Magnolia was originally a city where magic flourished, and the changes over the past six years have been quite significant.
Rhode looked down from the sky, seeing many more skyscrapers in the city, a scene quite different from what he used to see when flying above.
With mixed feelings, he searched for places that looked familiar to him.
The most noticeable was, of course, the large lake behind the guild, followed by the canal running through the city. These water features seemed unchanged.
However, the boats on the water had changed a lot; small wooden boats powered purely by rowing were rare now.
The Kardia Cathedral in the city center seemed unchanged, with no augmentation or heightening due to the passage of time.
Because of this, it was no longer the tallest building in Magnolia, and seemed rather small compared to the surrounding structures.
He looked toward where he used to live; that familiar two-story building was gone, becoming part of a new high-rise building along with its neighbors.
A slight tinge of sadness arose.
By now, the flying ship had flown over the guild at a very high speed, then slowed down to land on the lake surface.
Everyone looked toward their guild with a mix of apprehension and anticipation.
It still looked like its old self but seemed much more worn down, with signs of repairs on both floors.
The backyard was still somewhat clean, but at first glance, it had a feeling of neglect.
—The pool had long been out of use, the tables and parasols neatly placed in their original positions, but filled with signs of time. The corner was piled with Rhode's exercise equipment, which probably hadn't been touched in a long time.
This place felt like a not-so-important memento, preserved in an ordinary way.
Perhaps apart from the routine cleaning, no one wanted to come here, only to feel sad seeing these things that resembled "relics."
Marcus and Alzack were used to it, but the Celestial Wolf Group was quite unaccustomed.
For them, the newly built pristine guild from just two or three months ago seemed to have aged within days.
Once the flying ship came to a stable halt, everyone looked somewhat awkward, especially Laxus, who had just emerged from the cabin and seemed the most uncomfortable.
Marcus tried to comfort everyone, saying, "Ah, after all, time has passed. It's unavoidable, right? It only looks a bit old on the outside; inside, it's still very clean!"
In the guild, they had already heard the sound of the flying ship.
A flying ship wasn't rare; they often saw them flying overhead, though their guild couldn't afford one.
And, given the current size of the guild, they didn't need one either.
There were only a few people in the guild at the time.
Nabul stood still in front of the bulletin board, despite only having a few quest postings.
Laki stood at the place where Mira used to work, listlessly polishing a glass—one glass polished almost from morning until now. If it weren't a wooden cup, it would have shone by now.
Ginanna, now a grown young woman, sat opposite Laki watching her polish the cup, asking, "Have they almost found Celestial Wolf Island?"
"Probably just about." Bigda, no longer dressed in tight clothing, wore a headscarf and robe in an Indian-like fashion.
He had no mood to dance now, sitting silently, modeling for Lidas.
Once chubby Lidas was now extremely slender, wearing glasses and holding a paintbrush, looking particularly refined.
He drew Bigda's portrait stroke by stroke, though feeling off today, "Bigda, if you're tired, take a break? We'll continue later."
"Rest assured, the people from Blue Pegasus have said, they'll surely find Celestial Wolf Island." Macao, now 42, with a receding hairline increasingly precarious, seemed in better spirits, smiling.
Of course, he smiled because he needed to take care of his son Romeo's feelings, seated across from him.
Romeo was a bit frustrated at the moment, saying, "Why wasn't I there then? I wanted to go with them and be the first to see them!"
Qico was a bit pessimistic, "Even if Celestial Wolf Island is still there, there's no guarantee they're still alive... Otherwise, why haven't they contacted us in six years..."
"They must be alive!" Romeo slammed the table, stood up, and shouted, "Brother Rhode said, Fairy Tail Mages aren't that easy to kill, it's just... just sometimes they can't find their way home!"
"That Rhode guy..." Wakaba thought of saying that he really knew how to comfort people, but after pausing, simply took a puff on his cigarette.
His hairline was even more precarious than Macao's; the signature pompadour was shaved off, leaving only short brown hair now.
As the loud rumbling of the flying ship grew near, Wakaba, a bit irritated, lifted his head, "So noisy, why's it so close today?"
Macao questioned, "Sounds like it stopped behind our guild, who could it be at this time? Has Lamia Scale come to deliver a message?"
"We'll know if we take a look!" Romeo strode over and pushed open the door.
As the group was entering the courtyard, both sides paused slightly facing each other.
Since others had described him, the group quickly recognized the young man in front of them by his features, smiling at him:
"Romeo, is that you? You've really grown!"
"Hey! Kid!"
"Not bad, you've even joined the guild."
"We're back!"
"Quick, bring out the drinks, bring out the drinks!"
"Sorry for coming back a bit late."
Everyone spoke at once, some with enthusiasm, some awkwardly, some as if they had merely stepped out for a bit and returned to the guild.
Romeo hadn't imagined opening the door would bring such a big surprise; for a moment, he didn't know whom to respond to first, only tears welled up in his eyes.
Brother Rhode hadn't lied! They just couldn't find their way home.
He tried to lift his smile, but his voice was choked, "Welcome back!"
The people in the guild were also stunned, and as they gathered around Romeo to enter, seeing their faces up close, whether Laki, Ginanna, Macao, or Wakaba, tears fell together, yet smiles broke out as they cried aloud.
"President!"
"Kildas!"
"Laxus is even here!"
"Erza!"
"Rhode!"
They chaotically shouted each familiar name, unable to stop their tears.
Until Laki cried out 'Sister Mira' and rushed into her arms, did the scene begin to spin out of control.
Everyone clumsily squeezed together in an embrace, crying and laughing.
After six long years, countless prayers, and innumerable searches, today finally had an answer.
Even if it were a dream now, they wanted to savor the beautiful dream before waking up.
The once quiet guild, silent for years, finally lively again today!