The second magic Noah worked on was the Thought Projection. In many ways, it was like a magical version of a shadow clone.
Its duration was much longer than the Shadow Clone technique, but when it came to numbers, Shadow Clone far outperformed Thought Projection.
Together, Noah and Mavis improved the spell so that the projection and the main body could instantly communicate, physically interact with the world at will, and even use magic.
Most importantly, the magic could now split into multiple projections though it demanded a massive amount of magic power. Noah could barely manage to create two Thought Projections, and even then, the copies were fragile. In that weakened state, they could only speak but not touch objects, just like the unmodified version.
Aside from improving his existing magic, Noah also learned Fairy Tail's three great legendary spells from Mavis: Fairy Law, Fairy Glitter, and Fairy Sphere.
Fairy Law was the fabled magic of absolute judgment it bathed the caster's enemies in holy light, eradicating darkness and obliterating all they deemed a foe.
But there was a catch. The more enemies it struck down, the more of the caster's life force it consumed.
Noah wanted a large-scale attack spell with group targeting that didn't shorten lifespan. So, with Mavis's help, they altered Fairy Law's cost: instead of consuming life force, it would consume more magic power depending on the number of enemies.
They also modified its casting time. Originally, Fairy Law required a three-second charge, but now it could be cast instantly at the cost of reduced range and power. For greater strength and area, the caster simply had to pour in more magic power.
Fairy Glitter's might rivaled that of Fairy Law. It summoned the light of the sun, moon, and stars, concentrating it into an unrelenting beam that rained down from the heavens to wipe out all enemies.
Noah had previously developed a magic with a similar concept. With Mavis's guidance, he fused the best parts of his own technique into Fairy Glitter. Now, before firing, the spell could lock onto enemies and weaken them. It no longer relied solely on celestial light it could draw in and compress many types of energy, making it even more devastating.
Fairy Glitter could also now be cast instantly without chanting, though at the cost of reduced power. Again, greater strength required a greater investment of magic power.
Noah's guiding principle when improving magic was simple: convert every cost into magic power consumption. The higher the cost, the more magic required.
His confidence in these upgrades came from his steadily growing reserves and control over magic power. The truth was, these legendary spells already demanded enormous energy to use. Enhanced versions simply demanded more.
One day, Noah found himself wondering about the guild emblem. Surely it had more potential than serving only as an identification mark.
When he shared this thought with Mavis, she agreed. The two set to work researching ways to enhance the emblem's function.
Their first breakthrough was a communication feature. By spending magic power, a member could search for nearby comrades bearing the emblem and communicate instantly. The more magic used, the greater the search range.
They also set up a central communication device inside the guild hall so that members could be contacted at any time.
The emblem itself could passively store magic power that leaked into the atmosphere or from members' everyday magic use. This stored energy was used to receive signals from the guild or other members. Sending messages or calls, however, required the member to spend their own magic power.
In emergencies, the emblem could transmit a distress signal. Upon receiving it, the guild could dispatch help immediately.
Their second major enhancement was even more significant: the collected magic power could be purified and used to strengthen vitality and enhance a member's magic power.
This improvement was the most time-consuming, taking an entire year to complete with Mavis's help. With this function in place, Noah was certain Fairy Tail's growth would be unstoppable.
However, because the emblem could only store a limited amount of magic power split between its communication and enhancement functions the passive boosts were minor. Still, since they were continuous, the benefits added up over time.
An active method also existed: a member could channel their own magic power into the emblem, have it purified, and return it to themselves to rapidly boost vitality and strength. But this method carried risks.
Rapid improvement was far less stable than the passive method and could lead to harmful side effects. After careful discussion, Noah and Mavis placed strict limits on the active boost. It could only increase a member's abilities by a fixed percentage of their own magic power, no matter how much they tried to pour in.
At the same time, the active magic power input function was deliberately kept hidden, leaving only the passive enhancement available. This was to prevent reckless guild members from overusing it and harming themselves.
After extensive testing, Noah confirmed that the improved guild emblem was completely safe. Without delay, he returned to the guild to help Makarov replace his old emblem with the new one.
The moment Makarov received the updated emblem, his immense magic power and the passive vitality boost took effect. His posture straightened, his steps grew lighter, and even his face seemed more youthful.
Makarov exhaled deeply, feeling as though the weight of his seventy years had lifted from his shoulders. "You and the First Master have truly created something remarkable," he said with genuine admiration. "But… this doesn't cross any taboos, does it?"
"You mean the Anxelam Curse, right, Master?" Noah replied calmly. "No. This only enhances vitality it doesn't interfere with the boundary between life and death. It keeps the body healthier and stronger, and it reduces the chance of illness. But it can't stop aging, prevent sickness entirely, or defy death."
Makarov nodded, visibly relieved. "That's good to hear."
"Grandpa, let's help all the guild members switch to the new emblem."
Soon, every member of Fairy Tail had their emblem updated. They were amazed at its new communication abilities, though at Makarov's suggestion the passive vitality enhancement remained a secret, known only to the Guild Master.
Noah's days fell into a steady rhythm. Over more than a year, he continued to learn, experiment, and refine various magics. Before he knew it, the calendar had turned to X774.
During one of his missions, Noah sought out a place he remembered from past events a quiet, out-of-the-way place called Rosemary Village.
There, he met three children who would one day become unforgettable figures: Erza, Simon, and Kagura. At this point in time, they were still young, without the poise or experience that their future selves would carry.
When they learned that Noah was a wizard, their eyes lit up with admiration. Seeing their enthusiasm, Noah was happy to share what he knew, and so whenever he wasn't on a mission, he would return to Rosemary Village to teach them magic.
One day, after coming back from a job, Noah headed to the counter in the guild hall and noticed Makarov's troubled expression. He froze for a moment, then asked quickly,
"Grandpa, what's wrong? You look worried."
"Your Grandpa Rob has been unreachable lately," Makarov said with a frown. "I've sent people to look for him, but there's still no news."
"Grandpa Rob?" Noah repeated, his eyes narrowing. The name sparked a sharp memory the man who had inspired Erza to join Fairy Tail. He recalled the story: how Rob had mysteriously lost his magic power and been taken as a slave to the Tower of Heaven.
Long ago, after meeting Rob through Makarov, Noah had suggested that the old man settle down in Magnolia so he could spend time with Makarov and Polyusica. But Rob had declined.
"When did this happen?" Noah asked quickly.