The Unfortunate Sage Dragon

August 22, X697, Magnolia, Fairy Tail

After dealing with the mess caused by those overly energetic guys in the guild, Precht decided to go for a walk to revitalize his heart.

"Um!"

As his body stretched, Precht let out a comfortable sound.

"I wonder where Mavis went. It's really worrying!"

He muttered something under his breath, then strode toward the gate.

Just as Precht stepped out the door, a... well, I misspoke, two figures pierced through the drifting mist and appeared in his sight.

"Mavis?"

When Precht saw clearly the girl being held in the arms of the black-haired boy, he screamed in surprise.

"Um?"

Seeing Precht walking quickly toward him, the black-haired boy suddenly released his grip.

"Thump!"

The girl, having lost her support, crashed straight to the ground, her elbow bouncing several times upon hitting the ground.

Seeing the girl fall to the ground, Precht rushed forward and hugged her tightly, then whispered, "Mavis!"

"Mavis, what's wrong?"

The black-haired boy glanced down at Precht and the girl in his arms, then said calmly, "This doll can't move anymore, it's quite boring, you can have it back!"

After saying that, the black-haired boy left without looking back.

After the black-haired boy left, Precht carefully checked Mavis's pulse and heartbeat, and then he discovered an important piece of information that the black-haired boy had overlooked.

"There's still a faint heartbeat. If we had a Resurrection Magic Crystal, perhaps..."

"I remember that the guild's basement kept the Resurrection Magic Crystal!"

After speaking, Precht picked up the girl and rushed back into the guild. (Sorry everyone! This part is based on the Great Owl's memories, so there may be some discrepancies. Please understand!)

Since rescuing Mavis that day, Precht has designated the guild's basement as a forbidden area, strictly prohibiting anyone other than himself, the guild master, from entering.

In an effort to revive the unconscious Mavis, Precht performed a thorough examination on her. It was then that he discovered a terrifying black energy flowing within Mavis's body.

After some experimentation, Precht discovered that this black energy possessed both powerful lethality and remarkable vitality. Gazing at this strange and inexplicable energy, he suddenly recalled something recorded in a magic book he had previously read.

"This... this couldn't be the legendary Ankhseram's Curse, could it?"

"Could it be... could it be that Rita's death was... because..."

Thinking of his own speculation, Precht shook his head frantically, trying to banish the dangerous idea from his mind. Although his emotions were desperately resisting, his reason was convinced of it, and so the idea took root in his heart, gradually overwhelming his emotions.

Having accepted the reality of this core group, Precht began to use his resources and knowledge to develop one awakening plan after another.

Time slipped by unnoticed, and in the blink of an eye, several months had passed. Precht tried hundreds and thousands of methods, but Mavis remained unchanged, showing no signs of waking up.

On this day, Precht came to the basement again, preparing to try a new method of awakening. Just as he was preparing, he suddenly heard a strange rhythm coming from the Resurrection Magic Crystal.

"This reaction..."

To make sure he hadn't misheard, Precht put down his work and listened carefully to the rhythm.

A moment later, he opened his only eye wide and said incredulously, "There's no mistake! This reaction... it's... it's the rhythm of life!"

"There's new life inside Mavis! This... how is this possible? But... but this rhythm..."

"What should I do? What should I do?"

"Should we kill them or spare them?"

"To kill?... To spare?... To kill... to... spare?"

After hesitating for a long time, he uttered a questioning word. The next second, Precht abruptly stood up from his seat and began his first-ever delivery.

After more than an hour of work, the little life inside Mavis finally broke free from the mother's womb and came into this world.

Looking at the baby lying peacefully in the cradle, Precht was once again caught in a dilemma.

However, this time it wasn't a matter of life and death, but rather a difficult choice between keeping or abandoning. Sensing the dark yet bright, neither dark nor bright, power within the little creature, Precht finally gritted his teeth and pushed the scales in his heart toward abandonment.

"Little one, I'm sorry!"

"Call!"

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then picked up the cradle on the table and walked straight out of the guild.

"Pooh!"

After spitting out the dry, hard biscuit, Sage Dragon angrily cursed, "That brat Sordil! He tormented me when I was asleep, but now that I'm awake, he's still tormenting me, and he's even gotten worse! Is he trying to kill me?!"

"Pooh!"

"Um?"

The Sage Dragon, who was complaining about Sordil, suddenly stopped what he was doing and stared intently at the giant building below.

"Isn't that the guild leader Precht? What's that he's carrying?"

After frowning and pondering for a moment, Sage Dragon suddenly remembered the purpose of his visit, so he immediately followed.

"Um?"

Since leaving the guild, Precht had felt a pair of eyes following him, but no matter what he tried, he couldn't find any trace of them. Therefore, he could only categorize the feeling as an illusion and continued on his way.

"This human has such keen senses! They almost spotted me!"

Seeing Precht leave, Sage Dragon, who was hiding under a rock, quickly patted his chest and said with relief.

Perhaps it was that sense of unease that kept Precht from settling down, to the point that he unconsciously changed his route and ended up in a vast, desolate wasteland.

"Damn it! Why is this guy heading in this direction? He's making things difficult for me!"

"Smack!"

Sage Dragon, who was deep in thought, suddenly slapped his forehead and said regretfully, "Oh dear! I was so stupid, why did I have to stare at him in human form!"

With that, Sage Dragon began to use the Transformation Magic he had just learned, turning himself into a warthog. Then he openly followed behind Precht, quietly waiting for the right moment to strike.

After scanning his surroundings again and finding that there were no other humans besides himself, Precht finally relaxed.

"Huh? How did I end up in the wasteland?"

With the danger averted, Precht's archives were finally reconnected, and only then did he realize that he had made a major operational error.

"Fine! Since we're already here, we might as well stay here! As for whether we survive, that's up to luck!"

With that, Precht lifted the cradle's cover and placed a letter and some coins inside. Having done this, he placed the cradle to the side of the road and turned to leave.

After Precht put down the cradle and left, Sage Dragon did not immediately appear. Instead, he changed into several different forms and conducted several reconnaissance missions. Only when he was certain that the other party had truly left did he transform into human form and fly away into the distance with the cradle on the ground.

Not long after he left, a figure emerged from the bushes to the side. (I don't need to tell you, you can probably guess who it is from the pattern, right?)

"Who are you? Why did you take him away?"

As he spoke, the figure raised his head and gazed in the direction where Sage Dragon had left, until a gust of wind swept him into the eye of the storm, and he came back to his senses.

"No matter who you are, I hope you will treat him kindly!"

After saying that, the figure turned its head and walked towards Fairy Tail.

The Giant Egg Hidden in the Cuyis Tree Sea

"Irene, have you been having any adverse reactions lately?"

Hearing the sounds emanating from the giant egg, Her Majesty the Queen asked in confusion, "Adverse reactions? What adverse reactions?"

"Is your sense of taste normal? Do you feel any tingling or itching sensation all over your body?"

"No! My sense of taste is normal, and there's nothing wrong with my body! You rascal, why are you asking that?"

"Oh! It's nothing, I'm just... just a little worried!"

Just as Sordil finished transmitting his Mind Talk, a white hurricane rushed into the cave and then came to an abrupt stop in front of the giant egg.

"You little rascal, I've brought back the person you wanted!"

Before Sordil could speak, Irene interjected, "Belserion, he's just a newborn child. Why are you flying so fast?"

"I..."

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, what do you mean?' If you have a problem with a bad guy, you can say it to his face. Why take it out on the child?" (Irene)

"He..."

"What do you mean 'him'? One of them was sealed away for over three hundred years to save you, and the other was just born. They have no grudge against you. Don't you feel guilty doing this?"

Faced with Irene's barrage of questions, Sage Dragon's face flushed red, and he couldn't utter a single word. (Haha! Sure enough, when a woman's maternal instincts are overflowing, no male creature can escape their wrath!)

Seeing that the time was almost right, Sordil hurriedly spoke up to stop Irene's attack.

"Irene, that's enough! Don't be angry! Uncle Sage Dragon didn't mean it, please forgive him this time!"

"Hmph! He did it on purpose!" (Irene)

Hearing Her Majesty the Queen's angry reply, Sordil had no choice but to say, "How about this? If you feel that scolding him a few times isn't enough to vent your anger or make you forgive him, then we'll punish him by making him do another task. What do you say?"

"Okay, let's do it that way!" (Irene)