A golden magic circle suddenly appeared in the Fairy Tail guild hall, brilliant light flooding the entire space.
"Oh, they're back already?"
On the second floor, Makarov, who was arranging new S-Class missions, paused his work. He leaned over the railing, smiling down at the magic circle activating below.
"Everyone, we're back."
"Yo~ Lucy, welcome to Fairy Tail Guild!"
"Hey, everyone! Long time no see."
"Hello, I'm Lucy. Nice to meet you."
Natsu spread his arms wide, grinning his signature toothy smile, and greeted the guild members first. Happy didn't want to be left out, raising his tiny paw in cheerful greeting.
Kael simply smiled and extended his right hand toward everyone, a faint hint of homesickness in his expression.
Lucy, a little flustered, was astonished. One moment they were still at the Port of Harujion, and now they were instantly at the guild. Still, she maintained her noble-lady manners, clasping her hands in front and bowing gracefully.
A flock of crows passed overhead…
The guild hall fell silent. No one made a sound to welcome them. For a few seconds, everyone just stayed frozen in place.
"Haha… looks like it's evening now; the guild isn't very crowded," Kael finally broke the silence, scratching his head with a hint of awkwardness.
"Ahem~ Kael, was the mission successful? Oi~" Makarov covered his mouth and coughed twice, then attempted to leap from the railing to greet them, only to slip and nearly fall.
Thankfully, Kael reacted instantly, using magic to levitate the guild master safely to the ground. Disaster averted.
"Master, the mission went very smoothly. But please be careful—you really aren't as young as you used to be," Kael said, slightly exasperated. Is this what they call an old kid?
"Bam~"
A bump appeared on Kael's head as he rubbed it, looking slightly aggrieved at Makarov's antics.
"Master?" Lucy stood nearby, maintaining her ladylike posture, observing these two Saint Ten mages. Though their behavior was peculiar, she understood—they were still normal people.
But soon, a small voice in her head started complaining. Her inner Lucy paced anxiously, imagining a perfectly polished Saint Ten poster shattering into pieces. She couldn't understand why these two legendary mages acted this way—one a little old man with childish quirks, the other teleporting them randomly in the middle of the night.
Suddenly, she remembered something.
"Oh! My luggage is still at the port… how am I supposed to rest and wash tonight?"
Her mental image of the Saint Ten's perfect aura completely shattered.
"Uh… my luggage is still at the port," she raised her hand, emphasizing her point.
Natsu, who had been rolling on the floor laughing at Kael, froze. He seemed to remember his own luggage had been left at the port as well.
Kael slapped his forehead, realizing his own absent-mindedness. The more nervous I get, the emptier my mind becomes. Fortunately, he had teleportation magic. After Lucy and Natsu explained the location of their luggage, it was retrieved within minutes.
After confirming that Lucy was a Celestial Spirit Mage, Makarov produced a Fairy Tail guild mark from somewhere. Adjusting it to the color Lucy preferred, he stamped it on the back of her right hand.
"Yo! Welcome to Fairy Tail Guild!"
Lucy immediately tossed aside her earlier frustrations, her eyes sparkling with delight at the mark. She even jumped up, exclaiming, "Yes! Natsu, look! I've joined Fairy Tail too!"
"Welcome to the guild, Lucy."
"Yo~"
"Alright, Lucy. Next, let's get you settled in your room," Kael said. He led Lucy to the girls' dormitory and helped her get settled. Natsu and Happy said their goodbyes and returned to their small cabin in the back of the guild's property.
With everything arranged, Kael stretched and walked to his own home. A little nervous, he opened the door and stepped inside.
Kael feared Kana might be upset, but instead, he was met with a warm embrace. At that moment, his heart calmed, and he returned the hug. All the fatigue from the journey and battles melted away.
"I'm home," Kael murmured.
"Welcome back," Kana replied softly.
The night passed quietly. By late morning:
"What mission should I choose… I can't believe I'm really in Fairy Tail! Hehe," Lucy said, striding eagerly toward the guild.
Approaching the entrance, chaotic sounds echoed from within, with occasional crashes. Lucy hurried inside and was stunned by the scene before her eyes.
"Making noise in broad daylight? How old are you? If you're a man, you fight with your fists!" Elfman stepped forward, arms crossed, moving deliberately.
"Out of the way!" Natsu and Gray, still mid-fight, spun and sent Elfman crashing into the wall with a punch.
"So it's just fighting… and they're still no match," Lucy muttered, shaking her head.
"Bam~"
Loki, who had been watching with two female companions, tried to join the fray but was slammed by Elfman, tumbling through the air and crashing into the floor.
His companions ran over worriedly.
Lucy quickly marked Loki off the "most popular male mages" list from her magazine.
"Are there any normal people in this guild?" she muttered.
"Ah, you must be new," Lisanna said, approaching with a tray. She set it down carefully on a table and smiled at Lucy.
Lisanna came from another world, her personality more reserved. In the guild's chaotic environment, she had grown more cheerful. Standing next to her twin, it was hard to tell them apart. They also helped with guild tasks, such as serving members.
"One of the twins… Lisanna! She's real!" Lucy's eyes lit up with delight.
"Hello, I'm Lucy. But shouldn't you do something about those people?" Lucy gestured toward the escalating fight.
"Well, you get used to it… it's lively like this," Lisanna said.
"Lively? They're about to use magic now," Lucy muttered, wide-eyed.
Natsu, Gray, Elfman, Loki, and the others had already begun forming magic circles.
"Let's see how powerful this spell is."
"Such troublesome guys."
"Let's see whose magic is stronger."
Tap tap tap~
Small golden magic circles appeared in the air, rapidly sending chains toward the combatants. Those preparing spells or mid-fight were lifted into the air, bound by glowing chains. Natsu and Gray dodged a few, only to be tangled more tightly.
"Really, master… aren't you going to do something?"
Kael stepped into the guild with Kana, looking at the scene, slightly exasperated, while Makarov watched from the second-floor railing.
Seeing Kael, Makarov jumped down carefully this time, landing perfectly.
"Well, you're here… I'll take care of the rest," the guild master said with a shrug, unconcerned.