Four Hundred Years of Atonement

"Grandpa, you must be joking." Lucy found this too absurd.

"Yeah," Hibiki chimed in.

"According to records, Nirvana was created by the ancient Nirvit Tribe. What you're referring to... must be your ancestor."

"No!"

Rob shook his head, a trace of sorrow in his cloudy eyes. "We... are not descendants of the Nirvit Tribe, but true Nirvit Tribe."

He turned his gaze to Jiang Bai, who had remained silent.

"Jiang Bai should have already noticed that, right?"

All eyes turned to Jiang Bai.

Jiang Bai nodded. "Yes, Grandpa Rob Lue wasn't lying."

"Then why are you suddenly telling us all this?" Erza asked.

Wouldn't it be better to continue hiding?

"Because," Jiang Bai said calmly, looking at Old Master Rob's body.

"Grandpa Rob is about to collapse."

Upon hearing this, Wendy and Carla's hearts tightened, and they immediately turned their worried gazes to Rob.

"Heh, I knew I couldn't hide it from you." Rob smiled with relief, then his expression turned incredibly sad.

"Let me tell you a story instead."

"Four hundred years ago, in order to stop the endless wars in this world, I created the Super Magic that can transform good into evil: Nirvana."

"In that era, Nirvana became a symbol of our people, and we built a peaceful era."

"However, extremes beget their opposites. Such a powerful Nirvana will inevitably produce correspondingly powerful side effects. The amount of darkness we transform into light is the amount of darkness stored within the Nirvana itself."

"Finally, one day, that immense darkness turned against us, the Nirvit Tribe."

The old man's voice trembled.

"That was like hell... We slaughtered each other, former comrades became mortal enemies. That scene is still vivid in my mind. In the end, our race... perished!"

Hearing this, even the usually optimistic Natsu fell silent.

The atmosphere in the room was extremely oppressive.

"I was the only survivor," Rob's voice was filled with endless regret.

"No! That's not quite accurate. My physical body vanished in that disaster. What stands here now is merely a spirit existing in the form of Thought Projection."

"What?!"

"Thought Projection"

This news is even more shocking than "living for four hundred years".

"To atone for my sins, I have remained in this form in the world, waiting for someone to appear who can completely destroy Nirvana. I never expected... that wait would last for four hundred years."

At this point, Rob looked at Jiang Bai with a gratified expression.

Nirvana was his creation, and he knew better than anyone how powerful that ancient weapon was.

Yet this powerful Nirvana was easily destroyed by the young man before him, as if he were taking apart a toy.

"Finally... I've finally waited for you, Jiang Bai," two lines of tears streamed down the old man's face.

"Thank you for helping me fulfill this four-hundred-year-old wish."

As soon as he finished speaking, Rob and all the other "members" in the village bowed deeply to Jiang Bai and his group.

They are all Thought Projection who remain in the world to atone for their sins.

Despite such sincere gratitude, there was not a trace of joy on anyone's face.

Everyone understood what this meant.

A Thought Projection that exists because of an obsession, once that obsession disappears, that means...

They are disappearing.

Suddenly, one by one, the familiar guild members around Wendy turned into specks of light and began to disappear.

First, there was the middle-aged man holding a wine glass, then the auntie wiping the table. Their bodies became transparent, smiling, and silently dissipated into the air.

"Aunt Maguna! Uncle Bel!"

Wendy's eyes instantly filled with tears, and she cried out in anguish.

"What's going on?! No! Don't disappear!"

She reached out as if to grasp something, but could only futilely pass through those fading illusions.

Everyone in the room, except Jiang Bai, was stunned by this sudden turn of events.

"What... what's going on?" Lucy stared at the smiling people who were disappearing, speechless for a moment.

Just then, President Rob, who was standing next to Wendy, also began to emit the same light.

"Wendy," Rob's voice was still kind, but filled with deep apology.

"I'm so sorry, I lied to you."

"In truth, this guild, and everyone in the village, are merely illusions created by this old man."

After she finished speaking, the entire room fell into a deathly silence, with only Wendy's suppressed sobs remaining.

"What?!" Natsu was the first to exclaim.

"A phantom with an independent personality?" Gray frowned deeply.

"This magic... how powerful must it be!" Erza's face was filled with shock.

To create an entire guild for one person, and even to give these phantoms independent personalities and memories, is beyond their understanding of magic.

Ignoring the crowd's surprise, Rob focused intently on the tearful little girl before him and began to tell his story slowly.

"To await the day when Nirvana is destroyed, I have been living alone in this abandoned village."

"Until seven years ago, a boy came to me with you, who was still a child, begging me to take you in. Looking into the boy's sincere and earnest eyes, I agreed."

Upon hearing this, Wendy's body jolted violently.

That boy... it's Jellal!

"However, when you woke up, you kept crying and begging to go to the guild. To stop your sorrow, I used magic to create this Cait Shelter."

"A guild created for Wendy..." Lucy murmured to herself, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

"I don't want to hear this!" Wendy cried, interrupting him.

"Grandpa Rob, and everyone else, I don't want you to disappear!"

She lunged at Rob, wanting to hug the grandfather who had taken care of her since she was a child.

However, her hands passed directly through Rob's now semi-transparent body.

"Wendy, Carla." Rob's face showed a relieved smile.

"You no longer need these false companions. These past years, with your company, I've truly been happy and blessed."

"I hope you can live happier lives; your future has just begun."

His figure became increasingly blurry and faint.

"Grandpa!" Wendy lunged forward again, but fell heavily to the ground, missing her target.

Finally, Rob Luna's gaze, which was about to completely dissipate, passed over Wendy and looked at Jiang Bai, who was standing not far away.

Thank you so much...

"Wendy and Carla are in your care!"

As the last word faded, Rob's figure, along with the entire Cait Shelter guild and all the buildings in the village, instantly transformed into countless points of light, like fireflies on a summer night, slowly rising into the air before disappearing completely.

One second the village was bustling and warm, the next it turned into a desolate and silent plain.

It felt as if everything that had just happened was a dream that was all too real.