Marco and the others appeared inside Fairy Tail.
He immediately handed the controlled members of Grimoire Heart over to Erza and Mirajane, along with a detailed account of every crime they had committed.
After reading their minds, Marco knew their histories better than they did.
Of the entire group, the one with the least blood on her hands was a pink-haired girl named Meredy.
She was only thirteen years old.
Although she had already become one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory and her sense of right and wrong had been badly twisted, that corruption had not yet become permanent.
A period of imprisonment, education, and rehabilitation should be enough to teach her what a normal life looked like.
"Fairy Sphere has been undone?"
The guild members who had taken part in the battle on Tenrou Island understood what had happened as soon as they saw the Grimoire Heart mages.
Then they noticed Mavis standing among the returning group, and the guild grew even louder.
"Master Mavis! You finally decided to come visit!"
Makarov was visibly flushed from drinking as he hurried over to greet her.
He was genuinely delighted that the First Guild Master had finally returned to Fairy Tail.
Leaving her alone on Tenrou Island all these years had always felt wrong.
"Hello, everyone! I'm Mavis, Fairy Tail's First Guild Master—and I'm the one who's named Makarov's, you know. Hehe!"
Mavis introduced herself cheerfully.
She had never been shy in front of a crowd, and now that she had returned, she saw no reason not to properly greet the guild's current generation.
"Whoa! She's adorable!"
"That's the First Guild Master?! She's a kid!"
"She's way cuter than Master Makarov!"
Mavis's fairy-like appearance immediately sent the guild into an uproar.
Everyone eagerly announced their first impressions, while Makarov took several completely unnecessary insults simply for standing nearby.
Unfortunately, their praise did not land quite as well as they expected.
Mavis did not mind being called cute.
Being called a child was another matter entirely.
She was Fairy Tail's First Guild Master and older than everyone in the room.
How could they possibly treat her like a little girl?
Her cheeks puffed out as she prepared to correct them.
"All right, that's enough," Marco said with a laugh before she could explode. "Master Mavis is one of our oldest and most respected seniors. Don't treat her like a child. She doesn't like it."
Everyone immediately noticed her displeasure and wisely stopped mentioning her age.
That did not change the fact that an angry Mavis was also incredibly cute.
Even if they stopped saying it aloud, Mavis could tell that the image of her as a child would not disappear anytime soon.
"Come on. Let's bring you back to life."
Marco led Mavis, Hades, Ultear, and Makarov toward the hidden chamber where Fairy Heart was kept.
Makarov had insisted on coming.
Once they entered, Marco waved a hand and dispersed the poisonous Royal Demon Roses.
Without doing so, everyone except Mavis would have died from the fumes.
"What... is that?"
Ultear was the only person present who did not know what Fairy Heart was, so the sight naturally left her stunned.
"Oh, right. I brought you in here without thinking." Marco looked at her. "Go find Gray outside. He knows the full truth about your mother."
He teleported her out of the chamber before she could respond.
Marco had already learned everything about Ur from the people involved and had told Gray the whole story.
It was time for Ultear to hear it as well.
Buzz.
With Ultear gone, there were no more distractions.
The Ophiuchus Gold Cloth formed around Marco, and the Rod of Asclepius appeared in his hand.
His plan was simple.
First, he would restore life to Mavis's body. Then he would reconnect it with her soul.
Buzz!
Marco's Cosmo surged violently, releasing power capable of reversing death itself.
Compared with performing the same miracle in the world of the Saints, this was almost easy.
Mavis's soul was already standing beside her body, so there was no need to search the Underworld or force it back from some distant realm.
Under the stunned gazes of Makarov and Hades, life slowly returned to Mavis's body.
Her soul had not entered it yet, but her chest began to rise and fall.
She was breathing.
Buzz.
Marco looked toward Mavis and gave her a small nod.
It was time.
Mavis did not hesitate. She flew straight toward her body.
The moment she came close, she did not need to do anything else. Her revived body pulled her soul inside on its own.
"Did... did it work?"
Makarov was completely sober now. His eyes were wide as he looked toward Marco, barely daring to breathe.
Hades stood beside him with his mouth hanging open.
Could Marco truly have been right?
Had he failed to resurrect Mavis simply because he had never possessed the ability?
"It worked."
Marco lowered the Rod of Asclepius.
The light surrounding Mavis's body faded, and after sleeping for so many years, she finally opened her eyes.
...
Mavis opened her eyes.
The crystal that had sealed her body was already gone, allowing her feet to settle gently onto the floor.
For the first time in many years, she was standing on solid ground in a living body.
"This feeling... I really am alive again!"
Mavis stared at herself in disbelief.
Marco had actually succeeded.
He had brought her back from the dead.
There was no question that Mavis had died because of the Curse of Ankhseram carried by Zeref.
Yet now she was alive once more.
The thought immediately made her tense.
She stopped herself from thinking about anyone else.
She did not dare care about the people around her or even allow affection to enter her mind. If the curse still remained, then loving someone would only place them in danger.
"How do you feel?"
Marco watched her carefully.
This was the first time he had combined the powers of Ophiuchus and Cancer to resurrect someone, so he naturally wanted to make sure nothing had gone wrong.
"I feel... pretty good." Mavis answered stiffly and instinctively stepped away from him.
She had only just regained her body, however, and had not yet adjusted to having weight or balance.
Her retreat was too quick, and she immediately began falling backward.
"Careful!" Makarov shouted.
Before he could move, Marco vanished and appeared beside her, catching Mavis before she struck the floor.
"No!"
The moment Marco touched her, Mavis tore herself out of his arms and screamed in terror.
She did not want to hurt him!
For a moment, the death of Rita flashed before her eyes all over again.
Mavis's version of the curse was not as overwhelming as Zeref's.
Even when it activated, it generally killed only the person she touched.
When Makarov's mother, Rita, died, the infant Makarov had remained completely unharmed despite being right beside her.
But avoiding physical contact was essential.
Marco had caught Mavis directly, placing himself well within the curse's effective range.
Buzz!
A strange power spilled from Mavis's body.
It was pure death energy, capable of stripping life away in an instant. An ordinary person would have died the moment it touched them.
"Marco!"
Tears filled Mavis's eyes as the Curse of Ankhseram activated.
She stared at him in panic, silently begging the curse to spare him.
She knew prayers had never helped before, but there was nothing else she could do.
Makarov froze as well.
He knew that power.
The same curse had taken his mother moments after his birth. His father had died from grief not long afterward, leaving Makarov without either parent.
He had never blamed Mavis.
She had not intended to kill Rita, and she had suffered terribly because of it.
But now the curse had struck his grandson!
The blood drained from Makarov's face.
He could not accept losing Marco to the same curse that had already destroyed his family once.