly.

"She always was."

"I want to try again. With her. For Cana."

"She deserves a stable father figure."

"I know. That's the problem." He sighed. "You know me. I get stir-crazy. Always chasing the next adventure. I left because I thought I wasn't meant to settle down. But now... maybe I was just scared."

I didn't respond right away. Instead, I unrolled the scroll I'd been working on.

"Project: Anywhere Door," I said. "Spatial anchoring combined with long-range quantum chaining. Final version'll be called Fairy Gate. You'll be able to jump home instantly from any job."

He blinked. "You're serious?"

"I want you to be around, Gildarts. Not just for missions, but for birthdays. For winter festivals. For the boring Tuesdays when Cana needs help with homework. You can't do that if you're gone for months."

He nodded slowly, eyes never leaving the light spilling from the guildhall windows.

"Then let's finish it. Together."

I smiled faintly. "Now that's the most responsible thing you've said all year."

Gildarts chuckled. "What can I say? I'm a dad now."

And just like that, with music, magic, and the promise of something better, the threads of family began to reweave themselves into something stronger.

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Cana's magical journey began sooner than expected. At just six years old—exactly the age when Laxus had begun his own intense training under Krampus—she was already showing signs of impressive magical aptitude. With Krampus's careful guidance, she explored the guild's vast grimoire library and discovered two surprising affinities: Crash Magic, clearly inherited from her father, and Card Magic, which suited her playful, strategic mind. Crash required brute willpower and precise control, while Card Magic offered versatility, illusions, and manipulation of probability. Despite her youth, Cana took to both with startling ease—though Gildarts nearly had a heart attack the first time she cracked a reinforced training dummy in half with a flick of her wrist.

Meanwhile, Cornelia and Gildarts's relationship resumed its simmering warmth. With Krampus pressuring him to act like a proper father and partner, Gildarts finally committed to building a real house. Krampus personally oversaw the project, bringing in Wakaba and a few trusted local craftspeople to help with construction—carefully vetted to maintain guild secrecy. The structure was fortified with rune arrays, magical insulation, pest deterrents, and, at Krampus's insistence, a proper roof—unlike the leaky shack Gildarts had previously called home. It was a warm, comfortable two-story home near the guild, with reinforced walls and a training yard in the back, perfectly suited to raise a family.

The first domestic conflict, however, came when Cana asked to join the Bodybuilding Magic program Krampus had introduced to help guild members build up their physical resilience and strength.

"No daughter of mine is turning into Laxus with pigtails!" Gildarts exclaimed in horror.

Krampus rolled his eyes and bonked him with a thick tome labeled "Fitness Regimens for Female Mages: Curves, Core, and Combat Readiness."

"There's a female-specific version, you dolt. It's about cultivating strength and agility, not mass."

"But she's six!"

"Exactly the age when a child's magic circuits start developing properly. Do you want hers to bloom strong, or end up like your firecracker mess during puberty?"

Gildarts grumbled, scratching his head, then blinked as realization dawned. "Wait... there's a female version?"

"Obviously," Krampus sighed, wondering how Gildarts had forgotten. "You were at the launch seminar."

As Gildarts muttered something about being distracted by the food table, Krampus gave him a light thwack on the head.

"Also, don't become a clingy helicopter dad," Krampus added, voice low and serious. "You dodged that bullet in the original timeline, barely. Don't start now."

Gildarts looked sheepish, but nodded. Cana's version of the regimen emphasized flexibility, core strength, and long-term stamina—perfectly tuned for a developing body and Card Magic synergy.

Krampus's ongoing innovations continued to elevate Fairy Tail's capabilities.

The Magic Talent Quantifier, a floating crystal sphere suspended by enchantments and laced with Krampus's personal runes, had become standard for all Fairy Tail members. Years ago, Krampus had created it using principles derived from his own magic eyes—those capable of perceiving the true nature of all things. By embedding those truths into the crystalline lattice, the device could read a mage's aura structure, mana flow, and innate circuit patterns. It accurately revealed elemental leanings, instinctive combat behaviors, and affinity scores across dozens of magical disciplines.

Krampus had originally made the prop to prevent mages from wasting years learning magic that didn't suit their nature. Over time, it became a game-changer. Several guild members discovered their true strengths through it—like the quiet gardener Kiran, who abandoned fire magic for earth-based Plant Manipulation and became the guild's new landscaper, or the hot-headed twins Brek and Marlo, who stopped bickering after realizing they both had affinity for combination runes.

Cana, too, was one of its success stories. When she placed her hand upon the Quantifier for the first time, the crystal pulsed with pink-gold light and listed Crash Magic and Card Magic at the top of her compatibility list, confirming what she had instinctively begun to feel during training. Krampus made a mental note to record the occasion—the start of yet another prodigy's journey.

Beneath the underground library, Krampus constructed a subterranean training arena reinforced with enchantments, anti-magic cushions, and rune-sealed walls. Sparring matches, power tests, and raw magical experimentation now happened safely underground—preventing frequent structural damage to the guildhall above. Small competitions were often held among guild members, fostering healthy rivalry and camaraderie. Excitable mages who had just discovered their first compatible magic from the guild's library often rushed down in gleeful packs to test their abilities on the reinforced terrain.

Laxus, now 11—tall, jacked, and brimming with muscle carved from years of divine training—was one of the regulars. He relished the challenges, though most guildmates struggled to keep up with his sheer strength. Still, his heart remained loyal to the sessions in Krampus's private chamber, located in a sealed space beneath Krampus's own house. There, warped gravity fields, time-accelerated zones, and divine-tier martial sparring tested him far beyond anything the public arena could offer. The two frequently brawled and wrestled—brutal clashes of fists, throws, and grapples. Laxus almost always lost, but with every loss, he grew stronger, faster, more adaptable.

Their bond had deepened into something brotherly. Krampus noticed how Laxus often initiated roughhousing—grabbing him in headlocks, slapping him on the back, or even tackling him out of nowhere. Though puzzled by how strangely intimate their camaraderie had become, Krampus chalked it up to having never had close friends in his previous life. He figured this must be what having a best bro felt like—and quietly, he liked it.

Expanding the guild's martial education, Krampus authored a trove of grimoires using Archive Magic to encode disciplines from his old world directly into readers' minds. These covered systems like Bajiquan, Tai Chi, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Capoeira, Aikido, Ninjutsu, Judo, Karate, Yoga, and a wide array of weapon styles from melee to firearms. The direct mental download allowed even brawlers with no prior training to grasp elite techniques quickly and effectively.

With the advent of the Bodybuilding Magic, Krampus knew it would be a waste for the newly built muscles to serve only as brute force. Thus, the integration of these martial disciplines transformed the guild's members into humanoid killing machines. The men were especially thrilled—muscles and close-quarters combat were, after all, a man's romance. With these martial arts enhancements, their hulking physiques didn't just deliver raw strength, but also explosive speed, deceptive dexterity, and highly refined combat technique.

The female mages also saw immense gains. Their appearances—often dainty, graceful, or even demure—concealed terrifying strength. Many opponents underestimated them, only to be swiftly reminded that Fairy Tail's women were all T-rexes in disguise.

With this sweeping rise in unarmed and armed combat prowess, the overall combat effectiveness of the guild surged. More and more conflicts were resolved without even resorting to magic, conserving mana and minimizing environmental damage. Fairy Tail's reputation soared not just as a powerhouse of magical might, but as a guild of warriors whose bodies were honed weapons.

Not all of Krampus's creations were glorious. The Automatic Apology Letter Generator—a desk-sized contraption imbued with Makarov's handwriting sample—produced heartfelt apology letters at the press of a rune. Makarov simply entered the infraction and the reason, then pressed "Print." So far, it's been used mostly due to Gildarts causing property damage again, but sometimes other mages in the guild would also contribute and Makarov had to write a letter for them, too.

Krampus often questioned if enabling Makarov's bureaucratic laziness was wise, but knowing the chaos future members like Natsu and Erza would bring, he figured it was better to prepare early.

Then there was the Anywhere Door Project, a network of teleportation gates Krampus planned to finalize within a week. It would allow Fairy Tail mages to warp instantly to any major city Krampus had previously visited, complete their missions, and open a Fairy Gate to return. Most of the infrastructure was ready—Krampus was just installing security wards and fallback runes to prevent misuse.

Even amid the noise and cheer, Fairy Tail was undergoing a quiet revolution under Krampus's guidance. The foundation for the future was being laid—with power, purpose, and heart.