Soon, the Fantasia Parade ended. Fireworks burst across the night sky of Magnolia with the aurora still lingering faintly in the sky . Cheers rang through every street as Fairy Tail's floats rolled back toward the guild, leaving behind trails of laughter and awe in behind them.
As the parade ended, taverns were soon overflowed with patrons, children clutched makeshift Fairy Tail flags, and the guildhall roared with life. Inside the guild hall, the guild celebrated for the successful parade as laughter, songs, and shouting filled the guild hall. Fairy Tail was alive in full force.
Scene Break
Contrary to most of Magnolia, the Sanctum Sanctorum was silent.
Inside it, in the second floor, at Kael's study room, Mystogan stood.
The mask man stood, leaning on the wall next to the door. His eyes flickered briefly toward Kael, who sat before the desk.
"You seemed to have done too much during the parade," Mystogn said.
Kael, hearing this, showed faint smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "It's just once a year," he replied simply. "Besides, it's also to reassure everyone that the battle of Fairy tail wasn't serious."
Mystogan studied him carefully before nodding. "I see… then let's get to the point. What's with the sudden interest in Anima? I'm pretty sure I've already talked to you about it."
At that, Kael's expression shifted. His gaze hardened slightly before he spoke in a serious tone. "Because I encountered it. During my job."
Mystogan seemed to be a bit surprised as he heard this. His eyes narrowed with surprise as he spoke, "You encountered Anima?"
Kael gave a slow nod. "Yes... And I closed it." He paused. "But before I manages to closed it… I saw something."
The silence stretched before Mystogan stepped forward slightly, walking away from the wall and going closer to Kael's desk.
"What did you see?"
Kael looked down as this before his lips opened, and he spoke, recounting what he saw.
And as he did,
Mystogan's eyes widened as his posture stiffened.
"…I see," he murmured.
Scene Break
The following day, the sun rose gently over Magnolia, casting warm golden light across the city. The streets were alive once more, merchants setting out, children darting between stalls, and crowds of townsfolk still buzzing about the Fantasia parade.
"Did you see the phoenix last night?" a baker exclaimed as he dusted flour from his hands, his eyes wide with excitement. "I swear, it felt so real and it didn't even burn!"
Across from him, a flower-seller chuckled, arranging her morning bouquet. "And that dragon! It was... majestic… ah, Fairy Tail truly knows how to put on a show. The whole city felt alive again."
"It was the aurora for me," another woman added, clasping her hands with a dreamy sigh. "So beautiful, like the heavens themselves opened just for us."
As the adults talked among themselves, children were mimicking the parade's illusions, flapping their arms as they pretended to be fiery birds or the fairies.
Not far from the lively chatter, four figures walked together down one of Magnolia's quieter streets. Their pace was unhurried, though their eyes occasionally flicked toward the guild hall in the distance, where laughter and clamor were already rising.
"It was… impressive," said the silver-haired young man at the front, his arms crossed as his gaze lingered on the bustling city. "But I expected nothing less from Gray's guild."
Then, a man beside him also spoke up. "Still can't get over that dragon and phoenix! I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me!" He grinned as he spoke.
A girl with soft pink hair sighed dreamily, clasping her hands together as if still caught in the memory. "So romantic… the sky with the northern lights, countless fairies too, like a dream… ah, love is beautiful, isn't it?"
Her companion, a calm man with short blue hair, glanced at her sidelong, unfazed by her tone. "It was a wonderful display of magic... Truly something worth traveling for."
The silver-haired man smiles at this before glancing once again as the Fairy tail guild hall behind them. "Gray… you've certainly surrounded yourself with some interesting people." His said before turning back.
The group said no more as they continued their walk, passing the citizens that are still reminiscing about the night.
Scene Break
The chaos in the guild was in full swing on the morning. Tables were cluttered with half-finished breakfasts and mugs of ale despite the early hour, and laughter and chatter bouncing across the hall. Yet above the noise, Kael sat quietly on the second floor, a book in hand as he sat on one of the seats. He read in silence, though his eyes occasionally flicked toward the crowd below.
At the bar below, Makarov stood with a drink in front of him. For a long moment, he didn't touch it. he seemed different than usual, as though something invisible pressed down on his shoulders. Then, slowly, he set the mug aside and cleared his throat.
"I have an announcement."
The sound was quiet, but somehow it carried. Bit by bit, the laughter vanished. Heads turned toward him, conversations paused, and soon, the guild hall was hushed.
"Laxus... is no longer a part of Fairy Tail."
Gasps was immediately present through the crowd. Macao froze mid-sip, Levy covered her mouth, and even the ever-manly Elfman lost his words.
"W-what do you mean!?" Natsu's voice broke through the silence as he shot up from his seat, fists clenched. "You can't just kick him out! He's—"
"Natsu!" Erza's sharp tone cut him off. She stood before marching towards Natsu. "Do you think this decision was easy for the master? Do you think he feels nothing for his own grandson?"
Natsu faltered, his mouth half open, words caught in his throat. His defiance dimmed, replaced by a frustrated silence.
At the bar, Makarov's eyes closed. His chest rose and fell with a heavy sigh, and when he spoke again, his voice carried the sorrow of both a guild master and a grandfather.
"To allow such things to happen under my watch… to bear this shame… perhaps the time has come for me to step..."
He was speaking, before he suddenly stopped. For no reason he could explain, his gaze shifted upward, instinct pulling his eyes to the second floor.
There Kael stood beside the railings, his book lowered just enough to reveal his face. He wasn't smiling, nor did he look surprised. Instead, he shook his head slowly, his steady gaze locking onto the master's.
Makarov's breath caught. For the briefest moment, he swore he heard a voice. Not from the hall, not from his ears, but from somewhere.
"Not now. Retiring would only throw Fairy Tail to even more chaos."
The words echoed within him.
Makarov's lips pressed into a thin line. His shoulders straightened, and though he said nothing of what had passed between him and Kael, he let the unfinished sentence die quietly. Then he turned back to most of the guild.
"Never mind that... I was supposed to say that I sincerely apologized for Laxus' actions..."
The master spoke again as he apologized.
Meanwhile...
Mira carried a small tray up the stairs, the voices of members comforting the old man was heard as she got to the second floor. She stopped by Kael's table, setting down a tall glass with a brown color.
"Your iced tea," she said softly.
Kael smiled, closing his book. "Thank you, Mira."
As Kael thanked her, he prepared to drink but then paused. He glanced back to see Mirajane still standing there.
Mirajane's eyes was staring at his face, "…Is something wrong?" she asked quietly..
For a moment, Kael didn't answer. The silence between them stretched, filled only by the noises from the first floor. Finally, he exhaled, his smile faint. "Everything's good."
Hearing this, Mira's lips pressed together. She didn't believe it, but she didn't press further. With a reluctant nod, Mira turned and made her way back down the stairs.
As she reached the bottom, Natsu's familiar voice rang out, his complaints loud enough for the entire guild to hear.
"Man, this sucks! Now I can't even fight Laxus anymore!"
A few others chimed in, grumbling, musing, even laughing lightly. This continued for a few more minutes before the voices quickly fell silent as the attention went somewhere.
Kael had just gone down and he was now talking to the old master.
"Kael," the old man called out before asking his question, "are you heading out on another job?"
Kael shook his head gently. "Not for a while."
The weight of his words hung in the air, and though he didn't explain further, Makarov only nodded. Somehow, he understood.
Then, before anyone else could talk, Natsu leapt up, eyes shining with the same fire as always. "Hey, Kael! What about that artifact you promised me? You said you'd give me one!"
Kael stopped as he heard it. He exhaled a long, quiet sigh before pinching the bridge of his nose.
"We'll talk about that later."
Scene Break
In a dim cave with only a flickering lacrima as a light source, six silhouette can be seen.
One of then, holding a staff, spoke, "We are close... Nirvana is almost within our grasp. It will soon be."
Another one of the silhouette spoke while his foot tapped impatiently. "Then let's get moving. I'm not here to sit around in the dark forever."
"Patience," the one with the staff replied smoothly. "Every step must be precise. One mistake could cost us everything."
At that, another figure let out a low chuckle, his gaze sliding toward another. "Speaking of mistakes… someone was quite careless right?"
"Mind your tongue, Cobra." Another spoke immediately.
"What? I'm just saying, they might have already got a clue on where we are. Not to mention, you even lost a key right?"
"If it had been you in my place, you wouldn't have fared much better..."
Then, as this continued, the one with a staff tapped it to the floor.
"Enough. It is… indeed unfortunate that she crossed paths with him."
"The Sorcerer Supreme, even if exhausted from a job, is still dangerous."
"And if we haven't arrived on time, we would have likely been reduced to five..."
There was silence for a moment before the one who seemed to be the leader spoke again.
"However, do not be disheartened. The Sorcerer Supreme may be powerful… but once Nirvana is ours, even he will stand no chance."
"And when that day comes, Aries will be yours once more, and Fairy Tail's so-called Sorcerer Supreme, all other guilds, and anyone who goes against us will learn the price of crossing the Oracion Seis."
Note: Battle of fairy tail is finally done. I apologize in advance if there had been a drop in quality as I've been busy in my personal life. The story will now be moving on to the next arc and it will for sure be longer than 10 chapters unlike this short introductory arc. Anyways, enjoy reading!