Gildarts

Not long after Happy was born, Blanc was spending the day researching a new spell. Once, during a mission, he had created a clone with Wood Release, then split off a Thought Body to control it remotely with precision.

But that method was far too wasteful. The Thought Body took half his magic power, yet served as nothing more than a remote control. Almost all its combat strength came from the clone created through Wood Release.

What Blanc was researching was how to fuse a Thought Body perfectly with Wood Release and create a true "Physical Wood Release Clone"-using Wood Release to replicate a body and a network of magic-bearing channels, fully converting the evenly divided mental energy and magic power of the Thought Body into combat strength.

That way, he could not only fight on multiple fronts, but also send clones to clear those high-risk missions.

Just as Blanc was absorbed in his research, deep, resonant bells suddenly rang out from Cardia Cathedral in the center of Magnolia. The thunderous alarm echoed throughout the town.

The veteran members nearby erupted into wild cheers the instant they heard it.

"That sound!"

"It's Gildarts!"

"That guy Gildarts is back!"

At that moment, not just the guild but the entire town of Magnolia seemed to come alive.

Blanc followed the crowd to the guild entrance. The buildings on either side of the main street slowly slid apart along tracks, shifting to the roadside like building blocks before rising together, forcing open a straight avenue leading to the guild.

A shopkeeper stood in his doorway and shouted with practiced ease, "Gildarts mode! Activate Gildarts mode, quick!" Pedestrians clutched their hats and hurried to either side. The veteran members looked accustomed to it, even excited, while the newer generation who had only recently joined stared in bewilderment.

Natsu rushed up beside Blanc, his eyes practically bulging out of his head. "Ah! The houses are moving on their own! How can houses move on their own?!"

"To clear the way." Macao poked his head out from behind them, looking both proud and wistful. "It's a Magnolia tradition. Whenever that guy comes back, the whole town has to make way for him-otherwise, the walls along his route... no, everything along his route would probably get smashed to pieces."

Gray watched the familiar scene and pursed his lips in agreement.

Erza and Mira were equally shocked, wondering what kind of person could make an entire town rearrange itself for him.

Sitting on Natsu's head, Happy flicked his tail, craned his neck, and called out, "Aye?"

Meanwhile, Cana stood motionless in a corner, staring fixedly at the far end of the road.

At the end of the passage, a tall figure came swaying into view.

He had tousled, medium-short orange-red hair, sparse stubble, and a battered black cloak draped over his shoulders. He walked casually, like a middle-aged man still nursing a hangover, but his overwhelmingly imposing presence drew everyone's eyes to him without their even realizing it.

As he walked, he raised a hand to greet the townspeople he knew, smiling without a care in the world. "Hey, how's everyone doing-"

"The strongest Wizard in the guild," Wakaba added from behind them, exhaling a thick smoke ring. "The S-Class Wizard, Gildarts Clive. Keep your eyes open and take a good look, brats."

The word "strongest" hit Natsu's ears harder than the alarm that had just resounded throughout the town.

Blanc also watched curiously as the man approached. Despite having been in the guild for so long, this was his first time seeing Gildarts. He knew Gildarts rarely stayed at the guild, but he had not expected his missions to last for years even during this period.

The guild's strongest Wizard, a wielder of the highest-order magic, Crush, and... Cana's father.

At some point, Cana had also moved to the entrance. She did not push to the front, merely hiding herself in the shadow of the doorframe. She clutched the hem of her skirt, her startlingly bright eyes brimming with emotions far too complicated for someone her age.

Gildarts stepped through the guild entrance, only for a sway of his shoulder to shear a large chunk off the frame of the Heart-Shaped Gate.

Wood chips showered down. He stopped and glanced back, looking at it as though someone's cat had clawed up a sofa.

"Guild Master, did you make this door narrower again?"

"You're the one walking crooked! Go through the doorway properly!" Makarov poked his strangely hatted head out from behind the counter, slammed his mug down, and roared, "Forget it! Talking to an unreliable fool like you is a waste of breath!"

"Haha, you're as lively as ever, Guild Master." Gildarts strode into the hall and spread his arms wide, as though he meant to embrace the entire guild. "I'm back, everyone!"

The hall instantly erupted.

"Gildarts!"

"You finally decided to come back!"

"Where have you been messing around this time? Tell us!"

Macao rushed up with a drink in hand and threw an arm around his neck, while Wakaba whistled and thumped his back. The veteran members instantly formed a large circle around him. Some offered drinks, some laughingly scolded him for "disappearing for years at a time," and others could hardly wait to ask about his latest job.

Gildarts welcomed them all, greeting everyone by name, his smile squeezing his eyes into narrow slits. When he clapped Macao on the shoulder, he failed to hold back his strength. With a bang, Macao flew sideways and landed on a table, spilling alcohol all over his chest.

"Watch your strength, you jerk!" Macao shouted, clutching his lower back.

The youngsters who had never met him gathered around the edges, watching from a distance.

Natsu could barely contain himself, smacking his fists together with sharp cracks.

Erza stood straight, watching in silence.

Mira folded her arms and looked him up and down critically. Lisanna gently tugged at her sister's clothes, while Elfman hid behind Mira, revealing only a pair of timid eyes.

Only then did Gildarts notice the children. He blinked and bent down slightly, his towering shadow instantly engulfing them all.

"Oh-lots of new faces." He looked at them one by one and grinned. "The Guild Master picked up this many more brats?"

Makarov grunted twice, but did not dispute the words "picked up."

"I'm Natsu Dragneel! The Child of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu was the first to lose patience and rush forward, making Happy wobble on top of his head. "You're Gildarts? Everyone says you're the strongest in the guild!"

"The strongest?" Gildarts rubbed his stubbly chin, as though seriously considering whether the title suited him, then burst into hearty laughter. "Haha! I wouldn't go that far. But right now, I am the one in this guild who takes the most troublesome and dangerous jobs."

"Then that's good enough!" Natsu's eyes lit up completely. He slammed his right fist into his left palm, and a tongue of flame suddenly leaped up around him. "Fight me! There's no way I'm losing to you!"

An eerie silence fell over the hall for half a beat.

Then Macao spluttered, spraying out all the alcohol he had just taken into his mouth.

Wakaba's pipe nearly fell to the floor, and his sunglasses slipped down to the tip of his nose.

Gray looked as though he were watching an idiot racing to his death.

Mira, on the other hand, curled her lips into a brief, mocking smirk, delighted at the impending misfortune.

Erza frowned and snapped, "Natsu!"

Gildarts looked down at the brat with spiky pink hair, at the little blue cat flapping his wings on his head, and at the flames dancing around his body.

He did not laugh and brush him off as though humoring a child.

A piercing gleam suddenly flashed through those normally languid eyes that always seemed clouded by a hangover.

He was like an old hunter in the mountains who had set his sights on a young beast that had not yet grown all its teeth, but had already learned to bite. The faint pressure he released in that instant seemed to make the very air in the guild hall heavier.

"Sure." Gildarts straightened up. "Let's go outside, so the Guild Master doesn't make me pay for the tables afterward."

"I'm making you pay for the door right now!" Makarov screamed desperately from behind him, but unfortunately, no one paid him any attention.

"Yeah!" Natsu roared in excitement and shot through the doorway first in a streak of fire.

Gildarts followed, only to scrape another chunk of plaster off the wall with his shoulder as he turned, leaving behind nothing more than a casual, "Sorry, Guild Master."

With his hands in his pockets, Blanc followed the crowd outside at a leisurely pace. Watching the fun cost nothing, and this was Natsu and Gildarts's first showdown. It would be a shame to miss it.

But in a corner of the guild hall by a window, Cana sat alone in the shadows, unmoving.

Outside, the sunlight was dazzlingly bright, bathing the guild entrance in gold, yet the shadows falling over her completely concealed her face.

Her pale fingers kept shuffling the Tarot Cards in her hands, mechanically, over and over, as though she hoped the rustling of the cards could cover up her disappointment.