The heavy doors to Magnolia's town hall swung open with a quiet creak. Kael Arcadia stepped inside with a small smile on his face.
"Well, well, if it isn't the Sorcerer Supreme," the mayor said with an almost reverent chuckle. "What can I do for Fairy Tail's finest today? I heard you've only just returned. Word has it your last job took longer than usual… but knowing you, I'm sure the result was flawless, as always."
Kael chuckled softly before responding. "You flatter me, Mayor. But I'm glad to be back."
"Please, sit," the mayor said warmly as the pleasantries ended. He gestured toward the seat opposite his desk.
Kael obliged, lowering himself into the chair. Once seated, his expression turned into something more serious, though the smile lingered faintly. "Before anything else, I should inform you of some unfortunate news. The cathedral…" He hesitated for a brief moment, as though weighing how to phrase it. "It suffered severe damage."
The mayor blinked, startled. "Severe damage? How in the world…?"
"There was a machine intended for the parade," Kael explained gently. "...But in the end… it exploded." He continued in a somewhat disappointed tone
The mayor's mouth opened, then closed again. "Exploded," he repeated weakly, leaning back in his chair.
"Sadly, yes... You should know how serious Fairy Tail takes this parade... We planned to use that to elevate this years parade to a new level, however... Things didn't go to plan..." Kael added.
Hearing this, the mayor just looked mor intently at Kael, his face seemed to regain a few colors as a new emotion entered his expression. He was about to speak, but Kael beat him to it.
"There's no need for worry. Fairy Tail will take full responsibility. Compensation and repairs will be handled swiftly." Kael said, leaning forward and assuring the worried mayor.
Hearing this, the mayor let out a long breath, slumping with relief. "You always put my heart at ease, Kael. If you say Fairy Tail will handle it, then I trust you.."
Kael smiled again, this time more warmly. "And I'll be sure not to break that trust, mayor."
The mayor chuckled at that, but then tilted his head curiously. "So… was that all you came to tell me?"
Kael shook his head, his eyes glinting with something lighter. "No, not quite. There's one more thing. And for this, I'd like to ask a favor."
The mayor leaned forward, intrigued. "A favor? That's a first."
Kael just gave a small, playful shrug at this.
The mayor chuckled, gesturing for him to continue. "Very well, what is it you ask? I'll try to do it with the best of my abilities."
Kael's tone softened as he spoke. "I'd like you to make an announcement on our behalf. Please inform the people that the Fantasia Parade will be delayed until tomorrow. Our master has fallen ill, and… It would not be right to continue without him."
From the news, the mayor's expression shifted to one of concern and understanding. He nodded slowly. "Ah… I see. Poor Master Makarov. He has always given so much to this city. Please, give him my best wishes."
"I will," Kael said sincerely, rising from his chair. He gave a courteous bow. "And thank you, Mayor. You've always been generous with your understanding."
The mayor waved a hand, smiling kindly. "Think nothing of it. This city is in good hands, thanks to you and your guild. I'll see to the announcement myself."
Kael's smile broadened slightly, genuine and warm. "Then I'll leave it to you. Until next time, mayor."
With that, he turned and made his way toward the door, his cloak swaying softly behind him. The mayor watched him go, a quiet chuckle escaping his lips.
Scene Break
The streets of Magnolia hummed with their usual noise and color as Kael strolled through the bustling streets, the red cloak over his shoulders trailed like a banner, making heads turn wherever he passed.
"Sorcerer Supreme, sir! Please, could you sign this for me?" A florist's daughter held out a ribbon, her cheeks red with excitement.
Kael paused, his expression softening as he bent down to face the child taking the red ribbon. "Just a signature?" He asked while moving his finger. As he did, elegant strokes appear even without the use of pen earning Kael a smile filled with amazement from the child. This smile grew even more as Kael handed back the ribbon.
With that, Kael continued walking. As he did, two merchants tipped their hats as he passed. "How was Pergrande kingdom, sir? Rumors are saying that you've completed a mission there."
"Well, it was great... But I find it impressive that rumors seem to travel faster than me..." Kael replied lightly, receiving chuckled from the merchants.
Then, a nervous young man hurried forward, clutching a book. "S-Sir! I just learned magic... Could you… could you give me some advice?"
Kael stopped, tilting his head with a hint of playfulness. "Advice?" He raised a brow. "Very well."
As he said this, others immediately drifted closer with murmurs. A small crowd formed withing seconds. And as it did, murmurs followed.
"Quick! Hurry up!"
"The sorcerer supreme is giving magic advice! Come quick!"
"Oho, it seems its my lucky day... I just woke up and I get to hear magic advice from sir Arcadia? Truly Lucky."
...
Hearing the growing murmurs around him, Kael smiled faintly as he put a finger before his mouth, motioning everyone to quiet down. "Alright then, it seems a lot of people are interested in my magic advice."
'Quite a crowd... I guess I should show off a little...'
"Naturally! You're probably one of the strongest mages, of course everyone would be interested sir!" A voice was heard as others joined in agreeing to what was said.
Kael, hearing this, maintained his expression as he started his impromptu lesson.
He glanced at the boy who came up to him and asked a question. "So, what's your magic?"
"Fire magic, sir!" The boy answered without delay. "I've mastered the basics but... I can't seem to improve it further..." he continued, his voice lowering.
"Well, that's fine. It happens to everyone." Kael comforted before opening his palms and facing it up. As he did, a small fire appears.
"Fire magic." Kael declared before continuing. "Its one of the common magic that you can see everyday. Though... if trained properly, it can be deadly."
"Since you just started and you seem to be young, maybe not even in a guild, I would advice having mages supervise you while you use this. After all, you can easily lose control."
The head lowered as he heard Kael's voice.
"However, since you claim to have already mastered the basics, then, I'll give you a short advice..."
"Let loose..."
Most people frowned hearing this. After all, they just heard Kael warn the boy not to use it without supervision, and now he's telling the boy to let loose?
"Let loose?" someone echoed.
Kael stayed silent for a bit before he spoke again as if to let the information sink in. "What I mean by that is for you to not limit your magic. "
"Frankly, magic can be anything. It is only limited by the mind that wields it. And the mind…" He lifted a finger, his gaze sweeping across the gathering. "...is limited only by imagination. And your imaginations can be limitless."
The words rippled through the crowd.
"To test this," Kael went on, raising his palm, "let me ask you: Have you ever encountered a fire is not hot?"
A chorus of voices answered at once. "No."
"But…" Kael leaned forward slightly, his smile small but sharp, "can you imagine such a fire?"
The murmurs died down. Many shook their heads. A few, after a moment's hesitation, whispered, "Yes…"
"Exactly." Kael's open palm seemed to shift, as the burning fire before it grew lighter in color. "As I said, your magic is only limited by your imagination. So, who here is brave enough to test it?"
For a moment, no one moved. The crowd held its breath.
Then, the child that originally asked for advice stepped forward. He slowly moved his hands to the flame as gasps followed him.
"Don't!"
"It's fire!"
But Kael's expression softened. He lowered his hand slightly, holding the flame steady for the boy. The child pressed his palm into the fire.
A collective cry rang out. Only to be silenced when the boy's face lit up with amazement.
"It's… cold!" he exclaimed.
The crowd erupted with disbelief and wonder.
"Impossible!"
"Cold fire?!"
Kael let the flame fade, as he stood back up and spoke once again.
"So, to summarize, the only true limit of magic, except for magical power, is the limit you place upon it ."
The boy's eyes widened amazement as Kael chuckled softly. "Of course, Cold fire is just the beginning."
With a flick of his wrist, flames appeared once again. Then it split into three smaller orbs of fire as it spun in the air. The crowd watched as the fiery spheres danced above their heads.
Then, before their eyes, the fire flickered blue, hissed, and then transformed into streams of water. Droplets sprayed like diamonds in the sunlight, the water weaving around the people, circling their heads in playful arcs before rejoining into a single sphere that floated back toward Kael's hand.
The water crackled suddenly, flaring into arcs of lightning that snapped and sparked in his palm. The crowd drew back instinctively, gasping at the sudden shift. Sparks danced along Kael's arm, yet his expression never changed.
Then, with a snap of his fingers, the lightning burst. Some of the people in the crowd flinched instinctively as smoke appeared.
Then, as the smoke cleared, there was no electricity, instead, a small, plush teddy bear, lay on Kael's hand.
It lay there before gently floating down into the boy's arms.
The child's eyes went wide, hugging the soft bear tight. "Thank you, sir!"
The street erupted into cheers and applause, people laughing, clapping, and shouting his name.
"Sorcerer Supreme!"
"Incredible!"
"That's Fairy Tail for you!"
"If this is just Mr. Arcadia alone... Then how great would the parade be?!"
Kael gave a courteous bow of his head amidst the clapping and cheering of the crowd. Before he spoke, "I hope everyone learned somethings or found it amusing. You should see something like this in the parade tomorrow. Anyways, I'll be going now."
He turned and continued his walk through Magnolia, the sounds of cheers and admiration following in his wake until they faded into the distance.
"I can't wait for tomorrow!"
"Wait? Tomorrow? Isn't the parade today?"
...
Scene Break
By the time the cheers faded behind him, Kael found himself at the in front of a three-story brownstone townhouse. It has a French Baroque architecture design, and a grand Mansard roof that gave it a stately silhouette against the sky. At the very top, a wide, circular window offered faint glimpses of the interior.
Reaching the door, he didn't bother to knock as the heavy oak door clicked softly and swung open on its own. A gentle warmth rolled out from within, far different from the rowdy chaos of Fairy Tail.
As it opened, Kael stepped in as a small smile tugged at his lips.
"…It's good to be home."
The heavy door then closed quietly behind Kael, sealing out the noise of Magnolia. His eyes lifted to the first view that always greeted him upon entering. A grand double-curved staircase. Its polished wood gleamed faintly under the chandelier's glow, sweeping upward in an elegant arc.
Kael walked to it as he ascended to the second floor. He passed tall doors and hallways as he stop in front of a room. His hand paused briefly on a brass doorknob before pushing it open.
Inside was a room far simpler than the ornate halls outside.
A bookshelf lined one wall, stacked with a modest but carefully curated collection of books. A desk stood near the window, sunlight spilling over its surface, where small potted plants thrived..
Kael crossed the room, settling into the high-backed chair behind the desk. With a thought, one of the books lifted from the shelf and drifted through the air, gently landing before him.
He opened it, the pages slowly turning on its while Kael opened a drawer and grabbed a pen.
His eyes also skimmed over the notes and diagrams that were already written. A few words stood out among it, namely:
Portals…
Time…
Space…
Embodiment…
Magic…
Edolas...
Then finally, the pages stopped moving on a blank page. Kael didn't wait for a moment as he immediately began gliding his pen smoothly across the paper.
He wrote for some time as the words came quickly. A few words can be made out.
SS-Class…
Labyrinth…
War…
Seis…
Key...
It was less a structured report and more a flow of memories of his journey during the long months he'd been absent from Fairy Tail.
The, as he wrote, Kael's brow suddenly furrowed as he paused. He felt it someone.
Quietly, he stood. The journal shut itself with a soft snap and drifted through the air, sliding seamlessly back into its place on the shelf.
The same goes for the pen as it floated, the drawer opening on it own and the pen entering before the drawer closed shut.
Scene Break
Outside the building, a small group had gathered. Lucy stared up at the ornate three-story structure with wide eyes. Natsu leaned forward, hands on his knees, while Happy hovered overhead, his tail flicking with curiosity. Gray crossed his arms, expression caught somewhere between skepticism and annoyance, and Erza stood silently, gaze fixed on the grand building.
"So… you're telling me this place belongs to him?" Lucy asked, voice tinged with disbelief.
"Yup" Gray muttered.
Then, before anyone could continue giving their comments, the heavy front doors groaned open on their own. The group stiffened, every head snapping toward the sudden sound. Lucy yelped, grabbing Natsu's arm. Even Gray's eyes widened slightly.
Only Erza remained unaffected.
"Is this really his house?! Or is it haunted?!" Lucy asked in concern as she hid behind Natsu.
A shadow then moved between the twin staircases. Then, as if answering Lucy's words directly, Kael descended. Floating gracefully from the second floor, his cloak drifting behind him.
"It's kind of both," he said evenly, lips quirking into a small smile.
He extended his arms in a theatrical sweep as his feet touched the ground. The chandeliers glimmered faintly above, casting soft golden light over the space.
"Welcome," Kael declared, "to my Sanctum Sanctorum."
'Is it just me or did his attitude changed?' Lucy asked herself.