The next day, the construction team responsible for Nirvana's infrastructure arrived. They began remodeling Fairy Tail's magical weapon into its new form.
Chase had just returned from the construction site. As he walked into the guild hall, which was as noisy as ever, he saw the members of the Strongest Team sitting around a table, chatting about all the interesting things that had happened at the previous day's Cherry Blossom Viewing Festival.
"Not bad, Lucy. Looks like you have fully recovered."
Chase sat down next to Lucy and unceremoniously took her glass of juice, downing it in one go.
"Yep! Thanks to Wendy's healing magic!"
Lucy was in a great mood. Besides, she was used to this. She did not even bother to complain about Chase just helping himself.
"I am so glad I could help you, Lucy!" Wendy, pleased with the praise, scratched her head a little shyly.
Having just joined the guild, she still kept a bit of distance.
"Come to think of it, it is a shame Lucy could not make it yesterday. I even had Max prepare extra Lucy-themed prizes."
Mirajane happened to be passing by with a tray of empty plates. Deciding she was not too busy, she sat down and joined the conversation.
"Lucy-themed prizes... you mean that perverted figurine with the one-click outfit removal?" Lucy's eye twitched.
"Mm-hmm! It has been selling like crazy ever since it came out. I thought using it as a prize would really get everyone excited," Mirajane said seriously.
"...Suddenly, I feel very lucky that I did not come yesterday," Lucy said with a strained smile.
Just hearing Mirajane describe it, she could already picture herself dying of embarrassment.
And more importantly, why was her figurine being used as a prize?
Mirajane was so cruel!
"Speaking of luck, you really were lucky. In past years, we never had an event where we floated a cherry blossom tree down the river," Chase said meaningfully.
"You saw it too, Chase? You live across the river! It was beautiful, was it not?" Lucy perked up at the mention of the tree.
"We had an event like that? Darn it! I missed it!" Erza, who had been eating strawberry cake, looked up with cream still on her lips.
Wait, you actually believe that?
Meanwhile, Natsu and Happy, who were clearly hiding something, looked uncomfortable. They turned their heads away and started whistling.
Their "we had nothing to do with it" act was so obvious that Gray immediately noticed. "Hey, hey. That was you two, was it not?"
"No way! We went straight home after the festival! We did not go back!"
"Yeah, yeah! The dirt there was way too hard to dig. It would be impossible~"
If Happy's statement could barely pass for a denial, Natsu's was basically a confession.
The hall fell silent for a moment.
"What idiots," Carla muttered.
BAM!
Just then, the guild door was kicked open.
"AAAAH! Which bastard moved the most expensive cherry blossom tree?! The mayor is very angry! There will be serious consequences! Even I cannot save you now!"
"If you had to dig one up, why not dig up one from some other group's area?! Who is stupid enough to dig one up from our own guild's area?!"
Makarov, who had been summoned to the mayor's office first thing in the morning, was furious. He stood in the guild hall, roaring.
Everyone was startled. They all began speculating about who could have done such a thing.
Natsu and Happy, still unaware they had been caught, pretended to be confused and joined in the speculation.
Lucy, however, had her suspicions confirmed. She smiled brightly, hugged them tightly, and said, "Thank you."
This spontaneous, happy reaction immediately revealed the two of them for who they were.
The cat and his partner were thoroughly chewed out by the old master.
After this brief interruption, the guild returned to its usual noisy, cheerful chaos.
Then, heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed from the entrance. A figure in a tattered cloak blocked the bright light, casting a long shadow that stretched all the way to the bar.
The five magic staves on his back were especially eye-catching. They also revealed his identity.
"M-Mystogan?!"
"Hey, am I seeing things? He just appeared, just like that?"
"I feel dizzy. Damn it, is it his sleep magic again..." Cana, hugging her barrel, was already feeling woozy.
"Now that is manly! I resisted Mystogan's sleep magic!" Elfman shouted, raising his fist in excitement.
Influenced by her guildmates and knowing Mystogan's reputation, Lucy quickly crossed her arms on the table and put her head down, trying to get comfortable.
Juvia was even quicker. She slid across the floor to Gray's feet and started wiggling her butt, hoping Gray would fall asleep on her.
Other guildmates also looked nervous. They began finding good spots to take a nap.
But the footsteps echoing through the hall did not fade. They grew clearer.
It seemed Mystogan had not used his signature sleep magic this time.
Under the confused, questioning gazes of his guildmates, Mystogan walked straight to Makarov at the bar, his expression was serious.
"He has finally made his decision," Chase said, a slight smile on his lips. He looked very calm.
"Wait, Chase. What do you mean by 'his decision'?" Lucy was confused.
"Hey, Mystogan! Fight me!"
As she was wondering, the hot-blooded idiot had already charged forward, his fists blazing.
"Sorry, Natsu. I have something important to do."
With that, the staff on Mystogan's back glowed once.
THUD.
Natsu was down.
Lucy: He is so weak! Wait, no. He is so strong!
Having dealt with Natsu, Mystogan nodded slightly at Chase. Then he stopped in front of Makarov.
"What is it, Mystogan?" Makarov asked gently.
Though he sensed something was wrong from Mystogan's eyes, the old master pretended to be calm. He took a sip of his tea.
As the guild master, he was always the calm, steady head of the family. He could not panic like the kids.
Taking a deep breath, Mystogan slowly raised his hand. Before the entire guild, he removed his mask and the metal headpiece.
"PFFT! "
Makarov, who had been trying to appear calm, immediately spit out his tea.
Aside from Chase and Erza, who had seen this face before, everyone else was stunned. They stared at Mystogan, unable to speak for a long time.
"J-Jellal?!" Natsu, Lucy, and the others who had been involved in the Tower of Heaven incident exclaimed.
At the same time, Wendy, who had spent time with "Jellal," also cried out.
"Jellal? Is that you?!"
Tears of reunion filled the little girl's eyes. She stumbled toward Mystogan, unable to believe she was seeing her savior again.
Thinking of safety, Lucy instinctively reached out to pull Wendy back. But Chase stopped her.
"Relax, Lucy. He is not the same as Jellal," Erza added.
Even now, she was still not used to the fact that Mystogan might be from another world.
"I am sorry, Wendy. I should have greeted you sooner."
Mystogan crouched down. His usually gentle voice was filled with apology. "I was still new to this world back then. I did not mean to lie to you. I am not Jellal. I am Mystogan of Fairy Tail."
"I missed you! I missed you so much!" Wendy threw herself into Mystogan's arms, her voice choked with tears.
She did not care whether he was Jellal or Mystogan. All she knew was that the big brother she had been thinking about for so long was finally here.
Carla, standing nearby, caught the important word. Her pupils contracted. "This world? Are you saying..."
Unlike Happy, who knew nothing, she clearly remembered that she came from another world. She also remembered that she had a mission to kill Dragon Slayers, though she had gotten her memories mixed up during her transportation.
Mystogan glanced at Carla. After calming Wendy down, he slowly stood up.
"That is right. I am not from this world. Like you and Happy, I am..."
Facing the shocked gazes of his guildmates, he spoke heavily, having prepared himself for this. "...from the other world. From Edolas."
As the prince of Edolas, who had been saved by the black Exceed Lily, he knew that Happy and Carla, with their white wings, were also Exceeds from Edolas.
And from Carla's reaction upon hearing "Edolas," it was easy to guess that the white cat who followed Wendy knew her own identity.
Another world? Edolas? Like Carla?
The simple words short-circuited everyone's brains. Happy, whose name had been mentioned, was completely dumbfounded.
He... he was not from this world?
According to Natsu, he had come from an egg. But as time passed, having never met another member of his species, he too had started to wonder where he had come from and who his parents were.
Carla's appearance had eased that doubt a little.
And now, he was even more confused.
"Hey, Carla. What is going on?" Happy tugged at Carla's sleeve.
"Do not speak to me, you idiot who forgot his mission!"
Carla was still shocked that Mystogan was from Edolas. She was not nice to Happy.
She even envied, Happy for knowing nothing. For being able to fool around without a care. While she was constantly tormented. She had to choose between protecting her homeland and protecting Wendy.
That was one reason she had always disliked Happy, besides his stupidity and pervertedness.
"Mission? What mission? What do you know, Carla?"
Happy desperately wanted to know his true origins. He was not his usual flattering self. His voice was pleading.
Natsu and Lucy also gathered around, wanting to know what was going on.
Carla realized she had been too emotional. She sighed deeply.
"I am sorry. I cannot tell you yet."
Thinking that one day she would have to find out why the Exceeds wanted to kill the Dragon Slayers, she did not want to say more. It would only create distance between her and Wendy, Happy and Natsu.
This painful choice was hers alone to bear.
Seeing the tension in the room, Chase walked over to the two cats. "That is enough, Happy. Do not force her if she does not want to talk."
"But..."
"If you are a man, find out the truth for your self!"
Before the anxious Happy could respond, Chase turned to Mystogan. "Am I right, Mystogan?"
"I do not know much about the Exceeds, either. But right now, there is something more important we need to deal with."
Mystogan's expression became extremely serious. He added, "It concerns the survival of the guild and all of Magnolia!"
That got everyone's attention.
"So, what exactly are you two trying to say?" Makarov, the only one who remained calm, asked.
After organizing his thoughts, Mystogan began to explain everything. The other world, Edolas, where magic was scarce. The conspiracy behind the strange phenomenon known as Anima. What he had been doing all these years. And...
The large-scale Anima about to descend on Magnolia.
When he first heard the news, Mystogan had dared to hope that the evil presence detected by Nirvana was not Anima. But after two days of investigating the outskirts of Magnolia, combined with the paths of all the Animas he had previously closed, he realized with horror that it was true.
That was the main reason he had finally decided to come clean to the guild.
Hearing the full story, everyone finally realized how serious the problem was. Panic appeared on their faces.
Even the experienced Makarov fell silent for a moment. His expression was very grave.
"The guild and the city have been targeted. A temporary evacuation will not solve anything. So..."
Mystogan set down his magic staves. He bowed deeply to everyone. His voice was sincere. "Please, I need your help!"
This unprecedented humility made everyone's eyes go wide. They stood frozen, still trying to process the flood of information.
"That is enough, Mystogan! Do you have any idea what kind of consequences this could bring?!"
Makarov's harsh scolding startled everyone out of their stupor.
Bowed over the way he was, Mystogan's body stiffened. A feeling of defeat and gloom washed over him.
"I am sorry, Master. I..."
He did not get to finish. Makarov cut him off.
"Personal problems are guild problems. And this is not just a personal problem. This is a conspiracy targeting an entire town. Whoever it is, if they dare to pick a fight with Fairy Tail, they had better be prepared to be destroyed!"
"Consequences? Who cares about such trivial things?!"
"So stop making that pathetic face and stand up straight, Mystogan!"
Makarov, standing on the bar counter, raised his clenched fist and shouted to the entire guild.
"Get ready for war! We are going to the other world, Edolas! Listen up, brats!!"
"OOOOHHHH!! " everyone roared.
***
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