Come to Fairy Tail

Jiang Bai.

Fairy Tail.

Makarov.

When those jumbled yet all too familiar words came together in Erza's mind,

her alert, narrowed scarlet eyes finally softened.

She remembered.

Over the past three months, the place Jiang Bai had talked about most was Fairy Tail.

He had said it was a home full of laughter and noise.

He had said the people there were a bunch of unreliable idiots, but also the family he could trust most.

He had also said the guild's master was a very short old man with a heart bigger than anyone's.

His name was Makarov.

The kindly smile and gentle voice of the little old man who had suddenly appeared before her slowly came to match the image of the "amazing grandpa guild master" Jiang Bai had described.

Makarov noticed the change in the girl's eyes at once.

He didn't press her. He simply watched and waited, his old eyes seeming to see through everything.

At last, Erza moved.

She didn't let down her guard, but her tense body relaxed a little.

She glanced at Jiang Bai, still unconscious in her arms, as if drawing a little courage from his familiar body.

She raised her head and met Makarov's gaze. Her voice trembled as she asked quietly, with a hint of hope,

"Are you... the master of the Fairy Tail guild?"

Makarov was a little surprised.

He hadn't expected a child in this ruined village to know him.

He smiled and nodded.

"That's right. I am."

With that confirmation, the last of Erza's defenses finally gave way.

Her tears burst forth.

The strength she had shown against the wild boar and the wariness she had shown a stranger all turned to hurt and helplessness.

Erza was still only six years old.

She remembered her home burning down.

She remembered Uncle Rob lying in a pool of blood.

She remembered Simon and the others being dragged away like livestock by those people in black robes.

And Jiang Bai, who had taken that terrifying attack head-on to protect her, and who might now be dead or alive for all she knew.

All her sorrow, fear, and despair erupted at once.

"Waa... waaaaah—!"

Erza could hold back no longer. Still clutching Jiang Bai, she crouched on the ground and bawled.

Makarov watched the girl suddenly break down. The smile slowly faded from his face, replaced by a grave and sorrowful expression.

He said nothing, simply standing beside her and giving the child who had just been through it all a place where she could cry without fear.

She cried for a long, long time.

Only when her cries had gradually subsided into sobs did she raise her little face, covered in tears and mud. In a broken voice thick with crying, she told the only person she could cling to for help everything that had happened in the village.

Her account was jumbled.

One moment she spoke of the bad people in black robes.

The next, it was Simon being taken away.

Then she told him how Jiang Bai had unleashed a powerful force, and how he had fallen saving her.

But Makarov understood.

At the words "taking children" and "Black Magic Cult," a flash of icy killing intent shot through his old eyes.

Them again.

That bunch of lunatics trying to resurrect Zeref again.

That sinful Tower of Heaven, built on the bones of countless children, again.

His hands clenched at his sides without his noticing, his knuckles turning white with the force.

Those old bastards.

Makarov cursed the cultists inwardly.

His gaze fell on the unconscious boy in Erza's arms.

He walked over slowly, crouched down, and gently laid a wrinkled hand on Jiang Bai's wrist.

A stream of gentle magic entered Jiang Bai's body.

The next second, Makarov's expression changed.

The boy's condition was worse than he had expected.

Several ribs in his chest were broken, and his internal organs had suffered injuries and displacement to varying degrees, all from the impact of a powerful external force.

But for a mage, those were only superficial wounds.

What truly shocked Makarov was the state of the boy's magic.

It was dry.

Completely dry.

Like a well drained of water, not a trace of magic could be felt.

No, that's not right.

Makarov's frown deepened.

Beneath that deathly still emptiness, he could faintly sense an immensely pure and vast reserve of latent magic dwelling in the deepest part of the boy's soul.

Those were fluctuations of Space Magic.

And it was Space Magic of an absurdly high level, so high that even he found it unfamiliar.

Wait, it doesn't seem to be just Space Magic.

Makarov sensed fluctuations of Mental Magic as well.

"So that's how it is..."

Makarov withdrew his hand, understanding now.

Those powerful fluctuations of space magic that had amazed even him had come from this boy, unleashed on instinct at the brink of death.

Using a power he couldn't even control, he had performed a forced Space Transfer over an extreme distance, carrying the girl out of an explosion that would otherwise have killed them.

The price was the complete exhaustion of his magic and a deathlike sleep.

"This kid..."

Makarov looked at Jiang Bai's young face and was momentarily dazed.

Dual magic!

One of them was even Space Magic. Time was supreme, space was king—that saying was no empty boast.

What terrifying talent!

He glanced again at the scarlet-haired girl beside him, who had just awakened Requip Magic through her desire to protect and sent a wild boar flying with one punch.

One was a natural-born archmage in the making, with space and mental magic.

The other had only Requip Magic, but the magic she had just awakened was already comparable to that of some lower-level A-rank mages.

Makarov had lived for many years and seen countless geniuses, but this was the first time he had seen them appear together like this.

This was simply...

Simply heaven itself chasing after them to spoon-feed them!

Looking at the two children before him, who had lost their homes and whose eyes were full of confusion and sorrow, he suddenly felt an indescribable ache and pity.

He thought of his own children, who were just as unreliable but cherished their family beyond measure.

An idea occurred to him.

He stood and gave the still-sobbing Erza an incomparably gentle, kindly smile.

"Child, you two don't have a home anymore, do you?"

Erza nodded blankly.

"This boy's life isn't in danger, but he's fallen unconscious from exhausting his magic. If you want him to recover sooner, it would be best to find a healer."

"In that case, would you like to come to my home? I happen to know someone with excellent medical skills."

Makarov spread his arms. The setting sun shone on him, making his small figure look especially tall.

"My home is a little noisy and a little chaotic, and there's a bunch of energetic idiots living there."

"But its doors will always be open to you."

"Come to Fairy Tail."

"From today onward, we'll be your family."

Family.

The word was like a warm ray of sunshine, piercing through all the gloom in Erza's heart in an instant.

She stared at the old man before her, at his sincere, warm smile, and tears once again streamed uncontrollably down her face.

But this time, it wasn't from sorrow.

Most importantly, Erza glanced at the unconscious Jiang Bai. Wherever he goes, I'll go!

So she nodded, hard.

"Yes!"

Makarov laughed heartily, the wrinkles on his face spreading with his smile.

He reached out, and a gentle stream of magic lifted Jiang Bai from the ground and settled him securely on his back.

Then he extended his other hand and took Erza's cold little hand.

"Come on, child."

"Let's go home."

Erza followed Makarov, feeling the reassuring warmth of his big hand. The weight that had been hanging over her heart finally began to settle.

She looked back at the forest behind her, dyed red by the setting sun, and in the direction of the village she could never return to.

Goodbye, Rosemary Village.

Goodbye, Uncle Rob.

Simon... Kagura. Wait, Kagura!

Erza remembered that she had hidden little Kagura in the water jar.

Erza hurriedly told Makarov, and the three of them rushed to the village.

Though Makarov had already heard what had happened from Erza, seeing it with his own eyes still filled the old man with anger.

But their first priority was to find Kagura, whom Erza had mentioned.

Yet when the two of them reached the water jar, it was already empty.

Erza thought Kagura had been discovered and taken away, but Makarov didn't rush to a conclusion. He first scanned the surroundings with detection magic.

Then he breathed a sigh of relief and said to Erza, "Erza, don't worry. Your little Kagura probably wasn't taken away. She left on her own."

"With magic, I sensed a presence going in that direction."

"But the smell of blood here is too strong, so that's all I can see."

At that, Makarov even felt somewhat guilty. In his eyes, he, as a grandfather, had failed to help his child.

"It's all right, Master. I believe Kagura will be safe."

With things as they were, Erza and Makarov could only take the still-unconscious Jiang Bai back to the guild.

Carrying Jiang Bai on his back and holding Erza's hand, Makarov walked toward the distance, one step at a time.

He looked at the girl beside him, whose eyes had regained their light, then checked on the boy on his back, who was still unconscious but whose condition had stabilized, and his heart filled with emotion.

He had gone out for a walk and picked up two extraordinary little monsters.

This trip had not been in vain.